New bait law and Game Wardens

[chocklab07]

I was talking to a someone today who told me some guys he knows were fishing for smelt on salem in Derby. The Game Warden came up to them and started giving them a  hard time...where'd you get the bait etc. etc.  When the guy told the G.W. he caught the smelt G.W. called him a liar and was going to write him up unless he could prove he caught it there. The guy put his line down and pulled up another... What if it was trout season and you caught your smelt 1/2 of 3/4 of a mile(on the same lake) from where you are trout fishing? Would you be able to pull another smelt out in time to avoid the pinch?

I hope that's not what we are going to have to deal with all winter. Any body else hear how the G.W are "enforcing" this law?

[TRT]

Chocklab07, sounds like you were getting 3rd hand information? Hopefully that situation won't
be a regular occurrence this winter. 

[Leafmountain10]

 :tipup:Was this Bob Lewis?  he's about 300lbs and usually does all his Wardening from the seat of a truck, or ATV.  Sounds like a youngbuck who walks and is on a mission.  The majority of the wardens must be really set back with all these new, and vauge rules they have to inforce. 

I love how on the bait reciept it say that you cant bring live bait off the ice, leave it on the ice, or pour them down the hole!  You have to put them in the trash.  So....does the Dept of Fish and Game put trash cans all over the lakes in Vermont. 

Really bad case of a concern becoming a rule then written up by lawyers into laws that don't make sense.  All the fines given this year should be argued and faught.  I bet the fishermen win and no one pays the $300+.  Our Dept should be ashamed for sure.

[whitetail05401]

I wrote back a while ago about a warden that had the same additude. no names. But yes this gives them all a bad rap and it not fare to the good ones (sorry have not meet a good one yet). Never got a ticket yet but I will just leave it at that. And yes there has been a $300 ticket and a $600 ticket given out. jim s

[macinaw]

This May be true because lake Salem is not known for smelt.I have fished it for 8 years for perch and other warm water fish
and have never caught smelt until yesterday.I caught 2 at the north end of the lake. I was very surprised and also wondered
what the warden would say.He never came my way.I have also heard of more people catching laketrout from this lake in the last
couple years.I have a feeling this new law is going to trip up a quite a few unsuspecting fishermen.To call the man a lier is not good.
I sure am glad it was not me.Good thing he was able to catch anotherone.

[TRT]

Smelt, have you ever tried jigging them up at night? Hit or miss proposition.
I have explained to my wife that i just have to leave the night before now
rather than at 2-3am. I've been checked couple of times by various wardens
an never had any difficulty. I think we all need to pull out the receipt and
ask right then an there how they want us to deal with leftovers???

[whitetail05401]

go to the post NEW RULES it is right there from the Head of wildlife. Dump the bait on the ice not down the hole make a copy of this and show any game warden that gives you a problem. It should clear it all up.....jim s

[Vt Piker]

 I just  drain the water from the bucket and take the bait home. Just because they are still flopping doesn't mean that I'm transporting live bait. Look at it this way, you are are not now, nor ever have been allowed to transport live fish, ie fish swimming in water. When you leave the ice with a 1/2 pail of perch, this is not considered transporting live fish. Even though they may still be flopping they are not considered "live".
 That's the way I'd put it to the Judge.
 But I'm still not happy about executing $80.00 worth of bait in one week. I used to take it home in put it in a tank for another day. Now, well, it's kind of like buying a twelve pack and pouring 6 down the drain.
                                           
 

[chocklab07]

Was this Bob Lewis? 

Not Bob he's retired, it was Brad Mann, not a new guy.
I know it was 3rd hand info, and hard to tell how accurate, but still makes you nervous. I plan to jig smelt to catch trout. Where we catch smelt is way across the lake from where we catch the trout and I don't think I could catch a smelt on demand there.

[hizzy19]

Definitely makes me nervous... These new laws are an enforcement nightmare...

I haven't done it yet, but man, I am dreading that afternoon when I am forced to kill $20.00 worth of bait, even though I am fishing the next day...

[whitetail05401]

Hey man you buy a mess of bait only take to the water what you will use if the bait does not tuch the water your good. If you have a place to keep them like an old fish tank with a bubbler. What helps me is we have 3 or 4 people at a time go so if we run out there is always some one to run home to get more or if the bite is slow we will just pick up as the bait life runs out. Tossing out $20 of bait would make me sick as well.....jim s

[doogie494]

Hey man you buy a mess of bait only take to the water what you will use if the bait does not tuch the water your good. If you have a place to keep them like an old fish tank with a bubbler. What helps me is we have 3 or 4 people at a time go so if we run out there is always some one to run home to get more or if the bite is slow we will just pick up as the bait life runs out. Tossing out $20 of bait would make me sick as well.....jim s

Thats all fine if you fish just one place, but if you travel around from lake to lake, it isnt much good.

[whitetail05401]

do you drive on the ice right now. if you dont leave bait it car or truck if you go from place to place we have done that.....jim s

[doogie494]

Ok, i think we are talking about different things here. Im saying that if i were to go buy a mess of bait even if i left it in the truck it is still only good for 48 hrs from time of purchase and is only good to use on the lake i had  to tell the guy at the baitshop who put it on my receipt.  If i left some of it in the truck and went to Lake Dunmore the next day and got checked i would be screwed because the receipt says Champlain.  Right?

[whitetail05401]

yes you are right sorry. If you fish the ponds  it would be a wates I see that. If you fish the lake I dont see why you could not go anywhere on the lake....??jim s

[doogie494]

you would be able to as long as you traveled on the lake or like you said leave some in the truck.  Either way, whatever you bring on to the lake has to stay there.

