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Posts: 1000
| Question - is it legal to cast in MN before the season if I have no hooks on my lures? After 9 months of winter just casting is therapeutic. That and you'd be on a pattern when the season starts.
Thanks! |
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Posts: 1283
| Or you could just go "pike fishing" |
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Posts: 2097
| I am sure if a dnr official would catch you in the act he/she would care less if there was hooks or not. |
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Posts: 1000
| So if I throw a glide bait with no hooks that would be illegal? |
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Posts: 2097
| Its up to you. Why leave it up to the discretion of one lawman, he/she may be having a bad day and won't listen to reason.
Edited by cave run legend 3/14/2015 12:26 PM
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Posts: 1039
Location: North St. Paul, MN | Here's an idea...call the DNR and ask? Seems logical. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | tolle141 - 3/14/2015 12:19 PM
So if I throw a glide bait with no hooks that would be illegal?
Yes. |
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Posts: 3
| I would think that would still not be a good idea.
The main thing I could see being a problem for you is if a C.O. puts in the time and effort to respond to someones call about a guy "pike fishing". They could be a bit irritable after they show up and see no hooks on the lure. It seems like every year people become more aware of "pike fishing" and so I would say your chances of getting called on could be pretty high depending on which body of water you are on.
I go to a small lake near my house that has no muskies in it and I cast off the dock to get my arms and back into muskie shape for the season. Obviously not near as fun as going to a lake where you could see some follows and strikes, but I would say you are much safer from having a bad run in with a C.O. |
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Posts: 1144
Location: Minnesota. | tolle141 - 3/14/2015 12:19 PM
So if I throw a glide bait with no hooks that would be illegal?
As mentioned...YES!!! |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | As long as the pike season is open you can cast your glide baits. It is frond on but there is no law saying what a pike lure is an what a musky lure is .my biggest pike , walleye and small mouth came when I was tossing musky baits. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | I would not do it. Throw some smaller baits for pike, or buy a spinning rod and catch some walleyes or smallies.
If I wanted the practice & conditioning, I'd go to a lake that has no muskies in it. Then you'd be just fine. |
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Posts: 3147
| Why go to a lake at all????
If you just want to cast for the fun of it, try out your new baits. Test new rods ,reels tackle, find a indoor swimming pool,lots of rec centers etc if you ask them will let you do it for free.
Also
This is your best option just over the MInn border is Clear lake in Iowa open for musky and the way the spring is going maybe not long for ice. Clear is stocked and If you don't have the boat ready yet I know of one very good guide who knows the lake well who you can go with.
Edited by happy hooker 3/15/2015 9:25 AM
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Posts: 27
Location: Miltona | I think that would be illegal and considered "targeting" because even though there are no hooks there is a remote possibility of landing a fish. I'm sure I'm not the only person on this site who has caught a muskie on a sucker without hooking it. |
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Posts: 153
Location: MN | Lobby your legislators to open tiger muskie lakes when northern fishing opens. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Yes illegal to fish for out of season - even without hooks. The reason its closed is during spawning and why mess with them? Leave them alone and let them do their thing and hopefully they are successful in that effort to, not letting them waste energy chasing baits without hooks.
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Posts: 540
Location: Leech Lake, Walker MN | That's right WHY mess with them !!!, |
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Posts: 153
Location: MN | Our MN DNR has said many times the muskie program would not survive without their stocking efforts. They have said that there is very little natural reproduction. If these are true statements then what does it matter?
I believe that a spawning muskie will not chase baits anyway and that spawning is done here in central MN before the general opener. ( walleye and northern May 9th this year I believe)
Not trying to upset anyone just asking the question. |
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Posts: 1220
| I belong to a pool and use that too. It's quite helpful to really know what a bait does with pauses, jerks, twitches. Many bait also clearly fail to perform as expected, only zig, never zag,crank crooked, act funny about advertised depth, or at the wort, simply blow out |
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Posts: 158
| If you want to cast muskie baits before the season just to cast them, go to a lake with no muskies, then you have nothing to worry about.
