La. Admin. Code tit. 76 § VII-116

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section VII-116 - Freshwater Yo-Yos, Trigger Devices, Trotlines, Limb Lines, Jugs, and all Passive Fishing Devices Containing a Hook or Hooks

A. The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission hereby adopts the following regulations applicable to the use of yo-yos, trigger devices, trotlines, limb lines, jugs, and all other passive fishing devices containing a hook or hooks in freshwater areas of the state.

1. No more than 50 recreational yo-yos, or trigger devices, limb lines, or floating devices containing a hook or hooks shall be allowed per person. There is no limit for commercial use of this gear, except that no more than 50 commercial yo-yos, or trigger devices, limb lines, or floating devices containing a hook or hooks shall be allowed per person in Black Lake, Clear Lake and Prairie Lake (Natchitoches Parish), Caddo Lake (Caddo Parish), Chicot Lake (Evangeline Parish), D'Arbonne Lake (Union Parish), Lake St. Joseph (Tensas Parish), and Lake Bruin, including the portion known as Brushy Lake (Tensas Parish), Louisiana.

2. At any given time, no person shall set more than 150 hooks on all recreational trotlines, combined. There is no limit for commercial use of this gear, except that no person shall set more than 150 hooks on all commercial trotlines, combined, in Black Lake, Clear Lake and Prairie Lake (Natchitoches Parish), Caddo Lake (Caddo Parish), Chicot Lake (Evangeline Parish), D'Arbonne Lake (Union Parish), Lake St. Joseph (Tensas Parish), and Lake Bruin, including the portion known as Brushy Lake (Tensas Parish), Louisiana.

3. Each yo-yo, trigger device, trotline, limb line, jug, or other passive fishing device containing a hook or hooks, whether recreational or commercial, shall be clearly tagged with the fishing license number of the owner or user. Information must be attached with a waterproof tag or written directly on the device in indelible ink.

4. Each yo-yo, trigger device, trotline, limb line, jug, or other passive fishing device containing a hook or hooks, whether recreational or commercial, shall be rebaited at least once every 24 hours, and all fish and any other animal caught, entangled, ensnared, or hooked, shall be immediately removed from the device.

5. Each yo-yo, trigger device, trotline, limb line, jug, or other passive fishing device containing a hook or hooks shall be removed from the waterbody immediately by the owner or user once the device is not being used in accordance with the provisions of this Section, except for those devices that are attached to a privately owned pier, boathouse, seawall, or dock.

6. Where allowed, objects sourced from another location used to anchor yo-yos, trigger devices, trotlines, limb lines, jugs, or other passive fishing devices containing a hook or hooks, whether recreational or commercial, 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 passive devices by the user when not in use.

7. 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.

8. 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 yo-yo, trigger device, trotline, limb line, jug, or other passive fishing device containing a hook or hooks. A metal object may be used to anchor yo-yos, trigger devices, trotlines, limb lines, jugs, or other passive fishing devices containing a hook or hooks 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.

9. In Black Lake, Clear Lake and Prairie Lake (Natchitoches Parish), Caddo Lake (Caddo Parish), Chicot Lake (Evangeline Parish), D'Arbonne Lake (Union Parish), Lake St. Joseph (Tensas Parish), and Lake Bruin, including the portion known as Brushy Lake (Tensas Parish), Louisiana, except for an object used strictly in the construction of a pier, boathouse, seawall, or dock, 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.

10. All trotlines shall have a cotton leader on each end of the trotline. Commercial trotlines shall not have hooks spaced closer than 24 inches apart.

B. A violation of any of the provisions of this Section shall be a class one violation, except there shall be no imprisonment. In addition, any device found in violation of this Section shall be immediately seized by and forfeited to the department.

La. Admin. Code tit. 76, § VII-116

Promulgated by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, LR 37:355 (January 2011), Amended LR 482610 (10/1/2022), Amended LR 501504 (10/1/2024).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 56:6, R.S. 56:8, and R.S. 56:320.