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TITLE 31NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION
PART 2TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT
CHAPTER 57FISHERIES
SUBCHAPTER NSTATEWIDE RECREATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL FISHING PROCLAMATION
DIVISION 2STATEWIDE RECREATIONAL FISHING PROCLAMATION
RULE §57.981Bag, Possession, and Length Limits

(a) 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 residence and is finally processed.

(b) The possession limit does not apply to fish in the possession of or stored by a person who has an invoice or sales ticket showing the name and address of the seller, number of fish by species, date of the sale, and other information required on a sales ticket or invoice.

(c) There are no bag, possession, or length limits on game or non-game fish, except as provided in this subchapter.

  (1) Possession limits are twice the daily bag limit on game and non-game fish except as otherwise provided in this subchapter.

  (2) For flounder, the possession limit is the daily bag limit.

  (3) 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.

  (4) A person may give, leave, receive, or possess any species of legally taken wildlife resource, or a part of the resource, that is required to have a tag or permit attached or is protected by a bag or possession limit, if the wildlife resource is accompanied by a wildlife resource document (WRD) from the person who took the wildlife resource, provided the person is in compliance with all other applicable provisions of this subchapter and the Parks and Wildlife Code. The properly executed WRD document shall accompany the wildlife resource until it reaches the possessor's residence and is finally processed. The WRD must contain the following information:

    (A) the name, signature, address, and fishing license number, as required of the person who killed or caught the wildlife resource;

    (B) the name of the person receiving the wildlife resource;

    (C) a description of the wildlife resource (number and type of species or parts); and

    (D) the location where the wildlife resource was killed or caught (name of ranch; area; lake, bay or stream; and county).

  (5) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the statewide daily bag and length limits shall be as follows.

    (A) Amberjack, greater.

      (i) Daily bag limit: 1.

      (ii) Minimum length limit: 38 inches.

      (iii) Maximum length limit: No limit.

    (B) Bass:

      (i) The daily bag limit for largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, Alabama, and Guadalupe is 5, in any combination.

      (ii) Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted.

        (I) No minimum length limit.

        (II) No maximum length limit.

      (iii) Largemouth and smallmouth.

        (I) Minimum length limit: 14 inches.

        (II) No maximum length limit.

      (iv) Striped and their hybrids.

        (I) Daily bag limit: 5 (in any combination).

        (II) Minimum length limit: 18 inches.

        (III) No maximum length limit.

      (v) White.

        (I) Daily bag limit: 25.

        (II) Minimum length limit: 10 inches.

        (IIII) No maximum length limit.

    (C) Catfish:

      (i) channel and blue (including hybrids and subspecies).

        (I) Daily bag limit: 25 (in any combination).

        (II) No minimum length limit.

        (III) No maximum length limit.

        (IV) It is unlawful to retain more than 10 channel and blue catfish, in the aggregate, of 20 inches or greater in length.

      (ii) flathead.

        (I) Daily bag limit: 5.

        (II) Minimum length limit: 18 inches.

        (III) No maximum length limit.

      (iii) gafftopsail.

        (I) No daily bag limit.

        (II) Minimum length limit: 14 inches.

        (III) No maximum length limit.

    (D) Cobia.

      (i) Daily bag limit: 1.

      (ii) Minimum length limit: 40 inches.

      (iii) No maximum length limit.

    (E) Crappie, black and white (including hybrids and subspecies).

      (i) Daily bag limit: 25.

      (ii) Minimum length limit: 10 inches.

      (iii) No maximum length limit.

    (F) Drum, black.

      (i) Daily bag limit: 5.

      (ii) Minimum length limit: 14 inches.

      (iii) Maximum length limit: 30 inches.

      (iv) One black drum over 52 inches may be retained per day as part of the five-fish bag limit.

    (G) Drum, red.

      (i) Daily bag limit: 3.

      (ii) Minimum length limit: 20 inches.

      (iii) Maximum length limit: 28 inches.

      (iv) During a license year, one red drum exceeding the maximum length limit established by this subparagraph may be retained when affixed with a properly executed Red Drum Tag, a properly executed Exempt Angler Red Drum Tag, or with a properly executed Duplicate Exempt Red Drum Tag, and one red drum over the stated maximum length limit may be retained when affixed with a properly executed Bonus Red Drum Tag. Any fish retained under authority of a Red Drum Tag, an Exempt Angler Red Drum Tag, a Duplicate Exempt Red Drum Tag, or a Bonus Red Drum Tag may be retained in addition to the daily bag and possession limit as provided in this section.

      (v) A person who lawfully takes a red drum under a digital license issued under the provisions of §53.3(a)(12) this title (relating to Super Combination Hunting and Fishing License Packages) or under a lifetime license with the digital tagging option provided by §53.4(a)(1) of this title (relating to Lifetime Licenses) that exceeds the maximum length limit established by this subparagraph is exempt from any requirement of Parks and Wildlife Code or this subchapter regarding the use of license tags for that species; however, that person shall immediately upon take ensure that a harvest report is created and submitted via a mobile or web application provided by the department for that purpose. If the absence of data connectivity prevents the receipt of a confirmation number from the department following the report required by this subparagraph, the person who took the red drum is responsible for ensuring that the report required by this subparagraph is uploaded to the department immediately upon the availability of network connectivity.

      (vi) It is an offense for any person to possess a red drum exceeding the maximum length established by this subparagraph under a digital license or digital tagging option without being in immediate physical possession of an electronic device that is:

        (I) loaded with the mobile or web application designated by the department for harvest reporting under this subsection; and

        (II) capable of uploading the harvest report required by this subsection.

      (vii) A person who is fishing under a license identified in §53.4(a)(1) of this title and selected the fulfilment of physical tags must comply with the tagging requirements of this chapter that are applicable to the tagging of red drum under a license that is not a digital license.

    (H) Flounder: all species (including hybrids and subspecies).

      (i) Daily bag limit: 5.

      (ii) Minimum length limit: 15 inches.

      (iii) No maximum length limit.

      (iv) During November, lawful means are restricted to pole-and-line only and the bag and possession limit for flounder is two. For the first 14 days in December, the bag and possession limit is two, and flounder may be taken by any legal means. On September 1, 2021, the provisions of this clause cease effect.

      (v) Beginning September 1, 2021, the season for flounder is closed from November 1 through December 14 every year.

    (I) Gar, alligator.

      (i) Daily bag limit: 1.

      (ii) No minimum length limit.

      (iii) No maximum length limit.

      (iv) During May, no person shall take alligator gar from, or possess alligator gar while on, the Red River (including Lake Texoma) and all tributaries that drain directly or indirectly to the Red River on the Texas/Oklahoma border in Cooke, Grayson, Fannin, Lamar, Red River, and Bowie counties.

      (v) Any person who takes an alligator gar in the public waters of this state other than Falcon International Reservoir shall report the harvest via the department's website or mobile application within 24 hours of take.

Cont'd...

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