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Mike Schoonveld

Mike Schoonveld: Senate bill introduced to collect taxes on foreign-made hunting, fishing gear

1 Comment / Discussions, Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing, National Hunting, Opinion /

Several months ago I wrote a column with the title, “Who Funds Fisheries Programs.” It highlighted a report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the difficulty of collecting excise taxes on foreign-made fishing tackle.   
Most anglers understand that each year the money spent on purchasing fishing licenses is what funds state fisheries agencies. I hope they do, anyway, but not so many understand that in many cases, their license dollars are actually used as “matching” funds to qualify for federal dollars from the Sportfishing Restoration Program.

Mike Schoonveld: Senate bill introduced to collect taxes on foreign-made hunting, fishing gear Read More »

Mike Schoonveld: De-extinct carp predators to curb the problems caused by these invasives?

Featured, Fishing, Michigan, National Fishing, Nature Page & Night Sky, Opinion /

The dodo bird, which lived only on the island of Mauritius, had an IQ similar to that of present day domestic turkeys. They were the size of turkeys and must have tasted like turkey as well. Sailing ships made regular stop-overs at Mauritius to stock up on dodos to feed their crews.

Mike Schoonveld: De-extinct carp predators to curb the problems caused by these invasives? Read More »

Mike Schoonveld: No more winter magic would be tragic for Great Lakes’ food web

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing, Nature Page & Night Sky, Opinion /

Top researchers are worried that warmer winters will end the annual magic that happens on lakes Michigan and Huron most years.
They don’t call it magic, but I do because one seemingly unbreakable rule of physics gets broken all the time by the most abundant substance on earth – water. The rule is that as things get warmer, they expand and conversely, as they get cooler, they shrink. As stuff swells or shrinks, it becomes more or less dense. This expansion or contraction works at the atomic level and only a physicist could explain it.

Mike Schoonveld: No more winter magic would be tragic for Great Lakes’ food web Read More »

Mike Schoonveld: Low water levels return in Great Lakes cycle

Featured, Home Page News, Michigan, Nature Page & Night Sky /

One of the topics I’ve repeatedly covered for Michigan Outdoor News is the ups and downs of the water levels in Michigan’s four Great Lakes (five if you include Lake St. Clair). Those water levels have fluctuated from extreme highs to extreme lows since MON began publishing in 2000.
I remember over-zealous accounts of the damage high water levels were causing, including warnings that low-lying roads, piers, and buildings would soon be inundated by the rising waters.

Mike Schoonveld: Low water levels return in Great Lakes cycle Read More »

Mike Schoonveld: Are fish guts food, fertilizer, or garbage when a fish house isn’t available?

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

My first fishing trip of the season was successful. The cohos were in southern Lake Michigan, right on schedule, and my friend and I caught our limits plus a bonus brown trout.
This column isn’t about the baits, the place, or the other strategies that made a fun day on the lake. It’s about the work at the end of the trip. The marina we used has a fish cleaning station, but of course it wasn’t open.

Mike Schoonveld: Are fish guts food, fertilizer, or garbage when a fish house isn’t available? Read More »

Mike Schoonveld: Fishing with lead core line isn’t always simple, but it catches fish

Featured, Features, Fishing, Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

Once upon a time, Chuck, an employee at a company that manufactured Dacron fishing line, popped into his supervisor’s office on a Monday morning and said, “Hey boss, got a minute? I’ve got an idea for you.”
“What’s up?” said the boss, tilting back in his desk chair.
“You know how our Dacron line is hollow and how sometimes we set up the machines to braid the line around a slightly thicker strand of Dacron to make it stronger? How about we weave the Dacron around a thin lead wire?”

Mike Schoonveld: Fishing with lead core line isn’t always simple, but it catches fish Read More »

Mike Schoonveld: Here are some undeniable truths about fluorocarbon line

Featured, Features, Fishing, Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

The first time I attached a short fluorocarbon (FC) leader to the end of the nylon monofilament spooled on my reel was more than 25 years ago. I’ll admit, I was skeptical. The hype I’d read about fluorocarbon seemed to imply that fishing with it could be an almost magical experience.
The advertising indicated fluorocarbon line was less visible to fish than clear monofilament line. I couldn’t see any difference – could the fish? Did it really make much difference to the fish?

Mike Schoonveld: Here are some undeniable truths about fluorocarbon line Read More »

Mike Schoonveld: Would selling fish be a problem or a solution for Michigan?

1 Comment / Discussions, Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing, Opinion /

I was at an after-dinner gathering of fishermen hailing from several states recently. It was what many would call a “bull session” where fishing tales, opinions, jokes, and other more or less important discussions flowed freely.
One of the participants, a resident of New York, said something about selling a bucket of perch. It wasn’t the point of his story, just a sidebar, but it caught my attention.
“Back up,” I said. “You sold a bucket of perch… perch you’d caught yourself? Is that legal?”

Mike Schoonveld: Would selling fish be a problem or a solution for Michigan? Read More »

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