Baited Traps to Catch Bait Fish

November 7, 2013

Question: Can baited traps, such as a minnow traps, be used to catch surf smelts, anchovies or sardines to use as bait? I will be fishing in Southern California in Orange, Los Angeles or San Diego counties. (Jackson T.)

Answer: No. Baited traps can be used only for the take of shiner surfperch, Pacific staghorn sculpin and longjaw mud suckers in San Francisco and San Pablo bays and their tributaries, and in the open ocean and the contiguous bays of Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties. In addition, traps cannot be over three feet in greatest dimension. Any other species taken must be returned to the water immediately (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 28.80.)