Freshwater Fishing News

The common carp is found across North America, Europe and other parts of the world. The species is popular among freshwater anglers, and can be caught using a variety of techniques. Carp are omnivorous; they eat aquatic vegetation, insects, crustaceans, worms, fish eggs and other food sources.

When fishing for carp, anglers choose a variety of baits. Some anglers use a variety of baits, while others feel there is a single best bait for catching carp. When choosing bait for catching carp, it is important to decide whether to fish for a variety of species, or if carp will be target exclusively.

Some baits will attract a variety of species, while others tend to be ignored by most species, yet still catch carp. For anglers that want to catch more than one species, Nightcrawlers or earthworms are usually one of the top baits. In addition to catching carp, worms often attract catfish, sunfish, perch, trout and other fish. When other species of fish are a nuisance, carp specialists often choose corn, doughballs, cheese, salmon eggs or prepared baits.

Baits for catching carp include:

nightcrawlers

earthworms

insect larvae (grubs)

corn

dough balls

bread

cheese

synthetic “scented” baits

salmon eggs

chicken livers

shrimp

crawfish

crickets

grasshoppers

Most carp anglers are careful to rig baits so that they are presented on or near the bottom. Top and bottom rigs, bobber-hook rigs, and carolina bait rigs are among the most common presentations. For carp fishing, anglers choose a variety of hook configurations, including live bait, treble, or circle hooks.

Occasionally, carp are caught using artificial lures. They are sometimes caught using soft plastic grubs, worms or other imitations. Scented soft lure bodies are popular as they seem to catch larger numbers of fish that feed by smell.

A variety of equipment is available for catching, holding and using live minnows and other freshwater fishing baits.

Equipment for Catching Wild Baitfish

Depending on the area, species, local regulations and other factors, minnows and other baitfish may be caught with cast nets, seines, minnow traps, fish traps, lures or by other methods.

Before harvesting baits such as minnows, suckers, shad or other forage species, it is imperative that anglers check with local regulations. In some areas such as the Great Lakes region, the harvesting and relocation of baitfish has been strictly regulated in order to curb the spread of dangerous diseases and aquatic invasive species.

Live Bait Tanks – Containers

Containers are important when storing minnows or other live baits for long periods. In most cases, anglers must keep minnows in closed systems such as live bait tanks, large aquariums or other containers. Regardless of the type of container, minnows and other fish require a clean, oxygen rich environment to remain healthy.

Some anglers have shoreline access to freshwater ponds, lakes or other bodies of water. In some cases, live baits can be stored in these areas, through the use of in-water pens or cages.

Live bait cages can be constructed by hand or purchased from aquaculture supply stores. Most models are designed to float and are often anchored to a dock or pier. Other designs lie on the bottom with a line attached for retrieval.

Live bait pens offer several advantages. Holding pens usually do not require aerators. Problems associated with feeding fish and waste are also reduced. Disadvantages of live bait pens includes their susceptibility to predators, theft and weather damage.

Aerators and Live Wells

Live wells are essential for live bait fishing. These containers are designed to keep fish alive and healthy while out fishing. Most designs incorporate some form of aerator. The simplest aerators use an air pump and bubbler stone to saturate the water with oxygen. Aerators can be either battery powered or powered by a boat’s electrical system. For containment systems, aerators are available that are powered by standard electrical outlets.

Other models of aerators use a flow of water, rather than pressurized air. These are often the best choice for larger applications. Smaller units simply pump water to a short outlet, which sets up a swirling current in the container. More elaborate designs sometimes use a bar with a series of holes to spray multiple streams on water down into the container.

When choosing a system for maintaining baits, the angler should consider the length of time it will be needed, amount of bait that must be kept healthy and other factors. For anglers that fish only occasionally, a simple battery powered aerator and 5 gallon bucket may be all that is needed. Other anglers might go a step further and maintain a dedicated live bait system on their boat.

