Ottawa denying launching to out of Staters

[Buckeye Bob]

It don’t say you have to quarantine 14 days says should. Go out of a pay ramp they are not stopping out of stat people from launching

[Kim Gentz]

We were at private boat ramps and had my boat in a slip. We had a valid license but no stamp for the first 4 months of the year, which we did receive a ticket for a $105.00 fine which we are fighting because the baits do not even know about this stamp you have to have the first 4 months of the year. If you are out of state I have no ideal how you bought your stamp. This is a FACT the DNR of Ohio told us that fishing is closed to out of staters that you can not buy a license in Ohio if you are from out of state this is a FACT and was told we have to go home this IS A FACT!!!!!!!! This was a private Ramp and dock where this happened Fenwick Marine this is a fact so you need to get your facts straight.

[Mr. Fisherman]

http://ohiodnr.gov/odnr-operations-d...virus-outbreak

"What Is Limited:
•Parking. If a parking area is full or a parking lot is blocked, move on. Cars parked on roadways or grass will be ticketed.

•Nonresident Access. Non-resident fishing and hunting license sales have temporarily been suspended. Individuals who currently possess a non-resident hunting or fishing license may hunt or fish in Ohio if they abide by ODH guidance to self-quarantine for 14 days before they do so.

•Trout stockings will continue this spring but events associated with stockings have been cancelled.
If you wish to access Army Corps of Engineers properties, please check their websites for the latest information. Some Army Corps properties are not accessible at this time.

•Shooting Ranges. Class A shooting ranges are closed. All other shooting ranges are open at this time.

[Madd Matt]

Well... I have stayed quiet for a while and watched, but I will jump in on this and tell you what I know.
I am in constant contact with several government entities in Ottawa County, including the local health department (who is the first and only regulatory body over the Ohio Stay at Home order), the County Prosecutor (who is the ultimate authority on enforcement for the County including the Health Department), the County Commissioners, ODNR Wildlife District Wildlife officer, ODNR Director for the State, and local ODNR officers.

First and foremost everyone needs to keep in mind that things are changing daily and sometimes multiple times per day... So the information that you got last week is old and possibly obsolete.

Secondly, you need to realize that there are plenty of charters running and have been since March. Because of this there are a lot of charter captains that are angry that they chose to stop running trips and others did not. The highest number of complaints being called into the local and State offices are coming from charter captains that are sore about other charters running and they are reporting them.. or trying to.

Thirdly, because those charter captains make no headway in their complaints some of them have chosen to provide mis-information and post things that are not true simply to try and keep people from fishing.

Fourthly, everyone needs to get their enforcement agencies in line. ODNR is not allowed (they currently do not have the authority to issue any fines nor tickets for the stay-at-home order). This order is currently through the State Department of Health, so the enforcement goes to the local health departments (which can ask other law enforcement agencies to help.. but have not in Ottawa County). The local health department is not out on the docks nor checking fishing vessels at this time and have not yet done so as of this post. The County Prosecutor is the prosecuting arm and ultimate enforcement for the local County agencies including the health department. In Ottawa County the prosecutor has 5 Peace Officers (these officers generally focus on the drug task force in the County). The Coast Guard is Federal and they don't want to enforce local rules and have not attempted to do so in regards to Stay-at-Home.

So... what does all of that mean?

1- ODNR is still enforcing any and all normal State fishing regulations. ODNR will ticket anyone (Including in-State and Out-of State fishermen) who does not comply with State fishing regulations. Yes, this does mean that if you don't have your required stamp, nor a fishing license, or are over limit etc... you will be fined. They may also in conversation verbally tell you that you are supposed to quarantine for 14 days, but you won't get a ticket or fine for that. If you are out of State and already had you license and stamp and ODNR is at the dock, as of this post, they have smiled and been polite and tell you "Good luck today."

2- The County prosecutor has recently had the County Peace Officers at a couple of the public ramps on weekends. They have told some out of State boaters that they are not supposed to be fishing if they haven't quarantined for 14 days. They have been effectively able to talk people from out of State into not launching their boat from the ramps that they are watching (they know full well that those individuals may go find a private ramp or another public ramp and they are not following them). They have not written a single ticket, no written warnings, no fines, no strong enforcement. Most boaters have been cooperative and complied with the verbal "soft enforcement."

3- Private boat launches are open and as of this posting there have not been any Stay at Home enforcement efforts in Ottawa County other than some of the launches local owners. Private launches are not required to, nor do they have the authority to "enforce" any orders. They can deny service to those breaking the rules, but they can't be held liable for not doing so.

4- The local health department as of this post is busy with grocery stores, major retail, and foodservice establishments in maintaining safe distancing and operations that they have not been watching fishermen nor been physically at any docks doing enforcement on any level.

ODNR has openly sent public communication saying that they are enforcing all normal State fishing regulations and are not the enforcement arm of the State Director of Health. In order for ODNR to even be legally allowed to enforce those guidelines the Governor would have to issue an executive order (which he has not. Everything is through the State Department of Health), or the County Prosecutor can ask for their help to enforce, which has not happened and ODNR does not want to have happen.

