frozen bait?

[brokenline]

does anyone freeze their dead minnows?? any sucess with them?

[Drifter_016]

Yep, that's all we are allowed to use up here, No Live Bait Allowed.

[fish_finder]

Frozen minnows are what i mainly use later in the season when the ponds have to much ice to bother with trying to catch live ones...have great success on them, maybe not as good as live but def the next best thing

[brokenline]

Yep, that's all we are allowed to use up here, No Live Bait Allowed.

WHAT?? why?

[Drifter_016]

WHAT?? why?

Regulations, No Live Bait and Barbless Hooks.

I end up salting my ciscoes and shiners as the keep their scales better and are tougher.

[brokenline]

that sucks.. why do they make such a law?? dont you loose alot of fish??

[flik n dip]

I save alot of big ones for pike bait and they produce well all season.

[shawno]

Regulations, No Live Bait...

Same here in Saskatchewan....only frozen minnows.  We are allowed to use live leeches, earthworms, crawlers, but not frogs.

DNR says live minnows have potential to cause unnatural introduction of species into different bodies of water or could possibly spread disease. 

In Saskatchewan, we have very few species of fish compared to other Provinces or States.  I wish we had Sunfish, Crappies or Bluegills.  In the Province we have over 100,000 lakes and only 2 of them have Smallmouth Bass and I believe only 1 Reservoir has LargeMouth Bass.


shawno  8)

[wedkarz]

I know that in some spots i fish, some people swear by using frozen smelt on the coat hanger type hooks. I've never had much luck using them tho.

[shawno]

Check out this link wedkarz:

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=27850.15

I think this is what you are referring to...

[Whitefish Slayer]

that sucks.. why do they make such a law?? dont you loose alot of fish??

It shocked me when I moved here as well. I'm use to a pail full of live bait.. but i do well on frozen stuff too..

And for the barbless hook deak.. it seperates the men from the boys..

[TMRFISH]

I was also surprised at the 'no live bait' law when I moved here.  I'm sure live minnows are more effective than dead ones, but fish can certainly be caught on dead.  It is easier to fish with live minnows since the minnow does most of the work of attracting the fish and convincing it to bite.  I'm not always supportive of everything that makes fishing and hunting easier, it should be challenging, but I'm not sure about this law.  Couldn't we use species of minnows that already exist in the lake? That way, no non-native species would be introduced.   Also, I think in some states, live bait has to be certified as disease free.  Couldn't that be implemented here?

[MookieB]

I can't use live bait were I fish, but 100 miles away we can. wierd. anyhow what I've found is if you take live minnows and freeze them they stay very flexible, more like live fish. Just an idea.

[iluvcrappie]

I have never had to fish with frozen bait.........I think that it being frozen you would not get as many fish as there is not really a scent produced like there is with a live minnow and the same with action obviously more in a live minnow but I guess it does work to use dead or frozen ones too.............IMO I think I will stay here in Minnesota where the bait is plentiful and the minnows are alive

[Melbs7]

WHAT?? why?

I would assume the "no live bait" portion would be to keep from introducing non-native species to a certain lake or pond.

[venom]

  I use frozen bait alot of time during the hard water season.