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Baitfish Regulations

Purchased Baitfish

Green List Baitfish

The following baitfish are the only species that can be purchased and used in any water body in New York where it is legal to use fish as bait. These baitfish are commonly used throughout New York and are not considered to be a threat to other native New York fish species (except for trout in waters where baitfish use is prohibited). Limiting the use of baitfish to the Green List will help prevent the accidental introduction of unwanted species.

• Golden shiner
• Northern redbelly dace
• Emerald shiner
• Blacknose dace
• Common shiner
• Longnose dace
• Spottail shiner
• White sucker
• Banded killifish
• Northern hogsucker
• Fathead minnow
• Creek chub
• Bluntnose minnow
• Fallfish
• Logperch

Other Baitfish

In addition to the Green List, the following baitfish may be purchased and used in specified water bodies only. They are not included on the Green List for a variety of reasons including potential negative impacts on native fish populations (i.e. alewife predation on walleye fry) or they are Marine District species.

• Alewife: Canandaigua Lake; Cannonsville Reservoir; Cayuga Lake; Cayuta Lake; Conesus Lake; Hudson River and tidal portion of Hudson River tributaries downstream to Lock C-4 and it=s associated dam in Stillwater, New York; Keuka Lake; Otsego Lake; Otisco Lake; Owasco Lake; Lake Ontario; Lake Erie; Lamoka Lake; Pepacton Reservoir; Seneca Lake; St. Lawrence River and tributaries to the first barrier impassable by fish; Niagara River and tributaries to the first barrier impassable by fish; Mohawk River; and all waters in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties.
• Rainbow smelt: Canandaigua Lake; Cayuga Lake; Cayuta Lake; Conesus Lake; First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Lakes of the Fulton Chain; Keuka Lake; Owasco Lake; Lake Champlain; Lamoka Lake; Lake Ontario; Lake Erie; Seneca Lake; Star Lake (St. Lawrence County); Waneta Lake; the St. Lawrence River and tributaries to the first barrier impassable by fish; and the Niagara River and tributaries to the first barrier impassable by fish.
• Mummichog: Hudson River and tidal portion of Hudson River tributaries downstream of the Federal Dam at Troy; and all waters in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
• Blueback herring and Atlantic menhaden: Hudson River and tidal portion of Hudson River tributaries downstream to Lock C-4 and it's associated dam in Stillwater, New York; and the Mohawk River and tributaries to the first barrier impassable by fish.
• American eel: Delaware River and tributaries to the first barrier impassable by fish, 6 inch minimum size limit; and the Hudson River and tidal portion of Hudson River tributaries downstream of the Federal Dam at Troy, between 6 and 14 inches.

Use, Possession and Transportation of Purchased Baitfish

Certified Baitfish

Certified baitfish are those that have been tested and found to be free of specified diseases. Use of certified baitfish helps prevent the spread of fish diseases. Certified baitfish purchased from a bait dealer can be transported overland in a motorized vehicle and used on any body of water where it is legal to do so. For baitfish to be considered certified, a dated receipt containing the seller's name, the species of fish and the number of each species sold must be obtained from the seller and retained by the purchaser while in possession of the baitfish. Baitfish without a receipt or with a receipt that is older than 7 days shall be considered uncertified bait.

Uncertified Baitfish

Uncertified baitfish are those that have not been tested and found to be free of specified diseases. These fish may carry diseases that could be harmful if spread from one water body to another. Uncertified baitfish purchased from a bait dealer can only be used on the same body of water from which it was caught and cannot be transported overland by a motorized vehicle (i.e. car). The seller is required to provide a receipt that names the water body in which the uncertified bait fish can be used and a warning to the purchaser that the baitfish may not be transported by car or other motorized vehicle.

Collection, Use and Transportation of Personally Harvested Baitfish

In addition to angling, any person who has a fishing license or is entitled to fish without a license may collect* minnows (except carp and goldfish), killifish, mudminnows, darters, sticklebacks, stonecats, smelt, alewives, suckers and blueback herring for personal use (sale prohibited) as follows:

Stunning may be used to collect stonecats. Stunning means tapping a stone with an implement or other stone.

*Possession of endangered or threatened fish species is prohibited.

Baitfish or other legally taken fish species intended to be used as bait taken may only be used in the same water body from which they were caught for bait in hook-and-line fishing. Transportation of personally harvested baitfish overland by a motorized vehicle is prohibited (see exceptions for smelt, suckers, alewives and blueback herring taken for human consumption).

Baitfish collection exceptions

Possession or use of minnow traps and nets is prohibited on units of state land/waters where the use or possession of baitfish is prohibited (see Special Regulations by County).

In the Hudson River downstream of the Troy Dam and in Lake Champlain, Upper and Lower Saranac Lakes, Lake Clear (Franklin Co.), Chazy Lake, Upper Saranac Lake and their tributaries to the first barrier, smelt may be taken only by angling)

Restricted Baitfish Species

Carp, goldfish, lamprey larvae and round goby may not be collected or used for bait.

Restrictions on Use and Possession of Marine Baitfish

Baitfish collected in the Marine and Coastal District may be transported overland only for use in the Marine and Coastal District in the following counties: Queens, Kings, Richmond, New York, Bronx, Suffolk, Nassau, Rockland and Westchester. The Marine and Coastal District includes waters of the Atlantic Ocean within 3 miles of the coast line and all other tidal waters including the Hudson River upstream to the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Use of Dead Fish as Bait

Any dead fish, or parts thereof excluding eggs, that have been packaged for commercial sale and have been preserved by methods other than by freezing only (i.e. salted minnows) can be used in any water body were it is legal to use fish as bait and do not require a receipt. Each package of dead bait fish must be individually labeled, identifying the name of the packager B processor, the name of the species, the quantity of fish contained and the means of preservation.