Bait

[milt]

also at the end of ferry

[Gutpile]

So I drove down to the foot of Ferry St the other day. I looked around on the canal side and didn't see a thing thinking no way the minnows could be on the river side with that current. I then spoted a few guys on the river side with buckets. I walked over and found a large area covered with live minnows flopping around on the ground. It looked like the guys that were there used buckets to get the minnows out of the river near the wall that cuts back. I was disgusted with the hundreds of minnows these guys just spilled on the ground. The whole area was littered with dead and dying minnows. I grew up in the Keys cast netting bait and we took pride in what we didn't use went back in the ocean or we would freeze the rest for chum. I just hate seeing waste of a natural resource.

So I ask a guy with the minnows if I can net the minnows and take them off the island to do some perching. He says you can't use a net and if you leave the island it is a $250 dollar fine. I believe he is wrong as the travel corridor is now in play. However I do not know if a long dip net is legal? Anyone? If not I will give the DEC a call and see what the have to say.

Good luck everyone!

[milt]

gutpile its not illegal to use a net w ent there with a charter capt and dip for minnows in that spot just cant use the minnows anywhere but the river or lake erie and trib

[lineman49]

I get minnows there useing a throw net & at times they are in there so heavy & the net is so full its impossible not to spill them on the ground. Not that I want to but I figure the gulls eat them witch they would anyway.

[wnyguy]

As far as I can tell you are allowed to net your own minnows, provided you do not sell them, and that you use the minnows in the same body of water that you caught them from. (there are travel corridors listed also) Also you are limited to certain bodies of water to net minnows from. In other words, it is illegal to run out to your local TROUT containing stream and net some minnows. But it is legal at lake erie and the niagara river.

Here is the web page from DEC that talks about minnows, if you scroll down you will get to the part that talks about personally harvested baitfish.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/47282.html

Now if anyone has any info to contradict what I just posted please add your comments.

[wnyguy]

The first time I saw minnows on the ground like that I was really annoyed and disgusted as well. In all honesty from what I have seen most people are pretty careful and try to keep all they collect, but there is always a bad apple, you know how that goes. Also you have to understand that those minnows are flipping all over the place when you net them, and it's easy to lose a few. Multiply that by lots of people and the minnows start adding up.

But mostly what happens is the infrequent moron who just doesn't care, if he misses the bucket and hits the ground he just nets more. It only takes one like that and you end up with minnows all over the place.

[lineman49]

I have tried picking up some that were dropped & its tuff grabbing those lively, slippery little suckers, especially with no finger nails!!