Pet shop bait?

[sploke]

So this week I learned that the "rosy red" or "tuffy" minnows they sell in pet stores all over the place are actually fathead minnows, a legal bait species in CT.  Bought them for years as feeder fish for pet fish and turtles and never knew.  They are usually a buck a dozen or thereabouts.  Downside is they are usually on the small side - maybe 1.5-2" and skinny.  Hypothetically, one could load up on these early in the season and fatten them up (they grow quick) and use them for ice fishing bait.  Anyone know of any potential downside or risk to doing that?

[Ravo Himself]

I don't see any at least. They're perch bait and the real small ones I throw on a jig. Caught a bunch of fish last year using em

[eiderz]

Sounds like a good plan.

[te-pe]

support your local...or may have to travel,,,,bait and tackle shops...they carry more than just bait.when they gone ...they gone

[Phishing.Hacker]

I've used petshop bait last year, I have 2 stores next to each other so I will shop at both, ask them to try and grab the bigger ones if possible, get 2 dozen for 5 bucks.

But I got super lucky last month, I trapped a pond and caught a few hundred fatheads and roseys, with some goldfish mixed in, but mostly fatheads. I had some many fatheads that I returned a bunch back to the pond and was spotted by the property owner and got kicked out. I dont need anymore small bait, but I'll be back and be stealthy next time.

Wild fatheads are super hardy. The dark colored ones are males. I left 1 outside in the snow/rain overnight in a frozen strainer bucket and the next day when I found it the fathead came back to life or didn't die, shocked. Yesterday I slapped a live one on my jig stick and jigged it all over, kept the bait in water when I wasn't actively jigging, the thing was still swimming when I put it back in the bait bucket at the end of the day.

[jebra]

I've used petshop bait last year, I have 2 stores next to each other so I will shop at both, ask them to try and grab the bigger ones if possible, get 2 dozen for 5 bucks.

But I got super lucky last month, I trapped a pond and caught a few hundred fatheads and roseys, with some goldfish mixed in, but mostly fatheads. I had some many fatheads that I returned a bunch back to the pond and was spotted by the property owner and got kicked out. I dont need anymore small bait, but I'll be back and be stealthy next time.

Wild fatheads are super hardy. The dark colored ones are males. I left 1 outside in the snow/rain overnight in a frozen strainer bucket and the next day when I found it the fathead came back to life or didn't die, shocked. Yesterday I slapped a live one on my jig stick and jigged it all over, kept the bait in water when I wasn't actively jigging, the thing was still swimming when I put it back in the bait bucket at the end of the day.

You were trespassing right?
So I don't get the "I'll be back/stealthy" part. 

[Gunflint]

You were trespassing right?
So I don't get the "I'll be back/stealthy" part. 

Ditto..

[Phishing.Hacker]

Ditto..

Not posted, no signs saying no fishing, no keep out signs etc. I'll go back because I do what I want, and fatheads are fire.

[RyanW]

Not posted, no signs saying no fishing, no keep out signs etc. I'll go back because I do what I want, and fatheads are fire.

It’s people like you that make people like me hate people like you. Since this is a Connecticut board and you don’t have a location listed, I’m assuming you’re from there.

You probably won’t find this interesting:

Trespass Crimes and Infractions

A person commits first degree criminal trespass when (1) he enters or remains in a building or any other premises after the owner or an authorized person personally communicates an order to leave or not enter and (2) he knows that he is not licensed or privileged to be there. This crime also applies to entering or remaining at a place in violation of a retraining or protective order. This is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both (CGS § 53a-107).

A person commits second degree criminal trespass when he enters or remains in a building knowing that he is not licensed or privileged to do so. This is a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both (CGS § 53a-108).

A person commits third degree criminal trespass when, knowing he is not licensed or privileged to do so, he enters or remains in any premises for hunting, trapping, or fishing or enters or remains in premises that are posted in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders or that are fenced or enclosed to exclude intruders. This also applies to state lands near state institutions. This is a class C misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both (CGS § 53a-109).

It is a defense to these crimes if (1) the building was abandoned, (2) the premises at the time of entry were open to the public and the person complied with all lawful conditions on access and remaining on the premises, or (3) the person reasonably believed that the owner (or someone else with the power to do so) would have or did license him to enter or remain on the premises (CGS § 53a-110).

A person commits simple trespass if, knowing he is not licensed or privileged to do so, he enters premises without intent to harm any property. This is an infraction punishable by a fine, currently $77 plus

costs and fees if paid by mail (CGS § 53a-110a). A separate infraction covers trespass on railroad property when a person enters or remains on the property without lawful authority or consent of the railroad carrier. This is currently a $121 fine plus costs and fees if paid by mail (CGS § 53a-110d).

[PikeKing23]

This ain't NH bro.  Still trespassing even if not posted.  Goldfish are also illegal to use as bait.  You were probably trapping someones pets.  Sure those "goldfish" aren't koi?

[sploke]

It's not uncommon for idiots to stock private waterways with goldfish.  I have a pond in my backyard, the previous owners filled it up with feeder goldfish.  Luckily they all died off in a deep, hard freeze we had a few years ago that starved the whole pond of oxygen.


That being said, even if you catch them they'd still be illegal to use as bait.

[Badder]

When you do what you want....You do what you want?!?!?!  Please don't come to Michigan.....Thanks

Oh and the Rosie's can be killer on big Perch, they can be hard to come by here in central Michigan
bait shops most of the winter, when we can find them we snatch them up.
I believe its illegal to use Fish's bought at pet stores for bait in the Northern Hemisphere, or at least
Michigan.