We recently had a discussion, on here, regarding how close one has to be to a setline. I reached out to the UDWR and I got the following reply, from Craig Walker, Assistant Chief of Fisheries Aquatics Section, (Note, the "Randy he refers to is Randy Oplinger, The Coldwater Sportfish Coordinator):
"Kent,
Randy and I sat down to go over the setline rule with a fine tooth comb. Although worded poorly, the intent of the rule actually is being interpreted correctly by our Law Enforcement personnel. We will be working to improve clarity in the wording so that the spirit of the rule is conveyed in our guidebook language starting in 2025 (the next guidebook modification cycle). For your information, we will specifically be modifying the following rule language:
"When fishing with a setline, the angler shall be within 100 yards of the surface or bank of the water being fished."
[font=Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol]
Our intent will be to modify this language so that the rule will be interpreted correctly by both anglers and our Law Enforcement personnel. Specifically, we will be clarifying "surface or bank" wording (i.e., the reworded rule will require setline anglers to remain within 100 yards of the water's edge at the waterbody where they are setline fishing). The final draft will go out for public comment during a May 2024 survey and we will assess public support for the modification at that time. Thanks for bringing our attention to this issue.
-Craig"[/font]
It should also be noted that the Guidebook also says, on Page 11, "While fishing, you must be within sight of the equipment you're fishing with (this distance cannot exceed 100 feet). The only exception to this rule is if you have a setline permit. Plese see page 13 for more information about fishing with a setline."
"Kent,
Randy and I sat down to go over the setline rule with a fine tooth comb. Although worded poorly, the intent of the rule actually is being interpreted correctly by our Law Enforcement personnel. We will be working to improve clarity in the wording so that the spirit of the rule is conveyed in our guidebook language starting in 2025 (the next guidebook modification cycle). For your information, we will specifically be modifying the following rule language:
"When fishing with a setline, the angler shall be within 100 yards of the surface or bank of the water being fished."
[font=Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol]
Our intent will be to modify this language so that the rule will be interpreted correctly by both anglers and our Law Enforcement personnel. Specifically, we will be clarifying "surface or bank" wording (i.e., the reworded rule will require setline anglers to remain within 100 yards of the water's edge at the waterbody where they are setline fishing). The final draft will go out for public comment during a May 2024 survey and we will assess public support for the modification at that time. Thanks for bringing our attention to this issue.
-Craig"[/font]
It should also be noted that the Guidebook also says, on Page 11, "While fishing, you must be within sight of the equipment you're fishing with (this distance cannot exceed 100 feet). The only exception to this rule is if you have a setline permit. Plese see page 13 for more information about fishing with a setline."