View Full Version : "Sharing" your limits
What is the law and ethics on "sharing" limits? If you have two people in the boat, with a limit of two walleyes each, and one guy catches 1 and the other 3, is that a violation? Does anyone care?
It is a violation you can only keep YOUR specified number. So the guy who keeps the 3rd has broken the law but unless you're gonna admit it how are they gonna prove otherwise. So its up to your morals and ethics.
Do you think that it is wrong, morally or ethically?
eyewitness
04-08-2002, 08:44 AM
Not sure what province you're asking about. They all have different reg's. I know that here in Minnesota you can party fish. It is right in the reg's. Not sure if the folks in Ontario are as Liberal, but have never seen or heard of anyone having an issue with this.
I am primarily interested in LOTW, Canada side.
Canoehead
04-08-2002, 02:44 PM
I personally think its unethical to partyfish. One situation I can remember had a number of boats on a "community hot spot" - one of the boats had cornered the point and was sitting directly on the sand bar, making it unpractical for other boats to fish (say within casting distance to that boat). Because their were two boats in that party, the boat on the point caught 5 limits of fish and then redistributed their catch at the end of the evening with the second boat. Meanwhile, every other boat there knew that they weren't going to get close to the hot spot and could do nothing except wish that wind would change.
Hope these guys are the exception.
Canoehead
brimmer
04-08-2002, 04:57 PM
If I can't catch my limit of 2 or 4 fish in Canada myself I would just as soon go home with zero fish !!! Your limit is YOUR limit !!!
lobo1
04-08-2002, 07:36 PM
sure hope the thaw comes soon !!
Melonbob_ON
04-09-2002, 01:52 PM
I don't see a problem, so long as the people are fishing out of the same boat. I rarely keep a full limit, except for the start of season, when I haven't had a fill of eyes in about 6 months. But when the opener hits, Mel and I are bringing 12....oops! now 8 home (Regs changed in ON). It's easy to catch and release 50+ fish in an evening. Now when it's time to go home and we are one short of a limit, does it really matters who catches it? I don't think so. Mind you, if my parents are in the boat beside us and they can't limit out, I'm not catching any for them......;)
Fishing Guide Wannabe
04-10-2002, 05:59 AM
Its all a personal decision and I have no problem sharing the catch limit. I can think of many times when I've fished three to a boat (say me taking my elderly parents out who don't get to Canada that often anymore). In that situation, I'm usually running the boat, netting the fish, and doing all the other chores while they actually hook them and reel them in. If I throw out a line and hook one, I may give it to my mom to bring in. If we all have conservation licenses, we may bring in six and I don't have any problem ethically or morally with that. I know that if need be, I could have reeled in two. But it would be just my luck that they would be the two biggest fish of the day and I wouldn't want that.