First time stopped by an CO

[Cudz]

I was fishing the Barrie Marina today with my kids for a few hours and an MNR CO) asked to see licenses. I have been asked to see my fishing license before but only by police. I was pumped.

Everyone on my dock had a license but he got someone for fishing without one on another dock.

 

I talked to him a bit and he said he was just starting his shift and it was about 4pm. He mentioned going out to see the smelt guys tonight.

 

Just thought I would share.

It was nice to see the MNR's presence on Kbay today.

[mbac31]

They were out in Keswick as well. Good to see

[ld17]

I've been asked a few different times. I was fishing an area were people didn't have licences and he basically told them to leave. No ticket. These people were immigrats, so they might not know the laws. Another time was on the ice and I didn't have the licence on me but did have it in the car. He make me go to the car and get it. Luckily it wasn't a far walk.

[jasonl]

I've been stopped a few times, Its nice to see my liscence dollars being used. One time I didn't have my liscence on me it was in the car, after the hike up and back down he gave me a choice of picking up the litter on the dock or a fine for not carrying my liscence. I'm sure you can guess which option I chose!

[Billy Bob]

It sounds like you guys have met some very reasonable CO's. It nice to hear they are willing to work the sportsmen. Acting like a prick only gets worse results. Canada must have some good training for these gentlemen.

[majorlifts]

Back in 1993 I was fishin Bowmanville creek and I caught a massive salmon on a small red devil spoon about 75 yards down stream from the dam. I fought this fish for it seemed 15 to 20 min. The fish dragged me upstream, (I had light gear) and directly into the sanctuary of deep water. There was lots of witnesses watching the event, and just as I was releasing the salmon a CO tapped on my shoulder.

 

(Now I saw this guy in my side vision watching, but only as I was fighting the fish in the sanctuary). He took all my gear and gave me 2 fines,

 

1: fishing in a sanctuary.

2: Snagging with a spoon.

 

With all the witnesses including the guy who helped me release the fish, (that was well hooked in the mouth, by the way) I went to court, and explained how everything transpired and I didnt have to pay the fines and the CO had to return my gear. What also helped was a fish Ontario magazine article about fishing creeks with red devil spoons for salmon. That was what really helped me, so keeping all those old mags was not a waste of space after all. He admitted that he did not see me hook the fish and that he was just adding me to the list of many poachers he nailed that day upstream without licenses and people snagging fish. I told him I thought he was being a jerk not allowing me to explain, and he apologized. What a Jerk!

[ld17]

I was fishing the credit river some time ago and had a salmon on which took me down stream and I followed it. The river finally opened up and I was able to land the fish. Not knowing, where I landed the fish was a sanctuary. Some one asked me if I caught it there, and I said no I fought the fish here from up stream, and they said fine. Now what's the regs on this. Are you suppose to break the fish of as soon as it hit the sancturary or can you land it there if you caught it in a legal area? Any thoughts?

[pike slayer]

in feb. i was i fishing for lakers in bone with my buddies and 2 mnr and 1 opp pulled up to us and said they were going to have to see our licenses. so this one mnr comes walking up to me and says license please, and right then and there i hook into a laker jigging, it couldnt have been better timing. i said can you hold on a min here im kinda busy! i landed the laker and the mnr guy goes ahhh i must bring you luck and i was like well i sure hope my luck continues and he just laughed and checked out my license and i was all good. He then asked me where my sled was and i told him that back on the lake before (robertson) i blew a coolant line and its sitting over there and i'll deal with it later. So me and my buddies finished fishing for the day and i double back to my sled and i fill it with water and i hammer it across the lake 90mph down the lake to get it to the closest road before i over heat it. and i get to the end of the lake and the mnr and opp are sitting there and they are like hey guys whats the rush? and i was like remember what i told you before with my coolant issue, im trying to ge out of here asap and they are like alrite we'll help! so theres a mnr guy infront of me, and my buddy peter, a mnr guy and opp behind me and we hammer it back to the road 2-3km away doing like 70mph down the trail till i make it to the parking lot. we talked to them for a bit and they were some great guys!

[JohnF]

I have a hunch they didn't start out to be jerks but some of the fishermen (and I use the word loosely) they meet just bring out the worst in them. I hear folks say the same thing about cops. I figure that most cops aren't bad guys, they just become conditioned to having to deal with buttholes. The moral of the story is - Don't be a butthole when you meet a Law Enforcment Ossifer.

