Earlier this year, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted Notices of Intent (NOIs) regarding the marking of traps in freshwater and rules for saltwater and freshwater recreational and commercial yo-yos, trigger devices, trotlines, limb lines, jugs, and all other passive fishing devices containing a hook or hooks. The proposed rules have gone through the process of public comment and legislative oversight, and will go into effect October 20, 2024.
The trap marking rule changes will expand on trap and net marking rules that are already in place, and will be effective on October 20, 2024. Trap marking rules require the following:
- Recreational crawfish traps, cans, barrels, and bream traps be marked with a waterproof tag or waterproof ink/paint on the buoy (if the gear has a buoy).
- Markings shall include the user’s recreational/commercial license number.
The passive hooked gear rule modifications add requirements for passive recreational and commercial hooked gears in saltwater areas of the state and expand on freshwater rules for recreational and commercial passive hooked gears, which will also go into effect on October 20, 2024, with the following requirements:
- Waterproof tags with the angler’s fishing license number must be attached on each set line.
- No more than 50 recreational yo-yos, trigger devices, trotlines, limb lines, or floating devices containing a hook or hooks are allowed per angler.
- Each set line must be checked and rebaited every 24 hours, and all fish and any other animal caught, entangled, ensnared, or hooked, shall be immediately removed from the device.
- Each set line must be removed from the waterbody immediately when no longer actively fishing, except for those devices that are attached to a privately owned pier, boathouse, seawall, or dock.
- No metal object which is driven into or attached to the lake bottom, a stump, tree, or the shoreline shall be used to anchor a set line. A metal object may be used strictly in the construction of a pier, boathouse, seawall, dock, or a retrievable anchor not attached to the bottom to anchor set lines if it is attached to a pier, boathouse, seawall, dock, or a retrievable anchor (that is not attached to the water bottom) as part of the typical construction of that structure or object.
- No driven or attached objects used to attach yo-yos, trigger devices, trotlines, limb lines, jugs, or other passive fishing devices containing a hook or hooks shall be larger than two inches by two inches or two inches in diameter.
- All objects sourced from another location used to anchor set lines, which are driven into or attached to the lake bottom, a stump, tree, or the shoreline, must be removed from the waterbody, along with the set lines, when not in use.
- On Black-Clear Lake, Bruin, Caddo Lake, Chicot Lake, Lake D’Arbonne, Lake Lafourche, Lake St. Joseph, Prairie Lake, and Lake Bruin:
- You may set no more than 150 commercial hooks per trotline.
- You may not use more than 50 commercial yo-yos or trigger devices, limb lines, or jugs/noodles.
- No object sourced from another location which is driven into the lake bottom, a stump, tree, or the shoreline shall be used to anchor a yo-yo or trigger device, except for an object used strictly in the construction of a pier, boathouse, seawall, or dock.
- At any given time, no person shall set more than 150 hooks on all recreational trotlines, combined.
- All trotlines must have a cotton leader attached to each end.
- Recreational passive hooked gear is now required to be tagged with only the fishing license number.
All other rules regarding the passive nets, traps, and hooked gear remain in place and can be found in the published regulations: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/seasons-and-regulations