Thread: Poaching Crappie

Let me ask this. Is it legal to cast a net and catch the shad and then fish with the shad? I have did this a few times because I assumed it was legal, I thought that was the purpose of nets being sold around here. I have never kept a game fish I caught in a net. My next question is this. If I am catching bait with a net and I have fish in my livewell and a warden comes up, would he try and accuse me of having netted those fish. I have only netted bait maybe 2 or 3 times in the last 15 years. On another note about the snagging, I caught a crappie at North Sauty on a jig a few weeks ago that had a snag hook and weight hanging out of it's side.

You can we where the hook bad been in the crappies mouth. Besides the fact that like mentioned earlier there is probably another Game Warden watching what's been going on from hiding .

Catch all the trash fish you want with nets and snagging that's alright,keeping game fish is not.Casting bait nets are a great for live bait nothing wrong with that.I caught monster crappie and bass using 2 inch shad.I have seen many crappie and small brims and bass being tossed back to grow and one day spawn.

It is legal to throw a cast net or us a dip net for non game fish . Most wardens know what you doing way before you see them.and the only way we can stop the poachers is to report them . if it's an every now and then occasion it's hard for them to be caught unless you have good evidence .but them that has been spoken of in some of the previous post are all the timers everyone has seen them.