[NH piker]

I went out both Sat. and Sunday this last weekend...Sat. I had to only dump one bait fish. All others that were put on hooks I left on the ice after picking up for the day....HOWEVER, on Sunday I ran out of bait and a group of guys who also was fishing on Sat. came by and offered me their left over bait so that I could continue to fish Sunday....They confessed to keeping their left over bait Sat. and bringing it back on Sunday....they are under the impression that is good for 48 hours...I believe their wrong...are they or am I wrong is thinking that if I had left over bait Sat. I had to throw it all away and go and buy new bait on Sunday......this is really messed up...seems that everyone has a different theory.....

[whitetail05401]

as soon as you take bait on the ice it CAN NOT come off with you. The 48 hour part is if you leave bait on shore or at home you can use it the next day. And to use other peoples leftovers I would be careful with that also. When I bought bait the bait dealer put the number of bait sold to me on the paper. So if 12 is put on the paper and you have 15 tip ups with bait not sure how that would go over. And yes a $300 ticket has been given out for someone coming off the ice with bait. It is not worth it to me.....jim s

[NH piker]

thanks for the info....I hope that F/G really thinks hard about making some changes...I would rather take and give left over bait to someone rather than wasteing it by throwing it away.....Does F/G ever wonder why people don't spend the time fishing/hunting like they used to......I don't eat fish at all...I practice catch and release and I do it for the enjoyment.   F/G is really taking the fun out of it...

[bud]

I understand what they are trying to do but.......... 
I fished in vt almost the whole season last yr
I will stick to nh except for a couple of norton excursions!
Too much b/s to catch a few fish to release.

[Fish Farmer]

Not to mention that F&G are going to have to shift a lot of their trout culture activities because of the threat of VHS in Champlain. Anyone guess where half of the INLAND trout and salmon stocking come from? Yep, Ed Weed Fish Culture Station, so in order NOT to spread disease, this hatchery should become a Champlain only hatchery and raise ONLY half as many fish as they do now and not stock inland waters. The other hatcheries are going to have to shift gears to make up the difference, which will take a year or two, but I bet you will see some places not get stocked inland(lake trout for example) because the numbers needed for 2009 stocking are at Ed Weed and not at the inland hatcheries.

[whitetail05401]

I know this is not a hard water question but about the LCI how is anyone going to weigh in a live fish with all the new rules and law about transporting fish.  Is the lci going to be called off or are we going to have floating weight stations??jim s

[andy VT]

lci derby and most derbys have special permits for tranportation have for years

[Salmoneye]

lci derby and most derbys have special permits for tranportation have for years

And 'theoretically' the live fish are returned to the body of water they came from...

 

[TRT]

We are going to have to be very careful. My thought is when you buy bait
have two or more guys go in an get seperate receipts. Half good for lake
A and other half B. Leave whatever you are not going to use in the truck.
You are good for two days.. 

Other idea is leave your bait out in your shanty overnight locked up.

[Fish Farmer]

Ok this is my gripe to the anglers crying about the bait laws.

I am an avid open water and ice fisherman, maybe I'm not the expert at limiting out on pike every day out fishing. I tend to see people worrying about dumping $20 work of bait, well as I see it don't bring $20 work of bait out fishing. Where I live a dozen suckers is $8.00. That should rig up a single angler TWICE if he/she is fishing inland waters. So you could have all your bait mauled, dead, stolen and still have another dozen baits to rig up. And I keep on hearing stories of dead bait working well for pike. A buddy of mine got his trophy 20 lb northern on a dead bait. As for fast action with perch, well perch bait for me is about $4.50 a cup, buy a half if you are worried and if they are biting that well, well START JIGGING! Be frugal Vermonters, thats what the Vermont way is supposed to be about!!!!!!!!!

Sure, it does suck that bait dealers are few and far between and the added gas expence, thats why the 48 hour rule should work for weekend anglers who buy bait and I would go to court to contest that one, just don't be pissy at the game warden, yes sir, no sir, usually works better than being an a..

[macinaw]

You all forget this thread started because the game warden suposedly called someone a lier because the fiherman said he caught smelt
on lake salem.It seems to me the warden was out of place on this one.

[4cator]

Definitely makes me nervous... These new laws are an enforcement nightmare...

I haven't done it yet, but man, I am dreading that afternoon when I am forced to kill $20.00 worth of bait, even though I am fishing the next day...

Sounds like they really don't want you guys to icefish anymore.  Holy cow!!

[vticefisherman]

this new law is garbage.  just a way to make the fishermen uninterested in the sport.  the revinues are going to drop, state's gonna lose money, and the game wardens are a$$holes.  they dont care, as long as they get paid.  and yeah, where are the trash cans for the empty bait containers and stuff?  thats another trick, to get you for littering.  its all a scam, and the people who creat this law are idiots.

[Vt Piker]

this new law is garbage.  just a way to make the fishermen uninterested in the sport.  the revinues are going to drop, state's gonna lose money, and the game wardens are a$$holes.  they dont care, as long as they get paid.  and yeah, where are the trash cans for the empty bait containers and stuff?  thats another trick, to get you for littering.  its all a scam, and the people who creat this law are idiots.

Dude, relax, There are meetings coming up that you can participate in. Rather than going off on the wardens, try going off on the people who are setting the policy. The wardens are just doing thier jobs. As for littering? Don't dump your bait on the ground!!!! Simply drain the water from the bucket and go home.
 I don't like this VHS crap at all. I used to be able to catch my own bait. Bottom line...we need to protect our lakes.
 If you don't like what's on the menu, then go to the kitchen and cook up a better dish.
 In one weeks time,I just threw $80.00 worth of bait out. I used to take it home and put it in the tank. Now I take it home and throw it in the back yard.
 Times have changed, you will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.