Interesting situation was described to me by several over the weekend about multiple people placing fish on a common stringer. Can multiple people place fish on a common stringer when it exceeds one persons limit?? Say four people are crappie fishing and together they have 30 crappie on a stringer and are checked by a game warden. Are they in violation??
I know in dove hunting you must keep the birds separated to account for individuals limits, but just did not know about fish.
I guess the same thing could happen in a boat livewell or an ice chest with just crappie, just sandbass, just hybrids or just catfish.

I would think that as long as the number of fish total does not exceed the number of fishermen X their individual limits then they should be ok. For example... 2 fishermen X 5 bass each= 10 total.
I don't know where the rules say that you have to seperate but I could be wrong.

Last year the lady game warden at Grapevine told me and my dad that we needed separate stringers to put our fish on. Of course see also told me I shouldn't be putting them in a bucket.

Years ago I saw an older couple get a ticket for having more then one limit on a stringer. I wouldn't chance it.

Guess I was wrong!

That's just silly! If we're in a boat, we're not required to have 4 livewells.

I mean, we aren't, are we? Gosh I hope not, I can't afford that kind of modification to my boat.

One of 'em got a ticket, did he fight it in court? I dang sure would have!

good point jtexas.

i agree with jtexas. when we fish for sandbass @ RC & CC, we will have up to 75 - 80 fish in a cooler, but there will be four of us in a boat. GW has never said anything to us. we just show them the total on our fish clicker.

We always put them on the same stringer.

If you give fish away you are supposed to fill out some form. I have given alot of fish away and never filled out the form though.

I agree when I go to a fishing barge with someone we put all fish in the same basket.

when? WHEN ?WHEN ???????????????

You only need to fill out one of those forms (Wildlife Resource Document or WRD) if the person you are giving the fish or game to does not have a valid hunting or fishing license. It is basically to keep the person you are giving the game to from getting caught possessing wildlife wihout a license.

I think you also have to fill one out if the game is going to be tranferred across state lines. Not sure about that though.

Kevin

You do not need to have your catch on seperate stringers or containers. If the game warden told you otherwise, they do not know the law. I've also been a duck/goose/dove hunter all my life and you don't have to seperate those out either. As long as the number of game doesn't outnumber the number of limits possible, it's just fine.

Wardens have checked my basket many times at different locations, at least 2 of us fish at one time and use the same basket. When the Warden asks me where we are keeping our fish we show him our basket. Never, have we had a problem. I think if anyone is wanting an answer to any questions about the Texas Fishing Laws, you need to check with the TPWD, then there can be no question of the correct answer.

This was before I started fishing with you.