The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) Fisheries Division presented its proposed 2017-18 sport fish regulation changes during the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Sept. 15-16 meeting held at Pickwick Landing State Park.
The public is invited to provide comments on the 2017-18 proposals. The deadline for the sport fishing comments is Oct. 19. To provide comments, email TWRA at fishingreg.comments@tn.gov, or write to TWRA Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204.
The TFWC will vote on the sport fish regulations its Oct. 27-28 meeting to be held in Knoxville. If approved, the sport fishing changes would become effective March 1, 2017.
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Region I
Kentucky Lake: Crappie – Reduce the creel limit from 30 to 20 fish per day. This recommendation was offered for consideration by the Fisheries Committee of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Region III
Dale Hollow Reservoir: Currently boat anglers are limited to 3 rods in use, and bank anglers are limited to 6 rods in use. The proposal would limit all anglers to 4 rods per person. Additional rods may be in possession; this regulation only limits the number that can be used at one time by each angler. The 4-rod limit would also apply to the seasonal walleye run restrictions.
Region IV
Douglas Reservoir: White bass, hybrid striped bass, and striped bass in combination, 15 per day, no length limits. The TWRA is not managing for striped bass or hybrid striped bass in this reservoir. The proposed regulation will help maintain one of the most robust white bass populations in East Tennessee by reducing the potential for hybridization with striped bass and hybrid striped bass.
Calderwood Reservoir: The current reciprocal agreement with North Carolina is limited to boat anglers. The TWRA is pursuing a new agreement that would allow both boat and bank anglers to have similar privileges on Calderwood Reservoir.
Laurel Fork (Carter County): Wild trout regulation boundaries - the cable crossing located one-half mile upstream of the USFS Dennis Cove Recreation Area extending upstream to the USFWS boundary.
Statewide - Bait Proclamation
Proposed changes to the bait proclamation would regulate the possession of both live and dead bait fish. Descriptions of Class A, B and C bait fish are available in the current fishing guide (pages 38-39). The proposal would keep the current 100 fish per day limit for skipjack herring, and establish a 200 fish possession limit. Creel limits for each species of Class B baitfish would remain at 100 per day, with a proposed 200 fish possession limit for each species. The proposal would also establish a 50 fish per day limit for Class C bait fish, all species combined, with a possession limit of 100 fish. A new category, Class D, would define species that may be sold by bait dealers as dead bait in addition to Class A bait fish.
Class D species are silversides, and any of species that are not native (or self-sustaining) in Tennessee and are imported in a preserved state (frozen, dried, salted, etc.). Dipping, cast netting, and shad trawling would be removed from the “other-than-rod-and-reel” section of sport fish methods and these methods would remain among those available for bait collection.