An Act To Amend The Laws Regarding Smelt Fishing

LD 728 amends Maine's smelt fishing regulations to allow recreational anglers to temporarily exceed the daily bag limit while actively fishing, provided the smelt remain alive in a grader or other live containment device. The bill requires anglers to measure their catch at day's end and immediately release any live smelt exceeding the daily limit at the water's edge. This change clarifies the process for handling excess live fish without altering the established bag limit itself. The bill directly affects recreational smelt fishermen in Maine who use live containment methods during fishing trips. It makes no changes to the actual bag limit or other fishing rules, only streamlining the handling of excess live fish.