Definitions
- Angling: to fish with rod, fishing pole or hook and line, with or without a reel.
- Bag Limit/Creel Limit: the maximum number of a species permitted to be taken by one person in any one day.
- Bait or Fish Seine: a net measuring no more than 30 feet in length with a mesh size not exceeding 1/4-inch mesh bar, 1/2-inch mesh stretched, and operated solely on foot and solely by hand, without any mechanical device, pulley or mechanical assistance whatsoever.
- Bait Species: all species of fish and other aquatic life utilized for bait.
- Bandit Gear: vertical hook-and-line gear with rods attached to a vessel and with line retrieved with rods and with line retrieved by manual, electric or hydraulic reels. (Use prohibited in state waters)
- Bona Fide Resident:
- any person who has resided in this state continuously during the six months immediately prior to the date on which he/she applies for any license and who has manifested his/her intent to remain in this state by establishing Louisiana as his/her legal domicile, as demonstrated by compliance with all of the following, as applicable.
- If registered to vote, he/she is registered to vote in Louisiana.
- If licensed to drive a motor vehicle, he/she is in possession of a valid Louisiana driver’s license.
- If owning a motor vehicle located within Louisiana, he/she is in possession of a valid Louisiana registration for that vehicle.
- If earning an income, he/she has filed a Louisiana state income tax return and has complied with state income tax laws and regulations.
- Effective Aug. 1, 2019, a Louisiana resident who was honorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States or a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, including National Guard, for the purpose of purchasing a fishing/hunting license will be considered a bona fide resident of Louisiana once he/she possesses a Louisiana driver’s license, or, if not licensed to drive, is in possession of a special identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections under the provisions of R.S. 40:1321.
- any person who possesses a resident license from any other state shall not qualify for a resident license in Louisiana.
- Bream Trap: a recreational trap that is no longer than 24 inches with a throat no greater than 1 by 3 inches used to capture bream (Lepomis spp.) for use as recreational bait.
- Can: a metal container of not more than 55-gallon capacity which is set for the purpose of taking fish.
- Cast Net: a light circular net of vegetable or synthetic materials that is weighted around its perimeter and is thrown by hand over the water.
- Crab Dropnet: any device constructed with vegetable, synthetic, or metal fibers and without flues or throat, attached to a wire frame that forms a net basket and is used for the purpose of taking crabs. This device shall be operated solely by hand and fished in a stationary, passive manner.
- Crab Trap: a cube-shaped, device constructed of wire, no larger than 30 inches on any side, and with either a bait box or materials providing cover or shelter for peeler crabs. The entrance funnels must extend no further than 7 inches into the inside of the trap, with the openings to the entrance funnels on the vertical wall of the trap such that the horizontal diameter of each opening is at least one and one-half times the vertical diameter of the opening.
- Crawfish Net: any device constructed with vegetable or synthetic material without flues or throats attached to a wire frame that forms a net basket and is used for the purpose of taking crawfish.
- Crawfish Trap: any device constructed of coated wire with the opening of the throats or flues not exceeding 2 inches and which is used for the express purpose of taking crawfish.
- Dip Net: a net, usually a deep mesh bag of vegetable or synthetic materials, on a fixed frame not to exceed 3 feet in diameter attached to a handle that is held and worked solely by hand by no more than one individual, and without any mechanical assistance.
- Finfish: (noun) any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates that characteristically swim with fins, breathe with gills and are covered with skin or scales.
- Fish: (noun) all finfish, shellfish and crustaceans and all other species of aquatic life.
- Fork Length: distance from tip of snout to midline of caudal fin. Used to measure some fish with deeply forked tails, such as amberjack.
- Freshwater Game Fish: see “Game Fish” definition.
- Freshwater Recreational Fish: any species of freshwater fish taken for recreational purposes.
- Fyke Net: any cone-shaped net of vegetable or synthetic fibers having throats or flues which are stretched over a series of rings or hoops to support the webbing, with vertical panels of net wings set obliquely on one or both sides of the mouth of the cone-shaped net.
- Game Fish: all of the following species of freshwater and saltwater fish.
- Freshwater Game Fish: largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus), shadow bass (Ambloplites ariommus), black and white crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus, P. annularis), white bass (Morone chrysops), yellow bass (Morone mississippiensis), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), hybrid striped bass (striped bass-white bass cross or striped bass-yellow bass cross), and any species of bream (Lepomis sp.).
- Saltwater Game Fish: any sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), blue marlin (Makaira indica), black marlin (Makaira nigricans), striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax), hatchet marlin (Tetrapturus spp.), white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus), and red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus).
- Gill Net/Trammel Net/Flag Webbing: any passive netting that is hung vertically in flat panels and meant to ensnare fish.
- Hand Grabbing/Noodling: the act of capturing catfish with the hands.
- Hook: any curved or bent device attached to a line for the purpose of taking fish or alligator and consisting of not more than one eye and one shank with no more than three barbs.
- Hoop Net: a cone-shaped net of vegetable or synthetic materials having throats or flues and which are stretched over a series of rings or hoops to support the webbing.
- Jugs/Floats/Noodles: a passive method of fishing using a hook and line attached to a floating object.
- Landing Net: means a net, usually a mesh bag of vegetable or synthetic material on a fixed frame attached to a handle held and operated by hand for the sole purpose of assisting in the landing of fish legally caught by other legal gear.
