This should make basin fisherman happy

[Loneshark]

http://www.katc.com/mobile/story.cfm?n=258755

[Montauk17]

Bout time....12" bass are almost as good as sacalait.

[calcutta37]

It's about time they have a lot of 13 1/2" fish.

[kwc1975]

i am glad i am tired of going there and catching fish all day and only have a few keepers. When does this new slot limit start.

[blackmamba]

Awesome!!!

[Gerald]

(Feb. 8, 2013) - Today, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a notice of intent that would remove the 14” minimum length limit on black bass in the Atchafalaya Basin, Henderson Lake and Lake Verret Complex. LDWF biologists made this recommendation based both on results of an LDWF study and angler input.

As a temporary transition measure, LDWF staff recommends a reduction in daily creel limit from 10 to 7 bass for a two-year period. After the two years, black bass regulations on these waterbodies would be consistent with statewide regulations – no length limit with a 10 fish daily creel.

An extensive, three-year study examined the effectiveness of the regulation as a management tool. Findings show the Atchafalaya Basin largemouth bass population does not exhibit necessary criteria for which a 14” minimum length limit would produce larger bass. The study indicates that the basin bass population is more heavily influenced by environmental factors, including water fluctuation and the effects of tropical storms, rather than angler harvest.

Results of the study were distributed throughout various media outlets including print, radio and television, and public opinion was requested. Over 450 responses were received, and Atchafalaya Basin anglers were in agreement with the LDWF study and approval of removing the 14” minimum length for bass by an overwhelming margin of 91 percent.

To view the full notice of intent, please visit here. Interested persons may submit written comments relative to the proposed rule by March 31, 2013, to Mike Wood, Office of Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 or via email at comment@wlf.la.gov.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
For press inquires, contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov or (225) 765-2396.

[fishingonewild]

well i hope we get to throw them back cux put it this way if they do change the slot limit and size on bass then everyone gonna be all catching them then there will not be many left and it will get harder to catch bass once everyone catch alot of them to keep. it would not make any difference to help produce bigger size bass cux there wont be much left to catch. but hey everyone has different ideas. i wud be throwing back the 13'' and half back to let them grow bigger or produce more bass.

[kwc1975]

we have been throwing back those 12 and 13 inch fish for years and we are still not getting any bigger fish. It is not a bad idea to weed out some of these smaller fish for a short period of time maybe i am wrong but i fish that area a lot and catch the same size over and over with maybe one or two keepers.

[fishingonewild]

true... i am not against this idea but like i said everyone has different ideas to this but just hoping it woud not wipe out the fun of catching and throwing back.... cux like i said there would be many people who would be like aw yea now we can keep smaller size then once they catch them all then by the time for those who just wanna enjoy catching and throwing back will have a hard time catching but hey i may be wrong...

[jpeff31787]

i say it kinda sucks.. i enjoyed going and catch 30-100 bass a day (depending on what time of the year) no matter what size they were.

Btw you can catch your 10 keepers any day, you just have to change your fishing techniques and stop trying to catch a bunch of fish.

I will say though, I'd be impressed if this does help the number of "big" fish.

[fishingonewild]

Originally Posted by jpeff31787

i say it kinda sucks.. i enjoyed going and catch 30-100 bass a day (depending on what time of the year) no matter what size they were.

Btw you can catch your 10 keepers any day, you just have to change your fishing techniques and stop trying to catch a bunch of fish.

I will say though, I'd be impressed if this does help the number of "big" fish.

yea there is only one way to find out is by seeing how this rule comes out and all the people going out there catching all those smaller size bass then once it settle down with less bass around lets see how that gonna help bass get bigger. i kinda have a feeling that it doesnt make a difference since the basin is a huge place but hey like i said everyone has their own ideas...