Northwest Fishing Reports

Hello,

I've looked high and low in the regs, but haven't quite figured this one out on my own.
Is cut bait legal in freshwater?
In other words, can I catch a sunfish in a lake, cut it up and use it for bait in the same lake for catfish?

Thanks!
Glen

I do it all the time when fishing for perch

As long as it is a legally caught fish, you can then use that fish as bait. It is sort of like using perch eyes. catch a perch, then you have a very durable, effective bait. perch eye are perfectly legal, as a wdfw officer once recommended them to me. Live fish as bait is another story. You can use crawdad, and other, non-fish creatures you catch in the body of water of water "alive" in that same body of water. No transporting live things to other waters! to the best of my knowledge, using "live" fish as bait, in Washington, is illegal. I am getting ready to go fishing in Iowa, and looking forward to getting a big bucket full of live minnows and chubs for some Walleye, and Northern Pike, and even Muskie fishing.

Yes, it's legal. Your dead bait fish counts towards the limit of that fish species. IE.. Fish Lake(Chelan County), if you cut up one whole perch to use for bait, that one perch counts towards your 25 perch daily limit. I know, just need the eyes, that's just an example. I do like the way perch skin flaps in its presentation to other perch though.

Salt water, you can use live bait for food fish such as salmon, lings, but not for game fish such as steelhead or cutthroat... It's been done for decades and is still legal. Refer to pg 10 definitions, food vs game fish.

ah, salt water, another degree towards a masters in Washington state fishing regs.

ncwflounderer wrote:ah, salt water, another degree towards a masters in Washington state fishing regs.

LOL You're not kidding! LOL Just when you think you've got it figured out, in comes an emergency reg! LOL

https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efis ... r_select.h" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There was a recent occurrence that another law enforcement member didn't know the live bait/salt water reg. A fisherman nearly received a ticket. It's tough for the law guys and us to keep it all straight.

Here's a good one for salt, hypothetically and complicated somewhat: What is it currently legal to fish for west of the 30 fathom line on the coast? What species can you have on the boat when in these areas? LOL Have fun with that! AND What are the limits of the current fishable species west of the 30 fathom line? The interpretations based on what is written in the regs are mind boggling. PS That 30 fathom line seems to move from date to date... There's a couple of descriptions(lat/lons) for it depending on the time of the year or species in play.

The use might be illegal. I do not have the 2014 regs book here in the house, but in all past years it reads that one cannot use a sport fish as bait. I'll try to get my hands on it when I am near the keyboard and post what it says.

CarpMouth wrote: . I do not have the 2014 regs book here in the house, but in all past years it reads that one cannot use a sport fish as bait. I'll try to get my hands on it when I am near the keyboard and post what it says.

I have heard this said more than once but can not find it in the regs. I would appreciate it if you could tell us where that is.
The only thing close I can find is under "You May Not" "use SALMON, HERRING, or HALIBUT for anything other than human consumption or fishing bait."

ncwflounderer wrote: I am getting ready to go fishing in Iowa, and looking forward to getting a big bucket full of live minnows and chubs for some Walleye, and Northern Pike, and even Muskie fishing.

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the great info!
My wife and I are getting back into fishing after quite a few years off.

That would be fun to try some day with the live minnows where it's legal!

Cheers,
Glen

CarpMouth wrote:The use might be illegal. I do not have the 2014 regs book here in the house, but in all past years it reads that one cannot use a sport fish as bait. I'll try to get my hands on it when I am near the keyboard and post what it says.

The rule is one of the most commonly misunderstood one in the WDFW regs.

The wording changed a few years ago. It used to say "You may not use live fish for gamefish bait"

Unfortunately, a lot of people misinterpret the above as meaning "You may not use gamefish for bait"

The two phrases are not the same/equivalent.

Here is the definitive answer taken from my email correspondence with WDFW:

Karen, it is illegal to fish for any Game Fish in freshwater with live fish as bait in Washington State, but this does not include critters such as worms, leeches, crawfish, salamanders, crickets, grasshoppers, and other (non-fish) aquatic animals found in the same body of water you are fishing. The intent of this bait rule is to avoid the spread of any aquatic species from one body of water where it might be indigenous, to another body of water where it may be classified as, or could become, invasive. This does not apply to marine areas (such as Puget Sound) during an open season, where live bait is a commonly used (and legal) practice. There have been no changes regarding the use of bait while fishing for Food Fish. Anglers can never use live fish as bait for Game Fish (see page 16), but this rule does not affect Food Fish species such as Salmon, Halibut, Ling Cod, Sturgeon, Bottomfish, etc. in saltwater.

During an open season, if you happen to catch something like Bass, Trout, Crappie, Catfish, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, etc., you could cut that (dead) fish up to use as bait (in the same body of water where it was caught), but it would count towards your daily limit for that particular species – if it had one. The above information also applies to saltwater, meaning that you could catch something like Kelp Greenling to use as live bait for Ling Cod or Halibut, or catch Herring to use as live bait for salmon, but that Kelp Greenling or Herring would have to be counted as part of your daily limit for that individual species.

If you do not have a copy of the new 2014/2015 regulation pamphlet, you can respond with your surface mailing address and we would be happy to send one to you, or with your internet capability, you may view/download the WDFW online pamphlet at the following web address: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Please make sure you check for emergency rule changes before you harvest as follows:

Fishing Rule Change Hotline at (360) 902-2500 Shellfish Rule Change Hotline at 1-866-880-5431 Or, try our searchable emergency rule link off our website at: https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/index.jsp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Additionally, for shellfish, make sure to call the Dept. of Health Marine Toxins PSP Hotline at 1-800-562-5632.

If you have further questions, please email again or call (360) 902-2700. Our Customer Service hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

We hope this information helps.

Sincerely,

Fish Program


Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 6:36 PM
To: Fishing Regulations (DFW)
Subject: Game Fish Bait



Hi,

In a public forum there is a discussion as to if it is legal to take a piece of meat or eyeball from a game fish (perch, bass, etc) and use it as bait for another fish.
In past publications, I thought I read where this is not legal.

Is this referenced in the 2014 Regs and if so what page number and where? Thank you. KJKS

Excellent info. Thanks!!