Sorry if these questions have been answered before. I looked on TFF's and TPWD's websites for answers but came up empty.

(1) Can I catch some bream or bullheads from a neighborhood pond and use them for bait in a nearby lake? I know I can't use a castnet in a community lake, but what about catching baitfish on rod and reel?

(2) Alternately, can I buy some feeder goldfish from a pet store and use them for bait?

(3) In either case, if I have leftover live bait is it okay to dump them in the lake?

I don't know what the legalities are, but I've done all of the above. I used to frequently get bait from ponds, while also populating the ponds with minnows years before hand and feeding the fish. The pond got very fruitful and I used it as a bait resource. I don't know if it's legal and have since heard of someone getting in trouble for it, so I don't do it any more. When I was doin' it, I definately didn't know it was illegal. I thought I was helping out, which I was, but you gotta make laws to stop people from doing harm.

The way the law is written you aren't allowed to transfer any live fish into a public lake. Part of the reasoning is that stocking fish from a lake with any sort of disease in the population will contaminate the lake that they are being released into. I know of people (wink wink) that have caught shad at Ray Roberts or Lewisville when bait's hard to find at Texoma, but I'm pretty sure it's illegal. This would be a good question to send to TPWD.

Also, I think it's illegal to use any kind of game fish for bait. I think bluegill are considered gamefish, aren't they? While shad aren't. And of course, don't dump any goldfish. There's a pretty big goldfish swimming around in the lower pond at Colleyville Nature center, and I doubt that it hurts anything by being there, but not a good idea to dump any kind of baitfish.

TPWD sent me a response to this question, and the short answer is that all of these scenarios are legal, but not advisable. I'm trying to find out if I can quote the full email.

These are considered freshwater game fish, according to TPWD:

* Bass: Guadalupe, largemouth, smallmouth,
spotted, striped, white, yellow
* Catfish: blue, channel, flathead
* Crappie: black, white
* Sauger
* Trout: brown, rainbow
* Walleye

Catfish are evidently a "second-class" gamefish, since they can be caught with trotlines, juglines, and now, regrettably, bow and arrow.

So, bream and bullheads are legal to catch and use as bait.

I just had another thought: How are any of these scenarios different from buying minnows at a marina? Isn't someone doing, for commercial reasons, exactly what I've described?

You should've never told me that was legal, lol. I love the idea of making a "super pond" where I can catch nice fish and also use it as a bait supply. ....It's too bad catfish are considered 2nd class gamefish.

Bluegill are not game fish and make excellent bait.

Bluegill and bullheads are Flathead candy. Use them all the time.

I'm doing just the opposite with this one...I'm headed to Toledo Bend in 2 weeks and going to bring back some Pumpkinseed and Longear sunfish for my ponds. Those are two of the prettiest sunfish species I've seen with the brilliant reds and blues.

They don't get real large, but sure do populate nicely. Just another little added species to my 5 acre pond.

I've caught bullheads out of ponds and used them on trotlines...first time doing this, I had 5 flatheads within 15 hooks on a 25 hook trotline!! I do BELIEVE in great Op bait!!

Chris

Here's the response I received from a TPWD official to my original trio of questions:

It's legal to use those fishes for bait, and there's no actual law against using them in a different lake. However, we discourage moving fish or other aquatic organisms from one water body to another. This practice can spread exotic species, golden alga, or diseases to areas where they don't currently exist. We prefer that anglers release fish where they were caught.

For more information, see http://www.protectyourwaters.net/

After looking at the regulations again I saw that its illegal to...

Place any game fish into public waters, other than the body of water where the fish was caught, without a valid permit issued by TPWD. This includes fish caught by pole and line.

So I guess shad, bream, minnows etc are okay.

Breambuster,

That is illegal to do. You can't take any live fish from a public lake to your own lake. Because, technically those are the state's fish.

just thought i'd let you know before something might've happend.

I got confirmation from TPWD on this issue:

(1) In Texas, it is legal to buy baitfish or feeder goldfish, or catch them (legally) from one body of water, and use them to catch fish in another body of water. Afterwards it's legal to dump the extra baitfish in the lake or river where you are fishing. However, they don't advise this.

(2) In Texas, it is not legal to catch game fish or other non-baitfish in one body of water and move them to another body of water.

You can take fish from a public lake and put them in your private pond. You just cannto take fish from a private or public lake and move them to another public lake.