When you catch a keeper size fish, but not really sure if you will get enough to bring home, how do you keep them alive in case you decide to put them back? Will they survive just laying on the ice when returned?
Sorry for the newbie question, but we just started ice fishing last week (bluegills) and have only been out a couple times. I usually fish with the kids and we don’t usually keep them.
Thanks.
I take an old cooler. Fill it with lake water and use it as a release tank during local tournaments.
I take an old cooler. Fill it with lake water and use it as a release tank during local tournaments.
Old cooler yes… also what Ive done is drill a series of holes in the ice….dont drill thru just to let water come up… there your lake livewell..
One of these?
Screenshot_20210110-172519.png
Thanks guys. Appreciate the responses.
We are very basic at the moment – no sled to transport to anything – couple of buckets with rods and stuff, 7 inch hand auger.
The Ice Well looks nice, but says it needs a 8-10inch hole.
Some sort of lightweight cooler/container with a shoulder strap might work.
What’s the best idea for adding water to cooler/container? A big soup ladle is about all I can think of the we already have.
Old cooler yes… also what Ive done is drill a series of holes in the ice….dont drill thru just to let water come up… there your lake livewell..
I really like that idea! So simple, yet seems effective.
WASF:
To fill cointainers with water, I just simply use my ice scoop… enough water stays in it to fill my minnow buckets when minnows are using the O2 in the water too fast and I’m sure it will work for what you want to do without carrying more stuff. I’ve also used liter or 20 pop/soda bottles to fill with water.
As for the livewell in ice, they are great for large groups to keep fish from freezing prior to cleaning as well. They can start to be cumbersome when ice gets thick, but getting all your holes close to the ice bottom, then use a spud to open a small hole. Eventually if you use it long enough, the hole will open up as the molecules around that opening start to wear away, then your fish simply swim away. But I have used one many times and they are great!!!
Also when you leave make sure to mark it so a vehicle tire doesn’t end up in it!!!
Mark
I put water in my 5 gallon bucket and put them in there, works perfect. I use a plastic beer mug from an old Fishing for Ducks tourney. Always stays in the sled.
Thanks guys. Appreciate the responses.
We are very basic at the moment – no sled to transport to anything – couple of buckets with rods and stuff, 7 inch hand auger.
The Ice Well looks nice, but says it needs a 8-10inch hole.Some sort of lightweight cooler/container with a shoulder strap might work.
What’s the best idea for adding water to cooler/container? A big soup ladle is about all I can think of the we already have.
Best idea for adding water is to have a plastic minnow bag. Dunk it in the hole and you got a gallon of water.
Do that and then just use your 5 gallon bucket to keep fish alive.
I also seem to remember it’s illegal to cull fish like that. Maybe I’m mistaken but I thought once you keep them they can’t go back?
I also seem to remember it’s illegal to cull fish like that. Maybe I’m mistaken but I thought once you keep them they can’t go back?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is still legal in WI right? OP is from WI. Culling is illegal in MN.
Is thinking the same thing, then I checked OP’s profile. So I’ll just assume he’s referring to WI.
Empty beer can works to transfer water from the hole to a bucket for me. Get you some beer 😉
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
I also seem to remember it’s illegal to cull fish like that. Maybe I’m mistaken but I thought once you keep them they can’t go back?Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is still legal in WI right? OP is from WI. Culling is illegal in MN.
Is thinking the same thing, then I checked OP’s profile. So I’ll just assume he’s referring to WI.
You’re probably right….less lines in Minnesota and we can’t cull. Life’s just not fair.
A stringer, individual clip kind. Drill a hole and tie the end to to something. Works great! I use them in my fish house all the time.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
I also seem to remember it’s illegal to cull fish like that. Maybe I’m mistaken but I thought once you keep them they can’t go back?Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is still legal in WI right? OP is from WI. Culling is illegal in MN.
Is thinking the same thing, then I checked OP’s profile. So I’ll just assume he’s referring to WI.
Minnesota guy so this was my thought also.
I’ve angled my auger at a steep angle and cut a channel in the ice then drill down to where you slightly cut through to let water flow up. Just don’t go too far through the ice where the fish can escape!
I usually decide in time to throw them back even if they need to thaw in the hole a while before swimming away.
Just have one less than the daily limit in possession and you can cull. Specific lakes, like Mille Lacs, can have no cull rules.
From 2020 MN Fishing Regulations, bottom of page 33.
-Culling is allowed in most waters until you reach your daily or possession limit.
