Help! Looking for a Pumpkinseed source here in Mn.

NOTHING! Come on guys...really jk. Chasing down some leads ESSHUP gave me (thank you sir), along with one fishery here in MN. I need some snail eaters and LMB forage...badly! There seems to be little love for this beautiful fish. No worries Mr. Pumpkinseed MNFISH loves ya.

MN I'm not familiar with hatcheries up your way except for YP, SMB and WE, but that's where you want to look, where the fish are more common. If I were you I'd just collect from local BOWs to stock. A quick search on your DNR site and you should be able to discern which fisheries nearest you consist of PS. That's what I did for RES and SMB...about a 90 minute drive from Lincoln, well worth the effort.

Thanks TJ, I appreciate it.

I know of a small lake in my vacation town of IRON River, WI that is loaded with large ones...

I agree with other members, your best way of getting some PS is to go catch some of your own. I've done that numerous times for species, including PS, not available at fish farms. Heck - doing some fishing is why we do all this anyway; isn't it?

Thanks Bobby! I am trying to do this without breaking any laws BUT...like the three SSS's...sometimes we do what we must

Right on Bill.

It's not illegal to keep fish alive, within size and qty regulations, and take back home to clean in NE at least. If your bucket of fish accidentally tips over close to your pond, what's a guy gonna do? Just keep within creel limit and sizes, and you should be fine. Move in the Spring if possible, cooler temps make transport easier/less stressful.

I wish that were the case here in MN. Illegal to transport fish alive. All water must be drained before transporting. I have heard stories of guys using over sized coolers with 12V bubblers to transport fish live. Also been told, they keep within the legal daily limit to minimize fines if caught (bringing other licensed family members along for added limits). Rumored stories of spilt CC water inside of trucks, upsetting spouses. To the point of never being allowed to use their SUV again!

Thanks again everyone!

It is illegal to drive over the speed limit too. Ever done that? Does your boat have a live well? Is keeping fish alive in a boat illegal too? I would think it is not illegal to keep a fish alive for later release in case you catch a larger one to keep. It does not have to be always in the boat live well which is where most will look to find live fish. I wouldn't keep so many that you need a big obvious 100 gallon tank to keep some alive.

Agree, that's a stupid law you must kill your fish hours before you may harvest them...especially since our plan is now complicated.

You might just have to justify a clandestine operation with all the fees you've paid for fishing licenses over the years.

I knew there were some outlaws here. Trafficking pumpkinseeds hehehehe

Tracy

Bill, actually it is illegal in Minnesota to cull fish from your live-well to replace with others in our state of Minnesota. We can keep fish alive in a live-well on the water, when we remove the boat from the water, we must then drain it.

Minnows transported from one BOW to another must be done so with fresh bottled or tap water we bring with us. My brother had a long discussion with a boat ramp representative from the state as he was doing just that. But try to prove the water in your cooler was fresh and brought from home while standing at the boat ramp, after you've dumped your bait from the bait bucket into it.

Also, one small caveat to the law of transporting live fish, as I understand. It is legal for a person under 16 years of age to do so, for an aquarium, but a limit of only 4 per species.

MNFISH thanks for the original post. I have been intrigued reading how RES are good for snail control, but then as I read more they don't survive this far north. I may look to add Mr. Pumpkinseed myself.

More calls made last night, as Tracy states, might have to go outlaw. I have had a very kind offer, thank you Bobby! I will be trying to locate them a little closer to my ponds. North40, if I find a source I will let you know.

Starting July 1st all livewells and holding tanks must be drained before entering and before exiting Texas lakes! That means no transporting live fish. Texas game wardens will be sitting at the boat ramps,inspecting, and writing tickets. This is supposedly because of spreading zebra mussels. Where does it stop!!

So how do you bring minnows with you when you fish? You have to catch them in the lake you plan to fish at?

Mnfish,

Looks like all you need to do is take a bus load of teenagers fishing!

Believe it or not you will have to show a receipt of purchase for your live bait. You can catch your own bait from the water you are going to fish that day. Tournament fishermen will have to show validation that they are entered in a tourney. After the fish is weighed the water must be returned to the lake. I know...starting to get a little crazy!!

