cgrand

if you have a box of snapper or other offshore fish, can you legally stop inside the 3 mile line on the way in and keep redfish? the reg pamphlet says that all fish transported/posessed in state waters are presumed to have been caught in state waters for regulatory purposes, and that posession of redfish in federal waters is prohibited.

but...how many people have ever been checked outside the 3 mile line? if i am interpreting this correctly, if you can make it inside the 3 mile line unmolested, then even if you caught them offshore, you are in the clear?

wouldn't it make more sense to presume that if you have snapper, etc on board, that all of your fish were caught offshore? that would be similar to the duck hunting regs against lead shot, where even though there are species that are open that you can take with lead, you can't have lead shot on board when duck season is open...

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Gmack

Chris,

You should be fine IF you catch your redfish in State Waters. DO NOT bring redfish in federal waters. 3 of my co-workers had to appear in federal court for possesing redfish in federal waters. The guys were busted in the ST 20's. I've been checked a few times in federal waters. If the platform you are fishing has an OCSG (Outer Continental Shelf - Gulf) number on the name placard you are in Federal waters. If the name placard has a S/L (State/Lease) number than you are in state waters.

Gary

bg2085

key word is POSSESSION of redfish in federal waters. as long as you POSSES redfish on the boat you better be in state waters....doesnt matter if you caught them in the marsh or not....if you posses redfish in federal waters you are violating the law. i learned this one of my first trips down about 6 years ago...caught a limit at sandypoint beaches at went out to some wd rigs.....wardens pulled up and asked what we had...man we were pumped we had a limit of reds (big time rookies at the time)..pulled out a couple of big ones and they burst out laughing. They knew we were so stupid we didnt even know. let us off with a warning and told us we better not come off the throttle til we get back in state waters.

cgrand

i understand what the law says about posession outside the line. what i don't understand is why this is an effective enforcement policy...

basically the law says as long as you are within 3 miles of the coastline, your fish become legal, even if you caught them illegally. how does that make any sense? think about the lead shot example i gave above...no matter what, you cannot posess lead shot while duck hunting or with ducks in field posession, even if you stop to shoot some rabbits on the way in. to me, this closes the loophole for anyone wanting to shoot ducks with lead shot.

thoughts?

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jtburf

If your GPS log can show you stayed in State Waters long enough to prove you caught the fish you "Should have proof" but I suggest you ask a Warden their opinion.


John

pisnapper

we get boarded and searched regularly off the louisiana coast by LAWLF agents as far out as 70 naut. miles-and they enforce every regulation they can imagine-even to say that a fish you released that that could not swim down is your fish-undersize or not!!!!!

qman

Have been boarded at ST-63 which is about 20 miles from Bell Pass.

A Few Dollars

yes

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That is crap.

Which idiot told you that CO2 only makes up 0.039% of the atmosphere?

RealScreamer69