EP Checking Fish at the Canal

[BigFish]

Then you are easily fooled Chris! Nothing stops the ignorant! Their attitude is that they have a right to take them and damn the rules/laws! They are lawbreakers at heart and do not care about the fishery....take, take, take!

[Joe]

The dude with the fish and no Korkers would have fallen anyway - just later on.

[Mike P]

The "world of pain" for fishing without a license would probably be a measly $50 fine.

Last year, some guy on the Canal got caught dealing in lobsters without a license. The fines started out at $14,000 and all but a few hundred were remitted because the guy couldn't pay. No one wants to lock someone up because they're on a documented disability and can't pay a fine. Especially over a fisheries violation.

[BigFish]

Sounds like grounds for discrimination if an able bodied person got slapped with the same thing? What a great land we live in.....justice for all? I think not!

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Sounds like grounds for discrimination if an able bodied person got slapped with the same thing? What a great land we live in.....justice for all? I think not!

Not condoning it, but you can't get blood out of a stone. No judge wants a guy taking up a cell reserved for robbers and drug dealers because he can't pay a fisheries fine. Jail space is limited and the courts have their prioroties.

[GonnaCatchABig1]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Then you are easily fooled Chris! Nothing stops the ignorant! Their attitude is that they have a right to take them and damn the rules/laws! They are lawbreakers at heart and do not care about the fishery....take, take, take!

well by "ignorant" i meant the people who just don't know any better. myself tom and especially ryan have had to tell numerous people the limits just this season. i think the license would remove the ""don't knowers"". of course part of that problem lies on the shoulders of B&T guys. who i would assume can spot an experienced guy a mile away. and try to pound it in there heads that the limit is 2 at 28". or have some sort of sign or something by the counter with a lil reminder. not b laming it completely on them. but these guys gotta get their bait some where. so it seems the best place to start giving them the message.

but you are completely right about the guys who decide it just doesn't matter. the only thing that will stop them is upped patrols and checks.. but i don't see that happening. this state and country have other priorities... and wasting money (to them) on regulating recreational fishing probably isn't to high on the list at the moment. it sucks. but what can ya do? just do your part and try to get every short you see back in the water. just don't go to crazy, no fish is worth your health.

[davisd]

All fishermen should know the length's and have a tape measure on them at all times. And always have th EP's number handy to make that call for the guy catching shorts.

[Jenn]

sorry Gonnacatchabig1 but it is no more the B&T guys responibility to educate the public on the rules as it is the car salemen giving you driving lessons. Each angler should be responsible for knowing the laws. No if ands or buts about it!

[GonnaCatchABig1]

Originally Posted by davisd

All fishermen should know the length's and have a tape measure on them at all times. And always have th EP's number handy to make that call for the guy catching shorts.

Originally Posted by Jenn

sorry Gonnacatchabig1 but it is no more the B&T guys responibility to educate the public on the rules as it is the car salemen giving you driving lessons. Each angler should be responsible for knowing the laws. No if ands or buts about it!

same thing applies to both.. not all people are anglers/fishermen.
i would say 60% of people fishing on weekends average 2 to 5 trips a season. not every one is sitting around reading fishing forums, regulations and studying the topic. ALOT of people just go "hey its nice out i feel like going fishing." and do it. there only stop that has a source of info is the B&T. and if they manage to find an empty spot to fish.. they will be none the wiser.

like i said it isn't fully B&T responsibility. but if they want to make a profit (those that still do) off of fishing, they should probably return the favor and attempt to inform the unknowing. it's not like it would kill them to make sure people know the regulations. and yeah some guys (the guys goin fishing)make the effort to ask current regulations.. others just dont know enough to even care if they should know anything. some just want an excuse to get out and get hammered.

i know B&T's arent making fortunes, but if its such a chore for them to try and inform people about regulations they should probably open a convenient store instead. since an unfriendly B&T doesn't go very far.

plus, by that logic it's not my responsibility to inform them either. so instead of saying "hey thats too small to keep" and possibly having them toss it back and saving a fish or two.. i should just let them keep it, killing it, and then call the ep's (or heck not call not my responsibility) to come give them grief. for something that could have been completely avoided by just informing them.

it is all of our responsibilities... but the B&T guys have the potential to reach far more of these guys then any of the guys fishing. where as we might run into a handful of guys fishing the area, they run into nearly ALL of them. a simple sign can be very effective. don't even need to be nice and talk to the guys. just a sign.


sorry for the semi icky tone of this but im tired and cranky.and getting really sick of 5 foot shakespear combos, crossed lines, ANNOYING children who are left to roam free and nag people, (and i mean really nag people. i helped one kid out the other day cause he asked for help. thats fine. enjoyed helping him out. on the other hand this other kid (11?12?) just runs up and talks about killing things, and barking out childish jokes. repeating everything you say over and over in annoying voices, and every fish some one would catch asking if he could keep it despite being told numerous times the rules. ) and loose dogs. nothing annoys me more than loose hyperactive dogs while fishing. top that off with the people who don't know, or don't care for the regulations... and its just ugggggg.. thank goodness for summer fishing.cant wait for fall. and or finally finding a productive spot that has no people. and now i'm sorry for that rant.. but sheesh.. expected to get to almost july before it got this bad here. july is gonna be a mess.