Double rigging - Legal in MN?

[MuskieJunkie]

Can you double rig in MN (2 jigs tied to one line 6 or 12" apart). I think it is considered 2 lines and therefor it's illegal but I'm not sure.

[polarsusd81]

it is considered 2 lines and therefor it's illegal

Your assumption is correct. You would receive a fine if an Officer were to catch you rigged that way.

[Borch]

There is an exception with a fly rig when fishing for trout or panfish. Here's the info straight from the regs.

Quote:

Anglers may use only one hook. An artificial lure is considered one hook. A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered three hooks and is not legal. The exception is three artificial flies may be used when angling for trout, crappie, sunfish, and rock bass.

[polarsusd81]

D'oh. Forgot that little exception, thanks Borch. The way that reads, you can not bait any of the hooks with anything alive, or once alive so don't tip the hooks.

[Craig Sanders]

Under the General Regulations - Angling Methods on page 8, it states "Angler may use only one line during open water season and two through the ice. Now on page 51 - Under the Minnesota - Wisconsin Border Waters for the Missippippi River it states "Two lines with a single lure or bait on each are permitted. If fishiong with one line you may use tow baits"

So like in Wisconsin you may use a double rigged line if yhou are on the Mississippi River between Wisc and Minn - or am I incorrect?

Hawgseeker

[Daze Off]

My take is that as long as you don't put any meat on your jigs you can fish with two on one line. I do it all the time with crappie jigs anyway. Doubles are awesome! Also a good way to sort out which color seems to be most effective.

[slipperybob]

Um...jigs aren't artificial flies...

[Steve Foss]

I specifically asked the DNR info folks the question about whether it's legal (drifting through a school of suspended crappies, for example) to use a tandem jig setup.

I asked this question last week because I'd just published a fishing book that mentions in passing how effective such rigs are.

It's not legal, the DNR said.

It is a great technique for suspended crappies and one I grew up seeing and using a lot in Minnesota. It was legal some years ago (amazing how fast I'm getting old), but it's not now. The only exception is the three flies in tandem Borch mentioned.

Now, if a person staggered two or three flies (not jigs) down toward the end of the line and tied a bell sinker on the end of their line, it sounds to me that would be a legal way to drift a tandem rig for Minnesota crappies and would work just fine, depending on which flies are used.

[MuskieJunkie]

So it has to be 3 flies? It cannot be 2?

That "Rock Bass" portion of the wording leaves this thing wide open to grey area.

This is one of those deal that if it ever went in front of a judge there is a 99% chance you would get cleared, but there is a 75% chance a CO is going to write you a ticket for it if they see you doing it.

[slipperybob]

Why would rock bass be a grey area?

[Jaybob]

So does this mean the spinner rigs set up for worms with 2 hooks are illegal? Almost sounds like it...

[hanson]

So does this mean the spinner rigs set up for worms with 2 hooks are illegal? Almost sounds like it...

Nope. A worm harness is legal.

There is a distinct definition in the regulations between a "hook" and a "lure". A lure such as a crankbait has multiple hooks that are a part of it. A crawler harness is considered a "lure". A Quick-Strike rig is legal as well under the "lure" classification.

[RK]

Hiya -

This is a hopelessly gray area in the fishing regs, and one of my pet peeves. The fisheries folks are sick to death of me harping on them about it, I think. It leads to a lot of silly unintended consequences. For example: the way it's written, quick strike rigs for muskies and pike are illegal in MN unless they have a totally superfluous spinner blade. Having the spinner blade makes them a "lure" so the multiple hooks are legal. It gets even fuzzier when you consider the exception for artificial flies. Multiple jigs aren't legal, but multiple flies are. How about a bead-head nymph. Is that a jig, or a fly?

There's some work going on in the DNR to get this language changed so it's more sensible, but it takes legislation, and in a budget year, there were other fish to fry, so to speak. Hopefully, in the next biennium we'll see some action on getting this language cleaned up.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[rtwills]

Angling

Methods

• Anglers may use only one hook. An artificial lure is considered one

hook. A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered

three hooks and is not legal. The exception is three artificial flies may

be used when angling for trout, crappie, sunfish, and rock bass.

so does this mean you cannot use a trailer hook ???

this was from page 8 of the regulation book

[PerchJerker]

You can use a trailer hook as long as it's part of the lure.

You can use treble hooks as long as they're part of the lure.

A crawler harness is considered a lure as long as there's beads or spinners on it --- but you can't fish a crawler on a 2 or 3 hook harness unless you have beads or spinners because then it would be multiple hooks and not a lure.

A treble hook in a live bait rig or a quick strike rig also needs to have beads or spinners to be considered a lure --- otherwise it is 3 hooks and not legal.

[Sutty]

So if I tie two jigs together and put beads on each is that than legal?

[jholland]

A crawler harness is considered a lure as long as there's beads or spinners on it --- but you can't fish a crawler on a 2 or 3 hook harness unless you have beads or spinners because then it would be multiple hooks and not a lure.

Sorry for adding further to the confusing (Only trying to take it away, I swear) but doesn't this make those 3 hooked plastic worms illegal? Or is that a lure? I've seen plenty lacking any misc. things on it, just line, hooks, worm.

[Rost]

Are Crappie rigs legal in MN?

[PerchJerker]

I think 3 hooks in 1 plastic worm would be considered 1 lure.

But I know that 2 / 3 hooks in 1 live crawler is not a lure without beads or spinners, per a CO I was having a friendly discussion with 1 day.

[jigginjim]

Your discussion goes as far as that CO. 2 different CO's

around Lake Harriet, tell the guys different stories about

multi-hook set-ups. With beads, or must have a spinner, to fishing a large sucker with 2 hooks without any bads or spinners.

Need to be more specific. Time to revise the reg. to so simple a 3rd grader, can understand them.

[Muddog]

Quote:

three artificial flies may be used

It doesn't say 3 must be used.

I think the name Rock Bass makes some people think of Large Mouth and Small Mouth Bass. Which is kind of funnie, because they are in the sunfish famly also.