Hey guys, just bored and figured id start a thread for michigan. With the weather starting to turn up, ive been starting to fish more and more and i gotta say, its 100 times better than i thought it would be. Ive been pulling 2.5-4lb class smallies out of the chippewa and tittabawassee river. Let me know where you're fishing and how its going, and if you're catching them, what on?

You're poaching, catch & immediate release hasn't even started yet.

easy, technically you're right. but im not keeping the fish and ive already been approached by a DNR officer who had no problem with me or the other 10 guys fishing the river, as long as we had licenses and weren't keeping the fish. poaching is a strong accusation cause it more so applies to those who keep the fish (but like i said you're still right.)

easy, technically you're right. but im not keeping the fish and ive already been approached by a DNR officer who had no problem with me or the other 10 guys fishing the river, as long as we had licenses and weren't keeping the fish. poaching is a strong accusation cause it more so applies to those who keep the fish (but like i said you're still right.)

Is there a law that prohibits using a Spinner Bait or Crank Bait?

Is there a Law that restricts me from fishing on or around Flats or Points?

Is there a law against using a heavy action rod?

I can catch Rock bass all day with the same tackle that I use for Bass.

I'm just wonder how a DNRE Officer could charge you for targeting bass and prove it. I could totally see when fishing for salmon or trout, but not for a bass( unless they catch you fishing a bed, but that's not happening yet)..

Is there a law that prohibits using a Spinner Bait or Crank Bait?

Is there a Law that restricts me from fishing on or around Flats or Points?

Is there a law against using a heavy action rod?

I can catch Rock bass all day with the same tackle that I use for Bass.

I'm just wonder how a DNRE Officer could charge you for targeting bass and prove it. I could totally see when fishing for salmon or trout, but not for a bass( unless they catch you fishing a bed, but that's not happening yet)..

The only law you're talking about here is the one that you brought up. State law says that you may not target (fish for) a species during a closed season. A person might be able to talk a conservation officer into not giving you a ticket, but that doesn't mean that the person isn't breaking the law.

The goal in sport fishing should be to catch fish, and not about what rules can be broken to do so.

By no means am I trying to break any laws. Or telling people to break them. I'm just trying to understand it a little better... The only way I can see a CO take action is to catch a persons possessing an out of season fish .... there has to be proof...

fishing for bass in mass has been slow ice has been out for only 1-2 weeks, weather looks great this weekend hopefully I can get the first of the season!!

yeah i definitely dont agree with the law and the ticket would never hold up in court because they cant prove it, but it still says you cant fish catch and immediate release on greens and browns until the last saturday in april i believe. still, ive never met a dnr officer that upholds it so i think were all safe. as for the MASS situation, i feel you're pain, i went through that until about a month ago. this warm weather moving in is gonna kick things in gear tho, so im pretty pumped, the bite should really turn on if it holds. spawn might actually come earlier this year than i thought.

yeah i definitely dont agree with the law and the ticket would never hold up in court because they cant prove it, but it still says you cant fish catch and immediate release on greens and browns until the last saturday in april i believe. still, ive never met a dnr officer that upholds it so i think were all safe. as for the MASS situation, i feel you're pain, i went through that until about a month ago. this warm weather moving in is gonna kick things in gear tho, so im pretty pumped, the bite should really turn on if it holds. spawn might actually come earlier this year than i thought.

I went out yesterday for a few hours and I could not buy a bite. My friend I was fishing with hooked into a 4-5 lber on a crank, but jumped off right at the boat...

I went out yesterday for a few hours and I could not buy a bite. My friend I was fishing with hooked into a 4-5 lber on a crank, but jumped off right at the boat...

Refer to your post #6.

Read the bass resource policies section.

We are absolutely against any form of illegal fishing

and will not allow any such threads or posts advocating such activity. All such posts are deleted. In addition, any material or posting that advocates or discusses illegal activities, with or without the intent to commit them, is prohibited. This includes activities such as software and music piracy, and other intellectual property violations. All postings should obey copyright laws. If a member cites articles or information from other sources or areas of the Internet, a URL should be posted with no more than a small portion of the article's text. Such a practice provides credibility and attribution to the source of the information. Legally, the article copied from a website belongs to that particular website and pasting the full text in a posting is an infringement of copyright laws.

Refer to your post #6.

Fishing a private owned and stocked ponds have nothing to do with state laws sir...I think you need to refer to post #6.

Went out today and caught 5.. Biggest being 4.8lbs and smallest 2.12lbs

Fishing a private owned and stocked ponds have nothing to do with state laws sir...I think you need to refer to post #6.

Went out today and caught 5.. Biggest being 4.8lbs and smallest 2.12lbs

4.8's a great catch. where at?. I've been so busy lately i haven't gotten out in about week. after all this warming and rain, i cant wait to get back out.

From experience. If you have a CO pull up on you and you have your casting deck filled with rods for bass fishing and have spinnerbaits, cranks, jigs, etc. tied on you are going to get a ticket for fishing out of season. The judge will uphold the ticket because you had multiple bass fishing lures attached to multiple bass fishing rods and are casting for "X" during a closed season.

The judge is going to be more apt side with the CO and when the CO asked you flat out "are you fishing for bass?" you can either lie or tell the truth. Most law enforcement can smell a lie farther than a John Daly drive......

From experience. If you have a CO pull up on you and you have your casting deck filled with rods for bass fishing and have spinnerbaits, cranks, jigs, etc. tied on you are going to get a ticket for fishing out of season. The judge will uphold the ticket because you had multiple bass fishing lures attached to multiple bass fishing rods and are casting for "X" during a closed season.

The judge is going to be more apt side with the CO and when the CO asked you flat out "are you fishing for bass?" you can either lie or tell the truth. Most law enforcement can smell a lie farther than a John Daly drive......

haha very true. i wouldnt lie anyway, just digs your self a deeper hole. and youre right, 9 times out of 10 you probably are gonna get written up. but the CO who approached me knew what i was fishing for. he was real cool about it (luckily). any way, catch and release is a little less than 3 weeks out so none of us will have to worry past then.

4.8's a great catch. where at?. I've been so busy lately i haven't gotten out in about week. after all this warming and rain, i cant wait to get back out.

A guy I work with has a about a 20 acre pond...Largies are about a 2 lb average in there, he also has a few smallies mixed in.