Anglers fined fishing out of season !!!

[porkpie]

These people where not charged for fishing bass during the closed season, they where charged for failing to produce licenses. Feel good story and that's about it. Good that they where caught though! As for the bass out of season, well, I consider them a coarse fish and a bit of a nuisance when fishing for other species, but that's a whole other story. They are tasty critters though!

Edited May 28, 2014 by porkpie

[chris.brock]

there is only one way to stop oos fishing---sanctuary---and they're not going to do that

 

 

 

I saw this a few weeks ago in the Kawarthas, there was a pike derby going on, the bass guys with the high end boats are happy to be fishing in May, there's a boat fishing in the sanctuary, another boat who is friends with the other guys is heading into the sanctuary, I say "it's still closed up there", the guy just mumbles and they all happily continue fishing the sanctuary

[Old Ironmaker]

The joke is the $90.00 slap on the wrist. Any crime is all about risk and reward, I have been asked to produce my fishing license exactly twice in 30 years. Say the average is a fee of 20 bucks a year, that's about $600.00, even if I got nailed those 2 times I'm up $420.00, not a bad reward for very little risk. There are no teeth in any legislation in Ontario, whether under the criminal code or the MNR.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Old Ironmaker

[craigdritchie]

Its easy. Stay a distance and watch with binoculars. They (MNR) do it up here all the time. Catch an OOS fish change techniques or move. Its easy to see the intent if you watch

 

Everyone catches OOS fish now and then. On opening day of trout season I caught a gorgeous smallmouth, drifting a roe bag under a float. Sometimes, the fish don't know they're out of season so they hit anyway. Happens to all of us.

 

That said, when you're catching far more OOS fish than the species you're targeting (or say you're targeting), it's time to change tactics or move on.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Craig_Ritchie

[manitoubass2]

 

Everyone catches OOS fish now and then. On opening day of trout season I caught a gorgeous smallmouth, drifting a roe bag under a float. Sometimes, the fish don't know they're out of season so they hit anyway. Happens to all of us.

 

That said, when you're catching far more OOS fish than the species you're targeting (or say you're targeting), it's time to change tactics or move on.

of course we do. My point is that if I'm MNR, and I'm at a distance watching you, and your catching OOS bass after bass and not relocating. Your defense of" oh i was walleye fishing" doesn't really hold any merit. If i watch you catch a bass and move your boat 50 yards or more or just relocate totally, there is a good reason to believe you are fishing what you say your fishing. It's not hard to notice boats that are fishing OOS. I could see where it could get tricky though when boats stack up

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

Bass are annoying. I even catch the damn things on 10" jerkbaits and 12" bucktails while musky fishing all throughout the summer. REAL fun towing a 15" bass in on heavy gear, that is....This time of year though? Makes me not even want to go pike fishing half the time with how annoying the bass are.

[Carp]

Glad to hear the CO's are out there doing their thing.

Just wish we had more of them.

[jimmer]

Small fines, that's for sure. They will just find another location to fish.

I am catching bass everywhere on the lake I live on, so it's hard to avoid them.

 

I would have to switch lakes to avoid bass.

Edited May 28, 2014 by jimmer

[bare foot wader]

often times CO's will watch you before they approach you...they don't issue fines on intent (at least not for OOS issues), so if anybody got stuck with a fine for fishing OOS they certainly deserve it

 

we had them glass us for close to an hour, didn't realize they were CO's and got pissed strangers were watching us so long, as we packed up to move they came racing over...we checked out of course, and they did say they watched us and saw us release a few OOS bass, but we did catch some nice pike, they just asked if we catch a lot of bass to please move spots

[grimsbylander]

This makes me wonder if the cost of patrolling CO's looking for people bass fishing is worth it. Stateside in NY they have the early season whereas it's artificial baits only as well as catch and release only. On Erie and Niagara they have the one fish limit if over 20" season as well. Why is it the vast majority of the US has some sort of early season(or no closed season) which eliminates most of the shady bass fishing when here it is completely taboo? It's been like that there for decades with no real ill effects(?) and they're bass crazy down there! Their lake get pressured BIG time. Last weekend on the US side of Erie there are spots loaded with smallies that will produce 20-30 fish per angler/per day. It sure hasn't hurt the population. Why should a lake or river have seasons so vastly different from one side to another?

