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Fly Tying

> This one should start some discussion!, Page 2

Are trout under pressure not somewhat generally harder to catch than those that have never seen a fly? That is, if we do not spook them first? Doesn't some learning take place in some fish?

Spear fishermen go angling for equal rights

A Michigan group founded by some of those who enjoy fishing through the ice is looking forward to summer this year.

The Michigan Darkhouse Angling Association, a Michigan United Conservation Clubs affiliate has introduced a resolution that MUCC will be considering at its annual convention June 20-22 at the Ralph A MacMullan Center in Roscommon. In the resolution, the MDAA asks the DNR to discontinue the practice of reserving bodies of water for select groups of fishermen.

They’re speaking specifically about trout streams and lakes that restrict the gear and methods by which people may fish “flies-only” sections of streams, for example – and places that are closed to winter spearing. According to the MDAA, it’s discriminatory to make it illegal for some anglers to fish in places while allowing others to fish just because they use different gear.

The resolution seeks to have “MUCC work with the Michigan DNR director and the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to adopt a policy for (DNR) Fisheries Division that advocates equal use of the fisheries resource and equal sharing of that resource by all legal angling methods without discrimination.”

MDAA president Mike Holmes says the problems arise when one group assumes ownership of a lake, river or stream, and the fish within them. For example, he says most open-water muskie fisherman do not want spear fisherman to kill even one of the fish they hope to catch when the ice melts. Likewise, he says he sees the same problems on gear-restricted areas of trout streams that keep bait fishermen out.

“We’re not anti-fly fishing or muskie fishing,” Holmes says. “I do both.’ He said he grew up in a fly-fishing family and his grandfather used to build split-bamboo rods. His family also grew up spearing whitefish in the fall and winter on western Upper Peninsula lakes, as well as pike, muskies, and even lake trout through the ice, when it was legal to do so.

Holmes said there has always been animosity between spear fishermen and open-water muskie fishermen, and he says his organization believes the muskie fishermen have been shown preferential treatment, much like the fly-fishermen on more than 200 miles of gear-restricted rivers and streams in the state. As a result, the MDAA is making a push to have fishermen treated equally.

Holmes said he believes the approval of Senate bills 288 and 289, which are now Michigan Public Acts 21 and 22 of 2103 will help the MDAA in its quest. Among other things, the new laws give the NRC the authority to regulate fishing in Michigan, where previously only the DNR director had that authority.

It seems to me the MDAA makes some good points with its resolution. Spearing is hard work. Anyone that thinks otherwise has not tried it. It’s not simply a matter of cutting a hole in the ice and whacking the first thing that swims into view. Spear fishermen spend hours honing their craft, just like other sportsmen. Some create their own decoys and build their own spears, turning a hobby onto an art that they want to pass on to their kids and grandchildren.

Of all the forms of fishing, it seems to me that spear-fishing is more like hunting than it is fishing – and that’s probably why so many people enjoy it. Nevertheless, as years go by, fewer and fewer spear fishermen are heading out to their darkhouses, and it seems many fellow fishermen would prefer it that way.

You have to shake your head when you see the controversies that exist between people that are really out doing the same thing, but using different methods. It’s not just spear-fishermen that are held in contempt by open water fishermen. There are many trout fishermen that shudder at the thought of killing a trout for dinner, no matter how it was caught. There are sturgeon fishermen on the St. Clair River who can’t understand why guys on Black Lake would stick a spear in one of those ancient fish.

And those controversies exist in hunting, too. Many archers think that deer hunting with a firearm is child’s play. Many don’t care for the new guys out there with crossbows, either.

Holmes said his grandfather was a “dyed-in-the-wool” fly-fisherman, as was his father. “But I never heard them say anything negative about anyone else’s activity,” he said. “And they sometimes used their fly rods to bait fish, too.”

He struck a nerve with that comment. I used a fly rod with bait to fish for whitefish long before I ever tried floating a dry fly for trout. And I’ve watched guys in the boat frown at me when the fishing was slow and I hooked a wax worm on the nymph that we were using for whitefish and Atlantic salmon.

I’ll be interested to see how far the MDAA gets with its resolution. If restrictions continue, could it get to the point where a stretch of river is not just “flies-only,” but closed to anything but fly gear of a certain quality? Could it go further? Might we find out some day that our favorite lake or river has been deemed “tobacco-free?” It may sound crazy, but I’ll bet there are plenty of old guys out there who never thought they’d be prohibited from dunking worms in some of their favorite fishing holes.