Minnesota is one of the few states in the nation banning the use of automatic fishing devices such as the Automatic Fisherman and Jaw Jacker.

It is benefical to use these devices because they offer the angler a faster hook set, preventing the injestion of the bait and reducing mortality to fish.

The concern behind these automatic style fishing devices is they are considered spring loaded. This is a misconception because technology has changed. The rod sits in reel seat, then is bent down into a clip. As the fish bites, it pulls on the line, disengages the clip, and releases the rod- thus setting the hook on the fish The angler then manually reels up the fish.

On the Great Lakes of Wisconsin, using the automatic fishing devices is very popular for lake trout, and in smaller lakes it is used for northern pike.