Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Tips for Family Friendly Fishing in Michigan

May 17, 2013

With fresh water fish including trout, walleyes, salmon, perch, bass ready to bite, Michigan is home to the best catches a fishing trip can offer. And now with the Family Friendly Fishing Waters guide from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), it’s the perfect time to plan a family fishing trip in Pure Michigan.

Learn more about the new site from Elyse Walter of the DNR below, or visit michigan.org to plan your next trip.

How many times have you wanted to go fishing, but weren’t quite sure where to go? As a result, you never ended up taking that trip and missed out on Michigan’s outstanding freshwater fishing.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources understands one of the biggest barriers to getting folks to go fishing is finding suitable places to go. Preferably places an inexperienced angler can find easily, have a high likelihood of catching a fish, and offers simple amenities that enhance the trip. To overcome that barrier, we recently launched a new section of our website: Family Friendly Fishing Waters.

The Family Friendly Fishing Waters section of the website can be found at www.michigan.gov/fishing, and will connect interested individuals with local fishing opportunities. The page features a map of Michigan that’s quite simple for visitors to use – just click on the county you are interested in fishing and check out the list of family-friendly locations to fish. Every single county in Michigan has one or more locations featured.

Nearly all of the locations featured on the Family Friendly Fishing Waters website were submitted by the public and are considered easy for new anglers to access and use.

Each water body’s online profile includes its geographic location, driving directions, parking information, hours of operation, species of fish available, typical bait used, and much more.

Don’t see a water body in the county you love to fish? The DNR will continue to accept potential locations for future inclusion as well. The Family Friendly Fishing Waters online submission form can be found at www.michigan.gov/fishing.

So as you consider what to do for fun this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, perhaps you’ll finally have the tools necessary to plan that long-awaited fishing trip!

Elyse Walter is a communication specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She specifically works with the DNR’s Fisheries Division to help educate and promote the state’s fishing opportunities and aquatic resources.

Is your family planning a fishing trip in Michigan this summer? Share with us below!

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Stocking Steelhead in the Red Cedar River (Part 2)

April 19, 2013

in Fishing,Guest Blogger,Outdoors

Last week, Elyse Walter of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources gave us a preview of what was in store for Michigan anglers in the East Lansing area in Part 1 of her post. Today, Elyse fills us in on details of the April 15^th event where 3,000 steelhead were stocked in the Red Cedar River at Michigan State University.

On Monday, April 15, nearly 3,000 steelhead (a variety of rainbow trout raised in captivity) were stocked in the Red Cedar River on Michigan State University’s campus. This activity marked an ordinance change by the MSU Board of Trustees this past December that now allows fishing on campus for the first time since the 1960s.

Because of this ordinance change, hook-and-line fishing is now allowed on the north bank of the Red Cedar River between the western edge of Brody Complex and the Sparty bridge. Previously the river was off limits for more than 50 years due to the entire campus of MSU being considered a preserve and therefore, hunting, fishing and gathering were off limits.

The steelhead stocking was conducted in an effort to enhance future angling opportunities on the Red Cedar. Numerous dignitaries were on hand to assist in the effort by dumping buckets of the six- to eight-inch-long steelhead fish directly into the river.

These dignitaries included: Sparty, MSU Trustee Dianne Byrum, MSU Acting Provost June Youatt, DNR Commissioner Tim Nichols, DNR Director Keith Creagh, Michigan Trout Unlimited’s Bryan Burroughs, Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ Amy Trotter, former DNR directors Howard Tanner and Gordon Guyer, and various MSU students and faculty.

Monday’s stocking occurred at the bridge located off the southeast corner of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center’s parking ramp. The 3,000 steelhead that were released were part of the nearly 19 million fish the DNR will stock throughout the state this spring. The DNR uses stocking to restore, enhance and create new fishing opportunities in Michigan’s inland lakes, streams and the Great Lakes.

The steelhead recently put into the Red Cedar will now make their way to Lake Michigan and potentially return to the river to spawn in one to three years.

For interested anglers, fishing the Red Cedar River’s designated area will now be allowed during a three-year test period. Please note a fishing license is required to fish the Red Cedar River. If anglers plan to target trout and/or salmon they will need to purchase an All-Species license.

