What would you do?

[fish_finder]

If people have the energy to get a license, they should be expected to know the regs.

 

That means knowing the area BEFORE you fish it. No excuses. I'd have called the MNR if they left the road for a second with their gear.

[pikehunter]

They deserve the benefit of a doubt, after all you didn't catch them red handed fishing with a worm and barbed hook. You can never assume, after all when you assume you do what? We all know the saying when you assume you make an ass out of me and you.

 

Yes a person should know before hand what the regs are for a body of water and it was noble of you to have pointed out the sign informing them of the local rules. If you had witnessed them actually breaking the rule then yes you could have called the tip line but don't count on a C.O showing up, however don't feel guilty that you didn't call in any case.

 

It all boils down to the joke about the blond in the boat loaded with fishing gear as she sits reading a book as a C.O comes along wanting to charge her for fishing. Just because the tools are there a crime has not been committed.

[jonnybass]

They deserve the benefit of a doubt, after all you didn't catch them red handed fishing with a worm and barbed hook. You can never assume, after all when you assume you do what? We all know the saying when you assume you make an ass out of me and you.

 

Yes a person should know before hand what the regs are for a body of water and it was noble of you to have pointed out the sign informing them of the local rules. If you had witnessed them actually breaking the rule then yes you could have called the tip line but don't count on a C.O showing up, however don't feel guilty that you didn't call in any case.

 

It all boils down to the joke about the blond in the boat loaded with fishing gear as she sits reading a book as a C.O comes along wanting to charge her for fishing. Just because the tools are there a crime has not been committed.

 

I agree.

[Casey123]

... Just because the tools are there a crime has not been committed.

 

Not too many police officers would shae this same opinion. Further to this, I thought that in a not organic/live bait zone that iw was illegal to posess live bait. I am sure that is how the regulations use to phrase it, however in the new regulations I could not find a direct refferance.

 

Anyways ...........Looks Like a Duck, Quacks Like A Duck, Probably a Duck.

Edited May 4, 2008 by 4Reel

[jonnybass]

Anyways ...........Looks Like a Duck, Quacks Like A Duck, Probably a Duck.

 

That is dangerous logic.

[pikehunter]

I thought that in a not organic/live bait zone that iw was illegal to posess live bait.

 

Just went through the online version of the regs and failed to find this quote expressed. Says nothing on page 10 or in area 16 rules about not being able to have a worm, a minnow or a barbed hook in your possession. Only refers to the use of is not permitted.

 

But then, it could be that my $20,000 pair of eyes can't see?

 

Just because the tools are present has a crime been committed? So you have a prybar, a screwdriver and a hammer in a toolbox in your car's trunk. Does that prove you just broke into the house you just drove past? No. Sure they had the live bait with them but we only assume that they were about to use them. Could be that they were just too lazy to walk back to the car to take them back and just continued on their walk to the water.

[Chris]

Im assuming your locale to the Credit means this was on the lower access point, to the no kill zone. Its nothing new in that locale to see anglers disobey a very obvious posting. Good for you on mentioning to them to read the sign, as after that pretty much only calling the CO directly would have had an impact.

 

Even with visable signage, someone telling them its a no kill, they still choose to break a law, again just goes to solidify a point that even with some education and knowledge they still choose to potentially go fish and break a law..

 

Hi everybody, well.....assumption, assumptions, assumptions, where is the evidence they broke the law??? Sounds like some of you guys are really HOPING that this guy was breaking the law.....just so you can rat someone out and get a bunch of congrats from all the other left-wingers on a message board. Wait, I'm making assumptions here.... Really, it sounds like you may be creating imaginary crimes in your head.

 

There is a lot of information out there.....yet some choose to ignore the laws. People that ignore the fishing laws probably ignore other laws and are not the type of people I want to be "educating" or berating on the water. But if you want to play cops and robbers, knock yourselves out......but guaranteed the day will come when someone gets hurt playing "cop" on the water.

 

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

[jonnybass]

Hi everybody, well.....assumption, assumptions, assumptions, where is the evidence they broke the law??? Sounds like some of you guys are really HOPING that this guy was breaking the law.....just so you can rat someone out and get a bunch of congrats from all the other left-wingers on a message board. Wait, I'm making assumptions here.... Really, it sounds like you may be creating imaginary crimes in your head.

 

There is a lot of information out there.....yet some choose to ignore the laws. People that ignore the fishing laws probably ignore other laws and are not the type of people I want to be "educating" or berating on the water. But if you want to play cops and robbers, knock yourselves out......but guaranteed the day will come when someone gets hurt playing "cop" on the water.

 

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

 

Thank you. I couldn't have said it better!

[lunkerbasshunter]

good on you for making them aware. dont call the mnr though. they didnt do anything wrong so its just wasting there time. they need solid proof

 

cheers!

[Fishmaster]

Ive called the tips line a few times ..waste of time never seen a Co come around watsed hours of my time waiting to see if they would show up..yes the tips line is good to use to show the Goverment that there is lots of poaching going on and that they need many more wardens out in the feilds ..my 2 cent

[johnnyb]

Well, what most of you are saying IS the reason why I told the guy on the tips line very clearly that I didn't SEE anything illegal happening. I'm not out to get a bunch of slaps on the back for trying to bust someone -- it was just a bad gut feeling that wouldn't go away. Clearly, some of you wouldn't have called, for many reasons. I figured that even if I called, nobody was going to come out there to look for a couple of guys carrying a worm box with no proof that they were using it. But, after walking the river and seeing more than a couple empty worm boxes discarded in the bushes, I figured that maybe the MNR will keep track of how many calls they get like this, and maybe, after a while, they'll check up on it.

I know, I'm probably just dreaming. But please, don't look at me as some kind of vigilante justice seeking snitch, who's doing more spying than fishing. I have seen other "questionable" stuff going on before, and never done anything about it. This time, the doubts were nagging at me a little too much, so I didn't want to feel like there was something more I could have done that I didn't.

[cork soaker]

leave policing to police. you saw no crime. not that you can call fishing with bait in a no bait a "crime" but anyway. Probably had a pocketful of alternatives to use. I wouldn't go back to my truck to put the worms away either. There are a lot of keeners here.