I don't usually chime in on these type of posts, but thought what the hell this time......When I was a kid in the 70's and early 80's, Lake Erie was all but considered a dead lake. When you compare the state of the lake then to what it is now, the difference is night and day. So somebody, somewhere did something right while I lived out west for 23 years for the lake to be as alive as it is today. The beaches are busy. Fishing, called fishing and not catching for a reason, is generally good, everyone gets skunked once in a while, but nowhere near as often as it happened when I was a kid. Commercial operators are catching fish. Those like us with or without boats are catching fish, and even if that fish you catch isn't the species you're targeting, a fish caught is a fish caught. If it isn't what you targeted, throw it back (providing it isn't an invasive species) If you get skunked so what, did you enjoy yourself being out of the house doing something you enjoy doing? You did? Even though you didn't catch anything? Then stop your bitching. It was a good day. Of course when we go we all want to catch something, but sometimes the lake or the fish don't cooperate with our plans.
Remember, you that have boats almost always have a better success rate than those of us who can't afford to buy them (or a charter) for what ever reason and are tethered to shore. In my case it's injuries that took me out of gainful employment 3 years ago and put me on a pension that pays me in a month, less than what I used to make in a week. I can't afford a boat, doesn't mean I don't want one tho. It is what it is, but when I do get out fishing, I enjoy it even if I get skunked, because given all the limitations I have pertaining to what I can or cannot do any longer because of the chronic nature of the injuries and the pain I am always in 24/7, fishing even though I can't do it anywhere near as long as I once could (or want to) before getting hurt, is still something I can do for a limited time. (As I've said in other threads, when I went, I used to be able to go fishing from sun up to sun down. Now 4-6 hours is pushing the limits of my tolerance, some days less than that)
Does it piss me off when I see the commercial tugs in so close, sure it does, especially when I'm tethered to shore and I know that if I had a boat, I'd be out in the lake sharing in the great fishing this year I've heard all about. Do they have the right to be out there earning their living? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it? No. When they are caught violating rules and regulations do they get their day in court and suffer the penalties for their violations just like anyone else would? Yes. Is it enough? Sometimes maybe not, but who are we to make that determination? Are any of us lawyers or judges? No? Then we don't know what we're talking about and our opinions although often times well meaning, are uninformed opinions based on potentially misinterpreted information according to our own perceptions and therefore they are most likely inaccurate. IF there is a lawyer or a judge among us, they would have the necessary knowledge to educate us as to what the law says in terms of maximum and minimum penalties in these matters. I haven't heard anyone claiming to be either.
But then there's the other side of it. How many times have we all seen posts on this great site telling of people using more rods then they are legally permitted to use, who haven't been caught? How many times have we heard of or potentially seen guys going out, getting a limit, coming back in, dropping it off and going back out for more who haven't been caught? How many times do we wonder "how much would they find in that guy's freezer?"
So lets put this argument to bed for good. Are there unethical commercial fishermen out there who willingly violate the rules and regulations? Yes. The commercial fishermen know it. We know it. Are there unethical sport fishermen out there who willingly violate the rules and regulations? Yes. We know it. The commercial fishermen know it. But most importantly, the MNR knows it too, and they're doing the best they can to catch them. This year more than others I've seen and heard of far more CO visits and inspections than in previous years. So they are out there, and they are doing their jobs. Like any law enforcement officers, they work long hours, at times interacting with difficult people, in conditions that we perhaps wouldn't, in a very a thankless job. What more can we ask of them?