Bullheads are Catchable - Get the bait tank setup!

[SteveD]

 Originally Posted By: wastewaterguru

I may seed the filter, but I think that the bullies produce enough "stuff" to start it by itself. Also the bait that's already in the tank has been in there for two days and they were eating already as of last night so it won't take long to generate some biomass if I continue to actively feed the fish....

Hey John - Will the bacteria grow when the water is this cold? I thought the bacteria needed water temp in the 70's or higher?

[ec30_06]

Hey John, I helped design and build several bio fiters back in 99 if you want to compare notes. These were for a 600 gallon tank. I have a 300 now.

[wastewaterguru]

They will grow.........just at a reduced rate.

How do you think open air wastewater plants works in Minnesota in the winter?? Or shallow septic systems, etc.

I don't think I need any help with the design......since it's already built.

But if things go south, I'll be looking for answers.

[Grant Pearson]

any ideas on some good, local spots to pick up some bullheads?

[Lowblazah]

amost every lake, creek, and river in Mn has bullheads.

[Flaco651]

Check the dnr lake finder for lakes/ponds in your area with good populations of bullies. Or if you don't have time to go out and catch them, Moore's Bait carries bullheads.

[Grant Pearson]

good to know. Thanks

[hanso612]

What's the rule on trasporting these bullheads you use for bait back home to the tank? Hans can you transport them in purified water from home and if that's the case couldn't you do that with walleys as well? Hans

[Shack]

Hanso,

If the bull head is under 7", is considered bait and legal to transport.

[SteveD]

 Originally Posted By: hanso612

What's the rule on trasporting these bullheads you use for bait back home to the tank? Hans can you transport them in purified water from home and if that's the case couldn't you do that with walleys as well? Hans

Bullheads under 7" are minnows. You follow the regulations for harvesting minnows. As long as they do not come from infested waters you can harvest them and transport them as minnows.

Walleyes are not minnows. It is illegal to transport live fish.

[hanso612]

Any length limit on suckers?

[SteveD]

 Originally Posted By: kingfisher1

any ideas on some good, local spots to pick up some bullheads?

Hey Kingfisher - I saw Woodbury on your avatar. Here are a couple of places you can try in your area. Colby Lake; Carver Lake; Battle Creek Lake; Markgrafs Lake.

[hanso612]

I just have to ask, so if it's ok to bring minnows home alive why are there rules about draing the bilge, livewell and minnow bucket? Couldn't just about everthing we transport in boat water be transported in minnow water? Or are all minnow guys transporting in treated and documented water? Hans

[Grant Pearson]

 Originally Posted By: SteveD

 Originally Posted By: kingfisher1

any ideas on some good, local spots to pick up some bullheads?

Hey Kingfisher - I saw Woodbury on your avatar. Here are a couple of places you can try in your area. Colby Lake; Carver Lake; Battle Creek Lake; Markgrafs Lake.

Thanks. It helps out alot.

[hanso612]

Many bodies of water in woodbury have E. Milfoil, are they not infested waters and therefore off limits to bait taking?

[Grant Pearson]

good question. I'll have to call a friend in the DNR and ask him.

[Lowblazah]

 Originally Posted By: hanso612

Many bodies of water in woodbury have E. Milfoil, are they not infested waters and therefore off limits to bait taking?

Yes then those lakes with infestations it would be illegal to harvest bullheads for bait.

[fiskyknut]

Hanso, if the water body in question is on the infested waters list you cannot take bait of any type from said water body. Goes without saying that transporting bait from such a water body would be a no-no eh! There are special permits availiable for commercial trappers on some of MN's infested waters.

Size limit for Suckers is 12 inches in order for it to be considered a legal minnow.

fiskyknut

[hanso612]

So now all we need to figure out is how us regular guys get around the duplicitous nature of allowing bait intended to be fished(possible in another body of water) to be transported by minnow trappers and not allowing fish headed for the frying pan to be trasnported overland in the same water as the minnows.

Just have to ask -again, how does a special permit prevent any of the invasives from spreading?

[hanso612]

How about cut bait, can you take that same banned 13 inch sucker and use it for cut bait. Do all pieces of cut bait need to under twelve inches or just the live fish?

What page did you find these rules?

[Scott K]

Those are some good question Hanso, I would call the DNR and get the answers from them. Then post what you find!

[DTro]

Be careful what you ask for

[fiskyknut]

"What page did you find these rules?"

Yo Hanso, right out of my commercial minnow regs pamphlet....

97A.015 Subd.29 gives legal defintitions of minnows and their length limits. I should add that as I take it the only 'Suckers' legal to use as a live baitfish or 'minnow' are the White Sucker, aka Common Sucker. Quillbacks and Redhorse species are not a legal live baitfish no matter their size.

Fishes used for cuts fall under Roughfish regs vs. Minnow regs so no you won't see any restrictions as to sizes when it comes to Roughfish species used as cutbaits. Just don't transport them live eh, LOL!

As to special commercial permits for infested waters.....All I know about that for sure is what I know of the special regs up here on the LOTW watershed as to the taking, quarantine and transport/sale of Emerald Shiners and other Minnow species on this particular watershed. Lots of hoops to jump thru and these rules are most likely totally different than rules governing other waters on the infested list.

[Shack]

I tell ya, you guys are incorrigible.

I am on the verge of dropping a hundo or so on a live bait set up now. Next thing you know I will be dropping a grand or more into an aquarium for down stairs.

There is a lot of good info in this thread.

I know where to ask if I need the info.

P.S.

Stopped by a stream right close to my house and found a ton of 5-10" suckers floating in the current coming out of the culvert.

What would you guys recommend to get some of these for bait? I will verifie they are legal sucks first though.

[hanso612]

I'm glad your see my point dtro. I have been following this issue since moment one in Wisconsin with dreaded fear. I'm asking these questions to warn of the dangers of this kind of islolation thinking. It's absurd and leads to all kinds of unforseen consequences way worse than any fish virus.

VHS has been around since the sixties and were just hitting the panic button now? Even if the worst case scenario happens nature abhors a vacuum. Fishing will come back. The fish that come back will have superior genetics that will help them fight off the next wave, and in the meantime some species will be exploding and the cycle will begin again.

There is talk of a multimillion dollar fish barrier on the Mississppi. All it takes is two fish to make it over either dropped from the tallons of an eagle or a fertilixed egg on the web of a duck-and all that money is wasted. Not saying anything about the natural migration of sturgeon and other species that would be interupted. Dams and barriers are bad.

If we are so intent on being isolationists start at the top not with the little minnow guy. Let's start making things in America again or mark my words something else is going to be coming over in one of those container ships and jump our barriers and make all our hard efforts for not. Hans