30 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual 2017-2018 REGULATIONS SUMMARY
FISHING REGULATIONS
MINNOW TRAP:
• Legal only for taking NONGAME fi sh and other aquatic animal life (including crayfi sh and shrimp).
• Trap may not exceed 24 inches in length. The throat may not exceed 1 inch by 3 inches.
• GEAR TAG (see pg. 28) valid for only 10 days must be visibly attached.
PERCH TRAPS: For use in SALT WATER only.
• Legal only for taking NONGAME fi sh and other aquatic animal life (including crayfi sh and shrimp).
• May not exceed 18 cubic feet.
• Must be marked with a fl oating visible orange buoy not less than 6 inches in height and 6 inches in width. The buoy
must have a GEAR TAG (see pg. 28) valid only for 10 days attached.
• Must be equipped with a degradable panel as described for crab traps (see pg. 46).
• Buoys or fl oats may not be made of plastic bottle(s) of any color or size.
• It is unlawful to place any type of trap within the area in Cedar Bayou between a department sign erected where
Mesquite Bay fl ows into Cedar Bayou and the department sign erected near the point where the pass empties into
the Gulf of Mexico.
POLE AND LINE (which includes rod and reel): A line with hook, attached to a pole.
• May be used to take GAME AND NONGAME fi sh.
• It is unlawful to use a pole and line to take or attempt to take fi sh by foul-hooking, snagging, or jerking. A fi sh is
foul-hooked when caught by a hook in an area other than the fi sh’s mouth.
• Game and nongame fi sh may be taken by pole and line, except that in the Guadalupe River in Comal County
starting 800 yards downstream from the Canyon Dam release and extending downstream to the second bridge
crossing on River Road, rainbow and brown trout may not be retained when taken by any method except artifi cial
lures. In this area only, artifi cial lures cannot contain or have attached either whole or portions, living or dead, of
organisms such as fi sh, crayfi sh, insects (grubs, larvae or adults) or worms, any other animal or vegetable material,
or synthetic scented materials. This does not prohibit the use of artifi cial lures that contain components of hair or
feathers. It is an offense to possess rainbow and brown trout while fi shing with any other device in that part of the
Guadalupe River defi ned in this paragraph.
• Pole and line is the only lawful method for taking game fi sh and nongame fi sh from Community Fishing Lakes (see
defi nition, pg. 28); includes impoundments lying totally within the boundaries of a state park), sections of rivers
lying totally within boundaries of a state park, the North Concho River from O.C. Fisher dam to the Bell Street dam,
the South Concho River from Lone Wolf dam to Bell Street dam, Wheeler Branch Reservoir, Lake Pfl ugerville, and
Canyon Lake Project #6.
SAIL LINE: For use in SALT WATER only. A type of trotline with one end of the main line fi xed on the shore, the
other end of the main line attached to a wind-powered fl oating device or sail.
• Nongame fi sh, red drum, spotted seatrout, and sharks may be taken with a sail line.
• No more than one sail line may be used per fi sherman.
• The sail line must be attended at all times the line is fi shing.
• Sail lines may not be used by the holder of a commercial fi shing license.
• Sail lines may be used seven days a week.
• Tag Requirements: Must have a valid SALTWATER TROTLINE TAG for each 300 feet of mainline or fraction thereof
being fi shed.
• Construction and Design Restrictions:
- Sail line may not exceed 1,800 feet from reel to sail.
- Sail and the most shoreward fl oat must be bright orange or red color. All other fl oats must be
yellow. No fl oat may be more than 200 feet from the sail.
- A weight of 1 ounce or more must be attached to the line not less than 4 feet or more than 6 feet shoreward of
the most shoreward fl oat.
- Refl ectors of not less than 2 square inches shall be attached to the sail and fl oats. They must be easily seen
from all directions. This applies for sail lines operated from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before
sunrise.
- May have no more than 30 hooks.
- There is no hook spacing requirement.
- No hook may be placed more than 200 feet from the sail.
- May be baited with either natural or artifi cial bait.
• Placement and Location Restrictions:
Must meet placement and location requirements for saltwater trotlines (see pg. 32).
SEINE: (Includes a push net.) A section of non-metallic mesh webbing, with the top edge buoyed upwards by a
fl oatline and the bottom edge weighted.
• Legal only for taking NONGAME fi sh and other aquatic animal life (including crabs, crayfi sh, and shrimp).
• May not be longer than 20 feet.
• May not have mesh exceeding 1/2-inch square.
• Must be manually operated.
• In SALT WATER, nongame fi sh may be taken by seine for bait purposes only.
