26 replies to this topic

[BenCantrell]

In some places, you can't keep game fish that haven't been caught on a rod and line. May want to look into that.

 

The issue of collecting fish for home aquaria keeps coming up in Illinois, and I apologize that I don't have a concrete answer yet.  Before you collect any fish, whether minnows or game fish, please call your local DNR office and ask them if it is ok.  Write down the name and phone number of the person you talk to.  You'll want this information in case you get stopped by a game warden or conservation officer.

 

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Illinois Fishing Regs

http://www.dnr.illin...Information.pdf

 

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BAIT FISHING

A sport fishing license permits the use of legalized cast nets, shad scoops, minnow traps and minnow seines to obtain shad, alewife, minnows and crayfish to use as bait, provided they are not sold or are not identified as threatened or endangered aquatic life. All cast nets shall be not larger than 24 feet in diameter or of a mesh size not larger than 1 inch bar measurement. All shad scoops shall be not larger than 30 inches in diameter or of a mesh size not larger than 1/2 inch bar measurement or longer than 4 feet in length. Minnow seines shall not be longer than 20 feet, deeper than 6 feet or contain mesh size larger than 1/2 inch bar measurement. Minnow traps shall not be longer than 36 inches, nor wider than 24 inches, nor use mesh larger than 1/2 inch bar measurement. Minnows and crayfish may be collected with traps of metal screen or hardware cloth, plastic, or nylon mesh or netting. Such traps may not be more than 24 inches

in width or diameter or more than 36 inches in length nor use a mesh of more than 1/2 inch bar measurement. Each entrance aperture may not exceed 1.5 inches in diameter. If unattended, such devices must be tagged with the name and mailing address of the person operating the device. Minnows and crayfish collected in such devices may only be taken for personal use and may not be sold or bartered. Collected live bait fish may not be transported between water bodies.

 

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CRAYFISH

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Collected live crayfish may not be transported between water bodies.

 

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VHS Regulations

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is a disease of fish caused by a virus previously unidentified in the Midwest. While it does not affect humans, VHS can kill a substantial number of fish and has been spreading throughout the great Lakes. The new regulations we are implementing are immediate and appropriate steps in trying to slow the spread of this dangerous aquatic virus in Illinois. Sport fishing and boating are both very popular and important to the Illinois economy. The cooperation of anglers and boaters is essential in combating VHS. The new regulations being implemented by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) regarding VHS that affect recreational anglers and boaters include:

• Eliminating natural water from all equipment when leaving a body of water.

• Emptying and draining all bait buckets, livewells, baitwells, bilges, etc. or any other compartment capable of holding natural waters when leaving a body of water.

• Do not remove live VHS-susceptible species (see below) from any waters. Anglers may catch and keep VHS-susceptible species, but may not transport those fish live from the waters where caught.

• Use of wild-trapped fishes from within the state as bait will be restricted to the waters where legally captured.

While VHS is not known to be a threat to human health, anglers are still advised to wash their hands after handling fish and to cook thoroughly any fish they plan to eat. If handling dead fish or fish that appear to be diseased, protective gloves should be worn. For more information on VHS and the new Illinois regulations aimed at slowing the spread of the virus in Illinois, check the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us

 

VHS Species

Black crappie, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Brown bullhead, Brown trout, Burbot, Channel catfish, Chinook salmon, Emerald shiner, Freshwater drum, gizzard shad, Hybrid (Tiger) muskie, Lake whitefish, Largemouth bass, Muskellunge, Shorthead redhorse, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow trout, Rock bass, Round goby, Silver redhorse, Smallmouth bass, Spottail shiner, Trout-Perch, Walleye, White bass, White perch, Yellow perch

 

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STOCKING

Fish may be released into the waters from which they were taken, but permission from the Department of Natural Resources must be secured before releasing fish in other waters, except for private water owners. An owner of a body of water may release fish into waters wholly upon his or her property that are indigenous to the State of Illinois. It is illegal to import or possess live diploid grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp or hybrid grass carp. A Restricted Species Transportation Permit must be secured from the Department of Natural Resources before importing or stocking triploid grass carp.

 

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DIP NETS

A sport fishing license allows the holder to take smelt in Lake Michigan with a dip net not exceeding 12 feet in diameter and having a mesh size not less than 1 inch diagonal stretch. In other waters carp, carpsucker, buffalo and gizzard shad may be taken with a dip net up to 15 feet in diameter and with a mesh size no less than 1 1/2 inches bar measure. Such equipment may not be used within 100 feet of a dam or to take game fish.

 

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This is the only place I see pickerel mentioned, and it is included as a game species.

