Little help w/ Minnesota regs, please

[Auger]

Hello my Gopher brethren.  I'm from Wisconsin, but I'm thinking of tying up a Tackle Buddy full of pike leaders for my brother in law's upcoming birthday.  He's from Burnsville and fishes most often in Minnesota.

I tie quick strikes for here in WI, but I'm pretty sure they aren't legal in MN.  Are circle hooks legal in MN?  I've never used them on tip-ups before but I'm going to give it a shot this season.  Can someone please clear up when you can use a treble and when you can't.  Do I need to tie everything for him with single hooks?  Any other screwy regs that I should know about concerning tip-up rigs for pike in MN?

Thanks Guys.

[dsmatuska]

Anglers may use only one hook. An artificial lure is considered one
hook. A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered
three hooks and is not legal. The exception is three artificial flies may
be used when angling for trout, crappie, sunfish, and rock bass.

[dsmatuska]

Other screwy regs:

• Anglers may use only one line. The exceptions are:
a) Two lines may be used through the ice (other than on des ig nat-
ed trout lakes and streams); and b) Two lines may be used on Lake
Superior more than 100 yards from the point where a tributary stream
or river enters the lake.
• Using whole or parts of game fish, goldfish, or carp for bait is
unlawful.
• You may not intentionally fish for any species during its closed
season.
• Angling with an unattended line, a setline, or a trotline is unlawful.
• Using an artificial light to lure or attract fish, or to see fish when
spearing, is unlawful. Exception: While angling, a person may affix to
the end of a fishing line a lighted artificial bait with hooks attached.
Any battery that is used in lighted fishing lures cannot contain any
intentionally introduced mercury.
• A party is defined as a group of two or more persons:
– angling from a single watercraft; or
– if not in a watercraft, maintaining unaided visual and vocal contact
with each other. The total number of fish possessed by the party
may not exceed the combined limits of the numbers of the party.
Each party member may transport only an individual limit of fish.
• The use of explosives, firearms, chemicals (not including fish scents),
or electricity for taking fish is unlawful.
• It is unlawful to take a fish by snagging.

[dsmatuska]

Hello my Gopher brethren.  I'm from Wisconsin, but I'm thinking of tying up a Tackle Buddy full of pike leaders for my brother in law's upcoming birthday.  He's from Burnsville and fishes most often in Minnesota.

I tie quick strikes for here in WI, but I'm pretty sure they aren't legal in MN.  Are circle hooks legal in MN?  I've never used them on tip-ups before but I'm going to give it a shot this season.  Can someone please clear up when you can use a treble and when you can't.  Do I need to tie everything for him with single hooks?  Any other screwy regs that I should know about concerning tip-up rigs for pike in MN?

Thanks Guys.

What exactly is a circle hook?

[Auger]

What exactly is a circle hook?

Here's a link with some circle hook info.  It's the first one I found.  I'm sure there are a million more articles about them if you are interested.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/SG042

I use them often when nose hooking plastics for smallies in streams, bank fishing for cats, and on big pike streamer flies.  It takes a while to get used to because you don't set the hook, just apply slow pressure.  They hook in the corner of the jaw 99% of the time.

I think they might have an application in tip-up fishing.  I'm going to search here and elsewhere for threads and opinions.  I'm excited to try them on tip-up pike.  Frankly, I don't know why I didn't think of it last season.

[fishuhalik]

If you're making quick-set rigs, all ya need to do to make it legal is put a small spinner blade on the leader, and it's considered a lure.  I've found that a sucker w/ a hammered nickle blade will out-produce a sucker w/ just a plain single hook 90% of the time.

[Auger]

If you're making quick-set rigs, all ya need to do to make it legal is put a small spinner blade on the leader, and it's considered a lure.  I've found that a sucker w/ a hammered nickle blade will out-produce a sucker w/ just a plain single hook 90% of the time.

