Live Bait?

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
21

right on Jim i like the fire and passon you put in to it..

but i don’t know if the 100’s of charter Capton’s out there doing the same job as you do, would stay in biz without the bait they use!

many of the pepole that go on them boats as you well know have not fished very much in there life! and putting a complex lure on there line without teaching them how to ues it would make for some very low fish counts.. they like you make there liveing getting others on the fish and catching them!

live bait works best for them!

22

I think it is a good idea maybe they should just start out in the lakes you can use a second pole permit
reason be it dont seem that harmless to use a second pole why not use live bait i no back east in alot of states they use live bait are they having any problems no not that i no of

23

[reply]"The point is, allowing more leeway on this issue increases the danger. Illegal introduction is one of the top threats to Utah fisheries–we shouldn’t shoot ourselves in the foot by making it easier.
Anybody else out there think this is a bad idea?[/reply]

I think the idea of allowing live bait is an absolutely idiotic idea for the very reason you state: illegal introductions of live bait into fisheries is ruining reservoirs/lakes all over the west. By allowing people to legally fish with live bait fishes, we would only be making it easier for people to illegally transplant these fishes into new systems. Scenario: Joe Bob the lawnchair keystone light drinking tire burning live bait fishermen buys two dozen chubs to use as bait on Fish Lake. After fishing for two hours at Fish Lake, he decides to pack up his keystone and the dozen chubs he has left to head over to UM Creek (he leaves his tire burning of course because he is not concerned with doing any harm) where he hopes to catch a trophy tiger trout on one of them live chubs. But, after fishing for a while with little or no success he decides to head home…BUT not before dumping the remainder of his live chubs into UM Creek. Joe Bob’s live bait legal chubs then turn into thousands of chubs endangering the existence of threatened cr cutthroat habitat which opens a huge can of worms…
…Live bait a good idea? Like hell it is!

24

[reply]

it’s not the fishing with live bait that get’s fish from one lake to another! it’s the transporting of live fish that dose![/reply]

And how are you going to control what people take from that lake? Joe Bob can buy his chubs at the “licensed vendor” and then take them wherever the heck he wants…how are you/the DWR going to control where Joe Bob takes these fish to use them as bait?

25

hey wormandbobber
do you kill your worm befor you use it
if not remember thats live bait your using under that bobber

26

I think I have to weigh in with wormandbobber on this one. The reason for many of the laws inacted by the DWR is for ease/possibility of inforcement of conservation issues. I do not think that fishing with live fish caught in the same water in which they are fished would be harmful. But trying to write and inforce laws that would allow that practice and still prevent transportation of live fish would, in my oppinion, open up a bigger “can of worms”, so to speak, for the DWR and conservation.

27

they can’t control what and where, you do with live crayfish right now! but they are still ok to catch live and use as bait.. are they not?

you tell me the diffrence in a minnow and a crayfish?

both can infest a lake or river.. both can take over the waters they live in, and still food from the smaller game fish and they both eat the eeg’s of the game fish about the same..

yet one you can use as live bait! and one you can’t!

why is that?

BTW: You cant control pepole on this!!
but giving them some places that they could do it might stop some
that would do it!!

and like i just said not you, me, nor anyone can stop someone from planting ilegal fish! if they got it in there head to do it!! and the DWR has such and great record at stoping pepole right? what are they now 1 to 1000 or something like that? sounds like the odd’s are good that it going to keep going on and on and on and on.. tell all the lake and rivers we’ll have will have nothing but chub and crayfish in them!!
take the crayfish out of All the rivers and lakes,and all the rivers and lakes will be back to the way we fond them before we started trying to control any of them anyway!!

chub and shiner minnows are a native to most all Utah waters.. tell the DWR started trying to wipe them out!! because of sportfishing?

crayfish are not native to Utah..

28

Here is my 2 cents on this idea. I grew up in Wyoming and did a lot of fishing there South Dakota and Montana. In the late 70’s to mid 80’s there was a select few lakes in the state that you could use minnows at. Predominantly lakes with no or very few trout. You could catch your own minnows if you harvested them from the water shed you fished in. Then in the mid to late 80’s they switched it to where you had to purchase them from a licensed dealer and you would get a receipt showing the number and date you bought the minnows. I have never seen anyone transplant minnows to lakes other than the ones they were authorized on and have never seen them used anyplace that was illegal. I like using artificials as much as the next guy but there are times when minnows just plain work better especially for walleyes and crappies. As for minnows always being the best bait that is far from the truth. I have seen days where I could catch 10-15 crappies on a jig in the time it takes a guy using minnows to catch 2 or 3. Walleyes I have done better on jigs and worms sometimes than minnows it just depends on the fish. South Dakota you can either buy or catch your own minnows but there is still certain trout lakes you can’t use them. Montana you can buy them but there is a lot of trout lakes you can’t use them on. My personal opinion if a lake is predominantly trout stick with something else besides live minnows. I have fished lakes with trout where minnows were allowed and in that case minnows do seem to out weigh the effectiveness of most other baits. But lakes like Cutler, Utah, Willard, Mantua, Pineview and lakes that are predominantly warm water species if the minnows can be harvested in those waters they should be allowed to use them there.