 

JF

[okumasheffield]

Kelfun & I got checked by an CO yesterday as well

 

We had awesome conversation and it was cool.

[cityfisher]

They were out in Keswick as well. Good to see

They are always out in keswick! Which is a good thing !

[brifishrgy]

I was fishing the Barrie Marina today with my kids for a few hours

 

 

did you catch any????

[limeyangler]

Ive been here (canada) 2 years....i have already lost count of the times i've been stopped. I have had some really pleasant, chatty and informative COs stop me....and some real jerks too.

 

One thing i can say is that although its unpleasant when experiencing the attention of an officer in the 'real jerk' category, at least they are out protecting the resource.

 

Make sure your not breaking the law....and the time spent in the company of an unpleasant CO will be short(ish)

[River Rat]

I have been stopped tons of times....I have two CO's numbers in my cell. Our Local guy is Mitch Phinny out east. He knows a snagger from an angler. Mitch walked me out to the P lot on Wilmot just to makesure I had my license in my wallet,,,he had seen my licence the weekend before and knows me by name but he had to check just the same.

 

To the guy that was nailed for snagging and fighting a fish in the santuary........I too have had a rainbow blast up into that sanctuary. WITHOUT hesitation, I straightened down and pulled out.

 

You may have been fishing below the sanctuary and that salmon may have been hooked in the mouth, but the action of snagging includes flossing and lining and you can be charged with snagging no matter where the hook lands. The act of fighting a fish is considered "fishing" and "fishing" in the sanctuary is not legal. The CO's I have talked to, do not ever just walk over and nail guys....the hide in the bush, observe and make notes. If they saw you specifically targeting one or a group of fish in clear water, and jerking a red devil through the pod with less than 12 feet of line out....this is jigging, flossing, lining, snagging...what ever you want to call it...this is NOT angling.

 

Back in Bowmanville in the late 80's early 90's it was common to see chinnies, browns, bows and the odd laker caught legaly on spoon, spinner, hotshot, kwikfish etc....it was easy to tell a snagger from an angler though more by presentation than choice of lure. I remeber fishing the gooyear dam before it was a sanctuary.....OMG, every fish was trapped below the dam and no ladder there to get em over...it was a ZOO and a slaughter. Then in spring the Mill pond was like the mecca of all barriers around here......thank god these slaughters have been stopped...for the most part.

 

Keep in mind that 100% of the guys that CO's walk up on while fighting fish in sanctuaries tell them this fish hit in legal water and swam into the sanctuary. 100% of them say that. Witnesses are good in 1993 but these days everyone has a cell phone and every cell phone has a camera for stills and or movies. Remote cameras are cheep and easy to install and CO's can cover more area with technology than they can with trucks and $.90 per litere gas.........

 

If you are fishing close to a sanctuary, be ready to snap off.....if you are running red devils in Bowmanville creek still, PM me and I can give you some tips on better places in the area to hook em on spoons that time of year, and it's a blast!

 

Cheers

 

RR

[Cudz]

did you catch any????

Yeah. There are lots in there.

Buy some small minnows and you'll be busy all day

[Cookslav]

I've only dealt with them 3 times in my life time of fishing, but "most" of my fishing is in the boonies LOL!

 

Once on a dock just messing around for Pan fish with the kids, and he was cool...just asked if I had a license, but didn't make me produce it, and we chatted a bit.

He was just surveying, and wanted to know if we had caught and Pickeral.

My Second time was odd...

I was WAY out in the stix along a small creek In bruce county fishing for Browns/Rainbow in early May when I hear a lot of comotion comeing up stream?

It was a C.O. in waders just tromping through the creek....I was A)-surprised to see one out there, and -Pissed that she was walking through the water spooking any fish that may have been in the area!

She casualy walked up, and asked for my license, and asked if I had caught anything...Man I was pissed off, but I didn't bother to show it, I just left angry.

Third time was at Smoke lake right on the docks on my way out of the algonquin park.

They were blitzing everyone comming out that day.

Checking Licenses, and coolers...nice to see

[KelfuN]

i guess lots of CO's are out now to catch people violating the regs...since opener is in less than 2 weeks.