I suspect it's only going to get worse, everywhere. This is yet another reason to feel fortunate to own private water. I read some message boards from fishermen who are all chasing public water fish as it's their only option - highly competitive, secretive, complaining about trash around lakes, illegal limits, getting into arguments, etc. I feel for them, and makes me all that more grateful I won't ever have to wait in a 100 vehicle line to launch a boat if I don't want to.

It's getting interesting for sure. A small number of our popular lakes in our state have students on site at boat landings authorized from the state (DNR) with pressure wash systems and require your boat hulls to be pressure washed at the landing.

Also a law was passed, but then suspended shortly thereafter requiring all boaters to take an online course of invasive species. With completion of a test, your boat would have a decal as I recall to prove you worthy of trailering your boat to a body of water. The law has been halted because they forgot to include the impact of out-of-state travelers. Even those driving through and not planning to drop a boat in the water, aka Iowa folks heading to Canada.

You guys are completely diverting from the PS thread..but I love it!

IMHO- For you pro's in the pond industry, if you haven't been, keep an eye on MN. We may have 10,000 public lakes but people are really beginning to see the benefits of private water. Even if only 1/4 acre. They are tired of strict limits, new laws added each year, and never knowing if they are breaking them or not. 14 years ago when I built my first pond, I did it because I loved wildlife management but also to have a body a water that I could enjoy without restrictions. I saw what was happening and didn't enjoy the simplicity of fishing any more. I sold my boats. My buddies laughed at me and said what a waste of money. Ponds were for guys in the south with no water. "10,000 lakes and you have to build another...you're crazy" Funny how those same guys really appreciate the peace and regulation freedoms of my ponds today.

Come on now. At least it was figured out how you can legally get 4 PS by having a kid under 16 with ya! Just make sure you get big ones of both sex and grow yer own.

Your absolutely right Bill! You guys presented good solutions just me venting a little. I most certainly didn't invent bucket stocking but I sure have made a science of it here in MN with regards to the laws.

mnfish, if u have a friend who has a place on a lake where u can use his dock or pier to unload a catch means never having to go to a ramp.
OH, carp, Flame is right about the new Texas laws coming into play. I may have to outlaw a few smb this coming fall. shush

Tracy

Called my hatchery contacts up north, they do not raise nor stock PS. Sorry man, made several calls today trying for you.

I think we go back to plan B - find local fishery with PS, and target them while on beds, shallow and aggressive. 50G tank with aerator in the truck and tonneau cover down. I use a floating livewell when collecting fish ala Condello. Plastic tote with holes drilled and swimming noodles zip tied to the sides and a slot on lid to slide fish into. I tie it onto my float tube and paddle away. You can also use it from shore - it's very low profile no one will even notice it's in the water. You'll have no issues keep fish alive until the mad dash to the truck, hopefully under the cover of darkness, if you know what's good for you. Might even want to create a diversion a few blocks away - say some tannerite explosions?

Thank you TJ. I truly appreciate it!

Smokey and the Bandit style...yes sirrrr and with explosives (nice touch )

This has really turned out to be a great excuse to reconnect with people and meet some new ones. Who knew a pumpkinseed could have such an affect....Last year I was so excited because I thought I had a PS hatch in a little 1/8 pond and it turned out I miss identified them. They were in fact GSF (what a hack I am in fish management). ESSHUP had to go and burst my bubble when I forwarded the pics

Well my friend, you are a far better inventor than lepomis identifier - good news is the former can actually make you some money and is useful.

Thanks TJ.. I will stay on it..One day I will get better at this fish stuff.

Keep us apprised of your ps hunt. Wish I was closer I would love to help you collect.

Apparently I have a few thousand PS in my pond you could share. Unfortunately, I am in NC. So a bit of a hike for you.

What the heck, you didnt call me TJ. I guess I dont have any PS anyways,...

MNFish in my earlier quest to find RES I found a guy in Iowa with them adn REX had a contact that could get me some, the guy in Iowa was more northern and I that the fish would do better, but in retrospect I would have rather worked with REX and his contact even if the fish werent as northernly.

