Live bait

[miles]

I have almost always went out and caught my own live bait when possible be it worms, minnows or insects. The other place I lived I had a pond that I trapped minnows by the hundred for fishing. My question is concerning bait collection in closed fishing areas. In the area I live there are very few slow moving waterways or ponds and that sort of thing but lots of small creeks. Almost all of the creeks hold trout and are closed this time of year. Is it legal to use minnow traps in this areas? I also understand you can fish with chub and suckers and would like to catch some larger ones for pike fishing.

Thanks

 

[salmotrutta]

I have almost always went out and caught my own live bait when possible be it worms, minnows or insects. The other place I lived I had a pond that I trapped minnows by the hundred for fishing. My question is concerning bait collection in closed fishing areas. In the area I live there are very few slow moving waterways or ponds and that sort of thing but lots of small creeks. Almost all of the creeks hold trout and are closed this time of year. Is it legal to use minnow traps in this areas? I also understand you can fish with chub and suckers and would like to catch some larger ones for pike fishing.

Thanks

Good question, I try to pick sections of creek where I only ever catch chubs or shiners. If you've got a minnow pail with you, and you're not using full-sized nightcrawlers and 4lb fluoro leader, it'll be pretty obvious you're telling the truth if you're confronted. Minnow traps are also fine, you'll just have to release anything you get that's not a legal baitfish.

 

[miles]

That's what I am thinking.
If anyone is Interested here is the List of permitted bait fish off the mnr website

Only the fish species listed below may be used as live bait:





Minnows:

Blacknose shiner
Blackchin shiner
Bluntnose minnow
Brassy minnow
Central stoneroller
Common shiner
Creek chub
Eastern blacknose dace
Emerald shiner
Fallfish
Fathead minnow
Finescale dace
Golden shiner
Hornyhead chub
Lake chub
Longnose dace
Mimic shiner
Northern redbelly dace
Pearl dace
Redfin shiner
River chub
Rosyface shiner
Sand shiner
Spotfin shiner
Spottail shiner
Striped shiner



Suckers:

Longnose sucker
Northern hog sucker
Shorthead redhorse
Silver redhorse
White sucker



Others:

Central mudminnow
Lake herring (cisco)
Trout-Perch



Sticklebacks:

Brook stickleback
Ninespine stickleback
Threespine stickleback



Sculpins:

Mottled sculpin
Slimy sculpin



Darters and Logperch:

Blackside darter
Fantail darter
Iowa darter
Johnny darter
Least darter
Rainbow darter
River darter
Tessellated darter
Logperch







Import of Bait
It is illegal to bring any crayfish or salamanders or live fish or leeches into Ontario for use as bait.


No Release of Bait
It is illegal to release any live bait or dump the contents of a bait bucket, including the water, into any water or within 30 m of any waters.









Some of the areas are also fish sanctuaries for part of the spring but I don't know if right now they are considered a fish sanctuary. According to the MNR "No fishing of any kind is permitted in a fish sanctuary."

I think I will just call my local mnr office.

 

[BackwoodsBassr]

Great post river55 I would only add that in addition to specifically protected waterbodies it is illegal to trap bait, frogs, or bullfrogs in provincial parks

 

[AaronKrick]

That's what I am thinking.
If anyone is Interested here is the List of permitted bait fish off the mnr website

Only the fish species listed below may be used as live bait:





Minnows:

Blacknose shiner
Blackchin shiner
Bluntnose minnow
Brassy minnow
Central stoneroller
Common shiner
Creek chub
Eastern blacknose dace
Emerald shiner
Fallfish
Fathead minnow
Finescale dace
Golden shiner
Hornyhead chub
Lake chub
Longnose dace
Mimic shiner
Northern redbelly dace
Pearl dace
Redfin shiner
River chub
Rosyface shiner
Sand shiner
Spotfin shiner
Spottail shiner
Striped shiner



Suckers:

Longnose sucker
Northern hog sucker
Shorthead redhorse
Silver redhorse
White sucker



Others:

Central mudminnow
Lake herring (cisco)
Trout-Perch



Sticklebacks:

Brook stickleback
Ninespine stickleback
Threespine stickleback



Sculpins:

Mottled sculpin
Slimy sculpin



Darters and Logperch:

Blackside darter
Fantail darter
Iowa darter
Johnny darter
Least darter
Rainbow darter
River darter
Tessellated darter
Logperch







Import of Bait
It is illegal to bring any crayfish or salamanders or live fish or leeches into Ontario for use as bait.