 

Site Specific Sportfishing Regulations

Mississippi River (between IL & MO) 

All Nongame Species Combined - 100 Total Fish Daily Creel Limit (Excludes endangered and threatened species and the following game species: Crappie, Channel/Blue/Flathead Catfish, Rock Bass, Warmouth, White/Yellow/Striped/Hybrid Striped Bass, Trout, Largemouth/ Smallmouth/Spotted Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Chain/grass Pickerel, Walleye, Sauger, Paddlefish)

 

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Here's the bottom line:

• Call your local DNR office and ask permission.  Write down the name and phone number of the person you talk to.
• Do not collect in VHS waters.
• Do not collect any nonnative fish.
• Do not collect any game species with nets.
• Do not release any live fish into a new body of water.
• If you get in trouble, do not say that NANFA told you it was ok to collect fish for your aquarium.  It's your responsibility to get permission.

 

Whew!

[BenCantrell]

Forgot one important one:

• Do not collect any threatened or endangered species.

Endangered

Acipenser fulvescens Lake Sturgeon

Ammocrypta clarum Western Sand Darter

Etheostoma camurum Bluebreast Darter

Etheostoma histrio Harlequin Darter

Hybognathus hayi Cypress Minnow

Hybopsis amblops Bigeye Chub

Hybopsis amnis Pallid Shiner

Ichthyomyzon fossor Northern Brook Lamprey

Lepomis miniatus Redspotted Sunfish

Macrhybopsis gelida Sturgeon Chub

Moxostoma valenciennesi Greater Redhorse

Nocomis micropogon River Chub

Notropis anogenus Pugnose Shiner

Notropis boops Bigeye Shiner

Notropis heterolepis Blacknose Shiner

Notropis maculatus Taillight Shiner

Notropis texanus Weed Shiner

Noturus stigmosus Northern Madtom

Scaphirhynchus albus** Pallid Sturgeon

 

Threatened

Ammocrypta pellucidum Eastern Sand Darter

Catostomus catostomus Longnose Sucker

Coregonus artedi Cisco

Erimystax x-punctatus Gravel Chub

Etheostoma exile Iowa Darter

Fundulus diaphanus Banded Killifish

Fundulus dispar Starhead Topminnow

Lampetra aepyptera Least Brook Lamprey

Lepomis symmetricus Bantam Sunfish

Moxostoma carinatum River Redhorse

Notropis chalybaeus Ironcolor Shiner

Notropis heterodon Blackchin Shiner

[Drx]

Found this after digging around last night
FISH
(515 ILCS 5/) Fish and Aquatic Life Code.

 

(515 ILCS 5/10-15) (from Ch. 56, par. 10-15)
    Sec. 10-15. Method of taking certain fish. Muskellunge, northern pike, pickerels, walleye, sauger, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, warmouth, rock bass, white bass, yellow bass, striped bass (ocean rockfish), sunfish, bluegill, crappie, trout, salmon, and their hybrids shall be taken only by properly licensed individuals and only with sport fishing devices as provided in Section 10-95.
(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)


 (515 ILCS 5/10-95) (from Ch. 56, par. 10-95)
    Sec. 10-95. Number of hooks; untagged devices. Any individual possessing a valid sport fishing license may take aquatic life by hand, or may use pole and line, bank pole and line, throw line, trotline, buoyed ganging devices, or other legal devices not exceeding 50 hooks in the aggregate, however, any individual at any one time is allowed to use under his or her immediate control only 2 untagged sport fishing devices and any additional devices up to the aggregate of 50 hooks must be tagged with his or her name and mailing address. It shall be unlawful to sell or barter any aquatic life or parts thereof taken by sport fishing devices.
    A dip net for non-commercial smelt fishing in Lake Michigan may be used subject to the provisions of Section 10-40.
    Any sport fishing device, including trot line device, bank pole, and throw line or buoyed ganging devices, left unattended must be tagged with the name and mailing address of the operator. All required tags shall be in a position to be at all times exposed to public view.
    A sport fishing license permits the holder to seine for minnows, provided that minnows are not sold. The seine shall not be longer than 20 feet, deeper than 6 feet, or contain mesh larger than 1/2 inch bar measurement.
(Source: P.A. 89-66, eff. 1-1-96.)
 

[Matt DeLaVega]

Isn't that the other way around? I was under the impression grass pickerel get larger, and that redfin were the smallest of the two species.

Maybe he is thinking chain? Not much size difference in grass and redfin, but I believe redfin are usually a bit smaller.

[Matt DeLaVega]

I think Illinois use to call any fish under 3 inches a minnow. Wonder if that law is still in play? Maybe that was Indiana?

[Drx]

"A minnow is statutorily defined as any fish in the min-

now family (Cyprinidae) except carp and goldfish."

[don212]

northern pike, similar to pickerel but get much bigger, pickerel of any type are often thought of as a nuisance, but pike and muskies are highly desired gamefish, too desired for the populations good