Aquatic invasive species

How and what do you do with your fishing gear after fishing in a lake? Also what if the next day you plan to go to a different lake?

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/preventspread_watercraft.html

I was wondering about like my rod, line, tackle

Nicholas wrote:

I was wondering about like my rod, line, tackle

I’ve always just let it dry till the next weekend but I’m wondering what do I do if I’m going to another lake the next day or so

This might be a good question for the actual dnr.
It’s a pretty solid question and I don’t know the true answer. There is a number on back of your fishing liscense you can call and ask them. If you do reply with the correct answer

A visual inspection of gear should be good enough, like removal of weeds and such. There really is not much one can do beyond that other than go all out OCD.
I do be believe attentiveness and good awareness is important and nice to see proactiveness rather than shrug the matter of AIS to the side.

Decontamination involves washing with 140 degree water. If you were trying to be super diligent, pour a pan of hot water over your reel?

In Utah, acceptable dry out times:
Summer – 7 days
Spring & Fall – 18 days
Winter – 30 days

AIS has become more then a problem. It’s become a industry. Much like a cold, you can’t prevent it, only control it.

Dutchboy wrote:

AIS has become more then a problem. It’s become a industry. Much like a cold, you can’t prevent it, only control it.

And like a lot of things, the ones that care aren’t the problem. The saying, “Can’t fix stupid” might apply here.

It doesn’t matter how much you care. You do everything in your power to stop it. You get EVERYBODY in your state on board……you still won’t stop it. But, keep calling other people stupid for having a different view and walla, it’s fixed.

You can look at it with your rose colored glasses. I prefer to look at it like the war on drugs. You should know how that turned out.

I look at it like gun control. Responsible people can be taught how to prevent the spread but people that don’t care won’t.

That took a hard left turn.

Or would that be a right turn?

I would not worry too much about your rod and reel. You should worry about ducks and geese instead. I’m sure they don’t dry out before going to another body of water.

The zeebs in the St. Croix seemed to have disappeared. Anyone know why? I asked a CO and they didn’t know. It used to be so bad that it was difficult to lift your spud poles to move the dock. I’m very happy about that!

DTW wrote:

The zeebs in the St. Croix seemed to have disappeared. Anyone know why? I asked a CO and they didn’t know.

This was explained to me by a forced retired DNR biologist. This is happening across the upper midwest in few locations. The Zebra muscles are outgrowing the lakes or rivers they infest then a natural population reduction takes place. There is a boom in population then when the nutrients they thrive for gets depleted they start to die off. Some cases have seen the water clarity actually get cloudy as the dead Zebras die off releasing the nutrients back into the water.
This is not to say this will happen to all infested lakes as each lake is ecologically different.

What about a dock that is sold on CL?-docks sit in fertile water for long periods of time-sold quickly, brought to another lake. The buyer is supposed to wait-what if they do not want to? That dock sitting there in the warm water is a better petri dish than a boat zipping around for one afternoon. Yep this probably does not happen much but it really only has to happen once in a lake-not once a year
1 time.

Caring is misconstrueded for knowledge.

There is no stopping ais. Slowing them down is erroneous to believe it will actually be a slow enough spread to merit the encouragement of more regulations based off fear than factual, scientific based reality. Lake association’s have, are and will continue to use ais as a way to control access and times to public waters. And are free to do whatever they want as far as accessing a public resource through private property, with no policing themselves other than the honor system. Yet the general public is not trusted to use a public access without an inspection process. If the public needs to be monitored and inspected, lake shore owners should be under the same scrutiny and have to setup appointments to put anything in the water and have it inspected. There should be no honor system because you’re a private property owner using the same public resource, that the public has the same right too in Minnesota.

If a lake is infected with every current known ais, checking before a boat is launched is futile. Well meaning and caring, but misguided and ignorant.

To totally decontaminate everything is expensive, cost wise as well as time wise. Picking weeds and letting stuff dry may help, but it’s no cure all.

And yes I make every stride I personally can to clean and decontaminate everything. But am also aware that between birds, turtles, animals and wandering, interconnected waterways, prevention’s a feel good, yet somewhat ineffective myth.

