From the Nebraska fishing regs:
it's unlawful to release into public Waters of the state any fish that did not originate from that body of water. (It's fair to say that bait doesn't get released, though)

Live shad can only be used in the body of water from which they originated. They can be seined or dip netted. Cast nets can only be used in a select few lakes, no rivers, only for shad and alewife, and only from July to November.

Sport fish (that would include bluegill and green sunfiah) can only be used if captured by hook and line,and only if used in the body of water in which they were caught. And even if using them for bait, they count toward your daily bag and possession limits.

I spoke to a warden once who said, "Any bait fish you use must come from the same waters you are fishing, or purchased from a licensed bait vendor". Then, he said, "Of course, we would have no way of knowing if the bait you are using came from this body of water or a pond in Russia." Followed by a pronounced wink. As long as the species of bait you are using is already swimming in the river you are fishing, I wouldn't get too excited.

if you catch bait in a pond that drains into a ditch that drains into a creek that drains into a river your lines are set in, how can the bait be said to come from a different body of water?

The absolute best place for a long term bait tank is tight against the north wall of a building because it's shaded all day, add a big shade tree and its eaven better .Keep it cool .direct sunlight is very stressful for any kind of bait.

I don't disagree with you. It's all connected. But I'm not the one who writes the tickets

We have that law here now too so I may be in court someday. I will bring a topo map. Plan to ask the judge what separates things into a different body of water. I doubt I get ticketed if its all the same drainage.


I just read the 2019 regs. Here if your in the same drainage your good. Just can't transport fish from below a dam to above it. So it has been clarified here. Some fish it is illegal to transport alive. Asian carp, white perch and fertile grass carp. I figure baby coons gotta eat to get big so tossed up on the bank ought to work.

It's not illegal if you can show they were purchased if you read the fine print of the regulations it says these regulations only apply to bait obtained for personal use. The reason you are seeing the bluegill/goldfish on the lines is in Nebraska you can buy them from people with commercial bait licenses and use them wherever you please. Soooo long story short I'm sure guys have a receipt for a dozen bluegill in their wallet, and I think it would be pretty hard to prove the 12 they are using aren't the 12 that they bought.

The last time we had a good flood come through it brought quite a few cats with it. We really didn't have much luck on bank lines with liver, etc. Live is the way to go to get some good ones. We were only running about 20 lines and had daily nice catches for the three-four days we'd run them. If you're just looking for some fryers save yourself the hassle and take a bottle of stink bait down there every once in a while in the evening.