What are my daily creel and possession limits for fishing? This question has been asked of the office managers quite a bit lately. In short, your creel limit is the total number of fish by species that you may harvest in any one day. Your possession limit is the maximum number of fish by species that you may have at any one time; those fish may be at home in the freezer, in your possession that day, or in some combination.

In most cases, the numbers for creel and possession are the same numbers. Because there are exceptions, always check the current fishing regulations. In addition, each licensed angler and each resident youth under the age of 14 has their own creel and possession limits. When you head out fishing, knowing what fish and how many you have at home is important so you can calculate how many you can catch of which species that day.

Here is an example: The walleye creel and possession limits are the same at six (6) fish. You are heading out to Boysen to fish, and you have fillets from three (3) walleye already in your freezer. Therefore, you may only harvest three (3) more walleye that day.

The good news is that as soon as you eat some of those walleye, you can harvest more! You will find the creel and possession limits for all game fish on page 5 of the 2019 Fishing Regulations.