Minnows $$$ Media pimping or ???

[AquaMan]

OK, we have been told gas might go to $3/gal this summer and it might. They were right last year and this winter on the price increases on fuels. Hmmmm.

Now we are being told that crappie minnows are going to $2-3/scoop and $2.75 for a dozen fatheads. The reasons are sound, but is the media pimping us? I mean, what if the dealers are making this up and the media is adversting for them.

No, I am not a paranoid skits, but pictured on the outdoor section is Frankie from Frankie's marine holding a jar of minnows and I swear there is a big grin behind that big jar. (This is not about Frankie, he just happened to be in the picture) ;-)

Seriously, what are you paying for minnows outside MN?

Have any of you trapped your own? Are there any risks or laws governing the use of those?


AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.·´¯° --- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

Eric@crowncomputerinc.com

[Rodbender]

Aquaman,

I read the article in the strib today and wondered the same thing. My other question is how many lakes winter-killed in MN this last winter?

From some of your previous posts redarding specific lakes, I assume you reside somewhere in/around Ottertail County. What's the word on the lakes in that area? I am from KS, and we vacation a couple weeks on Buchanan every year. Thanks.

[Backwater Eddy]

There are billions & billions of gallons of minnows in the potholes of ND & SD. Winter kill didn't get a 1/4 of them I am sure of that!

But there regular dealers may be short? In MN some of the same big bait distributors handle a lot of territory.


Backwater Eddy.....><,,>

[Hans]

Trapping your own is pretty simple, or you can put a couple of your kids to work with a seine to catch a mess of minnows. You can't sell them, but for your own use there is no problem. There are a few rules about size of net/trap, and I think you're limited to 15 dozen or some big number like that in possession without a commercial license. I think the fishing license manual has the info.

Hans

[Eyez]

Geez that's expensive minnows. I usually buy mine at the gas stations here, and it doesn't matter how many I put in the bucket, they never charge me for more than 2 scoops -- something like $1.50 a scoop. I also do trap some of my own, it's pretty simple in the spring if you can find current in a culvert between sloughs or something like that, but a few of my favorite ponds did winterkill though. I'll probably trap more of my own this year. Thanks to all the rain, I now have a 5 acre, 6 foot deep pond in my backyard, and i'll just make something to keep them in, and drop it in the pond.


Eyez

[Gonzo]

Is trapping leeches hard? How and where do
you trap Leeches? Leeches are already to
pricey I think. Vados down here in the cities
is hiking they're prices up again this year.

Gonz

[AquaMan]

Yep, I fish Ottertail Lake/River and the surrounding lakes (Rush, McGowen, Long, Dead, Head, Walker & Clitheral) all summer. According to the DNR it is open right now. My brother-in-law in Perham said there are several lakes that still have ice but those will go out this week if not already. Not sure about Buchanon, but I am sure you are open now. Really nice area. I have always wanted to duck hunt on that lake but it is all private. I think that lake is deep enough that there was no kill. The shallow lakes like Dead may be just that.

Lemme know when you head up.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.·´¯° --- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

Eric@crowncomputerinc.com

[Swirlie]

I've never trapped my own leaches, but have heard this works.

Take some fresh Liver and place it in burlap bag... hang it in the water, and go visit later - when you pull up the bag, there should be leaches attached. At least that's the way I have heard it done. I would imagine any bloody piece of meat would work. Burlap I think because it allows the leaches to attach their sucker, and other fish/animals won't eat the liver/meat.

On the other hand, you could always throw a beach ball in and let the kids go play.. <GRIN> I remember they used to latch on pretty quick when I was young! Nothing a salt shaker wouldn't cure though....

[cisco]

The problem with natural leeches, for example those that gave Leech Lake its name, is that fish don't take them. There are many strains of leeches, and the blackish domestics sold by the bait dealers are, indeed, superior to natural critters.

Try using some natural leeches and see what happens.

[Fish Info AL]

Go Plastic. It works. And it is cheap.

[FED UP]

YA THINK THEY SAT BACK AND WATCHED THE PETROLEUM IND. AND THE NATURAL GAS DIST. STICK IT TO US AND MAYBE LEARNED A THING OR TWO? IF THEY WANT IT THEY WILL PAY FOR IT! ALL YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT WERE THE FATHEADS AND CRAPPIE MINNOWS. COME ON WHAT ABOUT THE CHUBS AND REDTAIL WE WERE PAYING 6.75 A TIGHT DOZEN FOR LAST YEAR? I BET THEY DOUBLE THIS YEAR,YOU JUST WATCH. THE MEDIA SAID SO, NOW THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO STICK IT TO US! TO TRAP LEECHES AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY USED TO USE WELL RINSED PLASTIC JUGS AND POKE KNIFE HOLES IN THEM AND THROW IN PIECES OF FRESH LIVER AND GO AND THROW THEM IN THE LOCAL POTHOLE AND GO BACK THE NEXT DAY AND PULL THEM IN. AND MINNOWS? THEY ARE EASY JUST GET A SEINE AND A BUDDY AND HIT THE INCOMING STREAM TO YOUR FAVORITE LAKE AND PULL IT THROUGH ONCE OR TWICE! THEN TRY KEEPING ALL THOSE MINNOWS ALIVE! THATS THE TRICK!

