CoBass Posted March 30, 2013 Posted March 30, 2013 In the fishing etiquette thread Rambler posted about a guy he taught how to fish who went on to buy extra freezers to hold all of the fish he was catching and keeping. I thought I'd start a new thread to see how this situation is handled in different states. Where I live (Colorado), keeping freezers full of fish is illegal. Each species has both a daily bag, and a possession limit. In most cases, these limits are the same. For example, with bass, the bag and possession limit is five fish. This means that at any given time you can only be in possession of five fish, whether that's in your live well, or in your freezer. If you went out on Monday and kept five fish, you can't legally keep any more fish until you have eaten the fish in your possession. If you ate three of those fish Monday night you could only keep three fish on Tuesday because you still had two at home in your freezer. How does your state handle this situation? Can you keep a limit of fish every time you go out and stock your freezer or is there a limit on how many fish you can keep at home? Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted March 30, 2013 Super User Posted March 30, 2013 Possession limit regulations here in MI refer to ones daily bag limit while on the water as far as I know. The DNR here is seriously under staffed and would be hard pressed to be searching peoples homes; and that's not to mention the administrative nightmare involved with attaining the proper documentation to conduct them, ie. search warrants. I'll admin that I do not keep / eat bass, however there are a few species that I do routinely keep to eat. Although I do abide by the legal daily bag limits and most fish are caught and eaten before ever being frozen, I do not keep a mental running inventory of my freezer. A-Jay 2 Quote
Super User ww2farmer Posted March 30, 2013 Super User Posted March 30, 2013 New York......5 bass, 12" or longer per person, per day from the 3rd sat. in June till November 30th. C&R only Dec. 1st till the 3rd sat. in june on most waters. Some still have closed season during that time. Which means no fishing for them at all. There may be lake/body of water specific regulations that I don't know about. But those are the rules on most of the waters I fish. Your daily limit is just that. Not take them home and come back and catch/keep 5 more. It also covers both LM and SM, five is five...period. You can't have 5 of each. Other limits in NY I am familiar with are, Bluegills/Sunfish are 50 per day, no size limit, all year long. Perch is 50 per day, no size limit, all year long. Crappies are 25 per day, 9" or larger, all year long. Bullheads, no limit, no season. Pike and Walleye open the first sat. in may and close March 15th to protect spawning fish. I don't know the length/numbers limits on them as I don't usually keep. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted March 30, 2013 Super User Posted March 30, 2013 A daily creel limit is just that. I don't know how a freezer full of fish can prevent someone from keeping fish each time they go out. I haven't been to Canada in a long time but they would limit the amount of fish you could bring back over the border and had to leave a piece of skin on the filets for I.D. purposes Quote
Super User OkobojiEagle Posted March 30, 2013 Super User Posted March 30, 2013 Iowa's possession limit is generally 2 daily limits. oe Quote
Super User OkobojiEagle Posted March 30, 2013 Super User Posted March 30, 2013 I don't know how a freezer full of fish can prevent someone from keeping fish each time they go out. The hefty fine and possible jail time might. oe Quote
nascar2428 Posted March 30, 2013 Posted March 30, 2013 Michigans possession limit is one days limit plus an additional two days limit as long as those additional limits have been processed( canned, smoked ,frozen,etc). As A-Jay previously stated, the DNR is so understaffed a complaint would have to be filed with the possibility of a major violation for them to actively pursue search warrants. Our Bass limit is 5 with a minimum of 14" starting the last weekend of April(catch and release only thru the last weekend of May) for most of the lower peninsula. Quote
CoBass Posted March 30, 2013 Author Posted March 30, 2013 A daily creel limit is just that. I don't know how a freezer full of fish can prevent someone from keeping fish each time they go out. I haven't been to Canada in a long time but they would limit the amount of fish you could bring back over the border and had to leave a piece of skin on the filets for I.D. purposes The hefty fine and possible jail time might. oe Exactly. The possession limit here is generally viewed as being on the honor system but occasionally it does get enforced. There was a guy here who was observed by a park ranger catching a limit of trout then putting them in the RV he was camping in and returning to the lake to catch more fish. The fish and game guys actually got a warrant for his house and found a freezer full of trout. He was heavily fined, lost his fishing license for several years, and faced possible jail time. It doesn't happen very often but when it does it is well publicized to make sure everyone knows it could happen to them. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted March 30, 2013 Super User Posted March 30, 2013 Unbelievable! Can your freezer be in possession of fish someone else caught? Let's say my neighbor doesn't like fish. He gives me all the fish he catches. Can I be fined or jailed for being in possession of fish I didn't catch? Quote
