Catching fish before thier season

[Todd B.]

Jamers,

I agree that nowhere in the regs does it tell you that you have to move. Granted some baits can be used for multiple species, as previously mentioned. What the COs will subsequently focus on is the behavior of the angler.

Using the scum frog example, if an angler sits in one spot and catches bass after bass with few if any pike caught, a CO may issue a fine based on the pattern of behavior. By moving when you realize that you're catching mostly bass you're at least displaying an intent to avoid catching OOS bass.

Based on my encounters with COs they definitely observe anglers before approaching them.

[slop]

I guess it's all in the eye of the CO and what he happens upon. I was on a wicked Perch bite this past winter when a CO showed up all of a sudden on his sled. We discussed the problems with poachers in the area and that patrolling during the day would'nt do much good. They needed to beef things up around dusk and into the evening to be effective. He also watched me tag a few nice smallies and never said boo.....he was actually quite impressed He eventually asked to see our licences and was on his way. Bottom line is, obey the law and you won't have any issues......it's just that simple....and READ THE REGS!!!!!!!

[Jimmy_1]

Ok,

How about this scenario. You've been pitching the frog and have caught 4-5 pike. Now you are catching bass. The CO only see's the bass you have caught, not the pike.

He comes over, talks to you, didn't get lucky with the missus last night so grumpy, and fines you?

Most ethical people this is no dilema. Catching OOS fish, move.

Nobbers will stick around and fish OOS and if caught claim something else.

I too have bottom bounced and got TONS of OOS smallies......its inevitable. On a lot of lakes smallies and wallies share the same area!

As for the instance where the lads were trolling. I agree with you, kinda.

If you are on a trout lake, fishing trout but catch a lot of bass...well hey it can happen.

Taking pics of OOS fish????? Maybe a bad judgement call, but we all make them sometime in our life. Anybody on here who thinks they are a saint should shake their heads!

If it ain't with fishing its with something else. Speeding, j-walking etc.....

But I digress. Point being if your catching way more OOS fish in an area then move.

But what if the whole lake is like this????

We caught a MONSTER Largie on Platinum Lake trolling for sharks....(lake and species exaggerated purposely) we released it immediately....

It was in 20fow for crying out loud!

[HereMyGo]

Am I the only one who feels like they are taking crazy pills while reading this topic?

Rules and Regulations are put in place for a reason. Why do they need to be bent?

personally i dont find it to bad i mean 1 week before opener they are done spawning but like a month before im a definate NO NO

....If I follow that same train of thought then my question back to you where is the line drawn? 7 Days? 10 Days?

There is absolutely no reason that fish need to be targetted OOS (and perhaps that's not the point of this topic). I understand they will be caught OOS by mistake...however I think as anglers it's our responsibility to properly release these fish in a timely and safe manner and if necessary (i.e. it's happening all of the time) to change our fishing tactics for the time being.

If they are consistantly being caught, then I have to agree with everyone else....change locations....you obviously aren't catching what you should be targetting there anyways!

As for if you are trolling around the lake and you are consistantly catching OOS fish...the solution seems pretty trivial to me...the bite isn't on...stop fishing and go fly a kite or something.

Some people cannot wait I suppose, and there will always be a couple of idiots that think they are beyond the rules.

[slop]

.......and when accountability comes knockin' people want to run as far away from it as they can. When caught, embarrassment quickly turns to anger....it's human nature, ignorance and bad decision making all play a part.

[CNs]

If you assume that someone fishing from a Ranger is fishing OOS, then you have a biggoted mindset.

All poachers fish from a Ranger.


Kidding.

[jwhite]

If you assume that someone fishing from a Ranger is fishing OOS, then you have a biggoted mindset.

All poachers fish from a Ranger.


Kidding.

That means you and I are safe Norm.....thank god!

[MLR]

What I'd like to know is how often do the COs go out. I must admit, haven't been fishing for years but I was out a lot last year in a lot of common lakes and rivers. Never seen a CO anywhere or heard of anyone being questioned by a CO. Anyone have any personal stories of being questioned by a CO?

