Hard copies of the 2007 Kansas Fishing Regulations booklet will be available in early January, and anglers should be aware of new regulations that will take effect Jan. 1.

Two deal with handfishing in certain parts of the state. Another is a Bass Pass for tournaments. Other changes affect paddlefish and trout anglers.

A handfishing season of June 15 to Aug. 31 for flathead catfish has been established on the Arkansas River from Wichita to the Kansas-Oklahoma border, and on the Kansas River from its origin to its confluence with the Missouri River in Kansas City.

A handfishing permit ($27.15), as well as a fishing license, will be required.

Meanwhile, a tournament Bass Pass ($12.15) will allow participants in registered bass tournaments between Sept. 1 and June 15 to keep two fish, to be released after tournament weigh-in, that meet the statewide minimum length limit, but are under a special length limit for that fishing location.

This regulation also will allow anglers in registered tournaments to cull their catch, meaning they can replace a fish in their livewell with a larger one.

New, too, is a permit required of anyone snagging paddlefish during the snagging season at designated waters. The $12.15 permit will include six paddlefish tags that must be affixed immediately upon catch to each fish that exceeds the length limit.

Also in Kansas, two categories of trout fishing waters have been established.

Waters in one category will require all anglers fishing there, for any fish species, to have a $12.15 trout permit during the Oct. 15-April 15 season. Waters in the other category require a trout permit only for anglers fishing for and harvesting trout.

Cleaning and possession regulations also have been amended.

All fish taken must have the head, body and tail fin attached while in possession on the water. Sportfish taken must be kept until consumed, processed, taken home or given to another person, released or disposed of at a designated fish cleaning station.

The 2007 booklet also lists the length and creel limits for every body of water in Kansas.

The booklet also provides the latest information about invasive species in Kansas waters. Two pages are dedicated to this subject, complete with detailed illustrations and tips on how to prevent the spread of exotic species of plants, mollusks and fish.