Basic Commercial Fishing Regulations - Gulf States Marine ...

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General Information
Methods of Recreationally taking
Freshwater and Saltwater Fish
Freshwater and saltwater recreational
fish may be taken by means
of rod, fishing pole, hook and line,
trolling line, handline, bait casting,
fly casting apparatus, crawfish nets,
by use of the devices known as yoyos
or trigger devices, bow and arrow,
recreational hoop nets, recreational
wire nets, recreational slat traps, standard
spearing equipment used by a
skin diver sport fishing in saltwater or
fresh water when submerged in the
water, recreational pipes, recreational
buckets, recreational drums, recreational
tires and recreational cans,
and by no other means except a barbless
spear or a multi-pronged barbed
gig that may be used in saltwater for
taking flounder. NOTE: Certain species
of game fish may not be taken
with some gear listed above.
Crossbows are not a legal method.
No person shall take or possess
fish taken by means of spears, poisons,
stupefying substances or devices,
explosives, guns, tree-topping
devices, electricity or any instrument
or device capable of producing an
electric current used in shocking said
fish. No person shall take or possess
recreational fish taken by means of
snagging devices, not including bow
and arrow. Catfish may be taken by
means of snagging devices.
Paddlefish, commonly called spoonbill
catfish, are not catfish and cannot
be legally harvested by means of
snagging. Garfish may be taken by
means of spears and bows and arrows.
It shall be unlawful to possess any of
the prohibited instruments, weapons,
substances or devices set out hereinabove
with the intent to take fish.
Minnows, crawfish, shrimp and
other legal bait species, not including
game fish, may be taken with legal
cast nets, minnow traps, dip nets and
bait seines when taken in compliance
with all other laws. Legal bait species
may be taken with bait seines with a
maximum mesh size not exceeding
one-quarter inch mesh bar, one-half
inch mesh stretched and thirty feet in
length. Bait seines must be operated
on foot and solely by hand, without
any pulley, mechanical device or
mechanical assistance whatsoever.
Dip nets may not exceed three feet in
diameter and must be operated solely
by hand, by no more than one person
and without any mechanical assistance
whatsoever.
Bream (Lepomis spp.) may not
be taken as bait for sportfishing purposes
in any form of trap except at
Toledo Bend Reservoir, where a minnow
trap not exceeding 24 inches in
length and having a throat no larger
than one inch by three inches may be
used to take bream for non-commercial
bait purposes.
Silver carp and bighead carp
may also be taken by boats, dip nets,
spears and by snagging.
Skin divers fishing for recreational
purposes in fresh water, when
submerged in the water and using
standard spearing equipment, any
person using a bow and arrow or any
person using or possessing nets or
traps, including recreational hoop
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