new to me! check this link out gooey bobs and such are classified as bait in oregon. Is that true for washington too?


http://www.bassclubs.com/clubpages/orbass/baits.htm

Micro -
A definition of bait is provided in fishing regulation under Statewide Definitions.

Bait: "Anything that attracts fish or shellfish by scent and/or flavor. This includes any device made of feathers, hair, fiber, wood, metal, glass, cork, leather, rubber, or plastic which uses scent and/or flavoring to attract fish or wildlife."

If it has scent then its bait - that simple. Many of the plastic baits are either scented or have salt.

Tight lines
Smalma

Smalma......can you define "scent"? everything has an odor. not a smartass question, I assure you.....I have poured some plastic baits that "smell", but to me they smell like plastic....is that "scent"?

Fun5acres-
The revelant part of the definition is: "uses scent and/or flavoring to attract fish".

Clearly plastics with anise, salt or other enhancements would be considered a bait and would not be legal on selective fishing waters.

One needs to apply your own common senses on what is a scented lure. Suggest you ask the question "Does it smell good to the fish?" or "Does it increase the likelyhood that the fish will bite the rig or to hold it longer?" "Do you do feel that you are more succesful with or than without the scent?"

Tight lines
Smalma

OK.....thanks....one more question...what does salt have to do with anything? years ago, when I used to use bait, I salted herring, but that had nothing to do with anything except preservation of the bait.....

Many plastics are impregnated with salt. They'd be illegal in a no-bait river. Same with scented plastics like Berkley Power Worms. I had a Gamie check me in no-bait water last weekend.......he took a whiff of the platics we were fishing to see if they were obviously scented.

You can buy plastics with salt, scents, pheremones, etc. added to them to increase their effectiveness. All these types are illegal to use in no-bait water.

WA and OR are very different on this subject.

In WA scent is classified as bait - in OR, it generally is not.

Plastics are "lures" in WA, but in OR they are bait.

Go figure, it doesn't seem logical.

up here in B.C. it has to be a natural bait or foodstuff. Gooey bobs and jensen eggs are covered witha synthetic oil, so they are legal up here, also the oil is for "masking" human scent, not to attract fish and that also makes it legal in B.C.