This was back in the Dave Willis days and he helped in my quest a fair bit, and there was talk of his Gravel Pit with small mouth and PS in it and trying to find a way to make it legal to get some out of there, but I opted for the RES. If you could find a contact in SDSU Maybe you you strike up a good conversation.

Aslo silver dollar sunfish target snails also, if you can find some of them.

Skudds fill a vary similar nitche to snails but I doubt they could totally displace them, but scudds tend not to act as a host to the same three parasites, white grub, yellow grub, and black grub, But I am still very under versed in my grub knowledge and have read a few things suggesting it is possible to skip a host sometimes.

Thanks again guys. I may have found some. The informal, off the record, under the cover of darkness, pond owner fish exchange may have come thru again.

psssttttt I've got some in my pond - in a cage no less.

They are learning how to eat pellets.

Hey Scott! Hypothetically.. could you, being from Indiana, bring fish into MN. How thick would the envelop need to be? Maybe tie in a couple days of pond management consulting fees for ya!

I'd have to get them vhs tested. Crossing state lines without might be a Lacey Act violation. It'd take a LOT of consults to pay that fine!!

"...The Lacey Act has been amended several times since its inception in 1900. The most significant ones occurred in 1969, 1981, and 1988. The 1969 amendments expanded to include amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, and crustaceans. The maximum penalty was increased to $10,000 with possible imprisonment for one year. Additionally, the mental state required for a criminal violation was increased to "knowingly and willfully;" civil penalties were expanded to apply to negligent violations."

Ahhh come on you chicken...

I'm curious..how much would it cost to have them VHS tested? How many have to be sacrificed for testing ?

This might work for anyone. I was fishing on shore at a local reservoir to catch some extra BG and PS for my pond and wasn't doing any good. Along came three young guys smoking pot and catching all kinds of little fish along slabs of concrete along the shore used for soil erosion using only a hand line with a small hook. They dropped the line at the little rock caves and holes between the rocks and caught fish nearly every time. I tried it and caught a supply of stockers 2 to 5 inches in no time. For transporting the fish home I have food cooler rigged with a cheap 110 volt aquarium pump and bubble stone that plugs into a 110 volt ac converter from the car cigarette lighter.

John, you said they guys were smoking pot and hand fishing and so you tried it. you told us how good the fishing was but did not tell us if the pot was any good

Tracy

I was thinking the same thing!

I've heard rumors, but let me send out an e-mail to check for sure.

No worries sir, just curious...I know your extremely busy this time of year!

I suspect that the pot heads were catching GSF in and among the shoreline rocks. I would want to see a fish picture before I believe PS live among rocky caves of shorelines.

I think 60-65 fish need to be tested for papers...but not certain.

Sounds like you were catching GSF. That is classic GSF behavior in lakes where they're in competition with BG/LMB.

Bill Cody it's been many years but I'm sure the rocks are where where the PS came from because those are the only wild caught fish I have ever put into my pond. All others have come from commercial fisheries that I specifically bought. The lake has lots of Bass and Walleye in it so perhaps the small fish were taking refuge in the rocks.

The potheads were quite nice and one give me his hand held line which I still have.

John Can you catch one of your PS and post a picture of it here?

Bill when I had my last winter kill BG, PS, RE, CC, LMB were wiped out except for a few minnows and one GC that I still have. With that wipe out I decided to change my pond with just minnows and I add 6 GC to my one surviving one. I suspect you think I may be confusing the PS with BG but the PS are so much more colorful that it would be hard to do.

I suspect you are confusing them as well.

Cody note: I agree, maybe not with BG but GSF or some similar specie with a reddish eat tab boarder.

I stocked RES with my original stocking with some regret as they took out my ramshorn snail. For 50 years of my life I did a lot of fishing and I am pretty sure I know a PS when I see one. Prairie Creek reservoir is stocked every year and what I suspect is that the BG along with any PS went to the safety of the Rocks. I admit I didn't know PS would't be in rocks so I am curious as well. I was going to buy BG to stock but I will try seining them in hopes of getting a PS and taking a picture of it. I just don't think I could confuse a PS with a RES.

Here is an article that ran in Pond Boss in 2011 showing the difference between a RES and a PS. I just don't know how you can confuse the difference.

http://bigbluegill.com/forum/topics/redear-vs-pumpkinseed