Willard with question?

[icesore]

Went bowfishing for carp yesterday between football games. Punched seven carp. While shooting at the last group of slurpers I missed the carp and some how hit a CATFISH. Unsure of what to do I let it go. Is it legal to keep or is it illegal to waste??? Maybe both? Since august over 100 carp punched and even better been checked twice by F&G. Super glad to see them out writing tickets!
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Hmm - that's a tough one. Another of those where you have conflicting rules at play. How badly was the kitty poked? They're pretty tough, but not zombie creatures like carp.

But I've heard of that happening before. In fact a guy shot through a carp and into a cat. Hate to see a nice kitty go to waste. As for wasting all those carp - good job man!

I've come to realize that all those mud-clouds and hump-back waves I stir up getting into some of my favorite spots are a mix of carp and cats. So - good chance on "missing the target".

Sometimes you just gotta as the DNR, but even then - might come down to interpretation.
Like the regs on a community pond. Say you go fishing on the river, and catch a couple fish, THEN you go to a CP with a 2fish limit. Can you catch two fish there and be within the Utah 4-trout limit, or can you only be in possession of two fish at the CP?
I was checked by a pair of incognito officers once at a CP, raised the question, and led them into a debate.

[NROguy]

I is pretty clear in the guide book if they are in your possession.

Bag and possession limits

Residents and nonresidents who are under 12 years of age may fish without a license and take a full bag and possession limit.
In Utah, the bag and possession limits for fishing are the same. For example, once you’ve harvested a limit of trout, you cannot harvest any more trout until you’ve consumed or donated at least some of the trout you’ve harvested. So, if you eat one trout, you can harvest one more the next day; if you eat a full limit, you can harvest a full limit the next day.
When calculating your bag and possession limit, please remember the following rules:
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• You may not fish at waters that have a specific bag or size limit if you possess fish in violation of that limit. For example, if the cutthroat trout limit at a river you’d like to fish is two cutthroats, and you harvested three cutthroats earlier that day at another water, you can’t fish at that river until you consume at least one of the cutthroats you harvested earlier. You may continue to fish while in possession of a full limit, but you must immediately release any additional fish you catch.

Hope this helps.
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[icesore]

Suprised me being that close to shore. The gut shot catfish was about 17 inches. I prefer to side with caution even when common sense tells me other.
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[SkunkedAgain]

So what is the answer on the catfish? When I was a youth bow fishing for carp I stuck a bass in with the spawning carp and I did the same thing releasing it but I was afraid it would die even though I was just using target tips at the time. I assumed it was like snagging a fish in the tail you have to release them right? Thanks for the clarification. J
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Appreciate your input, but I don't know that it's that simple.

Say you catch two trout on the river, then come to a community pond and catch a catfish? Now you're mixing apples and oranges?
Or if you catch a bass on the river, then come to a community pond that does not hold bass - so there's no questions they did not come from there?

If it were that cut and dry, don't think I would have had the two DNR officers caught up in such a heated debate. Bottom line was they were there to check licenses, and asked if I'd seen anything sketchy. Which I had (dad hooks a fish, grabs a kid - shoves the rod in their hand - "lather rinse repeat" and fills a stringer in short time. All it took was having a half dozen kids handy). So who caught the fish - the one who cast, and hooked, or the one who landed it?

I will say - anytime I've met DNR officers, they've been very courteous and I for one appreciate their efforts. Just wish they could be at the right place at the right time.
Though I've yet to have a catch or bait collection checked.

[Fishrmn]

The limit at community fisheries is 2 fish total, any combination of species. That doesn't mean that if you catch 2 trout at a nearby water, you can keep anything from the community fishery. It doesn't mean you can now keep a bass or two, or a catfish or two because you caught the trout somewhere else. There is often a lack of understanding. Even among DWR personnel. There are still a lot of folks who think that the law was changed a few years ago to allow you to continue to fish, while in possession of a limit. It didn't change, hasn't changed, and probably won't change. It was clarified. It was always legal, just misunderstood by a lot of people.
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[hogstalker]

I would like the community pond rule changed to read
possession limit of two game fish. And maybe six non -game fish. I recently got into some chubs at a local pond and wanted to keep them for bait but I didn't dare because the limit rule does not specify weather you can keep more than two non-game fish
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[Fishrmn]

There is either a zero limit, or a no limit on non-game fish. If they are on the list of Prohibited fish, the limit is zero. If they aren't on the list of prohibited fish, there is no limit. The regulation for community fisheries should specify two game fish, but I would argue that it is implied, as there is no limit on non-protected, non-game fish. There would be no reason to limit the number of non-game fish taken.
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[DKStroutfitter]

I think that you can keep all the non game fish that you want at a Community Pond now. A few years ago the word aggregate was used in the Community Pond bag limit. According to the DWR folks that I have talked to, this meant any combination of fish, game and non game.
The rule changed when the limit was lowered from 4 fish to 2 fish. Now non game fish don't count in your limit at a Community Pond.
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