Answer: It is not legal to use any live fish as bait, except that live crayfish and bull frogs may be used if caught on the body of water being fished. But game fish reduced to possession may be used as fishing bait, either whole or cut up. Those fish, however, still count toward bag limits.
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What bait fish are in the Snake River?
There are many options for bait, and you might start with a common nightcrawler. But experiment with different bait, such as shrimp, cutbait from any oily fish such as carp, sucker or pikeminnow. Crickets are also a popular catfish bait, especially Mormon crickets when they’re available.
Can you use bait on the Snake River?
Baitfish permissible for use as dead bait in the Snake River drainage are redside shiner, speckled dace, longnose dace, Paiute sculpin, mottled sculpin, Utah chub, Utah sucker and commercially preserved dead baitfish.
How do you catch fish on the Snake River?

What is the best bait for fishing in a river?
Good natural freshwater fishing baits include worms, leeches, minnows, crayfish, crickets and grasshoppers. Freshwater bottom-feeders like catfish and carp are also attracted to cut fishing baits (cut-up bait fish) and prepared baits called dough balls.
What is the most common fish in the Snake River?
3.1 Snake River main stem Mountain whitefish were the most abundant species captured, representing more than half of all fish collected (Table 3.1).
Where is the best fishing on the Snake River?
- Snake River (from Hells Canyon Dam to the state line)
- Hells Canyon Reservoir.
- Oxbow Reservoir.
- Brownlee Reservoir.
- Snake River (above Brownlee)
What fish are in the Snake River right now?
It’s home to native Yellowstone cutthroat trout, which are noted as very willing to take a dry fly. The river also houses rainbow trout and brown trout. Anglers are encouraged to harvest all rainbow trout they encounter here, as they can compete with native cutthroat.
Can you fish the Snake River year round?
Catch and release Snake River fishing is allowed year-round, though the summer and fall are the most popular seasons. The Snake River is particularly known for the fine-spotted cutthroat trout, or “cutty,” which gets its name from the coating of tiny spots that resemble grains of pepper all over its skin.
Is the Snake River catch and release?
Rivers and Streams: All cutthroat trout caught in the Snake River must be released to the water immediately from November 1-March 31. Seasonal Closures: December 15-March 31: A section of the Snake River is closed to access from the Buffalo Fork confluence at Moran to Menors Ferry at Moose.
What is the best catfish bait?
- #1. Nightcrawler. First on the list is the ubiquitous nightcrawler, favored food for all fish species.
- #2. Gizzard Shad.
- #3. White Suckers.
- #4. Skipjack Herring.
- #5. Stinkbait.
- #7. Bluegills.
- #8. Punchbait.
- #9. Chicken Livers.
Are there sturgeon in the Snake River?
White sturgeon are not native to the Snake River above Shoshone Falls. However, since 1990, Fish and Game occasionally stocked white sturgeon upstream of Shoshone Falls to provide additional angling opportunity for sturgeon outside of their native range.
What bait attracts the most fish?
Live (or natural) baits are anything alive or previously alive that you use to catch fish. Some of the best freshwater fishing bait include worms, leeches, minnows, crayfish, crickets and grasshoppers. Select good saltwater baits including sea worms, eels, crabs, shrimp, strips of squid, and cut-up pieces of fish.
What attracts fish the most?
Attractants: salt, fish slime, fish guts, fish extracts, human saliva. Possible attractants: milk products like cheese, coffee, garlic. Repellents: human skin oils, nicotine, bug sprays, sun screens, scented and perfumed soaps, any petroleum distillates like gasoline, marine grease, oil, diesel……..
Can you use hot dogs as fish bait?

How many trout are in the Snake River?
In 2021, the total trout abundance at Conant decreased from 6,175 trout/mile to 4,617 trout/mile, which is slightly lower than the 10-yr. average of 5,170 trout/mile.
Are there largemouth bass in the Snake River?
The Snake River runs through southern Idaho and offers great fly fishing for carp, smallmouth and largemouth bass.
Where is the best bass fishing in Idaho?
Dworshak Reservoir, Brownlee Reservoir, Lake Coeur d’Alene, C.J. Strike Reservoir and the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam were all recognized in the publication for outstanding bass fishing and size of fish.
Can you wade fish the Snake River?
Much of the fishing occurs from the boat while floating or being anchored. However, some of our rivers fish very well with wade fishing techniques. It is your choice, but trust your guide’s decision and be prepared to exit the boat and wade fish if your guide deems it necessary.
What kind of bass are in the Snake River?
The Snake River’s smallmouth bass population attracts a lot of anglers, and spring is often when they find the largest fish. Many anglers know the large fish are often females that are in the shallows during spawning season, and some of those bass move into the Snake River’s tributaries to spawn.
What flies to use on the South Fork of the Snake River?
- Cheater Belly Stonefly Nymph, sizes 2-8.
- Orange Water Walker, sizes 4-8.
- J-Slam Golden Stone, sizes 4-10.
- Schroder’s Parachute Hopper, sizes 8 and 10.
- Orvis Lightning Bug, sizes 12-18.
- Psycho May Nymph, sizes 14-18.
- Pink Sparkle Dun, sizes 16-20.
What weight fly rod for the Snake River?
9ft 5wt and 6wt rods are necessary to fish the Snake and other big water effectively.
When can you fish the Snake River?
Spring (April-June 15th) Spring fly fishing on the South Fork of the Snake River is all about keeping your eyes on the weather and the water flows. There is a magic window in the Spring where the weather warms up, but the snow melt has not caused the river to rise or get muddy.
Is there salmon in the Snake River?
The ColumbiaโSnake River Basin was once the most prolific salmon habitat in the world, but today its salmon and steelhead numbers have plummeted. In the 1950s, almost 130,000 adult salmon and steelhead returned to the Snake River in the spring and summer to spawn, but by 2017 that number had dropped below 10,000.
Can I use two poles in the Snake River?
Snake River impoundments above Hells Canyon Dam will open to fishing with two poles. Juvenile anglers age 13 and younger can fish two poles without an endorsement. There has been a lot of angler interest in a two-pole rule,” said Rhine Messmer, ODFW Recreational Fisheries Program manager.