New size limits

Lots of folks are saying that they are running into game officials taking polls on size limits for next year. 21 inch on smallmouth seems to be the big concern maybe 18 inch on largemouth. This mainly seems to be for laurel and cumberland. From what I hear this is with no slot limits and will be basically be in the cedar creek format. I guess we will know next year if any changes are made and what they will be but would this help or hurt the fishing on these two lakes or any other lake for that matter. What is your guys opinions would you like these size limits in place?

do it right...want big fish? set big fish rules!!! i say lake fork rules... 16-24 slot 1 under 1 over . better yet none over. what a great tourney for you tourney boys,nothing over 15 and 15/16. wipes out 1 big fish winning don't you think? how many ntournaments have been one by someone with 1 small keeper and 1 big one,beating someone with 5 ave keepers. If it was up to me,cedar creek would have been closed to fishing for 5 years then catch and release only .worked for other lakes

I like the Dale Hollow slot limits with 1 under 16 and 1 over 21. The smallmouth down there have gotten to be in great shape the last couple of years. We have been catching 5 plus pound fish that aren't even keepers.

Hard to beat the results at Dale Hollow

Don't know much about dale hollow, only fished it a few times and with very little luck. I do however have the biggest smallmouth I have caught (7.3lbs) come from there. Hope to do some FNF there this winter. I think it would improve the quality of the fish, already catch a lot of smallmouth on laurel in the 17 inch range. Would like to see the largemouth improve though. It may take a few years to get them there. They seem to be down and after they released the 60,000 in there last year may take a little longer for them to get to size.

I had a post on this very subject awhile back. I personally love the idea. If you look at what it's done for Dale I can only believe it will do the same for Cumberland and Laural. All fisherman should get behind this and promote this concept, it works.

I'm 100% for it and I can attest to the new slot limit at Dale has brought it back to where it needs to be and only getting better. I caught a 19 1/2" last fall that was over 5!
Now THAT'S what it's about:)

I am not familiar with slot limits for smallmouth but it sounds good. Bullshoals increased the size limit for large and smallmouth from 12 inches to 15 inches about four years ago the numbers of 3 lb fish is amazing. We are now catching several 4lb. and some 5 lbs.

You have to manage a fishery.

Beep Beep

One fish under 16" and one over 21"....
A 21" fish at Dale now could go as high as 7 pounds....
The reasoning is easy...."catch and release" :)

I live in Tennessee but do fish Laurel a good bit. 21 inches for SM and 18 for LM seems a bit extreme. Having said that I will add this. Several years ago the TWRA imposed an 18 inch min on Smallmouth at Norris. Lots of people were unhappy. The word around Knoxville was tyhat there was no use haveing any tournamnets at Norris because of the 18 inch size min. Now several years later the lake is full of 18 to 21 inch smallmouth. So I will habve to say that it works. Fish2win

Fish2Win makes a good point. Alot of the department of fish and game divisions around the country buckle under pressure or make decisions based on tournament demands and constraints. This in my opinion is wrong and should be based on what's best for the long term health and vitality of a given fishery. Let's see what's more important, having a lake full of catchable 3 to 5lb. fish or having it where somebody can catch their five fish limit of dinks to win a tourney. When Dale was talking about the slot years ago, fishing clubs had meeting's with KDFW and begged, borrowed and pleaded to stop it, because they did'nt think they could weigh fish when it passed. Sure it made it harder but everybody fishing was faced with the same challenge, so what difference does it make. Come'on KDFWR, step up do this, and the hawgs will come. Almost every lake in the nation that has gone to this has improved the fisheries tremendously.

i feel the same way. thay should do it for all lakes. i do catch and release any way but alot of people dont. so i thank that would be good.






thanks smuckey41


chuck israel