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Boarstalker	02/05/2011 08:25AM   Still have 6-months before I make my first trip up North into the BWCA but wanted to put the question forth....anyone on this forum ever spend time in the BWCA catching their own live baits? If so, what live baits have worked for you up there? Bluegill, yellow perch, golden shiners, suckers, minnows in general, lizards....crayfish? I always take a cast net and small hooks with me whenever I go fishing and plan to do so in the BWCA. But just wondering if anyone on this forum every did as well. Would like to hear. All kinds of interesting baits have come up in my cast net and I've had some fantastic success on them when artificials just were not getting it done.
AndySG	02/05/2011 08:35AM   That looks like a Water Dog. Did you net that up north? My next warm weather trip, I'm contemplating a crawfish trap. Try the little ones for bait and eat the big boys. Live crawfish are a great bait, but a little tricky to fish.
Canoe Dude	02/05/2011 12:41PM   Last year we were able to corral some minnows into our canoe. Basically on a shallow rock ledge that has minnows swimmin up on it, sink the canoe on one edge and try to block all of the escape paths for the minnows as best u can. Then, with one guy on each end of the canoe, use paddles to make the group of minnows swim into the canoe. Lift the canoe quickly, and hopefully u have gotten a few in the canoe. Then, Depending on how much water u have in the canoe, capture the minnows in a ziplock. If too much water in the canoe, simply remove some slowly first. was fun catching the minnows, we didnt really want to haul them around so we let most of em go after we tried fishin with a couple of em. You could always bring a minnow trap too, or improvise one.
schollmeier	02/05/2011 01:10PM   I catch a lot of my own bait but I've tried it in the BW, maybe on a future trip. Sunfishes, perch, and "gamefish" are out in MN for bait, though I do it sometimes in WI where it is legal. Catching your own Cisco and Smelt for bait is out now too. Madtoms and Bullheads (in the right size) make great walleye bait, though they aren't really easy to find in the BW. I know plenty of large walleye to be caught on 6" bullheads intended for Flathead Cats in the larger river farther south in MN. Suckers can be good bait for pike and walleye (and I'd assume Lake Trout). In MN they have to be under 12" but most people don't use bait bigger than that anyway. There are an assortment of shiners, dace, darters, minnows, and chubs up there too - all of which should make good bait in general. I catch most of my minnows hook-and-line, mostly sight fishing. I think my personal smallest so far was a Mosquitofish in CO about 1.25" Oh and you'll have to check the MN minnow catching regs, last I checked cast nets are illegal. Seines, traps, hook & line, dip-net are all legal I believe. You'll have to check as I'm a little foggy on all the details from memory
jb in the wild	02/05/2011 09:54AM   Leeches are suppost to be easy to catch. Some old chicken liver in between a folded aluminum sheet, put it in some stagnent backwater and you got leeches. I'm sure it's harder than it sounds and I haven't tried it yet, I'll keep you posted. Fresh leeches in the BWCA would be nice. TGO if you read this, it's not that your leeches aren't fresh and I love the little smiley faces you paint on them, just something new to try. Diva said she would only use TGO leeches because they are not Blood Suckers and are trained to jump on the hook without touching them. JB
OldGreyGoose	02/05/2011 07:07PM   quote Canoe Dude: "Last year we were able to corral some minnows into our canoe. Basically on a shallow rock ledge that has minnows swimmin up on it, sink the canoe on one edge and try to block all of the escape paths for the minnows as best u can. Then, with one guy on each end of the canoe, use paddles to make the group of minnows swim into the canoe. Lift the canoe quickly, and hopefully u have gotten a few in the canoe." Canoe Dude, too bad you didn't capture this on video! --Goose
fishfry	02/05/2011 12:54PM   I always catch crayfish using a net from a fish store about 8x6" with a 16" handle. Rig with crayfish with a stinger hook, or allow them more time to swallow it, I have had a lot of tails pulled off, be careful, they like to burry them self in the rocks the second they hit the bottom. I have even caught pink flesh pike, examined why, they had crayfish in there stomach.
snakecharmer	02/05/2011 05:33PM   quote jb in the wild: "Leeches are suppost to be easy to catch. Some old chicken liver in between a folded aluminum sheet, put it in some stagnent backwater and you got leeches. I'm sure it's harder than it sounds and I haven't tried it yet, I'll keep you posted. Fresh leeches in the BWCA would be nice. TGO if you read this, it's not that your leeches aren't fresh and I love the little smiley faces you paint on them, just something new to try. Diva said she would only use TGO leeches because they are not Blood Suckers and are trained to jump on the hook without touching them. JB" Leeches are very easy to care for and are far easier to buy than they are to trap. Besides, TGO has bills to pay :)
lazypaw	02/05/2011 07:01PM   I get waaaaay to lazy in the BW to catch bait.
Boarstalker	02/05/2011 10:11PM   Wow....usage of bluegill as bait prohibited in the BWCA? Bluegill have been a staple of mine since I was 9-years old and have helped me catch some truly large catfish and bass over the years. "Using whole or parts of game fish, goldfish, or carp for bait is unlawful"...Angling Methods, Fishing Regulations, Minnesota DNR. I could not find anywhere in there that specified if bluegill or perch are considered game fish however. Or frogs for that matter. Can anyone clarify that point for me? I see Bullheads listed on the same page as Sunfish and Smelt under the "limits section"...are they all considered gamefish in MN and therefore all off-limits as live bait?
schollmeier	02/05/2011 11:08PM   Yeah, the regs are not as clear as they should be. Sunfish and perch are considered "game" fish in MN. Frogs are legal but there are some regs specific to them I believe. Until this past fall you could harvest your own Cisco and Smelt but now you need to buy from a licensed dealer (and they have to be preserved) due to some new VHS laws. Here is the list of "minnows" or fish legal for bait: "Members of the minnow family, except carp and goldfish; bullheads, ciscoes, lake whitefish, goldeyes, and mooneyes (not over 7 inches long); suckers (not over 12 inches long); mud minnows, leeches, tadpole madtoms and stonecats." I can't say I've ever understood how it is that when several of the "minnows" listed suddenly become "under-utilized fish" after a certain length (and therefore no longer legal bait).