TX Hellbender as Fish Bait Query

[wes_von_papineäu]

Dear Caudata.org Peers;
I usually post as your paperboy over in the Amphibian News forum, but I’m here because I require some ‘specialist advice’ on a Hellbender press snippit (Though I keep small newts, I also participate in an annual Mudpuppy survey in Canada so I’m not a total ‘newbie’ with things -hellbenderish-)
My query: If Hellbenders are endangered in the United States, why are they allowed to be used as ‘fish bait’ for the sports fishery? (please see press snippit following along with the original URL).
You can take Hellbenders for fish-food … but not for pets?
You need a licence to fish Bass, but not to ‘take’ an endangered species as ‘bait’? (My head hurts)
If I have mistaken some terminology or stumbled onto something ‘cultural’, please excuse this dense old soldier … but there seems to be a major disconnect here between the rights of sports fisherman and the need to protect an endangered caudate.
Thank you for your patience,
Wes von Papineäu

THE EAGLE (Bryan-College Station, Texas) 05 June 08 Atkinson Toyota Fishing Report for June 5 (John Paul Greeson) {Excerpt}
“LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.18' high. Black bass are good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are excellent on hellbenders, pet spoons, and Charlie slabs.”
http://www.theeagle.com/Sports/d0682-BC-TX-FishingReport-06-04-4752

 

[John]

I'm not going to claim this as gospel, but I rather suspect they are referring to larval tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum or Ambystoma mavortium something), or (while worse, not as bad as hellbenders) Gulf Coast water dogs (Necturus beyeri). For someone to be able to regularly find enough hellbenders for fishbait would be startling, and it would need to be a big bass on the other end.

 

[AaronK]

Could they mean a fake lure that looks like the Hellbender?

 

[Ralf]

AW: TX Hellbender as Fish Bait Query

Could indeed be the name of an artificial lure. See: http://www.lurenet.com/catalog.aspx?catID=HeddonLures

 

[i_love_necturus]

Yes could be a lure, hopefully. Maybe someone should make Necturus beyeri lures so they don't have to use REAL ones...

I wonder if worm fanatics feel the same way about fishermen who use nightcrawlers and such?