Bait ban

[TROLLER]

So I always was under the impression that you could use smelts when a res. or lake had a bait ban.

Hard to get a correct answer. I talked to a nice lady at F&W and she said it was OK to use smelt, shrimp ect. Sea fish.

I did not get the feeling she was totally sure so am hesitant to use smelt on my quest to catch some spawning walleye.

Any one ever get the answer direct from F&W officer?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by TROLLER

So I always was under the impression that you could use smelts when a res. or lake had a bait ban.

Hard to get a correct answer. I talked to a nice lady at F&W and she said it was OK to use smelt, shrimp ect. Sea fish.

I did not get the feeling she was totally sure so am hesitant to use smelt on my quest to catch some spawning walleye.

Any one ever get the answer direct from F&W officer?

Bait ban is no bait no scent straight up artificial only

Now if you meant baitfish ban yes you can still use smelt

[SNAPFisher]

Yep, what Smoky said.

I was fishing Dickson Dam area and got a written warning for using a plastic worm that came from a scented package. So it is pretty broad when the say bait ban.

[keeks]

I asked in another thread but can't seem to find it. Are live minnows allowed anywhere in the province?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by keeks

I asked in another thread but can't seem to find it. Are live minnows allowed anywhere in the province?

Big no on live minnows dead only

[TROLLER]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

Yep, what Smoky said.

I was fishing Dickson Dam area and got a written warning for using a plastic worm that came from a scented package. So it is pretty broad when the say bait ban.

All plastic bait with the Cabella package are scent free. Also some of the power bait that has the large yellow dot in the upper corner are scent free.

I lay them out on news paper and cover them in baking soda over night. Then I rinse them off and cover them again while they are damp and again over night scent is gone.

[CanuckShooter]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

Yep, what Smoky said.

I was fishing Dickson Dam area and got a written warning for using a plastic worm that came from a scented package. So it is pretty broad when the say bait ban.

Are you saying they considered the scent to be 'bait'?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by CanuckShooter

Are you saying they considered the scent to be 'bait'?

Scent is not allowed in areas in B.C. with a bait ban either

Very common to have scent included in bait bans

[spurly]

Bait includes, but is not restricted to: corn, cheese, marshmallows, meat, maggots, meal worms, earthworms, wax worms, gammarus shrimp, leeches, terrestrial insects, the larvae, pupae or adults of aquatic insects (e.g., stonefly, mayfly, caddis fly), bait fish, parts of fish, fish eggs, scented baits, power baits and all additives that scent or flavour artificial baits and lures.

From the alberta regs.

[TROLLER]

Originally Posted by spurly

Bait includes, but is not restricted to: corn, cheese, marshmallows, meat, maggots, meal worms, earthworms, wax worms, gammarus shrimp, leeches, terrestrial insects, the larvae, pupae or adults of aquatic insects (e.g., stonefly, mayfly, caddis fly), bait fish, parts of fish, fish eggs, scented baits, power baits and all additives that scent or flavour artificial baits and lures.

From the alberta regs.

Interesting there is no mention of ocean fish ie smelt herring ect. So was my gal at F&W correct? I don't know, but to be safe until I talk to an officer I'll stick with my scent free artificial bait.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by TROLLER

Interesting there is no mention of ocean fish ie smelt herring ect. So was my gal at F&W correct? I don't know, but to be safe until I talk to an officer I'll stick with my scent free artificial bait.

As posted it says includes but not restricted to. But really ocean fish would still be considered meat or parts of fish even

Consider the principles to why a bait ban is put into place.

Like I mentioned during a bait fish ban you can still use ocean fish and this is likely where the confusion lies

If it helps I have personally seen people get tickets for using smelt in the upper bow during bait ban

[Seli]

What is the purpose of a bait ban?
If it is to reduce mortality from deeply hooked fish then I think it is pretty clear cut that smelts can not be used.
No sense in banning scented artificial plastics when the next guy is throwing a whole fish regardless if it is a saltwater fish.

[I’d rather be outdoors]

Originally Posted by TROLLER

Interesting there is no mention of ocean fish ie smelt herring ect. So was my gal at F&W correct? I don't know, but to be safe until I talk to an officer I'll stick with my scent free artificial bait.

Smokey’s statement above is correct. My experience is that unscented plastics work just as well if not better sometimes.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by CanuckShooter

Are you saying they considered the scent to be 'bait'?

Crazily yes. I’m sure there are 100 different ways to challenge this one.


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[CanuckShooter]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Scent is not allowed in areas in B.C. with a bait ban either

Very common to have scent included in bait bans

That was new to me, guess I better pour over every page of the regs again to see what is new, would never have guessed that a scented plastic worm would be considered using 'bait'. It seems odd that an artificial bug or fish is good to go, but if you put an artificial scent on you're using bait???? Sometimes I wonder who spends time dreaming up all these rules and regulations we are all supposed to memorize?

[akn]

Originally Posted by TROLLER

Interesting there is no mention of ocean fish ie smelt herring ect. So was my gal at F&W correct? I don't know, but to be safe until I talk to an officer I'll stick with my scent free artificial bait.

Bait Fish means any of the following: suckers (family Catostomidae), sticklebacks (family Gasterosteidae), trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus), Iowa darter (Etheostoma exile), minnows (family Cyprinidae), and the exceptions are that NO carp, goldfish and the western silvery minnow can be used as bait.

No person shall angle using any fish as bait, other than dead bait fish listed above, dead smelt, dead herring, dead shrimp, dead fish eggs or the skin, fins or eyes of game fish caught by angling.

Note: Smelts and herring are of the saltwater families Osmeridae and Clupeidae. Cisco also called tullibee or lake herring are of the family Coregonidae and use of the whole fish as bait is prohibited. As Cisco are classified as a game fish the skin, fins, or eyes of cisco legally caught by angling may be used as bait similar to other game fish. Fish (other than dead smelts, herring, gammarus shrimp and fish eggs) or crayfish purchased from pet stores cannot be used as bait.


Smelts and herring are considered bait but not bait fish defined by the regulations.

[H380]

Originally Posted by akn

Bait Fish means any of the following: suckers (family Catostomidae), sticklebacks (family Gasterosteidae), trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus), Iowa darter (Etheostoma exile), minnows (family Cyprinidae), and the exceptions are that NO carp, goldfish and the western silvery minnow can be used as bait.



No person shall angle using any fish as bait, other than dead bait fish listed above, dead smelt, dead herring, dead shrimp, dead fish eggs or the skin, fins or eyes of game fish caught by angling.



Note: Smelts and herring are of the saltwater families Osmeridae and Clupeidae. Cisco also called tullibee or lake herring are of the family Coregonidae and use of the whole fish as bait is prohibited. As Cisco are classified as a game fish the skin, fins, or eyes of cisco legally caught by angling may be used as bait similar to other game fish. Fish (other than dead smelts, herring, gammarus shrimp and fish eggs) or crayfish purchased from pet stores cannot be used as bait.





Smelts and herring are considered bait but not bait fish defined by the regulations.

Nailed it ,end of discussion...I might add hot dogs and .

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