Anglers Urged To Review Regulations Before Casting A Line

LEWISTON - With Saturday, May 29 marking the beginning of Idaho's general fishing season, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) encourages all anglers to review the current fishing regulations before casting a line. "Anglers just need to take a little time to read the regulations if they want to avoid making a mistake," said Mark Hill, a conservation officer based in Lewiston. Fishing rules can be found in the new fishing brochure, available wherever licenses are sold and on the Internet at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov. One of the most common fishing violations is not having a fishing license in possession while in the field. Anglers must have their license with them at all times while fishing so that when a conservation officer contacts them, the angler can show proof of license purchase. Limit violations are also common. Many waters in the Clearwater Region have reduced trout limits where only two trout may be kept. Some waters are entirely catch-and-release for trout and other waters have restrictions where all fish in a length range must be released. IDFG encourages every angler to read the fishing regulations by starting with the beginning pages because they describe the statewide general fishing laws. The pages that follow describe unlawful activities, definitions, special seasons and other helpful information. The regional exceptions, found in the middle and back of the booklet, describe certain waters that have exceptions to the statewide general regulations. If the body of water is not listed in the exceptions, it falls under the statewide general regulations.