Michigan-What a fantastic place!

[KI Jim]

I have told people from other areas what a fantastic place Michigan is to live. Unfortunately, so many people equate us with Detroit-because that is all they hear about. What Michigan means to most of the rest of the country is Detroit, Flint, cold, recession, rust, potholes, Kwame (Kilpatrick), militant UAW, gun nut militias and urban blight.

What Michigan is to me is Detroit and Flint are only small part (and even they have many good things about them), the great suburbs around Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ludington, Ann Arbor, Chesea, Traverse City and so many other really neat places in between. It is opportunity and a highly skilled white and blue collar workforce who really know how to get the job done. It is great universities and local schools, world class healthcare and the great (and I do mean GREAT) outdoors.

Our freshwater fishing opportunities are as good as I have seen anywhere, it isn't so much "is something biting?" as it is-"what would you like to catch today?". Just take for example the month of April...Would you like to limit out on 'eyes in the Detroit, St.Clair or Saginaw rivers-or in Lake Erie? or...How 'bout all the catfish you want to catch in St. Clair or Saginaw Bay?..or How 'bout a nice relaxing quiet warm early spring trip to any of a couple hundred lakes to put a dinner of 'gills or crappie in the box? or go salmon or brown trout fishing off southern Lake Michigan or Huron? or maybe steelhead fishing in any of a hundred places.

Now don't get me wrong, we have our issues, but then again-every place has it's issues. I was born in Ohio and lived there my first 22 years, I've lived in Texas for 3 years, Florida for 2 , Georgia for 2 and Tennessee for 1. I am now at 19 years in the state of Michigan and for outdoor opportunity-particularly the shear variety and quality of fishing, I love this state!

[loweboats]

Amen

[tonyc662]

i totally agree.i have lived in several states also.Michigan by far has the most outdoor oppertunaties,

[Jnamo]

Unfortunatley it is the Kwame's, plant shut-downs, killings, rape's, and murders that make the news every night. You will never see any stories on the news about outdoor things.
I do remember Gerald Gostenik making it on chanel 2 news last year fishing St. Clair. I think it was for River Day. I was all excited and calling people to watch. We need more of that to try and sell the good aspects of our state.
Just throw Kwame and Jennifer out, put in Unlce Ted and lets Rock Baby!!!

[BassFisher91]

Couldn't agree with you any more. Michigan is a great place.

[fubar07]

I love this state i have lived here all my life and would not want to live anywhere else. The main problem with the news is that the rarely report on anything good it is all about the negative.

[toto]

Don't think I could have said it better myself. I was born and raised in Michigan until about 3 years ago, as you can see I now live in Florida. Frankly, I hate it here. The outdoor opportunities are not that great frankly, you don't dare walk around in the woods, you have to watch your step whenever you are fishing in a pond, you may step on a snake, or you may not notice the gator, and as far as fishing or swimming in the gulf, well, I just won't do it, sharks are everywhere. Maybe I'm just being a little chicken, but hey, these things bite, and hard. Give me Michigan when you are talking about outdoor pursuits, there no place like it.

As for the news coverage, well we all know by now they are about as biased as they come, and they never seem to give us any good stuff, no matter where you live.

[Quackkiller]

You said that right. I was born here I was raised here and I will die here in this great state we call Michigan. When I here threads like this I think of the closing song from Michigan out Doors.

[sea nympho]

Yea Michigan :rolleyes:

[GMONEY]

I Wouldn't Be Anywhere Else

[swamptromper]

Thanks for the change in mood, KI Jim.

Lately I have been considering of getting the heck out. The boy graduates HS in 4 years.... me gone, me gone fast.

Granted 4 years is a while, Jenny can/could be ousted by then. The economy can/could improve by then.

The only reason I wish to go elsewhere is for year round warm weather bass fishing.

With the regs in place that can/could change, 'cept for the warm part anyway.

Hmmm, maybe me stuck, me stuck fast.

[treehunter2]

i agree :D free state land to hunt miss my great fall days bow hunting up in a TREE


:fish:TOTO u finding any good fishing hole ? if not drop me a line hate to see a fellow michiganer not think there good fishing HERE in s.w florida u been to ten thousand islands , got a great bass hole ur welcome to make a trip with me:fish:

[fishnpbr]

I was born and raised in Mi. Then I spent 4 years in Calif., and 8 years in South Carolina. I have been back in Mi. for quite some time. Those other two states can't compare. Mi. is an awesome state for any one who hunts and fishes.

[KI Jim]

Having lived down south for a few years (actually 6 total) I am happy to put up with the cold in Jan/Feb/Mar to live in this area. What a lot of folks don't realize about the south is just how miserable the summers are and how the $&%% (Da@m) bugs really change the way you do things.

In the summer, it is so hot that pretty much all you do during the day is stay inside in the A/C. And you wouldn't believe how much you long for some cool-breathable air to come along-and it is only early July.

Most people up don't realize how much the bugs effect sportsmen in the south. Spiders everywhere-and not the relatively benign ones we have here. Black widows, brown recluses. 3 acquaintances of mine were bitten by the brown recluses-one almost died (he was in a coma for 6 weeks). One of my neighbors in Atlanta had a scorpion fall out of overhead A/C vent into their bed. It nailed his wife in the middle of the night while she was sleeping. A for sale sign went up on their house 3 days later. You cand just go outside and sit/lay on the grass-or let your little kids crawl around because of the ticks and fire ants. They are everywhere.

Give me the Great Lakes States-particularly Michigan & Ohio any day. I will visit the south-and maybe even go there for a couple months in the winter when i retire-but I would rather live here.

Jim

[Jnamo]

Give me the Great Lakes States-particularly Michigan & Ohio any day. I will visit the south-and maybe even go there for a couple months in the winter when i retire-but I would rather live here.


I was with you bro until you put "OHIO" in there...

Then you lost me!!!:D

[KI Jim]

Jnamo,

Sorry about that-but it is a great place also-much more like Michigan than Michiganders want to admit. BTW, I am still a Buckeye fan, they are my fav...but then again the Wolverines are my second fav-weird huh?

Jim

[MUSHY1]

You said that right. I was born here I was raised here and I will die here in this great state we call Michigan. When I here threads like this I think of the closing song from Michigan out Doors.

Well said Q.K. I have come 180 deg. from when i was born. July 15, 1967, if you young guys dont know, that was the beginning of the End for the Detroit we will never know....The Race Riots changed everything in our city. The Older people could never forget this, it changed a great place to raise a family and make a good living into a slum......And unfortunitely this is what people still think, outside of the State.......

But living here, we all know better......Their loss, is our gain.....Bring on the River Walters to start the Soft Water fishing season off with a Bang......"Fish On"......

Mushy