What can you keep throwing castnet?.

[bowhunter0]

Can you keep baby bluegill or other panfish that you catch when throwing a castnet? There used to be a baitshop that sold baby bluegill for bait and I'm pretty sure he was catching them in a castnet off the dock behind his shop. I was also wondering if anyone uses bad or cut bass for bait, I've never heard or seen anyone doing so but catfish do eat bass.

[unclefish]

Can you keep baby bluegill or other panfish that you catch when throwing a castnet? There used to be a baitshop that sold baby bluegill for bait and I'm pretty sure he was catching them in a castnet off the dock behind his shop. I was also wondering if anyone uses bad or cut bass for bait, I've never heard or seen anyone doing so but catfish do eat bass.

In state waters you can't use a game fish (bass) as bait. You can keep bluegill and other non-game fish caught in a cast net.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/general-rules-regulations/definitions

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/general-rules-regulations/legal-devices-for-fish

[bowhntrmatt]

You can keep non game fish caught in a cast net (bluegill, shad, etc).
You cannot use a game fish for bait or catch on anything but rod and reel (freshwater fish).

I got to throw back a 8.5 lb bass in choke canyon I caught on a jug line in 60 ft of water on a live perch. Biggest bass of my life and it was an illegal catch. He lived to bite my crank bait one day.

[bowhunter0]

So the way I see it, I can keep any panfish except for crappie?

[BowSlayer]

You can keep them but you cannot use them for bait in any body of water other than the one you caught them in effective July 1.

[txnduckhntr]

only ticket I ever got from a GW was as a young man using a crappie on a trotline.

[bowhunter0]

You can keep them but you cannot use them for bait in any body of water other than the one you caught them in effective July 1.

That is a rather weird law haha, but thanks for the answers guys!

[duckmanep]

You can keep them but you cannot use them for bait in any body of water other than the one you caught them in effective July 1.

does that apply to all public bodies of water?

[stevieray54]

A lot of guys use fish traps to catch small perch in for bait

[BowSlayer]

does that apply to all public bodies of water?

Yes. All freshwater that is.

[BowSlayer]

You can't even trap perch in your own pond and use them for trot line bait in the river. Stupid!

[bowhunter0]

That is really freakin stupid, really how could they prove where you caught the fish though?

[SmTx]

You can keep them but you cannot use them for bait in any body of water other than the one you caught them in effective July 1.

First I've heard of this and can't find anything online about it. Do you have a link handy?

[BowSlayer]

That is really freakin stupid, really how could they prove where you caught the fish though?

If they catch you approaching a body of water with live bait you have to have an itemized receipt showing you purchased them.

First I've heard of this and can't find anything online about it. Do you have a link handy?

Here ya go

http://tscra.org/news_blog/2014/05/30/zebra-mussel-rules-now-expanded-statewide/

[BowSlayer]

Oh, and if you fish a lake one day you are supposed to allow your boat to dry for at least a week before putting it in a different lake.