Using Live Bait in Freshwater???

[felts_jf]

I have noticed for alot of freshwater fish up here people still use little jigs and things like that for bluegill and crappie, or other fish for that matter. I was wondering if it is illegal or something to throw the occasional nightcrawler or minnow or cricket? I know back home fishing for crappie or gills or even catfish all we use is the live bait, just wondering that way I dont get a big ticket up here when I get home.

Thanks
Jason

[JT26]

you can use worms, but i dont know about other minnow-ish fishes because i dont think there native or something.

[Palmer]

You can't use live fish as bait. However, you can use dead fish except lamprey can't be used period. I don't see anything about crickets so you are probably ok. P. 27 of the regs.

[tnj8222]

i was thinking the same thing when i started fishing here. in NC we would use crickets for panfish. they are absolutly awesome. you can buy crickets here in the petshops. pretty sure its legal and im sure these fish have never even seen one before. i will give it a try tonight. i have to buy some feeders for my bass tank anyways.

[dilbert]

.... i have to buy some feeders for my bass tank anyways.

Any pictures of this bass tank?

[gpc]

Yeah you can use any "bug" sort of bait. You can also use minnows as long as they are dead. They have emerald shinners that come in bags or jars. I have tried them for crappie but nothing works better than a maggot and a jig in my opinion. Out in the sound and ocean and some lakes and rivers herring are the best bet for salmon and you can buy them at gas stations around the water. I have also heard a lot of good things about crickets and grasshoppers being the #1 bluegill bait, but have never used them or even witnessed anybody using them. Cut baits can be used too, as long as its a legal sized fish

[felts_jf]

Thanks for the input guys. I hope I can find a place that sell's crickets when I get back that way I can slay the gills next spring. That sucks you cant use live minnows to crappie fish they work the best but I guess dead ones would work. Never have tried the jig and maggot method, can you buy maggots just anywhere or what. Where is the best places to get bait at around the Tacoma area?

Jason

[gpc]

Thanks for the input guys. I hope I can find a place that sell's crickets when I get back that way I can slay the gills next spring. That sucks you cant use live minnows to crappie fish they work the best but I guess dead ones would work. Never have tried the jig and maggot method, can you buy maggots just anywhere or what. Where is the best places to get bait at around the Tacoma area?

Jason

Maggots are a little more uncommon than compared to worms or herring, or at least on the west side. Your for sure bet would be JOES, Sports mans warehouse, Sport co. But quite a few resorts sell them. They are also used a lot for kokane and ice fishing. But they are kind of expensive

[tnj8222]

yes i got lots of pics and a couple of videos of my tank. its also on youtube. i cant get you a link right now because my work blocks youtube but i will get it for you later. to search for it on youtube i beleive the tittle is feeding bass - fish porn but i dont remember.. right now i have a small perch and a 10 inch bass and a 6 inch bass. its pretty cool to see them eat. i had a crappie in there but it grew really really fast so i released it. its only a 45 gallon tank so i cant keep them in there for two long.

[littleriver]

There are some very good reasons for not using "live minnows" for bait in this state...

Unlike most fisheries back in the midwest and southeast, there is a lot of segregation of species in this state..... Good trout lakes that generate lots of fisherman-days of fishing and sell lots of licenses quickly become abandoned "used to be" fishing waters when the wrong species are introduced and take hold.

Anyone who wants to research this issue should look at what's happened at Diamond Lake Oregon over the last 10 or 15 years... the millions and millions of dollars and many years of good fishing that have been lost because some sport fisher wanted to use live bait and accidently introduced the wrong kind of fish into the lake.

We have a heck of a time in this state to. Lake Chopaka up in the Okanogan is a prime sport fishing trout lake that's pretty much dead right now because somebody dumped a bunch of bass into it. Lots of other examples. WDFW has to spend a lot of money every year to rotenone lakes (rotenone is a poison that kills all the fish in the lake it is dumped into) in order to rehabilitate them into recreationally viable fisheries.........

