Posession limits and fishing different bodies of water

[MichaelAngelo]

I had an interesting thought a few days ago that had to do with possession limits of fish and fishing different bodies of water.

I'll use whitefish as an example. In Zone 16 the possession limit for those with a conservation licence is 6, but on Lake Simcoe, the possession limit is 1.

So realistically it is would be possible to possess over your limit of whitefish even if you're catching them on Simcoe, as long as you only keep one each trip. There would be no way of proving where you caught such fish.

I wonder what the Ministry would answer to this?

[tweedwolfscream]

So you mean like, if you caught a couple of whitefish somewhere else in the morning and then went to Simcoe for the evening bite with the whities still in your cooler?

I've wondered the same thing before. Simcoe is sort of a unique case of having limits/seasons that are so totally different from the rest of the zone, but zone boundaries can be crossed all the time. (In fact if you caught some whitefish on another lake on the same day as your Simcoe trip, they were probably in zone 15.) In addition to limits varying between seasons, so do seasons -- what if you caught some bows in a FMZ 15 lake and then went for whitefish on Simcoe, or any other FMZ 16 lake, where bows are closed in the winter? I guess the COs would probably have to go on how likely your story sounds. I mean, there's no limit to how many commercially-caught Georgian Bay whitefish you can buy at the fish market, yet there's no way to prove you didn't catch them.

Aside from how to prove you're following the rules, I've wondered how the rules actually apply when crossing zone boundaries. For example if I have a sport license (whitefish limit = 12 in FMZ 15, 2 on Simcoe) and I catch 4 in the morning in Muskoka, and keep them, and then go fishing on Simcoe in the evening, can I keep any there or am I considered to have limited out? What if I'd kept 11 or 12 in the morning? This is assuming I'm being honest and following the rules, provable or not.

I assume just having the 4 or 12 whities with you isn't breaking the rules? After all, if I were to catch some brookies through the ice in Muskoka and then bring them home to Toronto to grill, I like to think I wouldn't get busted for posession out of season, even though my BBQ sits in FMZ 16.

[OldTimer]

Here's the deal - you get caught with an "over the local area limit" while actually actively fishing there - you are going down or gonna do a bunch of time & $ fighting it. Brains are required on our side too.

Honest guys - the vast majority of Ontario CO's are smart, well trained, reasonable "real" people - and have seen/heard all the stories - and are actually beyond fair most times. Consider this - how many times have you read that an individual beat a citation?

BTW - a grocery store or fish market sales receipt is evidence enough to ward off any and all game law charges. Both for game fish and restricted baits.

OT

[zippyFX]

I agree with OT, there is only so much you can expect from a CO.

I run into the same conundrum when fishing in Ottawa between Zone 12 (the Ottawa) and Zone 18 (on the rideau for me); If the bit is slow I may go back and forth into different spots and they have different seasons and different slots across a number of species....

[Eli]

If you limit out on one body of water, then go fish for the same species the same day in a different zone and bring your catch with you...you're weird...and probably deserve some kind of citation.

[tweedwolfscream]

I agree, it sounds wrong and it's probably illegal, but what if you only caught half your limit in one body of water, and then targeted the species in another lake where the limit was less than what you already caught? Or if you first limited out in the lower-limit area and then caught more in the higher-limit area? Like, my gut feeling would be that you stop keeping fish when your total catch has met or exceeded the limit in the place you're fishing at the time (eg. 2 whitefish on Simcoe + 4 on a non-exceptional FMZ 15 lake = 6, or 4 on the FMZ 15 lake and then 0 on Simcoe), but I don't know if that's spelled out anywhere.

[Eli]

Is this a realistic situation...like something that has actually happened to you or to someone you know?
I'm saying that odds of a scenario like this unfolding and it being the same day as a CO actually coming around to check what you're up to are slim to none.

[tweedwolfscream]

A realistic situation? Not for me. Not soon anyway. I'm lucky to catch one fish in one lake, forget limiting out and then having any success in a second lake. But for those who fish hard and successfully by hitting different lakes at different times, and who fish near a zone boundary or include a lake with exceptional limits (e.g. Simcoe) in their rotation, it could happen. Sure, the odds of getting checked the same day are slim, but my question was more about what the rules say than how they're enforced.

[Eli]

You have to obey the rules of where you're fishing at a given time.

i.e.: It is illegal to fish for and keep sturgeon on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. It is legal to keep one sturgeon in season on the Quebec side of the river. You'd be rightly slapped with a fine for keeping one in Quebec then crossing back into Ontario and having it in your possession while fishing the river.

[MichaelAngelo]

(02-25-2014 11:04 PM)Eli Wrote:  You have to obey the rules of where you're fishing at a given time.

i.e.: It is illegal to fish for and keep sturgeon on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. It is legal to keep one sturgeon in season on the Quebec side of the river. You'd be rightly slapped with a fine for keeping one in Quebec then crossing back into Ontario and having it in your possession while fishing the river.

But in the freezer or stored in the house or car also counts as possession. The odds for a CO actually going to your house to check when they have no reason to are zilch. Still would be interested to hear what the Ministry has to say about this.