Thread: is snagging Asian carp legal?

Originally Posted by Birdgod

My friend and I have been fishing the Kansas River for a while now. This passed two years we start to see a lot of Asian carp in the water. Can we snagged hook them and get rid of it ? or it is illegal to snag Asian carp?

Snagging is only legal during an open snagging season in a designated snagging area.

From the 2015 Kansas Fish Regulations Summary. Find the complete Regulations Summary at: http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/content/dow...tions%2015.pdf

Snagging: Except for paddlefish and nonsport fish, which may be snagged in designated waters during designated seasons (See Page 7), fish may be hooked only in the mouth to be considered legally caught by hook and line. If hooked elsewhere, the fish shall be returned immediately, unrestrained, to the water. Nonsport fish (See definition Page 8) may be taken by gig, crossbow, and bow and arrow. Blue, channel and flathead catfish may be taken by bow and arrow where no length limits on catfish are in effect.

The wording on the snagging has me confused. I thought the only thing that had a specific season was paddlefish, I thought it was legal to snag non-sport fish year round.

Why would it matter if we snag Asian carp need to get rid of them anyway/

So in conclusion we cannot help get rid of asian carp by snagging?

Get a bowfishing rig and start doing your part to get rid of them! They're a blast to shoot, especially if you can get them jumping and try to get some aerial shots on them.

Originally Posted by drakewoodie

The wording on the snagging has me confused. I thought the only thing that had a specific season was paddlefish, I thought it was legal to snag non-sport fish year round.

drakewoodie,

Snagging is only allowed during an open snagging season in a designated snagging area.

If it isn't an open snagging season in a designated snagging area, you can NOT legally snag and keep ANY fish, including the ANS species Asian carp.

From Page 6 of the 2015 Kansas Fish Regulations Summary...

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Snagging

Except for paddlefish and nonsport fish, which may be snagged in designated watersduring designated seasons (See Page 7),fish may be hooked only in the mouth to be considered legally caught by hook and line. If hooked elsewhere, the fish shall be returned immediately, unrestrained, to the water.

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Originally Posted by Blackdog40

Why would it matter if we snag Asian carp need to get rid of them anyway/

Blackdog40,

It's not the snagging of Asian carp that would be the concern. It would be the snagging of nontarget fish, including sportfish. Snagging is an unselective harvest method so even though someone is "intending" to catch Asian carp with a snagging rig, they would also be impacting other species.

Obviously, the more Asian carp removed the better. The snagging regulation has been effect to protect sportfish for much longer than Asian carp have been in Kansas.

As bluebasser86 says, you can harvest Asian carp via bowfishing gear in areas where bowfishing is allowed. Asian carp can also be harvested via gig. Both bowfishing and gigging are selective harvest methods as the individual fish must been seen and identified prior to harvest whereas as catch via snagging is indiscriminate.