CA fishing regs, trout in livewell?

Question

i was talking trout fishing, and fishing in general with a friend of mine, told him i like to get my fish home still alive so they get on the grill within 30 minutes of their last breath.

he shared this with me:

4.00. Bait-General
E. No trout may be maintained or possessed in a live condition in any container on or attached to any boat;
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/FreshFish/ccr-t14-ch2-art3.html


does this also imply to trout not intended for use as bait?
on waters where no fish preys on trout?

IMO trout is the best tasting fish there is. i dont want to trade a trout for a striper. and if i'm keeping a trout, its probably 2 or more pounds, i'd never use something so large, caught plenty of big bass of many different species on much, much smaller tackle/bait. 
some of my biggest fish have been on some of the smallest tackle.....

BTW, i do fish at del valle in livermore sometimes, where they have trout, striper, smallmouth and black bass. would that be one place i should really not keep them alive? 
i see poeple with stringers full of still flopping trout there everytime....

Derrick S · Accepted Answer

Hey there Cliff, If all of your fish come from Lake Del Valle, that rule does NOT apply. That is a private lake owned and operated by East Bay Regional Parks District. The "Quoted" regulation applies to only "OPEN" water fishing like the Delta and the "Open" rivers. All of the fish from Del Valle are farm raised Trout. It's unusual for a person to want to keep them a live, but as you've stated, people keep then on live stringers behind the boat. The "Private" lakes are exempt from the DFG regs. This also applies to lakes owned and operated by the Army Corp of Engineers too. DFG has no jurisdiction on "Privately" owned and operated lakes.

vonner · Answer

Dfg Fishing Regs

nora · Answer

I like the Berkley power bait. Use bright colors like chartreuse in dingy water. Use a light leader like 4lb. test and small treble hooks like a 14 or 16. Put a split shot about 18 inches above a ball of bait rolled to cover the hook. You want enough weight so that the shot bounces on the bottom but the bait floats above as it carries downstream with the current, but not so much you get snagged in the rocks. The trout often swallow the bait so be ready to tie another rig and and take the old one out when you clean the fish. And yes, I've fished the Williams, Cherry, both forks of the Laurel and around that area. Good luck.

Roger · Answer

The intent of the law is to discourage movement of species from one habitat to another.  The activity of bait bucket biologists has created problems all over our nation.   Using live wells to keep fish fresh might be difficult sell to persuade a judge.   Davis Lake in northern California has been poisoned twice in an effort to rid it of northern pike.  People in Portola who rely on the lake to draw tourists have had their economy crippled.  Portola would be a bad spot to get caught in violation of this law.  

Current laws also stipulate that a boat be completely dry and clean before it can be launched in some waters.  These rules are intended to stop the spread of mud snails and other noxious creatures.

enufofthisshit · Answer

that's what it says. right there.
put 'em in an ice chest with plenty of ice.
you won't be able to tell the difference.
you can gill and gut them right there, but remember, it is also illegal to throw any guts or parts in the water.


not to say that it isn't done though...

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CA fishing regs, trout in livewell?

5 Answers