Frozen Cisco ban to stick for this winter/next spring & summer!!

[greatoutdoors]

The ban on the use of frozen Cisco and Smelt for bait is definate for at least one year.
We tried to work with the DNR because our Ciscos come from a non VHS body of water, even to the point of having the lake tested at our expense.
They informed us that it was too late in the year (Ciscos spawn within a month) to have the test results known, and will have to wait until next year.
Seems like quite a coincidence that the regulation comes out on September 30th,  effective on October 4th, far too late in the year for testing.
Not many fishing anymore, most people are putting their boats away, getting ready for ice fishing.
Will have more reports on conditions as they develope.

[BiggA]

That sucks. Sounds like something political involved in this. A little fishy to make a decision and not give anyone time to argue against it.

[greatoutdoors]

I received my DNR permit to package and label Ciscos for this fall, and am currently testing one dozen Ciscos that I packed in alcohol as my permit requires.
I'll be testing them for firmness in 14 days to see what the alcohol does to them.  If they seem okay, I may try a few hundred dozen packed and labeled this way making them legal to use.
Costs will be too high to allow wholesale, and finding the right size jar and bulk alcohol at a reasonable cost is proving difficult.
I will keep the forum posted as to the condition of the Ciscos when packed this way.

[Lee Borgersen]

Good luck Jim. Glad to see you haven't thrown in the towel after all the aggravation thrown your way. I'm sure you've got a lot of clients counting on you to work something out.

[Lee Borgersen]

 

10/15/2010 1:08:00 PM........ The Ely Echo
 
DNR emergency rule on ciscoes causes jump in bait prices
The DNR instituted an emergency rule to help prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in Minnesota waters. The rule states anglers cannot use cisco or rainbow smelt as bait in any body of water effective Monday, Oct. 4.

The exception is those who use fish that have been preserved by a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) permit holder, using accepted methods known to make the virus inactive.

"This expedited, emergency rule was enacted to protect Minnesota's inland waters from VHS, which is now present in Lake Superior," said Linda Erickson-Eastwood, DNR fisheries program supervisor. "With cisco and whitefish netting season upon us, it's imperative that people understand the new rule."

In June, DNR classified Lake Superior as infested with VHS and prohibited public harvest of all bait from its waters. Cisco is known to carry VHS, and rainbow smelt are likely carriers. Both are popular baitfish used in Lake Superior and inland waters.

The DNR believes it is likely that some private individuals harvested bait prior to the ban, froze it and plan to use it this winter, following in the footsteps of past tradition. The new rule prohibits such use. Also, under current law, smelt or cisco that were taken from designated infested waters cannot be preserved and used for bait.

Jim Maki of the Great Outdoors bait shop in Ely believes the new rule will cause major increases in cisco prices.

On FishingMinnesota.com, Maki wrote, "If the DNR stays with the new regulation, I will still have some ciscos in the shop that have been packaged in alcohol or mineral oil, just to see if they will sell and work as good as the frozen ones do.

"However the days of buying them at most bait shops will be over, as packaging and labor cost will put wholesale prices through the roof."

According to the DNR, anglers who harvested and froze cisco and smelt for use this winter as bait can have it preserved and labeled by an authorized permit holder.

Bait dealers, bait retailers, fish hatcheries, commercial netters, fish packers, fishing guides and aquatic farms may be permitted to preserve cisco and smelt for baitfish.

For more information about getting an application to be permitted or who has been permitted, contact the DNR Section of Fisheries at 651-259-5213.

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.

It is legal to harvest cisco and rainbow smelt for personal consumption in Lake Superior and Minnesota's inland waters. VHS does not have any impact on humans through direct contact or via fish consumption.

"No one, including myself, is looking for an exception to any rules regarding any lakes that have been found to contain VHS," wrote Maki.

"Our ciscoes come from a lake that does not have this virus, and is nowhere near Lake Superior, that does. But a blanket ban that includes lakes where no problem exists does not make any sense," Jim Maki (greatoutdoors) wrote.