Rockfish... catch in "open" area... bring back to closed area.. ??? The Rules ???

[rob-kayak]

Rockfish... catch in "open" area... bring back to closed area.. ??? The Rules ???

So.. like... what happens... or how would I prove it.. show my GPS track ?

I definitely wouldn't even try to keep a fish in a closed area... but if I venture to the open area...
and thusly come back to port in the closed area...

thanks...

[dsiekman]

Can't help you, but that's a great question! For example, if you launch at Jonas Green on the Severn to paddle out to the mouth, how do you prove you caught the fish legally if asked? Possibly more challenging, what if you were fishing in both areas?

[Salty Dog]

That is a tough one, but logic states unless you can prove you caught it in the open area, its not worth getting caught in a closed area.

[Memory Maker]

You get caught with 1 in a closed area ........... Good Luck!! ......... you'll probably be telling it to the judge and there is alot of pressure on them to levy substantial penalties with all of the emphasis on poaching and stuff ......... best to launch and fish in the open areas

[YakCapn]

I thought about that last weekend, but I ended up deciding not to keep any anyway. I never caught a legal size one so it was a moot point. I launched on the Rhode River which is technically catch and release only, but its a short distance to the mouth of the Bay where it is legal. A boat has to launch from somewhere and there are lots of marinas on catch and release only rivers. It would be interesting to hear the DNR's position on this.

[rob-kayak]

After thinking about it a little bit.. my camera has GPS on it... so taking a picture with the GPS coordinates on it
would prove that I was in an open area... and also some scenery in the background would also prove the location.

Well... I only catch fish with dumb luck... but then it would be my dumb luck to catch a keeper in an open location
to be scrutinized in a closed area.

And yes.. many marinas and boats are coming in and out of closed areas.

I did have some good dumb luck out at Beverly-Triton last Saturday, and enjoyed meeting a few other yakers.
So my "skunk" for 2015 ended... but no dinner yet to bring home.
Hopefully the spot will be nice and big again this year and the croakers start showing up !

[skinnywater]

I can see where a yaker could have a problem here. One thing for sure, do not Stop and fish in a closed area with an open water fish in the box. Return directly to your launch site catching a fish in open water and returning to closed area launch or dock site is a normal deal here. besides the odds of catching a 28 in rock in most western shore rivers are quite slim. Not impossible but rare indeed.

[Slobber Bob]

Good question since many launches and marines are in closed areas but very close to the open fishing areas. I don't think I know what's legal in that situation? It's been many years since I've bothered to fish the bay during trophy season so I haven't followed the regs closely. I think skinnywater offers good advice though - certainly don't stop in the closed area to fish if you have a keeper on board.

There are similar, but slightly different, situations and I know they defer to where you launch. Examples are if you launch in one state, fish in another, and they have different regulations, you better follow the regulations for the state you launched in. Example, DE tog is closed in June but MD is open. I can't launch out of DE to fish ocean structure in MD and return to DE with a bunch of tog.

Another I can think of is the Coastal and Chesapeake regulations aren't always the same in VA for a particular species. Striper regulations for example are different between the ocean and bay. So if I launch out of Wise Point in the Eastern Shore NWR, which is coastal regulations for stripers (1 @ 28"), then go under the CBBT into the Chessy where I can legally keep 2 stripers - one of which can be under 28", I better not have more than 1 and it better be at least 28" when I get back to the launch.

I guess a quick call to DNR, or reading through the reg book, would find the quick answer.

[RavensDfense]

I have a close friend who is a DNR officer in MD. Ill give him a call and check into it.

[ES Fisherman]

Not an issue at all. If you catch a fish in the open area you can't fish in the closed area with it on board. Most of the boaters keeping fish come out of the closed rivers.


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[archeryrob]

If you catch a fish and keep it in a open area, DO NOT come back and still fish in a closed area or troll on the way back. Most other boats have to return in closed areas also as most boat ramps are there. So you just paddle/peddle through the closed area. If you have a fish and get caught fishing in a closed area, they will write you a ticket. If you are just paddling to the ramp, I would assume you would be fine.

[RavensDfense]

+1 on the recent posts. I spoke with The Man and he said that he cannot ticket someone for simply being in a closed area with a fish because you could have legally caught the fish in a permitted area before returning. With that said, he recommended you do not fish in the closed/C&R area on the way back in.