Confusion about creel limit and possession limit?

[Bronze_Back]

I just got tot get my dog in this hunt. I have had some experience with some of these questions in past. Barren River lake has special regulation for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. I was fishing some club night tournaments and wanted a clarification on the KDFW rules as to what we could weigh in.

Barren River Lake:
Daily limit is 6 and possession limit is 12.
Spotted / Kentucky Bass have no minimum size limit.
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass have a 15-inch minimum size limit except 1 fish in the daily creel limit or 2 in the possession limit may be less than 15 inches long.

I could not find definitions in the manual to cover some of the terms they where using so I contacted the KDFW at Frankfort and asked them to send me in writing the answers to these questions which they did.

Q-What determines a possession limit.
A-Number of fish allowed in your possession after 2 or more days of fishing.

Q-When does a day start and end.
A-Starts at 12:01 am and ends at 12:00 pm.

Q-If I start fishing before 12:00 midnight and quit at 3:00 am can I have 2
Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass under 15" in my livewell legally.
A-Yes.

Q-What legally determines a Spotted / Kentucky Bass.
A-Any Black Bass with a rough patch on its tongue except Smallmouth Bass.
We know some Largemouth Bass may have a small tongue patch without
the other determining characteristics of a Spotted / Kentucky Bass but we
will not require them if a tongue patch is present.


I had this in writing from the big wigs in Frankfort. I don't know why they don't print this more clearly for everyone to see and understand in their rules and regulations. This was about 8 -10 years ago and as far as I know none of these rules have changed, but maybe the Big Wigs in charge have.

Just my 2 cents worth....!

[slobslayer]

I just got tot get my dog in this hunt. I have had some experience with some of these questions in past. Barren River lake has special regulation for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. I was fishing some club night tournaments and wanted a clarification on the KDFW rules as to what we could weigh in.

Barren River Lake:
Daily limit is 6 and possession limit is 12.
Spotted / Kentucky Bass have no minimum size limit.
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass have a 15-inch minimum size limit except 1 fish in the daily creel limit or 2 in the possession limit may be less than 15 inches long.

I could not find definitions in the manual to cover some of the terms they where using so I contacted the KDFW at Frankfort and asked them to send me in writing the answers to these questions which they did.

Q-What determines a possession limit.
A-Number of fish allowed in your possession after 2 or more days of fishing.

Q-When does a day start and end.
A-Starts at 12:01 am and ends at 12:00 pm.

Q-If I start fishing before 12:00 midnight and quit at 3:00 am can I have 2
Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass under 15" in my livewell legally.
A-Yes.

Q-What legally determines a Spotted / Kentucky Bass.
A-Any Black Bass with a rough patch on its tongue except Smallmouth Bass.
We know some Largemouth Bass may have a small tongue patch without
the other determining characteristics of a Spotted / Kentucky Bass but we
will not require them if a tongue patch is present.


I had this in writing from the big wigs in Frankfort. I don't know why they don't print this more clearly for everyone to see and understand in their rules and regulations. This was about 8 -10 years ago and as far as I know none of these rules have changed, but maybe the Big Wigs in charge have.

Just my 2 cents worth....!

New regulation now in effect. The presence of a tooth patch is no longer the regulatory method for identifying spotted bass.

[Jbyrd]

I just got tot get my dog in this hunt. I have had some experience with some of these questions in past. Barren River lake has special regulation for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. I was fishing some club night tournaments and wanted a clarification on the KDFW rules as to what we could weigh in.

Barren River Lake:
Daily limit is 6 and possession limit is 12.
Spotted / Kentucky Bass have no minimum size limit.
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass have a 15-inch minimum size limit except 1 fish in the daily creel limit or 2 in the possession limit may be less than 15 inches long.

I could not find definitions in the manual to cover some of the terms they where using so I contacted the KDFW at Frankfort and asked them to send me in writing the answers to these questions which they did.

Q-What determines a possession limit.
A-Number of fish allowed in your possession after 2 or more days of fishing.

Q-When does a day start and end.
A-Starts at 12:01 am and ends at 12:00 pm.

Q-If I start fishing before 12:00 midnight and quit at 3:00 am can I have 2
Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass under 15" in my livewell legally.
A-Yes.

Q-What legally determines a Spotted / Kentucky Bass.
A-Any Black Bass with a rough patch on its tongue except Smallmouth Bass.
We know some Largemouth Bass may have a small tongue patch without
the other determining characteristics of a Spotted / Kentucky Bass but we
will not require them if a tongue patch is present.


I had this in writing from the big wigs in Frankfort. I don't know why they don't print this more clearly for everyone to see and understand in their rules and regulations. This was about 8 -10 years ago and as far as I know none of these rules have changed, but maybe the Big Wigs in charge have.

Just my 2 cents worth....!

Yes the tongue patch rule was changed this year . Saw it on the ky afeild call in show..

[the_donger]

The new regulations for Kentucky Bass are in this years fishing and boating guide, they even have pictures.

When these guys are saying you have 3 people in a boat, you can have three limits, that is true, But, each limit of X fish MUST be kept seperate from each other. MUST MUST MUST.

[aceoky]

That's odd, I've NEVER been told (or had a problem) with MUST keep separate. I don't know any boats with three livewells either. We (wife, two boys, myself) have been checked on our pontoon with all of our fish in one LARGE livewell and never had an issue?

Also I'm unable to find anything even suggesting they can't all be in one livewell as has been stated here?

From the KDFWR website

Q: How is a daily creel limit
different than a possession limit?


A: The daily creel limit is the
number of a particular sport fish
species you may keep in one day’s
fishing.

A possession limit is two
times the daily creel limit for all fish
species with a daily creel limit and
excludes processed fish.

http://fw.ky.gov/pdf/2010fishguidefishingregs.pdf