Bullheads For Bait - This is important!!!

[Dirk W]

The DNR is considering increasing the lenght of bullheads we can use for catfish bait and has opened things up for public comment!! Please read the information below and e-mail the DNR with your message of support. This has been a long time coming and we need EVERYONE who supports this to let the DNR know. We are a relatively small group of anglers so EVERY person we can get, wether you have fished cats once or a thousand times, or you even think you might try it someday needs to send a message to the DNR. The info is under "fishing regulations and requirements" below. If you have questions just ask!!

From the MN DNR HSOforum...

Comment on proposed fishing regulation changes

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources requests comments on its planned rule amendments governing various fish and aquatic matters. The official request for comments and all proposed rule changes are published in the March 14 addition of the State Register www.comm.media.state.mn.us. The department has not yet prepared a draft of the planned rules. Comments submitted will be considered in drafting the rules.

Public comments and ideas are welcome on all the changes being considered. Send us your comments regarding the proposed regulation changes.

[email protected]

Among the changes to be considered are the following:

Licenses and Permits

* Fishing contest operations and conditions that are put in permits including, but not limited to, permittee requirements, off-site weigh-ins, high use periods, live release tournaments, pre-fishing, and negative impacts to the resource need clarification. The DNR is proposing to identify and make changes that would make it clear what guidelines the DNR will use to determine when to impose such permit conditions. The DNR will be meeting with tournament organizers in March to discuss their recommendations for permit conditions.

* Clarification of requirements used for issuing exhibition and educational permits.

Minnows

* Change minnow rules to allow angling for minnows in closed waters.

* Close the Cedar River watershed (Dodge, Freeborn, and Mower counties) to commercial minnow harvest except by special permit and recreational harvest to protect slender madtoms.

Turtles

* Adopt rules concerning western painted turtle size limit, as currently provided in emergency rule.

Commercial Fishing Operations

* DNR inland commercial fishing operation areas 26, 27, 28, and 29, located in northeast Minnesota, are not assigned to any commercial operator. The DNR is proposing to change these core-fishing areas to instead utilize temporary permits to harvest commercial fish when needed.

* Change commercial operation rules to reflect recently enacted invasive species statute changes.

Fishing Regulations and Requirements

* Establish or clarify fish use, fish possession, shipping, and transportation requirements, such as transporting bullheads larger than seven inches for catfish bait, transportation of harvested sturgeon, and clarification that it is illegal to dump fish carcasses into the water.

* Add language that clarifies definitions for artificial lures, artificial flies, and jigs.

* Explore a Minnesota Muskie Alliance request to look into a December season closure and increased minimum size limits to protect trophy muskellunge from over-harvest.

* Provide additional winter trout angling opportunities for these trout lakes: Taylor and Townline (Loon) lakes in Aitkin County and Blue Lake in Hubbard County.

* Close fishing on Lake Christina in Grant and Douglas Counties to accommodate waterfowl management goals for this area.

* Close whitefish/tullibee netting on thirteen lakes: East and West Fox Lake, Crow Wing Co.; Mitchell Lake, Crow Wing Co.; Nisswa Lake, Crow Wing Co.; Roy Lake, Crow Wing Co.; Serpent Lake, Crow Wing Co; Burgen, Douglas Co.; Latoka, Douglas Co.; Victoria, Douglas Co.; O'Reilly Lake, Itasca Co; Island Lake, Itasca Co.; Little Jessie Lake, Itasca Co.; and Osakis, Todd Co. Open Devils Track Lake, Cook Co., and Elbow Lake, St. Louis Co., to this activity.

* Change or add to existing fishing regulations to reflect recently enacted statute changes, make existing emergency rules permanent, or make changes to improve consistency between existing regulations. Changes include, but are not limited to, bag limits, seasons, and size limits for sturgeon, northern pike, and walleye.

Designated Waters

* During the 2002 legislative session, Minnesota Statutes, sec. 97C.003 that governed bait and barbless hook restrictions on southeast Minnesota trout streams was repealed. DNR staff are reviewing streams in this area to identify which ones should no longer have a barbless hook requirement. We are also reviewing streams with winter, early, and late catch and release seasons to determine which ones should have an artificial lure requirement or other changes. The purpose of these changes is to simplify trout regulations.

Boundary Waters Fishing Regulations

* Adopt permanent rules to replace existing emergency rules, such as those concerning North Dakota border water limits and seasons on walleye and northern pike and Canada border fishing restrictions for walleye and sturgeon.

* Changes that would improve consistency of regulations, such as Basswood Lake border waters for northern pike, South Dakota border waters for walleye and crappie possession limits, Lake of the Woods walleye regulations, and taking of sturgeon on the Wisconsin border that are the same as those on the Canadian border.

Comments may be submitted through July 18 in writing to: Linda

Erickson-Eastwood, Box 20, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4020;

by calling (651) 296-3325 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367), or by

sending an e-mail from the DNR's online regulation page

www.dnr.state.mn.us. ]

[Dennis Steele]

Thanks Dirk for all the hard work you have put into this for the rest of us catmen. Its appreciated.

I am going to do my part by sending that email!

[Fish'n guy]

ME too!! Thanks for the update!!

GOOD FISHIN!!!!!!!!