Limits Question

[justogm]

This has been pondering my brain and I tried to look it up but have found no answers yet.

Fish Limits are based on a 24 hour time frame, so if you fishing for the whole weekend / camping and the Game warden checks your catch of tasty catch of flounder for instance. Is it based on the game warden believing that you have been out there for longer than 24 hours?

Any Ideas.I have thought about spending the whole weekend from a Thurs - Sat Night, and if i was lucky to catch limits each day and the Game Warden checked my icechest, I guess it would be based on my word.

Thanks,

Justo

[Jhua]

If im not mistaken, there is also a "possession limit" as well which allows you to keep so many fish regardless of how many days it has been. Something like that. Ive never had that problem so i dont worry about it!

[WestEndAngler]

This has been pondering my brain and I tried to look it up but have found no answers yet.

Fish Limits are based on a 24 hour time frame, so if you fishing for the whole weekend / camping and the Game warden checks your catch of tasty catch of flounder for instance. Is it based on the game warden believing that you have been out there for longer than 24 hours?

Any Ideas.I have thought about spending the whole weekend from a Thurs - Sat Night, and if i was lucky to catch limits each day and the Game Warden checked my icechest, I guess it would be based on my word.

Thanks,

Justo

Legally you'd be in the wrong. This is a very gray area. As bag limits vs. possession limits come into play.

[Robalo]

IMO, if you have two days of limits in your cooler while "camping" (no "camping" allowed at Galveston side of SLP so you'd lose that argument if on Galveston side for certain IMO), you will be fined/ticketed. If in your boat, you definitely would be ticketed IMO.

Reading the Regs, your scenario sounds like it is legal.

From TPWD Site:

Possession Limit: The maximum number of fish a person may possess before returning to their permanent residence. Possession limit is twice the daily bag on game and nongame fish, except as provided in this guide, and does not apply to fish in the possession of or stored by a person at their permanent residence.

Daily Bag: Quantity of a species of a wildlife resource, such as fish, that may be taken in one day.

Day: A 24-hour period of time that begins at midnight and ends at midnight.

Possession of Fish Taken from Public Water
•Any fish caught must be taken by legal means and methods.
•Fish caught and immediately released are not considered to be in your possession. Any fish not immediately released that are retained by using any type of holding device such as stringer, cooler, livewell, or bucket are considered in your possession and must adhere to established protected length and bag limits.

•While fishing, it is illegal to be in possession of more fish than the daily bag limit or fish that are within a protected length limit.

•In order to verify length and species, a fish caught may not have the head or tail removed and may not be filleted until an angler finally lands the catch on the mainland, a peninsula, or barrier island not including jetties or piers and does not transport the catch by boat. Broadbill swordfish, shark, and king mackerel may have the head or tail removed, but the carcass must remain intact and may not be filleted.
•Any fish taken from public water and landed by boat or person in Texas must adhere to the protected length limits and daily bag and possession limits established for those fish in Texas, regardless of the state or country in which they were caught.

•The bag limit for a guided fishing party is equal to the total number of persons in the boat licensed to fish or otherwise exempt from holding a license minus each fishing guide and fishing guide deckhand multiplied by the bag limit for each species harvested.



I THINK THE BOLDED ONE (I BOLDED IT) ANSWERS THE QUESTION-NO IS HOW I READ IT-YOU CANNOT HAVE 2 LIMITS WHILE "FISHING", SO HOW WOULD YOU GET AROUND THE 2 LIMITS IN POSSESSION?

[FishNette]

The new day starts at 12:midnight. You would need to return to your vehicle/campsight and leave the limit caught/gigged prior to midnight, then go out for the new day's limit. Don't get caught with 2 days limits on your boat!!!

[justogm]

Great Feedback. Thanks gentlemen.

[Root Canal]

Possession Limit: For all wildlife resources taken for personal consumption and for which there is a possession limit, the possession limit shall not apply after the wildlife resource has reached the possessor's permanent residence and is finally processed.

