Ok, so I still read the baitfish regs over and over, and I really don't see anywhere that says you can't catch baitfish in any lake or river, and use them in another lake or river. Of course, some of the wording gets a little tricky, but, in the regs, if you substitute "baitfish that are listed as Susceptible Fish Species" for "White Suckers", it makes things a little easier. I am going to try to paraphrase without taking away any of the meaning of the provision.
1 & 2 Deal with Stocking
3. Reatail customers must have a receipt from a state licensed baitfish retail operation. Receipt is good for 14 days.
4. A person who catches fish in a lake or a Great Lake shall not release those fish alive in any public waters if that fish is listed on the Susceptible Fish Species. They can only be released if those fish can move freely between the location of capture and location of release.
5. Same as 4, but uses the word stream instead of lake.
6. A person shall not use or release "baitfish" [white suckers] in any public waters unless the person is fishing, and that [sucker] is attached to a hook.
7. Deals with draining bilge and livewells.
Now. All the regulations to follow mostly refer back to provision 6. I'm also going to use lake names just for reference.
In Positive VHS Waters:
-A person who catches [white suckers] in LSC shall not use or release those [suckers] in any public water in MI, except that those [suckers] may be used in any waters included in the VHS Positive area (LSC, Budd) subject to provision 6. [as long as that baitfish is attached to a hook]
-A person who PURCHASES [suckers] shall not use or release them in any public MI waters except that those [suckers] may be used in any VHS positive waters subject to Provision 6.
In VHS Surveillance Waters:
*Same as above*
In VHS Free Waters:
-A person who catches [white suckers] in a VHS free area may use those [suckers] in any public waters in MI, subject to Provision 6. (So, as long as the person is fishing, and the sucker is attached to a hook)
-A person who purchases [white suckers] that have been harvested from a body of water that is VHS free may use [those suckers] in any public waters in MI, subject to Provision 6. (So, as long as the person is fishing, and the sucker is attached to a hook.)
Now, I don't see anywhere it says that I can't catch suckers in the Thornapple River and use them in Murray. The way I'm reading these regs, the guys on LSC can basically catch suckers ANYWHERE, and use them in LSC, since LSC is VHS positive. But, you can't catch suckers in the Clinton River Mouth, and bring them to an inland lake that doesn't have VHS. Agree? Disagree? How do you guys interpret these regs?? [smilie=attention.gif]
4. A person who catches fish in a lake or a Great Lake shall not release those fish alive in any public waters if that fish is listed on the Susceptible Fish Species. They can only be released if those fish can move freely between the location of capture and location of release.
Let's say you catch a sucker in the Grand River and then take it to Thornapple Lake. You intend to use it as bait (attached to a hook) you take it out of the livewell and the sucker goes nuts and falls into the lake. You have now just caught that sucker in one body of water and released that sucker into another and bacause of the dams between Thornapple and the Grand River the fish can't move freely between the two waters. Sure, your intent was to use it as bait but from a distance it sure looks like you transported that fish into another water then released it.
I'm not going to tell anyone what to do. Personally, I'm not comfortable with skirting the rules just to hang a sucker. We have so few muskie waters and the thought of being responsible for bringing a disease, VHS or other, into a muskie water scares the crap out of me.
Ok, except for provision 4, I may have left out one small (important) detail. Prov 4 ends by saying This Provision does not apply to baitfish. [smilie=brows.gif]
"Will Schultz" said:
We have so few muskie waters and the thought of being responsible for bringing a disease, VHS or other, into a muskie water scares the crap out of me.
I'm not trying to bend rules, or duck my way around either. But, if legal is legal, then so be it. I'm with you that introducing VHS into an inland muskie water would more than SUCK. 10 yrs wasted.
True… but, according to the regulations, a baitfishs' definition is: live or dead species of fish, or parts of fish excluding roe, that are used by anglers to catch fish.
Boy, I can't believe there hasn't been more discussion on this! Lol. Are all of you just sitting back and see if I'll make an idiot of myself? [smilie=biggrin.gif]
And… que the statement: Yeah, Jim! You don't need any help with that! Bwahahaha!
368
15
1 Guest(s)