Drain Plug Law

I don’t know how you can get as old as I am and still be so dumb. I just knew that the new law was trouble the minute I heard about it.

Last week, we left the boat in the river all week but pulled on Thursday to gas up. When I dumped the boat back in, I parked the pickup, lit the boat and was idling down the river headed in the right direction. When I hit the throttle, the bow went sky high and I suddenly had ankle deep water in the stern. I knew immediately what I had not done. Luckily, I had set the boat up for instant plug in or we would have been in very bad trouble. I was on my knees leaning over the stern with a plug in my hand in a heart beat. We had to cruise around for 20 minutes while the bilge pump did it’s thing. We were in 12 FOW with heavy current when this happened.

I’m going to get one of my golfing buddies to give me a worn out wood cover to put over the throttle when I pull the plug so I can’t start the boat without pulling the sock off.

That was just too close. I’m also concerned that draining the boat will cause more problems than it solves. Most boats do not drain completely when the plug is pulled so the minute you get on a new ramp and dump you are adding instant damage to the water.

I was doing this already last year when jumping lake to lake. I forgot to put the plug in when returning to “our lake” and proceeded to grab the golf clubs and went golfing with the in laws. I got back and the resort owner had my boat pulled up on the beach. Almost sunk it up to the gunnels! Lucky for me someone caught it.I told them I was just trying to clean the underside and get the the mice out of there!

Luckily my boat does not fill up very fast. I’ve forgotten it for hours and had only a couple inches of water in the boat once I noticed it. I regularly turn my bilge pump on to see if there is water in the boat anyway and to check to make sure it works.

Keep this in mind as well. It is illegal to have water leaking from your boat while driving on the road!!!

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When I hit the throttle, the bow went sky high and I suddenly had ankle deep water in the stern.

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In boats with the plug removed, the bilge will drain if you keep moving. In a case like yours, you risk swamping the boat by stopping to replace the plug. Better to keep moving until all of the water is drained, then put the plug in.

-J.

Maybe try hanging the plug on the throttle or key when it is pulled.

Jon is right here..

Back when I had boats without pumps and the water poured in I just kept moving…

Then be REAL quick putting the plug back in

Like others…I leave mine hooked up by the switch now….

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In boats with the plug removed, the bilge will drain if you keep moving. In a case like yours, you risk swamping the boat by stopping to replace the plug. Better to keep moving until all of the water is drained, then put the plug in.

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Trust me, we never stopped moving. I was hanging out the back while my buddy drove the boat. But you’re right Jon. First and only option was save the boat.

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Maybe try hanging the plug on the throttle or key when it is pulled.

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That’s a great idea Mike and I’m going to go out and do that right now before I forget and sink again.

I only rarely take my plug out, and when I do, I stand there with it in my hand until the water is done draining, and then I put it back in.

I did just that with mine for just the reasons that prompted this post (I’ve sunk a few myself, but mine always seem to fill pretty fast)

What I did was to tie a 6″ loop of decoy cord on the plug and hang it on the gear shift. Works for this old Alzheimer’s brain…

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I only rarely take my plug out, and when I do, I stand there with it in my hand until the water is done draining, and then I put it back in.

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I do this myself but is it legal to run down the road with it in place now

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I only rarely take my plug out, and when I do, I stand there with it in my hand until the water is done draining, and then I put it back in.

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In Minnesota, (the state where nothing is allowed) it is now illegal to do that. Even if you are from Wisconsin!

-J.

So your saying when we take our fishing trips to Minnesota we have to have our plugs out of our boats when we hit the boarder?

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So your saying when we take our fishing trips to Minnesota we have to have our plugs out of our boats when we hit the boarder?

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Yes. You cannot drive down a public road with a plug in your boat! Going to or coming from the water. It has to be removed/drained immediately when you pull your boat.

-J.

Thanks
I hope I remember that.

You guys should check the catfish forum more often.

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You guys should check the catfish forum more often.