- Lead or Wing Net: a panel of netting of any mesh size or length, with or without weights and floats, attached to one or both sides of the mouth of a cone-shaped net having flues or throats, and set so as to deflect or guide fish toward the mouth of the net.
- Licensee: any resident or nonresident lawful holder of an effective license duly issued under the authority of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).
- Limb Line: a passive method of fishing consisting of a hook and line attached to a stationary object.
- Lower Jaw Fork Length (LJFL): longest distance from tip of lower jaw to midline of caudal fin. Used to measure billfish such as marlin, swordfish and paddlefish.
- Mesh Size: the full measure of the mesh as found in use when measured as follows:
- Bar measure is the length of the full bar stretched from the near side of one knot to the far side of the other after being tarred, treated or otherwise processed.
- Stretched measure is the full stretched distance from the near side of one knot to the far side of the opposite knot diagonally across the mesh. This measurement shall not be applicable to weaved or woven nets commonly used for menhaden fishing. In woven nets, stretched measure is the full stretched distance of the opening of the mesh; bar measure is one-half of stretched measure.
- Maximum Length Limit: denotes that fish above the stated measurements must be returned to the water immediately.
- Minimum Length Limit (MLL): denotes that fish below the stated measurements must be returned to the water immediately.
- Monofilament: a single untwisted synthetic filament.
- Nonresident: any person who is not a bona fide resident as that term is defined by R.S. 56:8(69) (See Bona Fide Resident definition).
- Oyster Tongs: Oyster tongs shall be made as a grasping device consisting of two pieces joined by a pivot or hinged like scissors used for picking up objects. A single rake is not considered a tong.
- Passive Gear or Device: lines, nets, or other fishing gears that are set and left unattended for a period of time with the intention of capturing fish.
- Possess: in its different tenses, the act of having in possession or control, keeping, detaining, restraining or holding as owner, or as agent, bailee or custodian for another. When possession of fish or other wildlife is prohibited, reference is made equally to such fish or other wildlife coming from without the state as to those taken within the state.
- Recreational Purposes: a purpose other than deriving or attempting to derive an income of any kind from the harvest of fish. “Income” as used herein shall not include a prize or award offered as a prize in a fishing tournament.
- Reptiles and Amphibians: native frogs, toads, turtles, snakes, lizards and salamanders.
- Saltwater Fish: all species of finfish which normally inhabit the saline waters of the marine and estuarine environment for most of their life cycle.
- Saltwater Game Fish: see “Game Fish” definition.
- Saltwater Recreational Fish: any species of saltwater fish taken for recreational purposes.
- Shellfish: an aquatic invertebrate species having a shell. These species include, but are not limited to oysters, clams, crawfish, shrimp, crabs and other mollusks and crustaceans.
- Slat Trap: any device, used solely for the capture of catfish, which is cylindrical, rectangular, or square in cross section configuration, constructed of slats forming the length of the trap, with at least one pair of slats spaced at least 1 inch apart from each other on at least three sides of the trap and which is no more than 6 feet in length, 2 feet in diameter or width and which has one or more cone-shaped throats, flues or entrances.
- Slot Limit (SL): protective size limits denoting that fish within the range, inclusive of stated measurements, must be returned to the water immediately.
- Snagging: a method of hooking fish without the fish taking the bait with their mouth. The angler jerks the fishing line out of the water as soon as any movement is felt on the line.
- Stupefying Substances or Devices: explosives or chemicals or comparable destructive fishing practices as a capture technique.
- Take: in its different tenses, the attempt or act of hooking, pursuing, netting, capturing, snaring, trapping, shooting, hunting, wounding or killing by any means or device.
- Test Trawl: a trawl which is not more than 16 feet along the corkline or 20 feet along the headline or headrope.
- Total Length: the longest measurable distance from the outermost portion of the snout lengthwise to the outermost portion of the caudal fin.
- Transport: in its different tenses, the act of shipping, attempting to ship, receiving or delivering for shipment, transporting, conveying, carrying or exporting by air, land or water, or by any means whatsoever.
- Trawl: any net, generally funnel-shaped, pulled through the water or along the bottom with otter boards to spread the mouth open while being fished. The term “trawl” also means and includes plumb staff beam trawls that do not exceed 16 feet, and that do not use otter boards but are held open laterally by a horizontal beam, and vertically by two vertical beams (plumb staffs), and that are used while the vessel is under way. Trawls are only allowed to be used in state waters when and where the shrimp season is open.
- Trigger: any tension-loaded device that contains several feet of line and a hook or hooks, which is baited and set, and which automatically hooks and plays a fish.
- Turtle Trap: any device designed to attract and/or capture turtles in aquatic habitats. It must be open above water to allow respiration of air-breathing animals and clearly marked “turtle trap.”
- Venting Tool: a device intended to deflate the abdominal cavity of a fish to release the gases so the fish may be released with minimum damage.
- Wing Net: see Lead Net.
- Wire Net: a cone-shaped net of vegetable (cotton, flax, burlap) or synthetic materials (nylon, polypropylene, plastic), with a mesh no less than 1-inch square or 2 inches stretched, having throats or flues and which is stretched over wire of 5-inch mesh or greater to support the webbing.
- Yo-Yo: a spring loaded reel with line and a hook that is baited, set, and left in place as a passive gear.