GO GREEN and pay MSU’s Red Cedar River a visit the next time you’re in town – you never know what you might catch!

Learn more about fishing opportunities around the state at michigan.org.

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Stocking Steelhead in the Red Cedar River

April 8, 2013

in Fishing,Outdoors

Get your fishing lines ready, Michigan anglers! On Monday, April 15^th, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will be stocking the Red Cedar River in East Lansing with 3,000 steelhead. Elyse Walter of the DNR fills us in on this new development.

This past December the Michigan State University Board of Trustees approved an ordinance change that would allow an activity to occur on campus that had been previously banned since the 1960s. The activity? Fishing from the shore of the Red Cedar River.

Banned more than 50 years ago, the river was previously off limits to shore fishing because the entire campus of MSU is considered a preserve and therefore, hunting, fishing and gathering were off limits. Additionally, there were safety concerns with fishing along the river bank and bridges due to the amount of pedestrian traffic.

But all that changed just a few months ago when the trustees approved an ordinance modification that permits hook-and-line fishing on campus grounds on the north bank of the river between the western edge of Brody Complex and the Sparty bridge.

To enhance future angling opportunities on campus – already plentiful with steelhead and suckers available in the spring, smallmouth bass available in the summer, salmon available in the fall, and a variety of other native species abundant – the DNR’s Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit worked on a management prescription to stock 3,000 steelhead in the river this spring.

On Monday, April 15 at approximately 11:30 a.m. the DNR will pay a visit to the Red Cedar River to do just that! The stocking will occur at the bridge located off the southeast corner of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center’s parking ramp. A variety of DNR and MSU officials will be participating in the stocking, as well as representatives from numerous constituent groups. Sparty will even mark the occasion with his fishing rod in hand!

Following this ordinance change, fishing the Red Cedar River’s designated area will be allowed during a three-year test period. A fishing license is required to fish the Red Cedar River. If anglers plan to target trout and/or salmon they will need to purchase an All-Species license.

Do you bleed green? Consider paying a visit to MSU’s Red Cedar River and partaking in a little fishing to show your Spartan pride!

Learn more about fishing opportunities around the state at michigan.org.

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Put It on Paper at the Michigan Historical Museum

January 25, 2013

in Events,Exhibits & Shows,Guest Blogger

Literature lovers don’t want to miss Put It on Paper – a special exhibit running now at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing! Mary Dettloff of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources fills us in on what visitors can expect.

Hand-written manuscripts by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A piece of short fiction by a young Ernest Hemingway. The original architectural drawings for the WorldTradeCentertwin towers. What do all these items have in common? They are part a special exhibit at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing called Put It on Paper.

The exhibit highlights the various stages of the creative process used by writers, artists, architects, musicians and designers with a Michigan connection, such as the hand-written manuscripts of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The famed author, a native of Wisconsin, began her Michiganconnection in 1937, when she spoke at the Detroit Book Fair hosted by the J.L. Hudson Department Store. In 1949, the Detroit Public Library named its branch on Seven Mile Road after her, and in a show of gratitude Wilder donated two manuscripts – The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years – to the library.

An early Ernest Hemingway handwritten manuscript for his story Sportsman’s Hash, which he wrote while visiting Michigan as a young man.

Hemingway spent time in Michigan as a young man, and while here, he penned a short piece of fiction called Sportsman’s Hash. The original document, written on his father’s stationery, is part of the exhibit and shows Hemingway’s work before he went on to become one of the iconic writers of the 20^th century.

Minoru Yamasaki came toMichiganin 1945 as a young architect and in just a few short years would help usher in theMichiganmodern design movement. He designed several important buildings at the height of his career, but perhaps none as well-known as the former World Trade Center twin towers in Lower Manhattan, which would later be destroyed in the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Yamasaki’s original drawings for the twin towers, along with other materials, are housed at the Archives of Michigan, and select items from the collection are on display as part of this exhibit.