-Culling is not allowed on North Dakota border waters or on Mille Lacs Lake (except bass may be culled).
I use a clam livewell bag. It’s worked great for me in an 8″ hole. with a smaller hole you might have issues with pulling the bag back through if you’ve really filled it up.
https://shop.clamoutdoors.com/fish-well-floating-livewell.html#163=
fill a 5 gallon bucket up about 1/4 always keeps fish alive for me. i keep it inside my hub whenever possible.
Deciding you aren’t going to keep any and putting them back in the water isn’t culling. Getting rid of some fish so you can keep better fish is.
Deciding you aren’t going to keep any and putting them back in the water isn’t culling. Getting rid of some fish so you can keep better fish is.
Or just accidentally trip and drop them down the hole. 
I am not familiar with the regulations in Wisconsin but on page 13 of the MN regs it reads:
“Immediately released or returned to the water. Fish retained longer than is needed to unhook, measure, and photograph at the site of capture are not considered immediately released and will be counted as part of an angler’s possession limit. Fish placed in any type of container or on a stringer are not considered immediately released.”
So in my view if you did not immediately release the fish then it is counted as a part of your possession limit, whether you kept it and later released it or not. Course, if you later released it, how can you count it towards your limit anyways if its gone? I think they’re just trying to get people to either keep it or release it right after you catch it. The same rule applies in a boat when using a livewell. Once it goes in your livewell, its counted towards your possession limit.
I believe that means it counts towards your limit but if you’re done fishing and throwing them back because you don’t have enough it wouldn’t matter. I don’t know how it could count against your possession limit because you could never “consume” them so they would be part of your limit for eternity.
I believe that means it counts towards your limit but if you’re done fishing and throwing them back because you don’t have enough it wouldn’t matter. I don’t know how it could count against your possession limit because you could never “consume” them so they would be part of your limit for eternity.
I know. It really doesn’t make much sense. I think they simply want people to release them immediately according to the definition or keep them. Not keep them for a while in some manner and then release them later.
I’m with gimruis on this one…..
I always interpreted it as once it goes in a bucket, on a stringer, in the livewell, etc., you gotta keep it and it can’t go back. If you throw it back, you broke the law. Low likelihood of it being enforced, though.
Once your limit is full, you can basically CPR.
This is for MN – I know the op is in WI.
Ethically, and for the overall health of the fish, if you even think about releasing a fish, release it now, not 3 hours from now.
I am not familiar with the regulations in Wisconsin but on page 13 of the MN regs it reads:
“Immediately released or returned to the water. Fish retained longer than is needed to unhook, measure, and photograph at the site of capture are not considered immediately released and will be counted as part of an angler’s possession limit. Fish placed in any type of container or on a stringer are not considered immediately released.”
I believe this part of the rulebook is to specifically define what counts as “immediately released” as there are plenty of other rules that require you to “immediately release” a fish. Example: I catch a 48″ muskie. I am not allowed to put it in my livewell. Ever. Period. This rule tells me as soon as it hits my livewell, it is in my possession and I am not allowed to possess a 48″ muskie.
As others have stated, culling is legal in MN (I think this law has recently changed. When I was a kid, I was taught culling was illegal). As long as the fish is healthy enough to release, you can release the fish if you decide not to keep them.
Morning all, thanks for the input. I definitely have a few more ideas now, and the kids will love building a live well on the ice just for the fun.
Looks like the thread got a bit derailed though.
I fish primarily the border waters, some WI side and some MN side. Rarely keep, but preach reading and obeying the regulations to my teenage son.
As mentioned above, the rules state that culling is legal in MN. My understanding, maybe from reading threads on here is that you need to stay 2 below the limit. I.e. 10 crappie limit, means 8 in the bucket, catch a 9th you can swap it out, but if you have 9 in the bucket add a 10th you’ve reached your limit and can no longer cull.
The WI Reg book states on page 9 that culling is illegal except for certain bass tournament permits. What’s also interesting is that WI mentions you cannot continue to fish a species after you have kept your limit.
Thanks again for the input.
Scott
That’s why its so confusing. The OP is specifically referring to ice fishing so the muskie example is kind of a moot point since the season is closed anyways. I see what you are trying to get at though because I brought up livewell in another one of my posts. Its probably a lot easier to keep a fish alive in an aerated livewell than it is on the ice but the point is that they want you to make a decision on the fish right away – not hours later. You either immediately release it or you keep it. Not hold it for a while and then release it regardless of whether its in a cooler, livewell, on a stringer, etc.
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