Heads up to MN catfishermen using live bait

[MDNRMetroRivers]

I wanted to give everyone a heads up about the new invasive species laws that went into effect this past legislative session so you're not caught off guard. If you transport live bait in your boat, this applies to you. READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY. For most MN catfishermen, the 2nd scenario will apply.

According to the new law, when fishing state waters, all water must be drained from the boat, including livewells even if they were only used for bait you hauled to that waterbody. Portable bait containers can be removed from the boat and put back in the vehicle.

When fishing INFESTED waters (which basically means any catfish river in MN) you must drain ALL water from the boat's livewells and bait containers, INCLUDING any portable container you put on the boat with live bait. Bottom line is that once you put a portable bait container in your boat on infested waters, count on it being drained. If a Conservation Officer catches you with a bait cooler with water in the boat, or putting that container back in your vehicle, that's trouble.

To prevent yourself from getting a ticket and costing yourself time and money on getting bullheads or suckers, here is what I would recommend...transport clean water in the boat (in your livewell or bait well or whatever), keep a portable bait container (cooler or similar bait container with a lid) with clean water. Before you leave the boat ramp, transfer your bait into the clean water on your vehicle and drain your boat's livewell, bait well, and any portable bait well on your boat before you leave. If you plan to save bait, always keep that fresh cooler of water IN YOUR VEHICLE. And remember that you can't collect bait from infested waters.

This is going to mean a little more work for everybody, but reading this now and planning ahead may keep you from losing your hard earned bait at the very least and possibly getting a ticket. If you don't have access to well water, pick up a bottle of chemicals to treat tap water from a pet store. You want something to remove chlorine and choramines.

Last thing, don't kill the messenger.

Joel

[DTro]

Thanks Joel.

I hate this new law with a passion, but it is what it is I guess.

[Carp-fisher]

I understand the DNR's desire for a law like this, but compliance is going to be so poor that I don't see the point.

[broken_line]

oops! already broke this law.... i am for not one who is going to spend 15 bucks on bait then have either to throw it or, put it in steaming hot water after my vehicle has been sitting in the sun all day.. if all the bait goes on the hooks, and nothing goes back in the pail of my well water whats the harm!?!?!?!!? grr...........! around here the river is the CLEANEST body of water with in 80 miles right now..

[jentz]

I dont know how they will enforce this law,When the existing laws aren't enforced.It seems as though just another law thrown in among other unenforced laws.Kinda like TIP, the only way they really enforce the existing laws it getting citizen aginst citizen.Remindes me of the 30s and 40s ever hear about in Germany and the SS pitting the citizens aginst the citizens? and the only reward was not being jailed or worse!

[Shack]

oops! already broke this law.... i am for not one who is going to spend 15 bucks on bait then have either to throw it or, put it in steaming hot water after my vehicle has been sitting in the sun all day..

As far as keeping suckers & bullheads alive all day in vehicle when outside it's a sunny 90+ deg. day it just takes being smarter than the drain plug that you have to remove now while in transit.

I have been doing it now for a couple years.

Amazingly I have been pulling my boats plug for many years, so that will not be much of an issue for me either!

I do agree with Dtro and this regulation is pretty much in the "Band-aid on a bullet wound" basket. I am starting to think of invasive species and regulations to prevent the spread as when people avoiding doing their taxes. Eventually it will happen no matter what & maybe getting it over with sooner, rather than later might mean recovery sooner in the end? They are here already and "prevention" type regulation IMO is like trying to prevent a forest fire when the fire is already going. It's going to burn and the sooner it ends, the sooner things can start back to normal.

I am not in the camp that thinks the DNR is doing to make money or citation quotas off of an ecological invasion and possible disaster. I do feel they are trying to prevent something. I could be wrong in my thinking regulations like this will in some way stop the spread (or even help in a measure amount) the spread of invasive species & aquatic hitchers in out lakes, river & streams.

[MDNRMetroRivers]

I understand the DNR's desire for a law like this, but compliance is going to be so poor that I don't see the point.

I don't think this law came from the DNR. I think it was proposed by a legislator and passed. Remember, the Game and Fish Bill was vetoed this year, and this was NOT part of it. I could be wrong, but that is my best recollection.

As for the law itself, it is written to take any guesswork out of water in a boat. If you have water inside your boat, it has to be drained when leaving infested waters. Very black and white and very enforcable. You are right or you are wrong. Much easier to get compliance that way.

When it comes to infested waters, invasive species and all that other stuff, prevention is the best method. DNR takes a lot of shots for dragging their feet on invasive species and not being aggressive enough. Plain truth is that prevention is the best method. Once the invasive is in, it's in. Then it is all about preventing the spread to other places.