[Greencoachdog]

It sounds like you guys have met some very reasonable CO's. It nice to hear they are willing to work the sportsmen. Acting like a prick only gets worse results. Canada must have some good training for these gentlemen.

 

 

I've never met an unpleasant CO, in the U.S or Canada... but then, I'm always smiling and very respectful when they stop me. I always have everything they want when they want it!

 

I must be a CO magnet in Canada, I've been stopped the last 2 out of 3 times up there... and never a problem!

 

I haven't been checked here in 'Bama for the last 10 yrs., and as soon as they saw the flash of the blue lifetime license they said "That's ok! I see it!" before I even handed it to him!

[rapala14]

I've only been stopped by a CO once. Very pleasant experience, just asked for my license and asked how the fishin's been. But I've been stopped numerous times by the OPP which has not always been the best experience thats for sure. Dunno if its because i'm younger that they feel the need to talk down to me or whether its because they're havin a bad day or somethin. Either way its hard to be respectful when you're not shown any respect. Almost as if i'm guilty until i prove myself innocent. Ah well, worse things happen in life

[JohnAB]

Been approached twice while fishing in Ontario.

 

Once was on Sen Bay and I thot oh boy this is going to be good as some guys were loading beer into their boat to go fishing. CO walked right by them and came up to me. I had my SRD hat on from here (our MNR) and he never asked me for my license as he had seen me buying it in town the day before. Asked him about the guys and the beer and he said nothing he can do about that. I told him here in Alberta the fish and wildlife officer would have had a field day with that one.

 

Second time was on Little Vermilion Lake by Sioux Lookout, buddy and I were out in my boat, CO pulled up checked our license and then helped us with finding some good spots to fish. Very pleasant experience both times.

 

Out here I know most of the officers as we work for the same department and 99% of the time I never get asked. Always have my license though as would not look too good for me to get fined with my job and all.

[Photoz]

I'd say that draggin' a Daredevyl with a big treble across a creek that's at most, 12' wide & a foot deep, that's full of spawning fish kinda makes me a bit suspicious too? I've seen Mitch nail several people over the past few years, doing exactly the same thing. It's most commonly known as 'SNAGGING!' I believe there is a law against dragging something like this across, or through ANY fish spawning area?

[lew]

I can honestly say in 50+ years of fishing the Kawarthas regularily, I've only ever been stopped & checked by a CO once while fishing, and that was early in the morning on opening day of duck season and he was checking for guns & hunting licenses.

 

Never been stopped on the Ottawa, St. Lawrence or Niagara Rivers, or GBay or St. Clair either, but have been checked on Quinte several times over the years.

 

I've been stopped on the West Bay of Nippissing quite a few times, usually by both the CO's & OPP while their riding together, but it was always a very pleasant meeting and they've always gone outta their way to be friendly & professional.

 

I think they do an excellent job with the resourses they've got.

 

Worst encounter, infact the ONLY bad experience I've EVER had with a CO was waaaaay back in the boonies of Quebec, but that was by a pair of CO's on nothing more than a power trip.

[ricoboxing]

i think co's target shore fisherman more as they are more accessible. since i started fishing out of a canoe or kayak 4 years ago, ive never been stopped. prior to that, i've been checked 4 times by both co's and police.

[Nemo]

I was stopped by two CO's in a plane in Algonquin in Sept 2005. We were trolling for lakers in the centre of the park. My buddy was always complaining that he never saw the MNR stop anyone out in the park.

 

Next thing we see the yellow plane do a couple of loops and circle us. Next thing it lands and pulls towards us. The CO steps out on the pontoon and tels us to remove our downriggers and approcah the plane. Two CO's and a pilot. They request our licenses and ask us some trick questions about live bait.

 

Then they jump back in the plane and take off. My buddy starts complaining about why they needed to do that and what the costs were etc. I say look you were complaining about them not checking anyone and they show up you should be happy.

 

Nuff said...

[Cookslav]

Thats funny stuff Nemo, can't have it both ways!

I've seen them whipping around on back lakes Via motor boats, and I think you just answered a long time puzzle in my mind...

I wondered how the heck they got the Motor boat out there!!!

I was thinking these 2 guys must be ripped, on roids or just have a lot of time to kill in order to carry a 12' tinner with a 9.9 back here LOL!

 

It never dawned on me that they could have been dropped off in the area by plane...

Makes scence now!