Edited by Shoot2Kill 3/15/2015 9:37 PM
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Posts: 956
Location: Home of the 2016 World Series Champion Cubs | Get in your car and drive south. Illinois and Kentucky are putting muskies in the boat as we speak. LEGALLY. |
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Posts: 1000
| Guys - thanks for the response. Was just wondering if it was legal to hit up the lake on an occasional weeknight to get some feedback from the fish for when the season does open. After 18 responses I think I'll stick to casting my gear at non-muskie lakes to get in shape for the season.
To the guy throwing his stuff in the pool, that chlorine can't be good for your gear?
Edited by tolle141 3/15/2015 11:22 PM
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Posts: 1220
| Hey Tolle141,
All due respect.....but are you serious about the little bit of chorine in a pool? Actually, my club uses a "cold water filtering system" with no clorine....but if it didn't, it's an infinitely less damaging environment than many of the lakes I fished. What you really want to think about is the clorinated compounds in smokestacks and the smoke blowing in the wind above your lake when it begins to rain. The rain washes the smoke out of the sky and into your lake. There are lakes without a road access where all the fish have died for that reason! Some people call that a bunch of horse crap....others call it ACID RAIN! In the meantime, try out your crankbaits and gliders in a swimming pool....and I'd say, "You'll likely catch more fish if they are tracking the way they are supposed to!" |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | tolle141 - 3/15/2015 10:58 PM
To the guy throwing his stuff in the pool, that chlorine can't be good for your gear?
I doubt it as Cl2 dissipates rather quickly. BUT it is heck on live bait.  |
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Posts: 705
Location: Alex or Alek? | Like stated above just go to a lake without skies and you should be fine. In MN right now technically you cant even say your fishing for pike since everything is closed, i dont think the CO would believe your fishing for panfish... |
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Posts: 69
| Go target something else, it will be fun and if you like to eat fish it may be quite fruitful. Also, learning some of the seasonal patterns of other fish such as panfish, suckers, walleyes, etc. may help you become a better musky fisherman. I love musky fishing as much as the next guy, but there are so many great species and types of fishing out there to limit yourself to just muskies. And since musky season is closed, there is no better way to keep your game sharp and keep from going stir crazy then to get on the water after something else.
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | tolle141 - 3/14/2015 12:19 PM
So if I throw a glide bait with no hooks that would be illegal?
---Hooks or not, fishing for musky out of season is illegal.
Just target big pike to pass the time
Edited by FAT-SKI 3/16/2015 1:53 PM
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Posts: 1000
| Junkman - 3/16/2015 9:02 AM
Hey Tolle141,
All due respect.....but are you serious about the little bit of chorine in a pool? Actually, my club uses a "cold water filtering system" with no clorine....but if it didn't, it's an infinitely less damaging environment than many of the lakes I fished. What you really want to think about is the clorinated compounds in smokestacks and the smoke blowing in the wind above your lake when it begins to rain. The rain washes the smoke out of the sky and into your lake. There are lakes without a road access where all the fish have died for that reason! Some people call that a bunch of horse crap....others call it ACID RAIN! In the meantime, try out your crankbaits and gliders in a swimming pool....and I'd say, "You'll likely catch more fish if they are tracking the way they are supposed to!"
I take it your job is related to the pool/chlorine industry? lol I do take my equipment seriously. I wouldn't be in this sport if I didn't. |
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Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | Does anyone know of anyone in any state who did not admit to targeting muskies and released all muskies, and was ticketed for muskies out of season and, fought it in the court system and lost?
In WI, possession proves intent. In other words, if you do not have a muskie in possession, and DO NOT admit to targeting Muskie's, there is nothing wardens can do.
I have asked many wardens including their lawyer in Madison and the above was the answer I always got. |
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Posts: 3147
| I'm guessing you would get away with it. But how bout just doing things the right way the MInn muskies see enough pressure do we really want them conditioned before the season even opens,,,The guy who observes the rules who rushes down to the boat landing at midnight on the opener so he can have first crack at the skis gets screwed.
Targeting muskies before the season is just a "me first everybody else second" attitude the same has someone who thinks they can butt ahead of people in line at a movie,restaurant or event. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | I use to fish the Ont walleye opener on a popular muskie chain and we often get a muskie on our Rapala cranks or jig and minnow and my partner wanted to take pics of these skies. When he asked if i wanted a picture of a muskie I caught, I told him I didn't want any evidence on my camera that would give a warden a reason to give me a ticket. After that he didn't want anymore skies pics either. |
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