I have been thinking about breeding my own shinners (red and gold) but I am a little confused on the laws. You can not use a fish for bait unless it is from the water you are fishing according to the game warden I spoke to. But you can use minnows from a store and thats ok. So is the law just talking about fish from other lakes that cant be transported but raised in tanks are ok? I have not seen red shinners in a long time but just caught a bunch of 4 inch ones in my front yard after the flood. But I dont want to waste time on them if I cant use them.

Below are the rules directly from the TPWD website. I used to raise bait in lake water, but never carried the bait to another lake, only the lake I lived on. If you have an aquarium or other tank that uses tap water that has been de-chlorinated, then you can transport your raised bait to where ever you want. You can not transport it back home afterwards having been exposed to that lake's water. I always had a picture in my cell of my bait tank just in case anyone ever asked, but no Wardens ever did. I find by the end of a day, the live bait is not very lively, and just dumped them in the lake anyways.



"Rules to Prevent Spread of Zebra Mussels

Updated July 1, 2014: In the state�s ongoing effort to combat the spread of invasive zebra mussels, new rules require that all boats operating on public fresh water anywhere in Texas be drained after use.

Persons leaving or approaching public fresh water are required to drain all water from their vessels and on-board receptacles (includes live wells, bilges, motors and any other receptacles or water-intake systems coming into contact with public waters). This rule applies at all sites where boats can be launched and includes all types and sizes of boats whether powered or not, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks/canoes, or any other vessel used to travel on public waters.

Live fish, including personally caught live bait, cannot be transported from the water body where the fish were caught in or aboard a vessel in water from the water body where the fish were caught. Personally caught live bait can be used in the water body where it was caught.

Transport and use of commercially purchased live bait in water while fishing from a vessel is allowed, provided persons in possession of the bait have a receipt that identifies the source of the bait. Any live bait purchased from a location on or adjacent to a public water body that is transported in water from that water body can only be used as bait on that same water body.

A vessel leaving a public freshwater body may be transported on a public roadway without water being drained, provided the vessel is transported via the most direct route to another access point located on the same water body during that same day.

Persons participating in a fishing tournament confined to one water body are allowed to transport live fish in water from that single water body to an identified off-site weigh-in location, provided all water is drained and properly disposed of before leaving that location. Participants must possess documentation provided by tournament organizers that identify them as participants in a tournament.

Marine sanitary systems are not covered by these regulations."

Perfect answer thanks I was having a little trouble finding that!

It is the law and I will play by there rules.But it is one big joke.