last minute? poaching?

[jason]

this is a post in response to the guy fishing at nite at the rock quarry. i have a scenario for u guys.

there is a college pond where i live and before it was legal to fish, but because of knuckle heads drinking and throwing trash and beer cans everywhere the college stop lettin people fish there. its a real nice pond with a good amount of bass. i went to the top security guy and asked him nicely, if i could fish the pond. i told him i would bring no trash and even offered to pick up the trash i seen along the shore. he said no. so now i fish the pond illegaly sometimes right before dark or super early, and i always catch and release, is that still considered poaching? what would u guys do?

[Bassin_Dude]

i think what makes most people mad is if you do it to a lake/pond that legaly you would have to pay money to fish. if it is a pond that is just not allowed to fish because trash and what not, i would still fish it. if the area you are talking about doesnt require a membership then i would think you are alright. down here there are plenty of no fishing signs posted, and we(atleast i) still fish them. and i see others fishing them. i have even had a cop drive past me and not say a word to me. Â*just remember, you are tresspassing. but down here even if you are caught, they really just ask you to leave. i dont know how it is up there, but thats how it is down here.

[javlin2]

Catching and releasing is not poaching. I've had a similar senario myself. There's a stream locally, that has some really nice, unpressured bass in it. Early this April, I was fishing for smallmouth bass when 2 game commissioners approached me. They told me that the water I was fishing on was closed until Trout season and that I was in violation of the law by fishing on it. They were treatening to write me a ticket and void my fishing lisence until I pleaded my case. I showed them I fishing for bass (wacky rigged a centipede), which were in season at the time (if I wanted to take bass home and cook them, that is), and showed them I had no stringer with me. They let me off with a warning, telling me that the stream is closed and it's considered trout water.

I'd say, if you cleaned up during the day, and fished at night, they may make an exception for you. Be seen picking up trash and saying hello to all the secruity guards as you're doing this will go along way to them opening the water back up for you. Also, if you're confronted by secruity at night, show them you have no stringer and let them know you've been cleaning up the park during the day. It's hard to be an *** to someone who's beautifying your land.

[macgyver]

Well lets say you do get caught by a Cop/DNR. He goes and asks if you had permission to fish this place. And of course they will say, he asked and we told him NO. So what do you think is gonna happen then? Look I know how tough it can be, believe me when I tell you I've asked over 50 farmers if I could hunt on their property. I've brought gifts, and told them how I would help out around the farm etc... And guess what, I've been told NO. I don't go back and use THEIR porperty. They own, they make the rules. And I can't say as I blame them, from all of the Lawsuits, and trash people have thrown out at these folks for letting them fish or hunt. They are protecting themselves, and sometimes you. If you go to the store and get a pop, and walk up to the register, and realized you don't have any money. So you say well I don't have any money, but can I have the pop. Of course they are gonna say no. So if you take it anyway then your stealing it. I appreciate where you guys are coming from, but when you are told no, and it's not your property, then you do it anyways, you are breaking the law. And if you are caught then you will at the minimum get a ticket, and possibly lose your fishing/hunting license. even spend the night in jail. I take folks to the "Coal Pit" all the time. They don't pay me, but I pay for a lot to have the priveledge to go there. I will always be happy to take folks who are respectful, and good guys. Because I know how hard it is to find good fishing holes like it. But I can't drive there every time I want to fish, so I go to the public reservoirs, and lakes to fish, just like everyone else. If you keep asking, and keep doing the right thing, you will get the opportunity to one day. But when you do it after being told no, you will pay when you get caught. And if it isn't this time maybe next time or the time after. I worked hard to be able to afford this lot, and someone just deciding that they have a right to it, because it's there and close doesn't cut it with me or the DNR, or the Cops. So do as you please, it's your life, but be prepared to pay the consequences.

Lizards

[Bassin_Dude]

gone.i guess it is really the area you live, cause if there is a ''no fishing'' sign in a park or somethin, they dont really care if you fish it. like i said, i have had cops come right passed me and not do a thing about. im not sayin that i go to a private farm and just fish. in that case i will ask, and 99% of the time they say yes, but if they say no, so be it. then i dont come back. but if it is a park, or community neibghor hood, or golf coarses, i will fish them. and if they tell me to leave, then im gone. so if it is on public propert, but still says, no fishin, then i will fish it. if its like a golf coarse i will fish it, and i always clean up my trash and any other trash i see there. and if they rtell me to leave, then i leave. but most dont care down here.

[Infisherman1]

If it is a community pond, I will fish it even if there no fishing signs. Cops pass by, look at me, and they just pass by without caring. Golf course ponds are pretty much the same, as long as I stay out of the golfers way, I never have any problems(any more.) If its somebodies private land, of course I'll ask before, but most places I fish are on public land.

[jglassguy]

Around here if its not posted and not owned by the state, you can fish there with permission, however if you dont have permission its trespassing and they fine ya couple hundred dollars.
Theres no season per say on fish in ohio but there is a numbers game, so they get poachers that go over thier limit, for instance only 3 walleyes where allowed up in erie tributaries, sometimes that goes to 6 a day, as well as most state run lakes have a limit of 25 crappies a day or even a slot of 14 inch bass, all that are enforced daily by the DNR and all the fines he hands out supports the local gov.

[sabass]

find another lake to fish.
As far as golf course lakes go, they'll run you off the property the second they see a fishing pole. The way they see it, if you're fishing, you're looking at the water, not at the driving lane where a stray ball could hit you on the head, HUGE liability to a gold course, they won't let you fish them around here.

[Bassin_Dude]

rodman, thats not how they are down here, as long as you are not in a golfers way, then you can fish. BTW, i have been hit by a golf ball, in the upper thigh area. hurt real bad, but taught me a good lesson as to watch the surroundings. now i always talk to the golfers before i start and ask what the general safe area would be. and then i stay in that area. and i wont lie, good water will draw me outta that area, but i make sure that no one is around. with the fishing like it is in GC ponds, i do whatever i can not to be thrown out. i even have golfers come up to me and tell me what they hae been having success on, and about what im using. they also stop to watch the fish im haulin in. around here, the mentallity is alot different. people are very nice, and as long as you clean up after yourself, and watch out for yourself, they dont mind if you fish.

[sabass]

[quote author=bassfisher02 link=board=news;num=1117739520;start=0#8 date=06/02/05 at 22:04:22]rodman, thats not how they are down here, as long as you are not in a golfers way, then you can fish. BTW, i have been hit by a golf ball, in the upper thigh area. hurt real bad, but taught me a good lesson as to watch the surroundings. now i always talk to the golfers before i start and ask what the general safe area would be. and then i stay in that area. and i wont lie, good water will draw me outta that area, but i make sure that no one is around. with the fishing like it is in GC ponds, i do whatever i can not to be thrown out. i even have golfers come up to me and tell me what they hae been having success on, and about what im using. they also stop to watch the fish im haulin in. around here, the mentallity is alot different. people are very nice, and as long as you clean up after yourself, and watch out for yourself, they dont mind if you fish. [/quote]

hit the wrong course and they'll just about assault you to get you off their property. I did manage to get some fishing in on a golf course pond down in Naples a few years back. Took the time to ask, informed them the pond I wanted to fish and told them it wasn't located in a proximity close to a driving range. They told me they didn't typically allow it, but since I Was nice enough to ask, and pick the hole I wanted, they allowed it. Caught 4 fish in an hour (they only gave me till closing time before I had to leave).