D
Drew9870
Live bait is illegal.
Live bait is illegal.
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 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
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
DrTheopolis;n610593 said:And to address the topic title -- you can't use live fish for bait. But I don't think that's what you meant.