On Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:09:59 GMT, "johnval1"
wrote:

Fishermen really want to be
warmly and welcomely greeted. Some states (Florida, Alabama,
Tennesee, Texas) do a good job of that and other states don't.
(Wisconsion, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, etc.)


Dwayne, I live in Michigan and am new to bass fishing now that I have
entered my retirement years. What rules or regs in MI makes this an
unfriendly state to fishermen? With the auto industry on its last legs in
MI, it seems as though this state should be doing all it can to attract
recreators from outside the state.

Hi John! The first thing that jumped out to me Michigan is
its limited bass fishing season...from the Saturday before Memorial
day to December 31st (on most waters) and from the 3rd Saturday in
June to December 31st (on St. Clair and Detroit River). For bass
fishermen, it's basically a great big "No Trespassing" sign on the
Welcome to Michigan sign.

Not only do I not agree with the need for a fishing season like
that, but I also believe it increases the social problems you folks
have (ie. more kids inside smoking pot/getting in trouble when they
could be on the water fishing, more husbands and wiives arguing when
the husband or wife could be on the water fishing,etc.). Now, a lotta
folks might laugh when they read the above...but the cold hard plain
truth of it is that increased recreational activities is good for the
social welfare of people. The more you limit the opportunities...the
more people will do other things which may not be as healthy for them.
If every neighborhood had a park nearby...and/or a fishing lake
nearby...I believe you'll find a lot happier neighborhood in the long
run. (less crime, less social disharmony, etc.)

BTW, I don't envy anyone who lives in cold, harsh environments
like Michigan all too often has. I endured it up there for 3 years
when I lived in Lansing, Michigan when I went to law school. Now I
did have the good fortune to fish the Grand river quite a bit as well
as different marsh ponds in central Michigan. And I was fortunate to
get my first taste of trout fishing up there. And the bass fishing
was often excellent on the Grand for smallmouth and largemouth when
the river wasn't out of control...

--
Dwayne E. Cooper, Atty at Law
Indianapolis, IN
Email:
Web Page: http://www.cooperlegalservices.com
Personal Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/OnTheWater
Dog Fishing: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/onthe...fishing040.htm
1st Annual ROFB Classic Winner