Permanent Residence: One's principal or ordinary home or dwelling place. This does not include one's temporary abode or dwelling such as a hunting/fishing club, or any club house, cabin, tent, car, truck, or trailer house used as a hunting/fishing club, or any hotel, motel, or rooming house used during a hunting, fishing, pleasure, or business trip.

Possession Limit: The maximum number of fish a person may possess before returning to their permanent residence. Possession limit is twice the daily bag on game and nongame fish, except as provided in this guide, and does not apply to fish in the possession of or stored by a person at their permanent residence.

Day: A 24-hour period of time that begins at midnight and ends at midnight.

c Flounder special regulation: Daily bag is 5 fish except for the period Nov. 1-30 when the daily bag is 2 fish and flounder may be taken only by pole and line. Possession limit is equal to the daily bag..

My understanding of these rules is that you cannot be in possession of any fish over the limit unless you are at your
permanent residence. (Read the Definition of Permanent Residence.) You would be in violation.

Also the rule on flounder prohibits you from going back out after Midnight Unless your first 5 are taken to your home. Only then could you return. Placing them in your camp or vehicle does not allow you to go back and get
more. The bag limit is 5. The possession limit is also 5.

[justogm]

I think I will call tpw tomorrow and confirm the rules. I defiantly want to follow the laws but you constantly read of folks catching a two day limits and taking pictures with them. I know when fishing on the 36 hour tuna trips you can have a two day limits

[justogm]

I think I will call tpw tomorrow and confirm the rules. I defiantly want to follow the laws but you constantly read of folks catching a two day limits and taking pictures with them. I know when fishing on the 36 hour tuna trips you can have a two day limits

[justogm]

Will do

[Root Canal]

I think I will call tpw tomorrow and confirm the rules. I defiantly want to follow the laws but you constantly read of folks catching a two day limits and taking pictures with them. I know when fishing on the 36 hour tuna trips you can have a two day limits

I think I misread your original question. If you kept the first fish in a separate and sealed cooler you might be ok.
Just don't go over the possession limit. Maybe even tape the first cooler and date it. They should be able to
tell they are older fish.
Good Luck

[TXSHOCKWAVE]

Possession limit is 5 flounder. It does not matter when you caught them. If you have more than five you will get a ticket. That law was passed to keep people from double dipping after midnight.

[Little Boat]

Great thread! Just wanted to put in my two cents...

From the TPWD Outdoor Annual:

Robalo already pointed this out: If we look at page 33, about in the middle of the page - there is a sentence that says "While fishing, it is illegal to be in possession of more fish than the daily bag limit..." and gigging falls under the definition of fishing (page 36). I think this prohibits taking a limit of flounder or any other fish before midnight, keeping them in the boat, then getting another limit after midnight.

Paul already pointed this out: In general, you could certainly have two daily limits of fish (except see flounder below) as a possession limit if you are riding around in your boat. Just don't stop to fish with more than a daily limit. Riding around in a boat is not considered as fishing.

Root Canal and TXshockwave already pointed this out: Generally, two limits is the possession limit. But with Flounder, there is a special note to the table on page 48: c Flounder special regulation: Daily bag is 5 fish except for the period Nov. 1-30 when the daily bag is 2 fish and flounder may be taken only by pole and line. Possession limit is equal to the daily bag..


Now, the ambiguous part. The last sentence above.... does that apply only to the previous sentence concerning November, or is it a general statement? If it was a general statement, that should have been the very first sentence in the special regulation for flounder.

So the question is... is the possession limit for flounder actually two daily limits except in November, or is the possession limit only one daily limit all year long?

I'm betting that the GW is going to go with the stricter rule - only one limit in possession at any time during the year.

[Little Boat]

Note.... regardless of flounder "two limits as possession or one limit as possession", you still can't get one limit before midnight, keep the fish in the boat, then get another limit after midnight.

[Gulfcoast13]

Now my head hurts!