unmarked Indian fishing nets

[sbw1]

There are as many as 11 unmarked Indian fishing nets floating about 2 feet beneath the water between Little Sable and Big Sable point. If you run the rhumb line from point to point starting at 3-5 miles off of one the points, you run a high risk of hitting one. There is a warning posted at the Ludington city marina with coordinates and a number to call if you hit one.

 

[Four Suns]

I hate those things. Why, oh why, do we still let Indians do things that are illegal for the rest of us, and cause a nuisance to the rest of the marine population? I've encountered these in Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and most Canadian waters. The past is the past, and it's time to move on, no more special priviledges for any race or culture.

If you go back in history far enough, you'll find everyone has ancestors that have been oppressed/abused at some point. You just have to go back far enough and make a stink. That's the PC thing to do now.

I'm working on getting a free castle in England for the times my ancestors were food gathering peasants.

 

[OldSkool]

My grandmother’s clan was a raiding bunch in northern Ireland. Guess I should give everything I have back the homeland and beat myself up everyday for penitence. But my grandfather was a poor man from Sweden. Does that offset the raiders thing? I'm so confused; I'm just going to keep everything!!

 

[Boatingnut]

Thanks for the heads up... I guess we run way offshore or hug the shoreline.......

 

[1956olds]

I hear ya ,sunday i almost caught a fish net it was about 1 mile east of the sparkplug bouy in saginaw bay,that about 16 miles from the river mouth and in a straight line from sand point to the mouth of the saginaw river.I was on the way home from vacation and it would have made for a really bad last day off.

 

[sbw1]

I hear ya ,sunday i almost caught a fish net it was about 1 mile east of the sparkplug bouy in saginaw bay,that about 16 miles from the river mouth and in a straight line from sand point to the mouth of the saginaw river.I was on the way home from vacation and it would have made for a really bad last day off.

I found out about these nets the hard way. I was cruising along at 24 knots and all of the sudden heard what sounded like an explosion in the bilge. I pulled the power in less than two seconds and opened the day hatch to see what was going on. Everything looked OK. I then raised the engine room cover and looked around. Did not see any thing out of place. I then put the port engine in gear and felt a little vibration. Adding more power caused everything to shake and I shut t down and limped into Ludington on one engine. I had the boat pulled out of the water and saw the problem. The port prop had one blade broken off at the hub. Within 30 minutes my spares were installed and we rented a slip for the night. A few days later, I stopped in at Walstrom Marine in Harbor Springs to see about ordering a prop. Amazingly, Walstrom had a set of props that are identical to mine that had been ordered a year ago and never picked up. Instead of spending $2200 for a prop, they sold me a replacement for $1,072 which was one dollar more than their cost. I gave them my starboard prop and both were sent out for prop scanning so I have another good set of spares. We are going to run 25 miles offshore going south.

One a side note, we saw just 4 boats between Grand Haven Michigan and Harbor Springs. Lake Michigan is virtually devoid of cruising boats. Nothing but freighters moving out there. Most of the marinas are empty except for Harbor Springs which is full and active.

 

[C-SIDE]

One a side note, we saw just 4 boats between Grand Haven Michigan and Harbor Springs. Lake Michigan is virtually devoid of cruising boats. Nothing but freighters moving out there. Most of the marinas are empty except for Harbor Springs which is full and active.

I think the price of gas has kept many off the lake. Maybe the release of 30 million barrels from the SPR will change things. Oh wait, oil closed at $96.38/BBL today - what was I thinking :grin:

 

[half_full]

Ran into unmarked nets near Charlevoix years ago. Running downriggers. An elderly couple about 100 yards away hit them too. They had to cut the cables/lines. I forced mine up after quite a bit of effort. Hacked and gashed every bit of that net I could. And I don't feel bad about it

 

[my3sons]

One a side note, we saw just 4 boats between Grand Haven Michigan and Harbor Springs. Lake Michigan is virtually devoid of cruising boats. Nothing but freighters moving out there. Most of the marinas are empty except for Harbor Springs which is full and active.

We just experienced the same thing on Lake Erie. Had a great weather forcast so took a last minute cruise to PIB. We were out 11 days and passed maybe 4 or 5 boats that were not fishing.
No reservations at Geneva, Cleveland, or PIB, just called in the morning of our arrival, and were told "no problem, we have plenty of room"
Wednesday/Thursday last week looked like off-season at PIB :huh:

 

[boltman]

We ran through a lot of nets last week from White Lake to Grand Haven, although all were marked, damn there are a lot of them out there, How do you know when they are deep or not? I frankly don't know??? Now I'm seeing them with just plastic floaty tubes on them instead of 3' marker flags... What the hell is going on???? Post a report or something....

 

[AKBASSKING]

Are not the nets suppose to be marked with some sort of identification of the owners in your neck of the woods? What are the rules for nets? I would contact the Coast Guard and Fish and game. If you can find they violated the rules, then seek payment....

 

[sbw1]

When you see the floating markers and flags, stay 100 feet away from them and you should be fine. It's the unmarked ones that are the problem. The Indians fish this area of the lake per a treaty.

 

[sbw1]

Are not the nets suppose to be marked with some sort of identification of the owners in your neck of the woods? What are the rules for nets? I would contact the Coast Guard and Fish and game. If you can find they violated the rules, then seek payment....

They are supposed to be marked. Last fall the Indians around Ludington did not pull some of the nets and the ice tore them up and moved them around so no one knows for sure where they are. The Conservation officers are trying to enforce the laws but the Indians do their own thing and the relationship with law enforcement is some times tense. I know one officer who was threatened with a gun when he approached a fishing tug. He backed off and dealt with the issue when the individuals returned to port.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Sounds like you guys are all being held hostage by the indians. Sounds much the same as the Somali Pirates.

Scott Ferguson stated it the same way I feel.

 

[Woody]

I hate those things. Why, oh why, do we still let Indians do things that are illegal for the rest of us, and cause a nuisance to the rest of the marine population? I've encountered these in Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and most Canadian waters. The past is the past, and it's time to move on, no more special priviledges for any race or culture.

What kind of nets are these, I wonder which nets are legal and which ones aren't?

 

[1956olds]

Gill nets

 

[thebig4-0]

Ummm... Perhaps you're all missing the obvious... As a Canadian with similar domestic issues might I suggest a good sharp knife or even a pair of bolt cutters? Eventually they'll get tired of replacing nets and move somewhere else... Oh wait... Did I say that out loud? Sorry... I just meant to THINK it...

My favorite saying from a native indian friend of mine: "White man work all year to live like indian for two weeks"... They're all laughing at us.