Tennessee Crappie Possession Limit?

**Cane Pole** · 11-11-2007, 07:58 PM

It is my understanding that no one can have in their possession at any place (home in the freezer or campsite cooler, etc.) more than 60 fishes. I interpret this to mean per person per resident. The law is not specific here.

1. What is your interpretation of the possession law?

2. How are the possession limits enforced?

Every late winter/early spring I see thousands of fish hauled out of here. Some of these people spend months just hauling off fish. Do they ever get busted? I believe they are breaking the possession laws for sure. Is the money more important to the State than the possession laws?

**catchin30** · 11-11-2007, 10:30 PM

Possesion is considered in the field. Not at home in the freezer

**Fishn N Wishn** · 11-11-2007, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by catchin30

Possesion is considered in the field. Not at home in the freezer

Tn possession law includes your freezer.I called them about the white bass & striper laws and they said all there laws include your freezer.They however did state before hanging up (whats the odds of us checking your freezer) now you can take that whichever way you like,but I took it as if you give us no reason if the field to think you broke/break any laws why would I goto your home to check.

**chaunc** · 11-12-2007, 06:34 AM

Is there any species that doesn't have a catch limit there? I know you can only keep 30 crappies per day but what about the catfish, bluegills, yellow stripes, and pickeral? Are there bag limits for them too? I know you can keep 10 bass and 6 sauger.
Up here in PA, we have a very generous bag limit of 50 panfish in any congrgate, 6 walleye, 6 bass, 2 musky or pike or 1 of each, and 2 striped bass. You can fill a freezer pretty fast up here. I've never got a grand slam in one day. The day's not long enough to catch all those limits.:D

**Baditude** · 11-12-2007, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by chaunc

Is there any species that doesn't have a catch limit there? I know you can only keep 30 crappies per day but what about the catfish, bluegills, yellow stripes, and pickeral? Are there bag limits for them too? I know you can keep 10 bass and 6 sauger.
Up here in PA, we have a very generous bag limit of 50 panfish in any congrgate, 6 walleye, 6 bass, 2 musky or pike or 1 of each, and 2 striped bass. You can fill a freezer pretty fast up here. I've never got a grand slam in one day. The day's not long enough to catch all those limits.:D

It depends on the water you're fishing...the regulations book you get when you get your license is a TINY fraction of what the book really is and some regulations aren't very clear...in one part of the book it'll tell you one thing , but read differently in another part of the book. As far as possession goes , whether in the field or not, you are only allowed twice the daily creel limit of any given species.

**Speck1** · 11-12-2007, 07:16 PM

I wondered the same thing about Lake Barkley and asked the warden. He said it did not apply to the home freezer only to what was in possession in the field and he said that limit applied to coolers back at the tent, camper etc. but not at home. I bet its one of those laws they enforce anyway they want if they want to make a case against you. Speck

**ShilohRed** · 11-13-2007, 10:44 PM

I was also told that it was while on the water or camping. That way one person can not have 180 fish and say well I have been fishing 6 days even though he did it in 2 days.
I hear that one guy goes up to Ky lake and around Barkley and loads his coolers up each spring and fall. Were talking 3 150 qt cooler. And he brags about it. But he has not been caught yet.
Sure would love to see him caught for that.
pete

**SFCBob** · 11-14-2007, 05:11 PM

TWRA is very serious about the crappie size limit as well. My son was fishing this past spring and the game warden had him pull out his fish and measured them. He said it was $200 dollars a fish for any under 10 inches. I've never seen that in writing but it's worth keeping a ruler or similar item on your boat.

**crappietime** · 11-14-2007, 06:04 PM

Well from past experince fishing I always go possesion is what I got that day.Heck a person can have a freezer full of fish in his freezer at home whether it be caught in Tenn Ala Ky.How do they know what state a good fillet is from.When I go over to Springville fishing and there for a few days or duck hunting I make sure I keep up with my bag for each day.I know when I come up out of the bottoms from duck hunting the warden is there waiting and checking guns shells limits and all.Most of you guys in that area know him Ronnie Cole.But so far I kept my nose clean and not done anything illegal.Duck season is soon to be here so I will be hunting in the morning and fishing in the evenings cant wait.

**Ljones** · 08-23-2015, 01:52 PM

I found this old post , and also found the info below on Twra website... The way I read it you can never have over twice the creel limit in your freezer at home .. Is that right ? So if I go on 8 trips to the lake and catch say 80 crappie in the spring over a period of 3 months and freeze them all to eat later over a period of months, I would be breaking the law and over my posseion limit by 20 fish even though they were all legally caught .. Doesn't make a lot of sense

Possession limit, daily creel limit, and "afield" explained.

Even in a freezer at home or at a temporary residence*, one can never possess more than twice the daily creel.
Daily creel limits run from midnight to midnight.
One cannot have more than one daily creel limit while "afield".

Example: Say an individual is fishing Cherokee Lake for a week and is camping* along the bank. During that week, the angler could possess no more than four striped bass or hybrid striped bass or any combination of the two. It also means an individual could not possess more than 30 "stripes" (white bass) at any given time during the week.
Now, if one harvests a possession limit over a period of time and eats a few of these fish, they could then harvest more to replace them. One can never have in their possession - be it at home or anywhere else - more than twice the daily creel limit.
Remember that creel limit is written as "daily creel limit". One cannot catch a limit, process the fish or give them away to someone else, and go back and harvest more of the same species during a 24-hour period which runs from midnight to midnight.
Say an individual is fishing from 8:00 pm to 3:00 am - they may only have a daily creel limit in their possession while "afield". They could, however, stop fishing before midnight and drop their catch off at their campsite* or home and return after midnight and catch another limit. Overnight anglers who are not camping* are limited to one daily creel limit.
*Campsites or houseboats, etc. qualify as temporary residences as evidenced by sleeping bags, tents, cooking utensils, etc.

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