# Perch fishermen



## Wormdunker69 (Apr 8, 2004)

To all the perch fishermen that freeze minnows for the Summer bite. They are in Rocky River now. 

Suggestion to all....With this new law it is going to be hard to find minnows in the bait shops.


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## the weav (Mar 22, 2007)

Also for those of us that dont live close to the lake, Ive caught perch on store bought preserved shiners.cabelas sells them by bulk.Seemed to work just fine.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Guys, I run a bait shop out of my house on Lake Rockwell Road in Ravenna.This is just my opinion on live bait situation for this upcoming season.I've been getting 2 deliveries a week throughout the winter regarding minnows.The cost per pound hasn't changed and I cannot see things changing.My prices will remain the same as the day I opened 3 years ago.When I heard of some baitshops charging an outrageous amount for minnows last fall it made me sick.They had no reason to up their prices and were taking advantage of the fishermen.The virus is real, and hope we all realized how valuable our natural resources are.But nothing has changed in the wholesale bait business and minnows are available as they have been in the past. If someone tells you differently they're not being honest with you........Mark


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

talked to a captain of a local perch headboat at the sportsman show and he said minnows will be scarce this summer due to the new law??? he has no interest in the bait part other than it would hurt his buisness if minnows were not available??


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

bmj, are you getting lake erie shiners. i will get to the river and restock soon.


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

They are talking about EMERALD SHINERS. Not fathead minnows or golden shiners.

In the Summer months, emerald shiners USED TO BE shipped in from Canada to bait stores for the Summer and Fall perch bites. That transport of EMERALD SHINERS across borders is now illegal. 

So, and I would urge ANYONE WHO PERCH FISHES TO DO THIS.... Catch them now, freeze them, salt them, do whatever you can to preserve them, save the leftover minnows, because come the Summer, if the FEDERAL MANDATE doesn't change, there will be no emerald shiners anywhere...

There is an entire list of fish that are banned for transport across State or National boundary... If you would like to see it, the OSU/Sea Grant website has a TON of info on it. 

If I can find it, I will post a link to the specific order and what species are effected...


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

I've had access to emerald shiners since last fall.Like I said, this is just my opinion.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

One other thing everyone should do before seining shiners from Lake Erie.Call the ODNR to make sure you are within the laws, rules and regulations set forth.In all the literature I receive from the ODNR it states you must be a licensed bait dealer, have your name, address and bait dealer license number on all your buckets while seining emerald shiners from Lake Erie.Check before you go to be 100% sure........Mark


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

I believe you don't have to have a bait licence unless you have over 500. ALWAYS check regulation yourself before doing anything, it would be mighty dumb to get caught with over bag of minnows for perchin.


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

This might be a dumb question; but what is the best way to salt or freeze minnows. I have a 4X4 drop net that I use when i perch fish, but only get enough for the day. wouldn't mind stocking up some because, as the one fellow said, rocky river get thick with them around this time. thanks for the help.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

K-Gone that is correct.ODNR Regulations Ohio Revesed Code Section 1533.40 :It is unlawful for any person except a licensed bait dealer or a licensed fishing guide providing bait to their customers to have in their possession more than 100 crayfish or 500 in the aggregate of minnows,suckers not exceeding 10 inches in length,brook silversides, brook sticklebacks, gizzard shad, trout perch,sculpins, darters, topminnows, and mudminnows;however, smelt hellgrammites, other larval aquatic insects, and preserved minnows may be possessed and sold in unlimited numbers.


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

What is the easiest way to catch Emerald shiners? What specfically does one look for? I'm assuming the rivers are the best places to look? I have a 4'x4' net, but have never tried it out before. If it's relatively simple I might give it a try this weekend.


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

throw it inn next to the wall ,wait till it sinks and VOILA you have minnows. i got all mine last year right next to the wall by the marina. as far as freezing ...the trick is to dry them without touching them and then pour on pickling salt. this year i will try a sreen with a fan blowing them dry,then salt. a big dehydrater would work too.


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## Wormdunker69 (Apr 8, 2004)

The area between the new and old launch ramps is a good area to try. That is where I got mine.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

This might start something, but I will let you know how to preserve any bait that will look like the day you caught it.The only problem is the main ingredient is not easy to come by.You will need to fill up a 5 gallon bucket up 2/3 to the top, do this at home and don't use lake water.(I can seine as many as I want due to having a bait dealers license, so I usually end up with a full bucket of minnows).Use 2 tablespoons of formaldehyde and mix into the water before you leave home.Place your seined minnows directly into the bucket when caught.Take the minnows home and place on a screen to get the excessive water off, place the minnows and layer with untreated salt in a heavy duty clear plastic bag and refrigerate(don't freeze). All the excessive water will go to the bottom of the bag.In 2 days cut the corner of the bag to drain out the water that has accumulated.Place that bag into another one so they are now double bagged.After 2 more days drain out whatever water is in the bottom.Now they can be bagged and put into the freezer.The formaldehyde keeps the scales intact and the minnows loose no color.Your minnows will look like the day you caught them. I also use this method for shad and the shiners that die in my tanks. You cannot find a better looking preserved bait.


