Clark's Hill Limits

I figured I'd pose this question to everyone to see what the general consensus is. For years me and many of my fishing buddies have wondered about the creel limit on Clark's Hill for crappie. Georgia's limit is 30 per person and South Carolina's limit is 20 per person. You can fish the lake with either state's fishing license legally. It's not like Lake Wylie....I've always abided by the law in the state I hold my license (SC) regardless of whether I'm fishing GA or SC waters... I've heard some folks say that it depends on where you fish i.e. if you are fishing in SC keep 20, in GA keep 30 no matter your license. I've always said it's dependent on which state's game warden checks you as to which laws they are checking you by. If I were to catch 30 in GA and then transport them back into SC, I could be in trouble if I encountered a game warden on the way home. Plus, I don't feel like there's an argument to be had if you possess a SC license, but here's the rest of the story....

A friend a mine was fishing in SC waters yesterday and happened to be fishing next to a man and wife from GA. They had a GA license, a GA registration, and GA plates on their truck. A SC game warden checked them and they had 48 fish in the boat. They were under the impression they could keep 30 per person, but instead they were ticketed a hefty fine and their fish were taken. The game warden told them it was 20 per person in SC. I believe they have a legitimate argument to make, but they were on the SC side. What is everyone's thoughts?

P.S. several years ago I posed this very question to 3 SC game wardens at the Sportsman's Classic and none of them could give me a straight answer. I don't plan on ever keeping over 20 per person in my boat, but I would like to know what the rule actually is. Is it your license or the side of the river you are on?

May want to post this in Louisiana and Texas forums also as Toledo Bend is a border water between the 2 states. I don't know the correct answer but was always told that whichever launched you used, you needed to abide by that states' regulations.

I fully believe the warden is correct. On a shared lake, the boat limit depends on your states law with a catch! Here’s what I believe to be true, if a SC fishermen puts his boat in on the Georgia side of the lake and fishes Georgia waters he can catch 30, as with a Georgia angler, he can catch 20 from SC waters and 10 more from Georgia waters if wants to. If he puts his boat in on the SC side, and gets checked at the ramp in SC with over 20 he is breaking the law as well.

Inkdabber you are correct in my opinion sir. Pretty obvious the rules and regs here but for one man to follow is the problem. If in doubt side with the states limit you have the license with. Tight lines guys.

I just read the agreement between SC and Ga on Georgia's DNR page. It's fairly clear that you must meet the possession limit of the state you are in at all times. Personally I think the two states should agree upon common regs for each species to elevate confusion.

A Ga resident fishing SC waters has to follow SC rules and regs....even size limits. A SC resident can follow Ga regs IF he trailers to Ga and stays on the Ga side of the lake. You wont get checked on the Ga side by SC wardens and visa-versa. I was told you and I could literally "bump boats" if we had a determined state line in the middle of the Savannah River and I could catch and keep 30 without a size limit and you could only catch and keep 20 with an 8" size limit. This came directly from "the horse's mouth" when Ga quit following all of SC rules on the adjoining lakes. I was also told that on these lakes the Ga DNR didnt see any reason to impose a size limit and also didnt see any reason to lower the creel limit on crappie. They felt the lakes didnt have any problems with the reproduction rates and seen no reason to make any changes. That's where they butted heads with the SC DNR and went their own way.

Thanks for the responses. Like I said, I just keep my 20 and I'm glad to have them. I've always been concerned about catching and keeping 30 in GA and then transporting them back into SC. I'd hate to have to make a case to a game warden at a traffic stop that I was fishing in GA....

Makes sense to follow the rules of the state for which you are fishing in. After all, that's what the game warden will be checking you by.

OK so let me add this to the conversation, say you used a ramp in Ga and have 30 crappie limits. You get pulled over in SC by a SC warden and he finds you have over the limit for SC. You tell him you fished in Ga, you think you won't get fined. How does he know you really fished in Ga. Yes I do think you will get fined for over limit.

