Perch eyes for bait

[justwentfishin]

Just getting back into hardwater fishing and on ice the other day a partner told me that perch eyes are not legal.  News to me. What is the regulation for NY state

[Captain1978]

Doesn't say anywhere in NYS regs that you can't use fish eyes for bait. Totally 100%  LEGAL !!! You can use perch for bait, why not their eyes

[Fishinkidd]

I don't know the NYS regulation but we use to pop an eye out of the first perch we caught too throw on our jig, we even went as far as filling a pill bottle with eyes for the next trip to Lake George....I can't see that being illegal, but these days, ya never know~!

[rgfixit]

It's perfectly legal! If it's not, I break the law every time I go perch fishing.

Ask the DEC if you're in doubt.
RG

[bigdip]

if you pull an eye out of a perch you have to include that perch in your possesion limit.

[Jigger Don]

same here if thats a illegal im in trouble cause i use eyes every chance i can

[masoneddie]

I'm pretty much a jig fisherman for perch. Been using eyes for over 30 years now. DEC has checked me numerous times since this new bait law went into effect. Every time they ask what I'm using for bait I show them, never had a ticket. I almost always have a vile of eyes with me.

[gregod]

I almost always have a vile of eyes with me.

how do you store your eyes?

[brewsta3224]

It seems like I saw somewhere on a NYSDEC post on one of their websites on ice conditions and ice fishing, detailing the use of them as a recommendation... I just dont remember where I saw it. I thought it was odd when I did, and use them myself.

[Grady95]

Nice little white belly strip makes a pretty good bait for just about anything also.  Man, between the age of my bait, my snowmobile, and now perch eyes, I'm going to have to keep a lawyer on the payroll all season!  Just kidding....
No it is not illegal to use perch eyes for bait.  The fish are yours to do with as you see fit.
Next hunting season, see if you can get hold of some tarsal glands from a buck or doe estrus urine.  The DEC allows us to use these as attractants with no issue.  That's certainly no more unethical or unsportsmanlike than popping perch eyes. Good question though.
Stay Sharp, Be Safe
Grady

[allthumbs]

I think that you are only allowed to use eyes of the fish you intend to keep and count in your  limit  it would not be right to poke out an eye and toss them back  even though  a blind fish would probably swim around in circles and draw in more fish

[jackfrost]

I was ice fishing in Minnesota last year and I was going to pop out a perch eye and my friend who I was with that lives in Minnesota told me it was against the law. So, I looked it up in the Minnesota reg book and it was true.
Not aware of it being illegal in other state other than Minnesota.

[deebsey]

Do it all the time and I save them as well....Don't like to waste useful things.  Been checked by the DEC and never any problems

[bassinbrian_on_ice]

Let me add to the orig question .... do you notice the eyes work better than maggots/spikes/mousies ??  Just curious ?

[jkoegel]

Ok, let me add a question. With our lovely laws regarding the transportation of baitfish from one body of water to another........ How do you guys get away with transporting perch eyes with you as bait.
Just want to make sure before I keep some for next time out.

[H.T.]

they stay on hook longer and its free bait. use them all of the time fishing for perch. the blue gill dont seem to like them as much as the perch.

[fingerlaker]

ALSO-----taking it a step further...is it just perch eyes (why)??  Do you also use bluegill, bass, crappie etc etc eyes??

[reeleyz]

I believe it is perfectly fine to use a perch eye because perch are not considered a game fish. There is no season or size limit. Once there is a size limit and a creel limit then I believe that they are considered gamefish. For example, I believe it is against the law to use a walleye eye for bait.

I have never seen the actual regulation though, this is just what I have been told.

I will try to find the actual regulation on the DEC website.

[troutaddict33]

Perch eyes can be deadly on perch, not so much crappie/"gills". Finicky fish don't take them as much it seems but they do work. I like spikes better though, its hard to get an eyeball on a tiny tiny jig when they're being finicky, pretty much pointless to use in that situation.

You CAN use them legally, but CANNOT transport the eyes from one lake to fish with at another lake.... correct me if i'm wrong

[reeleyz]

troutaddict33 is correct.

According to the DEC website you can use ANY part of ANY fish as long as you use it on the same body of water where it was cuaght.

Here is how it reads:

 Any fish, or parts thereof, legally taken on a water body of the State may be possessed and used as bait on that same water body, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (f) of section 10.1 of Part 10 of this Chapter, except as otherwise prohibited by section 10.6 of Part 10 of this Chapter or any other provision of law or regulation.

Here is where I found it:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4021.html

[dav]

How do you get the eyes out efficiently?

[troutaddict33]

How do you get the eyes out efficiently?

they make eyeball remover tools. i have some old ones that used to be my dad's. A bent piece of wire under a stick basically. Or I just use my thumb

[BJSClamMan]

Is there anything you can put eyes in to preserve them  ??

[DON-E-ICE]

How do you get the eyes out efficiently?

Push down in the corner of eye and then slide towards top of head and it will pop out easily.  Takes a few to get the hang of it.

[tobykoko]

How do you get the eyes out efficiently?

   Paper clips are the perfect tool. 

[walleyehunter01]

troutaddict33 is correct.

According to the DEC website you can use ANY part of ANY fish as long as you use it on the same body of water where it was cuaght.

Here is how it reads:

 Any fish, or parts thereof, legally taken on a water body of the State may be possessed and used as bait on that same water body, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (f) of section 10.1 of Part 10 of this Chapter, except as otherwise prohibited by section 10.6 of Part 10 of this Chapter or any other provision of law or regulation.

Here is where I found it:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4021.html

i believe there was a post on here about using perch eggs for chum and they said it was illegal.but you are saying it is legall

[deebsey]

   Paper clips are the perfect tool. 

They work great and I store them in a bait puck in the freezer & in a freezer bag when the puck gets full.  I think for perch the eyes work awesome from bait, I think more so than spikes and the dinks don't seem to hit them as much.

[pyle]

i believe there was a post on here about using perch eggs for chum and they said it was illegal.but you are saying it is legall

There not Chumming with them or throwing hundreds in the water,just using 1 on a hook or jig as bait.

[BAZOOKAJOE]

I run the bend in a circle hook under the eye and lift.

[Instantperception]

Ok, let me add a question. With our lovely laws regarding the transportation of baitfish from one body of water to another........ How do you guys get away with transporting perch eyes with you as bait.
Just want to make sure before I keep some for next time out.

I had the same question and contacted my local DEC office and got this response.............



"I spoke with law enforcement about your question and the following is their response:
 
No, it is not legal to use fish eyes for bait except in the same water body where taken for the following reason.  NYCRR 19.3 makes it a violation to use fish as bait except as provided in 19.2.  Therefore one must reference 19.2(c) and 19.2(d).  19.2(c) makes it legal to use fish parts as bait on the same water body where the fish was taken. 19.2(d) makes it legal to use fish parts (other than eggs) IF they are commercially packaged and prepared by a method other than freezing.  So....... it is illegal to use fish eyes as bait except on the same water body. (Unless the fish eyes have been commercially packaged, and I don't know of any commercially packaged fish eyes.)"