Bigger Fines for Poaching Needed!

[branhamautomotive]

I abide by the 2 lines per person law. However I do not agree with it.... If you are going to limit the number of fish I can catch, why do you limit the number of poles I use to catch them? If I go out alone I have 2 poles and 2 lures to try and find the depth and the type of bait that the fish like that day. The people on the charter with 4 paying customers a deck hand and a captain can put 12 poles in the water spread tem out over 200' wide at various depths.

Just my rant..

and GO lol

X2, I totally agree with you. If I'm casting or something I understand a little more. But when trolling you could spend half the day ting to figure out a program. 6 fish is 6 fish, shouldn't matter if I get them with 2 lines or 6. If I can go out, knock out a program get my 6 fish and be home in 2 hrs rather than 8. If I have the stuff, am not in the way of others out there it shouldn't matter as long as I stop at 6 fish. Ppl say just take more friends, but then your out to get 12 or 18. I often wondered where this 2 pole rule came from or why

[bmiller]

Looks like they were fellow law enforcement officials maybe that's why the fines weren't much. Just like the deer poaching in Brown Co several years ago. I witnessed a guy get hammered with 4 times his limit of perch and they seized his truck cause of a cooler with fish, his camper because of fillets in freezer and boat because he still had fish in livewell. Seems it's another case of who you are

[troy1976]

HERE is strictly an opinion no intentions of throwing darts at anyone

the law states two poles per person with a current fishing license. All of those charter captains are doing nothing illegal as far as the number of lines set in the water. When it comes to keeping their fish for the paying clients it becomes an illegal act. As I have been told each person has to "reel" in their own 6 fish. I know that the dnr watches this act when possible and also has put officers undercover on charter boats at random to monitor. Its obviously almost impossible to monitor this situation. "Party" fishing by the letter of the law is illegal in ohio but is generally not enforced.
I personally know of captains that do not let clients keep the boat limit. I also know captains who let their clients take the boat limit home That is the captains choice to make

For me when a boat with one or two guys trolls past and has 6 to 10 rods out i just laugh. How many of those poles have fish on that they just drag around while dealing with the other poles. My opinion on the two poles per person is that it was created to try to save fish from harm caused by being dragged around.

just my 2 cents

good luck out there everyone!!