No Release of Bait
It is illegal to release any live bait or dump the contents of a bait bucket, including the water, into any water or within 30 m of any waters.









Some of the areas are also fish sanctuaries for part of the spring but I don't know if right now they are considered a fish sanctuary. According to the MNR "No fishing of any kind is permitted in a fish sanctuary."

I think I will just call my local mnr office.

Great post river.

 

[miles]

Thanks guys!

Well I just got off the phone with the MNR and they said that you can't fish in any of the inland rivers or streams in Grey/Bruce for anything after the 30th of September including a minnow trap (excluding the extended season areas for steelies and browns). I inquired about carp and catfish because I know of guys who fish for them after trout season and they said that some areas allow it but not grey bruce. I asked if there were any places that I could trap minnows and they said they would ask around and call me back tomorrow.

 

[AaronKrick]

Thanks guys!

Well I just got off the phone with the MNR and they said that you can't fish in any of the inland rivers or streams in Grey/Bruce for anything after the 30th of September including a minnow trap (excluding the extended season areas for steelies and browns). I inquired about carp and catfish because I know of guys who fish for them after trout season and they said that some areas allow it but not grey bruce. I asked if there were any places that I could trap minnows and they said they would ask around and call me back tomorrow.

Wow that's nice of them

 

[FishingNoob]

Wow that's nice of them

x2 never had to call the mnr outside of reporting illegal fishing...

 

[grubman]

Great topic. We sure are an inquisitive and educational bunch.......

Here is a link to Species At Risk Ontario. They are either endangered or getting close. Some are minnows so be sure to recognize which ones you can and can't keep.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/2ColumnSubPage/276722.html

 

[salmotrutta]

Makes sense to me. If a watershed or a portion of it are closed altogether, or designated as "sanctuaries", then you can't fish for anything, even baitfish.

Great post river55 I would only add that in addition to specifically protected waterbodies it is illegal to trap bait, frogs, or bullfrogs in provincial parks

I remember this rule from previous years. I think it also applied to conservation areas. I knew one superintendent / head ranger, who explicitly permitted the catching of baitfish and northern leopard frogs at this conservation area.

I am having trouble finding this rule in the 2013 regs though. Maybe the MNR changed their stance.

I also just noticed pike spearing is not permitted in the 2013 regs. I always thought it had a season?

 

[AaronKrick]

Great topic. We sure are an inquisitive and educational bunch.......

Here is a link to Species At Risk Ontario. They are either endangered or getting close. Some are minnows so be sure to recognize which ones you can and can't keep.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/2ColumnSubPage/276722.html

Thanks grub. Never heard of a Black Redhorse before. I've always wanted to get one of those american eels on my line but it sounds pretty 'iffy'.

 

[rusty420]

I think the MNR should have a link to show what these minnows look like. I had to google a lot of the names on that list and save them and the pics to my phone

 

[rusty420]

Thanks grub. Never heard of a Black Redhorse before. I've always wanted to get one of those american eels on my line but it sounds pretty 'iffy'.

I've caught an American ell before. 4 feet long and they swim in circles. Looks crazy. Caught on a dead frog weighted to the bottom. Must have 15 years ago out of the Trent canal system

 

[grubman]

I've caught an American ell before. 4 feet long and they swim in circles. Looks crazy. Caught on a dead frog weighted to the bottom. Must have 15 years ago out of the Trent canal system

Yeah me too, there used to tons of them and mud puppies. There were so many it was like you were lucky to get a fish. Then 7 years ago the gobies came in and the eels and mud puppies dissapeared. There used to be alot of channel cats and sheephead. The Trent was a good place to go but not anymore.

 

[rusty420]

Well the channel cats r doin ok. I hammer those

 

[grubman]

Then we gotta go. I still get sheephead. Lot's of rock bass that's about it there.

 

[rusty420]

Hey. Rock bass. They are totally unmentioned in the MNR regs. Even under panfish and sunfish? Any thoughts

 

[CanadianAngler87]

Hey. Rock bass. They are totally unmentioned in the MNR regs. Even under panfish and sunfish? Any thoughts

×2 always wonderd about that too, odd.

 

[rusty420]

I found it. I searched it at main page of MNR . Although it does not refer me to any regs

 

[grubman]

But you notice that pumpkinseeds and perch are on the decline while the rock bass are on the incline? Last summer on Pidgeon Lake at night all I caught were a few really big rockies on a rubber leech. Big as in almost 10". I was surprised how big they got there and deep too about 12'.