Fishing With Live Bait in Lake Mendocino

June 8, 2017

Question: Can I buy minnows in Lake County (Clearlake Outdoors) and then use them as bait in Lake Mendocino? I have tried to read the regs but they are soooo confusing. (William W.)

Answer: Remember, the term “minnows” is used for a number of baitfish species. Golden shiner, fathead minnow, red shiner, mosquitofish, longjaw mudsucker and staghorn sculpin are authorized live bait for Lake Mendocino. The regulations you are asking about can be found in the 2017 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet under CCR Title 14, section 4.25.

4.25. Bait Fish Use in the North Central District.

Except as provided below, live or dead fin fish shall not be used or possessed for use as bait in the North Central District:

(a) Golden shiner, fathead minnow, red shiner, mosquitofish, longjaw mudsucker and staghorn sculpin may be used in Napa and Sonoma counties, in Marin County except for Stafford Lake, in Lake County except for the Eel River and its tributaries, and in Lake Mendocino (Mendocino Co.).

The way I read it it says yes to live bait in lake Mendocino because it says "and in lake Mendocino " instead of just "and lake Mendocino

???

Thats confusing as hell ...read it 20 times and still confused

Oxford commas, how do they work?

Yes you can use the listed baitfish species/minnows in Lake Mendocino.

Use a lure

Minnows for bait? Eewww!

Use a lure

  

Whoever wrote that regulation must be a world champion fizzbin player...

That's plain English guys.  Where is the confusion?

i read it as you can't.? ( I like to know and follow the rules) Only live bait used on lake Mendo has to be hand netted and used then and there and that would be the shad.

i read it as you can't.? ( I like to know and follow the rules) Only live bait used on lake Mendo has to be hand netted and used then and there and that would be the shad.

just omit everything after Marin County to the second comma

Punctuation is a bitch. 

Punctuation is a bitch. 

Right ! Thanks for making it clear.

Hmm... Not sure if the regs have changed, but I used to dip net live shad and use them for stripers at Mendo. That was about 20 years ago.

Surprised to see that Threadfin Shad aren't on the list. Also surprised I don't see sardines or anchovies, since those are popular baits for catfish.

Weird...


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