Illegal?

[Giuga10]

The topic was brought up during an Easter dinner when one of my cousins, told us that her friend was charged and received a criminal record for having a small pocket knife in his car a definite no-no of course, but it got me thinking would also apply to having a knife in a tackle box. I keep a knife in my tackle box which comes in handy often when cutting and retying line, cutting off snags, and cutting off deep hooked fish ect.. I would never use for illegal activity... I stay away from that

The knife can easily be substituted for a fishing tool but I like to spend less time on gear when I could be fishing so the difference between instantly being able to get the knife from the TB or getting the fishing tool and pulling out the right tool can only be a matter of seconds but even though it still makes a difference.

This can also be applied to a fillet knife that I sometimes carry in my tacklebox.

Would this be considered possession of a weapon in public or whatever the law is or would it be waved because it is being used for fishing purpose only.

I'm gonna keep the knife out of my TB until I know for sure but a knife definitely comes in handy at times and would be a bummer if I couldn't use it. I have a pretty nice fishing tool though so I can't complain .

[MikeH]

Your cousins friend must have had a truly crap lawyer, or the knife was a prohibited type (butterfly knife, switchblade etc.) An appropriate knife in your fishing tackle would be a hard sell in court as a weapon for fighting. But... having a long fillet knife hidden on your person could cause you major problems with the law. So some common sense is needed.

I carry a multi-tool leatherman style tool which includes a 3" knife blade, I have not had any issues with police, MNR or even the US boder guards who have seen it as part of my fishing tackle.

[MuskieBait]

Why knife? A nail cutter is a much easier tool to use and you can clip 100lb mono just as easy. I even used nail cutters to cut braid up to 65lbs. No issues at all.

I can see the need for a bait knife though.

I do agree with Mike. Your cousin must have a crappy lawyer. A reasonable knife can be carried if you're partaking outdoor recreational activities like fishing, hunting, camping and even scuba diving. Unless the officer caught your cousin with a knife and no outdoor gear, the officer may have a case.

[MikeH]

Normally I would agree, but for the last month or so I have been using dead bait... and I'm not sure I could cut one in half with nail clippers. It's easier to cleanly cut a hook knot with nail clippers, but the pocket knife blade does come in useful for odd stuff like cutting a boilie in half.

[MichaelAngelo]

(04-01-2013 07:40 PM)Giuga10 Wrote:  her friend was charged and received a criminal record for having a small pocket knife in his car a definite no-no of course,

This is news to me. What if my car broke down in the middle of nowhere? I'd at least want to have a pocket knife tool for general use like cutting rope at least .

[Giuga10]

(04-02-2013 11:48 AM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  This is news to me. What if my car broke down in the middle of nowhere? I'd at least want to have a pocket knife tool for general use like cutting rope at least .

Good point.

---

(04-01-2013 11:17 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  Why knife? A nail cutter is a much easier tool to use and you can clip 100lb mono just as easy. I even used nail cutters to cut braid up to 65lbs. No issues at all.

I can see the need for a bait knife though.

I do agree with Mike. Your cousin must have a crappy lawyer. A reasonable knife can be carried if you're partaking outdoor recreational activities like fishing, hunting, camping and even scuba diving. Unless the officer caught your cousin with a knife and no outdoor gear, the officer may have a case.

A knife is a really versatile tool and can be used for different things and takes up less space than multiple smaller tools.

What if you find a school of shiners while fishing for Channel Cats and want to use them as cut bait, without having a knife a nail clipper wouldn't do the job.

A knife can also be really handy in survival situations too.

[OldTimer]

I really cant see an officer coming down on a fisherman for having a fillet knife or a smaller lock blade in his fishing gear.

Carrying or concealing any weapon is an offence here in Canada........... - as Mike H said - gravity blades, switchblades, daggers, and butterfly knives are not a tool but an offensive weapon.......... And so I would imagine are the latest fad of military styled lock blades.

Think about it......... most hunters carry a good sized fixed blade on their belt (i.e not concealed).......... not to mention the GUN................. without problems.

I've carried a small pocket knife most of my life.............. and multiple knives that have a sporting utilitarian purpose on all my fishing trips - with no issues whatsoever. Including those trips with my cousin who was an OPP officer for his entire career - he carried them too..............

Boils down to this - carry a baseball bat out to the park during the day on Saturday = no problem. Get caught by police in an alley with a baseball bat hidden under your overcoat at 2:00am = you're gonna get charged.

[rich_ace_G]

It really depends on the type of knife. Remember that there are knives that are specialized weaponry and there are survival knives. The question I have is...what reason led the officer to search the friend if it's a simple speeding ticket? or the friend has an outstanding record? If it's the latter, I guess even a survival type knife wouldn't save him from being charged.

[OldTimer]

I think you're getting closer to the point, and truth involved here.......... I agree...........

[Eli]

This vid explains it all. Canada's knife law are straight forward.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IeNnEs5BUI

There are no blade length restrictions either. Your cousin should have no problems unless he did something stupid like walk into a school or a bank with a big knife in plain sight.