Although most anglers simply visit their local bait and tackle shop to purchase baits, this option is not practical for everyone. In some areas, live baits are not available locally. In other cases, cost or convenience warrant the construction of a long term bait storage system. These are especially useful for fishing guides, tournament fishermen or other anglers that need a reliable supply of minnows or other live baits.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department reminds anglers that regulations passed in 2008 restricting the harvest, sale and use of baitfish are still in effect, and more important than ever in protecting the health of Vermont’s fish populations.

Shawn Good, the Fish & Wildlife Department fisheries biologist that heads their Aquatic Nuisance Species team, says the regulation is still necessary to help prevent Vermont’s waters and fish from becoming infected with Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) and other fish diseases, which could result in devastating fish kills.

“Things have been pretty quiet in the last year or so in the Great Lakes,” said Good. “VHS hasn’t been in the news much out there lately, mostly because there haven’t been any recent major fish kills, and the virus hasn’t shown up in any new waters in a while.”

The VHS fish virus was first found in the Great Lakes in 2005 when it killed tens of thousands of fish in Lake Ontario. From 2005 through 2008, the disease spread rapidly throughout the other Great Lakes, and it also spread overland to several inland waters of various Great Lakes states, killing hundreds of thousands of fish. However, no new waters have been reported as infected since 2008, and the frequency and magnitude of VHS-related fish kills has slowed down as well.

“This doesn’t reduce the level of concern we have if VHS were to make its way to Vermont waters. The rapid spread and large scale fish kills could happen here just as they did in the Great Lakes,” said Good. “Weakening or eliminating our baitfish regulations at this point would be a grave mistake, in my opinion.”

Despite the difficulty and inconveniences of the baitfish restrictions, Great Lakes anglers and baits hops have more or less abided by their various state laws, and Good says that has stopped the VHS fish disease in its tracks.

“When VHS first hit the Great Lakes in 2005, anglers and commercial harvest operations were running as normal, harvesting, moving and using baitfish everywhere,” explained Good. “New York, Michigan, Wisconsin – all those states scrambled to pull their emergency and permanent baitfish regulations together quickly, to restrict the movement of potentially infected minnows to new waters. Unfortunately, that short period of time after the disease arrived but before regulations were in place largely contributed to the spread of the disease throughout the region.”

With strict regulations and restrictions now in place on the capture and movement of wild baitfish, the disease has not been discovered in new waters for several years.

“Essentially, the rules accomplished what Great Lakes fisheries agencies designed them to do,” said Good. “By rescinding our baitfish regulations in Vermont, we’d be opening ourselves up to risk infection by VHS and other fish diseases. It’s imperative that we remain proactive on fish movement as it relates to the spread of fish diseases.”

To help anglers deals with some of the inconveniences of Vermont’s regulations, Good says there are some things anglers can do to make it easier on themselves, but also still be within the law:

Split your bait between two or more buckets, and only take what you think you’ll need out on the ice. If you run out, you can always go back for more. However, baitfish left in your vehicle that was never taken on the ice can be brought home and used on the same water listed on the baitfish receipt within 96 hours.

Remember that there is no time limit to use up baitfish stored on the ice. Many anglers have begun designing homemade storage containers of perforated PVC pipe or standard ¼-inch galvanized hardware cloth, and keeping their store-bought or wild-caught bait there.

“I know a lot of guys that are jigging smelt or big goldens and caging them under their shanty,” said Good.

This not only gives anglers a ready source of lively, conditioned bait, but may actually attract game fish to the area.

“I’ve heard some anglers say that they’ve been jigging up some pretty nice walleye, pike and trout from underneath their bait cages. This makes sense, since the caged baitfish will drop scales, and release scents and emit vibrations and sounds that predator species can detect and will key in on,” explained Good.

Vermont’s fish populations will remain protected and healthy, provided anglers are diligent and continue following the rules in place.

“It’s the responsibility of the Fish & Wildlife Department to respond to dangers like VHS and other potential fish diseases that threaten fishing in Vermont,” emphasized Good. “But anglers need to understand the importance of such regulations and why we write them.”

