Commission passes Arkansas fishing regulations for 2017

Commission passes Arkansas fishing regulations for 2017

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission passed a package of 14 new fisheries regulations for 2017 at its Aug. 18 meeting. The following regulations were distributed for public comment in May and officially proposed at the Commission’s July meeting. They will go into effect Jan. 1, 2017.

• Implement a 10-inch minimum length on crappie at Lake Atkins;

• Replace 3-fish daily creel limit on striped bass in Lake Greeson with the statewide daily limit of 6 fish;

• Remove the ? daily creel limit restriction on Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois d’Arc Lake for all game fish except crappie; • Clarify the need for a commercial license to sell wildcaught fish;

• Clarify the definition of “snagging” in the AGFC code book;

• Clarify snagging regulations; Clarify that game fish may not be possessed while gigging;

• Implement a 14- to 17inch protected slot limit with a daily creel of 10 fish, one of which may be over 17 inches, for largemouth bass on Mallard Lake;

• Move Dr. James E. Moore Camp Robinson Firing Range pond from Family Fishing Program rules to Community Fishing Program rules;

• Remove Landers Lake from the Family Fishing Program;

• Close commercial harvest of species of greatest conservation need outlined in Arkansas’s State Wildlife Action Plan (available at http://www.wildlifearkansas.com/). Those now prohibited include: lake sturgeon, American eel, striped mullet, highfin carpsucker, pealip redhorse, and silver redhorse.

From the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission