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Weedygarden

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https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-ra...80-walleye-more-than-5-times-legal-limit.html

GRAND RAPIDS
Three West Michigan men caught with 80 walleye, more than 5 times legal limit
Posted Apr 19, 2019
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Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jaime Salisbury is pictured with 80 walleye that were poached from the Detroit River Thursday, April 18. (Courtesy: Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
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By John Tunison | [email protected]

DETROIT, MI -- Three greater Grand Rapids area men were caught poaching walleye from the Detroit River and had 80 fish in a vehicle, more than five times the legal daily limit

State Department of Natural Resources conservation officers stopped a vehicle on I-96 in Ingham County using information from a tip.

The three men were identified as a a 28-year-old from Byron Center, a 38-year-old from Allendale and a 30-year-old from Jenison.

Officers said the men admitted to fishing the Detroit River earlier in the day and catching too many fish. In fact, they had 80 walleye when the daily limit is five per day for each person.

Someone who was aware of the men and their fishing trip called the state’s Report All Poaching hotline and gave a description of their vehicle.

Conservation officers Peter Purdy and Jaime Salisbury began patrolling I-96 and eventually located a vehicle that matched the description. They made a traffic stop after the driver failed to use a turn signal while changing lanes.

The officers then asked the men to “be honest” about their catch. The driver admitted “too many.”

All three men received tickets for being over the legal limit on fish and the driver received an additional citation for the lane-change violation.

An Ingham County judge is expected to decide later whether the men should lose their fishing licences and their financial penalty. Generally, the fine is $10 per pound of illegally caught fish.
 
In Washington and Oregon they have removed all restrictions on Walleye, Bass, and Channel Catfish in the Columbia River. Catch and keep as many, of any size you can if you really want to clean them all..
The reasoning is they eat Salmon and Steelhead fry so they are not wanted. My best trip 2 of us caught and kept 45 fish in one day and we threw back everything under 18". We stocked our freezers.
Poachers should receive the maximum fines every time one is caught.
The state can and has taken guns, boats and trucks from poachers when they catch them illegally hunting or fishing.
 
I have fished one place where daily limits had unique rules. Core Banks on the Outer Banks of NC.

NC limit for Red Drum is slot, between 18” and 27”, one per day.

On Core banks it is different. You can have as many in your possession as the time between your ferry trips. The only access to the island is ferry. Round trip ticket only. Most stay a few days to a week at a time. Very few day trippers there. There are no 7 11’s, if you didn’t bring it, you do without. There was a water station by the ferry dock, that is the extent of supplies out there.

So you can go two or three days without catching a slot keeper then catch several in one day, and keep them. Same with Flounder, Trout or any other game fish with a limit.

I have never even seen a game warden out there, but everyone I have ever met out there would abide by the rules. I would go for a week at a time, camping in the Beach Unit. Keeping 7 fish for a week is not practicible. We mostly ate them as we went. A slot Drum is a lot of fish to eat for one person. I would toss them back and keep mullet, flounder, blues and such for cooking while there. Last day of the trip find a school and catch 7 nice upper slot to bring home.

So ‘technically’ we would be breaking the rules by having more than one fish in our possession when we got off the ferry. By Core Bank rules, it was fine. I had never been stopped or questioned, but if you had the ferry ticket and were within Core Bank limits, you were good to go.
 
In Washington and Oregon they have removed all restrictions on Walleye, Bass, and Channel Catfish in the Columbia River. Catch and keep as many, of any size you can if you really want to clean them all..
The reasoning is they eat Salmon and Steelhead fry so they are not wanted. My best trip 2 of us caught and kept 45 fish in one day and we threw back everything under 18". We stocked our freezers.
Poachers should receive the maximum fines every time one is caught.
The state can and has taken guns, boats and trucks from poachers when they catch them illegally hunting or fishing.
That is great that you can catch as much as you want.

I agree that poachers should receive the maximum fine and other penalties. I think we live in a time where many people are not rule followers and do what they want and do so unless or until they get caught for not following the rules. I know that does stop some. Watch a few episodes of Judge Judy and you will see that.

Walleye are highly sought after for fishing and for eating. I know a grocery store that received a shipment of 50 pounds of frozen walleye in North Dakota. They wrapped it up in smaller packages, marked it for sale and put it out into the freezer case. One person came in and bought the whole lot of it. They probably stocked their freezer at home and had walleye every week until it was gone.

Pheasant hunting is big in South Dakota. I know someone who went to get their pheasant license one year and then went on a hunting trip with friends. On the way back to the city, hunters were being pulled over. They thought they were good, except they weren't. Evidently, you had to have a small game license as well. When they went to buy their pheasant license, they didn't realize they needed the additional license and the person selling the pheasant license didn't ask nor inform them. They lost their birds and their ability to hunt pheasants, I believe for 5 years. There may have been more penalties, but I am not sure. I know one of those people has never gone hunting again.
 
When we were at Yellowstone we were told there was one fish it was illegal to throw back in the lake. I don't remember which one, I don't like fish so I wasn't really paying attention.

ETA... Hubby said it was all lake trout. If caught the had to be killed.
 

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