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## Miandl (Aug 13, 2006)

Where can you buy formaldehyde? Do you have to be careful about putting your hands in the diluted water?


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

The real stuff costs about $80.00 per ounce and you must have a medical license to obtain it.Look on Google.com and I'm pretty sure they sell the diluted version much cheaper........Mark


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

also forgot to add, the formaldehyde does not hurt or irritate your skin.I'll dump my buckets of shiners or shad into a large net to drain before placing on the screen........Mark


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

bassmastermjb said:


> The real stuff costs about $80.00 per ounce and you must have a medical license to obtain it.Look on Google.com and I'm pretty sure they sell the diluted version much cheaper........Mark


I'm getting mine from a friend who is a funeral director. It's not legal so he has to give it to me 'under the table'. had a question about after you have dried them on the screen. you said you put them in a large plastic bag and layer with unprocessed salt. Is that pickling salt? And do you just put a bunch in the bag and add salt or what? thanks


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

Just so you know formaldehyde is one of two carcinogens we get annual training on, the other being vinyl chloride. As you can see from page 2 of the MSDS skin absorption is is one route of exposure. There is a good reason why you cannot buy it.


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## Shawn Philbrick (Jan 5, 2007)

I am a chemical plant manager, have been for 15 years.

You would have to put your hands in that concentration (2 oz per bucket) for roughly 120 years for it to kill you, or maim you in any way.


at about 50 or 60 years, it might affect your swimmers.


my guess is that if you tried to die that way you'd die of boredom first.




BUT........watch getting it on you straight, or in your eyes etc.

usually formaldehyde is found in 35&#37; solutions (Lewzer's MSDS is 37%), and in that strength it is ugly. The smell more than anything is bad, and the vapors will burn your eyes.

keep it from getting too cold, as it will polymerize on you (turn to a white glob and seperate.) and be ineffective.


and keep your eyes open for the law if you buy it over the net or from someone who can legally posess or sell it. 

Kids use it on dope....and small quanity sales draw attention.


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

Miandl said:


> Where can you buy formaldehyde? Do you have to be careful about putting your hands in the diluted water?


I was able to get about a cough syrup size bottle from a funeral director. that is far more than i need. i live in berea, if anyone would like some send me a pm and i'll be happy to share it. i am going out minnow trapping at rocky river marina tonight or tomorrow.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Untreated salt can be found at any feed store.I use alot of it when preserving minnows or shad.It's a prevervative itself and you cannot use too much.Once I get them to a stage(dried) that I am comfortable with I will remove all the excessive salt by shaking on a larger opening screen and then resalt one last time before putting into the freezer.You'll be quite surprised at the finished product.......Mark


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

Mark, i got morton's canning and pickeling salt. on the box it says 'pure salt, nothing added' Is that what you are talking about? Went last night and got a good mess of shiners at rocky river marina. Took one of the screens out of one of our windows (my wife was thrilled) turned the fan on them and then salted and bagged them. this morning there was already a good bit of fluid in the bags. i used the formaldehyde and one of the things i noticed was that there were almost no scales on the screen. so, the idea is to get them dry and then a light salting before you bag them for the last time? My family thought i was nuts when i came home around 11 last night and started the process. I had fun. Thanks for the tip. Tom H


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

Mark, thanks for the advice on preserving minnows. that formaldehyde really does the trick. I perpared 3 or 4 hundred minnows. Except for being dried out, they look like they just came out of the water. Clear eyes, all their scales, no yellow in the belly. looking forward to seeing how they fish.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

One last trick to preserving those minnows you might want to try that really works.Add a couple drops of pure anise to one of your bags of minnows and mark the bag so you know which one it is.Try the salted and anise salted minnows next time out.When the bite is tough the anise scented ones will outfish the regulars ones every time out.When the perch are schooled and feeding it doesn't make a difference which ones you use.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Precherman,buy the untreated salt, it's much cheaper than Mortons.You can get a 25lb bag for $7.00-$8.00 and you'll have enough to last a couple of years depending on how many minnows you preserve, or split it up between a couple of fishing buddies.Glad to hear your minnows came out looking good.Like I said, cut the corner and let the excess water out and add a little more salt & place your original bag inside another.If you get more drainage just pull out the bag and empty, no sense in using more bags than needed.Sometimes I'll have to drain mine 3 or 4 times to get it right, but it's way better than drying them out completely.Remember, I preserve mine in much larger quantities,usually 25lbs per bag.


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## PromiseKeeper (Apr 14, 2004)

are they in shallow enough to get with a seine...is using one legal?


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

Yes, in the rocky river they are. i use a drop/cast net that is about 4X4'. when i went down to the river i had the best luck walking it down the edge, keeping the net close to the surface. i was dwon at the marina and past the main wall. i don't know when they put the docks in and restrict access, but you can see the minnows dappling the water and they are there for the picking. use the formaldehyde it really leaves you with a beautiful result. just be careful, i guess you can only get 500 at a time and there are rangers around there. the whole process was actually kind of fun


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