Quote Originally Posted by Defernaut View Post
Don't they give us any credit at all? If I or anyone else finds a walleye in my bucket I'm not going to put it on the hook. I'm going to release it. Duhhhhh
I am not wanting to start a pissing match but there is a reason for dumping the shiners and small walleyes.

It is not a matter of giving any of us credit for our sportsmenship and not believing we would let them go, it is the law! The law is the law and we must all follow the rules or risk suffering the consequences.

Example~~~ If you buy shiners and get 4 scoops for 2 people to Perch fish and there would be a total of 14 small walleyes in that bait bucket and you would be checked by an ODNR Enforcement Officer. If he/she would want to see your bait as he would be already aware of the Walleye in the bait problem, he could if he wanted to, give you a citation for 14 under sized walleyes and another for each walleye over the 6 walleye per person limit. I am not saying that they would, but if you or your fishing partner would rub the Officer the wrong way and ruffel the officers feathers that officer could legally do so.

So to date my sources have told me that they have not been giving citations to the bait stores but instead have allowed them to release the mixed tank of bait and YOY walleyes back into the wild. I cannot believe they will continue to be lenient with the netters or the bait stores if they keep getting caught with small YOY walleyes in their possession. Most of the netters would not bring them in to shore if there would be a mixed net of bait and walleyes but would release them immediately.