Fish-Hawk.Net

hi guys,
I was talking to my uncle about a month ago about pike and musky fishing in the summer, and he told me that you HAVE to buy a sporting license to fish for muskies. I had never heard of this before, and honestly don`t believe he<s right, but just in case I want to make sure that I wont get tagged with a fine for fishing them with a conservation sticker.

it's bullsh1t
wish i knew who started this weird rumor

assuming you are talking about Ontario, here is a quote from the regs:

The holder of a Conservation Fishing Licence Tag must quickly and carefully live release all muskellunge, Atlantic salmon and aurora trout.

see page 4 of the regs available here:
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Le ... 63615.html


To be moooore specific:http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume ... 198219.pdf

To be safe I spend the extra 8$ and get the sporting lic.....divide that by 30 musky trips a year...it's quite affordable

To be safe I spend the extra 8$ and get the sporting lic

crud, I guess my last post was unclear, or you are just looking to leave room to keep a musky now and then.

just in case my post was unclear, I'll try to clarify better.

lets say you want to fish in Zone 18 for Musky, so you look in the regs, and you see this

Species:
Muskellunge

Open Season:
1st Sat. in June to Dec. 15

Limits:
S - 1; must be greater than 91 cm (36 in.)
C - 0

The Limits section show that someone who has a sport license has a catch and possession limit of 1 fish. it also shows that someone with a conservation license has a catch and possession limit of 1.


here is the definition of catch and possession Page 7


Catch and Possession Limits – The catch limit is the number of fish you are allowed to catch and keep in one day and includes fish that are not immediately released and any fish eaten or given away. The possession limit is the number you are allowed to have in your possession on hand, in cold storage, in transit, or anywhere. Possession limits are the same as one day’s catch limit except where otherwise specified.[/url]

To be safe I spend the extra 8$ and get the sporting lic

crud, I guess my last post was unclear, or you are just looking to leave room to keep a musky now and then.

just in case my post was unclear, I'll try to clarify better.

lets say you want to fish in Zone 18 for Musky, so you look in the regs, and you see this

Species:
Muskellunge

Open Season:
1st Sat. in June to Dec. 15

Limits:
S - 1; must be greater than 91 cm (36 in.)
C - 0

The Limits section show that someone who has a sport license has a catch and possession limit of 1 fish. it also shows that someone with a conservation license has a catch and possession limit of 0.


here is the definition of catch and possession Page 7 of the regs (pdf)


Catch and Possession Limits – The catch limit is the number of fish you are allowed to catch and keep in one day and includes fish that are not immediately released and any fish eaten or given away.

The possession limit is the number you are allowed to have in your possession on hand, in cold storage, in transit, or anywhere. Possession limits are the same as one day’s catch limit except where otherwise specified.



so with a conservation license in Ontario you are defintely allowed to practice catch and release with Musky.

miker wrote:To be safe I spend the extra 8$ and get the sporting lic

crud, I guess my last post was unclear, or you are just looking to leave room to keep a musky now and then.

just in case my post was unclear, I'll try to clarify better.

lets say you want to fish in Zone 18 for Musky, so you look in the regs, and you see this

Species:
Muskellunge

Open Season:
1st Sat. in June to Dec. 15

Limits:
S - 1; must be greater than 91 cm (36 in.)
C - 0

The Limits section show that someone who has a sport license has a catch and possession limit of 1 fish. it also shows that someone with a conservation license has a catch and possession limit of 0.


here is the definition of catch and possession Page 7 of the regs (pdf)


Catch and Possession Limits – The catch limit is the number of fish you are allowed to catch and keep in one day and includes fish that are not immediately released and any fish eaten or given away.

The possession limit is the number you are allowed to have in your possession on hand, in cold storage, in transit, or anywhere. Possession limits are the same as one day’s catch limit except where otherwise specified.



so with a conservation license in Ontario you are defintely allowed to practice catch and release with Musky.

Hmmm...so if your "Catch and Possession Limits – The catch limit is the number of fish you are allowed to catch and keep in one day" and your "catch and posession limit" under a conservation license is "0" then one could tend to assume that you are not permitted to target Muskies with a conservation license and that this quote "The holder of a Conservation Fishing Licence Tag must quickly and carefully live release all muskellunge, Atlantic salmon and aurora trout" could refer to incidental catches.

