Possession limits

[Eager Beaver]

I am writing this in response to G3 Jockey's post about giving fish away. I was going to respond this to his thread, but decided to add it to a new Thread instead: Maybe Slad can make it a sticky for awhile, so everyone can read it.
Good morning G3: Our regs state the same as yours do, but that is for possession in your home freezer or in storage that is over your possession limits. It is unlawful for a person to keep more than "your own" limit of fish for the day, whither in your possession, or if you give them to someone else. Once you attain your limit. You are to put down your rod, and quit fishing. You can be ticketed for just holding a rod once you attain your limit. You can keep fishing, but must not keep the last fish for your limit, until you are ready to quit fishing. Then you can keep the last fish to fill your limit.
Case in point:
A fishing guide on one of our bigger lakes took a Sports Writer and the local Game Warden fishing on a nice summer morning. Fishing was a little tough that day, but they got their limits of nice Walleye. When the Writer wrote his story in the paper he finally stated that he and the Game Warden only caught a few and the rest was actually caught by the Guide. The director of our Game and Parks here, after reading the article, called the Game Warden in the article, and had him go and ticket the Guide with keeping fish over the legal limit, as the article stated. He was ticketed for possessing over 2 limits of fish. The Game Warden was sited for allowing the Guide to break the law. They had the Sports writer, write an article pertaining to the fact that the 3 of them broke the law. It may not be spelled out that way in the regs, but that is the intent of it. That is the reason for bag limits. Not many people realize this. That is why in some States each person in a boat,has to keep their catch in seperate containers. Missouri is one of them. We don't have to here, but you are on the honor system here. This was the reason I brought this point up.
I know it is hard to quit fishing when the fish are biteing very good. You just have to, not keep, the last fish until you are ready to quit fishing for the day. Some people will catch a limit in the morning and then go back and catch another limit in the afternoon, thinking that is their 2 possession limit. It was my intention to inform, not critize your catch. Good fishing to you. EB

[NIMROD]

The only place I've seen them hammer folks for double-dipping as it's called is on TV in Florida. Our wildlife officers in Arkansas have been known to get Trout fishermen doing it. But I see double-dipping every year here and no one seems to care. The most folks here feel it's only against the law if you get caught.:rolleyes:

[Quackrstackr]

To the guide/writer scenario. Do they make multiple anglers in the same boat tag their fish as they put them in the livewell?

They would have a hard time proving anything otherwise.

Seems a bit anal to me.

[Fisherman_Wantabe]

Well this maybe ture? But I know of alot of people (me included) that would get fined around here! Most of them Lawyers and Judges so I don't think that would fly here, be alot of Game Wardens out of work :D
And ain't no one coming in my house to look in my deep freeze :D, besides no one around here would even think like that.
I'm not saying go catch 200 fish at a time not even 60, but I will keep 4 to 6 gallon bags of fillets in the freezer at any one time.
Can't see how it would work, I guess it don't, not all that many getting nailed, because when they do, they make the news.

Not try to start no fight EB, just my 2 cents and 2K post :D

[Quackrstackr]

A daily creel is just that, a daily creel.

A possession limit is the number a person may hold in the field after 2 or more days of fishing. It's got nothing to do with your freezer at home.

[Fisherman_Wantabe]

A daily creel is just that, a daily creel.

A possession limit is the number a person may hold in the field after 2 or more days of fishing. It's got nothing to do with your freezer at home.

I've heard that possession was possession???
So if what your saying is true, then all you got to do is tell them you been fishing 2 or more days, right??

[CatFan]

Unless crappie are the only fish in the lake, you can't be ticketed for fishing with a limit in the livewell. There is no way to determine what you are fishing for, and there is no restriction regarding having a limit of crappie, a limit of perch and a limit of bass at the same time.

[Quackrstackr]

I've heard that possession was possession???
So if what your saying is true, then all you got to do is tell them you been fishing 2 or more days, right??

Depends on what your possession limit is. Here it is twice the daily creel for most fish, hence the 2 days.

That being said, most game wardens are smarter than your average 5th grader and will know pretty quickly that a livewell stuffed with 2x the limit or more isn't from several days of fishing. If they check you here, you can't have over 2x your daily limit at your camp site or in a cooler, either but it does not apply to your freezer at home.

[Fisherman_Wantabe]

Depends on what your possession limit is. Here it is twice the daily creel for most fish, hence the 2 days.

That being said, most game wardens are smarter than your average 5th grader and will know pretty quickly that a livewell stuffed with 2x the limit or more isn't from several days of fishing. If they check you here, you can't have over 2x your daily limit at your camp site or in a cooler, either but it does not apply to your freezer at home.

OK, and I'm just asking questions here, cause I hardly ever catch a limit anyway :D
But my cousin and I meet 2 couples 2 years ago, also fished with them some last spring. But they would start in the middle of Feb and fish until the middle of April, fish from the south end of the Tenn-Tom to the north end, all fish were filleted and put in their freezer, in one of their RVs for the whole trip.
So is an RV consider your home??

[Quackrstackr]

Not unless it has a mailing address to go along with it and is your primary residence.