Sunfish for Bait

[TruthWalleyes]

Headed to the Wabasha again tonight...chasing catfish

I've got a three part question.

I have both a minnesota and Wisconsin license. Sunfish is a legal bait in wisconsin.

1) Can i use sunfish on the minnesota side of the river since i have a wisconsin license?

2) What are likely holding areas to catch some small sunfish in the rivers? Slack water behind wing dams? Feeder creeks? Just go find some in Pepin?

3) Is there any other advantages that i have when fishing the border waters with a wisconsin/minnesota license?

ps i mostly got the wisconsin license so i can go into feeder creeks and rivers like the chippewa and fish.

Thanks,

[harvey lee]

Truth, to be sure and safe, I would call the MNDNR for a corrwect answer. hate to get caught off of bad info.

[TapsBug]

I would agree that you should contact the DNR to be absolutely sure but...

1. No...you have to stay on the Wisconsin side, and be a Wisconsin resident and a Wisconsin license. I'm pretty sure you can't be a MN resident with a WI license and do it even on the WI side of the river (again check with the DNR).

2. Panfish (especially bluegills) and really bunching up on the wing dams on the Mississippi... now that the water has dropped. Try to find a slack water area above or below the wing dam.

3. Again...double check with the DNR, and read the regs in the MN and WI fishing regs brochure. There are special regs on the Mississippi river (like number of lines) Pool 5A panfish limit (10). etc that you need to know. For example...no matter what state license you have...you better not have more than 10 bluegills (see regs) in your live well per person if you are on the MN side of pool 5A. Period!!!

4. Get a good map of the river pools you fish from the Fish and Wildlife Service or the DNr. They have a nice book of all the pools and where the state line is on the river. It's NOT always were you might think it is!!!! Maps are also available online. On of the better guides (and maps) is at:

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/miss_river_guide.pdf

[TruthWalleyes]

Should i make a call to both the MN and WI and see if their answers match?

I bet someone has made that call before.

[TapsBug]

I would call (or email) the local Conservation Officer in the area that you will most likely fish. I think the best way to get of them is to call the County Sheriff and they can give you their contact info.

[harvey lee]

Should i make a call to both the MN and WI and see if their answers match?

I bet someone has made that call before.

I would think either state would know the laws as they pertain to border waters.

[TapsBug]

Check out pages 73-74 on:

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/fishing/fishing2013.pdf#view=fit&pagemode=bookmarks

[TruthWalleyes]

Regulations on these waters may differ between states. You must obey the regulations

of the state in which you are fishing...

http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/FH/FH0301.pdf#page=60

So they way i read it, if you are in MN waters you fish the mn regulations, if your in wisconsin waters you fish the wisc regulations. So, no sunfish on mn side.

[TapsBug]

Better check with the CO....I'm pretty sure that if you are a MN resident on the Mississippi, you can't do it on either side (actually a CO told me that...but maybe that has changed).

[Markula]

I would just use sunfish, and sweat the consequences IF you get checked.

[TruthWalleyes]

Better check with the CO....I'm pretty sure that if you are a MN resident on the Mississippi, you can't do it on either side (actually a CO told me that...but maybe that has changed).

You are correct. Just called MNDNR, as a MN Resident i can only use sunfish with a wisconsin license within wisconsin, not on the border waters.

I cannot use them on the mississippi legally.

[TruthWalleyes]

LOL

I was anticipating this.

Just got off the phone with the WI DNR.

They said i could definitely use sunfish on the mississippi as a mn resident with a wisconisn license on the wisconsin side of the river.

Then i asked about cast nets and shad. Once i explained to him what a cast net was i was told that they are not legal.

So...

[TapsBug]

yeah...heck...what's the worse they could do to you. A few hundred dollar fine, confiscate your boat and gear, and loose fishing and hunting privileges for a year?

I think you might get hit pretty good in MN...you would be using a "game fish" for bait.

[TruthWalleyes]

I don't know what the fine for using gamefish would be, but i think you're stretching the worse consequences a bit.

It's not a whole lot different than using 10" bullheads when only 7" bullies were legal.

I good stiff hookset when asked to reel in your bait will often leave you and the DNR looking at an empty hook Or, there is always a slow reel and drag your weight on the bottom until your weight snags. Eitherway, it's just fishing.

[JBMasterAngler]

Just boat up the chippewa a bit and your golden! I don't know what size sunnies your looking to use for bait, but I got some absolute slab bluegills while bass fishing on pepin last week. They are tight to the rocks on the MN side. If I was using beetle spins or small minnows under a bobber, I probably could've caught a few more.

[DTro]

Yes its legal to use sunfish on border waters, and you don't even need a WI license. But you DO have to be fishing on the WI side of the river.

You can believe me or not, just sayin.

[EBass]

I don't understand why MN residents can't use sunnies smaller than X inches. WI does, IA does. I don't know about the Dakota's.

[TruthWalleyes]

I don't understand why MN residents can't use sunnies smaller than X inches. WI does, IA does. I don't know about the Dakota's.

Because MN is dumb.

Here's a quote from our neighbor's regulations taking the common sense route with evil bait water:

Minnows and other Bait Fish RegulationsYou may take live minnows purchased from a Wisconsin bait dealer (which includes

Wisconsin registered fish farms) away from a waterbody if any of the following three

conditions are met:

• Anglers can take purchased minnows away from a lake or river and use them again

on that same waterbody.

• Anglers can also take purchased minnows away from a waterbody and use them

elsewhere if no lake or river water or other fish were added to the bait container.

• Anglers can also take purchased minnows away from a waterbody for use elsewhere

if they intend to preserve them as dead bait using approved methods.

In MN we just assume your guilty if you don't have a receipt.