Wanted to make sure about this.
Even for pictures later, is this legal or not. I think not but I am not sure. Thought I'd ask the experts
Had a good 7 lb last trip, 20 minutes later, a good 5 1/2'. Makes for a better picture. I handle them the right way.
Thanks in advance

Yes its illegal. They must be released immediately.

That's what I figured.
Thx

......"immediately" ..........
that is a relative time term.
I put my fish in the live well long enough to get out my scale to weigh the 9.5# monster and then to get my measuring stick. Once determined it was a slot fish then it went back into the lake,,,,,,after a couple of pics.
you certainly do not want the fish laying in the bottom of the boat while you get a tape measure.

Wonder if an understanding game warden with binoculars would agree with that. Sure wish there was one on the forum. Anyone had personal experience with this.

just read the TPWD rules & regs for Lake Fork exceptions to the State Rules & Regs.

16-24 inch fish may not be "retained".

did not say they had to be released immediately or could not go in the live well
when in doubt ...... go to the source & read.

Well, that's a lot of leeway-
Again, I handle them right, but I would only keep for a short while to see if mama had a friend with her. Thirty minutes at the most.
Just didn't know if a warden would understand.

words like "retained" ,,, "immediately" (which by the way is NOT USED in the TPWD Rules & Regs statement),,,,,,, are words that can be/would be viewed differently by different folks....... so if you had an a$$ of a game warden watching you with binoculars then you might have to argue your point.

[u]

I wouldn't go splitting hairs here putting in the livewell is considered "retained",,,,, not until you decide to get off the lake.

Be ready to take pictures at all times and do not drive around with my next "good un" in your livewell please. The undersized buck bass? Not as passionate about that but just as illegal! If a fish goes into your well you kept it!

I wouldn't want to chance it. Your answers pretty well addresse the issue.
But, I bet it's done more than not!

Pretty much spelled out if you ask me.

At the point you put a fish in your live well you are retaining it. I specifically asked a game warden at fork about putting beat up fish and a quarantine tank, one of the live wells done up with some sure life products to help them heal up. He said never put a slot fish in your live well under any circumstances. If a game warden catches you with a slot fish in your live well, there is no story you're going to be able to make up that will get you out of a ticket.

If you put it in your live well you are retaining/keeping the fish.
Look at it this way if you have more than your legal limit in your live well you would get a ticket.

I learned a long time ago, don't argue with the wardens
You'll not going to win.

If you put it in the livewell to get out your scale and measuring board, you'll likely be ok. I would think if you start fishing again, it would be considered retained. Wouldn't want the game warden to pull up and have a rod in your hand.

Very likely that you will NOT be ok. Did you not read what buda13 just wrote? Under NO circumstances are you permitted to place a slot fish in your livewell. Have your scales and measuring board handy. Keep her in a net or hold her in the water until you're ready to weigh/measure/photo. Then release immediately. Once she's in your livewell, she has been retained.

Sometimes I wish they used more specific language in the law.

If they did...their revenue, through tickets would drop, dramatically....

If you put a slot fish in your live well on Fork, you will get a ticket. I've seen it happen several times. Twice by "Red" out there.

Just curious. That little excerpt said one 1 LMB over 24" may be retained per day.

Does that same rule apply to tournaments? As in, if someone currently has 4 unders and 1 over, but then they catch another over, do they have to release it?

Yes you will have to release one of the two overs. Obviously you will want to release the smallest of the two overs.

Learned something new today.

I kayak fish so that problem will not be something I experience lol

Looks like there is an exception to the rule, see the italicized section.

What are you going to do if that fish dies in your livewell?

Just use a little common sense here. How long does it take to get out a measuring board or a camera/phone? I've put a slot fish in my live well before but had it back in the water in less than a minute. Plenty of time to get ready for a pic or measure. I would never start fishing again with a slot in the live well. I guess I could get a ticket for briefly "retaining" a slot fish but I'll take that chance versus having the fish stress from being out of the water. Most of the time I am prepared before hand so it's measured then a quick pic and back to the water. If you are prepared like others have said, then there is no need to put a slot in the live well.

