VHS and minnow ban

[hanso612]

As flathead catfisherman we need to stay on top of the minnow debate. With VHS and other exotics there is an ongoing conscern about transporting anything organic from one body of water to another. Ontario has already banned us from using organic bait. I also see a big push from retailers and tv and print media pushing the effectiveness of gulp and the like. I know Companies like Pure fishing would like nothing better for us to believe that their bait is better than live. My lobbyist friends have heard talk of loby efforts, I know of non first hand, but don't doubt it.-for VHS I'm all for shutting dowm bait dealers, for profit it's absurd.

The point is, if the dreaded happens we need to be on the forfront to convince or legislators that even if they ban bait for sale, we should still be able to use native fish for bait from the same body of water we are fishing.

I can think of many viable alternatives to bait for most other species, but giant flatheads are almost exclusively caught on live bait. (Yes, I know you can catch and snagg a few in the winter holes with jigs) Any thoughts? Hans.

[DTro]

Hans, this is already a reality over in WI. I don't doubt that in the near future we will see restriction on using only bait from the body of water in which you are fishing. I can't see any tighter restrictions than that. An outright ban on live bait would kill the sport, and the DNR wants none of that.

Rivers and lake are very much different and should be managed as such.

[DARK30]

Another good reason to use bullheads over 7"...they aren't minnows

[SteveD]

 Originally Posted By: DARK30

Another good reason to use bullheads over 7"...they aren't minnows

Trouble with that reasoning is that if they aren't minnows then they are rough fish - and it is illegal to transport rough fish alive.

[DARK30]

Hmmmm. Your right. We could definitely be screwed here. Oh wait, Is a creek full of bait considered the same body of water as the river it empties in to

[SteveD]

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that this VHS thing doesn't create any more restrictions than are all ready in place. If we end up only able to use bait we can catch in the same body of water we are fishing, our bait holes will become more precious than our favorite flathead spots.

If you can get your boat up that creek to catch bait and then back down into the river you should be good to go I would think. You probably can't go 5 miles up the creek, catch bait, load it in your truck and then drive down to the boat launch and go fishing. That would work as long as you don't get checked but if the CO shows up, then you have to convince him you got the bait up the creek otherwise "you are up a creek".