Quote Originally Posted by Carter1 View Post
If you have a limit of fish, lets say bass, in your boat and a CO pulls up just as you catch another one that is not a problem. You are allowed to cull in this state. So, you compare the fish you just caught to the smallest one in your livewell and then release the smallest one. We do it all the time in tournaments. (Well, I always hope I can ) Anyway, you would not get a citation for that.
When it comes to giving fish away that is different. Lets look at catfish for a moment. If you look under statewide regulations in the Fishing Guide you will see catfish is not listed. So, if you catch a catfish and see a family nearby trying to catch anything that will bite and want to give it to them I don't see a problem with that. The exception is on bodies of water where they have a creel limit for catfish like at the Game Farm Lakes. On the otherhand, if you catch a bass and already have a limit but give that bass to someone else I believe that is considered poaching. If you catch a limit of any species listed that has a daily limit and you keep them that day you cannot go out and catch another limit to "keep" the same day. You may however go out and keep fishing for them as long as you release them. Most of this is my take on the regs as I read them. If you want a more definite answer on any of it post your question in a new thread so I can make a list of the questions to get the facts for you.
You may want to check more into this. I know a guy who runs a tourney on Cedar Creek with 1 20" fish as a limit for one angler. His limit was set at 2 and was approached by game wardens stating that "With one fish in the livewell with one angler, if that angler catches another keeper he is in violation of the law and is over the limit (with immediate posession of the second fish) as soon as that 2nd fish is in the boat. Grant it, this would have to be witnessed by a game official. This guy cut the limit back to one per boat for two anglers and will weigh in a single fish for immediate release for one angler and allow that angler to continue to fish for a culls. This is also the reason that most tourneys are a fish limit, the 6th fish should never be in your livewell and thus one would be always culling the 5th fish. This has always been a question and I for one would like some clarification on this as well. Always seem to be conflicting interpretations.

Tim