New Fishing Regs. Start on April 1

[candiru]

New fishing Regs go into effect on April 1st. The big change is a reduction in the Crappie limit to 10. There are also Paddlefish changes and stricter residency requirements.

2014-16 Fishing Regulations Set

Monday, March 17, 2014

North Dakota’s 2014-16 fishing proclamation is set, with regulations effective April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2016. Anglers are reminded that new fishing licenses are required April 1.

Noteworthy regulation changes include:

Expanded the length of the bowfishing season to include April, October and November.

Expanded the open water spearfishing season to include October and November.

Modified the paddlefish season, including ending the snagging day at 9 p.m.; reducing the notice to close the season to 24 hours; reduced the extended snag-and-release season to four days; all paddlefish snagged and tagged must be removed from the river by 9 p.m.; and changed the days open to harvest to Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Eliminated lake-specific reduced panfish limits for Odland Dam.

Reduced the statewide daily and possession limit of crappie to 10 and 20.

Added the Red and Bois de Sioux rivers to waters open to darkhouse spearfishing.

Fishing licenses can be purchased online at the Game and Fish Department HSOforum, gf.nd.gov. A new state law requires residents age 18 or older to prove residency on the application by submitting a valid North Dakota driver’s license number or a North Dakota identification number.

Anglers will notice an increase in license fees required to fish in North Dakota, which were established and set by the 2013 state legislature. The combination license, which includes general game and habitat, small game, furbearer and fishing, increased from $32 to $50; resident individual fishing from $10 to $16; resident husband and wife from $14 to $22; resident age 65 or older from $3 to $5; resident totally or permanently disabled from $3 to $5; and resident paddlefish tag from $3 to $10,

For nonresidents, a paddlefish tag is increasing from $7.50 to $25.50; nonresident individual from $35 to $45; nonresident husband and wife from $45 to $60; nonresident three-day from $15 to $25; and nonresident 10-day from $25 to $35.

In addition, the state legislature also passed a law that establishes a $5 fishing license for resident disabled veterans with 50 percent or more service connected disability, or who have an extra-schedular rating, to include individual unemployability, that brings the veteran's total disability ratio to 50 percent. These licenses are available only from the Bismarck Game and Fish office, and also require written verification of eligibility from the Department of Veterans Affairs office.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is self-funded and only receives revenue from license sales and federal funds.

The 2014-16 North Dakota Fishing Guide is available at Game and Fish Department offices and license vendors throughout the state.

http://gf.nd.gov/news/2014-16-fishing-regulations-set