fishing along the Loop

[markpierce]

please excuse the duplication.

[markpierce]

It boggles the mind with the complexity of fishing rules, even within a given state. Perhaps the best bet is the no-license-required of some California piers or something like it in some other states. (Simplicity: I "fish" at the market.)

[Bacchus]

Good fishing in Ontario if you do Trent Severn there are plenty of opportunities for Bass perch northern.
Ont has a 1week? (+/-?) license good way to spend some time at anchor or out in the dingy when at a lock or marina.

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by HiDHo

To be legal should the law show up your only allowed to gut and gill bleed the fish so they can id species and length of the catch.

What about the fish you legally caught last month that are onboard in your freezer? How do they tell the ones you caught yesterday and froze from fish caught last year if seal-a-mealed and frozen?

If this was correct and enforced it would be illegal to travel with year old home caught filets, fishing gear and no permit, since you could not prove species and fish size, nor could you prove you did not fish illegally.

[aboatman]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

What about the fish you legally caught last month that are onboard in your freezer? How do they tell the ones you caught yesterday and froze from fish caught last year if seal-a-mealed and frozen?

That's going to be between you and the LEO who stops you. Fishing regulations are written with fishing in mind, not cruisers. The point of the law is so you can't hide the fact that you kept illegal fish by filleting them and throwing the identifying parts overboard.

[john61ct]

DNA species ID is also a thing now

[Woodland Hills]

So a law written to control Chinese factory trawlers and poaching market fishermen gets applied to mom and pop cruisers transiting a given state? Great, that's something else to worry about........

Maybe to be safe we should keep the box the fish sticks came in if we have any leftovers.....?

[BandB]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

So a law written to control Chinese factory trawlers and poaching market fishermen gets applied to mom and pop cruisers transiting a given state? Great, that's something else to worry about........
?

Actually, no. Laws written to protect against fishermen, local and otherwise, get enforced against fishermen, local and otherwise. However, only on TF do they get applied in some evil way against cruisers.

If you're fishing without a license you may get ticketed. If you're offshore and you were trolling and caught a fish and it's now filleted and in the freezer, unless you're suspected of hundreds of pounds of fish you're not going to be in trouble. We're talking multiple sets of laws, those against people fishing without licenses and those to protect against illegal poaching and excess quantities. The license laws are enforced against people observed fishing. The poaching laws against those carrying large quantities off fish which would primarily be large fishing boats.

Back to the ma and pa kettle cruisers, if you're cruising the ICW and fishing, you just need to have a license for each state. Simple. And you need to know any restrictions, seasonal or otherwise.

[Larry M]

BandB summed it up. In 20 years of fishing when cruising, other then fishing licenses, boat registrations and safety gear, we’ve never been asked about fish in the freezer or onboard the big boat but then again we’ve always had the fishing licenses, boat registrations and safety gear when fishing.

[cool beans]

Slightly delayed in my response, but in my many years of fishing experience, LE typically is only concerned about what is in the cooler.

Honestly, pretend that you are a day fisherman and keep your legal fish in the cooler till sundown in vase you get stopped. Then clean them, bag them, freeze them...then pretend they don't exist till the next "ice in the cooler session".

You will probably confuse and frustrate the LE if you start trying to explain you are a cruiser who caught some frozen fish in another state during another season when it as legal or something...

This is general advice that falls under my "Never volunteer more information then asked" rule

[psneeld]

Alaska may be the only one or one of the few states that includes the freezer contents right in the laws now. It was discussed a year or two ago here when that law was passed.

If you have a few fillets in the freezer..probably no red flag, a chest freezer with nothing but fish fillets in it....be prepared for some in depth questions...

[Benthic2]

Its been a while since I paid attention to these things, but a few years ago, when I was a diver with a lobster license, I believe that violating catch size limits meant they could confiscate your boat. If your boat was on a trailer at the time, they could take your truck too. Even if you ignore the fact that catch and size limits exist for a very good reason, its just not worth it to lose your boat.

[Seevee]

Originally Posted by Benthic2

Its been a while since I paid attention to these things, but a few years ago, when I was a diver with a lobster license, I believe that violating catch size limits meant they could confiscate your boat. If your boat was on a trailer at the time, they could take your truck too. Even if you ignore the fact that catch and size limits exist for a very good reason, its just not worth it to lose your boat.

Benthic,

True, at least back in the 70s and 80s. I had a commercial lobster license back then and operated in the Keys. I only dove for them, no traps. And there were times that the LEOs would dive into the water and check you underwater. Absolute BS, and had a pretty good fight with one. Talked them out of going to jail, but they were really stretching the regs. They can be AHs and have a lot of power.

And, yes, they can take you boat and car. Had an acquaintance that went thru that and cost him $1500 (back in the 70s).