The Thursday, Oct. 10 deadline is approaching to provide comments on the 2014-15 sport fish proposals. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency began accepting comments on the proposals in late August.
Comments may be sent to TWRA.Comment@tn.gov, or TWRA, Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, Tn. 37204. Please include “2014 Fish Comments” on the subject line of emailed submissions.
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will vote on the fishing proposals at its next meeting which will be held Oct. 17-18, at the Meadowview Conference Center in Kingsport. If approved, the regulations will become effective March 1, 2014 through February 2015.
2014-15 Sport Fishing Proposals:
Statewide:
Crayfish: Proposal would establish the harvest of crayfish as food. Currently, crayfish may be taken from most waters except for those already restricted under the live bait proclamation.
Region I:
Kentucky Lake: Increase the minimum length on sauger from 14 to 15 inches.
Maples Creek and Brown’s Creek lakes: Decrease the minimum length limit on crappie from 10 to 8 inches.
Region II:
Woodhaven Lake (Montgomery Bell State Park): Remove the no harvest restriction on largemouth bass, allowing 5 bass per day with no length limit. (same as statewide)
Region III:
Caney Fork Watershed (Center Hill Reservoir, Great Falls Reservoir, Calfkiller, Collins, Caney Fork, and Rocky rivers): Increase the minimum length on muskellunge from 36 to 50 inches.
Big Lost, Goforth, Spring, and Greasy creeks (Polk County): All these creeks will be closed on Friday from March 1 through June 1 (previously July 1).
Cherokee Reservoir: Change the paddlefish snagging season from March 1-15 to April 1-15.
Fort Loudoun, Melton Hill, and Chilhowee reservoirs: Change walleye and sauger restrictions. Currently walleye and sauger have a 15-inch minimum length limit with a creel limit of 10 in combination. The new regulations will follow the statewide regulation for each species (walleye 5 per day, 16-inch length limit; sauger 10 per day, 15-inch minimum length limit).
Rocky Fork: Define the Wild Trout Regulation section as upstream of Rocky Fork Road and State Park Entrance Road Junction.