Stacie,
I have a question regarding catch and release while using bait.
By looking at the regulations, it looks to me that if you are fishing with bait in a river, stream, or beaver pond, you must keep every legal sized fish you catch until the limit is reached (usually 2). For lakes, it looks to be different. You can catch and realease all you want, but if the fish swallows the hook, or is badly injured, you have to keep it. Once you have your limit, you are done. Is this true? Or are lakes and rivers the same when it comes to bait fishing?

I am not Stacie, but I will tell you the way I took the laws. My view is that you can catch and release fish with artificial lures until you keep your daily limit. If you use bait, the first five (legal size) fish you catch (doesn't matter if you keep or release) count as your daily limit. But if the fish is injured you should keep it if it is the legal size. Just how I read the laws.
Matt

Hello!

When fishing with bait, the first five fish you catch, whether you keep or release them count as your daily limit. Generally speaking there aren't a lot of fish caught on bait that can successfully be released. Even though the fish looks like it has swam off okay the percentage of mortality is VERY high.

If an Officer observes you catching and releasing fish over the daily limit while you are using bait you can be cited (and it has been done).

In my humble little opinion it is best to keep fish that catch with bait.

If you have any questions let me know!

Thanks for the info. I think the regs could be stated more clearly. I know a lot of people who don't understand this particular rule. Personally, I like it. I think it should be expanded to include the use of treble hooks. When trolling, I lip hook a lot of fish using bait on a single hook. When trolling with a spinner (no bait) with a trebble hook, I usually do more damage to the fish.
Thanks again,
Chad

try pinching the barbs off your trebble hooks it makes it alot easier to release the fish with out doing any damage to the fish and try not to net them or take them out of the water if you are planning on releasing them I practice catch and release 90% of the time and I ussaly just grab the line with the fish in the water and grab the hook with a pair of needle nose pliers and just turn it over and the fish will ussaly just slide off.