40 Miss. Code. R. 3-1.3 - REGULATIONS REGARDING SPORT FISHING

A. The following rules and regulations relative to sport fishing are adopted:

1. Each person with a valid sport fishing license or those exempt under 49-7-5 may fish no more than 100 single hooks (in aggregate) among the following devices as described:

a. Sport fishing trotlines, throw lines, limb lines, and set hooks may have no more than a total of 100 single hooks in aggregate and these hooks shall be spaced at least two (2) feet apart and fixed to where they cannot slip together. It is illegal to set trotlines so that they extend more than half way across any stream, channel, drain or other body of water. A guideline without any hooks that does not impede navigation may be used.

b. No more than 25 yo-yos may be fished by an individual. No more than two (2) single hooks may be attached to a yo-yo. When fished on a line, yo-yo's, limb lines, and set hooks must be attached at least two (2) feet apart and fixed so that they cannot slip together.

c. No more than 25 free floating fishing devices (FFFD) (Jugs) may be fished by an individual. Also, no more than two (2) single hooks may be attached to each of these devices. In Mississippi waters that border adjacent states, the legal number of FFFDs shall be that of the adjacent state or the Mississippi limit, whichever is greater, not to exceed 50 FFFDs by any individual.

d. On Eagle Lake in Warren County, Lake Washington in Washington County, Sardis Lake in Panola, Lafayette and Marshall Counties, Enid Lake in Lafayette, Panola and Yalobusha Counties, Grenada Lake in Grenada, Calhoun and Yalobusha Counties and Arkabutla Lake in Tate and Desoto Counties, all Yo-Yos and FFFDs must be legibly marked with either waterproof ink, stamped, or tagged to display the license holders MDWFP number. Exempt anglers shall mark these gears with their full name, residence address and zip code. Yo-Yo tags shall be attached above the water line. All tags shall be furnished by the angler.

e. Yo-Yos & FFFDs must be attended during daylight hours on borderline waters between Arkansas and Mississippi, Eagle Lake, Lake Washington, Sardis Lake, Enid Lake, Grenada Lake and Arkabutla Lake. Attended means devices (whether set, baited, or tripped) must remain in sight of the angler during daylight hours. These devices may be fished at night without attendance, except at Lake Washington where yo-yos must be attended at all times other than between the hours of 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., when yo-yos may be unattended (tripped, with hook out of the water). Unattended yo-yos may be seized/confiscated by MDWFP Law Enforcement officers.

2. Legal sport fishing trotlines and/or throw lines, set hooks, limb lines, FFFDs, and yo-yos may not be fished in the waters listed below:

a. Ross Barnett Reservoir:

i. That portion of the reservoir north of the main dam and to a line between the point where Twin Harbors channel enters the main lake under the Natchez Trace in Madison County and the Fannin Landing boat launch in Rankin County;

ii. Pelahatchie Bay and Pelahatchie Creek;

iii. Any area of the main lake or river lying within 100 yards of any sandbar or any public boat launching facility;

iv. Waters within any marked navigational channel between State Highway 43 and Ratliff Ferry in Madison County.

b. Sardis Lower Lake from the outlet structure to Spaulding Creek; however, FFFDs are permitted in Sardis Lower Lake.

c. Jamie L. Whitten Lock from outlet downstream to Mississippi Hwy 4 overpass.

d. G.V. Sonny Montgomery Lock from spillway outlet downstream to Mile Marker 406.

e. John Rankin Lock from spillway outlet downstream to Mile Marker 398.

f. Fulton Lock from spillway outlet downstream to Hwy 78 overpass.

g. Glover Wilkens Lock from spillway outlet downstream to Mile Marker 375.

h. Amory Lock from spillway outlet downstream to Hwy 6 overpass.

i. Aberdeen Lock from spillway outlet downstream to U.S. highway 45 overpass, including the auxiliary spillway and associated bank fishing access area in the Tombigbee River cutoff below the dam.

j. John C. Stennis Lock from spillway outlet downstream to Mile Marker 334, including the auxiliary spillway and associated bank fishing access area in the Tombigbee River Cutoff below the dam.

k. Spillways of Ross Barnett and Okatibbee Reservoirs, Grenada, Enid, Sardis and Arkabutla Lakes from spillway outlets to the end of rip rap.

l. Bluff Lake spillway in Noxubee County

m. Lowhead dam on Ross Barnett Reservoir from the dam to the end of the Idle Speed Only/No Wake Zone area downstream of the dam.

n. On Lake Washington, limb lines and set hooks may not be fished or set; however, sport fishing trotlines, FFFDs, and Yo-Yos may be used as described in section A1.d.

3. The following regulations (a through f) apply in the waters listed under section A3.g (i through iv):

a. Anglers fishing these waters may use no more than one (1) pole or rod per person except for those persons fishing in Ross Barnett Reservoir from Lowhead dam to the end of the Idle Speed Only/No Wake Zone area downstream of the dam.

b. From December 1 until the last day of February, anglers may use no more than two (2) single hooks no larger than #2. No bare or baited treble hooks are allowed.

c. From March 1 until November 30, anglers may use no more than two (2) single hooks of any size. No bare or baited treble hooks are allowed.

d. Hooks must be secured at least one inch apart.

e. Artificial lures can have no more than three (3) treble hooks and may be fished all year. No more than two (2) artificial lures may be used. Treble hooks on artificial lures cannot be larger than # 2.

f. No other gear can be used in these waters except that dip or landing nets, cast nets, boat mounted scoops, wire baskets, minnow seines, and minnow traps may be used to capture shad and minnows. Anglers keeping legal fish caught with these gear types in these waters, except for Lowhead dam in Leake County on Ross Barnett Reservoir, must immediately place their catch on ice or in a dry container. All game fish caught with these gear types must be released immediately upon capture.

g. Rules 3a through 3f shall apply to the following waters:

i. Spillways of Ross Barnett and Okatibbee Reservoirs, Grenada, Enid, Sardis and Arkabutla Lakes from spillway outlets to the end of rip rap.

ii. Bluff Lake spillway in Noxubee County.

iii. Lowhead dam on Ross Barnett Reservoir from the dam to the end of the Idle Speed Only/No Wake Zone area downstream of the dam.

iv. Aberdeen and Columbus Spillways.