Personally, I'd rather see money spent on the cleaning up waterways, combating invasive species or stocking as opposed to hiding in the bushes with binoculars trying to catch someone catching a fish he most likely won't harvest anyway. I think we're a little brainwashed into believing it's sacrilegious to target spawning bass for catch and release when there is a multitude of other species being legally targeted during their spawning cycles...and many of those go home on stringers and in buckets. Watching a beautiful rainbow trout get caught, milked for her eggs and released(or killed for table fare) while discussing the atrocities of catching a bass before the end of June seems more than a little screwed up to me. For years I always thought is had to do with the shorter summers(growing season) in Canada vs. the US. But with the no closed season in the north and the newly introduced longer season in zones 17,18 and 20 that negates that logic. So the further south you go, the shorter the season. Hmmmm.

So if the late season is truly in place to protect the species during spawning, why is the same not true for all species? In 2012 the MNR stocked over 1.2 million rainbows, browns and Chinook plus 18,000 coho. At what cost? Is this required due to fishing pressure during the spawn, after the spawn, or both? In lakes that have smallmouth and lakers, the smallmouth have had a adverse affect on the lake trout's health. No problem, the MNR stocked over 3.6 million lakers in 2012. Strangely enough, we are working hard to protect the bass population as if it were somehow in trouble. I could not find evidence that 1 single bass was stocked in 2012. And our magnificent musky? Only 1053 stocked in 2012!

I honestly don't care if they ever change the season, really I don't. I just think things seem to be a little out of whack as to where the money goes and why. Since I am not a biologist or a politician, I could be wrong. I'd just like to see some sound logic to substantiate it.

Got on a bit of a roll there!!

[davey buoy]

Some valid points for sure.I just follow the calender and try to keep in a safe zone so to speak.What else can we do.

[Steve]

grimsbylander, I think rather than opening bass up for angling during the spawn, we should CLOSE all fishing for ANY species during the spawn.

 

i believe it is wrong to fish trout during the spawn, just as I feel it is wrong to fish bass during the spawn.

 

in regards to bass, the only anglers who want to fish bass during the spawn are lazy anglers, because bass are that easy to catch during the spawn....bass aren't hard to catch in the first place....at least compared to most other species....why we would need to open angling for them during the spawn it beyond me.....

 

also, bass anglers, like trout anglers, are often the most short sighted anglers out there.....

 

"I only fish for bass" or "I only fish for trout"......

 

the main reason some bass anglers want to open bass year round is they rarely fish for anything else ... often only fishing for walleye if there is a tournament involved.

 

bass should remained closed during spawn.

 

other species should become closed during spawn.

 

those are my feelings....and yes, I fish bass likely as much as I fish salmon.....not many anglers are as comfortable in 2' of slop as they are in 200' of water with copper, wire divers, and riggers.

[grimsbylander]

Some interesting views Steve. I can't say as I agree with the blanket statement that bass anglers fishing during the spawn makes them lazy. That would indicate spring and fall trout anglers are also lazy which is also not true. It would also mean an entire nation of diehard bass anglers south if us are also lazy. If I've misread your intention, I apologize. I just don't think it's that cut and dried. I fish for bass every year during the spawn and I can assure you, I work hard at my sport.

My intent wasn't to champion the cause to change the open season policies but to try to reason out why they are the way they are. Maybe you are right that if fishing for spawning bass is detrimental to the species it must also be true for all others as well and there should be no open seasons. But as devils advocate I wanted to point out that if it's not harmful for trout, salmon, perch, crappie, etc. in Ontario AND it's not harmful for bass in the US, why are we divided on policy and spending money on enforcing laws which are potentially redundant? Or maybe not?

[Garnet]

Musky are about the easy fish to catch.................Until you go after 50's I caught 4 today.

 

Same with Bass easy to catch until you try for 4 in the 5lb category and a kicker at 6.6.

 

Fresh Steelhead are just stupid.

[Steve]

Some interesting views Steve. I can't say as I agree with the blanket statement that bass anglers fishing during the spawn makes them lazy. That would indicate spring and fall trout anglers are also lazy which is also not true. It would also mean an entire nation of diehard bass anglers south if us are also lazy. If I've misread your intention, I apologize.