Checked 3 times this winter on Lake Clear, I have been pulled over on my way home with the boat on the trailer a couple of times.......

[Chevy Champagne]

i think if there out of season and if you eaven see a OOS fish you should move and dont ever fish for something out of season my 2 cents

[JimmyBuffett]

here's a scenario.....

You are targeting fish in season with great success.... after many, many fish the dreaded OOS monster makes an appearance.... then you proceed to tag a bunch more in season fish when all of a sudden that pesky OOS says jello once again, and so on so forth.

Is 30:1 an acceptable ratio or would you move??

I know my answer

[Hookup]

Wow, long thread.. and no where near as violent as I expected.

I can say that I knew a guy who looked just like me, but was not me for legal purposes, that was an OOS fisher for years... It's a real PITA looking over your shoulder for other fishers, COs, cottagers, etc all the time trying to catch these fish so eventually this guy, who only looked like me, and was not me, gave it up and found other ways to fill-time...

I know this guy well and have had many conversations about OOS fishing. The conclusion is if you go out and target an in-season fish and do it honestly, you'll have no problems, ever. I think most people have a good internal set of scales and you know if you should be moving on or not... the only hard-fast rule is be a good and responsible fisher-person...

If you are even trying to find a magic formula for how many in-season to out-of season, or how many consecutive oos fish you can take before it is illegal, you might be approaching it from a very dangerous point of view.

[ChrisS]

i you can help it....DON'T DO IT, I have been fishing all spring and only caught a few OOS bass which were put back right away, what I'm saying is if you are careful and know anything about the fish you are targeting you should not be catching many OOS fish

I know plenty about the species I target....this time of year is pike time on the St. Lawrence. Going deep on the edge of the drop-offs with bucktail jigs is the ticket to success. Three weeks into the pike season you will start to nail smallies in 20-30 fow fishing for pike. These fish are spawned out and have headed to deeper water. They all get released but there's no way I'm moving as the pike fishing is too good (good thing I don't fish from a bass boat). You have to use common sense. I have also fished lakes in season and caught bass that were still full of eggs. That's when I leave and fish somewhere else.

[Big Jim]

The bottom line to this whole deal is you "know" inside when you are breaking the law and bothering fish that are out of season just for sake of catching a fish.
If you make a cast to a spot and pull out a bass and then continue to make repeated casts to the same spot with the same results you are obviously trying to catch another...some bankrupt guys would call this a pattern, its called attempting to take. not an incidental catch... like the splake trolling guy.

This is the kind of crap that anti's look for when they try to take away your right to hunt and fish every single day of the week...

Greatest words yet come from my personal HERO Gord Pyzer and I quote..."the fish are real easy to take care of, in fact they do it themselves...it is the anglers who need to be controlled". This from a guy who ran the Kenora District for over 25 years!!!!

REMEMBER...."ONLY YOU KNOW" when you are simply beating the fish down for the heack of it ...shame on you if you are.

Have a great opener

BIG JIM

[Jimmy_1]

The bottom line to this whole deal is you "know" inside when you are breaking the law and bothering fish that are out of season just for sake of catching a fish.
If you make a cast to a spot and pull out a bass and then continue to make repeated casts to the same spot with the same results you are obviously trying to catch another...some bankrupt guys would call this a pattern, its called attempting to take. not an incidental catch... like the splake trolling guy.

This is the kind of crap that anti's look for when they try to take away your right to hunt and fish every single day of the week...

Greatest words yet come from my personal HERO Gord Pyzer and I quote..."the fish are real easy to take care of, in fact they do it themselves...it is the anglers who need to be controlled". This from a guy who ran the Kenora District for over 25 years!!!!

REMEMBER...."ONLY YOU KNOW" when you are simply beating the fish down for the heack of it ...shame on you if you are.

Have a great opener

BIG JIM

Truer words hath never been spoken!

[CNs]

If you assume that someone fishing from a Ranger is fishing OOS, then you have a biggoted mindset.

All poachers fish from a Ranger.


Kidding.

That means you and I are safe Norm.....thank god!

Yup!