baitfish receipt rules, does this make any sense?

[Hubbabubba]

I called enforcement at MNR to get some answers:

1) If I leave my BMZ and travel to another BMZ to ice fish with my buddy - I can legally use his minnows that he trapped in that BMZ as long as he is present and fishing with me. Let's say he is not present and I want to use his hut ? - then NO, I cannot use his live trapped bait. I can legally bring dead bait from my BMZ into his BMZ to fish. Crazy as it sounds, I could elect to kill his live bait (eg. salt them) and fish by myself in his hut and be legal if checked by a CO.

Some other cool stuff - anyone returning to shore with an empty minnow cooler has broken the law, as it's obvious that you've dumped water and/or bait on the lake.

If you have any live fish in your pile, make sure you kill them before leaving the parking lot. If you don't and get checked, you can get charged for live transport overland.

The average ice fishing hole has minnows or chunks of minnows laying on the ice when you are ready to leave. You can be charged for leaving them on the ice for the foxes, and you can also be charged for popping the swim bladders and dropping them down the hole. You are supposed to bring them to shore for disposal. Seems insane, considering that the local bought emerald shiners all come from the lake. This is the law as it is spelled-out in the regs. I wonder if anyone is getting a ticket ?

Oh yah - some more good one as it pertains to the offroad motor vehicle act and motorized snow vehicle act . You must have a rigid tow bar on any sled or towed hut. A rope will get you a ticket. If someone is in the towed object then they must have a helmet. Your towed sled or hut must have rear reflective lights or tape on them. Helmets - not enough to just have it on your head. The chin strap must be closed and secure. I personally know people who got the chin strap and rigid tow bar tickets up on Lake Joseph. I also know people that got the chin strap ticket on the rail corridor by Burnt River.

[Drew]

I think you have to be having a pretty slow day to give a guy a ticket for not having a rigid tow bar. I get it is definitely safer but common, there needs to be discretion involved based on location, surroundings, etc.

And the empty minnow bucket thing, it is quite possible and likely happens a lot that guys do use up all of their minnows, so it’s not as black and white as empty bucket gets a ticket. Some good info though, for people to be aware of.

[monarch]

One of the answers you got contradicts the regulations. You're saying and I quote " I can legally bring dead bait from my BMZ into his BMZ to fish". The regulations says: Baitfish whether live or dead can only be possessed or used whithin 2 weeks following the date on which they were obtained. The receipt must list the location and date it was obtained...." The key words " Live or Dead.

[Hubbabubba]

Monarch you’ve got the right part of the regs but you have to read a little further. The reg was relaxed. Exceptions list that this receipt deal and the two week deal is null if preserved dead bait is transported in and used.

[Hubbabubba]

Crazy as it sounds, “dead” is different from “preserved”. Add some salt to your dead bait and it’s now preserved and can be transported into another bmz. It works well for me. I catch just as many walleye using salted minnows as i do live ones, as I’m actively jigging when I fish for them.

[Flukes]

So if you are using live minnows and do not want to have to discard them on shore 30m or more away from the water, bring salt with you. Another strange thing with the minnow bucket thing....what if you do not use a "minnow" bucket and just use a normal bucket. How would anyone know if you had minnows in there (or any water for that matter)...there are many people who use bucket to put their fish in (and end up the day with no fish to show). How would a CO know if the person was using minnows at all if they are checking and see a bucket with no water or minnows or fish? I just have to feel for the COs - these rules have made their lives really hard.