Ive fished a ton of tournaments on Fork, and been stopped and talked to a lot of Game Wardens out there. Its real simple. You cant have any slot fish 16-24 in your possession. When you put a fish in your livewell, its considered in your possession.
On the overs........you can have two in your boat in a tournament as long as each angler caught one.

This is very true. I caught one Sunday. In about a minute, measured it, weighed it, and took a few pics and put her back in.

Game wardens don't usually take too kindly to "but officer sir this is what I was going to do, but but but".


If you stick in, you'll get a ticket then

It is a lot easier if you have something like the gopro mounted and running. But your best bet is to leave it in the net in the water to get camera and stuff needed.

I'd be willing to bet game wardens here more BS on the water than cops do when they pull you over.....I wouldn't do it.

+1

The LEO's on Fork have heard every story in the book about slot fish, ESPECIALLY the one where you tell them, "I was just keeping it in the livewell until I could get my measuring stick out."

Well if you really put her in the live well just long enough to get your measuring board to measure and weight a game warden wouldn't have time to get to you, it only takes a couple minutes if you still have it when he gets there then you have had it to long. You would still have to have it for him to know it was a slot fish. I would also say it is most likely when you are fishing by your self. I can not think of a good reason to have a slot fish in your live well if you have a partner in the boat because he can get your board or scale.

Yes and I have seen this happen too: In a team event one guy caught Two Overs and brought both of them to the weigh in thinking since it was a team event they could weigh in two overs. When the TD asked him if each guy caught an Over he responded honestly saying, "No I caught both of them"

At that point they were DQ'd. Sucks but it is the law.

This thread got me thinking... wouldn't the moment you put your 6th fish in the live well to cull you are breaking the law?

You guys with all the ifs, ands or buts are the ones the Game Wardens love to give tickets to.

Gotta remove the cull from the livewell, first.

Man, come on guys. First off, the guy that said if you put it in your live we'll, you'll get a ticket is wrong. You've gotta get caught first.

As with 99% of all the other stuff in your daily life, just use common sense. If you're by yourself, I'm sure you can get by putting the fish in your livewell for a couple minutes while you get your camera ready. If a game warden is wstching you through binoculars, then he also watch you as you dig for your camera and get your measuring board ready. Get the fish outta your livewell, take the picture and release the fish. If you're doing this as an honest person, the chances of you getting a ticket are very slim.

The minute you make a cast with a slot fish in your livewell you deserve a ticket.

You guys that are splitting hairs here, have you ever thumped out a cigarette during a tournament? What about had a water bottle blow outta your boat? You broke a TP&W rule because you littered. Do you deserve to be disqualified? Of course not, because common sense tells us differently.

PowPow, Game Wardens on slot lakes, especially Lake Fork, don't use common sense. They use the letter of the law. If that slot fish goes in your livewell and a Game Warden witnesses you do it, you're going to get a ticket 100% of the time. If you've already released the slot that he witnessed you retain, you're still going to get a ticket 100% of the time. Want to argue about it? Take it up with the judge. Your word against the Wardens and he's going to win that argument 100% of the time.

Tell the Judge "the people on TFF" told you it was okay and I am sure he will dismiss your tickets LOL

This is 100% correct ^^^ I do think the GW could use a little sense when giving out tickets on this, but usually they don't. You are taking a chance. I don't think a GW should give you a ticket if you put the fish in there long enough to measure the fish. You wouldn't know if the fish is 23 15/16 or 24 1/16 the average guy can not eye ball 2/16"

Not legal!

I read what buda13 wrote. Just posted my opinion.

Yep it is

But can the average guy eye ball 1/8"?

isn't it ironic that they give out tickets to someone who is helping preserve the life of a bass by putting it in his livewell momentarily while he gets ready to take a picture yet they won't do a damn thing about cormorants and alligator gar which play hell with not only the bass but their food source as well...

Your right it is 1/8 I put 2/16 for one below one above. The one below is illegal the one above is legal.

I saw your buddy put a slot fish in the live well

Amen Brother!! Those cormorants eat thousands of bass a day and we can't do [censored] about em... heck they wouldn't even have to pay me to shoot em!!

