DNRE Reminds Anglers About Bait Restrictions:

As Winter Fee Fishing Weekend approaches, the Department of Natural
Resources and Environment reminds anglers that the use of salmon eggs or
minnows for bait is restricted in some waters as part of a strategy to
slow the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS).

Anglers who purchase spawn or minnows for bait should make sure it is
certified as disease-free. Certified bait is widely available and can be
used anywhere. Uncertified bait may only be used in waters with fish
that have tested positive for VHS.

Anglers who collect their own salmon eggs for bait from lakes Michigan,
Huron or Erie or their tributaries can only use them downstream from the
first upstream barrier from the lake. They may not be used on inland
lakes.

VHS, a disease that causes fish to die from internal bleeding, has
caused mortalities among a number of species of fish in Michigan. The
disease has been found in Michigan’s waters of Lake Erie and Lake
Huron. VHS has been found in Lake Michigan, but not in Michigan’s
waters.

“There is no known treatment for VHS,” said DNRE Fish Production
Manager Gary Whelan, who monitors fish diseases for the department.
“Our best defense against it is trying to prevent and slow its
spread.”

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is committed to the
conservation, protection, management, and accessible use and enjoyment
of the state’s environment, natural resources, and related economic
interests for current and future generations.

Source: Michigan DNRE