[goblueM]

well, Minnesota is faring much better than Michigan and Wisconsin in preventing the spread of invasives, in my opinion

I think we should do as much as we can to prevent the spread. We as anglers and boaters are the ones that have to be responsible. We use the resource, and we need to protect it.

If that means draining the boat, pulling the plug, and carrying clean water for bait, so be it. I'd rather do that than see my favorite lake taken over by zeebs, milfoil, and spiny water fleas, just to name a couple

[broken_line]

shack, im jelouse! (: haha and you have my afternoon tied up now of doing something similar with 2 coolers, one 55 gallon for bait and one that has alot of copper tubing coiled up filled with ice and a pump that circulates the water between the two containers. how are you sposed to get the bucket with bait to the truck if the wardens a strictler? becasue you are basically leaving the landing with filled container..

[Shack]

broken_line I guess I should have shown the inside. The cooler keeps them nice a cooler and the rubbermaid container keeps the small amount of water the cooler leaks out (without going back 30-50 years, try and find a cooler, when filled with water, that does not leak. ). The other benefit of the Rubbermaid container and keeping the water cool is you can fill around the side with ice and then use a heavy quilt or army blank to cover the works. Toss in a couple 20oz or a 2 liter pop bottle/jug filled with water & frozen for good measure.

Last year while shore fishing the morning and into the afternoon on a hot summer day, it was just easy and a better chance at keeping our suckers alive by leaving them in the SUV up in the parking lot.

As far as the CO and my container is concern, the regulation states that container (for one) has to be in the boat and (for two), I doubt I will have any trouble if he sees me carrying these containers to my truck from the boat. If I have any trouble after doing the above and being nice, then that means no matter what I would have done, trouble was head'in my way.

[Carp-fisher]

As far as the CO and my container is concern, the regulation states that container (for one) has to be in the boat and (for two), I doubt I will have any trouble if he sees me carrying these containers to my truck from the boat.

Actually the law as stated in the original post explicitly says you can't do this. Who knows how its going to go down enforcement wise.

[Dennis Steele]

Thanks Joel for the heads up.

Keeping an extra container with clean water for bait in my truck doesn't seem to be too terrible much extra work. I put one in there anyway when getting bait.

[harvey lee]

I do agree Dennis. I just do not see this as that big of a deal as it can be done.

If one does not follow the rule, on will get a ticket.

Pretty simple.

WE at times whine as we believe the DNR does next to nothing about some things and then when they do what they believe may help, now thats a big deal.

Sounds to me like the DNR cannot win.

[Ed Carlson]

Considering the risk now involved in invasive species in all states, this step is not as bad as it can get..it could easily get far more difficult guys....they didn't ban the baits like Bullheads...yet...or suckers. And this option is on the table and was being discussed.

So..thinking ahead and moving up the step of transferring live baits to a secondary container prior to transport is not as bad as it could be. It just moves up the inevitable to the boat ramp or parking lot is all. Well practiced it will likely insure better bait and higher survivability of you costly baits.

You may have ducked a larger bullet, for now, so an honest effort by all to comply may lessen the chance of far worse scenarios to develop in the future.

[DTro]

That is exactly why I am against some of these nonsensical laws. It’s just keeps piling on, and leading to an eventual outright ban on live bait usage, or at least transportation of it, which is basically the same thing.

We keep whittling away at the things we can legally do, and people shrug it off an say “well it must be best for the fishery since it’s law”.

Sometimes you need to step up and call the smelly pile of matter out in the cow pasture exactly what it is.

[Shack]

Carp-fisher I am sorry. I forgot to mention "after" I transfer the the bullies or any live suckers from the live/bait-well into the cooler containing water from home that was in my truck.

Basically what I do is take the 5 gal and fill with water from home & put my bullies in that. The suckers ride in the cooler/tote. When I get to the launch I dump my 5gal & bullies in the live/bait-well and net the suckers. I leave the cooler/tote still filled with water from home in the truck while out fishing. When I come back to the landing, I grab the cooler out of the truck and bring it back next to the boat. I then net the bullies & suckers left in the live/bait-well and put them in the cooler/tote that was in the truck the entire. "That" is when I would bring the cooler/tote back to the truck and I guess trouble could occur. Guys who have fished with me in their boats have and I have brought large live suckers & bullies with (well maybe not Gordie a couple weeks back ) would understand.

[APCfishing]

Sounds like a lot of work, I think I'll pass.

[Carp-fisher]

Carp-fisher I am sorry. I forgot to mention "after" I transfer the the bullies or any live suckers from the live/bait-well into the cooler containing water from home that was in my truck.

