Northwest Fishing Reports

does anyone know if you can fish with live bait in lake roosevelt??:-k

Comic21 wrote:does anyone know if you can fish with live bait in lake roosevelt??:-k

depends on what kind of "live bait" you are referring to.

"live fish" for bait is banned statewide when fishing for gamefish (i.e., most freshwater fish), but "live fish" for bait is legal when fishing in saltwater (since most saltwater fish are "foodfish")

"live bait" meaning nightcrawlers, maggots, grasshoppers etc. are always legal wherever the use of bait is legal

"live bait" meaning aquatic species, like leeches, crawdads, etc. -- see the regs booklet for details

Shad_Eating_Grin pretty much summed it up above. The use of live fish or minnows has never been allowed in Washington (fresh water) to the best of my knowledge, as least not in the years I have lived here. This is not due to food fish or sport fish but due to the illegal introduction of non-game and invasive species that results from fishing with the minnows.

Leaches were legal, and commonly used, until a couple of years ago when a virus called VHS developed in the upper mid-west were most commercially available leaches come from. To prevent the spread of the disease, most states stopped the transport and use of leaches. The same is true of Water dogs which, while harder to get, were frequently used by fishermen in Washington. To the best of my knowledge, no VHS has ever been observed in water dogs, but sometimes we would rather error on the safe side.

The importation and transport of Crayfish has been a no-no for some time. This is due largely to the introduction of non-native species that often compete with native species, and also can do damage to the environment. For example,the Rusty Craw is giving several states fits because it burrows into the mud banks of ditches and canals and can cause flooding. Still, if I remember correctly, and YOU NEED TO CHECK THE REGULATIONS TO CONFIRM, you can catch and use crayfish from the body of water you are fishing.
As Shad suggested, you need to dig into the regulations because they can be complex, but I believe the above information from Shad and myself will help you out.