WANTED – Warning graphic pictures below

I have some bad news. There is a WANTED man/ woman on the loose here in Lake County. He/ she has been killing WILD female/ hen Steelhead for the past few weeks out of the Flies Only No Kill section of the Pere Marquette River ONLY for there eggs and throwing the fish back in the river or on the banks to rot. Chances are very good there using bait to catch the fish. Chances are pretty good there running a spinning or centerpin rig also. So keep on the lookout and please call the Report All Poaching line 1-800-292-7800 if you have any information from the past month you can share that may help lead to a arrest. We have found 3 or 4 carcases total in these locations Miss Smiths, Tom Jacks,Spruce holes all 3 spots are between the Baldwin River mouth and the Claybanks. Here is a picture below of the poachers work.

I’m not against people keeping a fish to eat and using the eggs/spawn to catch more fish. But this is poaching in this section of river. Also a ethics issue of discarding a fish or animal just to lay to rot. Same as when people kill animals just for horns, or kill Deer just to leave them lay with a Block Permit that farmers get to thin the herd 20-100 Deer at a time to cut back on crop damage. These folks just don’t understand rules are rules. There is hundreds and thousands of miles of river out there where you can perform this vulgar crap without a hitch. This person wants to make a statement. So we need to make ours a catch this piece of crap ! He obviously doesn’t remember or never took a Hunters Safety course. Chapter #1 Ethics in 1984 when I took the course.

Beads are another hot topic in the Flies Only No Kill section of the Pere Marquette. We are finding them in the trees and also in the snags. Beads are not flies, glue beads are not flies, Otter eggs are not flies but all 3 can be used in the artificals only section Gleasons to Rainbow Rapids and Rainbow Rapids to Lake Michigan. The rigging on beads/ plastics must be on the hook or slid right to the eye of the hook. Rigging a bead 1/2″ to 6″ up from the hook is illegal. The Otter eggs I like they go right on the hook. Once again there is hundreds and thousands of miles of rivers in the State of Michigan where beads and Otter eggs are fine. These folks just don’t understand rules are rules.

So the DNR needs help from the sportsman and sportswomen to educate people that don’t know how to read, or just think the rules don’t apply to them and there Special. So let’s try to make them feel Special with there name & picture in the news and a court date with fines.

On a BRIGHTER note I have been catching Steelhead. I have walked in a few times when the weather was nice last week and had 2 days without chipping ice out of the guides. Now were back to winter and another arctic blast with single digits and sub-zero temps for the next week or so. The phones are ringing for Spring reservations on rooms and trips. So don’t wait till the last min. to book.

I still have some peak Steelhead dates open to Guide March 24th.–28th., March 30th.–April 4 th., April 14th.–18th. Weekday openings mostly Sundays -Fridays when traffic is less and fishing is best!

Sorry about the Bad news and the Rant but it is ALL OF OUR resource to protect and we all have cameras, video cameras, and phones. Please make the call and help. 1-800-292-7800

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