Addtional question on banking ettiquette.

[hooknhunter]

The bank fishing ettiquette thread made me think about what I've done on numerous occasions and I'm wondering...... Am I breaking the law. If so, I will quit.

Here is an example. The other night I casted my line out into the water and put a bell on the end of the rod. The rod was about 10-15 feet at the most from where I was in the tent. During the night I heard the bell ringing, got up caught a fish, re-baited, and casted it back out. Does this qualify as legal by this definition:


[indent]Attendance of Fishing Gear: You must attend to your gear while fishing. This means being able to watch your rod at all times and be able to react to a potential strike.

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Is "watching" a visual act, or is it a figurative statement. If it is literally "watching at all times" as stated, then looking away while the rod is in your hand would be against the law. Trolling in a boat as a single person would also be against the law as you couldn't watch the rod and steer the boat appropriately "at all times". What do you guys think?
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[flygoddess]

I guess a difference in watching a rod and keeping one in sight is basically the same thing. I mean, you do blink. If you are sitting in a chair with a rod on each side of you, you are still within sight. But to have one and walk away to go to the bathroom or something else, to me is not right. Boils down to, are you fishing or just setting a trap.
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[hooknhunter]

FG,

How do you feel about my bell example. 1. Legal or not? 2. Right or not?
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[flygoddess]

Tough one cause I know several that use them. You can also look at it that you do eat the fish. Basically you are trapping, but you can only catch one at a time. What about blind people?
I want to go with legal. As I said you are only catching one fish at a a time, but you are not watching it.
If I was F&G I think I would be cool with it.
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[Duck-Slayer]

I believe legal, just cause of the fact that in your case you were actually close and attending too the rod/line realatively quick, and it was dark, who fishes from a boat in the dark trolling/casting.....
Matt
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[reservoir_dog]

I am no lawyer, but I think your statement hinges on "being able to ". It does not say that you "have to" be watching it at all times, but rather you have the ability to watch it at all times. I also think that if your bell were ringing in your example, and you had fallen asleep, and F&G just happened to walk by, you would probably get a ticket. Just my two coppers.
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[MMDon]

I've seen guys ticketed that were asleep when the F&G crept up in the dark. Probably depends on the mood of the officer but I think he could ticket you if you were in the tent and not out on the bank.
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