Just to be absolutely clear, if I build quick strikes with two trebles a piece, they're legal in MN as long as I put a spinner blade on the leader?  That's weird.  Thanks, I just want to be crystal clear before I put him on the road to the dark side.

[fishuhalik]

That is legal, but just a suggestion.  For the back hook, just use a single circle hook.  It just makes things alot easier on the fish for when they're in an aggressive mood and inhale the bait, and i think it works better 'cuz the fish can't see it as well and it allows better bait movement when using live bait.  Just my .02.

[GEM_EYE_GUY]

Yep.  As weird as it sounds, that's the way this particular reg has played out in the 'Land of 10,000' restrictions.
I use the 'pimple' from Swedish Pimple as the bladeto make my quick strikes qualify as a lure.  They aren't much bigger than a fingernail clipping.  But since this whole method of complying with this reg is just a technicality anyhow it seems appropriate to use a part that just techically qualifies.

[Haywood]

You can also put 2 beads on your line and a treble hook is now considered a lure. 

[Hard_H2O]

I e-mailed the following to the Minnesota DNR:

Are treble hooks legal for use with live bait under a tipup?

I was under the impression that if you had one minnow and you stuck a hook
into it or maybe a single hook and a trebel you had one lure down. I know
you can have two single hooks in the summer on a crawler harness.

According to the below cited excerpt from the 2004 regs I can use three
flies for certain species. Does that include ice angling? can I tip these
flies with bait?

Does the presence of a spinner on the line affect any of this?


From the 2004 regulations:
Angling Methods
* Anglers may use only one hook. An artificial lure is considered one
hook. A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered
three hooks and is not legal. The exceptions are: Three artificial flies
may be used when angling for trout, crappie, sunfish, and rock bass.
* Anglers may use only one line. The exceptions are:
a) Two lines may be used through the ice (other than on designated
trout lakes and streams); and b) Two lines may be used on Lake
Superior when more than 100 yards from the point where a tributary
stream or river enters the lake.



Here is the reply I got:

They are if a spinner is attached to the line within 3 inches of the hook. A spinner makes it part of an artificial lure, no spinner, not part of a lure so they can not be used by themselves, there must be a spinner with them.

[Auger]

Thanks for the input everybody.  I think I'll tie him up some combination of quick strikes with spinner blades and and single circle/treble/kahle hook leaders using wire, tieable wire, and heavy P-line flouroclear.  Essentially just use up spare parts lying around.  He fishes quite a bit so it should be a good experiment to see what works best for him.

[fishuhalik]

Just outta curiosity, where are ya planning on going for pike?  I'm from Brooklyn Center (northwest metro), and fish alot of good pike waters all of MN.  Gimme a holler if ya feel like tusslin w/ some nice gators!

[Auger]

Just outta curiosity, where are ya planning on going for pike?  I'm from Brooklyn Center (northwest metro), and fish alot of good pike waters all of MN.  Gimme a holler if ya feel like tusslin w/ some nice gators!

Hey Fishuhalik,
I'm from Madison, WI and don't get up to MN all that often.  I'm going to tie a bunch up for my brother in law.  He has a permanent up near Brainerd somewhere.  He's young, 22 or 23 I think, and he does more "ice drinking" than actual fishing.  I certainly don't mind a good party on the ice, far from it.  But I am trying to steer him toward a little more fishing.  I figure if I give him a Tackle Buddy full of different leaders he might actually put out his tip-ups BEFORE opening the whiskey bottle.  If he gets a few good fish, I might even be able to fish with him in the future without waking up with cotton mouth and the dry-heaves.
If I do get up to your neck of the woods this winter, I'll be sure to give you fair warning.  Thanks for the invite!

[fishuhalik]

Never got over to Brainerd area much, but if ya wanna venture out to Grand Rapids or Metro area, I'm sure I could set ya on a couple of 10lbers.  Anyone else that would be interested in joining up on a trip "up nort", gimme a shout!