2/7/23  2023 boat registration alert.  The 2023 season is not all that far off.  It's wise to check the sticker at the end of the MC numbers to see if you need to renew.  Registration expires ends on March 31st.  Still plenty of time to get this done.
              In 50 some years as a boat owner in MI I have forgot this more then once.  MI Secretary of State does send out forms to fill out.  Then, send you your stickers.
              For the hours of recreation, boat registration is a bargain.

2/6/23  Don't know much, but what I do know? ...I know very well.  Anything negative effects MI's Great Lakes Fisheries.  The 2 words "gill net" are a punch in the gut to all who ply the waters for Salmon and Trout.  Gill nets kill everything ...period!
            2 miles of gill nets off Manistee, MI will decimate the Lake Trout stocks in 2 years.  LTs are more, or less a homebody fish.  If there's bait and the right temperature? ...Lakers do not wander like Salmon do.  That why the new consent decree is so bad.
            Negativity breeds less interest.  Understandable with the high cost of owning a boat suitable for big water.  It's a major chunk of yearly income to operate.

2/5/23  There's 46 days of official winter left.  This means there's a reel possibility we could be fishing off Manistee, MI in about 6 weeks.  Earliest I can remember fishing out of my home port was around the 15th-20th of March. Click 4/19/01 Brown Trout
             Up until 2002-2003 early season shoreline Brown Trout was a big deal out of all central Lk. MI ports.  3 Browns per person limits were fairly easy to come by for the fleet.  Nowadays, you're lucky to catch few before this fishery evaporated.  MDNR was stocking big numbers of Brownies to no avail.  Hopefully, this fishery will come back.

2/4/23  2023 Ground Day was cloudy, hence no shadow.  This means a early spring if you believe in folklore.  Worst case is 6 more weeks of winter that's highly tolerable.
             Coldest weather of 2023 has been here for the past couple days.  Not to fear, February thaw 1.0 begins this coming week with temps in the 40s.

2/3/23  On my 12/11/2022 anti netting update wrote: "6000' of Little River Band gill nets off Manistee and Ludington is fighting words.  Anyone associated with the LRB casino, or takes their advertising money like the Tournament Trail deserves our scrutiny.  Lines are being drawn in the sand now."
            Recent news said the 333 Tournament Trail will not be accepting any advertizing dollars from tribes involved with gill netting.  Kudos to the Scotty Mac and the 333 TT.
            Downer is it took 2 months for this to happen.  Should have been instantaneous.

2/2/23  My ground hog hunt didn't go too well.  Woodchucks in Manistee are scarce during early February for sure.  Did find Meijer's has the market cornered on ground chuck.  So, that will have to suffice for today's wacky folklore prediction on winter's duration.
            History shows over the last 150 years, groundhogs only have a 39% of being right about predicting spring.  It's good talking about the end of winter bringing us that much closer to outdoor activities and open water big lake fishing.  Click groundhog info