[Stezostedion vitreum man]

The leeches used for fishing are not the same as the leeches found in lakes. The leech used for fishing is called the pond or ribbon leech, these are not external parasites. The most common leech found in lakes, is called the horse leech. It produces a mucus type substance that must be foul tasting (natural defense) to flsh because most fish will not eat them. Most of the types of leeches found in lakes are the "blood suckers" or external parasites. Pond leeches are usually more firm and have deeper grooved segments than does the common horse leech and apparently have a different smell that attracts fish.

The pond leech, as the name implies, are found in small ponds or other such impoundments. To catch them, as mentioned, you can use a burlap sack or a coffee can with liver or fish heads in it. The pond leeches are not feeding off of the meat itself, but the microorganisms (such as bacteria and fungi) that are in the process of decomposing this meat. Usually you will let the "traps" set for several days before collecting the leeches. One interesting tidbit about leeches, is that the weather seems to affect their behavior and movement very similar to that of fish. The best time of the year to trap leeches is late spring through the end of July. After that, they usually have reproduced and are harder to come by, especially the larger ones.

Hope this sheds some light on one of the best walleye live baits. Good fishing.

Remember to keep your eyes open and your feet dry.

S.v.m

[Juls_WI]

The baitshop I work at can't even get Fatheads until next week. The last shipment came in from SD three or four weeks ago, and were pretty expensive.
Right now we are selling Tuffies in there place at 2.10 a dozen for small ones. They kinda look like Fatheads, but without the fat head..;-)
Our bait dealer usually gets all their minnows from MN.

Juls

[PUZZLED]

FROM WHAT I READ IN THE STAR TRIB TODAY MN ISNT SUPPOSED TO IMPORT MINNOWS BECAUSE OF THE VARIETIES OF FISH IT WOULD INTRODUCE TO OUR LAKES. AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT I GOT OUT OF IT! BUT STILL NO ONE HAS MENTIONED RAINBOWS OR RED TAILS OR HEAVEN FORBID.... SHINERS!!! AND EVEN IF IT ISNT BAIT SHOP ORIENTED,I SAY IT WOULD BE HUMAN NATURE TO GET ON THE TRAIN AND RIDE IT FOR ALL IT'S WORTH! SEEMS TO BE THE NORM THESE DAYS

[Mac]

What they need to do next is to tell some reporter that because the ground froze during the long winter that it will be tough to get nitecrawlers.

[Jig'N John]

Minnesota must be taking tips from the Canadians on how to create a monopoly on the bait business!!!!

[AquaMan]

Is it any surprise that the oil companies just posted the highest 1st quarter earnings in a decade? Conoco 64%, Excell 27%, Exxon 48%. I thought they had to raise prices due to higher costs. Hmmm, higher costs = lower margin, not the reverse. They cried about the need for more income and higher pump prices to cover raising costs, well I think they raised their prices a heck of a lot more then their costs.

Seems the big boys are playing dirty.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.·´¯° --- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

Eric@crowncomputerinc.com

[Dave in Mpls]

>Minnesota must be taking tips from
>the Canadians on how to
>create a monopoly on the
>bait business!!!!


Actually, it has nothing to do with creating a monopoly...it has to do with keeping exotic species out of our waters. Why every state does not have similar laws banning the importation of minnows is a mystery to me...

At least you can bring your own leeches to MN!!

See Page 60-61

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_and_wildlife/regulations/fishing/2001_fishing.pdf

Regards

[KnottyBuoy]

Did you read this morning that the major oil companys just posted record earnings.........? The consumer is always screwed.....only difference is BY WHO?

Was suppose to me a minnow shortage last year also.....we found them at every stop all the way to Brainerd......once guys start using crawlers and leeches the minnow sales decline anyway.....Don't you think?

[Jig'n John]

Dave,

Oh, do you mean like the carp, ruffie, and water milfoil, etc.,etc.?

[AquaMan]

Actually Dave, it was created by the Bait industry to quench outside competition and later veiled with the "exotics" protection to keep others from questioning the bill.

The DNR will even admit that bringing minnows in from ND or WI would not harm the native stock since those are native to this region.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.·´¯° --- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

Eric@crowncomputerinc.com

[Dave in Mpls]

Uhhhh....OK

If that's the case, why can you still import leeches and crawlers?

The DNR also admits that there is no need to change the walleye limit, but it's gonna happen anyway. I don't believe for one minute that the bait industry, even in MN, has that much lobbying clout in the legislature.

Regards

[AquaMan]

With all due respect, and I mean all Dave, that is true, but this is an old bill introduced to a good old boys group back in the 80's. I have a good freind that works for the USFW and that is what he told me a few days ago.

Could be one of those rumors that circulate to make one department look better or worse then the other. But this guy is hard to doubt based on his research and data background. Biology anylist for the fisheries dept. Who knows, but it baits (pun intended) the question: Why would regionally harvested minnows be anymore threatening to the ecosystem then leaches or crawlers anyway?


PS: Dave, I left the hub caps and the lugs behind by accident, don't toss them.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.·´¯° --- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

Eric@crowncomputerinc.com

[Dave in Mpls]

Yeah, I noticed that when I went out to shut up the shed that day. I'll hang onto 'em - they take up a whole lot less room than those tires did!

In regard to the minnows, it's pretty hard for me to fathom that the bait industry is gonna have more political pull than the fisherman. After all, if the legislation truely went through that way, the fisherman are gonna be the loosers, as we would pay more for bait (less compitition = higher prices). Of course, on the other hand, I don't particularily give one rat fart how or why it is the way it is. I, like you and everyone else, am gonna pay the going rate, just as I will for gas!!

Regards