PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Commission in Jan. approved the following out-of-cycle fishing regulation changes for Lake Mead and Lake Mohave:
* Change the daily bag limit to unlimited striped bass
* Change the daily bag limit to 25 catfish
These changes apply to both Lake Mead and Lake Mohave.
The regulation updates were approved to align Arizona’s fishing regulations with those of the Nevada Department of Wildlife, which changed its striped bass regulations on Jan. 1. Aligning regulations on shared waters helps ensure rules are clear and consistent for anglers and law enforcement.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) determined that previous striped bass limits for 20 fish with a 20-inch minimum size were unnecessary and overly complicated. Creel survey data showed anglers rarely harvested 20 striped bass, and almost never harvested 20 fish over 20 inches.
Research also found that striped bass growth is driven more by food availability than harvest levels. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) agreed with the NDOW findings and found no concerns about negative impacts to the striped bass population.
During the review process, AZGFD also identified that catfish regulations at Lake Mead and Lake Mohave were no longer consistent with the fishing regulations for NDOW. In 2015, Arizona’s statewide catfish limit was reduced to 10 fish, which automatically changed the limit at Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Returning the catfish limit to 25 fish restores consistency between states.
Fisheries data indicate no concerns for catfish populations, and statewide creel surveys show that approximately 70% of anglers release the fish they catch, suggesting the increased limit will not impact the population.
The Fishing Regulations with the changes have been posted online. Hard copies are anticipated to be available at department offices and license dealers in mid to late February.
AZGFD typically updates its fishing regulations on a two-year cycle, but occasionally a situation arises where the department proposes out-of-cycle amendments. Proposed out-of-cycle amendments go through the same public process as those proposed in the regular cycle.