29

Yeah…you are right…both Montana and Wyoming allow fishermen to use live bait on certain waters. That’s why it is so ironic and pitifully sad that they haven’t awakened to the epidemic they (the game and fish departments in those states) themselves are contributing to. Here is a cut-and-pasted article talking about Montana’s problem…“500 th unauthorized fish introduction”, “20 percent of Montana’s illegal fish introductions in the past 10 years”, “at least 50 different species of fishhave been illegally introduced”, “the illegal practice is growing so rampant that it is beyond FWP resources to remedy the problems being created”…
…the same type of problems are happening in Wyoming as well. Should Utah throw their hands up in there, stop fighting this battle, and help plant those illegal fish introduction seeds by allowing people to use live bait? Hell no!

Montana trying to
stop illegal fish stocking
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

" With Montana’s lakes and rivers facing an epidemic of illegal stocking of fish, state officials said today anglers will see wardens checking boats and live-wells this summer for unwanted hitchhikers.

Illegal introductions of fish, or “bucket biology,” occur from the illegal movement of fish from one body of water to another, bait-bucket transfers, and even from mail-order companies that market all manner of fish.

It is illegal to transport live fish in Montana without a permit from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. It is also illegal to dump live fish into any Montana water.

“It’s a national problem that’s rapidly spreading across Montana,” said Chris Hunter, chief of fisheries for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Helena. “We believe that more than 20 percent of Montana’s illegal fish introductions occurred in the past 10 years.”

FWP recently confirmed the state’s 500 th unauthorized fish introduction. At least 50 different species of fish have been illegally dumped into state waters.

“It’s an epidemic that’s threatening Montana’s native fish populations and the state’s planned for and managed fisheries from Lake Mary Ronan near Polson to Broadwater Pond near Billings,” Hunter said.

Illegally introduced fish and other aquatic species can harm native, wild and stocked fish populations, spread disease, and create water-quality problems. The consequences of an illegal fish introduction diminishes fishing opportunities and increases management costs by exhausting hatchery stocks or by requiring the rehabilitation of a lake or stream to restore a fishery.

Jim Kropp, FWP’s chief of enforcement in Helena, said FWP wardens have been working the state’s fishing access sites and boat ramps to inform anglers and boaters about the threat of illegal introductions and to check live wells or bait buckets for live fish.

“The illegal practice has grown so rampant that it’s now beyond FWP resoures to remedy the problems being created,” Kropp said. “We’re hoping onsite education and enforcement will provide awareness of the problem and help to prevent additional illegal stocking. We do need the public’s help in understanding and controlling this problem.”

 Kropp said boat inspections for illegal introductions and for unwanted aquatic species have been conducted at Canyon Ferry, Fresno, Tiber and Fort Peck reservoirs. FWP will check boats at numerous locations, including Big Horn, Hauser, Holter, Noxon, and Tongue River reservoir; and on the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers.

To protect Montana waters from damages caused by illegal fish introductions:

  • Never move live fish, aquatic insects, or other aquatic organisms from one water to another for any reason

  • Never release aquarium fish into streams and lakes

  • Never release live baitfish into streams and lakes

The illegal introduction of any fish into any Montana water is a crime, punishable by fines up to $1,000. In addition, violators may be required to pay restitution for the costs of removing the introduced species and restoring the original fishery. If you witness such a crime, report it by calling TIP-MONT at 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668).

Free “Kick the Bucket—Stop Illegal Introductions” bumper stickers are available at all FWP regional offices.

30

I’m with WandB and TarponJim.

No reason to risk it. These warm water fish can be caught on jigs/lures or dead bait.

Before just recently, I hadn’t fished minnows (dead) too much. TD introduced it to me, and I am hooked. He has taught me how to fish the dead minnows that make them look alive, and/or wounded.

To fish this way it takes a little more skill than to just throw on a chub and anchor it to the bottom and let it swim around.

IMHO, this way there is some sport in what you are doing, and there is no risk of transplanting.

31

seen a lot of NO TRANSPORTING!! in that article.. but did not see how useing the bait that is allredy in the lake can be harmfull?

and if you have not noticed utah allredy has the same problem with pepole transporting and inporting illegal live fish!!

this is not about transporting live fish! it’s about useing live bait!

32

It is about transporting…by allowing people to buy live bait and fish with live bait, you are opening up the can of worms that includes transporting those live fishes. Why make it easier for dumb people to ruin our fishing?