[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-card-know-the-regulations":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"applyCta":6,"authorId":9,"body":10,"cardType":62,"description":16,"difficulty":63,"discipline":64,"editorId":9,"extension":68,"glossaryRefs":69,"hook":75,"meta":76,"navigation":77,"path":78,"publishedAt":79,"readingSeconds":80,"regionTags":81,"relatedCards":82,"safetyDisclaimerRequired":77,"seo":85,"status":86,"stem":87,"track":88,"updatedAt":79,"version":63,"__hash__":89},"learn_cards\u002Flearn\u002Fcards\u002Fknow-the-regulations.md","Know the Regulations",{"label":7,"action":8},"Find water to fish","open_planner_beginner_mode",null,{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":58},"minimark",[13,17,52,55],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Every fishing rule on a piece of water exists for one reason: to keep fish in it for next year. Break one, even by accident, and you risk a fine, a confiscated rod, and real harm to the resource. Five things to check before you fish:",[18,19,20,28,34,40,46],"ul",{},[21,22,23,27],"li",{},[24,25,26],"strong",{},"License."," Required almost everywhere. Buy it online from the state fish-and-game agency before you leave home, and carry proof on your phone.",[21,29,30,33],{},[24,31,32],{},"Seasons and closures."," Many waters shut during the spawn so fish can reproduce undisturbed. A stretch open in July can be closed in April.",[21,35,36,39],{},[24,37,38],{},"Gear restrictions."," Plenty of water is artificial-only (no bait at all, whether you throw flies, lures, or worms) or fly-only, and some is barbless-only. Pinch your barbs down before you arrive.",[21,41,42,45],{},[24,43,44],{},"Creel and length limits."," These cap how many fish you keep and what size. Many of the best stretches are catch-and-release only, meaning zero kept.",[21,47,48,51],{},[24,49,50],{},"Special-regulation sections."," A tailwater or blue-ribbon stretch often runs under its own rules, different from the rest of the river.",[14,53,54],{},"The big one: rules change by state, and often by individual stretch of the same river. A freestone may fish under general regs while a tailwater section above it is catch-and-release. So check the rule for the exact section you are standing on, not the river in general. The line can fall mid-pool.",[14,56,57],{},"FishCast shows the known rules on a water report, but the state regulation booklet is the final word. When in doubt, default to catch-and-release and barbless.",{"title":59,"searchDepth":60,"depth":60,"links":61},"",2,[],"regulation","1",[65,66,67],"fly","spin","bait","md",[70,71,72,73,74],"tailwater","freestone","pool","run","riffle","Before you cast on new water, check the rules. Here is what to look for and why it exists.",{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fcards\u002Fknow-the-regulations","2026-06-09","120",[],[83,84],"landing-and-releasing-a-fish","your-starter-kit",{"title":5,"description":16},"published","learn\u002Fcards\u002Fknow-the-regulations","first-cast","ynkf1TluDxUsOQF3fJtXIuW0SLQKiUM8qFFFPhXAc2Q"]