Black Salties could ease the no live herring dilemma

[Pt.JudeJoe]

Black Salties , goldfish like , live bait will be available in bait shops this spring. They are hardy fresh water fish that can live up to 2 hours in salt water. From what I'm told they can be taken to the shore in a bucket with some 02 tabs in it and of course a live well in a boat. They come in different sizes, some big for stripers and smaller ones for fluke. The big ones (5 in or so) will be about 1.50 just about the same as an eel. I know they work cuz a 50 lb striper was taken on one last year.

[JohnR]

SSSSSHHHH!!!!!!!

[jim sylvester]

www.blacksalty.com


they are the new thing...even though they caught on strong last year

[Krispy]

Rigged Salties are $11

[zimmy]

I am a fan of farm raised bait, but I have a concern with black salties. Won't be a preoblem in the salt, but what happens to a freshwater lake when a bunch of these come off the hook or get dumped... I would like it if they came with a self destruct button.

[zimmy]

just saw they are illegal in freshwater in Ca and FL...

[tlapinski]

Why not just become a better plugger? If eels get banned, will people start live lining garden snakes?

[Skitterpop]

Originally Posted by tlapinski

If eels get banned, will people start live lining garden snakes?

What do you mean start? Also Black Racers are bigger and blacker

[Sweetwater]

Originally Posted by zimmy

I am a fan of farm raised bait, but I have a concern with black salties. Won't be a preoblem in the salt, but what happens to a freshwater lake when a bunch of these come off the hook or get dumped... I would like it if they came with a self destruct button.

I'm with you on this one. Too many "exotics" (plants and fish) are really causing havoc. Everyone...PLEASE use common sense and be careful!

[PI guy]

Originally Posted by Sweetwater

I'm with you on this one. Too many "exotics" (plants and fish) are really causing havoc. Everyone...PLEASE use common sense and be careful!

It'll be OK the snakeheads will take care of them.

[eelman]

Originally Posted by tlapinski

Why not just become a better plugger? If eels get banned, will people start live lining garden snakes?

I think Garden snakes is a bit of a stretch....However I dont care how "good" a plugger anyone is, you will never beat Live bait. Thats the one hurdle a hunk of plastic or wood will never get over.Toss a live well in the truck, catch some scup and put a hook in there nose=Big bass...

[fishaholic18]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

Toss a live well in the truck, catch some scup and put a hook in there nose=Big bass...

Yup, they work, only thing is, they have to be 10.5" to keep which is fine with me, just trim the fins so the bass can suck 'em in easier.

[MakoMike]

I heard that they may not be legal in MA? Sounds like an accident waiting to happen to me. Once they get into fresh water they could become a problem. And rest assured some yo-yo is going to dump a bucket load into fresh water.

[Steve K]

I know nothing about Black Salties but why aren't they sterilized during the fish farming process? This would solve the problem of them being released into freshwater bodies of water.

[eelman]

Originally Posted by Steve K

I know nothing about Black Salties but why aren't they sterilized during the fish farming process? This would solve the problem of them being released into freshwater bodies of water.

They may be, for gods sake its a Shiner...Lighten up! What is tossed in freshwater will be sucked up by largemouths. Thats all it is a Shiner, How many Shiners are baught at baitshops each season and tossed into the water? Whos knows where the bait supplier got them? and in what type of water conditions they were in?

[Rockport24]

I love the video on that website! It's like, yeah no chit a largemouth is going to eat it!

[Adamfishes]

im with you #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& whats the big deal with these shiners being in fresh water? Maybe I missed some fine print but more bait fish sounds like a good thing to me. Hell lets farm some pogies and fatten up the cows

[eelman]

Its just something else to cry about, its a shiner plain and simple, raised in the USA and just like any other shiner there is.........

[JHABS]

Some use them,Some don't ....I WILL USE THEM..............THEY WORK................

[NIB]

Originally Posted by JHABS

Some use them,Some don't ....I WILL USE THEM..............THEY WORK................

Good give me all ur lures.

[mikecc]

We went over this last year, Unless the fish and game had made changes. They are not legal to possese in MA and I doubt if they are legal in RI.

[eelman]

Originally Posted by mikecc

We went over this last year, Unless the fish and game had made changes. They are not legal to possese in MA and I doubt if they are legal in RI.

Not Legal? Since when did they put a ban on Shiners?

