AZGFD Begins Rulemaking Process To Amend Its Article 4

Crappie

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has issued a Notice of Intent to Pursue Rulemaking to begin the process to amend its Article 4 rules (live wildlife) to implement the recommendations made in the recent five-year review report.

The amendments proposed in the five-year review report are intended to increase the effectiveness of the rules to meet the department’s mission, ensure consistency with state and federal statutes, and to increase the clarity of the existing rules.

Except for the amendments proposed for the rule that allows the possession of live wildlife taken under a hunting or fishing license rule, the department does not believe any of the proposed changes will increase the regulatory burden beyond that which is already required, and will instead serve the goal of simplifying processes, increasing the understandability of the rules, and increasing public accessibility for department services. After evaluating the scope and effectiveness of the proposed amendments specified in the review, additional amendments may be proposed.

The department will accept written comments regarding the live wildlife rules for 30 days, ending on Aug. 8, 2024.

Apache Trout

Visit http://www.azgfd.gov/rulemaking to view the Article 4 rules (click on the link to the AZGFD Laws and Rules Book) and the Article 4 five-year review report.

All questions or comments about the Article 4 rules can be submitted to rulemaking@azgfd.gov or via the online comment form.

AZGFD Seeks Public Input On Proposed Changes To 2025-26 Arizona Fishing Regulations

Channel Catfish

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking public input on proposed changes to the 2025-26 Arizona fishing regulations. The proposed changes are:

• Create unlimited daily bag and possession limits for illegally introduced warm water fish in Becker Lake.

• Close KP Creek to angling to protect recently introduced Gila trout.

• Open Bear Wallow, Hayground, and Stinky creeks to catch-and-release angling from May 1 to December 31.

• Continue catch and release only on all fish species at Cluff Ranch Pond #3, excluding rainbow trout, through May 31, 2026. Thereafter, the statewide bag limit would apply for all species except channel catfish, which would have a four fish daily bag limit.

• Expand the legal areas where tilapia are allowed to be used as baitfish when collected onsite.

• Change crappie bag limits in Apache, Canyon, Saguaro lakes and Lake Pleasant to 15 crappie per day to match the bag limits at Bartlett and Roosevelt lakes.

Gila Trout

See more detail about the proposed changes and rationale behind them Here:

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Catfish

Written comments can be submitted by email to fishregscomments@azgfd.gov through Aug. 16, 2024. Comments can also be submitted by U.S. mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Curt Gill, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086.

The proposed regulation changes are scheduled to be presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission at its public meeting Sept. 6, 2024, in Kingman, Ariz. The public is welcome to attend. An agenda will be posted in advance of the meeting at www.azgfd.gov/Agency/Commission.