Our view: Clear up the sucker snag on Red River

Herald editorial board

Catfishing on the Red River is a burgeoning industry. The Cats Incredible and Scheels Boundary Battle catfish tournaments are an economic boon in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, and professional guides are seeing an increase in business as trophy-seeking anglers realize the potential of the Red River along the North Dakota-Minnesota border.

According to professional fishing guide Brad Durick of Grand Forks, there's a good chance those anglers are using one of three baits: suckers, goldeyes and frogs.

But according to current North Dakota law, anglers cannot enter the Red from the North Dakota side of the river with suckers in their possession unless that bait is purchased in North Dakota, where stores at times have difficulty keeping up with demand.

So, an angler who buys suckers in East Grand Forks and launches on the Minnesota side of the river can legally fish, but an angler who crosses the river to launch in North Dakota cannot-even though they're fishing the same river.

To be fair, Minnesota has the same restrictions on transporting aquatic bait from North Dakota, but as Durick and other catfish anglers will attest, Minnesota doesn't have a supply issue.

A bill introduced in the North Dakota Legislature could change that inconsistency, and we hope SB 2183 is approved. On Jan. 17, Durick testified in favor of the proposal, which states "a live bait wholesaler or vendor may transport into the state and sell live white suckers for use as bait on the Red River of the North, and an individual licensed to fish in North Dakota may use live white suckers as bait on the Red River."

SB 2183 would not allow use of white suckers anywhere else in the state-in fact, even transporting live white suckers anywhere but Richland, Cass, Traill, Grand Forks, Walsh and Pembina counties is illegal-but it would clear up a snag that anglers are encountering along North Dakota's eastern border.

Chief among the troubles is the general lack of white suckers available near Grand Forks and Fargo. Durick noted retail vendors must have a special permit to possess the baitfish, and that sellers cannot meet demand.

Deregulating the permitting process - as proposed in SB 2183 - would loosen restrictions and presumably increase the supply on the west side of the Red, Durick said.

That's one problem. Another involves access to the Red River by anglers who today cannot have live white suckers in their possession on the North Dakota side of the river unless they buy those suckers in North Dakota.

During his testimony, Durick said "a simple solution (to the current sucker restrictions) would be to launch or fish the Minnesota side of the river. The reality is there is just not boat access available on both sides."

It has created unnecessary inconvenience for anglers. They can legally buy suckers in Minnesota and use those suckers on the Red River but they cannot bring those suckers across a bridge from Minnesota, launch from North Dakota and legally fish the exact same waters.

SB 2183 will clean up a confusing - probably maddening - web of regulations, and therefore should be approved.