01-02-2006, 10:52 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Thanks Curt. To me, it is one of those laws that "you don't have to like, but you have to live with." [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A lot of anglers have difficulty understanding why it is not okay to share their catch...or to pass off a fish to someone who has not been lucky. Until I moved back to Utah, and read that in the Proclamation, I did not know that Utah had very specific regulations against it. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I grew up in a family where fishing and eating fish were an important part of our meager subsistence. We kept most of what we caught and ate what we kept. Whenever one family member caught more than they could use right away, the catch was shared among other family members.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Through the years, I have had a lot of "warm fuzzies" by not only showing kids how to fish, but sometimes by handing off a fish or two to take home to show the folks. I never insist that they tell who really caught the fish. That is legal in most states.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In our state, a great amount of time and resources goes into rearing and stocking fish for the enjoyment of all. Unfortunately, some fish slobs have a harvest mentality and try to find ways to get around the bag and possession limits. If they are good, and lucky, they can catch more than their own limits. If they want to keep fishing, they hand off fish to friends, family members or even other fishermen they do not know. They have a good time and catch lots of fish, but they are "over-using" their share of the resource. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I personally, would rather see the laws a bit less restrictive, however it needed to be done. I have trouble with not being able to hand off an injured fish, that I will not use, to someone else. I also have trouble with being prevented from sharing part of my LEGAL bag and possession limit (say 10 perch on Rockport), with a nice old guy (like myself) who really wanted a fish fry but got there too late for the bite.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yep. Like all laws and regulations, it is hard to draw them up so that they address every potential situation, without pinching someone in the process. The important thing is to thoroughly read and understand the Proclamation, and to get a clear explanation of anything about which you are not sure. That makes for better sport for all of us, and helps "keep the innocent innocent" (like they say about locks). [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As we have discussed before on this board, some of the laws are subject to interpretation, at the time, by the investigating officer. It is often up to them how they translate the law, pertinent to the case at hand, and how they choose to act upon it. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I hope this does not turn into a big tirade, but I also hope that it encourages everyone to spend some more time reading the regulations and being sure they do not inadvertantly violate a law. It can not only be embarassing, but costly.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A lot of anglers have difficulty understanding why it is not okay to share their catch...or to pass off a fish to someone who has not been lucky. Until I moved back to Utah, and read that in the Proclamation, I did not know that Utah had very specific regulations against it. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I grew up in a family where fishing and eating fish were an important part of our meager subsistence. We kept most of what we caught and ate what we kept. Whenever one family member caught more than they could use right away, the catch was shared among other family members.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Through the years, I have had a lot of "warm fuzzies" by not only showing kids how to fish, but sometimes by handing off a fish or two to take home to show the folks. I never insist that they tell who really caught the fish. That is legal in most states.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In our state, a great amount of time and resources goes into rearing and stocking fish for the enjoyment of all. Unfortunately, some fish slobs have a harvest mentality and try to find ways to get around the bag and possession limits. If they are good, and lucky, they can catch more than their own limits. If they want to keep fishing, they hand off fish to friends, family members or even other fishermen they do not know. They have a good time and catch lots of fish, but they are "over-using" their share of the resource. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I personally, would rather see the laws a bit less restrictive, however it needed to be done. I have trouble with not being able to hand off an injured fish, that I will not use, to someone else. I also have trouble with being prevented from sharing part of my LEGAL bag and possession limit (say 10 perch on Rockport), with a nice old guy (like myself) who really wanted a fish fry but got there too late for the bite.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yep. Like all laws and regulations, it is hard to draw them up so that they address every potential situation, without pinching someone in the process. The important thing is to thoroughly read and understand the Proclamation, and to get a clear explanation of anything about which you are not sure. That makes for better sport for all of us, and helps "keep the innocent innocent" (like they say about locks). [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As we have discussed before on this board, some of the laws are subject to interpretation, at the time, by the investigating officer. It is often up to them how they translate the law, pertinent to the case at hand, and how they choose to act upon it. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I hope this does not turn into a big tirade, but I also hope that it encourages everyone to spend some more time reading the regulations and being sure they do not inadvertantly violate a law. It can not only be embarassing, but costly.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE.[/#0000ff]
[signature]