DNR reminds anglers of new rules when netting and using smelt, cisco as bait

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DNR reminds anglers of new rules when netting and using smelt, cisco as bait
(Released May 9, 2011)


Smelt netted for bait in any Minnesota water must be preserved and labeled by an authorized bait dealer.

Smelt netting, particularly in inland waters in the northeast and Lake Superior, is a popular springtime activity. In the past, anglers could freeze the fish and use it later for bait. The discovery of Viral Hemorraghic Septicemia (VHS) in Lake Superior now makes that illegal.

A rule enacted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 2010 allows rainbow smelt and cisco (tulibee) netted by individuals to be used for bait only if they are preserved and labeled by an authorized bait dealer.

Both species are known carriers of VHS. Because it would be impossible to verify the origin of bait netted by individual anglers, all rainbow smelt and cisco used for bait, regardless of its origin, must be preserved by one of the authorized dealers listed online.

“We recognize this new rule is a big change to what anglers have done in the past and it may pose an inconvenience,” said Dirk Peterson, DNR fisheries section chief. “The alternative of potentially spreading VHS to new waters and the impact it could have on fish populations would be devastating.”

VHS is a virus known to cause large-scale fish kills in many popular game species such as bluegill, black crappie, smallmouth bass, muskellunge and walleye. VHS does not have any impact on humans through direct contact or via fish consumption.

Although Lake Superior is the only Minnesota water known to harbor this disease, the rule was enacted to be proactive and hopefully prevent the spread to inland waters.

It is legal to harvest cisco and rainbow smelt for personal consumption in Lake Superior and Minnesota’s inland waters. Anglers who harvested and froze cisco and smelt for use as bait must have it preserved and labeled by an authorized dealer because simply freezing the fish does not kill the virus.

When fishing using preserved cisco or rainbow smelt as bait, anglers must have in their possession the label from the batch of bait being used. The label must contain the bait processor’s DNR permit number, the lot number and the date of processing.