NASHVILLE, Tenn (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) presented its proposed 2020-22 fishing regulation proposals during the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission’s August meeting held in Greenville.

The public is invited to provide comments on the proposals. the deadline for sport fishing comments is September 12. To provide comments, email the TWRA at fishingreg.comments@tn.gov, or write to TWRA Fisheries Division at 5107 Edmondson Pike, Nashville, Tenn 37211.

The TFWC will vote on the bait, commercial and sport fish regulations at its September 19-20 meeting to be held in Nashville at the TWRA Region II Building. If approved, the sport fishing changes will go into effect on March 1, 2020.

TWRA Fisheries Division has proposed the following changes to sport fishing regulations:

  • Carroll Lake will reopen April 4, 2020 and regulations will be reestablished for largemouth bass at a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5 fish daily creel limit, bluegill and redear sunfish at a 20 fish daily creel limit with no minimum length limit, catfish at no daily creel limits for catfish 34 inches or less and one catfish over 34 inches, crappie at no length or daily creel limits and walleye at a 16-inch minimum length limit with a 5 fish daily creel limit.
  • Removal of the PLR length and daily creel limits on Graham and Glenn Springs lakes in order to better manage bass populations. Graham and Glenn springs lakes would have no minimum length nor creel limit for largemout bass. Current regulations did not meet regulation goals.
  • Proposed regulation changes on Pin Oak Lake in Natchez Trace State Park to prohibit trotlines and limblines year-round. From April 1 through September 30, fishing with jug lines would be prohibited on Fridays after 12 noon until Sunday at midnight. Fishing with jug lines should also be prohibited on Memorial Day, July 3-5, and Labor Day. On days open to jug fishing, each boat is limited to 10 jugs per day.
  1.  Reduce the minimum length limit for smallmouth bass at Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir to 15 inches and a 5 fish daily creel limit from the current 18-inch minimum length limit and five fish daily creel limit.
  2. Removing the time of day restrictions and one pole limit restrictions on wild trout streams. TWRA believes that these restrictions are no longer needed for management of these fisheries.

Further regulation changes have been proposed for commercial fishing, as well as the harvesting of crayfish from Tennessee streams. These changes can be found here.