Super User tomustang Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 No possession limit here, only for amphibians and reptiles Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted March 31, 2013 Global Moderator Posted March 31, 2013 Unbelievable! Can your freezer be in possession of fish someone else caught? Let's say my neighbor doesn't like fish. He gives me all the fish he catches. Can I be fined or jailed for being in possession of fish I didn't catch? I'm not sure how it works with fish but in Kansas someone can give you a large game animal but you have to have their tag. In Kansas a possession limit is 2 daily bags for a total of 10 bass over 15". A lot of our lakes don't have limits on white bass and guys will literally fill the bottom of their boats with them at times. Quote
Super User OkobojiEagle Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 Can I be fined or jailed for being in possession of fish I didn't catch? Yup. oe Quote
CoBass Posted March 31, 2013 Author Posted March 31, 2013 Unbelievable! Can your freezer be in possession of fish someone else caught? Let's say my neighbor doesn't like fish. He gives me all the fish he catches. Can I be fined or jailed for being in possession of fish I didn't catch? Yup, you can get in trouble for having fish you didn't catch. You can have a limit of fish in you freezer for every licensed angler in the house. If your neighbor gives you fish they count against your limit. Colorado has some really strict fishing regs. If I'm out fishing for trout (daily limit 4) and I catch one and give it to my buddy it counts against both of our limits. I can legally only keep three more and he can only keep three more. Again, it's pretty much on the honor system. If nobody sees me catch six and my buddy only catch two it's hard to prove when together we are within the legal limits for two anglers. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 I'm not advocating poaching. Just seems a little overkill. If I get checked for a license once every 3 or 4 years, that's alot. I looked thru IL regs and found nothing but a daily creel limit. 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 No possession limit here, only for amphibians and reptiles Is the skin hard to chew on those ? A-Jay 1 Quote
Super User WRB Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 As regulatory as California is, the general daily limit for fresh water bass is 5, 12" or longer. We have several,lakes with special regs and slot limits. We can't keep any trout alive in a livewell, it must be dead. You can't transport more than 1 daily limit, you keep more at home for personal use, not commercial use. Tom Quote
CoBass Posted March 31, 2013 Author Posted March 31, 2013 As regulatory as California is, the general daily limit for fresh water bass is 5, 12" or longer. We have several,lakes with special regs and slot limits. We can't keep any trout alive in a livewell, it must be dead. You can't transport more than 1 daily limit, you keep more at home for personal use, not commercial use. Tom What is the reason for not keeping trout alive in the live well? We can't transport live fish from the lake to home but we can keep them alive until we leave the lake. Quote
Super User NorcalBassin Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 What is the reason for not keeping trout alive in the live well? We can't transport live fish from the lake to home but we can keep them alive until we leave the lake. That way we cannot use them as real life swimbaits. Seriously. Quote
Basspastor Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 In MN generally the limit and possession are the same. If you give fish to someone else you are supposed to have a note telling who caught the fish. But fish you give to someone else don't count against your limit or at least I don't think they do. We can party fish in MN, meaning you can give fish to others while keeping a limit for yourself. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 That way we cannot use them as real life swimbaits. Seriously. In IL panfish can be used as bait as long as they are caught on the same body of water. It's the bait of choice for guys targeting big catfish. Aside from Lake Michigan, the trout fishery in IL exists for a couple weeks in the spring and fall when they put the stockers in some of the inland waters.. Quote
Super User Bankbeater Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 The basic daily limit here in Mo. posted by the conservation dept. is 5 black bass over 12", but the this may be different depending on where you fish. Where I fish the limit is 2 black bass, and the length depends on where you catch them. Some ponds have a 18" limit and some have a slot limit. Quote
BassResource.com Advertiser FD. Posted March 31, 2013 BassResource.com Advertiser Posted March 31, 2013 In Florida it is generally 5 fish over 14" with only 1 over 22" creel limit. There are areas designated as "Fish Management Areas" are different. Some of these have lower overall limits and some are unlimited in fish under 14" and some are slotted. There are no possession rules in Fl that I am aware of. Quote
Super User tomustang Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 Is the skin hard to chew on those ? A-Jay Not when you use a blender 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 Not when you use a blender Right - like the Frogomatic 2000 ~ A-Jay 1 Quote
Super User webertime Posted March 31, 2013 Super User Posted March 31, 2013 VT is 5, 12" fish (limit and possession). We have waste not, want not laws... ie a warden sees you cull a dead 12"er, you're in big trouble. Quote
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