And how did it get here? Ocean going vessels dumping ballast water in the Great Lakes ! How much you want to bet ,they are still doing it !

Everyone has an answer and many replies here are pretty good.
The MnDNR will likely tell you depends upon what lake you’ve been on and what A.I.S. it is infested with.

As for Rod & Reel, Line, Tackle; the big one would be in the lake you were on has Spiney Water Fleas.

If you on one of those lakes, then you’ll likely see them on the like and guides, especially the tip.

Wipe the rod, reel & line down with a cloth of paper towels to dispose of them in the trash.

Dump your bait, and any other water from the lake as per state law.

Yes, I too believe we will never stop them, but we can slow the spread.

basseyes wrote:

Lake association’s have, are and will continue to use ais as a way to control access and times to public waters.

Please don’t lump all lake associations into this category. Yes there are lake associations that are doing that but not all of them. This conversation has never come up in any meetings I have been to for the Rush Lake Improvement Association. Yes i am a member but do not sit on the board. Here is their purpose statement. Notice the last sentence it stated “for all it’s users”

The Rush Lake Improvement Association (RLIA) is a 501c(3) non-profit association of members dedicated to improving and preserving the quality of East Rush and West Rush lakes in Chisago County, MN and preventing the spread of harmful aquatic plants, fish and chemicals to provide a healthier lake environment for the community and all its users.

AIS, lake associations and gun control. We’re off to a good start in 2019!

Don Meier wrote:

And how did it get here? Ocean going vessels dumping ballast water in the Great Lakes ! How much you want to bet ,they are still doing it !

Yep. I caught an invasive species last year. Caught it on little bay de noc near Escanaba. Had no idea what it was when I caught it. Asked a couple of our fishing neighbors. Nobody knew what it was. I turned to the internet. Found out that it was a Eurasian Ruffe. Nasty little bugger. Slimy slimy slimy gross. Dumped in the great lakes by ocean going vessels. I reported it to the DNR online and left the fish at the local office(nobody was in) with a note of when and where I caught it.
this was a mature female (look how slimy my hand is):

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Looks like a hybrid baby sauger.
Pass the popcorn biggill.

biggill wrote:

AIS, lake associations and gun control. We’re off to a good start in 2019!

I’ll wait until this thread incorporates Climate Change and Netting also, before chiming in.

They Vikes are out of the playoffs and the Packers don’t have a Coach.

Those Ruffes cheeks are delish.

it all depends on if the rod is custom or not…

The AIS checkpoints should have yellow lights where you slow down for the checkpoint and red ones for when you absolutely must stop.

muskie-tim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>basseyes wrote:</div>
Lake association’s have, are and will continue to use ais as a way to control access and times to public waters.

Please don’t lump all lake associations into this category. Yes there are lake associations that are doing that but not all of them. This conversation has never come up in any meetings I have been to for the Rush Lake Improvement Association. Yes i am a member but do not sit on the board. Here is their purpose statement. Notice the last sentence it stated “for all it’s users”

The Rush Lake Improvement Association (RLIA) is a 501c(3) non-profit association of members dedicated to improving and preserving the quality of East Rush and West Rush lakes in Chisago County, MN and preventing the spread of harmful aquatic plants, fish and chemicals to provide a healthier lake environment for the community and all its users.

You are right, not all lake associations are the same. I fish east and west rush lake a lot. Have never once been checked for ais.

Make sure you keep a limit of 30 walleyes—every day.

phishingruven01 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Don Meier wrote:</div>
And how did it get here? Ocean going vessels dumping ballast water in the Great Lakes ! How much you want to bet ,they are still doing it !

Yep. I caught an invasive species last year. Caught it on little bay de noc near Escanaba. Had no idea what it was when I caught it. Asked a couple of our fishing neighbors. Nobody knew what it was. I turned to the internet. Found out that it was a Eurasian Ruffe. Nasty little bugger. Slimy slimy slimy gross. Dumped in the great lakes by ocean going vessels. I reported it to the DNR online and left the fish at the local office(nobody was in) with a note of when and where I caught it.
this was a mature female (look how slimy my hand is):

Its like spinning your wheels,state mandates rules fisherman must a bid or else , yet no one is willing to stop it at the source !