“If the VHS virus or some other fish disease were to get into a Vermont waterbody, this regulation will already be in place to reduce the potential that anglers may inadvertently spread it to new waters. This will save a lot of fish from dying.”

Further details and information on VHS and Vermont’s baitfish regulations can be found on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website at http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/vhs.cfm

source: Vermont Fish and Wildlife

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will propose revisions to the current rule restricting overland transport of uncertified baitfish.

DEC is currently developing a proposed revision to the regulations that would allow baitfish to be transported overland within defined “transportation corridors” for use within the same waterbody from which they are collected. DEC anticipates issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in March to be followed by a 45-day public comment period.

The current baitfish regulations contain prohibitions on the overland motorized transport of baitfish, including personally collected baitfish and baitfish collected for commercial sale. The rule was established in 2007 after an outbreak of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a disease that can cause internal bleeding and death in certain fish, in the Great Lakes system and several other waters in 2005 and 2006. While VHS was the primary concern, other serious fish pathogens were also addressed when the rule was established.

Since the regulation was established, anglers have voiced concern that the overland transport restriction impedes their ability to use personally collected baitfish on the same body of water from which the baitfish are collected. In response to these concerns, DEC solicited public input on several alternatives for revisions to the rule at a number of public meetings and through the submission of written comments during the summer of 2010. These comments will be taken into consideration in the upcoming proposal.

“I applaud DEC for taking a common sense approach to an issue that has been especially harmful to the residents of Western New York,” said Senator Mark Grisanti, Chair of the Senate Committee of Environmental Conservation, “I am pleased to see such a positive outcome and look forward to working with Commissioner Martens to resolve issues affecting all New Yorkers in the future.”

Additional background information regarding the current overland transport regulation is available on DEC’s website.

A new type of bait was provided at no charge at kid’s fishing events across Wyoming this spring and summer thanks to a donation from Stubby Steve’s Bait Company of North Tazewell, Va.

The company donated 7,000 packets of its eco-friendly pellet bait to the Game and Fish Department to help introduce youngsters to fishing and introduce its product to the Cowboy State.

Steve Munsey, owner of Stubby Steve’s, got such a poor response from buying a $3,500 ad in a prominent national fishing magazine in 2009, he decided to devote his advertising budget to get the product in kids’ hands in 2010.

“So I contacted wildlife departments to see if they could use some bait for kid’s fishing events and ended up making a donation to about 20 states,” said Munsey, who is also a practicing veterinarian.

He recalls making the Wyoming contact being very memorable. Munsey had just endured a particularly rude and bureaucratic response in trying to donate some bait to a southern state.

“Then I called Wyoming and got a hold of your fishing education rep (Janet Milek in Casper) and she was so nice and appreciative, in contrast to the previous call, I decided to increase the donation size,” he said.

Munsey said he got the idea for the bait when teaching kids to fly cast. He wanted to increase their chances of getting a bite while learning to cast, so he developed a fish hatchery-food type pellet that floated and was pliable enough to be placed on a hook. He says field tests and testimonials have shown the bait works well for many species rarely raised in hatcheries.

“Many crappie anglers are having good success tipping their jigs with bait,” he said.

Civic groups, private organizations, federal agencies and the Game and the Fish teamed up in 2010 to conduct at least 18 family and youth fishing events across Wyoming.

“The donation from Stubby Steve’s played a pivotal role in the success of these events,” said Milek, the Game and Fish’s aquatic education coordinator. “The bait works well and we really appreciate their generosity.”

Milek says the bait works well because it stays on the hook well, even after a fish is hooked and landed.

In addition to kid’s fishing events across the state, the Game and Fish also promotes fishing with an annual “Free Fishing Day.” On June 4, 2011, all prospective anglers – resident and nonresident – can fish without a license.

To learn more about Stubby Steve’s bait, visit their website at http://www.stubbysteve.com/

source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department