Kan. Admin. Regs. § 115-7-1

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 50, December 12, 2024

Section 115-7-1 - Fishing; legal equipment, methods of taking, and other provisions

(a) Legal equipment and methods for taking sport fish shall be the following:

(1) Fishing lines with not more than two baited hooks or artificial lures per line. If two artificial lures are used, the fishing line shall not exceed six hooks;

(2) trotlines, except that all float material used with a trotline shall be constructed only from plastic, wood, or foam and shall be a closed-cell construction. A "closedcell" construction shall mean a solid body incapable of containing water;

(3) setlines, except that any float material used with a setline shall be constructed only from plastic, wood, or foam and shall be a closed-cell construction. A "closedcell" construction shall mean a solid body incapable of containing water;

(4) tip-ups;

(5) using a person's hand or hands for flathead catfish in waters designated as open to hand fishing, subject to the following requirements:

(A) An individual hand fishing shall not use hooks, snorkeling or scuba gear, or other man-made devices while engaged in hand fishing;

(B) an individual hand fishing shall not possess fishing equipment, other than a stringer, while engaged in hand fishing and while on designated waters or adjacent banks;

(C) stringers shall not be used as an aid for hand fishing and shall not be used until the fish is in possession at or above the surface of the water;

(D) each individual hand fishing shall take fish only from natural objects or natural cavities;

(E) an individual hand fishing shall not take fish from any man-made object, unless the object is a bridge, dock, boat ramp, or riprap, or other similar structure or feature;

(F) no part of any object shall be disturbed or altered to facilitate the harvest of fish for hand fishing; and

(G) an individual hand fishing shall not take fish within 150 yards of any dam;

(6) snagging for paddlefish in waters posted or designated by the department as open to the snagging of paddlefish, subject to the following requirements:

(A) Each individual with a filled creel limit shall cease all snagging activity in the paddlefish snagging area until the next calendar day;

(B) each individual taking paddlefish to be included in the creel and possession limit during the snagging season shall sign the carcass tag, record the county, the date, and the time of harvest on the carcass tag, and attach the carcass tag to the lower jaw of the carcass immediately following the harvest and before moving the carcass from the site of the harvest; and

(C) each individual snagging for paddlefish shall use barbless hooks while snagging for paddlefish. "Barbless hook" shall mean a hook without barbs or upon which the barbs have been bent completely closed;

(7) floatlines in waters posted or designated by the department as open to floatline fishing, which shall be subject to the following requirements:

(A) All floatlines shall be under the immediate supervision of the angler setting the floats. "Immediate supervision" shall mean that the angler has visual contact with the floatlines set while the angler is on the water body where the floatlines are located;

(B) all floatlines shall be removed when float fishing ceases;

(C) floatlines shall not contain more than one line per float, with not more than two baited hooks per line;

(D) all float material shall be constructed only from plastic, wood, or foam and shall be a closed-cell construction. A "closed-cell" construction shall mean a solid body incapable of containing water;

(8) bow and arrow with a barbed head and a line attached from bow to arrow; and

(9) crossbow and arrow with a barbed head and a line attached from arrow to crossbow.

(b)Legal equipment and methods for taking nonsport fish shall be the following:

(1) Fishing lines with not more than two baited hooks or artificial lures per line;

(2) trotlines;

(3) setlines;

(4) tip-ups;

(5) bow and arrow with a barbed head and a line attached from bow to arrow;

(6) crossbow and arrow with a barbed head and a line attached from arrow to crossbow;

(7) spear gun, without explosive charge, while skin or scuba diving. The spear, without explosive charge, shall be attached to the speargun or person by a line;

(8) gigging;

(9) snagging in waters posted by the department as open to snagging; and

(10) floatlines in waters posted or designated by the department as open to floatline fishing, which shall be subject to the requirements specified in paragraphs (a)(7) (A) through (D).

(c) Dip nets and gaffs may be used to land any legally caught or hooked fish.

(d) Fish may be taken by any method designated by the secretary when a fish salvage order has been issued by the secretary through public notice or posting the area open to fish salvage.

(e) Fish may be taken with the aid of boats, depth finders, artificial lights, sound attracters, and scents.

(f) Fish may be taken by legal means from vehicles.

(g) The following additional requirements shall apply in the flowing portions and backwaters of the Missouri river and in any oxbow lake through which the Kansas-Missouri boundary passes:

(1) Each individual shall place all legally caught fish on a stringer, cord, cable, or chain, or in a basket, sack, cage, or other holding device, separate from those fish caught by any other individual.

(2) The equipment and methods specified in para-graphs(b)(5) and (b)(6) shall be legal only from sunrise to midnight.

(3) The equipment and method specified in paragraphs (b)(9) and (b)(10) shall be legal only from sunrise to sunset.

(h) The equipment and method specified in paragraphs (a)(8) and (a)(9) shall be legal, except on rivers and streams, only for the following species of sport fish where no size limit exists for any of these species of fish:

(1) Blue catfish;

(2) channel catfish; and

(3) flathead catfish.

(i) Optical scopes or sights that project no visible light toward the target and do not electronically amplify visible or infrared light shall be valid for use on bows and crossbows.

Kan. Admin. Regs. § 115-7-1

Authorized by and implementing K.S.A. 32-807; effective Dec. 26, 1989; amended Feb. 10, 1992; amended Oct. 1, 1999; amended Dec. 8, 2000; amended Sept. 27, 2002; amended Nov. 29, 2004; amended Nov. 27, 2006; amended Nov. 16, 2007; amended Dec. 1, 2008; amended Nov. 20, 2009; amended April 16, 2010; amended Nov. 19, 2010; amended Nov. 30, 2015; amended Nov. 28, 2016; amended Dec. 22, 2017; amended Jan. 11, 2019; amended Dec. 20, 2019; amended by Kansas Register Volume 41, No. 39; effective 10/14/2022.