Anglers a lining up on both sides of the debate over the use of "Powerbait" and other scented bait products on the state's delayed harvest streams. Delayed harvest fisheries are limited to artificial lures having only one hook. The recent repeal of North Carolina's natural bait exemption also inadvertently repealed the legal definition of natural bait thus opening the doors for scented doughs on fisheries where they had not been previously allowed.
The latest word is that the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission plans on conducting a random angler survey in an attempt to gauge sentiment from the state's anglers. Fly fishing groups generally feel that the use of these type baits cause higher trout mortality due to swallowing the tasty morsels deeper than they would a comparable artificial.
The random survey will be limited to around 1500 participants so if you want to make your opinion known about this issue you may want to contact the NCWRC commissioners directly. Contact information is available via the NCWRC website.
We have been following this issue for some time and have been unable to obtain comment from the interested parties. However, the credit for the heads up on this latest development goes to the Southeast Fly Fishing Forum users Wilhelm and Marty who attended the meeting and made presentations before the board. (We hope we didn't leave anyone out)
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