NEWAGYO COUNTY, MI – It's a fishing practice that some anglers say works well, but the Michigan Natural Resources Commission could ban it on some West Michigan rivers.
 
Chumming involves luring or attracting fish by tossing chum -- corn, maggots, oatmeal or fish eggs – into the water to get fish in a feeding mood. It's often used to target rainbow trout, better known locally as steelhead.
 
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources currently doesn't regulate the practice but the Natural Resources Commission will consider a possible ban at its June 9 meeting in Gaylord. The ban would cover chumming with organic materials on the Muskegon River below Croton Dam, the Pere Marquette River below M-37, and the Big Manistee River below Tippy Dam.
 
Chumming is a topic of frequent debate among fishing enthusiasts. There's competition to catch the fish in the river and not everyone thinks the technique is sporting enough.
 
"It's seems to be more of an ethical fishing argument between different fishermen," said Bill Funk, proprietor of Shoreline Service Bait and Tackle Shop on Muskegon Lake. "I don't know if the DNR should get involved."
 
Roger Belter, President of Grand Haven Steelheaders Association, said that folks in the fishing business always are arguing about something – this is just the latest topic.
 
Belter said he's watched anglers chum before, spreading food in the water upstream of a deep spot where the fish are.
 
"What they do is throw it ahead of the hole, let it fall down into the hole, and then let their bait (hook) drift down through, into the hole." he said.
 
"Obviously it's not hurting anything in the water," he said. "I'm not sure there's anything good or bad about it."
 
One study recently suggested sodium sulfite found in egg cures (preservatives), when ingested, might increase mortality for juvenile salmon. However, the experiment was conducted in a Oregon laboratory and "may not represent what is practiced in Michigan, the DNR wrote in a memo to the Natural Resources Commission. The DNR banned chumming specifically with fish eggs from 2007 to 2012 trying to limit the spread of a fish disease, VHS, but it was eventually determined the disease couldn't be spread by eggs.
 
The economic factor is in play as well. Some of West Michigan trout streams are a destination for anglers across the Midwest.
 
"Communities such as Newaygo have indicated that chumming has negatively impacted local business," according to the DNR's memo. "It is not know whether local communities will benefit economically from the status quo or a chumming ban."
 
The June 9 NRC meeting will be held at Jay's Sporting Goods in Gaylord.  For more information, visit the NRC's website at www.michigan.gov/nrc. 
 
Stephen Kloosterman is a reporter for MLive. Email him at sklooste@mlive.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.