[jim sylvester]

I know of a tackle shop in RI that sold them last year......so i would say that they are legal

[Nebe]

Wildwood outfitters will be carying them starting next week i beleive.

i had a saltwater grade one in my hand today and while i was impressed, i have reservations... they arent that big, so even a large schoolie can snarf them up, while a large shad or scup will cull out the smaller bass who can not fit them in their maw.

[mikecc]

They are not a shiner.

Alls I got to say is Tom's in Middleboro was fined over $50,000 for importing into MA.
It is up to the person to know his law of importing them into his state.
I'm not going to get into it any further. Look it up before you do it.

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by mikecc

They are not a shiner.

Correct.

They're in the goldfish family and if allowed to grow can become quite large like any of the other species in the goldfish family.They're very hardy,the fact that they can live in saltwater for up to two hours demonstrates that.This is also what makes them easy to raise.

Letting non-native species propagate,especially in a closed freshwater environment,is never a good idea.You can never know what the resulting consequences could be.White perch in Moosehead lake,zebra mussels in the Great Lakes etc.These fish were designed and developed in a lab and have a patent pending.They're non-native everywhere on the planet.

Out of all the concientious local fisherman who'll use them only in saltwater there'll always be someone who'll want his own private stock and'll drop a few dozen in the local pond.

Now with all that being said they haven't posed any problem whereever they've been used so far and may very well be the ticket to allow those who fish live bait to continue to do so and will take the pressure off the native species and allow them to rebound.

[piemma]

Come on. if you guys can't catch a decent bass on a Danny or a Surf Hog you should hang it up. You still have eels and Scup

[MakoMike]

I talked to dave at Ocean State tackle yesterday and he said they will be carrying them starting next week.

[mikecc]

Just got off the phone with the division of fisheries and wildlife. They said the only way that fish in allowed in MA is DEAD.
Any person having posession of it will be subject to fines and jail.
It is a nonnative species and is not allowed period.
Any person selling the fish in the state will be fined severly & or jail and licences suspended.
They said that selling it for saltwater does not make a differance. It is the fact that it could be introduced to the freshwater lakes and streams.

[CaptDom]

Hi Guys,

Lurked here for a while, never posted as didn't feel appropriate with my profession while not being a sponsor. Like the information exchanged, and the obvious passion you all share for fishing.

That being said, I want to clear up a few things in regards to the Black Salty. These fish are farm raised members of the goldfish family, and were developed in aquaculture ponds in Arkansas, not in a lab. They have not been genetically altered in any way, they have simply been acclimated to salt water immersion over a 7 year process, and the heartiest specimens were then bred and retained. They stay alive in salt water up to 2 hours, then will die from overexposure to the salinity. I introduced a scientist at the RI DEM to Neil Anderson, owner of the minnow farm, and the 2 of them exchanged information including scientific workups, stats, and pertinent info. DEM then gave permission for them to be shipped into the state for retail sale. No baitshops sold them last year, Myself and 1 other person in RI used them on a trial basis only.
They are legal in many states already, even for freshwater useage. Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi all allow them for dual purpose bait, and they have many more tributaries, ponds, lakes, and other impoundments then New England combined. They have had absolutely no problems with these fish altering in any way the current biological distribution of native species, as they have a tough time getting a foothold in any body of water where a predatory fish lives. CA and FL have allowed the use as saltwater bait while prohibiting fresh water useage, for whatever reasons, but obviously it is possible to get legal status as saltwater bait while not freshwater, as precedence in these states shows.
These baits will be available starting this weekend at Wildwood distributors, Ocean State Tackle, and Sam's Bait and Tackle, while many others are making necessary preparations to have them available in coming weeks. They are an extremely effective alternative to wild harvested bait, and for those of you with doubts as to their effectiveness on large fish, I took a 52.8 pound striper on one in late Oct. , a 49 pound yellowfin out on the edge in Sept. as well as numerous mahi that same trip, and countless jumbo sea bass all year long, along with many other stripers from schoolie up to 38 pounds.
Currently the magnum size of 7-8 inch baits are in limited supply, but by July will be readily available as the farm has devoted a few ponds to get them to that size and even bigger by then. The inshore size is a sure fire bait for sea bass and fluke, and stripers will readily take all 3 sizes. Anyone with any other questions or reservations can contact Anderson farms direct at www.blacksalty.com, or PM me and I'll be happy to help in any way I can.
For those of you concerned that these fish will ruin any freshwater areas, rest assured that extensive sales in freshwater rich states has yielded nothing but positive results. Think of it this way.... how many legally sold Koi or goldfish are transacted in RI each year, and how many ponds do you know of where monster goldfish lurk awaiting your every cast???