Trapping Minnows

[Lungdeflator]

Is it legal to trap and use those same minnows on Sakakawea?

Really considering getting a trap and trying to catch some smelts under the ice. They wouldn't be transported off sakakawea or sold at all.

 

[Bfishn]

Its all in the proclamation. But quick answer is yes i believe its legal to trap and use smelt on the Missouri river system. I think they must be dead while using as bait other than the tailrace though. Look to proclamation for more detailed explanations about using live smelt and trapping regulations.

 

[scrotcaster]

I have tried using minnow traps on smelt with no luck,,, has anyone sucessfully caught smelt in a minnow trap?

 

[Riggen&Jiggen]

just use a tiny jig with a wax worm or piece of minnow. They are actually pretty aggressive and you can catch a few.

this is ice fishing of course.

 

[ORCUS DEMENS]

We used very small hooks with a iece of yarn. Ok go ahead and laugh....... They have teeth like a walleye and the yarn gets tangled up in their mouths. Probably caught 12 to 1 versus wax worms. Yes the worms work bu have a tendency to get torn off. Nothing like breaded smelt and a frosty beer.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Ive been after the G&F for years to allow casting nets for smelt on sak, there is no good reason live smelt couldnt be used for bait in every lake in ND, they arent an invasive species or anything. Impact on the population would be negligible... Keeping them alive might be difficult tho!

 

[Rowdie]

I don't think ND even allows you to seine nets. In SD we seine them when they spawn. But it's illegal to keep them alive, and FN near impossible.

 

[Allen]

Rowdie,

I believe you can still use a seine if you get a commercial bait vendor's license. At least, we did back in the day. I haven't really kept up on those regs but we caught them and packaged them up for sale during the summer as frozen bait from a friends baitshop.

 

[Kurtr]

I don't think ND even allows you to seine nets. In SD we seine them when they spawn. But it's illegal to keep them alive, and FN near impossible.

They make trout look tough we tried to keep some alive and they die fast

 

[Rowdie]

I used to have an aerator that hooked to a 12 V battery made to put in livewells. It had little suction cups on it. It really pumped the water. We used it to keep a dozen alive in a cooler. That's about all it that would make it. We took them shore fishing for Northern, but the cats killed them fast. I have a buddy who can catch them through the ice around the dam at Pierre, then uses them for bait, but I never have. It did teach me why they are called rainbow smelt and why purple works so well.