Basically what I do is take the 5 gal and fill with water from home & put my bullies in that. The suckers ride in the cooler/tote. When I get to the launch I dump my 5gal & bullies in the live/bait-well and net the suckers. I leave the cooler/tote still filled with water from home in the truck while out fishing. When I come back to the landing, I grab the cooler out of the truck and bring it back next to the boat. I then net the bullies & suckers left in the live/bait-well and put them in the cooler/tote that was in the truck the entire. "That" is when I would bring the cooler/tote back to the truck and I guess trouble could occur. Guys who have fished with me in their boats have and I have brought large live suckers & bullies with (well maybe not Gordie a couple weeks back ) would understand.

Thats a nice system. I used to use a Cool Bubbles to deal with all of my bait, instead of a bait buckets and live wells. With a few modifications, I can go back to that.

[Shack]

Question I will be asking the local Co who I see around the launch I have frequented over the years will be if the "act" of removing said fresh/homewater container out of my vehicle after the boat has been loaded & placing next to boat (not in boat) is in violation.

This actually could be very, very, very easily twisted around to be a "huge" benefit for the catfisherman. For one I hate the hassle of having to deal with any bait after a long night/day/even night again of catfishing. Just reduce the amount you bring with to an actual normal usable amount. I know, I know: "what if the bite is sooooo hot I use the 2 dozen bullies up before it ends when the normal 3 dozen I bring would have kept me fishing" Well for most of you 20 minutes round trip can get you another dozen or two if you really need them. But!!!!!!!!!! (Here's where the benefit for catfisherman comes in ) if you refuse to stop taking 3 or 4 dozen bullies (or more) out with you, then you have a legal, legitimate, to be used freely 3-4 times a year, excuse for why you stayed out till 11:00am the next morning.

"Honey we had to use up all those bullheads. I would be breaking the law if I came home with them or discarded them at the boat ramp/launch that has no trash container. We HAD to stay out and use them. We can not dump them back in the water, we just had to keep fishing! I am sorry but I know you do not want me breaking the law? Right? Ok thanks."

Just stay out till you run out of bait! Problem solved!

That or have a blast out fishing because you were dealt a Murphy's Law loosing hand by not bringing enough bait with that night in fear of having to "hassle" with any left-over and it just so happen the 40's & 50's were jumping in the boat.

Win or A win no matter who you look at it.

But I understand this might not be everyone cup-o-tea to stay out fishing. If the ritual I have been doing for at least two years when loading sound like "a lot of work", the extra hours of fishing might be to rigorous for some of you. So many questions and so many "more" questions.

[Loose]

That is exactly why I am against some of these nonsensical laws. It’s just keeps piling on, and leading to an eventual outright ban on live bait usage, or at least transportation of it, which is basically the same thing.

We keep whittling away at the things we can legally do, and people shrug it off an say “well it must be best for the fishery since it’s law”.

Sometimes you need to step up and call the smelly pile of matter out in the cow pasture exactly what it is.

BINGO!

[Shack]

Quote:

Sometimes you need to step up and call the smelly pile of matter out in the cow pasture exactly what it is.

I guess there is not much you can do other than what has been done. My first gutty reaction after reading all the posted info about the "surge" in "crackdowns" this past weekend and weekends to come by CO's in-regards to this new reg./law is that I am just fine with not fishing much right now. If anything, shore fishing seems much more appealing right now than dragging the boat down and running the chance of going threw an inspection with even being issued a warning, much less a citation for fine-able offense. What fun is it when you have go through the "Oh lord am I getting a ticket or just a warning today" feeling after the CO tells you to pull over and uses a light and finds traces of vegetation under the little lip tucked deep in your wheel-well area? I guess the "rush" of being issues the warning instead of the ticket feels good , but short of that I see no enjoyment even in the ride down wondering if you are going to get inspected/searched.

No matter what (youz a fool if you say other wise), when you are told to "pull over" by any officer (no matter if you are legal or not), there is always going to be a moment where you just are wondering "Did I or Didn't I"?

[rbs]

So I use city water for all my bait (bullheads) and I bring them to the river in city water. I don't add water from the river, but after I am done fishing I am going to have to transfer them to another pail of water that I am going to leave at the landing even tho the water that is in my 5-gal pail is not from the river? It (the pail of city water)just so happened to be "on" the river. I am just wondering.....i don't mind it but just seems kinda dumb.

[DTro]

You got it Ryan, that is how I understand it.

Maybe we should bring 3 and have a little game of 3 bucket monte. Give em the ol switcharoo.

[rbs]

lmao...I guess it is what it is, just so long as it isn't the FULL monte

[rushing]

I keep my bullies in a flow-troll bait bucket inside a full 5 gal bucket transporting to and from the river. When I get to the river I just take the flowtroll out the 5gal and at the end of the night I put it back into the 5 gal. Works well out of a boat as too. Never have to worry about aerating them if they are in the river. Its pretty amazing just how many bullies you can stuff in one of them buckets. I easily can keep 18+ in one. Wont work for creekies or suckers but works great with bullies.