2014 Regulation Change

Anyone who fishes with minnows, or seines or traps their own minnows for bait, in ANY STREAM OR CREEK OR RIVER, in Oklahoma had better be aware of the new 2014 regulation. It is unlawful to take or possess more than 25 nongame bait fish on any creek river or stream in OK. This includes commercially purchased bait. In other words if you are fishing with minnows in the Nav Channel, or Grand River or even below the dam at Keystone you can't have more than 25 minnows in your bait bucket. If you seine or trap your own minnows from a creek or river you can only take 25.

I can see it now, ' how many minnas you got boy'?

I will talk to the ODWC boys and see what triggered this proposal.

I sent them an email yesterday. Haven't heard back.

What I have been able to find out so far is that the intent of the regulation was to protect native non game fishes in the Eastern Oklahoma Scenic waterways. I was also informed that the law would be enforced with that intent in mind. I was also informed that if you had a receipt from a commercial minnow dealer that you bought bait from that you would be OK.

HOWEVER That is not what the law states a currently written. As written you can not raise or use your own minnows, cannot seine or trap more than 25 minnows from ANY river, creek or stream and cannot even posses more than 25 minnows on a river, creek or stream. Enforcing the law at the discretion of the individual 0fficer can only lead to confusion and abuse.

that's why I wanted something in writing.

I can't keep receipts for tools or electronics...let alone receipts for minners.

Cricket George, This is NOT just a proposal it IS now the law. I strongly opposed this when it was a proposal and came up for public comment but evidently not enough negative comments were received to sway the ODWC fisheries division.

Maybe I'm not fully understanding this..... so if I fish blue or Spencer Creek I can only have 25?

I guess that is just like the rest of this screwed up regulation. It is up to the individual officer to determine where the creek ends and the lake begins. What about every other creek and river that feeds into a lake?