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Who let you out ?

12 hour pass for good behavior.

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I only rarely take my plug out, and when I do, I stand there with it in my hand until the water is done draining, and then I put it back in.

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In Minnesota, (the state where nothing is allowed) it is now illegal to do that. Even if you are from Wisconsin!

-J.

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I’ll take my chances.

I think I can put a plug in my boat, from the inside…..not trying to give anybody any ideas ….

big G

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I’ll take my chances.

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You may want to reconsider that. If I remember reading the legal lingo correctly the first offense is a $250 fine.

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I think I can put a plug in my boat, from the inside.

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Mine was always set up for the inside until this year. You cannot reach it without moving things from the inside. Because of the law, I moved it to the outside and use one of the screw in type plugs. I don’t trust the plugs with the long latch on them. Good thing I did, because I was on it immediately or we would have been in even worse trouble.

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I think I can put a plug in my boat, from the inside.

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Mine was always set up for the inside until this year. You cannot reach it without moving things from the inside. Because of the law, I moved it to the outside and use one of the screw in type plugs. I don’t trust the plugs with the long latch on them. Good thing I did, because I was on it immediately or we would have been in even worse trouble.

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That’s going to be my problem.

I’m going to take the kill switch tether off the kill switch, buy and EXTRA plug and HOPE I remember to take it out this fall when I cross the river into MN.

Where your lifejacket Brian. Maybe even sprinkle a special dye on the floor of your boat so we can fish over your boat when you fill it. BK’s Shoal. Maybe the DNR can refer to this Drain Plug law as the “Aaah **** law”.

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I’ll take my chances.

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You may want to reconsider that. If I remember reading the legal lingo correctly the first offense is a $250 fine.

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Guess I’ll just stay out of Minnesota with my boat from now on. They don’t need my tourist money anymore since they will be replacing it with $250 fines collected off their stupid drain plug law.

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Maybe the DNR can refer to this Drain Plug law as the “Aaah **** law”.

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Now that’s funny. True but funny.

Guess I don’t see the issue. Of course I always pull the plug. It only takes on boat full of rain water bending the axle on the trailer to drive the point home. Thankfully it wasn’t my rig.

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Guess I don’t see the issue. Of course I always pull the plug. It only takes on boat full of rain water bending the axle on the trailer to drive the point home. Thankfully it wasn’t my rig.

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Flooded a couple of trolling batteries here when the auto bilge failed after it was a year old, I can live with the drain thing, its the goofy crap dealing with bait I don’t care for….sigh

Big picture still revolves around trying to protect the future of our fisheries from invasive species. Nope not foolproof (Yes I get the Waterfowl argument or many other things that can potentially carry invasive species), but I truly hope there are more educated anglers looking at preserving the treasures we have than perceiving this as another inconvienence. There are reasons so many people travel to Northern Minnesota for their fishing trips. Do you remember to put the safety chain on while connecting your boat to the trailer?? I have to believe most people strap their boat down towards the rear. Put your plug in when unstrapping the boat. Honestly is is really that much of an inconviencence?? I’ve been pulling plugs on my boats far before this became law for many reasons, and really how many people are keeping their minnows alive during the summer months for even a day in the boat?? Seems anyone keeping minnows alive most of the summer months will need lake access with baittamers to achieve cool temps and oxygen anyway?? Although I’m not into increased enforcement on the water on many levels I believe as sportsman the future of our delicate fisheries remains in our hands. I hope we continue to see movements on the proactive side of the equation, and less on the reactive side. A reactive movement is too late for our fisheries most of the time

Headed to Mn this sunday for a week of fishing. So I want to be prepared with this new law. I am wondering if the live well plugs have to be pulled as well? And how about the cooler plug? Only one of the wells might end up with lake water in it, but we are mostly CPR. So we really don’t “fill” the boat up with lake or river water, but would hate to get a ticket for not taking a few extra minutes to pull some plugs.

Thanks guys.

FDR