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Illegal use of bait a problem on local waters

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Watersedge Bait & Tackle owner Debby Oliver nets some fathead bait for brothers Bill and Terry Now, from left, of Janesville and Illinois respectively as they prepared for a morning fishing trip to Yellowstone Lake.

JANESVILLE — While fishing along the Rock River, a 60-year-old Janesville man was using unusual bait: Red swamp crayfish.

The invasive species are native to the Gulf Coast, and they are illegal bait in Wisconsin. They could reduce amphibian populations and harm native crayfish species if placed in local water.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ticketed the man, who bought the crayfish in Chicago. The ticket carries a fine of $295 to $385.

Anglers using illegal bait or misusing legal bait are common problems in Rock County because many people don’t know state law, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials said. Violating rules could lead to invasive species or diseases spreading to local rivers and lakes.

“It seems like every year now we see a new disease or a new invasive species,” said Boyd Richter, a DNR game warden in Rock County.

“It can affect the different fish that we already have in those bodies of water; it can be detrimental to their population,” he said. “We like to keep all the current game fish species healthy, so we have them for our future.”

A common bait violation is when people catch their own bait in one body of water and use it to catch fish in different water, Richter said. For example, people might catch minnows in the Rock River and use them as bait on a nearby lake.

The DNR has issued several tickets for those types of violations, he said.

Anglers using illegal bait such as red swamp crayfish also happen, although those violations aren’t as common, Richter said.

Don Bush, DNR fisheries biologist in Rock County, said transferring bait between water bodies could spread fatal diseases such as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, which has been found in the Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Lake Winnebago.

VHS became a serious health concern in 2007, and laws about transferring bait and bait bucket water were tightened, Bush said. VHS could spread from fish-to-fish contact or from water in a bait bucket.

Fishing with exotic species as bait also could wreak havoc on local water bodies, Bush said. Invasive species could grow in numbers, compete for food and damage the native fish population.

Wardens enforce fishing regulations with spot checks at popular fishing areas, Richter said. People also report violations.

Two wardens work in Rock County, and they can’t watch everyone.

“There are so many different areas just in Rock County we have to check,” Richter said. “It’s just an endless supply of spots.”

Matt Henn, co-owner of Watersedge Bait & Tackle in Janesville, said he provides anglers with fishing regulations and pamphlets explaining the rules.

“If they have any questions, we can answer them,” Henn said.

Bait shops also stay informed on what they’re allowed to sell, he said.

Anglers need to read the fishing regulations or check the DNR website to stay current on the laws, Richter said.

“With all the law changes, it’s sometimes hard to keep up,” he said.