Changing lakes with slot size bass to lake without.

[stevein]

Yesterday we fished Long Lake which has a slot size limit on bass. We switched to Pretty Lake which does not. Not knowing what the rules concerning the possestion of under 14" bass legally taken from one lake but undersized on the lake we headed to we choose to release the bass back into Long. Fish are kept in an aerated livewell. We normally do not have a coolar to put fish in until it gets really hot. Can we just go and fish a non-slot size lake? Or would we end up having to convince the judge we did this? Is there a number we could call to register our harvest?
thank you

[morrison]

According to the Indiana Administrative code pertaining to Black Bass, each regulation uses the terms “take or possess” when stating the size requirement of the black bass for the particular body of water. In order to stay within the legal requirements of the regulations, you would need to place the fish into a container in your vehicle or release them into the water from which they were taken. I have posted the Indiana Administrative Code below.

312 IAC 9-7-6 Black bass
Authority: IC 14-10-2-4; IC 14-22-2-6
Affected: IC 14-22
Sec. 6. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, an individual may take or possess not more than five (5) black bass in aggregate per day.
(b) An individual may take or possess not more than three (3) black bass from Lake Michigan in aggregate per day. An individual must not possess more than three (3) black bass in aggregate while fishing in or on Lake Michigan.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this section, an individual must not take or possess a black bass except:
(1) if taken from rivers or streams in Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer, Perry, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Clark, Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio, and Dearborn counties the black bass must be at least twelve (12) inches long;
(2) if taken from rivers or streams, except as stated in subdivision (1), the black bass must be greater than fifteen (15) inches long or less than twelve (12) inches long, with not more than two (2) being greater than fifteen (15) inches; or
(3) if taken from lakes or reservoirs (including Lake Michigan), the black bass must be at least fourteen (14) inches long.
(d) An individual may take or possess largemouth bass of any length in the following lakes:
(1) Brownstown Pit in Jackson County.
(2) Burdette Park Lakes in Vanderburgh County.
(3) Chandler Town Lake in Warrick County.
(4) Cypress Lake in Jackson County.
(5) Deming Park Lakes in Vigo County.
(6) Garvin Park Lake in Vanderburgh County.
(7) Glen Miller Pond in Wayne County.
(8) Hayswood Lake in Harrison County.
(9) Henry County Memorial Park Lake in Henry County.
(10) Hovey Lake in Posey County.
(11) Krannert Lake in Marion County.
(12) Lake Sullivan in Marion County.
(13) Ruster Lake in Marion County.
(14) Schnebelt Pond in Dearborn County.
(e) An individual must not take or possess a largemouth bass unless the largemouth bass is less than twelve (12) inches long or more than fifteen (15) inches long from the following designated lakes:
(1) Buffalo Trace Lake in Harrison County.
(2) Celina Lake in Perry County.
(3) Indian Lake in Perry County.
(4) Saddle Lake in Perry County.
(5) Shakamak State Park Lakes in Clay County, Greene County, and Sullivan County.
(6) Tipsaw Lake in Perry County.
(7) Ferdinand State Forest Lake in Dubois County.
(8) Montgomery City Park Lake in Daviess County.
(f) An individual may take or possess not more than one (1) largemouth bass from Turtle Creek Reservoir in Sullivan County. An individual must not take or possess a largemouth bass from Turtle Creek Reservoir unless the largemouth bass is at least twenty (20) inches long.
(g) An individual may take or possess not more than five (5) largemouth bass in aggregate per day from Patoka Lake in Orange, Crawford, and Dubois counties or Dogwood Lake in Daviess County. An individual must not take or possess a largemouth bass from Patoka Lake or Dogwood Lake unless the largemouth bass is at least fifteen (15) inches long.
(h) An individual must not take or possess a largemouth bass from Harden Lake in Parke County unless the largemouth bass is at least sixteen (16) inches long.
(i) An individual must not take or possess more than two (2) largemouth bass per day, and an individual must not take or possess a largemouth bass unless the largemouth bass is at least eighteen (18) inches long from the following designated waters:
(1) Tri-County State Fish and Wildlife Area.
(2) Robinson Lake in Whitley County and Kosciusko County.
(3) Ball Lake in Steuben County.
(4) Loon Pit at Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area in Warrick County.
(5) Bluegrass Pit at Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area in Warrick County.
(6) J. C. Murphey Lake at Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area in Newton County.
(j) An individual must not take or possess more than five (5) black bass in aggregate per day from the Blue River located in Crawford and Harrison counties and Big Long Lake in LaGrange County. Each black bass taken from the Blue River in Crawford and Harrison counties and Big Long Lake in LaGrange County must be less than twelve (12) inches long or more than fifteen (15) inches long but not more than two (2) per day can be taken that are longer than fifteen (15) inches.
(k) An individual may take or possess not more than one (1) black bass from Sugar Creek located in Parke, Montgomery,Boone, Clinton, and Tipton counties per day and the black bass must be at least twenty (20) inches long.
(l) If this section prohibits an individual from taking or possessing a black bass from a specified water of the state, an individual must not possess a black bass of the prohibited class on or adjacent to the specified water of the state.