The ODNR director has been asked by the Ottawa County Sheriff to shut down public ramps due to out of State boater. She did go to Muzurics and Catawba and watched for a couple days and counted out of State license plates. She watched as people launched and came back. She was content that fishermen were being polite and social distancing on the ramps, they were all being courteous and that only about 18% of the autos had out of State plates. She said as long as the ramps were used and fishermen were acting the way they are she wasn't shutting them down.

This is not a post to say that people can ignore the orders. It is simply to say that in Ottawa County there has been no "hard enforcement" to date of the stay at home orders for private fishermen going out on their boats.

There are plenty of marinas in Ottawa County that have slips available. There is no rule, no law, no order that prohibits marinas from allowing paying members or dockers from putting their boat in a slip. In fact marinas are exempt as they are considered essential in Ohio. If someone really wants to launch their boat and go fishing and not hassle with the public launches, its relatively inexpensive to just do a seasonal slip at a marina and skip the line in and out at the launch. A nice drive-up slip with parking at your boat is around $1,200 - $1,400 / year.

[West Basin]

Wow, very nice post, Madd Matt. Thanks!

I did not know about the out-of-state "stamp" requirement for fishing Lake Erie the first four months of the year. Just looked it up - yep it's real. Don't know how long it's been required, when it started.

http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/fishing/...tions/licenses

Look under the Quick Links, under license information, NONRESIDENT LICENSES

"Nonresident Lake Erie Sportfishing Permit (Jan 1 to April 30, 2020) $11.00"

Sounds like the large majority of people are following the Covid19 guidelines and being courtious with others. Let's Keep This Up! Government is only there to provide the structure and "rules" as well as legal enforcement. It's utimately up to each of us to take responsibility and do the necessary things to get through this. That's the American Way. Personal Responsibility. Take it seriously. It's what freedom is all about.

[itsbob]

Great post Madd Matt!!! Very informative and thorough.All true from what I have heard and read.Hoping that state start selling out of state fishing licences soon and charters can start taking out people next week.

[Kim Gentz]

First of all on this stamp is a new law as of 2019. We bought our licenses in June of 2019 and our license is good until June of 2020. We had no ideal about the fishing stamp because we did not need to get a new license. We looked through the fishing regulation book on how may fish we can catch the size limit and if there is any thing on slot limits. The DNR person who gave us the ticket showed us where the stamp info is in the Reg. This info was kind of in the middle of the book and very hard to find. (Like fine print in a contract.) even many of the bait shops have no ideal about this stamp and it also seem some of the DNR personal do not know about this stamp, now finding out they are checking license of out of staters and not looking for the stamp.
The real point here is they are not selling license to out of staters and selling them to residence of the state of Ohio. This is wrong and is unconstitutional by federal law and is a infringement of my civil rights. Hiding behind that you have to self quarantine for two weeks is just ********. Come on American wake up see what is going on here! The media has you so scared you are afraid of your own shadow. I was out of the country for 2 months just before this BS hit the fans in the U.S. I had to self quarantine for 2 weeks If I did not do this my roommate could not go to work because she worked in health care in Wisconsin. So now I have already self quarantine and now Ohio is saying I have to re self quarantine in their state. So does this mean every state I go through I have to self quarantine for 2 weeks? Why do we not treat this like the flu it really is if you are sick and running a fever stay home and get better. Where are the guild lines on how and where you have to self quarantine, are these federal guild lines is there a booklet or is this just a bunch of nut jobs making stuff up the way they feel they want it. I am an American and know the American way, and do no like the BS they are shoving down my throat.

[Kim Gentz]

The only information I want to know is when they, who ever it is the DNR or State Legislature is going to stop violating my civil rights and going to start selling out of state fishing licenses. I do not know any better social distancing then fishing in a boat unless you want to drive yourself nuts at home.

[PatSea]

Madd Matt, thank you for your post. That's one of the best posts I've seen on these Ohio fishing sites in a long time regarding the current enforcement of the current fishing and health rules. Clearly stated and covers all the involved agencies.

[Madd Matt]

First of all on this stamp is a new law as of 2019. We bought our licenses in June of 2019 and our license is good until June of 2020. We had no ideal about the fishing stamp because we did not need to get a new license. We looked through the fishing regulation book on how may fish we can catch the size limit and if there is any thing on slot limits. The DNR person who gave us the ticket showed us where the stamp info is in the Reg. This info was kind of in the middle of the book and very hard to find. (Like fine print in a contract.) even many of the bait shops have no ideal about this stamp and it also seem some of the DNR personal do not know about this stamp, now finding out they are checking license of out of staters and not looking for the stamp.
The real point here is they are not selling license to out of staters and selling them to residence of the state of Ohio. This is wrong and is unconstitutional by federal law and is a infringement of my civil rights...........

Kim, my post was not a response to your situation. I was not singling you out in that, I was responding to the entire content of this thread.

Having said that. I agree with you for the most part. I do believe that it is irrational and an over reach of the government to do some of the things that they are doing. There isn’t any way to get too much more isolated than to be out in the middle of a Great Lake on a small boat. I’m with you on that one and hope that they open the out of State licenses back up!