Thread: big 4 special rules

Life jacket on all times in a boat less than 16 feet. Boats 16 and over wear life jacket while big motor is running. Must also have a throwable cushion on a boat over 16 feet. If your gas tank can't be thrown out of any boat you must have a fire extinguisher. All fines are around 150. Also no alcohol on the boat if caught they can write you a ticket for a BUI. It is just like getting a DUI. Sardis and Grenada 3 poles each. Enid and arkabutla 5 poles each. Grenada Enid arkabutla must be over 12 and limit is 20. Sardis must be over 11 and limit is 15.

One thing to really pay attention to in the post by hotrod1 is the fact the fish must be OVER 12" or 11" on the respective lakes. For the sake of not getting a fine, when I fish Arkabutla, the fish has to be 12 1/4" for me to consider keeping it.

There have been many that get tickets due the fact they think the law reads 12" and over.

I can be OK on the fishing part but boating regs can throw me. Didn't they require the life jacket at all times a few years back? Thought they put in a rule requiring signaling devices other than a whistle too. I know I bought a package that had flares and other stuff because of it. Was it just a trial run to see how it worked or is it still in force?

For Arkansas:

Here is a link to the Handbook of Arkansas Boating Laws and Responsibilities
The Handbook of Arkansas Boating Laws and Responsibilites | Arkansas Offroad Education Online

PFDs are talked about on page 30

Here is a link to federal regulations:
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Here is the Arkansas Fishing Regulation Book:
AGFC | Arkansas Fishing Guidebook

I read somewhere Mississppi had special boating / lifevest regs for some lakes. They also do a good job manage'n lakes there. Key to it is , I think is annual drawdowns from what I've read. Wish Arkansas could manage lakes like Nimrod with more drawdowns to improve fishing.

The wildlife officer on Enid showed me a new measuring method.....he pressed the lips back past the gill plate on the measuring board and declared the fish short.....I explained that might be the way they do it there.....but us folks over here touch the lips and if the tail was over the line it was good.........he had us throw the fish back.....and said not to keep them the next day like that.....I said no problem I can just stay in Arkansas......I ain't been back!!!! He told me 3times his name wasn't Boodro.....but that was better than what I wanted to say.

Haven't heard anything about flares or whistles or horns on the big 4. They have never checked my boat for that. My boat is 16'6". Now fishing in the gulf might be a different story.