And lets not mention the dozens of bank anglers using hand lines and catching anything and everything straight to the grease no matter species/length/etc. And what about illegals?? Heck why even bother getting a license when you can fish for FREE!!

I guess you could put it in your livewell but what excuse are you going to give to the game warden?

The old "I was planning on throwing it back" line?

I'm pretty sure he's heard that one a time or two...

Just explain it to the Judge, how you were looking out for the fishes best interest, by putting it in your livewell!

Sucks for all the guys wanting a pic of their best 5 for Instagram and Facebook. Nobody will believe them now..

Game wardens don't decide guilt or innocence. They write a ticket on probable cause. Only the judge/jury decide if what you did was legal or not. I've put them in long enough to pull out a measuring stick, scale and camera. I do it right away, not leaving the fish in there any longer than it takes to pull it out. I will say that it is only when I am alone and at night when I have to use a light to get everything situated to use. Just because a GW says something doesn't mean that it is gospel

I've been fishing Lake Fork since 1986 and have NEVER saw/seen a game warden. Guess they don't want to get back in the boonies where I fish. Got a ticket on Monticello one time for not having a throw cushion in the boat.

I've hunted and fished for over 60 yrs and never got a ticket for anything. I just wanted to be absolutely sure you couldn't take your big slot for a boat ride on Fork

My fish was not 24 inches.......it was 23.5
I put it in the live well until I got out my measuring stick to check the length
I did not want to put the fish in the bottom of the boat while I checked it out & since I was by myself that is the only thing I could do. Because if it was 24 it was going to the certified scales.
I did not get a ticket, the fish went back in the water asap and I don't feel bad about getting the picture at all. My PB at 9.5#
y'all do what you want to do ........ I'm getting a picture and I didn't want to stress out that fish.
the next time you are worried about "retaining a slot fish" or breaking a rule, remember what PolOlSun said about littering & when your going 80mph down the hiway look at the speed limit sign that says "70" and think about the literal interpretation most of you guys are putting on here.
That Game Warden is going to have to be awfully close to see that it is a slot fish. Yell at him to come over and help you measure it. He might even take the pic for you.

Don't try to bend the rules to your advantage and they seem to be right on point.

I have unfortunately had experience with this issue. It wasn't on Fork but rather Fayette County. I can tell you with certainty that in the live well meets the definition of 'retained' and if the game warden were to write you a ticket, the judge will in all probability uphold it. Game wardens are just normal people like us and I suspect that there are days when they would just let it go, just like there are days when we let are kids get away with one. As for me, I am not going to rely on the game warden's mood to decide if I get a ticket. Take a quick pic and let her go. That's my $0.02.

Well, Saturday while fishing Fork back up in one of the creeks, I had a guy wave me over to his boat. He was fishing by himself and as luck would have it, he wanted me to take a picture of a big slot fish he just caught. Well he pulled the fish out of his livewell, and it was around 8 lbs, and about 22 or 23 inches long. It was a good slot fish anyone would be proud of. Well, we took some good pictures then let the big girl swim away. This is the third time this has happened to me on Fork. This was a good guy who was just excited as all get out to have caught it. I would be a character witness if he would have gotten caught. Even though it was "against the law"

Good Luck to all

Done it many times on Fork for my customers over the years. If a GW sees me, he will very likely give me a ticket and I will accept it with no attitude. As I have said before when a LEO approaches you, the very first words from your mouth will set the tone of that meeting.

You never called me.

Can anyone here guess who spoke this? Older guys might.

"I�have�spent�all�my�life�under�a�Communist�regime�and�I�will�tell�you�that�a society�without�any�objective�legal�scale�is�a�terrible�one�indeed.�But�a society�with�no�other�scale�than�the�legal�one�is�not�quite�worthy�of�man either.�

The author might have been describing this issue, huh?

Brad

Yes, period.

You know what , do whatever you want but when you get caught you were doing what you thought was right , oh yea . It is very simple to me , but dealing with a citation it's on you now .

pretty simple if you read the law, and it states that no fish between 16-24" may be retained for any reason.

I have personally never worried about it

That's cuz you've never caught one big enough to worry about!