Live Bait Q

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by WormFisherman

Theres a stream right next to my house full of creek chubs and I'm wondering if I can use them as bait in a different river.

IIRC, there isn't a law against that in NJ, but please, please, PLEASE do not do that! It is a very bad idea for the future of the fisheries you enjoy.

That (moving baitfish) is exactly how parasites and diseases like Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia are spread. If you are not familiar, VHS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_h...gic_septicemia) is causing massive fish die-offs up in the Great Lakes region and has spread to Lake Champlain and other areas. VHS is just one such disease, there are plenty of others.

The spread of diseases, parasites and invasive species is very largely accelerated by the transport of bio-materials (like bait fish) from one place to another. It is important to limit this as much as possible, so please only use bait fish in the body of water you collected them from!!