ODNR new proposals....

[CritterGitter]

This is a follow-up to the previous post, but I have taken the article right from the ODNR and not from the Toledo Blade. I think some of the proposed changes are good such as closing the smallmouth bass season in May and June. However, some of the changes will hurt the fishing and tourism industry up there. A lot of out of state fishermen will not want to pay $400 for a charter, $30.00 for a license + travel and lodging costs so they can keep 3 walleye.

One other thought is this. The walleye fishing is what caused the tourism industry up there to explode. The steelhead is the hot drawing card. So, why would the ODNR keep spending money to stock those fish and build that fishery especially if the walleye fisherey(the lake's bread & butter) is suffering? Why not supplemental stock. Add 200,000 fingerlings to the Maumee and Sandusky rivers in May?

Anyway, here is the link:

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/news/jun03/0625fishingregs.htm

[Ohio Sportsman]

I see where your coming from, I would not want to pay that just to keep 3 walleyes either. Sometimes I wonder if those people running the ODNR have any brains, our fishing is suffering along with many other aspects of Ohio's outdoor sports. I'm surprised that they haven't started stocking those trout and saugeyes in Lake Erie, they stock them everywhere else. :D It seems to be there answer to solving the fishing problems in this state. They take a good lake and kill the aquatic growth such grass, milfoil, etc, then dump a ton of trout and sauger or saugeyes in them to say they improved the fishing. Ain't that a joke. :mad: :mad: :D

[george tinkham]

a lot of people like put and take fishing.just show up at strouds run in athens or antrim in columbus when they dump the fish in an open the floodgates,its simple people generally like catching a lot of fish an its great for the kids.they dont care if its a bass or a trout or a walleye or a saugeye.the odnr has to please people with different tastes.not just yours

[CritterGitter]

I caught a mistak in my original post:

"The steelhead is the hot drawing card. So, why would the ODNR keep spending money to stock those fish and build that fishery especially if the walleye fisherey(the lake's bread & butter) is suffering?"

This should say, steelhead is NOT the hot drawing card. Then, the rest will make sense.

:D

[CritterGitter]

Ok, there was the article about 10,000,000 fish stocked in the inland lakes and resevoirs. That's great! However, how much revenue does that generate for the state???? Ok, then there is Lake Erie which the ODNR states is struggling and we need to reduce the harvest by 40-60%. That means a drastic cut to the revenue that the tourism industry brings in up there. I know there are a few Charter Captns that check this site from time to time. Someone should really get motivated on this and plan to attend the open meetings that the ODNR holds to discuss things like this. If nobody says anything, then I hope we would hear them singing the blues next year. I am not a charter captain, but I don't want to see the industry suffer as my uncle is a captain. I just don't get it. Lake Erie generates millions of $$$$$$ and gets a few steelhead stocked.......yet the inland lakes generate a little license sales and they get 10 million fish stocked. It just doens't make good sense for the state, for Lake Erie, and for the ODNR. I try not to criticize our ODNR as generally I think they do a fatastic job. However, I really feel they are way off the mark with these new proposals! Sorry, just had to vent some more! LOL

CG

[Basementdweller]

Critter.....I am an ohio resident and to be blunt about it......If another out of state angler never fished here it would be fine with me. I could careless about tourism especially the out of state guys leasing land to hunt and catching our fish. The reason they are here is because their states mismanaged their game resources. Also, I would rather them stock inland lakes than let the canucks net our grown fingerlings.

If you want to help the walleye and steel head then end the fishing on the spring runs. I have seen to many people keep the big females full of eggs during the spring runs.

Just a little common sense from the basement

george your right about antrium, They lineup elbow to elbow to get at those trout. Not for me.

[CritterGitter]

Don't get me wrong. I am not the tourism promoting guru for the state of Ohio. However, a lot people criticize the ODNR by saying, "they just manage our fish and wildflife to generate license and tag sales. All they care about is the money" If all they cared about is money, then they should be stocking Lake Erie. I don't know???? Also, if you go to the ODNR website and look at the various news articles you will see there is tons of money dumped into Lake Erie coastal management. This wasn't the case 20 years ago because nobody cared about the lake. Now, that it generates all that tourism money, there is all kinds of grants and supplemental govt funding for coastline improvement and such. So, hows about investing a little money into "improving the fishery" as opposed to cutting off tourism revenue by "restricting the fishery." Oh heck, I am getting to worked up about this. I am gonna go find a pond full of fish and enjoy the afternoon. LOL

:)

CG

[CritterGitter]

This is part of what I mean:

6/26/03 Governor Announces More Than $263,000 In Grants To Enhance Ohio's Lake Erie Coastline

6/20/03 $888,000 In Federal Grants Available For Lake Erie Coastal Restoration And Water Quality Projects

6/13/03 Nearly $360,000 In Grants Available To Improve Marina Disposal Sites In Ohio

5/28/03 Lake Erie Dredging Projects To Receive More Than $480,000

5/01/03 Governor Taft Announces $550,000 In Marine Patrol Grants For Greater Boating Safety On Ohio Waterways

[ShoreBoundOne]

Without tourism and out of state money comin in...alot of Ohioans would be out of a job.
If you are one of the lucky ones that doesn't rely on the tourist season....you should think about how much in taxes you will have to pay when unemployment goes even higher.
I am not ODNR is ding a great job one way or the other.
Seems to me, if you want Eries walleye population to get better...get rid of the Canadien netters.

Mitch