FISH POSSESSION LIMIT

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Boehr, I have another question on possession limits. Is there a "possesion" limit on taking fish? The fishing guide has possession limits listed but is'nt this the daily limit. I know a Co. probably won't asked to check out my freezer without good cause but does this mean I have to consume a couple of walleye before I catch and keep more. Can I catch 6 walleyes on Monday and put them in the freezer,then go fishing on Friday and catch and keep 5 more. I am not trying to start an argument but the guide seems not to be clear on this.(Fred Trost material)

[boehr]

Everything is Fred's material :). On fish the daily limit is also the possession limit. If the fish are in the freezer who is in possession of them?

If the possession limit is 5, then that's all you can possess at one time.

There are exceptions, page one of the Inland Trout and Salmon Guide under "Definitions" you will see possession limit for coho, chinook or pink salmon you may have two (2) additional limits providing those addition limits meet certain conditions.

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Boehr, a lot of fisherman then are probably "technically" in violation of the possession law. I don't eat what I catch right away. I may freeze some for future use.(if I had a good day on the water) Now mind you I or probably most fisherman don't hoard fish but I am assuming most of us has more than the possession limit in our freezers.

Not to get to picky, but the limit on musky is one. Lets say someone has one mounted the old way(with the original skin). Is he still in possession? Just playing Fred.

[WALLEYE MIKE]

I just called one of my fishing buddies and he posed a question to me. Lets say you bought some walleye at the store and rewrapped and cleaned it one day and caught your limit the next day. How can a CO tell the differance or are you not in violation of the possession law?

As I recall, years ago the guide listed creel or daily limit. Did this change somewhere down the line? We have been fishing for 35 years and always went by daily limit.

The only reason for all these questions is for sake of argument(dicussion). I'm sure alot of others would like to know exactly what we can and cannot do.

I am not trying to back you into a corner with these questions but having only lets say 5 walleyes in your "possession" is quite small amount. I can see maybe 25 or 30 walleye or maybe 100 perch and not just 50. (I wish I could catch this many)

[boehr]

I understand what you are saying. The last fish digest I found that stated "Daily Catch or Possession Limit" was in 1993. These two numbers, daily catch and possession were still the same number, in fact it was listed in the same column. As far as the law changing, no, both the daily limit and possession limit where also the same number back in the 1943 digest. I have no objection to making the possession limit different from whatever the daily limit is, just as was done with salmon as I stated above but, it is my job to tell you what the law is and means to keep all of us from getting into a jam.

As far as the mounted question, if you had the fish in your freezer and just said your plans were to get in mounted, you might have a problem. If the mount is done, or at the taxidermist or if you do your own work and it is in the process then there is going to be no problem just because you are using the skin, it's still a mount not a fish at that point. Just like having a bunch of mounted deer, they don't count as part of what you harvested every year.

As far as buying from a store, that's easy enough to determine too upon a proper investigation.

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Thanks Boehr!!