CTFishTalk.com: Baitfish - Connecticut Rules & Regs , Saftey Notices, Recalls, & Laws ( CT Rules & Regs , Saftey Notices, Recalls, & Laws ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

therieldeal · Joined: 20 Oct 2010 Posts: 245 Location: Thompson, CT

I don’t seem to be having much luck catching pike at Quaddick with lures, so I’m thinking about giving live or dead baitfish a try. What I’m wondering is… can I legally catch some creek chub across down and bring them to Quaddick to use as bait? At one place that I fish they are super easy to catch with little balls of bread and a bobber. I never really use bait so I want to make sure I am not breaking any rules… I know it is illegal to transport live gamefish between bodies of water but what about baitfish?

Sorry if this is a dumb question!

Flipper · Joined: 21 May 2010 Posts: 347 Location: Enfield

This is from the Anglers Guide:

BAIT Any animal or vegetable, or their parts, living or dead, used with
a hook for the purpose of attracting and catching fish. Any fish legally
acquired, except largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel,
northern pike, trout, salmon, carp and goldfish may be used as bait.
BAIT SPECIES The following species of fish, amphibians, aquatic insects
and crustaceans may be taken by sport fishermen for personal use, but
may only be sold if taken under an inland commercial bait license.
• Bait species: Common shiner, golden shiner, fallfish, creek chub,
spottail shiner, bridle shiner, blacknose dace, longnose dace, pearl
dace, bluntnose minnow, fathead minnow, cutlips minnow, chub
sucker, white sucker, killifish, mummichog, Atlantic & tidewater
silverside, sand lance, frogs (except northern leopard frog), crayfish,
perch bugs, hellgrammites and mayfly nymphs.
• The legal methods for taking the bait species listed above are
as follows:
—— Rivers & streams: Bait species may be taken at any time with
seines not over 15 ft. long and 4 ft. deep, bait traps not over 20
inches long and 15 inches in diameter, and umbrella nets not
over 4 ft. by 4 ft.
—— Lakes & ponds: Bait species may be taken at any time with bait
traps not over 20 inches long and 15 inches in diameter and
umbrella nets not over 4 ft. by 4 ft. Seines shall not be used in
lakes and ponds except those designated by the DEP as open to
commercial taking of bait. Where posted, taking, use or possession
of fish as bait is prohibited in lakes and ponds.
—— All inland waters: During the open season for fishing, the species
listed above may also be taken by hand, angling and scoop net.
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