HombreLibro85
New member
Are plastic worms allowed on the Clackamas River? If so what are people using?
troutdude said:On page 14 of the ODFW reg book:
Bait: Any item used to attract fish that is not an artificial fly, lure or attractor. Molded soft plastic or rubber imitations of worms, eggs, insects, bait fish, crayfish, etc. are considered baits. Scent is not considered bait.
pinstriper said:I think that rubber rat is bait, then.
Yes, they are legal.............HombreLibro85 said:Are plastic worms allowed on the Clackamas River? If so what are people using?
Here's the definition of bait out of the regs......Aervax said:Note they are specific that "molded soft plastic" is considered bait. Hard plastic lures and hard plastic beads and such are not bait.
Artwo said:I certainly would not be using a hard bead in waters closed to bait fishing............needs some clarification.
Hard plastic beads would be legal, soft beads would not.Aervax said:I infer based on the fact that legal artificial lures like flies use multiple types of plastics in faux fur and beads as well as plastic polymers in sparkle flash and tinsels, spinners include bright colored hard plastic beads and sparkle flash/flashabou, and globugs used by flyfisherman are made out of synthetic polymers. All of these being legal, even if an ill informed officer wrote a ticket for using hard plastic or glass beads for that matter, one would not need to hire an attorney to beat it in court. Being a former hardcore bass angler there was a movement some years ago to ban soft plastic baits on catch and release bass fisheries that were fished heavily. The story was that some of the soft plastic lures used formulations that would swell in the gut of a fish and plug their digestive system eventually killing them. The shape, color, taste and feel of some molded soft plastic lures are persuasive enough that fish will pick them up and swallow them even if they come off the hook and are laying still on the bottom. I suspect this might have something to do with why the regulations are specific about staiting "molded soft plastics" are only allowed where bait fishing is also allowed, yet scenting other artificial lures is legal even where bait is not allowed. Hard plastic, metal, glass, feathers, fur and so on, fish take it in their mouths and it does not feel like food. They let go or spit it out PDQ. Soft plastic eggs and fake worms and crawdads on the otherhand can feel and taste real enough that they sometimes swallow them. Seems clear enough that is what I am going with anyway. If I happen to get a ticket for fishing hard plastic beads in an artificial lure zone wish me luck in court because I will be doing battle.