Creel limit
Also called daily limit, bag limit
What is a creel limit?
The most fish of a species one angler may keep in a day. Once you reach it, any more you catch have to go back.
Creel limit at a glance
- Counts
- Fish you keep, not fish you catch
- Resets
- Daily
- Set per
- Species, and sometimes per water
- NJ largemouth bass
- 5 a day, 12 in minimum
- Combined with smallmouth; 2026 statewide rule
What does a creel limit count?
Only the fish you keep. New Jersey's regulations use daily limit and creel limit for the same thing, and you can go on fishing after reaching it as long as every extra fish is released straight away and unharmed.
Why is it called a creel limit?
A creel is the wicker basket anglers used to carry their catch in, so the creel limit is simply how many fish can go in the basket. Bag limit means the same thing and is the more common word in hunting.
How do creel limits and size limits work together?
A fish has to pass both. It must meet the minimum size, or sit on the right side of a slot, before it can be kept at all, and it then counts toward the day's creel. Some species also have seasons when they are catch-and-release only: in New Jersey, largemouth bass are catch-and-release from mid-April to mid-June.
Look up the limit for the species and the water before your first cast, and decide early whether you are keeping fish. A fish in the bucket already counts.
Common questions
Is a creel limit the same as a bag limit?
Yes. Creel limit, bag limit and daily limit all mean the number of fish of a species you may keep in one day.
Do released fish count toward the creel limit?
No. The limit covers fish you keep. A fish released immediately and unharmed does not count against it.
Where this is defined
- New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Size, Season & Creel Limits, New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife (eRegulations)
- NJ Freshwater Fishing Regulations, Take Me Fishing (Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation)
Where this comes up
The guides that use creel limit and show it on real gear.
Last reviewed . Creel limit is one of 222 terms in the fishing glossary.