At its December meeting, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission passed a notice of intent to apply special yo-yo and trotline fishing restrictions on Lake Bruin in Tensas Parish. Passage of this NOI places limitations on the numbers of such devices, defines how they may be attached and fished, and sets tagging requirements. The regulations will also be effective in the portion of Lake Bruin known as Brushy Lake.
The Commission made this decision following a recommendation from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists. A request was made by the Lake Bruin Recreation and Water Conservation District for regulations that would restrict the type of objects that yo-yo’s may be attached due to an increasing number of complaints of artificial objects placed into the lake bottom for yo-yo fishing. Department staff reviewed the request and agreed that the increasing number of artificial objects create a danger to boat navigation, reduce aesthetics when fish are left unattended, potentially increase user conflict when placed directly behind homes and camps, and are generally not necessary due to the abundance of trees in the lake for attachment.
Regulations
These special yo-yo and trotline restrictions were made available to waterbody commissions several years ago by LDWF as a waterbody-specific option to limit the use of yo-yo’s or trotlines. The regulation requires that yo-yo’s may not be attached to any artificial structure other than to private property (pier, boathouse, seawall), must be tagged with the name, address, and phone number of user, and must be tended and re-baited every 24 hours. Only 50 devices are allowed per person. Trotlines must also be tagged and marked on each end with a visible floating object, attended daily, and have an 8-foot cotton leader on each end. No more than three trotlines with a maximum of 50 hooks per trotline are allowed per licensed angler.
For complete regulations, please visit: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Regulations/2020_Recreational_Fishing_Regulations.pdf
The full notice of intent can be found here: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Commission_Action_Items/Commission_Action_12_3_2020_Lake-Bruin-Yo-yo-Trotline-NOI-122020.pdf
Interested persons may submit comments relevant to the proposed rule by to Ryan Daniel, District 2 Fisheries Biologist Manager, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at 318-343-4044 or rdaniel@wlf.la.gov.