 

Nope, you didn't misread.

 

For the most part, fishing bass during spawn is an easy target....not always, but certainly for the most part.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Steve

[Steve]

...Bass easy to catch until you try for 4 in the 5lb category and a kicker at 6.6.

 

That I agree wholeheartedly. Many folks say bass are easy to catch....and its true, up to three lbs, they are an easy fish to catch. Great species to introduce children or newbies to. Overall a fun species to catch.

 

But catching big bass, five and six lbs'ers, that's a whole different story. Even the guys who fish big water, erie, simcoe, etc, have trouble consistently putting big bass in the boat....

 

That's why Bass is one of my favourite species to fish for.

[esoxansteel]

A bass boat with a Chudeigh Apple Farms wrap fishes bass preseason in Puslinch Lake every year - pitchin and flipping jigs in a lake that has walleye but very few. This same donkey cut me off on a shoring by about 75' when I was fishing along the shore with my kids.

 

 

At least they didnt throw apples at you, at the Ganny many years ago, a guy went down the trench and caught everyones line, but wasnt long taking off when Folgers Coffee cans full of roofing nails were bouncing off the side of his Boston Whailer, I was there but couldnt take the credit for that one,

[Sinker]

Musky are about the easy fish to catch.................Until you go after 50's I caught 4 today.

 

Same with Bass easy to catch until you try for 4 in the 5lb category and a kicker at 6.6.

 

Fresh Steelhead are just stupid.

You could say that about any species of fish. Catching the big ones is never easy. They dont get big being dumb!

 

Did you say you caught 4 50" musky today??? I cant get that magical 50"er out of the kawarthas!!! Caught hundreds between 40-49.5, but that big five O has eluded me!!

 

 

S.

[manitoubass2]

You could say that about any species of fish. Catching the big ones is never easy. They dont get big being dumb!

 

Did you say you caught 4 50" musky today??? I cant get that magical 50"er out of the kawarthas!!! Caught hundreds between 40-49.5, but that big five O has eluded me!!

 

 

S.

mental block lol

[Garnet]

3 musky's and 1 Tiger targeting walleye.

 

So if the 70k bass boat guy was fishing a lake with only bass in it 3 weeks early.

 

What were you fishing for?

[grimsbylander]

When you buy a bassboat you have to sign an agreement to only ever fish for bass while in it. That way they don't have to change the name.

[BillM]

So if the 70k bass boat guy was fishing a lake with only bass in it 3 weeks early.

 

What were you fishing for?

 

It sounds like I caught you fishing OOS bass with the way you seem so upset about this. FYI, I was fishing lake #1, which connects to lake #2 via a extremely shallow mucky weedy river. You go into lake #2 for 1 reason... Bass.

[Dara]

They're just silly bass. Season should be open all year.

 

S.

 

 

They are up here.

 

Little story for y'all..goes along with the fishing OOS and saying you are not targeting them when the CO thinks you are.

 

Years ago, the CO was gunning for a friend of mine...he used to take too many fish and stuff and they just couldn't catch him.

 

Opening day of walleye one year they visited his camp and counted the carcasses in the garbage, charged him with over limit.

 

Now, everybody knows this won't stick.

 

He goes to court and the judge tosses it out.

 

On the way out he smiles at the CO and says he won...CO says oh really? 200 mile drive each way to court, a day off work with no pay..I get paid to be here..yup, you won alright.

 

More than 1 way to skin a cat

[MrSimon]

I have a cottage on Black Lake in NY ... just over the border by the St. Lawrence.

 

Pike/walleye opens in early May, but bass not until mid June. The law says you cannot target bass at all until then. Everyone knows in their heart if they are targeting bass or not, but its impossible to prove.

 

Even though this type of law creates a lot of on-line drama, and there are certainly those who blatantly break it ..... I think its a great law. When bass season does open, there is a HUGE influx of boats and fisherman. The lake gets pounded by bass fisherman all summer. If the season were to be open (even C&R only) in early May, all those same fisherman would be there in force to wreak havoc on the spawn.

 

Even though it isn't a perfect law, it is the main reason the lake is such a good bass lake. The law works.

[Garnet]

70 k bassboat bla bla bla is the same as saying everybody in Markham keeps over there limit. Just another stupid post.