# Rock bass for bait?



## keithlancaster

Is it lawful to use rock bass for bait? I read through the ohio regulations book and saw nothing about it. But I know that not every law is in these tiny little books also. So it is legal to use them for bait? Never thought about it much before but I recently moved and there's a creek 50 yards from my porch and my daughter and myself pull rock bass out all day long.

thank you in advance


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## M.Magis

Yes, it's legal as long as you get them by legal means like hook and line. Any fish legal to take home to eat is also legal to use as bait.


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## ghillyguy

I hate ohio's "bait" regulations. I understand where they stem from, but they arent enforcable. I called the odnr and got forwarded like 5 times because no one knew the answers to my questions (they were good ones). From what I got from my conversation a year ago, I found out a few things

1. All fish can be used for bait as long as they are legally posessed. that is of legal size for the species and you cant have over a limit of them. they consider having a crappie on for bait as under your possession.

2. You are not allowed to transport fish from one body of water to another. That means you cant catch that rock bass and use it in some lake. even though you arent planning on releasing it, cant do it. Theyre trying to mitigate spread of disease and whatnot. However, a simple lie that you hold to in saying that you caught it there the previous day or something along those lines and youre fine. Also, if you catch a fish and release it in your private pond, you then cant use it in any other body of water. You can, however, put them in a cage or bucket filled with your pond water and bring them back whenever you want. at that point they can get you for transporting contaminated water, but thats related to bilge water for cargo ships.

And rock bass make fine bait


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## keithlancaster

Thank you!


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## M.Magis

ghillyguy said:


> 2. You are not allowed to transport fish from one body of water to another. That means you cant catch that rock bass and use it in some lake. even though you arent planning on releasing it, cant do it. Theyre trying to mitigate spread of disease and whatnot. However, a simple lie that you hold to in saying that you caught it there the previous day or something along those lines and youre fine. Also, if you catch a fish and release it in your private pond, you then cant use it in any other body of water. You can, however, put them in a cage or bucket filled with your pond water and bring them back whenever you want. at that point they can get you for transporting contaminated water, but thats related to bilge water for cargo ships.


That's not true. You can transport them. We've had many, many, many discussions here over the years.


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## BanksideBandit

I witnessed a guy fishing from the bank of the Scioto river with bass and got busted. I knew he got in trouble for his bait but didn't hear why. What could this have been for?

But I was just thinking the same thing about Rock bass. I've never used them and they are pretty easy to catch.


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## SeanStone

BanksideBandit said:


> I witnessed a guy fishing from the bank of the Scioto river with bass and got busted. I knew he got in trouble for his bait but didn't hear why. What could this have been for?
> 
> But I was just thinking the same thing about Rock bass. I've never used them and they are pretty easy to catch.


He was probably over his legal limit for bass or had bass that were under regulation size. That would be my guess.


Sent from my SCH-I545 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## Flathead King 06

M.Magis said:


> That's not true. You can transport them. We've had many, many, many discussions here over the years.


Ah... the sweet melody of knowledge...  

As M.Magis has said, it is LEGAL to transport fish from one body to another, just not introduce a new species to a body of water where it doesn't already exist.


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## rustyfish

Oh yea well I was told, nevermind I can't do it. LMFAO


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## MassillonBuckeye

That bass would have had to have been legal size..


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## Flathead King 06

rustyfish said:


> Oh yea well I was told, nevermind I can't do it. LMFAO


HAHA... it's just a matter of time now man.


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## ghillyguy

Ok...maybe I phrased that wrong... You can transport them, not introduce them. That is true. But using a fish from one body of water as bait in a different body of water is "introducing" the fish and is not legal. I asked two game wardens and the ne Ohio biologist last year on the issue and thats what they said.


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## ghillyguy

Dont want to get in an argument over it though. Talk to your local warden if you have any questions on the issue


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## M.Magis

ghillyguy said:


> Ok...maybe I phrased that wrong... You can transport them, not introduce them. That is true. But using a fish from one body of water as bait in a different body of water is "introducing" the fish and is not legal. I asked two game wardens and the ne Ohio biologist last year on the issue and thats what they said.


No, that's not what introduce means, at all. You can do a search and see the old discussions. The answer came from the top, to eliminate misinterpretation. Not saying you didn't get a different answer, but they were wrong.


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## ghillyguy

ok, I concede. They need to phrase that waaayyyy better in the reg booklet. They mean introduce as in bringing in a non native species into that waterway (I think). So I have been doing things legal this whole time XD


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## M.Magis

Yep, you're absolutely right. They need to re-word it in the regs to read as they mean it. Laws shouldn't be that open to interpetation.


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