Brickbat: The One That Got Away

Rob Scott says he may have caught a world-record trout while ice fishing on the Ontario side of Lac La Croix. The fish unofficially weighed in at 52 pounds, 3 ounces. But Scott will never be able to submit it for a record. When he brought it home to Minnesota, the Department of Natural Resources seized it on behalf of Ontario officials. Scott had already caught his limit, and that fish put him one over. He paid a $400 fine plus about $75 in court costs. Officials still have the fish.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

It sounds like, ultimately, it's Ontario officials' world record catch, eh?

[Snark Plissken]

Dey took ur fishes!

[Snark Plissken]

So I guess that's the one that got away?

[Rev Match]

How do they record the limit? Are officials out there with the fishermen? (I doubt it). In my experience, if you max out, but continue fishing and catch something bigger/better, you quietly toss one of your other catches back into the water. Or, in the case of Striper fishing in VA, you just make multiple trips out. (I realize that last thing would be impractical w/ ice fishing)

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Rockfish are unofficially known as brickfish around here. Fishermen keep the fish in a netted bag with a brick thrown over the side. Warden comes around, cut it loose. No fish, no legal problems.

[LiveFreeOrDiet]

I live on the Chesapeake shore, so when it comes to fishing I'm all about salt water. Here, the regs appear to be enforced on recreational fishermen mostly as a nuisance than real intent. They pile these things onto boater they see doing things they really don't approve of, like drinking or zooming through a no wake zone.

And I still think the 2 3/8" cull rings in crab pots are ludicrous. The crabs stay until the bait runs out, then leave by the regular entrances just fine.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

What end of the Bay are you on?

[LiveFreeOrDiet]

I'm on Virginia's middle peninsula. I look straight out on the bay. When Wallop's Island launches something I see it.

[CampingInYourPark]

In the Albemarle Sound(NC), game wardens typically sit at the major docks and inspect the catch when the boats come in during Striper season. Probably because there are seasonal quotas on Stripers I think they don't have in the Chesapeake.

[LiveFreeOrDiet]

No docks for me. I push my 14' bayjohn off the beach and tow it back up with the tractor.

[CampingInYourPark]

Nice. Have to admit I envy that a little.

[LiveFreeOrDiet]

It gets a little interesting when hurricanes blow through. We live in what looks like the second floor. The "first floor" is used as a garage and has the well pump, water softener, water heater, hvac and laundry. A house on stilts moves enough to feel even in a strong tropical storm. A Cat-2 hurricane can really make this little house vibrate!

[CampingInYourPark]

Went out fishing at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for Rock 3 times and never caught the first one. Damn disappointing after reading about how great the fishing is there. I've decided it's propaganda and couldn't possibly be a lack of fishing skill.

[LiveFreeOrDiet]

It's been years, but I never had much luck near the CBBT either. My most reliable Rockfish location is in Mobjack Bay. Another good spot is between Deltaville and Stove Point, and it's not half the distance.

[Pope Jimbo]

I have heard from friends who go winter camping in the BWCA (that is where Lac La Croix is), that the wardens will sometimes land a plane on the ice to check licenses and the catch of any fisherman they see out there.

I have been checked for licenses in the BWCA during summer trips there by park rangers. So it does happen.

I'm puzzled about how exactly he got caught too. Seems like if you had a potential world record, you would make sure to be extra legal, even if it meant dumping a fish.

[Pope Jimbo]

After reading the article, I think I know why he was busted. Because he ran afoul of a total technicality.

It says in the article that he was fishing with his nephew, so he thought that since they were licensed for a fish each, that they could bring home two fish. Turns out that the technicality is that since he caught both fish, that made him one over the limit.

I fish a lot, and I had no idea that that was a thing. I'm guessing that it is a Canadian twist on the law. I often fish with other people and I have never had anyone bring up the fact that we might be breaking the law if one of us caught 20 sunnies, and the other caught 10.

I get having game laws and using limits to manage the population of the game. However, if you sold licenses to two people and told them they could catch 2 fish, and they bring home two fish why is that a violation?

[Radioactive]

FYTW

[UnCivilServant]

Did the Canukistanis ask "What are we going to do with another trout?" becfore filleting and cooking it up?

[UnCivilServant]

Or by "Officals" do they mean the Minnesotans still have the fish?

[RishJoMo]

There is a dude that knows what time it is. Wow.

http://www.GotsDatAnon.tk

[CampingInYourPark]

/derp on
Fuck these welfare queen fisherman. You don't want your fishies taken away, buy your own lake!
/derp off

[Rich]

"No one can take away the fact that I pulled a 52-pound fish through a 10-inch hole ice fishing."

Ah, but is it a "fact" without the *fish*?

/Minnesota DNR

[Pope Jimbo]

I'm sure this un-fish is mounted and hung right next to his commemorative Final Four Gopher Men's Basketball trophy (the one they had to vacate because of academic cheating)

[Rich]

Final Four Gopher Men

Nice band name.

[Pope Jimbo]

Lac La Croix is right on the border. The US side is in the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA). The BWCA is kept ultra-primitive. No motorized traffic at all. You cannot bring in canned food. Great place to visit.

The Ontario side doesn't have the same restrictions. I have been on Lac La Croix multiple times and it takes a very hard day of paddling to make it there. Then you see the Canadian outfitters roar up in a motor boat and drop their clients off with some canoes so they can fish both sides of the lake (legal if you have a license for both sides). Sort of seems like cheating.

The fishing is fantastic on that lake though. I'm not surprised at all that he caught some monsters there.