Live Minnow Bait

[jvd-07]

Does anyone know the MNR law on catching minnows in a creek (inland) then using them on the St. Lawrence or other inland lakes? I've heard different things from different people and looked at the regs and couldn't find a definitive answer. Thanks.

[MichaelGA]

Perfectly fine just don't exceed your personal limit of 120 caught / purchased.

You must make very sure that the fish you catch for bait are on the 'approved' list of baitfish... page 10 of the current regs.

Also check your zone regulations - some zones/areas do not allow the catching of baitfish whether on the list or not. Also some zones/areas don't allow the use of baitfish at all.

The main confusion is because of different regulations / rules for bait license holders and people from other provinces ie. Qweebeck or 'da USA.
Taking bait across provincial or international boundaries will get you in a world of trouble. (this applies to self caught and bought live bait)

[scarkner]

There is nothing wrong, from a regulations point of view, doing that.

However, you do need to pay attention to the water, If I am going to use a live bait holder (like a perforated bucket submerged in the lake) then I always dump the bait into the bucket over dry land (so the water you take from the creek ends up on dry land) then put the bait holder into the St. Lawrence to keep the fish alive. This doesn't 100% eliminate the possibilty of transferring unwanted critters, but it does help. Of course, going from a creek to the St. Lawrence is a lot less likely to introduce something new than going the other way

[smitty55]

I'm not sure about this, but there was a reg prohibiting the movement of live minnows from south of hwy 7 to north of the hwy. I recall a bud of mine being questioned by a CO as to where he was trapping his minnows. Something to keep in mind or at least check with the mnr to be sure. Cheers

[jvd-07]

Good to know, thanks everyone

[JZ]

I'm not sure about this, but there was a reg prohibiting the movement of live minnows from south of hwy 7 to north of the hwy. I recall a bud of mine being questioned by a CO as to where he was trapping his minnows. Something to keep in mind or at least check with the mnr to be sure. Cheers

I think that's just because they are concerned that someone who lives north of 7 can't count to 120.