Using Rockfish for Bait

December 10, 2015

Question: In a recent column you stated that “Any finfish that is legal to take or possess in California may be used as bait in your lobster hoop net.” I assume this rule applies equally to using rockfish as hook and line bait for lingcod, but on my last party boat trip I was prohibited from using a small gopher rockfish for bait by a crewman who insisted that this would be illegal. Is it legal to use a whole rockfish (or a slab cut from a whole rockfish) for hook and line bait? I understand that the bait fish would count toward my limit. (Randy Pauly)

Answer: Yes, as long as the fish you’re using is legal to catch and keep, and as long as you count it toward your daily bag limit, you can legally use it as bait to attract larger predator fish, such as lingcod, to your hook. If the fish you’ll be using for bait has a size limit, you would need to be sure it was of legal size.

When I stopped in at the Clear Lake Outdoors shop in Lakeport a couple weeks back, somehow we got onto this discussion.  The guys at the shop were adamant that it was "illegal to use any gamefish as bait".  When I mentioned hitchhiker lings, they were 100 percent sure that it was illegal to use rockfish as bait for lingcod.  I didn't want to get into an argument with them, so I left.  Judging from their behavior, I don't think they would've changed their minds even if I had a game warden right there to set the record straight.

Just goes to show that it's always good to look up the regulations yourself, and not depend on others for the correct advice.