You couldn't go to Wilson and catch shad below Wheeler Dam, and then transport them to fish at Bear Creek or Smith or Lay. Or catch something at Lay and transport it elsewhere.

"wild-caught bait" doesn't discriminate. If you caught 20 bluegills or sunfish on Guntersville for catfishing on Beadle Creek in Winston County -- and even if Beadle Creek has bluegills or sunfish -- by this wording, it's still illegal to transport.

Blueback herring got dumped into Smith by bucket biologists who thought it would be fine. They didn't know about or care about how it might impact the lake, tributaries or downstream. Happens often. Chit gets sideways after that and then people yell about how "this is hurting my ..." whatever they want to be hurt about. Crappie. Bass. Can't find shad. Yell and holler.

$300 per sounds fine to me. Hunters yell all the time about how deer poachers need to be put into prison. That's extreme but they don't care, don't know the difference in prison or jail, and want it to happen. $300 is extreme but it'll work.


Seems a bit out of left field, though. Who's moving enough live baitfish in the state to warrant this change and possible fine?