Stink Bait-Dip Tubes-Treble Hooks & The DNR

It was pointed out earlier to me that treble hooks covered with stink bait might be illegal in MN. So I was off to find the answer. I did find in the regulation book that trebles can’t be used unless they are part of a “lure” in MN. With that I had more questions.

Can I use stink on a treble?

What about the dip tubes with treble hooks?

How can a Mepps spinner be legal?

I could have talked with the DNR offices in St Paul, but in this case, I wanted to know how the local Conservation Officer is handling it. After all, this is the guy that I’ll be trying to explain myself to. Here’s what I found out after talking to Red Wing MN based CO Tyler Quant…

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Adding fiber bait to the treble hook would NOT make it legal. The fiber bait is no different than any other bait you would add to the hook. The bait itself would not be illegal but using the treble hook is. Thanks and if you have any further questions let me know.

Tyler Quandt

Conservation Officer

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After sending CO Quant a photo of a run of the mill dip bait tube that we can buy at any bait shop his response is as follows.

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Correct, in MN this would NOT meet the definition of an artificial lure. It is legal on the WI side because they allow treble hooks. If you wanted to make it legal in MN you would have to use the tube with either a single hook or if it was used with a treble hook the treble hook would need to be part of an artificial lure. Thanks.

Tyler Quandt

Conservation Officer

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Photo below is of an illegal MN catfish hook. (Wonder how many bait shops in MN know this?)

Looks like it’s back to the circle hook and horizontal dip bait tube!

Here’s a photo of a legal catfish tube bait.

This is getting sillier all the time. What if you ran a steel leader up through the tube and jerked it over the weeds for Muskies? Is it legal then? How is a red plastic tube any less “artificial” than a rubber worm? Could I rig a ringworm with a treble hook and use it for Bass? How about if I used a ringworm and gooped it up with stink bait, and let it sit on the bottom?

In the winter guys like to use quick-strike rigs on Pike, BECAUSE THEY ARE EASIER ON THE FISH. However in Minnesota they’re illegal unless you stick a spinner on a clevis on the line. So a big sucker minnow with two hooks in him is legal as long as you add this dinky, insignificant little spinner. Then it’s “OK”. I don’t get it.

Rootski

Brian, I always cut the trebles off anyway. Then thread the whole tube on my leader and tie on a circle. Slide it on down and dip away. Trebles are really hard on channels when they get down in thier throat.

Hey Brian, just tie a ribbon above it

Seriously, I have always felt it would be a little sketchy even going with the dip bait set-ups you can buy, so I have always used the circle hook and surgical tube rig with good success. I imagine when cattin through the ice a guy could dip a jiggin spoon into the ole’ fiber if you really wanted to use a treble…

What a bunch of bogus hooey. So you can hang a treble hook under a tipup with a blade on it and it is legal. I would move across the river if I didn’t live here already. We have better laws, better football, and baseball lately. Circle hooks do work OK. I only lost 4 of 10 bites instead of none when I tried them a couple of times. I’ve caught hundreds of Channel cats with trebles and not injured more than one or two.

I pulled this string from another website. So if you put a blade on it less than 3 inches from the multiple hook, you’d have an argument. I’d ask the CO to clean off your bait prior to inspecting it for good measure.

As you have pointed out this is a very confusing topic, especially

since

there is no clear legal definition of “artificial lure”. We looked

into

doing a statutory definition for the current legislative session, but

as

you point out we have a number of issues to address. We hope to have

this issue cleared up and proposed legislation passed next session.

Your recommendation for the regulation booklet will also be considered

for next year. Otherwise, DNR Enforcement has been using the

following

definition:

1. Angling with a multiple hook, either bare or baited, is unlawful

unless it is attached to an artificial bait or trolling spoon.

2. Artificial baits are jigs, plugs, spoons, artificial flies, and

spinner-hook arrangements.

3. When a spinner is used with a baited multiple hook, it must be

placed so as to become a part of the hook, and in no instance shall it

be placed more than three (3) inches from a multiple hook.

In answer to your specific questions

A jig with a stinger hook is an artificial lure as long as the stinger

is made part of the jig and no more than 3 inches from the jig.