288
FISHING REGULATIONS
MINNOW TRAP:
• Legal only for taking NONGAME fi sh and other aquatic animal life (including crayfi sh and shrimp).
• Trap may not exceed 24 inches in length. The throat may not exceed 1 inch by 3 inches.
• GEAR TAG (see pg. 28) valid for only 10 days must be visibly attached.
PERCH TRAPS: For use in SALT WATER only.
• Legal only for taking NONGAME fi sh and other aquatic animal life (including crayfi sh and shrimp).
• May not exceed 18 cubic feet.
• Must be marked with a fl oating visible orange buoy not less than 6 inches in height and 6 inches in width. The buoy
must have a GEAR TAG (see pg. 28) valid only for 10 days attached.
• Must be equipped with a degradable panel as described for crab traps (see pg. 46).
• Buoys or fl oats may not be made of plastic bottle(s) of any color or size.
• It is unlawful to place any type of trap within the area in Cedar Bayou between a department sign erected where
Mesquite Bay fl ows into Cedar Bayou and the department sign erected near the point where the pass empties into
the Gulf of Mexico.
POLE AND LINE (which includes rod and reel): A line with hook, attached to a pole.
• May be used to take GAME AND NONGAME fi sh.
• It is unlawful to use a pole and line to take or attempt to take fi sh by foul-hooking, snagging, or jerking. A fi sh is
foul-hooked when caught by a hook in an area other than the fi sh’s mouth.
• Game and nongame fi sh may be taken by pole and line, except that in the Guadalupe River in Comal County
starting 800 yards downstream from the Canyon Dam release and extending downstream to the second bridge
crossing on River Road, rainbow and brown trout may not be retained when taken by any method except artifi cial
lures. In this area only, artifi cial lures cannot contain or have attached either whole or portions, living or dead, of
organisms such as fi sh, crayfi sh, insects (grubs, larvae or adults) or worms, any other animal or vegetable material,
or synthetic scented materials. This does not prohibit the use of artifi cial lures that contain components of hair or
feathers. It is an offense to possess rainbow and brown trout while fi shing with any other device in that part of the
Guadalupe River defi ned in this paragraph.
• Pole and line is the only lawful method for taking game fi sh and nongame fi sh from Community Fishing Lakes (see
defi nition, pg. 28); includes impoundments lying totally within the boundaries of a state park), sections of rivers
lying totally within boundaries of a state park, the North Concho River from O.C. Fisher dam to the Bell Street dam,
the South Concho River from Lone Wolf dam to Bell Street dam, Wheeler Branch Reservoir, Lake Pfl ugerville, and
Canyon Lake Project #6.
SAIL LINE: For use in SALT WATER only. A type of trotline with one end of the main line fi xed on the shore, the
other end of the main line attached to a wind-powered fl oating device or sail.
• Nongame fi sh, red drum, spotted seatrout, and sharks may be taken with a sail line.
• No more than one sail line may be used per fi sherman.
• The sail line must be attended at all times the line is fi shing.
• Sail lines may not be used by the holder of a commercial fi shing license.
• Sail lines may be used seven days a week.
• Tag Requirements: Must have a valid SALTWATER TROTLINE TAG for each 300 feet of mainline or fraction thereof
being fi shed.
• Construction and Design Restrictions:
- Sail line may not exceed 1,800 feet from reel to sail.
- Sail and the most shoreward fl oat must be bright orange or red color. All other fl oats must be
yellow. No fl oat may be more than 200 feet from the sail.
- A weight of 1 ounce or more must be attached to the line not less than 4 feet or more than 6 feet shoreward of
the most shoreward fl oat.
- Refl ectors of not less than 2 square inches shall be attached to the sail and fl oats. They must be easily seen
from all directions. This applies for sail lines operated from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before
sunrise.
- May have no more than 30 hooks.
- There is no hook spacing requirement.
- No hook may be placed more than 200 feet from the sail.
- May be baited with either natural or artifi cial bait.
• Placement and Location Restrictions:
Must meet placement and location requirements for saltwater trotlines (see pg. 32).
SEINE: (Includes a push net.) A section of non-metallic mesh webbing, with the top edge buoyed upwards by a
fl oatline and the bottom edge weighted.
• Legal only for taking NONGAME fi sh and other aquatic animal life (including crabs, crayfi sh, and shrimp).
• May not be longer than 20 feet.
• May not have mesh exceeding 1/2-inch square.
• Must be manually operated.
• In SALT WATER, nongame fi sh may be taken by seine for bait purposes only.
288