The more money WDFW has to spend rehabilitating lakes the less money they have to do other things like buy and build access to new waters...........

There are very good reasons for not using live minnows for bait in this state..... please don't do it and please discourage anyone else you know who might want to fish this way from doing it....


We will all have much better fishing opportunity if we understand what these reasons are and support the WDFW in it's efforts to make fishing better for all of us...

[dbaker]

They had to kill off Diamond Lake again last year. Chubs I think are the pest fish. I'm sure littleriver can verify that. Those chubs took over that lake.

[kzoo]

Thanks for the input guys. I hope I can find a place that sell's crickets when I get back that way I can slay the gills next spring. That sucks you cant use live minnows to crappie fish they work the best but I guess dead ones would work. Never have tried the jig and maggot method, can you buy maggots just anywhere or what. Where is the best places to get bait at around the Tacoma area?

Jason

Man I know how you feel about the minnow thing. I'm from the midwest and fished in the south, We hardly ever went fishing for crappies without minnows. I guess the Washington locals are use to regulations and have been pretty successful fishing without minnows.

[tnj8222]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bZ35HPmg8O0 heres a older video of mine when i had the crappie. the bass is a little bigger now. i will try to get a new video soon.



Sorry i just realized im hijacking your thread..... my bad!

[Proverb]

I thought using live bait like minnows and crawdads was illegal in washington? Someone on the docks told me that one time.. ? Anyone know?

[TheOne]

man, all i know is that if your getting arrested for fishing with worms. i think i can speak for everyoone when i say ''wtf''? that is some bs

[felts_jf]

I just dont see how fishing with something natural can be against the law. As far as dumping other species of fish into other waters, I could see where that would be bad, but if your fishing with minnows how is that introducing fish into a lake when your using them as bait "fish food" so more than likely they are not going to survive in another fish or I'm pretty sure a hook in you, I know I have hooked myself before and I am 6 ft 220 lbs and it hurt like heck so I'm sure a 2 inch minnow doesnt really survive it. Just wondering not argueing. If thats the law here than thats the law here, pretty sure I would rather pay 10 dollars for some artificial bait verses 150 for a ticket from the water cops.

Jason

[tnj8222]

I just dont see how fishing with something natural can be against the law. As far as dumping other species of fish into other waters, I could see where that would be bad, but if your fishing with minnows how is that introducing fish into a lake when your using them as bait "fish food" so more than likely they are not going to survive in another fish or I'm pretty sure a hook in you, I know I have hooked myself before and I am 6 ft 220 lbs and it hurt like heck so I'm sure a 2 inch minnow doesnt really survive it. Just wondering not argueing. If thats the law here than thats the law here, pretty sure I would rather pay 10 dollars for some artificial bait verses 150 for a ticket from the water cops.

Jason

its mostly from people dumping there bait (minnow) buckets out into the water after a day of fishing.

[michaelunbewust]

i use waterdogs during the summer months. there is only 2 places that carry them, so i cant divulge the addresses. they go quick every year. but, they are deadly for large smallies/lm bass, as well as, "big" catfish. on the lower yakima river below richland. otherwise, i think nightcrawlers are the only thing to use live in washington. good luck!!

[panfisher]

you can use crawfish, leeches, bugs of any sort (caught a 16'' rainbow on a fat wasp) worms , maggots , etc about the only thing live that can't be fished is another fish, there was a discussion about stuff that may be on an endangered list as some frogs and such may be. people use to use gold fish in states that allowed live fish as bait but outlawed them because the gold fish took over some lakes. some good baits are what you can find under rocks in rivers and lakes also.

[Proverb]

Is it illegal to use small fish from the lake you are fishing as bait? They sell minnow traps next to crawdad traps in most sporting goods stores. I'm curious if you caught some of the little fish if you could then use them.. not like they could take over the lake/river if they are already part of the system.