Tube registration out of hand

[Bozwell]

I know this has been discussed before but I also know that we live in a fast changing world. Getting ready to plan our annual trip to southeastern Ohio and found out the the area we used to visit placed a 20/day limit on bluegill. not a huge deal but thought that we better see what else has changed since last year. Well.......after talking to a Watercraft Officer, it was discovered that the following law is in effect. 1) You must register a tube if it has more than 1 air chamber. 2) If it only has one air chamber, then it cannot be used on a State Park Lake. So I ask the officer, My Super Fat Cat has 1 inflatable air chamber as it's main and a separate back cell and a separate seat cell thus making it a 3 cell tube. He kinda himhawed around and said that he wasn't sure on how to interpret the law in that case. Also, you need a HIN to register. He said if you take the bladder out, a lot of times there will be a HIN# stamped on the bladder. (I never heard of that one but also never got to ask the question....what if it has no HIN?) At anyrate, he proceeded to tell me that there was legislature pending in OH to make tubes exempt from registration. He was a really straight up guy and a tube fisherman himself however, he only tube fishes in Michigan for Salmon where there are no such laws governing float tubes
.Just thought that I'd throw all this out there for those tubers in Ohio. My plan is to take a UBoat, a Togiak, and a Super Fat Cat over to their office and make them tell me which ones require a registration and which ones don't as well as which ones are ok for a State Park Lake and which ones are not. It shouldn't be this difficult. My Lord, we have people shooting each other, driving drunk, robbing stores, dealing drugs etc. Hell, I just want to go fishin' without getting hassled by anybody. They will need to give me an answer. (I hope LOL)
Boz
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[valley_sports]

Interesting. With all the issues facing the country it seems to me they would have much better things to be working on the this. I don't know of any other state where you have to register a float tube. Just another way to get a buck out of the angler.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000FF]Misunderstandings (ignorance) about how to treat float tubes has been around for many years. First of all, there are no numbers on air bladders on any tubes or toons I know of...and I know a few. He is shooting in the dark. States that require registration have the ability to issue a registration number in the absence of a hull number. It's just a silly computer entry thing.

And the air chamber regulation applies to dual chamber pontoons, etc...not to single bladder float tubes. That has been challenged elsewhere. The inflatable seats do not count as part of the floatation system for the craft. Otherwise, you could register it with foam seats and then put the inflated seats back in later. But with the foam seats there would be no other air chambers

STUPID.

Some states are ahead of others in knowing the drill with float tubes and pontoons. In fact, some states have gone way too far in restrictions and registrations...making it almost as difficult to own a float tube as owning a boat...especially if you put a motor on it.

My favorite "encounter" was in Colorado. As I was going through the entry gate of a small lake I was asked about my float tube in the back. I was told that I could only use it in the swimming area...not in the main lake. But I was also told that I could not use fish hooks there...because of the swimmers. Catch 22?
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[Bozwell]

Well, tried a change of venue to a State Park lake and called ahead to verify that we were good to go. Park ranger informed us that in the State of OH that each park can regulate its own rules in regards to watercraft. In this case, the lake that we had hoped to fish does not allow float tube fishing.
OK......I'm just about to move to another planet but....just so everyone knows, it's looking like the state of Ohio is NOT a tube friendly state. It's pretty much politics as usual. Watercraft Officers tell you one thing and the Division of Parks tell you another. Seems like another classic example of "your tax dollars at work"
If it sounds like I am unhappy, I guess that would be an understatement. I have respected the laws and taught all of my children to act responsibly and protect the wilderness as if it was their own. I have purchased hunting and fishing licenses in the State of Ohio and surrounding states since the early 70's along with trout stamps, waterfowl stamps etc.
But alas...rules are rules no matter how silly they may seem so if the State of Ohio doesn't want my money, Indiana and Michigan are only a short drive away.
Adios Buckeyes!
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