A state House bill dealing with public access times for inland lakes has caused an uproar among Michigan boaters and anglers.

House Bill 4362 as currently written states public boating access to inland lakes would be “limited to between the hours of 8 a.m. and sunset" for all vessels. The legislation is sponsored by Reps. Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance, and David LaGrand, D-Grand Rapids.

Sheppard said his intent with the bill was to expand public access to inland lakes where local hours are currently in place, citing an example of Tee Lake in Lewiston, Mich., where high-speed boating, water skiing and other activities that cause wakes are limited to between 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. He said he was concerned that some Michigan inland lakes’ hours are out-of-date and should be updated.

“People are going to public access lakes and putting their boat in the water, not realizing they’re probably violating a time restriction,” Sheppard said.

But the bill’s current language doesn’t specify this, and many frequent users of Michigan’s waterways see the legislation as written as a way to restrict public access to all inland lakes.

The bill is "about as bad as it could be, the way it was written,” said Patrick Hogan, a Michigan United Conservation Clubs board member and a resident in Sheppard’s district.

Hogan said limiting “vessels” to the 8 a.m. through sunset window could prevent someone from taking out their kayak for an early morning ride, or keep boaters from enjoying a sunset cruise around any of Michigan’s inland lakes.

As written, the times proposed would likely interfere with fishing schedules - most fly fishing in Michigan, for example, happens during the evening, said Brian Bielecki, owner of the fly-fishing store Nomad Anglers.

“There’s definitely a group of individuals that use public lakes during the night to fish,” he said. “Night fishing for certain species is very productive.”

On social media, many Michigan boaters circulated a flyer titled “Michigan Summers Are Already Too Short!" that cited several activities the bill’s current language would prohibit on public inland lakes, including watching fireworks from a boat and early morning fishing and hunting.

A Change.org petition asking lawmakers to stop the bill had more than 5,600 signatures as of Monday morning. One person who signed the petition wrote: “Before sunrise and after sunset are some of the most beautiful times to be on our lakes."

In a statement, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs said they are opposed to the bill in its current form “because of the impact it would have on bowfishers, walleye and catfish anglers, duck hunters and many others whose pursuits involve boating from sunset until 8 a.m.," and plan to work with Sheppard to ensure the legislation’s language matches its intended purpose of preserving and expanding boating access.

Several state representatives responded to the legislation on social media, with Reps. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian, and Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain, telling constituents the bill as written is dead.

Like you, I enjoy our beautiful lakes and I take seriously anything that might hinder the ability of boaters and... Posted by State Representative Bronna Kahle on Saturday, March 23, 2019

Sheppard said he’s working on fixing the language in his bill to spell out exactly what he wants to accomplish, adding that he isn’t trying to restrict public access to inland lakes.

“I’m a boater - I would never restrict my own time,” he said.

He said he envisions legislation that wouldn’t impact non-motorized boating or fishing at all, but instead addresses and expands public access times for water sports and boats that create wakes on the water.

Hogan said he isn’t sure any one-size-fits-all rule for inland lakes access times is the right option for regulating Michigan waters, but he said he was appreciative Sheppard was aware of and responding to people’s concerns.

Ultimately, though, Hogan said he’s waiting to see the updated version of the legislation.

“All we can go by is what’s in writing,” he said.