The single bead in front of the worm harness does not make it an

artificial lure. Instead, you would need to put a spinner in front of

it as mentioned above in #3.

The only person that knows the real answer is the Judge. Ask 10 different CO’s to interpret that rule and you’ll get 5 yes’s and 5 no’s They can write a ticket for just about anything, it’s up to a Judge to enforce it.

If I had a ton of money and time, it sure would be fun to test out some of these laws in court because my guess is that a lot of them are chock full discrepancies.

That’s the reason I asked the CO on the waters I fish Darren. In my world, he’s the one that counts.

Once a ticket is written, the citizen loses even if they win in court there’s time, time lost from work and possibly attorney fees.

I’m thinking that a few example to a coming up work shop might be in order.

Please bring brand new clean ones or you certainly won’t make any friends!

Hey Brian
I just got off the phone with the southern reg.fisheries expert.He said that he catfishes and uses dip worms and they are considered lures. he said he would send me a email with clarification on it and will email the COs also
He (Steve) said to go ahead and use them with out worry

Is the law designed to prevent people from purposely snagging fish or is it to prevent damage top fish that might get hooked deep?

BK move to Wisconsin my god what a bunch of bull ====

either that start smoking again & burn the line oops

I’m thinking someone didn’t get that memo Rod Man!

I’ll shoot you a pm.

waiting for Frank’s reply.
Jack

It would be very interesting to see a DNR officer try to explain to a jury why a tube worm was not an artificial lure.

The CO doesn’t have to explain the law, that would be the attorney.

Co’s don’t make the laws. Personally, I wish they had more of a hand in law making, might be less goofy laws out there!

Minne Ha Ha, you make me laugh.

Near as I can tell, the out come here is:

A bare treble (with or without stink bait) is illegal.

Bait tubes that hold stink bait with a treble are illegal.

To make them legal in MN, we much attach the treble to the tube (which by definition will make it a lure) or attach a spinner of some type within 3 inches*** of the treble.

***I couldn’t find any language in the law that talked about 3 inches, but that’s what was recommended.

MN’s first ever Catfish Workshop held by our DNR will be coming up here in June. This will be a topic of discussion for sure.

In the mean time, I’ve found that using 1/2 of a dip bait tube and a 3/0 Double Action or circle hook works great for the Team Catfish brand fiber bait.

That is a crazy law. We use the tubes all the time down here. Even just use a treble with a spring on it at times.

Lance

I have used single hooks with tubes for years and had no trouble catching cats. No need for a treble. Just makes it harder to get the hooks out. There is a real problem with stink baits anyway as cats usually swallow the hooks and are difficult to catch and release because of mortality. If they are hitting stink bait, they really pound it.

You’re not kidding about trebles being harder to get out. I was using some type of ice fishing jig with a treble hook on it last year and it was a 10 minute adventure unhooking the buggers. It wasn’t but 10 fish into the day that I busted off one hook, the a second a few fish later, and finished the day out with just a single hook. From that point on I just go with single hooks, going so far as swapping them out if I happen to buy a jib with a treble on it.

I catch alot of my Catfish in the lips with treble hooks from my dip worms. For the ones that do swallow it I have a speciel tool designed just for removing dip worms. It is the the Catfish worm hook remover made by Doc’s Catfish bait Co. out of Parkersburg, IA. It works great, and I loose very few fish to death.

Lance

I’m with you on that Cat Lance.

When I was told by a guide “down south” than more fish were hooked deeper with circles than with a treble, not only didn’t I believe him, I called him a liar.

But then all of my experience with trebles prior was with live or cut bait. So I gave them a shot myself.

As I’ve said before, the only trouble I’ve had with a treble is when a smaller cat gets hooked in the upper and lower part of the mouth at the same time. Most channels are hooked in the lips.

My experience has made me a believer in trebles with stink bait.

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I have used single hooks with tubes for years and had no trouble catching cats. No need for a treble.

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Agree totally with you Northstar… I only recently (within the last few years) started using single hooks all the time for dip baits (worm or tube rigged) and they work great. And in in Illinois it’s legal to with like 1000 hooks at a time. Ok, 50.

Shawn