Fishing With Cod Liver Oil?

May 21, 2020

Question: I’ve seen people dip their bait in cod liver oil to catch trout in reservoirs. Is cod liver oil legal to use as a fish attractant? (Patrick)

Answer: Since cod liver oil is a fish oil, you should be fine using it to catch trout in reservoirs. There are also many commercially available attractants sold in sporting goods stores that you can use.

However, be mindful that there is a prohibition against putting any substance or material in the water that is deleterious to fish and/or wildlife, per Fish and Game Code, section 5650. You’ll want to make sure there are no additional ingredients in the cod liver oil that could be harmful. We see this issue come up when people use petroleum-based products like WD-40 as an attractant to catch fish. The statute specifically prohibits petroleum-based products, so using WD-40 is illegal.