Ask a conservation officer

[Lee Borgersen]

            Ask a conservation officer: Stop fishing after keeping limit.


Q: If I have caught and kept my limit of a certain species of fish, is it legal for me to keep fishing for that species as long as I practice catch-and-release?


A: Once you have caught and reduced to possession (kept) your legal limit of fish, you may not attempt to take any more fish of that species. Doing so would be attempting to take more than a limit. Releasing some fish instead of putting them in your pail or livewell, and staying below your limit, will enable you to continue to fish. Similarly, if a season is closed for a particular species of fish, an angler may not attempt to take (to keep or catch-and-release) that species of fish unless there is a designated “Catch-and-Release” season for that species.