Thread: question on legality

well what spawned all of this is the thread on the MO main page started by OSS about the guy that got an indecent exposure ticket for urinating in the lake. I have released fish (that to the best of my judgement were healthy and fit for release) since I started fishing. Never gave it a second thought till I saw that thread. My main concern is losing my priviledge to go fishing or cost me money over something silly.

Originally Posted by coreymassey

I came very close last summer to getting a ticket for this very thing. I was catfishing a small conservation lake a had a C.O. watching me from the bank (I was in a boat) I had keep 2 already, when I landed another one that was bigger which gave me 3 fish (limits 4). I elected right then to release the smallest fish I had. I keep fishing not catching anything else, when I went to the ramp THE MAN meet me there with ticket book in hand wanting to see my fish. When I showed them to him (keep in mind I only have 2) he says, "wheres your others I know your over your limit I've been watchin you."
I say I dont know what your talkin about n he then proseed to search the boat, not finding anything. He then states the culling laws n tells me not to do it anymore. What a pr**k

I guess the way you told your story, if he was watching you release fish, was he watching close enough to see if you released 1 fish or 5? I suppose by the letter of the law, the decision to keep or release is to be made at the time you caught the fish, not later. If what you did is illegal, it seems silly, your only possessing 2 out of a 4 fish limit, but I can understand better after reading all these posts that it is probably illegal to return 1 healthy fish back to the water because your decision "at the time of the catch" was to keep it. Its a bit ambiguous, so I could see a pee pee head C.O. issuing a ticket for it. I suppose next time I see our local guy at the lake, I'll ask him what he thinks of all of this.

What I don't understand is why people fishing in bass tournaments live under a different law. Is there any difference if I have a livewell that constantly keeps recirculating water for crappie and I release them in a completely healthy state??? BS in my opinion.

Originally Posted by NateD

What I don't understand is why people fishing in bass tournaments live under a different law. Is there any difference if I have a livewell that constantly keeps recirculating water for crappie and I release them in a completely healthy state??? BS in my opinion.

Ah but you forget the almighty dollar drives the exemption for the bass tournament. Now if you see more crappie tournaments bringing in money we might also see the exemption for that.

Originally Posted by Redneck

Ah but you forget the almighty dollar drives the exemption for the bass tournament. Now if you see more crappie tournaments bringing in money we might also see the exemption for that.

I don't care much for exemptions in laws or regulations. Cull or don't Cull, whether your in a tournament or not or just deciding to release a small fish for a larger one. It's kinda ridiculous, if you leave the lake with a legal amount of fish at the legal length then I don't understand the point of the rule at all
Edit: wait, now that I think it through, the almighty dollar, thats the point of that regulation, they make money both ways.

I'm with you Rugs, a rule is a rule and there shouldn't be exemptions. I personally don't see the problem with culling as long as the fish released is healthy enough to be released. If you do release a fish that is belly up within 30 minutes and a game warden catches you, you should be fined for wanton waste. The way I was taught to fish, even if the fish was so small that you couldn't hardly clean it and it was going to die you kept it and it was part of your limit.

Of course its about the benjimans for the bassers,I don't really care..I've been to a few weigh-ins and they really do take care to insure all the bass are released healthy.A dead fish can cost thousands in deductions for the big tournies.

I've thought about the same thing and it seemed to me that the SPIRIT of the law says that if the fish goes in the livewell or on a stringer, it counts as part of your daily limit...regardless if you release it or eat it (because it might not survive the stress). I can understand that. I guess the devil is in the details... if a conservation agent sees a fisherman taking a crappie from a livewell and continuing to fish, how is he to know that the fisherman will count that fish as part of his/her catch.

I often release a fish when it becomes apparent that I'm not going to catch enough to make it worthwhile to take it home and clean it. (All too often, unfortunately) Am I technically in violation of the law?