Is It Legal To Use Live Rockfish for Bait?

I have been told using sportfish for bait is illegal in the ocean in California but I can't find the State Code number that defines this rule. I have been through the California Regulations 2008-2009 Ocean Sport Fishing pamphlet and all I can find is Code 27.10 LIVE BAIT RESTRICTIONS which states you can't use or possess live tilapia. Does anyone know for sure which live fish are legal to use for bait in the ocean in California?. What is the State Code number that defines the regulation? I am particularly interested in anything pertaining to using rockfish for bait. Thanks for any help.

Ed

Ed, I am by no means the expert on this topic but I believe that you can use rockfish as bait but they do count towards your limit.

Wouldn't know where to find this in the regs but I know that I've read numerous times on this site about blues and blacks being used as bait.

I too would be curious about the specifics of the rules because until I see it in print I'd be uncomfortable doing it.

Michael

   I haven't seen anything that says it's illegal, but keep in mind that the free reg book does not contain all the regs that pertain to angling that are in the California Code of Regulations, which you can probably only find at your local (and open to the public) county law library (which subscibe to digital servlces that keep them up to date).   My bet is that there is no such prohibition, because that sounds like the kind of thing they'd include in a summary pamphlet.
     I think any rockfish in your "possession" include those attached to your line.  Also, check out the sections about filleting fish on board if you're thinking about using less than the whole fish as bait.
     And if it is illegal, does that mean you have to throw back the ling when you realize you first hooked a rockie and got a hitchhiker?

This was covered at Coastside a while back and again I am not an expert but I recall the warden saying you can use a live RF as bait as long as:

1. It is legal to posses (not a canary etc..)

2. You count it towards your limit.

Same goes for greenling which are lingcod candy bars 

        And if it is illegal, does that mean you have to throw back the ling when you realize you first hooked a rockie and got a hitchhiker?

So just don't 'realize'.
"That ling was a wimp then all of the sudden all hell broke looose. Must not have realized he was hooked at first." 
As long as it is legal to possess you can use it so long as it isn't tilapia. It does count towards your daily bag limit.

Yes, completely legal to use live rockfish as bait. Just remember it counts towards your daily bag limit and possession limit. And if using a greenling, cabezon, bocaccio, lingcod, ocean whitefish, or sheephead it must be at least the legal size. So, for example, a greenling must be at least 12 inches long to use as bait. This is a good rule. Because otherwise, I know where to catch a bunch of 6-10 inch kelp greenling....and they would probably make great bait.

In regards to a hitch-hiking lingcod....what happens if the ling grabs onto an undersize greenling that hit your shrimpfly? Now that would be a dilemma! Obviously you have to release the undersized fish....but do you keep the ling?
PK

In regards to a hitch-hiking lingcod....what happens if the ling grabs onto an undersize greenling that hit your shrimpfly? Now that would be a dilemma! Obviously you have to release the undersized fish....but do you keep the ling?
PK

My personal take on that would be if it was a true hitchhiker and the greenling hadn't been landed yet (i.e. they came up together) then you're good to go, release the greenling and keep the ling. If however you landed the undersized greenling first and then sent it back down, then you're bait fishing with illegal (because it was undersized) bait.   

With rockfish, there is no size limit, so feel free to send them back down. Just remember that because you landed them and they count towards your limit.

Brian

Also that is one of those areas where self policing is most likely going to come into play, since it is going to be really hard for a warden to determine what happened.

This question has been answered, but FYI, for the future, if you go to the DFG website, there is a spot where you can ask these type of questions via e-mail.  I've done it and it's very helpful.

Same goes for greenling which are lingcod candy bars 

Sssshhhhh  !!!!!





Scott

P.S. Not just any candy bars - Snickers bars!

This question has been answered, but FYI, for the future, if you go to the DFG website, there is a spot where you can ask these type of questions via e-mail.  I've done it and it's very helpful.

I did that and the State didn't respond. Thanks for the responses.

Ed

I've had a warden excitedly tell me, "yeah, it's legal to cut strip bait..." referring to fileting out a little rockfish and putting it down as bait for a bigger fish.  He didn't mention anything about it counting toward the limit...  I agree that it should count toward the limit, but even the warden knows it's not likely that people will be that honest.

Personally, I don't fish toward the limit, and I've never cared for using rockfish for bait, but I admit that I've done it a few times in the past couple of years.

Same goes for greenling which are lingcod candy bars 

Sssshhhhh  !!!!!



Scott

P.S. Not just any candy bars - Snickers bars!

Nice. Is that the silhouette of a GW's mouth right behind the ling 

We have gotten into blues so thick at times you cant get anything past them without hooking one, (suspended at 30-50ft in 120ft of water) so eventually we just give up on avoiding them... just let them hook themselves on the way down and there you are... live bait!