by aka anglinarcher » Wed Feb 16, 2011 2:55 pm
Fishing with live bait is a problem for most western states, at least west of the Rocky Mountains. Montana is split, Colorado is split, and these are just the states I know of where the East side of the divide allows live minnows but the West Side does not.
The reason for this is not that they are prudish, or arrogant, but it is a matter of trying to stop the spread of invasive species. Fishing with live bait has been done so much in the East that every water has every type of minnow or crayfish known to man in it already. If you will, from a management point of view, East of the divide is a lost cause.
On the West side of the divide, they still have some hope. The idea is that if you don't allow legal use of live minnows, you are not going to get the transfer of carp, or other invasive species, from an infested water into a non-infested water. The problem is that a lot of non-legal fishermen do it anyway. Also, for anyone that has bow-fished carp in the spawn, you know that the eggs stick on everything, including ducks and other water fowl. They then fly to the next lake, taking the eggs with them. Same thing happens with weeds.
I have fished with live minnows myself in Eastern Colorado, and in Arizona. They were great for Walleye and Crappie, and for Catfish as well. But I now live West of the divide, so that is a no no.
I fear that in the end, all that is happening is that they are delaying the inevitable. But for now, every year fewer and fewer live bait options are being allowed. The sale and use of Leaches is prohibited in Idaho and Washington for fear that they might spread VHS disease. The transport of Waterdogs is also prohibited, and for the same reason. You can fish with crayfish only if you catch the crayfish in the body of water you are fishing in.
One additional thing. Fishing for Bass has become a C&R thing for so many people. On many of the fishing forums I am on, even mentioning you kept a bass will get you flamed. I know of one guy that caught and kept a trophy and it was as if he killed the Governor. As we all know, unless you fish with circle hooks, bait caught fish are often gut hooked - this does not go well with the C&R mentality we are in.
So, Henry, it is not really a California thing, but a Western thing. They are probably tilting windmills, but for now, Go Don Go!
I think my bucket list has a hole in the bottom!