UNDATED (WKZO-AM) — It’s a free fishing weekend in Michigan and one fishing group says one of the best places in the nation to fish is not that far away.
State Rep. Tristan Cole, who is an avid angler, says it’s a good weekend to introduce your children to the sport. He says this is one of only a couple weekends during the year that you don’t need a state license to fish.
TakeMeFishing.org does an annual “fishing poll” of its followers to identify the 100 best places to drop a hook in the U.S. and this year Eagle Lake in Fort Custer State Park was ranked #3 in the Midwest and #28 nationally.
Catching fish and eating them may be two different questions here in Michigan. A group of 50 Michigan Scientists are urging Attorney General Bill Schuette to drop his opposition to new federal mercury standards emitted from power plants.
U of M Environmental Sciences Professor Joel Blum says mercury is one of those toxic pollutants that we can actually do something about.
He says one of the way it most readily enters the food chain is through fish.
Schuette and Attorneys General from other states have sued to block the rules and the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce on Monday whether they will take up their case.
They suggest you check out a State Health Department website before you fry up the fish you catch this weekend. [Michigan.gov/eatsafefish.]
Perhaps on some future Free Fishing Weekend, you will get a chance to hook a little bit of Michigan’s past on your line.
It isn’t Jurassic Park but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources does want to bring a native fish species back to the state that has not been seen in the lakes and streams of Michigan for well over 100 years.
They are working with the Little River band of Ottawa Indians to reestablish self-sustaining populations of Arctic Grayling throughout its historic range. The fish was driven into extinction here in the 1800’s by excessive fishing and the logging industry.
Numerous attempts have been made to try and bring the Grayling back but the only thing that remains of the species is the town they named for the fish.
But they also learned some valuable lessons and will attempt to avoid repeating the same mistakes this time. They expect it will take several years to accomplish
