1 Black Bass Fishing Seasons in Michigan: Background, Research Review, and Recommendations

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the State’s natural resources for current and future generations. For Fisheries Division, specifically, its mission is: to protect and enhance the public trust in populations and habitat of fishes and other forms of aquatic life, and promote optimum use of these resources for the benefit of the people of Michigan. Therefore, Fisheries Division works to maximize recreational fishing opportunities where possible, while ensuring the sustainability and quality of sportfish populations, and the ecosystems in which they live. The harvest season for largemouth and smallmouth in Michigan is set by statute. Similarly, statutory provisions prohibit fishing for and/or targeting species outside of the open harvest season. Over the years, bass angling groups have expressed a desire to extend the fishing season for black bass. In lieu of pursuing statutory changes, a study of six lakes was conducted by Fisheries Division from 1988-1990 to estimate impacts on bass populations from pre-season fishing. Although this study detected no “catastrophic ” effects on bass fisheries or bass recruitment, inadequacies of the study design and lack of resources available for sampling prevented rigorous examination of the effects of early season catch-and-release fishing during the bass nesting season on bass fisheries and recruitment