Fact or fiction?

[djlesco]

I was talking with an old salt dog today... He stated insread of using herring as bait for stripers to use sun fish..... Obviously they will die in saltwater but they are a bait fish...any thoughts?

[tattoobob]

Your probably better off with some big rubber Shads

[Saltheart]

Skipjacks

[djlesco]

I've used skip jacks... But I have to wonder..sunfish in brackish water must get slammed
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[djlesco]

They stink..they are oily...I'm gonna try it..I'll let you know how I make out
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[Nebe]

depends where your fishing... up top in a river... sure.

[djlesco]

Has anyone ever tried?... Nebe I agree... The person I talked with fishes to ct river religously so that makes sense... All the way to chicopee,ma
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[JLH]

I have heard of guys using them in the river with some success. If you can get some big dace they make great striper bait in the rivers.
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[SurfCaster413]

Dj sunfish work great in the rivers so do dace and suckers

[djlesco]

I have a buddy that bounces shinners for fluke
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[Rappin Mikey]

I know people that throw them to the stripers out here in Western MA with success. I personally think dace are the best legal bait to use in fresh water. Golden pond shiners work well too.

[djlesco]

dace... how do i get them?? net.... not even sure if i know what they look like

[Rappin Mikey]

You can usually find them in brooks and streams in moving water. Sometimes they hang out in the slower pools. If you can find a small dam fish right below it. Use little pieces of worm or bread. They kind of look like a cross between a herring and large shiner. Google image them.

[HanoverStriper]

Are dace the same as fallfish?

[Rappin Mikey]

yes

[zimmy]

Some guys around here live line em in the river and supposedly do well. I rather just throw Northbars

[moogie]

You would be better off using large horse shiners if you can get them.

[SurfCaster413]

Originally Posted by zimmy

Some guys around here live line em in the river and supposedly do well. I rather just throw Northbars

Same way rather toss lures however I have been known to sling eels in the river.

[Jimmy Fee]

I'd go for white perch instead of sunfish.

[Crest Daddy]

Several people have told me that bluegills work great. Havent tried them ... yet

[robc22]

Ya can't use bluegills for bait in MA.....You can use pumpkinseed sunfish......I know, I know....who makes these crazy regs!!....

Bait fish means only live or dead fish of the following species. A person shall not use as bait any fish, alive or dead, including parts thereof, except: 1. American eel (Anguilla rostrata)2. White sucker (Catostomus commersoni)3. Creek chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus)4. Banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus)5. Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)6. Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)7. Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)8. Emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides)9. Spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius)10. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), only as provided in 321 CMR 4.01, Table 1.11. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens)12. Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)13. Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus)14. Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)15. Herring (Clupea spp.) may be used as bait in the Connecticut River, Merrimack River, and coastal rivers and streams, only as provided in 321 CMR 4.01: Table 1 and 322 CMR, but may not be possessed or used as bait in other rivers and streams, or in lakes, ponds, or reservoirs.

[Rappin Mikey]

You can use herring in the CT River? I didn't think you could, and have been giving people nasty looks when I have seen them.

[maddmatt]

mike

i think its legal if...they need to be bought from a shop and have to be sea herring, save the receipt to show the cops, most come vacume packed 5 or 6 to a pack and they're smaller then the real thing, as with most frozen bait they probably don't work as well as the real thing fresh.

stick to your canal special!!