By Jeff Berti
Memorial Day has long been the unofficial “opening” of fishing season in Missouri. With the holiday fast approaching, fishing season in Missouri will be in full swing. As a conservation agent, it’s my job to make sure that anglers are following the rules and regulations set forth in the “Wildlife Code of Missouri.” While doing my job, I encounter several violations of the fishing rules that are many times unintentional. Conservation agents all over the state say the most common source of unintentional violations for anglers is the requirement to keep fish “separate and identifiable.”
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Never heard of it? You’ve got lots of company. Even a few experienced anglers don’t realize that they must have some way of distinguishing who caught which fish. Many anglers think that if there are three people fishing together, they can catch three times the legal limit, no matter who actually reels them in. This is completely wrong. “Party fishing” or “group limits” can lead to a ticket and a fine.
Keeping your catch separate is easy, as long as each person has a stringer. If you are fishing in a boat with a single live-well, simply devise some sort of divider so that fish can be held separately. If this is not possible, then why not try putting one angler’s catch on a stringer within the live-well, thus keeping the fish identifiable from the others.
The reason for the regulation is to keep people from taking over-limits while fishing with their partners. If there are 12 bass on a stringer, there is no way for the agent to know who caught how many of them. One angler could have caught all 12 of the fish since they have not been kept separate. This is not fair to the other angler, and it is not fair to you and me.
Another poorly understood aspect of creel limits is the regulation governing “culling” – releasing fish from your stringer or basket and replacing them with larger fish. Once you put a fish on your stringer or in your basket or live-well, you have taken that fish into your possession. If you then take the fish off your stringer and replace it with another fish, it is still considered to have been in your possession and counts towards your daily limit. If you cull fish after you have caught your daily limit, you can be cited for taking an over-limit of fish, even though you only possess the legal limit.
The reason for this regulation is simple. When a fish is taken out of the water and put into an unnatural environment (such as a stringer or basket), it is very hard on that fish. If you do not intend to keep a fish, it must be returned to the water immediately after being caught. This will ensure that the fish has a “fighting chance” at survival.
The rules governing set lines sometimes trip up anglers. Every trot line, limb line, bank pole or other set lines must be plainly marked with the user’s full name and address. Labels must be legible and on a durable material. Each angler is limited to 33 hooks, and the lines must be checked by the angler at least every 24 hours.
Several anglers that know the laws pertaining to fishing many times try to push their luck, figuring they can talk their way out of a ticket with a slick alibi.
“I’m not fishing, I was just helping my children fish” or “This is the first time that I’ve been fishing all year.” These are common excuses used by an angler without a permit. Nothing upsets me more than a parent that uses a child for an alibi. What are they teaching their children about respect for the law? Never mind the fact that they are also teaching them how to lie.
“It’s only half an inch short of the length limit,” says the angler with an under sized bass. “Can’t you let it pass this time?” There is no way for a conservation agent to win in this situation. If we write a ticket, we are called “jerks” or probably something worse; if we let it slide, the angler will keep breaking the rules every time they go fishing.
My best advice to you is to read the rules and regulations before you go fishing, whether it is in the “Wildlife Code of Missouri,” or on the bulletin board at the lake. If you do this and understand the rules, then there shouldn’t be a reason for me to be a “jerk!”