Keep in mind it�s 82 quarts not 82 gallons as stated in part of the article

Keep in mind it�s 82 quarts not 82 gallons as stated in part of the article

If I am reading all of that right, I can only put shad in my bait tank if I use them the same day in the same body of water unless I buy a $60 permit. What's the use in having a bait tank that can keep shad alive for days?

I know of guides and recreational fishermen that catch shad on one body of water and use it on another. They say they obey the law, but wont tell me how. There must be some loop hole, or these guys are lying...?

I sure don't want a permit to haul my 50gal bait tank around...

I've heard you can keep a container in your truck, catch bait in lake "A", net bait out of boat tank from lake "A", place in truck tank, drive to lake "B", fill boat tank with lake "B" water, net bait from truck tank and place in boat tank. Seems like a need for 2 tanks and an extreme hassle!

If you fill your tank with tap water, how can you prove it?

This is a law that I haven�t once heard of being enforced, not saying you should break the law, but it�s one that�s pretty hard to enforce......it also says you have to keep a receipt from the bait shop for minnows you purchase, then only the flip side says is legal to catch your own bait, how Will any game warden enforce that law? You can�t prove where someone gets the bait, or where they�re going with the bait unless you follow them.

I called and spoke with a warden today and he agreed that there is a lot of gray area in this law. He said that as long as we fill it with tap water and then transfer the bait to that tank with a net that he wouldn't be writing me a ticket. I usually catch my shad and then put them in a cooler for a few minutes prior to transferring them to the bait tank to eliminate a lot of extra scales and poop anyway.

Update.

The salt/shad keeper combination worked great. Kept 40-50 4-7 inch shad alive all day. When we called it a day we had plenty to freeze for a catfish trip. I guess the bad part is we never found stripers to use the shad on. Only landed 1 5 or 6 pounder all day.

I keep ice in a cooler as well. If they start to slow down add a couple pounds of ice to get them frisky again.

Those rules are clear as mud in a few places. I found that you must drain your boat upon leaving the lake or you could transport zebra muscles and get a big fine (https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdo...aquatic-species).

Then for shad the first few paragraphs keep talking about collecting shad in anything larger than 82 quart live-wells must have a yearly permit. Then next paragraph says, "No permit is required if the shad are used only as bait on the lake where they are collected, or if a licensed fishing guide possesses and furnishes the shad as bait to customers as part of the guide�s services." (https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20170413a).

So I am thinking if you use treated city water and only catch shad from that lake you are fishing then you are following the law. Seems crazy how they write it to not be 100% clear and open to a little interpretation


About keeping shad alive in your bait tank. I put out a few youtube videos that may be of help. I put out one today talking about treating city water, adding rock salt, and adding shad keeper to keep shad alive in a video called "Keeping Shad Alive Products". I made another video recently about "Shad Tank on a budget". The video shows a DYI filter that I made that may be helpful if your baittank doesn't filter. Its a PVC device that you can filter water throw once attached to your circulator pump.

Heres my newest video to specifically answer your question on what to put in the water to keep your shad alive.

Game wardens boarded my boat over the weekend. I had a 50gal bait tank filled with lake water and shad. No questions were asked about the bait tank or shad. I did fill the tank and catch the bait on the lake I was fishing, but just FYI.

The volume measurement for the container required for bait stamp is the volume of bait...not water. This is for the folks that catch bait to resell or large volumes to freeze. Should not impact recreational striper fishing with live shad. mike

That�s good to know! I have a feeling as long as you arnt driving around the highway with lake water nobody cares how big the shad tank is for shad regulations stuff since the chief concern is �unintentional spread of zebra muscles� even in shad regulations more than a shad harvesting problem

From TPWD website:
�If a person is collecting shad for personal use (for use as bait or stocking in private ponds) and is transporting the shad from the public water body in a container or containers that total 82 quarts or more in volume, they will be required to get a permit. A TPWD-licensed fishing guide who catches shad ONLY for use as a part of the guide�s services will not be required to possess a nongame fish permit. A nongame fish permit and bait dealer- individual license is still required if a TWPD-licensed fishing guide is selling his catch in addition to using shad for guide services.�
I read this as the container the shad are being transported in from the body of water they were caught in must be 82 qts or less or buy a permit. Not the volume of shad themselves.

jbobo,

The passage you quote indeed seems contradictory. I called TPWD for clarification a few months back. The 82 quart volume of actual bait (large volume of bait for sale) was how it was explained to me. See the attached at:

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_lf_t3200_1794_license_reqs_nongame.pdf

mike