4. Buffalo, Common Carp, gar, catfish, shad, bowfin, Silver Carp, Bighead Carp, Grass Carp, Black Carp and Snakehead may be taken throughout the year with a bow and arrow, crossbow, spear or gig. However, catfish may not be taken with spear or gig from May 1 to July 15. Persons taking fish using any of these gears must have a valid sport fishing license or be exempt under 49-7-5.

5. The taking of non-game gross fish only by hand or rope (no attachments) is legal during the statewide season from May 1 to July 15. However, it is unlawful to alter any natural areas by the placing of boards, wire or any other obstruction to said logs, holes, etc. or to take fish from such altered devices. Also, it is unlawful to raise any part of a natural or artificial device out of the water thereby aiding in the capture of enclosed fish. Only wooden containers may be used. It is unlawful to place or take fish from structures such as plastic or metal barrels, hot water tanks, concrete pipe, tires and other non-biodegradable materials in any public waters of the state. Any person grabbling for fish must have a valid sport fishing license. It shall be illegal to place any cavity-type structure, intended to be used for hand grabbling purposes, in all Mississippi waters of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

6. Persons with a sport fishing license, or those exempt by 49-7-9, may use game fish as bait as long as the fish were legally taken and the daily creel limit for each species is not exceeded.

7. Persons with a sport fishing license, or those exempt by 49-7-9, may use minnow seines and minnow traps to harvest minnows, nongame gross fish, and nongame fish for bait. A commercial fishing license is required to sell fish captured from public waters in minnow seines and minnow traps. The harvest, possession, or use of freshwater mussels for bait is prohibited under the terms of Miss. Code Ann. § 49-9-5.

a. Minnow seines must be no more than 25 feet in length and 4 feet in depth.

b. Minnow traps shall be constructed of glass, plastic, nonmetallic, or wire mesh not more than 32 inches in length and 12 inches in diameter without leads or wings and having an entrance no larger than 1 inch in diameter.

B. Fish Attractors:

1. It shall be unlawful to place structures such as plastic or metal barrels, plastic or metal pipes and tubing larger than 4 inches in diameter, hot water tanks, concrete pipe and tires and any other non-biodegradable material into the public waters of the state for use as fish attractors.

2. However, wooden materials and plastic tubing and pipe materials may be used as fish attractors provided that the plastic materials are no larger than 4 inches in diameter. Concrete, rope, wire and nails may be used to construct fish attractors. It is legal to place such fish attractor materials into the public waters of the state provided written permission to do so is obtained from the federal or state agency which owns the specific water body.

3. The person placing fish attractor materials into the public waters of the state must have in their possession a copy of the written permission at all times when transporting and placing such material.

C. Crawfish and freshwater shrimp.

1. A sport fishing license is required, unless exempt by 49-7-9, to harvest freshwater crawfish and freshwater shrimp for personal use.

2. A commercial fishing license is required to sell freshwater crawfish and freshwater shrimp harvested from public waters.

3. Crawfish and shrimp traps fished in public waters shall be marked with a waterproof tag provided by the fisherman, which contains the fishermans MDWFP Customer ID number. Exempt anglers shall mark these gears with their full name, residence address, and zip code.

4. Legal gear:

a. Crawfish traps are any device constructed of coated wire or plastic mesh with openings of the throat or flutes not exceeding 2 inches and which are used for the sole purpose of taking crawfish. Any commercially available crawfish trap with openings of the throats or flutes not exceeding 2 inches may be used. Commercially available puddle nets or lift nets may be used.

b. Freshwater shrimp traps: It is unlawful for any person to take or attempt to take Freshwater shrimp by the use of any trap which exceeds the following dimensions: 36 inches long (from rear of the heart to the leading edge of the trap), by 24 inches wide (between the leading edges of the trap, or heart opening), by 12 inches high; or has external or unattached wings, weirs, or other devices intended to funnel shrimp to the trap heart.

c. There is no limit on the number of crawfish traps and freshwater shrimp traps a person may fish.

D. It shall be illegal to possess on the water, both commercial and sport fishing gear in the same boat.

E. Conservation officers may seize any sport fishing gear determined to be unsafe or illegal or which is not tagged as per these regulations.

F. It is unlawful to take fish, crawfish, or shrimp from, tamper with or use any sport fishing gear without the written consent of the gears owner. Written permission to run, or take fish from, someone elses sport gear must be carried on the person running the gear and must include the full name and MDWFP number of both the gear owner and the person running the gear.

Notes

40 Miss. Code. R. 3-1.3

Miss. Code Ann. §§ 49-1-29, 49-4-4, and 49-7-81

Updated January 2014 Amended 7/22/2015 Updated April 2016 Amended 6/23/2016 Updated March 2017. Amended 5/28/2017 Updated March 2018 Amended 5/28/2018 Amended 6/27/2022 Amended 6/23/2023