Live herring for bait

[Drew9870]

Anyone ever use Live Herring in Tidewater for Salmon? I have been wondering how well it would work, I was just reading the regulations when I saw that Live Fish may be used as bait in tidewater and the coast when taken from the same body of water in which they will be used.

 

[Mike123]

Talked to an old guy in Newport that used to hook them through the nose and use a dropper weight system.. fished right off the crabbing dock by the bridge. He said it works. Haven't tried this yet myself.

 

[troutdude]

Hmmm, and intriguing concept. Let us know how well it works.

 

[beaverfan]

Live bait is illegal.

 

[Markcanby]

Live bait is illegal.

Hey Bev can you tell us alittle more about this. If you read all of his post it talks about using it in tidewater. Do you have more info or are you talking without reading?

 

[Drew9870]

Live bait is illegal.

You want to copy and paste the Regulation for everyone to see? Or atleast take a look for yourself.

Read my post, I knew someone would come along and say such a thing before I even came up with the name for the title of this topic.

.......... Apology accepted

 

[beaverfan]

At the very least you would need to catch your own live herring as it's illegal to transport live fish in Oregon.

 

[beaverfan]

The regs say, "Live fish may not be used or held for use as bait, except live nongame fish may be used in the ocean, bays and tidewaters when taken
from the waterbody in which they will be used." So you would need to catch your herring in the tidewater your fishing. In other words good luck, if it worked people would be doing it.

 

[Drew9870]

I guess you might hook a few seals when fishing live Herring, bad-no cruel-kinda, so I guess the 101 bridge on the Salmon River wouldn't be such a good idea.

You would probably catch more Blue Sharks than Salmon in the ocean, although I think it would be cool to cast a lightly weighted live Herring off a boat and see what one could pick up before it hits the bottom or a seals stomach. I wouldn't mind fighting another Shark, are there any type of Shark that go up tidewater? Just so I have another reason to not fish Herring during high tide.

I forgot Salmon River didn't have a bay, but Yaquina would also be considered, mainly for in a boat.

Still on the hunt I see......... lol

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

The regs say, "Live fish may not be used or held for use as bait, except live nongame fish may be used in the ocean, bays and tidewaters when taken
from the waterbody in which they will be used." So you would need to catch your herring in the tidewater your fishing. In other words good luck, if it worked people would be doing it.

I have had fine luck using dead herring, so im not disputing weather or not its a "good luck" situation. But it is realistic to jig herring in a bay and fish with that bait for a salmon in the same day.

 

[brandon4455]

I guess you might hook a few seals when fishing live Herring, bad-no cruel-kinda, so I guess the 101 bridge on the Salmon River wouldn't be such a good idea.

You would probably catch more Blue Sharks than Salmon in the ocean, although I think it would be cool to cast a lightly weighted live Herring off a boat and see what one could pick up before it hits the bottom or a seals stomach. I wouldn't mind fighting another Shark, are there any type of Shark that go up tidewater? Just so I have another reason to not fish Herring during high tide.

I forgot Salmon River didn't have a bay, but Yaquina would also be considered, mainly for in a boat.

Still on the hunt I see......... lol

there is an estuary on the salmon river. ive seen people use herring there before but i can't remember how they were using them. it is a bad idea because of the **** seal infested tidewater. ive lost one rod and 3 fish thanks to those seals. ive also seen people use kwikfish there with a herring wrap on it that had success wherever you choose to go good luck,


brandon

 

[here2fish]

Live bait is illegal.

der da der.......read buddy reeeeeeead

 

[GraphiteZen]

Live herring are easy to catch in Yaquina...just head over to the bouy by the coast guard station...chinook move through there all the time chasing the schools. Hook them through the lips with a 1/0, then run a 5/0 dropper. take a ruber band used for braces and slide it over the body of the herring up to his dorsal, slip your 5/0 under the rubber band. It will cause the little fella to swim on his side. I typically do it with the herring on a 18 inch 20 lb leader below a 1 1/2 oz mooching weight. Drop the weight to the bottom, three cranks up. Takes can range from subtle pulls to viscious slams. I start fishing this rig down low in the bay as soon as its open on any of the big incoming tides. Good Luck

Yup. Every time I go out in Yaquina during herring season the boats are just piled up by the buoy.

 

[PK Yi]

Has anyone tried using a cast net in the bays to catch herring for bait? What's the best time/month to catch them here?

 

[rogerdodger]

there have been reports, with pictures, of them in Yaquina Bay (Newport) in February, I am going to be looking for them tomorrow when I fish lower CoosBay...this is supposed to be spawning time when they show up in many of the estuaries, but I have not targeted them before, so I am a newbie. cheers, roger

 

[O. mykiss]

In yaquina bay last week I know people who were catching lots of herring. Port dock 5 had large schools of them and always around the NOAA docks.

 

[rogerdodger]

I didn't see any evidence of herring schools in lower CoosBay on Wednesday. On a perhaps related note, I was targeting lingcod with herring and had no takers. rockfish not biting either. (I did put a limit of "commercial undersize***"crabs on my kayak, but I worked hard for them).

***commercial undersize: 6' to 6.25".

 

[DrTheopolis]

And to address the topic title -- you can't use live fish for bait. But I don't think that's what you meant.

 

[rogerdodger]

And to address the topic title -- you can't use live fish for bait. But I don't think that's what you meant.

need to disagree with you on this one sparky, live nongame fish, including herring, can be used as bait in "the ocean, bays and tidewaters" under the regs.

---------------------
Use of Fish for Bait

Dead fish, preserved fish, parts of fish and shellfish, and fish eggs may be used as bait.

The following may NOT be used as bait:

• Live fish. Except live nongame fish may be used in the ocean, bays and tidewaters when taken from the same waters in which they will be used as bait.

---------------------
Game Fish

Salmon, shad, steelhead, sturgeon, trout, whitefish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, hybrid bass, striped bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, sunfish, yellow perch, walleye and mullet.

---------------------

Herring are a "Food Fish", so herring caught in 'the ocean, bays, and tidewaters' can be used as live bait in the waters where they were taken.

I believe this is also the rule that allows you to retain a Lingcod that "hitchhikes" on a Rockfish (also a Food Fish) that you have hooked, since technically, albeit for a short period of time, you were fishing with a live Rockfish on the end of your line.

cheers, roger