The original architectural drawings of the World Trade Center Twin Towers by Michigan-based architect Minoru Yamasaki. Yamasaki was based in the Detroit area and is one of the celebrated architects of Michigan modern design movement. He also designed several buildings in Michigan, including One Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

Other items in the exhibit include conceptual car design drawings and models, art from contemporary Michigan artist and illustrator Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (best known as a children’s book illustrator, including The Legend of Sleeping Bear), and music compositions by Michigan performers. An interactive area allows visitors to create their own masterpieces, including an area for kids who want to dabble in landscape architecture.

Put It on Paper is on exhibit until August 25, 2013. For more information about the exhibit, hours of operation and admission fees for the museum, go to www.michigan.gov/museum. While at the museum, check out its permanent exhibits about the history of our great state – The First People to 1900 and Michigan in the Twentieth Century. The museum also has a gift shop stocked with interesting Michigan-related items, including several books about different aspects of the history of the state. Group tours are welcome at the museum, and please note that spring school field trip season is the busiest time of the year.

Mary Dettloff is senior advisor for communications for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and a native of Northern Michigan.

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Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Make your own pair of snowshoes!

December 19, 2012

in Guest Blogger,Outdoors,Snowsports

Snowy weather is sure to be on its way this winter in Pure Michigan! If you’re looking for ways to get out and enjoy the outdoors, snowshoeing is a great option. Today, Christine Schwerin of the Department of Natural Resources fills us in on how you can learn to make your own snowshoes this season.

Adapting to winter can be a matter of switching from flip-flops to water-proof boots, or in some cases – snowshoes. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer and love the invigorating feeling of spending time outdoors in the wintertime, a snowshoe-making class may be just the ticket. Michigan state parks can get you started.

Rob Burg, a historian and educator at Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling teaches traditional wooden snowshoe-building classes every winter in the visitor center nestled under snow-covered towering pines at the park. At Hartwick, Rob, along with colleague Craig Kasmer, the park interpreter, will be teaching two more classes this winter: one in January, and one in February.

“In January we’ll be making the Green Mountain Bearpaw—an oval shaped shoe, good for holding 200 pounds or less” explained Rob, “and in February, we’ll make a larger Ojibwa-style shoe that’ll hold a little more weight.”

For about $180, Rob and Craig Kasmer supply each do-it-yourselfer the wooden frames, nylon laces pre-cut to the right length, and everything else needed to make a complete pair.

Rob and Craig go over how to weave the lacing and tie knots, “we have a lot of one-on-one contact with each person in the class,” said Rob, “it takes a little time to get good at it.” Once the class gets into a nice groove, they chat with the class about the history of snowshoeing, about how different styles developed based on the snow conditions.

Rob, who also runs the Hartwick Pines Logging Museumat the park, explains, “Native Americans and fur traders sometimes made snowshoes while traveling. They might start out in good weather, then the snow would come, and they’d use the resources immediately available to them to build a pair of snowshoes.”

Lacing the snowshoes takes a certain amount of focus and concentration. “It’s intensive,” said Rob, who has made an estimated two dozen pairs. It also takes time—classes are spread over two days. As anyone who has ever made their own pair will tell you, there’s pride in learning such a unique and timeless skill.

Once you’re done, you’ve got a pair of snowshoes that’ll last, winter after snowy winter.

Snowshoeing is something just about anyone can do, as the saying goes, if you can walk, you can snowshoe. It’s the perfect combination of exercise and adventure for those of us who are more comfortable on level ground than on the heart-thumping downhill ski slopes.

Hartwick isn’t the only place to take on the snowshoe-making challenge. The skilled and friendly folks at Sleepy Hollow State Park in Laingsburg, Tahquamenon Falls in Paradise, and Ludington State Park in Ludington are also offering classes this winter. Visit the DNR’s January and February calendars for a list of snowshoe building classes and hikes across the state.

To learn more about snowshoeing in Michigan, check out Showshoeing | A Pure Michigan Winter, from the Pure Michigan winter video series. Do you plan to go snowshoeing this season? Share with us below!

Christine Schwerin has been writing about Michigan-related topics since launching a career with Michigan History magazine in 2004. She currently works for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, where she’s fortunate enough to combine her love of writing with her love for the outdoors.

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