Salmon Heads for Crabbing Illegal??

I read that using salmon heads/ game fish parts for crabbing is illegal?? Apparently some of the wardens have been warning people of this fact around HMB.  I know some of us here use fish parts for crabbing. Anyone got clarification on this?? L.A.

Its also illegal to waste sport caught fish, throwing good parts in the trash seems an awful lot like waste.

They don't seem like they'd be too eager to let someone off with a warning if they felt a real violation occurred. I'd say if anything they are issuing warnings about something they do not think will stick in court.

I can see where the the wste of fish is illegal and I found that part in the DFG regs. What I cant find is where it says directly that you cant use game fish for crab bait. Ie: carcasses

Since Salmon season is closed are they legal to possess?

If duck season is closed would that make it illegal to use a duck carcass?

I think it's a wives tail that it's illegal I've recycled fish carcases for bait for years and I was asked last year by a fish cop what I was using and I told him salmon. An all he said was that's the best bait no more was said I couldn't find anywhere written where it said it was a no no so I think it's BS.

I buy my crab bait at my local Asian supermarkets.  This year I've used Catfish, Farmed Salmon and Mahi Mahi heads because cost .99 / lb and they work.  I can get all the fish guts that I want by just asking.

I don't think DFG would care.

The warden that's been in hmb the past couple seasons goes a bit overboard. I ran into him twice and heard nothing but complaints from most others that dealt with him.  He's got the guilty till I say ur innocent vibe about him.  I heard he's back again....would not surprise me of he's issued warnings despite being full of it.

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I can see where the the wste of fish is illegal and I found that part in the DFG regs. What I cant find is where it says directly that you cant use game fish for crab bait. Ie: carcasses

There's a reg about not using sportfish as bait but I think it might be a freshwater regulation.  We can certainly use live rockfish as bait.

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as far as I know there's no reg against using salmon carcasses in the ocean as crab bait. 

There is a question there about the possession limits - technically speaking you're not to have more than one bag limit (2 salmon over 24") in your possession, and i believe that carcasses count, not sure if any warden would actually enforce that.

it would best be addressed as a question to carrie wilson, so feel free to e-mail her.

The warden that's been in hmb the past couple seasons goes a bit overboard. I ran into him twice and heard nothing but complaints from most others that dealt with him.  He's got the guilty till I say ur innocent vibe about him.  I heard he's back again....would not surprise me of he's issued warnings despite being full of it.

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Did ranger rick from Limekiln get moved to HMB??

Carrie Wilson rarely provides useful info on contentious matters.  When the public needs a black or white answer so that we can stay legal she'll dance around the question by citing regs and ultimately placing the interpretation on the warden on site. 

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Carrie Wilson rarely provides useful info on contentious matters.  When the public needs a black or white answer so that we can stay legal she'll dance around the question by citing regs and ultimately placing the interpretation on the warden on site. 

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maybe so, but she was at least willing to answer these questions:
Question: Is it legal to use bonito carcasses for lobster bait? Since bonito have a size limit, the fish carcasses cannot be measured and so there’s no way for DFG to know how many or how large the fish actually is. Is there some way to legally use these carcasses to bait our lobster hoop nets? (Inquiring Minds)

Answer: You can take/have up to five undersized bonito in possession. When fishing from a boat with bonito for bait, use no more than five bonito for the maximum of 10 hoop nets allowed on a vessel (assuming there is more than one lobster fisherman). Use half of a bonito for each hoop net, and keep each half whole. That way the game warden can count how many you have total by inspecting each net. If there are less than five bonito, there is no need to worry about the size.

Can I use dead trout and Kokanee for bait?
Question: Is it legal to use dead trout and/or Kokanee for bait in ocean waters? (Howard A.)

Answer: If it is store-bought, you can use it as bait in the ocean. If it is sport-caught, it needs to be legal for you to possess and it must meet any size requirements that may apply to that species.

Can sport-shot duck be used for crab bait?

Question: Is it legal to use legal sport-shot duck for crab bait? (Guy C.)

Answer: Yes. There is no law preventing the use of legally taken game, and duck is fine. However, you may be asked to provide proof the bird was legally taken by a person with a proper license and the appropriate stamps. If you intend to use fresh pheasant taken from game farms after the legal season, you will need to provide proof the bird was taken on a licensed pheasant club property.


From my understanding of the regs, you can definitely use salmon as bait if it was commercially caught (you theoretically would bring the receipt with you).  If you caught it yourself you would need to make sure its within possession limits and size limits, which may be difficult to prove if its just a head and you have for example 8 of them on board for 3 people.