Tennessee Crappie Possession Limit?

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?

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

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Originally Posted by catchin30

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

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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.

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

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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

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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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Great replies......I never have to worry about that.....can't seem to catch that many.

Tenn needs to change their rules like KY did .... daily creel on Ky/Barkley lakes is 20/person/day .... but "possession" does not include what you have in your home freezer, nor does it include fish that are "processed" (ie - cleaned) regardless of where you are.

Of course, neither state's rules amount to anything if not enforced. And most don't mean anything to the "meathogs" & poachers. Even when some are caught and heavily fined, the game boys have way too much territory to cover to put much fear into the copycats.

Of all the years I've fished Tenn lakes and KY/Barkley lakes here in KY ... I've only been checked ONE time (about 40yrs ago on Cherokee), and I've never even seen a CO on Watts Bar, and I've been fishing it for close to 40yrs.

... cp :kewl

I had a warden tell me to make sure when I freeze mine. To write the date on each pack. But he would not write a ticket for what was in the freezer, unless he caught you with over the limit in the field. Then he would make sure to check each and everything .
Pete

I agree with crappiepappy, the limit needs to be 20 and I'll go a step further the size should be 11 inches, also I'll be darn if they come to my house and check my freezer without a warrant, even then good luck on finding my freezer.

It is my understanding that a game warden is just about the most powerful of our law enforcement services.
If they have reason to suspect you of violating game laws then they do not need a warrant to enter your property..
I could be wrong about this but it was what I was told as a young man.
On a couple of occasions I have had them show up on private property when I know the owner gave no permission and check my license and search the vehicle with no warrant.
Not sure about a home but I have seen them go through a cabin pretty closely with no warrant or permission.

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Originally Posted by Tennessee Trey

It is my understanding that a game warden is just about the most powerful of our law enforcement services.
If they have reason to suspect you of violating game laws then they do not need a warrant to enter your property..
I could be wrong about this but it was what I was told as a young man.
On a couple of occasions I have had them show up on private property when I know the owner gave no permission and check my license and search the vehicle with no warrant.
Not sure about a home but I have seen them go through a cabin pretty closely with no warrant or permission.

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If your local sheriff gets arrested. A TWRA warden is the one that does that. As for them coming into your home to search, You can bet if they walk up to your door. That door will open and the house be searched. But then again if there at your door, they have you doing something that you should not be doing. As in over the limit be it fishing or hunting. And they will have a piece of paper in there hands.
A cousin of mine had shot more deer then he should have. Warden had his dead to right, he was bragging they would not search is house. 2 hours later they show up and did search is. Finding parts to 5 different deer when we were not allowed those deer. I for one was happy they busted his butt.

Pete

Locally, the marine biologist Tim Broadbent told us at a west tn crappie club meeting that there is no reason to lower the creel limit at present nor to increase the size limit. He showed us slide shows with statistics that he and other biologist go by (trap and shock events). I can't remember the details. Most I believed, but some I didn't. I challenged him a coupla times, but can't remember the dispute. CRS time.

Well they gotta be bigger than ten for me to keep, yall be careful cause believe it or not they shrink once they've been in the livewell a while, if you gotta pinch their tails too make'em 10 better check'em again before you leave.

I posed a question to a warden a yr ago, some lakes have a 30 per day creel limit and most have a 15, so i asked which double possesion does it mean, he said "good question,i have no idea, the regulations arent really clear are they"

There seems to be as many interpretations as there are regulations