Legality/technique question
 

Hit up Farrington on Tuesday. Came away with a trout and nice perch, few smaller ones as well. But my step dad also caught a pike. About 20 inches 3ish pounds. He caught the pike on a trout hook! Right where we were catching the perch. I'm guessing it may have been coming to get a perch saw the shiner an went after that instead. My question is if I catch a small perch, sunny, etc. that's in season and of legally size can I re hook it and use it as bait and if so how would you rig that up? Weigh it to the bottom? Let it swim free? Wounded it? Where would you hook it? Any advice/ info would be appreciated.

Re: Legality/technique question
 

You can even hook trout and use them for bait also as long as you don't have over your bag limit, and must be of legal size. That is coming from F&G !:eek:

Re: Legality/technique question
 

yes, it is legal to catch and use your own live bait. good way to get into some real big fish.

lots of different ways to fish that kind of bait... under a slip bobber, live lining (letting the bait swim wherever it wants), or on the bottom all have their places.

one thing though: please only use bait you catch from the same watershed as where you are fishing (to limit the spread of any possible fish diseases or parasites)

have fun!

Re: Legality/technique question
 

I often wondered the same thing. Thanks for clearing that up.

Re: Legality/technique question
 

Pike at farrington! Awesome! I will be there after work today and will be sure to put a 6rod spread out with the other thousand schmucks! Spot burn!

Re: Legality/technique question
 

Caught a 30 inch 6 pound pike out of there a year or so ago I posted on here as well, so if I spot burned I did it in the past as well. Also, you better get in touch with the fisherman cause Farrington was the spot light lake of the week and they did a whole article on what's in there and went on and on about the Pike. O and thanks to those of you who made useful comments.

Re: Legality/technique question
 

No such thing as spot burn. The Fisherman Magazine has in depth articles every month on freshwater spots. Google Earth, Google Maps, NJ Fishing Digest.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/fishplc.htm

Re: Legality/technique question
 

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In my opinion, "spot burning" is when somebody exposes an otherwise little-known body of water on mass media as a great place to catch big fish.

The inevitable result of that publicity being the sudden appearance of an army of yahoos, comrades and amigos eager to rape the body-of-water of its gamefish.

If a spot is on Fish & Game's stocking list, it's not an easy place to spot-burn.
I can respect that some anglers may want to minimize the publicity the lake receives to keep it off the radar of the undesirables, but it's technically not spot-burning.

Anyway, the only legal issue I have ever run into with bait is a pet store that wouldn't sell me goldfish because I intended to use them as bait. So, if you intend to use goldfish as bait, don't bring a bait bucket into the store and make sure you tell them it's to feed your Oscars.




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Re: Legality/technique question
 

the pet shop was correct... goldfish are not legal to use as bait because they are a type of carp, which are illegal to stock into NJ waters (without a special permit). do not use goldfish for bait.

the state defines baitfish as golden shiner, banded killifish, mummichog, spotfin killifish, rainwater killifish, American brook lamprey, fathead minnow, bluntnose minnow, tadpole madtom, margined madtom, all shiners, daces, minnows, chubs and the American eel. sunfish/perch/trout follow game fish regs, but you can use them as bait if you wish.

Re: Legality/technique question
 

Anyway, glad you got out and caught a few, congrats on the nice pike !

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Thanks Andy. Ill be back out again Tuesday. Didn't mean to start this shtshow. Guess some people can't help themselves.

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Trout make great bait! used to use them for stripers in the river when I was a kid. Small bluegils also cach some BIG bass

Re: Legality/technique question
 

im all about you catching fish but high pressure will whipe those fish out you gota understand that it already gets beat on as already mentioned and i belive by you yourself and they not that common to come by as im sure you know so you should be proud that youve caught and i woulda gave you two thumbs up but next time maybe generalize your area or one day they'll be gone and il say i told you so! So yea i cant help myself to tell it as it is

Re: Legality/technique question
 

What's the best way to hook a bluegill, perch, or larger live baits? With Killies and minnows I've always gone under through the mouth. Obviously the goal is to not kill it so location is important.

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Thru the back closer to the front of the dorsal or right by the arse! Avoid hitting the spine. Be sure there are no scales on the hook point. Hold on!

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Good job on the pike. Have been fishing that lake as much as possible in the hopes of hooking one but just bass and pickerel for me. Also thanks for the tip on hooking baitfish. I've been hooking them like I hook shiners behind the dorsal fin and wondering why they've been dying so quickly. Good stuff.

Re: Legality/technique question
 

Young's question referred to big baits. I hook smaller baits behind the dorsal. Real big baits get a fin trimming too. Snip a tail lobe off and trim the pec fins. Struggling bait sends a stronger distress signal to a predators lateral line.

Re: Legality/technique question
 

Do what you have to do when it comes to using small fish as bait for big fish! Follow the states regs and you'll be fine. Nice catch you guys put together. Good job!!!

Got my PB GREEN CARP/ LARGEMOUTH out of Farrington 17 years ago. The Bass hit a nite crawler, weightless, in 3 feet of water. The beast weighed 8lbs 11ozs. Farrington isn't what it used to be, that's a fact! Is there fish to catch? Of course! Love the guys that fish off the bridge catching 6-9 inch crappie, golden shiners and perch. They keep everything!!! Bucket brigade has been demolishing the fish population on that lake for 20 years that I know of.

There are plenty of Pike to catch there!!! State record, possibly! GO GET EM!!!!:D

Re: Legality/technique question
 

Seriously, are you that uneducated on fishing rules? You cannot use any baitfish in any body of water that has not been taken from that body of water, or sold at a nearby bait shop. You cannot buy baitfish at pet stores, only feeder fish, meant for feeding aquarium fish. Using goldfish as a baitfish risks releasing all types of aquarium fish diseases into a natural environment infecting native fish. Doing so and introducing a disease could throw a whole body of water out of whack.