If you fish the Great Lakes and catch a marked and tagged fish, the DNR wants to know. Since the 1980s, the DNR has used the coded-wire tag program to mass mark various trout and salmon species in Michigan. Mass marking provides critical data as fisheries biologists assess the value of naturally reproduced versus stocked fish, as well as lakewide fish movement.

The program involves implanting a small, coded-wire tag, which is invisible to the naked eye, into the snout of a fish. A fish with a coded-wire tag can be identified because its adipose fin (the small, fleshy fin between the dorsal and tail fins) has been removed.

Anglers who catch these tagged fish can then record needed information (like where and when the fish was caught, details from the tag, and the species, length and weight of the fish), remove and freeze the fish’s snout and drop it off at designated locations. A statewide list of drop-off locations is available on the DNR website. Read more

This spring, the DNR will begin collecting Great Lakes muskellunge from the Detroit River. These fish will be reared at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan and stocked in Michigan waters this fall.

“The DNR’s goal this year is to collect at least 400,000 eggs to meet our target of 30,000 fall fingerlings for stocking our state’s waters,” said Ed Eisch, Fish Production Program manager.

In 2018, approximately 460,000 eggs were collected from the Detroit River. Those eggs produced nearly 26,000 fall fingerlings that were stocked in 19 inland lakes and rivers and more than 46,000 spring fingerlings stocked in the Grand River and Lake Macatawa. No muskellunge are stocked in the Detroit River because the abundant muskellunge population in Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River is supported entirely by natural reproduction. Read more

Oceanside, CA – Kayak fishing has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years and there seems to be no slowing to the growth of the sport. With that in mind, Hobie is proud to announce the latest addition to its renowned lineup of pedal kayaks, powered by the brand’s signature MirageDrive®—the original pedal propulsion system for kayaking. Maintaining Hobie’s acclaimed quality and durability, the Passport was built with simplicity in mind, delivering efficiency, ease of use, versatility and comfort in a highly accessible package.

Read more

Increase will undermine $1 billion industry, hand cost to 10 million anglers

BOZEMAN, MT. – In response to the Administration’s action to increase tariffs on goods from China, AFFTA president, Ben Bulis, released this statement:

“The backbone of the fly fishing industry is small- to mid-sized business. Locally-owned and employing local people. From specialty retail shops, guides and outfitters to the manufacturers who develop and produce the gear that they rely on for their livelihood, we are a significant part of our nation’s powerful and growing outdoor economy, contributing more than $1 billion annually.

This increase in tariffs, on top of the already harmful tariffs imposed over the past 10 months, will only make it more difficult and costly for our industry’s businesses and the local economies that rely on them to stay viable. The increase will further stifle innovation, force unfair and highly expensive production changes, inhibit the free market and freeze, or worse, cut employment. Read more

Fly Fishing School- June 14, 15, 2019

Do you want to learn the sport of fly fishing? The Great Lakes Council of Fly Fishers International will teach you the basics of fly fishing including learning about equipment and gear, knots, casting, entomology, fly selection, reading the water, on-stream tactics, and fly fishing etiquette. The school will include on-stream instruction. The school is being held at D-Loop Outfitters, 918 Seaman Rd. Wellston, MI 49689. The cost is $225. For more information and to download an application go to www.ffiglc.org or email dpeterson6325@gmail.com.

Michigan: home to outstanding fishing, more than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, 11,000 inland lakes, and tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams.

There’s no shortage of recreational opportunities to explore – and what better time to do so than the 2019 Summer Free Fishing Weekend!

The 2019 Summer Free Fishing Weekend will be held Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9. As part of these weekends, all fishing license fees are waived for two days with residents and out-of-state visitors invited to enjoy fishing on both inland and Great Lakes’ waters for all species of fish during their respective open seasons. Please note all other regulations still apply during that time.

To encourage involvement in Free Fishing Weekends, activities are offered in communities across the state. These activities are coordinated by non-profit groups, schools, parks (local/state), businesses and others. Will you be joining them and planning a 2019 Summer Free Fishing Weekend event? Read more

By JOANNE FOREMAN
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Thousands of anglers across the state are poised to dip their waders into cold-water Michigan lakes, rivers and streams beginning Saturday, looking to tempt a prize brookie, a colorful rainbow or sleek German brown trout.

As they move from one spot to the next, anglers can unknowingly help spread a devastating invasive species, the New Zealand mudsnail.

“If you are going to fish different streams, be sure to clean your waders and boots,” said Jeff Gerwitz, a member of the Vanguard Chapter of Michigan Trout Unlimited, supporting Oakland County’s Paint Creek. “Some people don’t think it’s a big deal or concern, and they don’t take the time to clean and inspect between sites, but now we’re finding these mudsnails in more and more places.”

New Zealand mudsnails were first discovered in the U.S. in Idaho’s Snake River in 1987. Since then, infestations have spread throughout the western states and into areas of the Great Lakes. Read more