1. (a) Legal equipment and methods for taking fish shall be the following:

   1. (1) Fishing lines with not more than two baited hooks or artificial lures per line. If two artificial lures are used, the fishing line shall not exceed six hooks;
   2. (2) trotlines, except that all float material used with a trotline shall be constructed only from plastic, wood, or foam and shall be a closed-cell construction;
   3. (3) setlines, except that any float material used with a setline shall be constructed only from plastic, wood, or foam and shall be a closed-cell construction;
   4. (4) tip-ups;

   5. (5) using a person's hand or hands for flathead catfish in waters designated as open to hand fishing, subject to the following requirements:

      1. (A) An individual hand fishing shall not use hooks, snorkeling or scuba gear, or other man-made devices while engaged in hand fishing;
      2. (B) an individual hand fishing shall not possess fishing equipment, other than a stringer, while engaged in hand fishing and while on designated waters or adjacent banks;
      3. (C) stringers shall not be used as an aid for hand fishing and shall not be used until the fish is in possession at or above the surface of the water;
      4. (D) each individual hand fishing shall take fish only from natural objects or natural cavities;
      5. (E) an individual hand fishing shall not take fish from any man-made object, unless the object is a bridge, dock, boat ramp, or riprap, or other similar structure or feature;
      6. (F) no part of any object shall be disturbed or altered to facilitate the harvest of fish for hand fishing; and
      7. (G) an individual hand fishing shall not take fish within 150 yards of any dam;

   6. (6) snagging for paddlefish, nonsport fish, and prohibited fish species listed in K.A.R. 115-18-10 in waters posted or designated by the department as open to the snagging of these fish, subject to the following requirements:

      1. (A) Each individual with a filled creel limit shall cease all snagging activity in the snagging area until the next calendar day;
      2. (B) each individual taking paddlefish to be included in the creel and possession limit during the snagging season shall tag the fish in accordance with K.A.R. 115-7-4(e);
      3. (C) each individual snagging for fish shall use barbless hooks while snagging. "Barbless hook" shall mean a hook without barbs or upon which the barbs have been bent completely closed; and
      4. (D) any individual younger than 16 years of age may use an adult's paddlefish permit while accompanied by that adult with at least one unused carcass tag in possession. Each paddlefish snagged and kept by the individual younger than 16 years of age shall be included as part of the daily creel limit of the permit holder.

   7. (7) floatlines in waters posted or designated by the department as open to floatline fishing, which shall be subject to the following requirements:

      1. (A) All floatlines shall be within visual contact of the angler setting the floats while the angler is on the water body where the floatlines are located;
      2. (B) all floatlines shall be removed when float fishing ceases;
      3. (C) floatlines shall not contain more than one line per float, with not more than two baited hooks per line;
      4. (D) all float material shall be constructed only from plastic, wood, or foam and shall be a closed-cell construction;

   8. (8) bow or crossbow and arrow with a barbed head and a line attached from the bow or crossbow to the arrow for the following species of fish:

      1. (A) nonsport fish;
      2. (B) prohibited fish species listed in K.A.R. 115-18-10; and

      3. (C) except on rivers and streams, the following species of fish where no size limit exists for any of these species of fish:

         1. (i) Blue catfish;
         2. (ii) channel catfish; and
         3. (iii) flathead catfish;
   9. (9) gigging for nonsport fish and prohibited fish species listed in K.A.R. 115-18-10; and
   10. (10) spear gun, without explosive charge, while skin or scuba diving for nonsport fish and prohibited fish species listed in K.A.R. 115-18-10. The spear without explosive charge shall be attached to the speargun or person by a line.
2. (b) Dip nets and gaffs may be used to land any legally caught or hooked fish.
3. (c) Fish may be taken by any method designated by the secretary when a fish salvage order has been issued by the secretary through public notice or posting the area open to fish salvage.
4. (d) Fish may be taken with the aid of boats, depth finders, artificial lights, sound attracters, and scents.
5. (e) Fish may be taken by legal means from vehicles.

6. (f) The following additional requirements shall apply in the flowing portions and backwaters of the Missouri River and in any oxbow lake through which the Kansas-Missouri boundary passes:

   1. (1) Each individual shall place all legally caught fish on a stringer, cord, cable, or chain, or in a basket, sack, cage, or other holding device, separate from those fish caught by any other individual.
   2. (2) The equipment and methods specified in paragraph (a)(8) shall be legal only from sunrise to midnight.
   3. (3) The equipment and method specified in paragraphs (a)(6) and (a)(7) shall be legal only from sunrise to sunset.
7. (g) Optical scopes or sights that project no visible light toward the target and do not electronically amplify visible or infrared light shall be valid for use on bows and crossbows.
8. (h) For the purpose of this regulation, "closed-cell construction" shall mean a solid body incapable of containing water.

(Authorized by and implementing K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 32-807; effective Dec. 26, 1989; amended Feb. 10, 1992; amended Oct. 1, 1999; amended Dec. 8, 2000; amended Sept. 27, 2002; amended Nov. 29, 2004; amended Nov. 27, 2006; amended Nov. 16, 2007; amended Dec. 1, 2008; amended Nov. 20, 2009; amended April 16, 2010; amended Nov. 19, 2010; amended Nov. 30, 2015; amended Nov. 28, 2016; amended Dec. 22, 2017; amended Jan. 11, 2019; amended Dec. 20, 2019; amended Oct. 14, 2022; amended May 8, 2026.)