grand river watershed projet

[bellyripper]

just wondering how pepole feel about the kayakers comming to town i have fished the bridges around town fo many years . with high sucess rates in feb and march. this will change with the removel of the coffers and dam systems.location and adaptation will be a hard change for me but will come in time. the fear i have now is what i have witnessed in the lower grand rude paddlers takeing up fishing holes speed complaints just plain rudeness to the fishing crowd . i know not to put all pepole in a group just as their r slob fisherman. hope we can all get along in the future. like to hear other comments on this issue BELLYRIPPER.

[danthebuilder]

I don't have much respect for dam fishing. If the DNR banned it tomorrow I would say "that makes sense". I feel the same way about the snagging run in muskegon with the whitefish every November. You can set lines out on the lake side w/ spawn & catch whitefish all winter long. You can catch fish that are not trapped at a dam. Now that I disclosed how I feel about those type of activities I will say this.

There is absolutely no way the kayakers and the fishermen are going to co-exist peacefully. If the fisherman of the area don't get their affairs in order quickly and put a stop to it. They're gonna lose. Everyone knows this but aren't saying it. I wouldn't be against the kayakers. I'd be only for an east race style system. I would point out the natural style systems that have failed & cost millions.

I think the fisherman of the area need to start giving reports & filling the shore so its shoulder to shoulder. Get those gander mountain weekend warriors out there. The more people on your side the better. Its short term shooting yourself in the foot but over the long term it might help save your "fishery".

[hear fishy fishy]

The DNR does treatments for sea lamprey at the dam from what I understand. They will not be able to effectively treat the river without the dam. I Just think they could build a portage or a water ramp going over it, rather than removing it. I hope the DNR makes the Kayakers get a license for the additional costs of sea lamprey treatments. This would be a great way for them to make some money as well.

[Ice_man_08]

http://www.facebook.com/#!/GrandRapidsFutureVision

We want to address the BIG reasons we oppose the GRWW project.

First their claim was to make the river safer by removing the dams (death machines they call them). They claimed that several people die or have to be rescued yearly because of the dams. I asked for some kind of statistics that they based that on, there have been some incidents (which are a few that happened in the last dozen year) but no where the numbers that they claimed!!!

Then the used the RUSE of calling their kayaking course a river restoration which basically added some verbiage to make the general public believe that this will make the fishing better, just by making the same modifications that they had planned for their kayak course. (by the way an adjustable wave is by no means natural!!!!) Fisherman were not fooled at all by this tactic!!!

...

Most recently GRWW has jumped on the tail of the lake Sturgeon claiming the project it to restore their habitat. They have done nothing to alter their kayak course for the sturgeon or added funds to monitor such a lofty promise. they have not even contacted the DNR on what needs to be done to restore the sturgeon!!!

In speaking with state agencies we have learned that GRWW has made a couple attempts to get grants from the dingle johnson tax that fisherman ALL over the state of Michigan pay in license fees and taxes on everything imaginable fishing related. Hooks, line, rods, reels, nets, bait, terminal tackle and so on are taxed. They want access to those monies appointed for improvements in the fishery.

Kayakers by a kayak, helmet, vest and paddle and are set for several years. They do not even have to register it like any boat including a canoe does yet many claim that fisherman need to pay a bigger chunk of the project!!!

We see through the smoke and mirrors and will expose all the half truths for what they are. this is an injustice to anybody who uses the river because what is proposed is for elite kayakers making a playground with taxpayer money.

GRWW also makes claims that certain agencies support heir project, when in reality they support small dam removal and improving fishery habitat. None of those agencies supports a Kayak course.

Until this is done right we will fight and our numbers are growing like wildfire, our voices will be heard!!!!

[BenLubbs]

I have to agree with Dan on the whole mater of dam fishing. I used to fish the dam a lot but came to realized that there a much better and funner ways to catch fish. That being said, I would like to ask what they think is going to happen to all the sediment trapped behind the dam when it is torn out? I'm sure the muck there is full of heavy metals from back when the Grand was the great dumping site for industry. Removing the dam will mean that these toxins will be released back into the river and eventually Lake Michigan. Instead of restoring the river you are going to kill of everything down stream. If they want to go kayaking so bad, go to Colorado or something.

[bellyripper]

thanks iceman could have not said it better one bright spot is some biologist found a rare species of clam by pearl st. hopefully this will put a damper on their parade.