FISHING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
By Bob Jensen

For most Midwest anglers, another open water fishing season is complete. There are still some folks who will journey to a river and fish in the open water below a dam, and there are some power plant lakes that stay open year 'round, but for the most part, the boat is in storage and the rods are stacked in a corner of the basement. Now is a good time to think about the fishing season that has just passed and to project on what future fishing seasons will look like.

In conversations with anglers everywhere I go, most are quite happy with the fishing opportunities throughout the Midwest. On some bodies of water the fish are more plentiful, while on other bodies of water that have progressive regulations, the potential for bigger fish is better than in recent years.

There are certainly areas of concern. Some lakes that were producing great numbers of larger than average fish three years ago have seen a marked decline due to over-harvest. And, there are places where fish populations are being controlled by unreasonable treaties that are a hundred and fifty years old. However, most anglers will agree that the opportunity to catch fish, and big ones, is very good at this particular point in history. But, what is in store for the future of fishing?

In the mid 1960's and early 70's, water quality was in trouble, big trouble. And if water quality is in trouble, so is fishing. Today, the water quality is better in most places than it was thirty years ago. If we continue to make gains in water quality, the future of fishing is bright.

However, as more people go fishing, and as angler success continues to grow, more pressure is put on fish populations. This is where fish management comes in. The people who manage fish populations need to protect fish from over-harvest with progressive regulations, and anglers must be willing to accept the fact that we can't continue to keep all the fish we want. There has to be a balance.

Slot limits have been implemented in many bodies of water, and they have been extremely beneficial virtually everywhere that they have been implemented.

Some areas have implemented trophy regulations, and they too have been very effective at establishing large populations of trophy sized fish.

New regulations are often unpopular because most people are hesitant to change. However, those same people who originally protested the new regulations on the various bodies of water are now the biggest supporters of those regulations and are urging more regulations to protect and enhance fish populations.

We have to remember that there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a few fish. The key is keeping the right fish.

We also have to remember that protecting our water and other resources is vitally important.
We have every reason to be optimistic about fishing in the 21st century, but it is going to require work and commitment from everyone who is interested in perpetuating the tradition of fishing. Most will agree that fishing is a tradition that merits the efforts necessary to preserve it.