Goldfish?

[outlawguy540]

Theres a guy that fishes at 1 of the lakes I frequent and the other day he was tellng me that he uses goldfish. Has anyone heard of this? I personally use artificial 99% of th time but my youngest son 3yrs doesnt quite have the feel for artificial. I thought I might give this a try, and I wanted to ask you guys what you thought. Thanks

[Other.]

You have to watch out. In some states using goldfish is illegal. Before using goldfish as bait I would first see if it is legal in your state.

[dmac14]

for 12 cents a pop or so, its cheaper to get a bunch of shiners isn't it?

plus little kids love goldfish I think they would cry if they saw one with a hook through it.

[SuskyDude]

Even if it is legal in your state, I still advise that you don't do it. Last thing you need is some exotic species spreading some funky pet-shop fish virus around in your favorite hole. What if they establish a population and start competing with native species? Just some things to ponder.

[J Francho]

Goldfish carry some of the scariest viruses and bacteria around.  Do not use them as bait.

[Brian4618]

At a few bait shops around me, they give out "gold fish" I dont think these are the same as fish that are in peoples fish tanks though. If you ask for a couple dozen minnows, there usually is a few that are gold or orange looking. I dont know if this is the same with other bait shops.

[FordNFishinLover]

We too can get them around here at our bait shops. I've heard of them being used for catfish quite often. Never bass.

[T-rig]

Goldfish are carp. Small 3-5"carp are often used as bait.

[Eddie Munster]

Even if it is legal in your state, I still advise that you don't do it. Last thing you need is some exotic species spreading some funky pet-shop fish virus around in your favorite hole. What if they establish a population and start competing with native species? Just some things to ponder.

No doubt. Can't even fathom why someone would attempt it.  :-?

[Avalonjohn44]

My friend bought some one time to use and we got skunked on them.  We switched to cranks and started catching them.  Goldfish don't work, at least around where I live.

[MALTESE FALCON]

I agree with T-rig. Every Spring, the carp spawn in my canal. We always have 6-8 gold carp in the mix. One year my buddy and I caught some goldfish fry in a minnow trap and used them in the lake. We caught some of the biggest smallies of the season with those goldfish.

Falcon

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I know that back home, the goldfish are used mainly in pay lakes for catfish.  Don't here of them used much in the lakes, usually shad, gill, and shiners but rarely for bass...well minnows for bass but mostly catfish.  You can get them at a few baitshops for 20 for $1 or so for bait...$.25 for a pet.

[LCpointerKILLA]

i think your best bet is shiners. they are cheaper, legal, and probably better bait than goldfish

[Jig Thrower]

dont do it your asking for disease

[tyrius.]

How are goldfish who are kept en masse in a tank any different than any other type of fish (minnow, shiner, etc) kept en masse in a tank?

Is it because goldfish are carp?  If there isn't an actual reason why goldfish carry more disease then why is it any different than using a minnow or a shiner?

I'm not seeing the logic here.

[swilly78]

Well, in highschool, I worked at a pet store that specialized in fish.  We had to stop feeding goldfish to the Oscars and other ciclids because of a disease commonly refered to as "hole in the head disease".  It was believed to be caused by a small protozoan that lives naturally in goldfish.  It literally looked like someone drilled holes in the heads of these poor fish.  I will do some research tomorrow, to get some more detailed info.  Needless to say, I would not use goldfish as bait.

[Gone_Phishin]

This topic makes me think back to when I was a kid, and the goldfish won at carnivals.  How many of you out there remember someone winning one of these fish, putting it in with their own fish at home, and finding them all dead first thing the next morning?  

Goldfish are sickly creatures.  Although the conditions at the carnival (sitting in those tight bags, and in the sun) probably doesn't help.

[outlawguy540]

Thanks for all the input. Ill not use them. These pet shops and walmart are well known for selling diseased fish. Ill make sure to tell my buddy too. Thanks again

[bassinfla82]

for 12 cents a pop or so, its cheaper to get a bunch of shiners isn't it?

plus little kids love goldfish I think they would cry if they saw one with a hook through it.

I wish i could buy shiners for .12 cent... down here in FLA you cant find even small shiners for less then 8 bucks a dozen... large 12 bucks a dozen and large wild golden shiners can be as much as 3 bucks a pop....

[.dsaavedra.]

yeah, def. don't use goldfish. they are terrible little creatures.

if you want live bait, go to walmart and buy a minnow trap for 7 or 8 bucks and set it at the fishing spot a day in advance or so and come back and it should have plenty of small fish in it.