Kind of a grey area depending on your interpretation, might be safe to just spend the extra buck on the sport licence...it all goes back to the fishery anyways.

..."Catch and Possession Limits – The catch limit is the number of fish you are allowed to catch and keep in one day" and your "catch and posession limit" under a conservation license is "0" then one could tend to assume that you are not permitted to target Muskies with a conservation license....

it seems unambiguous to me The catch limit is the number of fish you are allowed to catch and keep in one day

the catch limit only refers to the number of fish that you keep.


Kind of a grey area depending on your interpretation, might be safe to just spend the extra buck on the sport licence...it all goes back to the fishery anyways.

I defintely agree that you may as well just get the sport license...as you say, it all goes to the fishery. and especially for musky fishing...the extra ~$10 per year is a small drop in the bucket compared to what we probably spend chasing them.

I was just trying to show that according to the rules, you are allowed to go after them with a conservation license.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Le ... index.html

C/P Here:

The catch and possession limit for muskellunge is zero (0) if I have a Conservation Fishing Licence. Does this mean I can't fish for this species?
Not at all. A catch limit is the number of a species that you are allowed to catch and keep in one day. (A possession limit is the total number of a species that you are allowed to have in your possession on hand, in cold storage, in transit and so on.)

As long as you immediately live release any zero (0) limit fish you catch during the open season you may legally fish for them using a Conservation Fishing Licence.

This holds true for such species as muskellunge, Atlantic salmon and aurora trout. Immediate live release is the key.

However, those who fish for muskellunge with a Conservation Fishing Licence should understand and be prepared to deal with the fact that occasionally muskellunge are injured beyond being able to be successfully live released. What would you do with the fish if it could not swim away?

Or, what would you do as the angler if you caught the world record muskie (something that is quite possible in several Ontario waterbodies) on a Conservation Fishing Licence? It would have to be released.

For these reasons and others, most ardent muskellunge anglers purchase the Sport Fishing Licence. The added bonus is that their licence dollars can help improve future muskellunge fisheries.

muskymatt wrote:Hmmm...so if your "Catch and Possession Limits – The catch limit is the number of fish you are allowed to catch and keep in one day" and your "catch and posession limit" under a conservation license is "0" then one could tend to assume that you are not permitted to target Muskies with a conservation license and that this quote "The holder of a Conservation Fishing Licence Tag must quickly and carefully live release all muskellunge, Atlantic salmon and aurora trout" could refer to incidental catches.

Kind of a grey area depending on your interpretation, might be safe to just spend the extra buck on the sport licence...it all goes back to the fishery anyways.

Targeting fish is relevant only with respect to the "Open Season". If they don't want people to target fish, they will keep the season closed year round, as is the case with lake sturgeon.

It is illegal to attempt to catch fish for which the season is closed, even if you are going to release them. Fish accidentally caught during the closed season must be immediately released back to the water.

For a catch limit of zero (0) the regs state:

If the limit is zero, anglers may practise catch and release only, and any fish caught must be released immediately back into the water in a manner that does not harm the fish.

With respect to the musky anglers, given the size limit restrictions for keeping a fish, that majority of the time they will have to release the fish in a manner that does not harm the fish. Regardless of the license you're fishing under, I'm sure the COs would write up anyone that was not practicing catch and release in an ethical manner.

I was just trying to show that according to the rules, you are allowed to go after them with a conservation license.

Absolutely!! But it is a gray area, imagine posing for pics with your fish of a lifetime getting ready for a release and Mr.CO rolls up on set after a fight with the missus and believes you are in possesion rather than "quickly releasing".....

2 personal opinions...1. Pay the extra for piece of mind that you aren't doing anything illegal...2.Release em all.

IgglesD wrote:But it is a gray area, imagine posing for pics with your fish of a lifetime getting ready for a release and Mr.CO rolls up on set after a fight with the missus and believes you are in possesion rather than "quickly releasing".....

2 personal opinions...1. Pay the extra for piece of mind that you aren't doing anything illegal...2.Release em all.

Taking a photo is no problem. It's even mentioned in the MNR section on "Tips on Live Release of Fish".

7. If you want to take a picture, be ready ahead of time. Hold the fish in a horizontal position supporting its weight with your arm and hands, and take pictures quickly, minimizing the time the fish is out of water.

This topic has been brought up and beat up many, many times..... Just buy the regular license, remove any doubt and give the MNR a little extra coin.....they sure could use it.