Niagara emeralds

[UofLCARDS]

i have  two friends that own bait shops ....i  just  buy a  half  cup when i need them  .........trouble with buckeyes they die to easy

I agree - I've tried them multiple times and they aren't very hardy .....I really liked those blue nose a few years ago but haven't seen them in a while ....

[trapper2000]

running all over  trying to net  bait spending  gas  money  time  getting wet then  trying to  keep them alive  ..... heres your  5  bucks   give  me a scoop  ......besides  i like jigging  not watching a  bobber ...thats me

[skinny4]

I got some at unity the other day. They were deep and couldn’t see them but after a few attempts I got more than I needed on one good dip. Tried the tubes and the water was ripping thru there so a no go and ship canal had nothing by the stairs. And yes trap believe it or not they do take garbage bags full from the river here. It iis common around here with the Asians and I’ve even had a family come and stand next to me while I was fishing and there young 4-5 yr old boy was grabbing them right out of my bucket and eating them alive while the parents just stood there like everything was normal.

[trapper2000]

wow  go  buy the  poor  kid a  filet-of- fish  from  McDonalds .......just wondering is there a legal limit on how  many you can take?

[BUCKSKI]

believe it or not they do take garbage bags full from the river here. It iis common around here with the Asians and I’ve even had a family come and stand next to me while I was fishing and there young 4-5 yr old boy was grabbing them right out of my bucket and eating them alive while the parents just stood there like everything was normal.

Man its gets old when some groups of people, do whatever they want. Had a amish kid on Chaut. move my stuff and fish my holes when I went to get bait 10 feet away. When I yelled at him they all stand there looking clueless. His white handler/driver started to get lippy and once saw what the kid did and felt the beating coming-- he shut up.
It must be nice to be the center of the universe. 

[trapper2000]

i have never had any issues with amish folks  ......pretty honest and hard working people ....... i'm wondering if there is a  limit of  bait fish ?  if  not  and  these  people  taking that much bothers you i would  be  contacting  legislators and the dec ......

[BUCKSKI]

i have never had any issues with amish folks  ......pretty honest and hard working people ....... i'm wondering if there is a  limit of  bait fish ?  if  not  and  these  people  taking that much bothers you i would  be  contacting  legislators and the dec ......

Trap all the emeralds in the region came from this location at one point and time. "Big Catch" (A old bait shop)once sold them all over the state/region before testing.
Truck loads.
I would like to see them used for bait and not food, different #'s of consumption. And once again it must be nice to be the center of the universe and do whatever you like. Oh and BTW the amish around here fish out lakes! Limits are not followed and hot bites are exploited. Search the buggies- several bucket trips back and forth generally means 1 thing. My 2 cents and observations.

[trapper2000]

i actually hunt on amish land (which is real unusual)  and they hunt with us i never seen them break a law ........thats my observation  .....i have seen  buckeyes  so thick in  oneida  you couldn't cast a rapala without snagging a hand full and  they netted them in oswego ..... i never seen   anyone  taking them for food  .......i might have to try it  now  .........

[cold_feet]

I can remember back 10 yrs ago when t h e Niagara river held so many emeralds you could walk in them.  Along the wall off Ferry st you could fill a 5 gal bucket in 1 dip. NOT any legitimate fisherman took that many. Myself when I got minnows to fish Erie I'd take maybe 200 at tops.  We aren't talking garbage bags full.  You can buy minnows here but the only certified bait you can get is a golden shiner from baitshops that line Lake Erie. Your not going to catch many perch with them. The bait of choice is the emerald.  Russes baitshop is the only place I know that sells uncertified emeralds to be used along the corridor along Eries shore. I've bought from him many times so I spend money at the few local baitshops left.  What is wrong with this whole picture is those who take the garbage bags of these bait fish DO NOT buy licenses to fish. They also strip the resources  there to support gamefish.  Claiming to put a limit on emeralds, what good does that do when those dipping garbage bags full don't follow laws anyways?  As some stated about lakes getting stripped out by Amish. We have lakes noted to hold huge crappies 18" and better now pretty much void of that species due to over harvest. This argument has gone on forever. Beaten like a dead horse. My own favorite inland lake got beat to a pulp years back by legit ice fishermen who all said you couldn't do it.  Well good luck now finding certian species when thousands were taken daily. Those egg laiden fish never spawned so explain how taking thousands a day are to maintain a population when you strip millions of eggs daily?  Same goes for a healthy baitfish population.  Claiming to put a baitfish limit won't work if those who take millions a day don't follow laws anyways and court systems turn them loose to commit the same crime the next day even if they show up to court which they don't.

[trapper2000]

your absolutly right  ,it's better to just give up and hand out garbage bags

[SwampRat]

No ones gonna tell you where the elusive emerald is on here.    You gotta have eagle eyes to find them. Lot of guys salt em but when you fish erie a lot like i do its very nice to have em. I can keep mine alive for months but I have water filtration for my house. 

[trapper2000]

i have a lot of asian and amish friends that are pretty up set with  people  netting them to waste them as bait!!!!  Kathy Hochul is supposed to make a ruling on this any day!!!!

[UofLCARDS]

i have a lot of asian and amish friends that are pretty up set with  people  netting them to waste them as bait!!!!  Kathy Hochul is supposed to make a ruling on this any day!!!!

hahaha - maybe she'll pull out of her 0'fer and get 1 right this time ?  I won't hold my breath .....

[trapper2000]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meQllEKV_g4 

with my investigating skills i have learned what some people are doing with buckeyes  .............. i had nothing to do with the filming of the kitten

[Pequod1]

I have personally witnessed people taking garbage bags of niagaras out of Ferry street on the Niagara on numerous occasions. You guys in the eastern basin of Ontario and Oneida do not have that problem.
A lot of those emeralds later on get sold as “ white bait” in Asian markets in Toronto.  A few yrs back, during our famous smelt runs I also witnessed “ people” dumping garbage bags full of smelt off a ladder way coming up from the Niagara.  They stationed a caller at the top of the stairways that was a lookout for  the DEC. When they arrived, the look out made the call and the bags were dumped.
There was nothing the DEC could do.  All those smelt made it to Toronto.
Finally, someone got smart and posted the border patrol there. That made a big difference.

[SwampRat]

I can confirm there is a decent presence of both boarder patrol and rangers in river areas, speak to and see them frequently.  Ranger confirmed they have specific areas they are assigned to patrol.  As a hint if your looking for bait they are good to speak with.

[UofLCARDS]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meQllEKV_g4 

with my investigating skills i have learned what some people are doing with buckeyes  .............. i had nothing to do with the filming of the kitten

Blech - I'd eat the kitten first and I like cats ....

[filetandrelease]

Blech - I'd eat the kitten first and I like cats ....

Cat the other white meat 😃

[trapper2000]

if theres no limit on buckeyes then nothing anyone can do ..... if your concerned you have to make your opinions known to your legislators

[jimmyclaude]

So are this Ice cycles in bait shops elsewhere?

[62&done]

Now I know why I don't like Asian food     YUCK

[trapper2000]

guess no different then smelt ,anchovies,or sardines

[62&done]

Fried smelt-pickled sardines or anchovies   But not that mess