We should invite a SC and GA warden to join Crappie.com just to help work out issues like this......?
Do you guys know any?


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For the record, I always thought when fishing lakes with reciprocal agreements you had to abide by the laws that pertain to the state license you hold. No?


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Originally Posted by NCkenner

For the record, I always thought when fishing lakes with reciprocal agreements you had to abide by the laws that pertain to the state license you hold. No?


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Not in this case. I spoke with wardens about this very topic when the recpricol agreement went south and the Ga laws suddenly didnt match up with the SC laws. I called the Ga DNR office because I wanted to know BEFORE I got ticketed. See post # 6.

Can you get ckecked on the Savannah river and get a ticket form s.c with 30 fishs and live in Georiga or be fishing the the river

We have a lake here that spans two states and the limit is set same for both at this particular body of water...

Both States have different limits, but when you look up limit on THAT lake, it makes it clear that limit will be the same for either state...

So maybe they can do the same down by you eventually

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Originally Posted by ecoast

We have a lake here that spans two states and the limit is set same for both at this particular body of water...

Both States have different limits, but when you look up limit on THAT lake, it makes it clear that limit will be the same for either state...

So maybe they can do the same down by you eventually

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It was that way in the reciprocal agreement until SC lowered the creel limit from 30 to 20 and imposed a size limit of 8". In years past the Ga. limit on crappie was actually 50 crappie except for the lakes that join SC....in those lakes you had to follow the agreement (and was the SC limits) which used to be 30 crappie, regardless where you fished at in those lakes (Ga or SC side). Ga DNR seen no reason to lower the creel limits nor did they want a size limit added. Limits now for Ga are 30 crappie statewide. And if a SC warden checks you on the SC side of the Savannah and you have a Ga limit you will get ticketed.

This is lengthy but an interesting read if you want...

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/geor...10-size-limit/

I just read the current reciprocal agreement on the GA sportfishing site and you are definitely correct. It also made me wonder......
Since the Broad river is fully in GA all the way to Newford creek where it combines with the Savannah, if you have a GA license, can you keep 30 crappie and 15 stripers from Anthony Shoals to the confluence? Or even in Cooter Creek? :dono

Chris

I believe the limit on the stripers is 10 on Clark Hill.

What if you fish in Sc and Ga but arent good enough at catching crappie to ever catch a 2 person limit in either state? Does either of the states offer a discounted license for people who cant catch crappie?

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Originally Posted by KHNC

What if you fish in Sc and Ga but arent good enough at catching crappie to ever catch a 2 person limit in either state? Does either of the states offer a discounted license for people who cant catch crappie?

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:Rofl

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Originally Posted by KHNC

What if you fish in Sc and Ga but arent good enough at catching crappie to ever catch a 2 person limit in either state? Does either of the states offer a discounted license for people who cant catch crappie?

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if your like KHNC and have a non residence license for SC or GA but not both will that one license cover both states while fishing on Clark Hill or will you have to stay in the state you have license for

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Originally Posted by uncle remus

if your like KHNC and have a non residence license for SC or GA but not both will that one license cover both states while fishing on Clark Hill or will you have to stay in the state you have license for

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I've studied this long and hard as I live in GA, have GA license, but stay with friends in McCormick SC when I fish the Hill. Per the GA regs governing reciprocal agreements between SC and Ga:

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All persons meeting the freshwater license
requirements of Georgia or South Carolina may
fish from the banks and in the waters covered
without having to obtain any other license.

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The limit issue is not as clearly stated. There are specific reciprocal limit and size agreements between GA and SC on stripers/hybrids, white bass, trout, all other bass, walleye/sauger, but none for bream and crappie, so I play it safe and observe the stricter of the 2 for crappie: 8" and limit 20. The state line runs up the middle of the Savannah river channel, so technically, if you are in GA waters you can keep 30. There is no visible line on the lake, and fish cops are a humorless lot, so I don't risk it.