Crappie Daily and Possession Limits

[D10]

I was asked about some technicalities of crappie daily and possession limits on another thread. Rather than hijack that thread, here is the info here. I asked the following questions to the captain of Enforcement in the central Arkansas area. Here are his responses. I hope this helps. 20 crappie per day assumed.

1. How many crappie can two people haveon one boat while fishing?

Technicallyspeaking, only as many as each of the two people caught, not to exceed 20 perperson. Realistically, we don’t typically watch people for the length of timenecessary to document the number each person catches, and if we check them withforty fish, we give them the unsaid benefit of the doubt that each caughttwenty. But if one of them caught 30 and the other caught 10, the one whocaught 30 is in violation even though he likely won’t be prosecuted because wecan’t prove it. We call it “party fishing” and we write a lot of people for iton trout waters just because we CAN watch and document for the much shorterlength of time necessary to catch five or more trout.

2. How many crappie can two people havein one cooler at a boat ramp?

Same as (1)

3. How many crappie can one person havein a cooler while driving back home?

He canhave forty if returning from a multi-day fishing trip and he caught nomore than twenty each day, or forty if he has written info as required by codeto possess another’s wildlife. Otherwise, only as many as he caught that dayhimself.

4. Can a person take home 40 fish inone cooler if his fishing buddy game him his fish?

See (3)

5. Does he need a written note or some kind oftransfer form to do this? Kind of like the form that is used if someone givesyou some venison they shot?

Yes.Precisely. P. 27 reg pamphlet.

[Gindog]

Good info. I did not know if you went for a week (5 days) you could only have 40 fish on way home. Right

[jackie53]

How about making this a sticky also on the arkansas CDC!!! Thanks D-10 !!!!

[jackie53]

On the written note their is a copy of one in each game and fish booklet already made out!!!! We carry one in our tackle box or bag just for this!!!!

[Tony McCall]

Good info. I did not know if you went for a week (5 days) you could only have 40 fish on way home. Right

That's a good question because the way it is written that's what it seems to say. Possession limit would be two days catch, regardless of the length of the trip.

What if a guy filleted them, placed them in baggies and froze them each night of the trip? Would that be looked at differently than whole fish in a cooler?

[hotrod98]

If i understand it right, if someone wants to camp for 5 days and catch and clean a limit everyday, they would have to leave the lake and transport two days worth of fish back home to your "permament" residence (campers don't count) and then go back and do the same every two days. I've never had to worry cause it would generally take me 3 days to catch one man's limit. I do this on purpose to save on gas! hahaha

[Gindog]

That the reason I ask. I do my best not to feed G&F. My dad would go to south Florida every year and fish for about 3 mo and bring a freezer full of fish home. He only caught his limit a day but he bring home a freezer full home. I know each state is a little different.

[D10]

I possed a couple of more questions. DON'T SHOT THE MESSENGER!

What if someone was camping at a campground for five days and they caught their limit of 20 crappie a day everyday. Would they be breaking the possession limit by having more than 40 crappie on them at camp? Is there a way that someone canc ontinue to keep fish if they already have 40 back at camp? Would they need to take them home for permanent storage to keep fishing?

Yes,they would be in violation of possessing more than the possession limit in that case. Taking them home so as to avoid having more than the possession limit incamp would be fine. Your home is not exempt from the possession limit requirements, but has more legal privacy gaurantees than a camp, and everyone in the home could be given up to a possession limit.

[Gomer Snerd]

Might save a ticket if the officer was having a bad day. Now how about sharing a cooler and those tailgate shots?

[Buckrub]

Actually, D10, your permanent residence IS totally exempt from the possession limit. Page 8 of the "Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Fishing Guidebook 2013" says at the bottom of page, in prominent Yellow/Red, the following definitions (the bold is mine):

Daily Limit −
The total limit of a certain fish species that may be taken in one day.

Possession Limit −
The total limit of a certain fish species that is in your possession
at any time, whether on your person or stored in another location. Fish and wild
game (other than migratory game birds) that have been processed and stored at a
residence do not count toward a person’s possession limit. A residence is defined
as a house or house trailer that is permanently in place and is owned, leased or
rented by an individual; it does not include mobile travel trailers, tents, vehicles or
temporary rental units (motels, lodges, cabins, resorts, etc.).