Fish limit question

RUGER

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The only fish I really keep on a regular basis are bream and/or shellcracker.
I will keep bass every once in a while but not very often.
Limits are not something I have ever had to really worry about as most places I fish the bream have no limits and the amount of fish I need or want to clean is what dictates how many make the traveling team.

There are two bodies of water that have limits on bream that I fish pretty regularly.
Another has limits on shellcracker.

I don't do "boat limits" and generally have no less than 4 counters in my boat at all times. Anyone that has fished with me could confirm that.

When I fish alone I like to keep tabs on how many bream v/s shellcracker I have and I will pick up the occasional catfish that I may or may not keep.

My question is this.
Say I am fishing a body of water that has a limit of 20 per person on bream.
I am fishing with a buddy.
He has his counter, I have mine.
When one of us reach 20 they quit keeping them.
When the other reaches 20 we quit keeping them totally. Just did this twice with two different people a couple weeks ago.

Now, I pull out of the lake with 40 bream iced down in a cooler.
I get stopped on the way out by TWRA.

I could show them the two separate counters and I could provide my fishing partners telephone number and they could call and ask, how many bream did you keep today?

Is there really any way for me to leave that body of water with 40 bream and NOT get a ticket?
 

kornbread

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I'd like to hear the answer to this as well. I typically don't keep but just enough for a meal so I don't worry about it. I have taken crappie home that were given to me at the ramp. 🤔
 

akachuck

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I do get where you are coming from. My suggestion would be to take pictures of your buddy and his 20 shell cracker just in case you drop him off while you still fish. Then take a picture of your 20 fish and when Mr. green jeans stops and asks why there are 40 fish and just 1 person. You tell him the story and show him the pics. Although I don't think you hardly ever catch 20 keepers yourself but I bet CB would smoke you 😁
 

cbhunter

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I do get where you are coming from. My suggestion would be to take pictures of your buddy and his 20 shell cracker just in case you drop him off while you still fish. Then take a picture of your 20 fish and when Mr. green jeans stops and asks why there are 40 fish and just 1 person. You tell him the story and show him the pics. Although I don't think you hardly ever catch 20 keepers yourself but I bet CB would smoke you 😁
i am about 2 and 10 against ruger so i have plenty of catching up to do.
 

WTM

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lol, id make sure my buddies didnt bail on me until i got out of the area. you could probably get a ticket unless the leo wanted to make the call and believe you were fishing with someone else.
 

Knothead

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Tell your buddy to bring his own ice chest and take his 20 with him and you take your 20 with you.
There. Problem solved. 😉
 

ImThere

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On a side note how do you prepare bream/ sheep cracker. I been catching a boat full but not sure how to prepare or cook them.
 

WTM

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deep fried bream/sheep cracker, blackened bream/sheep cracker then make tacos with cuccumber or lemon aioli, bream dip, baked bream, bone in fried bream/sheep cracker with tails and fins on.
 

RUGER

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On a side note how do you prepare bream/ sheep cracker. I been catching a boat full but not sure how to prepare or cook them.
Fillet them, rinse several times to get all the oily stuff and stuff off them.
Quick dip in milk & egg then batter with Andy's and deep fry.

I just recently started doing the milk & egg, normally just do the Andy's.
I will admit, they are better with the dip.
 

TNLynn

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Possession Limits: The total possession limit is twice the daily creel limit. You may not have more than the daily creel limit with you while afield. It is unlawful to have, while afield, any fish which has been altered so that its species and/or total body length cannot be determined.
 

RUGER

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Possession Limits: The total possession limit is twice the daily creel limit. You may not have more than the daily creel limit with you while afield. It is unlawful to have, while afield, any fish which has been altered so that its species and/or total body length cannot be determined.

I think the possession limits pertain to what you have in the freezer at home.
 
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