Seining for Bait

I ORIGINALLY POSTED THIS IN GENERAL AND DREW’S DAD SUGGESTED I ASK MY CATFISHING FRIENDS.

Does anyone do this? I check out the regs and it sounds like you can catch fish designated as minnows and keep 2 dozen. If you do it in a lake designated as having and invasive species, you can only use it for that body of water…well duh. There are also limits to net sizes and what not.

I am just wondering if others have or do it and if there are any special regulations I am missing? Maybe you have some tips? I know it seems like a pain when you can just go to a bait shop and get 2 doz minnows for a couple of bucks, but I thought it might also be kind of fun. I did it once in Florida for shiners. For a nature boy like me, some of the other stuff you pull up is just as facinating.

Hi mplspug – I seine some of my better bullhead spots, usually early in the spring. You were right about needing to know the regulations because you can get in trouble pretty easily with some of the complexities in the Minnesota regulations. You already have some of the information wrong in your post and you may want to revisit the regulation booklet. For instance:
– You can have up to 24 dozen minnows for your own use without a permit (that is 288 minnows).
– Pay special attention to the invasive species information. The regulation on page 67 specifically states: “It is unlawful to harvest minnows, frogs, crayfish or any other wild animals from infested waters* for bait, except for personal use from waters that are designated as infested waters solely because they contain Eurasian watermilfoil. Bait may only be harvested from those infested waters for personal use with a cylindrical minnow trap not exceeding 16 inches in diameter and 32 inches in length and the bait may only be used in that waterbody. What all that means is this:
#1. If the water is infested with anything else besides Eurasian watermilfoil you cannot harvest bait from it. This applies to the St Croix River, the Mississippi River below St Anthony Falls, and a host of other lakes and streams listed on page 69.
#2. You cannot seine in infested waters. You can only use a cylindrical minnow trap.

I recommend you thoroughly understand the 2006 Minnesota Fishing Regulations concentrating on the following pages:
Pages 66 to 67: Invasive Species
Pages 68 to 69: MN Waters Infested with Invasive Species
Page 70: Minnows and Leeches

I still seine but I am careful that I know the water I am in is not infested waters. Seining seems to work good early in the spring. Once the water warms up I prefer to catch my bullheads with hook and line – it is more fun that way. I maintain a bait tank with between 50 and 75 bullheads through the summer.

mplspug – I forgot to add one more thing. If you are wanting to catch fatheads and shiners you may just want to get a cylindrical minnow trap at Fleet Farm or Gander Mt. I have two minnow traps that I catch fatheads in and it works really slick. I have a couple of small roadside ponds that are packed with minnows. I throw the trap out in the evening and it is full the next morning. You will be surprised how many of the roadside ponds you drive by everyday have minnows in them.

Ok, after reading that sentence about 100 times I fianlly got it. Couldn’t they break it up into a couple? sheesh. Thanks for interpretting.

I couldn’t agree with you more. I read it a bunch of times and I interpreted it the same way you did. But I didn’t feel right so I sent the DNR an e-mail about harvesting bait from the St Croix River. Their response was the one I gave you – it is kind of like one of those word puzzles, you cannot see the words until somebody points one out and then you just say, Oh yea – I see it. What will really irk you is that our catfishing friends in Wisconsin can harvest all the bait they want from the same waters we are restricted from. As a matter of fact, they can use cast nets and 50′ seines. Ah-Oh, I’m getting p!#$ off again – I gotta go – good luck with your bait harvesting.

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As a matter of fact, they can use cast nets and 50′ seines. Ah-Oh, I’m getting p!#$ off again – I gotta go – good luck with your bait harvesting.

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Well they are from WI. so we should allow them the handicap.

We need the benefit because we need more bait for our three rods each.

Hey mplspug – Don’t rise to the bait. You got your shot in , it’s time to retreat. Believe me, Whiskerkev has more ammunition on this border battle . I’m actually thinking of changing my name to Favre and moving to Wisconsin – they have too many catfishing options to our MN land of 10,000 fishing regulations.