Umbrella Dip Net?

[Shack]

Are they legal to use to take minnows? It only says info about dip nets in general in the regs.

Page 68 of the reg book:

Minnows and Leeches: Licensed anglers may take minnows or leeches

for their own use with dip nets, traps, or seines.

• Minnows and leeches taken from waters infested with Eurasian

watermilfoil (see pages 62-63) may only be used for fishing at the

body of water where taken. Taking of bait from other infested waters

and using them is unlawful.

• Seines may not be over 25 feet long or more than 148 meshes deep

with 1⁄4-inch bar measure, or more than 197 meshes deep with 3⁄16-

inch bar measure.

• Traps, width and length may not exceed 30 inches, height may not

exceed 15 inches, the diameter or width of the opening may not exceed

11⁄2 inches, and mesh size may not exceed 1⁄2 inch bar measure. Traps

must have a waterproof tag bearing the name and address of the owner.

• It is unlawful to use throw nets to harvest minnows.

• A DNR permit* is required to possess more than 24 dozen minnows or

leeches; to sell, export or import; or to take minnows or leeches from

designated trout waters.

• Unwanted minnows and leeches cannot be dumped in the water.

* Permit applications are available from the DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155.

68

DNR

Information:

(651)

2966157

or

(888)

6466367

Information

Online

harvest.

new

• All streams and associated tributaries and connected waters of the

Missouri River watershed in Lincoln, Pipestone, Murray, Rock, or

Nobles counties that lie south of U.S. Highway 14 to the Iowa border

and west of U.S. Highway 59 to South Dakota are closed to minnow

• Permit needed to take madtoms and stonecats in Dodge, Freeborn,

_______________________________________________________________

The only resitiction I see on dip nets is when taking legal game sized rough fish, like on Page 53 of the regs:

Rough fish are defined as carp, buffalo, sucker, redhorse,

freshwater

drum (sheepshead),

bowfin (dogfish),

burbot (eelpout), cisco (tullibee),

gar, mooneye, and bullhead. The regulations below apply to spearing

rough fish in state waters unless noted otherwise

in this booklet.

SPECIES SPEARING SEASON POSSESSION LIMIT

Bulhead 100

SUCKER 50

REDHORSE 50

Other rou gh No limit

fish species

From sunrise*

to sunset,

May 1, 2008–

Last Sunday in

February.

(See pg. 55 for

dark house spearing

laws.)

• A bow may be transported uncased and discharged while taking rough

fish in a boat powered by an electric motor. Crossbows may not be

used to take rough fish, except by disabled persons who have a valid

crossbow permit. Permit applications are available from the DNR

Information Center or through the DNR Web site.

• Arrows must be attached to the bow with a tethered

line. Broadheads

must have barbs for night bowfishing.

• Night bowfishing noise levels may not exceed 84 decibels.

• Must take reasonable measures to retrieve arrows and wounded fish.

• Rough fish may not be taken by spear, harpoon, archery, or dip net in

designated trout lakes or streams.

• Check local firearms and archery ordinances that may apply while

bow-fishing in or near cities.

• Licensed anglers and children under 16 may take rough fish by

spearing,

harpooning, archery, and hand-held dip nets on all inland

waters, except where taking fish is prohibited. All rough fish, except

cisco (tullibee), may be bought and sold.

• Hand-held dip nets shall not have hoops exceeding

24 inches in

diameter. (For more on smelt, see page 19.)

• Harpoons (spears) must have a tethered line not more than 20 feet

long, may be discharged only when the equipment and the operator

are entirely under the surface of the water, and may not be used within

1,000 feet of a swimming beach.

• It is unlawful to possess at or near waters a spear, net, or any device

other than angling line that can take fish from Feb. 25, 2008–April 30,

2008 and Feb. 16, 2009–April 30, 2009. The exception is landing nets

used for angling.

• Speared or dead rough fish may not be returned to the water or left on

the ice or banks of any lake or stream.

I just bought one and have not opened yet. If no one has a straight answer, I will make a call down town. I feel they are legal for minnows only and not game sized rough fish.

Thanks

[PFUNK]

Sure sounds like it'd be legal to me after reading those regs. If you're taking legal minnows, it seems that your net would be a legal dip net.

[SteveD]

Are they legal to use to take minnows? It only says info about dip nets in general in the regs.

Page 53 of the 2008 Minnesota Fishing Regulations states:

Hand held dip nets shall not have hoops exceeding 24 inches in diameter.

Now that portion of the regulations is dealing with rough fish so the question is does it also apply to taking minnows. I think it also applies to minnows because page 68 specifically states - licensed anglers may take minnow or leeches for their own use with dip nets, traps, or seines. Since they already defined dip nets on page 53 they did not do it again on page 68.

That is my opinion for what that is worth. You may want to make a call and verify it.

[Shack]

Ya Steve, I took your advice.

I have an awesome bully spot that this thing would work great in.

I called down and they said it was legal, as long as it was not a cast net style and going for minnows only. I how ever have a voice mail into Roy and will double make sure in the A.M...

I will be writing the time and date I talked with him in my reg book for future ref.

[Shack]

I am glad I called Roy!

He said umbrella dip nets are illegal. I stated why in the cast net thread.

Bummer!

[DTro]

Wait a minute.

You got conflicting answers?

[Shack]

Ya, Go figure, but Roy is the main man though.

[Ed Carlson]

I though the Umbrella nets were legal, but throw nets were not now legal in MN? HUH???

In ND Umbrella nets are legal to use, prety sure about that deal.

[Shack]

Sorry, I should have put more of any expo behind my findings. I wrote this in the "cast net" thread.

Quote:

Well, I talked with a fisheries manager down in St. Paul today about some other topics and ask him about this one.

He said because our waters hold the prize game fish (Walleye and Yellow perch), these fish’s young are photo positive and feed in deeper waters up by the surface. The cast nets and I found out the Umbrella Dip net can be used to harvest bait’s in deeper water. The seine net can only be used primarily in shallow water and not has much of an effect on the photo positive game fish minnows up to 3” long.

The cast net and umbrella dip net are used primarily down south for thread fin and gizzard shad in deeper waters.

Basically minnow nets for shallow use are legal; while minnow nets that have capabilities of being used in deeper water are illegal.

The head fishers supervisor I spoke with at the MN DNR head quarters in St. Paul was very aware of umbrella dips. He told me what made them illegal was the 20’ rope that comes with them (I have not checked if mine has a 20’ rope). All though I never asked if equipped with a small rope, would it be legal. He flat out said umbrella dip nets are illegal.