01-16-2019, 08:02 PM
[quote TubeDude][#0000FF]
[#0000FF]About the only species that seems to be adversely affected by populations of chubs and shiners are the hatchery rainbows. They are wimps. Other more predatory species grow big and fat on them.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Outlawing minnows is like outlawing guns. If you outlaw guns then only outlaws will have them. And law-abiding citizens who enjoy legal hunting and target shooting are denied access to their sport. Ditto for minnows. Law-abiding anglers who would benefit by being able to use live minnows must do without...but scofflaws still use them.[/quote]
Come on TD, you are a smart guy. Whether you agree with the law or not is beside the point. What is frustrating is reading such naive comments as these above. The truth is that the use of live bait can and does wreak havoc not only on native fish populations (like cutthroat which you failed to even mention) but also other native minnow populations as well. Personally, I have seen some of my favorite trout fisheries (and no, none of these I am thinking of are rainbow trout fisheries) have mountain suckers, goldfish, Utah chubs, and golden shiners virtually destroy them. Additionally, I can think of one fishery, Newcastle, that was so overrun by shiners that even the smallmouth population was being decimated. In fact, the shiners were outcompeting smallmouth so bad that the young of the year smallies were not surviving the winter and not being replaced. Thank goodness wipers were introduced and the shiners wiped out.
Interestingly, the minnow problem across North America is getting worse and states and Canadian provinces are noticing and the trend is not to loosen regulations but to tighten them. In fact, according to this information:
http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articl...innows.htm
"Because bait buckets can transport the deadly VHS virus and other fish diseases and aquatic invasive species (see “Keeping the Invaders at Bay,” page 14), Montana restricts minnow movement. It’s illegal to 1) bring minnows and other live bait into Montana from another state, 2) use or possess live minnows in northwestern Montana and in some lakes and rivers elsewhere in the state, or 3) release live bait into any waters. According to FWP south-central region fisheries manager Ken Frazer, minnow movement in eastern Montana is a growing concern. He says anglers from as far away as Glasgow and Havre drive to the Yellowstone River and adjacent irrigation canals to collect minnows for use at Fort Peck Lake, Frenso Reservoir, and other waters. “When you move minnows around like that, you’re certainly moving other things too,” he says. In addition to possibly spreading disease and invasive species, overaggressive seiners may deplete some prairie streams of forage fish needed for other fish and wildlife, Frazer adds. [Keep in mind that many Montana waters restrict the use of live minnos or live bait altogether. In fact, the Montana regulations read: Carp, goldfish, all species of the sunfish and bullhead catfish families, yellow perch, and rainbow smelt may not be used for live bait in Montana.
With few exceptions--which are listed in the Central and Eastern district regulations--live fish may not be used for bait in Montana.
Possession of live bait fish is prohibited in waters closed to using live fish for bait.].
Because zebra mussels have reached western states and silver carp are now in South Dakota, Montana may need to further tighten intrastate minnow movement. “Most surrounding states and provinces are tightening their restrictions on minnows, and Montana is feeling pressure to do the same,” says Steve Dalbey, FWP northeastern region fisheries manager. Dalbey says the use of live bait has been banned in Idaho, Alaska, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and parts of Ontario. In Wyoming, minnows may be used only in the drainage from which they were seined."
Besides Utah and Idaho, Oregon also has a ban on live bait and the use of minnows as does Washington. Additionally, most states do NOT allow the "unrestricted use" of live minnows. In fact, most states that do sell live minnows do so with the law in place that they must be used at the water in which they were sold. Many of these same states also require that the receipt form the purchase of these live minnows remain on the fisherman's person proving where the minnows were purchased.
The minnow regulations is akin to a tackle restriction or a bait fishing restriction...sure, fishermen may benefit from the use of bait on some waters but the restriction is in place for a good reason.
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[#0000FF]About the only species that seems to be adversely affected by populations of chubs and shiners are the hatchery rainbows. They are wimps. Other more predatory species grow big and fat on them.[/#0000FF]
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[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]Outlawing minnows is like outlawing guns. If you outlaw guns then only outlaws will have them. And law-abiding citizens who enjoy legal hunting and target shooting are denied access to their sport. Ditto for minnows. Law-abiding anglers who would benefit by being able to use live minnows must do without...but scofflaws still use them.[/quote]
Come on TD, you are a smart guy. Whether you agree with the law or not is beside the point. What is frustrating is reading such naive comments as these above. The truth is that the use of live bait can and does wreak havoc not only on native fish populations (like cutthroat which you failed to even mention) but also other native minnow populations as well. Personally, I have seen some of my favorite trout fisheries (and no, none of these I am thinking of are rainbow trout fisheries) have mountain suckers, goldfish, Utah chubs, and golden shiners virtually destroy them. Additionally, I can think of one fishery, Newcastle, that was so overrun by shiners that even the smallmouth population was being decimated. In fact, the shiners were outcompeting smallmouth so bad that the young of the year smallies were not surviving the winter and not being replaced. Thank goodness wipers were introduced and the shiners wiped out.
Interestingly, the minnow problem across North America is getting worse and states and Canadian provinces are noticing and the trend is not to loosen regulations but to tighten them. In fact, according to this information:
http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articl...innows.htm
"Because bait buckets can transport the deadly VHS virus and other fish diseases and aquatic invasive species (see “Keeping the Invaders at Bay,” page 14), Montana restricts minnow movement. It’s illegal to 1) bring minnows and other live bait into Montana from another state, 2) use or possess live minnows in northwestern Montana and in some lakes and rivers elsewhere in the state, or 3) release live bait into any waters. According to FWP south-central region fisheries manager Ken Frazer, minnow movement in eastern Montana is a growing concern. He says anglers from as far away as Glasgow and Havre drive to the Yellowstone River and adjacent irrigation canals to collect minnows for use at Fort Peck Lake, Frenso Reservoir, and other waters. “When you move minnows around like that, you’re certainly moving other things too,” he says. In addition to possibly spreading disease and invasive species, overaggressive seiners may deplete some prairie streams of forage fish needed for other fish and wildlife, Frazer adds. [Keep in mind that many Montana waters restrict the use of live minnos or live bait altogether. In fact, the Montana regulations read: Carp, goldfish, all species of the sunfish and bullhead catfish families, yellow perch, and rainbow smelt may not be used for live bait in Montana.
With few exceptions--which are listed in the Central and Eastern district regulations--live fish may not be used for bait in Montana.
Possession of live bait fish is prohibited in waters closed to using live fish for bait.].
Because zebra mussels have reached western states and silver carp are now in South Dakota, Montana may need to further tighten intrastate minnow movement. “Most surrounding states and provinces are tightening their restrictions on minnows, and Montana is feeling pressure to do the same,” says Steve Dalbey, FWP northeastern region fisheries manager. Dalbey says the use of live bait has been banned in Idaho, Alaska, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and parts of Ontario. In Wyoming, minnows may be used only in the drainage from which they were seined."
Besides Utah and Idaho, Oregon also has a ban on live bait and the use of minnows as does Washington. Additionally, most states do NOT allow the "unrestricted use" of live minnows. In fact, most states that do sell live minnows do so with the law in place that they must be used at the water in which they were sold. Many of these same states also require that the receipt form the purchase of these live minnows remain on the fisherman's person proving where the minnows were purchased.
The minnow regulations is akin to a tackle restriction or a bait fishing restriction...sure, fishermen may benefit from the use of bait on some waters but the restriction is in place for a good reason.
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