Paddlefish: Paddlefish can be fished from April 24 to May 31. The daily limit at the gate is 2 fish per day with no size limit. Slaughter is prohibited. The exceptions for Center Hill, Cherokee and Watts Bar reservoirs are in regions 3 and 4. Below are the door and size restrictions that apply nationwide. There are exceptions to these limits in several waters. On the red pages at the bottom of this page you will find exceptions to national regulations. If you are fishing in an area for which there are no exceptions listed in this guide, national restrictions apply. The total daily limit is the maximum number of fish a fisher can possess in a day in all waters or parts of waters caught on that day.

Sturgeon (shovel nose, pale, marine and hybrids): No harvest allowed. Must be returned to the water immediately. Please report all catches to TWRA (see Lake Sturgeon Project). Catfish: Only one catfish over 34 inches can be caught per day. No catch limit for catfish under 34 inches. It is illegal to possess or transport live specimens of the following animals: Alligator Gar: No harvesting allowed. Must be returned to the water immediately. Do not take more than 5 black bass per day in any combination. The daily pocket limit is the maximum number of fish a fisher is allowed to possess in a given body of water or part of a body of water on a given day. Minimum length restrictions limit catches of fish below a certain minimum length. For example, a minimum length of 15 inches allows the angler to keep fish 15 inches or larger.

Fish under 15 inches cannot be harvested. The goal of TWRA is to manage each fish species with door and length restrictions nationwide wherever possible. However, many water bodies require individual valve and length limits due to their unique characteristics. These rules improve fishing for all fishermen. Region 1 Crappie Exception: unless otherwise indicated for certain waters. Yellowfish, bluefish, warmouth, sea bream, bull`s head, pike, pike, yellowfish and species other than game Fishing or rod limit: Unless otherwise specified in this guide or by proclamation, there is no limit to the number of lines a fisher may catch at any one time. Possession limits: The total possession limit is double the daily limit at the front door. You may not have more than the daily door limit with you when you`re on the go. It is prohibited to keep on the ground fish that have been modified in such a way that their species and/or the total length of the body cannot be determined. Unless otherwise restricted in this proclamation, fishers are limited to a maximum of 3 hooks per rod, pole or handline. Single, double, or height hooks each count as one hook. The national restriction on hooks does not apply when a sabiki platform (also known as a piscatorus platform) is used to take shad or allis.

A sabiki platform is a set of small baits attached to a single line and usually used to catch baitfish. An angler may combine the catch of a particular species from several lakes until the daily pocket limit is reached, as long as the daily pocket limit for each body of water is never exceeded. Note that on the water, you may not have more than the daily limit for that body of water. For example, a fisherman catches a daily limit of pikeperch in a lake with a three-bag limit. The fisherman cannot then go to another lake with a limit of two pikeperch while possessing the three fish of the previous lake. Place the fish on a flat ruler, close your mouth and press the lobes of the caudal fin to reach the maximum length. The mouth of the fish should not be handled or lengthened. Slot limits or protected length ranges (PPBs) allow anglers to catch fish above and below a certain length range. For example, a 14- to 18-inch PPD protects fish in the 14- to 18-inch long group. Anglers can catch fish that are less than 14 inches tall, and they can catch fish that are larger than 18 inches. For a protected length beach to be effective, anglers must catch fish below the protected area.

Black sea bass (including largemouth, smallmouth, spotted and coosa).