I received a letter from Lake Superior Fisheries Office.

The issue can be laid to rest and the word can be spread.

https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/rules/?id=6262.0300

Subp. 5.Prohibition on taking fish for bait purposes.The taking of fish for bait purposes from all Minnesota waters of Lake Superior and all waters of the St. Louis River downstream of the Fond du Lac Dam in St. Louis and Carlton Counties, including any and all outflows, estuaries, streams, creeks, or waters adjacent to or flowing into these waters is prohibited.

I was also assured MN is not siting back as regards to VHS, rather they are taking the VHS very serious. That is also the message I get from talking with area COs.

So no, you cannot use Lake Superior smelt for bait.

Guess I'm going to have to stop mooching off you L.S. guys for smelt and get my own up here.

I thought that the a major purpose for many peoples smelt runs to Lake Superior was to get smelt to use all summer long as bait for pike and catfish?

Are you saying that it is now ILLEGAL to do so?

You're right, cichlid baby. Not only for pike and cats but to use trolling for lakers on Lake Superior.

And yep, illegal, though tough to enforce, I'd think.

that is unless they made it illegal to use them no matter the source.

the alternative then would ask that they certifiy smelt bait vendors, as they do for firewood.
my name is on a list as a certified, by the state of mn, firewood vendor.
this started last year, with the invasive species..the emerald ash borer.
this has nothing to do with smelt, except I can show them that it isn't necessary to do an across the board ban. it could be handled in much the same way.

Here's what I don't understand..

so.. a guy can go and pull a 5 gallon bucket of Lake Superior smelt, turn around and sell it to one of the local retail bait shops, who will have no problem freezing them for later and selling the smelt off to other fishermen, who will for all intents and purpose be using them for bait.

Am I missing the point here?

I believe you are correct.

I don't see any thing that says you can take LS smelt and sell them to bait shops.

"Subp. 5.Prohibition on taking fish for bait purposes.The taking of fish for bait purposes from all Minnesota waters of Lake Superior and all waters of the St. Louis River downstream of the Fond du Lac Dam in St. Louis and Carlton Counties, including any and all outflows, estuaries, streams, creeks, or waters adjacent to or flowing into these waters is prohibited."

I am not sure how they intend on regulating this. not sure they know themselves, but I would have to believe that you can NOT intentionally sell the smelt from lake superior to bait shops with intention to be used as bait.
I think it should be understood by the bait shops that Lake Superior smelt are not legal to use as bait.
unless they may use them after they are processed by an approved method, but I have not read that any where.

now you can, to my understanding, sell Lake Superior smelt to anyone with intention for human consumption.

Whoops, should have read THAT one a little closer.

You can still use LS smelt for bait to be used in LS right?

I think not, but that will probably have to be answered by the fisheries guys unless frank knows...

The DNR needs to get the info out in some form to everyone!
The baitshops have not been told they can not sell smelt for bait. NONE that I have talked to. Not 1 DNR person has called or stopped in the baitshops to give them the REAL STORY.
At 1st we were told that you could use the LS smelt in the LS and tribs. Now it changes? They need to get the story straight and get the word out in the paper/news and through bait shops!

agreed!

so if we cant use smelt on lake superior, what ARE we supposed to use.