I frequent a lot of fishing forums and these rumors started to pop up a while ago. Checking up on it again today, and it seems like Rush has also jumped on in this controversy.
Here’s the article that started it all.
I’m not interested in taking part of the debate myself, but I do want to see what you guys think.
First off, examine what Rush says. Then, create in your imagination the direct, polar opposite of what Rush says. In all likelihood, that is the truth.
Reading the article, all I get is that there was a public input period, and it’s over. I can’t tell if there was a date set in advance and that date happened to pass, or if one day the NOAA just announced “OK, public input is over as of…now.” I see no evidence that the administration is actually planning on implementing any of the recommendations of the tree hugging organizations mentioned in the article, just fears from the sports fishing industry that they will.
This seems incredibly paranoid. While I can picture some limits being set on commercial fishing in the ocean, I’m sure that Obama doesn’t give a crap about recreational freshwater fishing. Further, all I see is that a federal agency has ended public input, followed by a bunch of hyperventilating. I don’t see any connection to Obama, other than the fact that this is the federal government acting. Banning sportfishing would make a bunch of people mad, screw with the economy, and provide little or no tangible benefit to anyone (including the fish). Therefore, I’ll eat my hat if Obama bans sportfishing.
I mentioned Rush to show how “big” the story gotten. These types of stories usually don’t leave the die-hard fishing community.
This is part and parcel of the RNC election strategy being fitfully discussed in this thread, when bullshit healthcare hijacks are not allowed to dominate:
Document exposes what the RNC really thinks of its donors, admits to using “fear.”
Generally, the POTUS concerns himself with issues of this magnitude. In the past, Kennedy was obsessed with the number of bird feeders in back yards and Roosevelt was very concerned about the emergence of canister vacuums. It explains why even today it’s difficult to find a “Y” bag for many models, and the whole “oiled vs unoiled” sunflower seed controversy.
He’s not going to ban sportfishing. That is, not until he takes away everyone’s guns first. Sheesh. Can’t those guys get Obama’s priorities straight?
I forget, is that before or after the mandatory baptism of all infants into the Islamofascist Church?
One cannot help but notice how carefully you evade any actual position on the issue, a common tactic amongst closeted “oilers”. We are not fooled.
This is already on Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/fishingban.asp
It’s SO big, that until Rush broke the story, there was no story? 
It’s amusing that just over one year of the Obama presidency has generated twice as many items to be refuted on Snopes as eight years of George W. Bush. It’s going to be a busy time at Snopes for the next three to seven years.
Glen Beck too!
Just sayin, a thousand angry fisherman knowing about a story is a lot less than his audience. I think most of the major newspapers have covered the story as well.
I could link to some of the threads but it’s a bit of bad form to link to other forums IMO.
It’s just interesting how it even got to this point. I like AppleCider’s use of “hyperventilating.” It seems to describe it perfectly.
We all need to rush out to our local sporting goods store and stock up on lures and rods so that when the ban goes into place we won’t be caught. . .ummmm. . .hmmm.
One step ahead of you! 
Hmmm indeed,
CMC fnord!
Ya know, when I saw “Shimano” in the ESPN article, without a qualifier as to who or what Shimano was, I had to stop and scratch my head.
“Aren’t those the guys who make bicycle parts?” I asked myself. “Why do they care about fishing?”
Then I remembered seeing their name in ads in my kayaking mags. So I guess they have a stake in this, but: why is it such a big deal?
Even if it happens, all they have to do is spend money like crazy next election cycle, and then this fine Japanese company can get the elected officials they want. Once they have their candidates in office, they can just write new legislation to suit themselves.
I like to fish myself. I’ve been bass fishing, rainbow trout, striper (the real ones off Long Island - not those lake runts), bluefish, surf, etc. I fly fih, baitcast, built my own 12 foot one piece surf pole with a Penn Squidder reall. I’m pretty “devout”. And I had no inkling of the magnitude of this, the clear and present danger to all that we hold dear.
So, I would guess it’s a nonsense story.
Actually it’s pretty damn sad if this is all the “loyal” opposition can come up with to drum up outrage. Well no, it’s pretty pathetic.