New 2008 "Cusk" Rule for NH

[Riverat]

Just in case anyone missed it, I thought I would post.

pg 16, 2008 NH Fishing Digest

• The use of cusk fishing devices is restricted to the following
waters: First Connecticut Lake (Pittsburg), Second Connecticut
Lake (Pittsburg), Third Connecticut Lake (Pittsburg), Lake Francis
(Pittsburg), Newfound Lake (Bristol, Alexandria, Bridgewater,
Hebron), Silver Lake (Madison), Big Squam Lake (Holderness,
Center Harbor, Sandwich, Moultonboro), Little Squam Lake
(Holderness, Ashland), South Pond (Stark), Sunapee Lake
(Newbury, New London, Sunapee), Lake Winnipesaukee (Alton,
Center Harbor, Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, Moultonboro,
Tuftonboro, Wolfeboro), and Winnisquam Lake (Belmont,
Sanbornton, Laconia, Tilton, Meredith).

[duck doctor]

That is great news!  Thanks for posting the info. I have not been able to get my hands on an '08 law book.

[Riverat]

Here's a link,

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/Fishing_PDFs/FW_Fishing_Digest_08.pdf

[Wakefieldfisher]

I've been cusk fishing lovell lake in sanbornville for 35 years. It's illegal now?

[jgguppyboy2]

Yeah  and merrymeeting lake has some ok cusk fishing too.  I can see changes coming to this rule very soon.

                    ~Stefan~

[knurren]

I started a new thread with a complete list of the '08 rule changes as per NHFG.

[RIfish]

can you fish cuck in alton bay?

[duck doctor]

can you fish cuck in alton bay?

It is written right in the law change:

"Lake Winnipesaukee (Alton,
Center Harbor, Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, Moultonboro,
Tuftonboro, Wolfeboro)"

[hamadog]

The reason they change the law to spell out which lakes you can fish is because people were fishing with cusk lines on lakes that either don't have any or have a limited supply.

[Riverat]

So could I interpit this to mean if I catch a cusk on a regular tip up during the day in a lake that is not listed, is this considered ok or illegal?

[hamadog]

The way I read it is as long as you dont use a cusk fishing device and you catch one on a tip-up you shold be safe.

[cSpike]

I think I read before that if you catch a cusk by jigging you are supposed to release it too.
Spike

[Riverat]

This is the definition of a "Cusk Fishing device" out of the digest.

"Cusk fishing device: A device for storing line in a manner which
is not free-running and is securely attached to the device and to which
is attached a sinker, weighing at least one ounce, not more than 6
inches above, and independent of, an attached single hook for bait.
The weight must rest on the bottom of the lake."

So I would think that if I was fishing on Lovell Lake for instance and pulled up a Cusk on a tip up during the day, I would not have done anything wrong. ???right

[hamadog]

Riverat In my opinion your right. If F&G wanted to stop the taking of cusk in all the other lakes they would of just spelled it out. The would of just said no taking of cusk from any body of water with the exception of whatever lakes they wanted to list. They are not trying to stop cusk being taken via tip-up or jigging in ponds that may have some cusk in them. They are trying to stop people from putting in cusk lines in lakes that don't have any cusk in them. This being either out of not having the knowledge of what lakes hold cusk in them or knowing and just wanting extra lines in at night. I think they have put in all the lakes that have a good population of cusk in them and if there are some left out they may want the number of catches reduced in those bodies of water.

[knurren]

I agree that as the regulations are stated, it appears they are only trying to limit cusk devices to prime cusk waters.  I see no regulations that directly state or imply that cusk are only to be taken by a cusk device.  I'm not sure why they felt the need to specifically list waters where you can use a cusk device, but my guess would be that some were using cusk devices as a way to target other fish to get around the 2 trap limit imposed on some lakes.

[Wakefieldfisher]

It seems short sighted to limit the lakes legal to cusk fish in. I know of many life long fisherman that fish lovell and merrymeeting lakes for cusk. How many fish are taken on lakes that don't have  cusk when you're fishing with one oz. sinkers on bottom? It's not legal to keep them anyway on a cusk line. Lets enforce the laws on the book, and not screw the fisherman that live close to traditional cusk lakes.

[nhtroutfreak]

I agree wakefieldfisher.  More laws lead to more laws.  Enforce the ones we have now so we won't need 6gb of hard drive storage for the fishing digest when it comes out.

[thefinlessbrown]

well my opinion is the new regulations of water bodies SUCKS !!!when i started fishing the derby (rotary)the lake i fished was a six tip up lake with six cusk lines then it made it on the list of rotary stocked lakes which i have yet to see any evidence of and immediatly got bumped down to two tip ups if that wasn't bad enough now we can't fish for cusk either what the hell is the reason for this i wanna know !!!!!!!!! there are cusk in the lake no question about it we caught one about7 years ago that took second for the weekend and first for saturday hell yeah i'm pissed off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Riverat]

There is also no Cusk Fishing allowed on waters bordering Maine

[KissMyBassNH]

I think I read before that if you catch a cusk by jigging you are supposed to release it too.
Spike

im almost positive your allowed to jig for cusk and catch them on tip ups anywhere that holds them

[nhtroutfreak]

im almost positive your allowed to jig for cusk and catch them on tip ups anywhere that holds them

Yes, Stefan verified this last year with a Conservation Officer.  You can jig for cusk.

[duck doctor]

Yes, Stefan verified this last year with a Conservation Officer.  You can jig for cusk.

Not only can you jig for cusk, but you can still have your six lines down while jigging for cusk.

[KissMyBassNH]

well my opinion is the new regulations of water bodies SUCKS !!!when i started fishing the derby (rotary)the lake i fished was a six tip up lake with six cusk lines then it made it on the list of rotary stocked lakes which i have yet to see any evidence of and immediatly got bumped down to two tip ups if that wasn't bad enough now we can't fish for cusk either what the hell is the reason for this i wanna know !!!!!!!!! there are cusk in the lake no question about it we caught one about7 years ago that took second for the weekend and first for saturday hell yeah i'm **censored** off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and i caught one at the same lake with finless brown two years ago ..there in there

[thefinlessbrown]

well that would all be good and beleivable if the lake i fished wasn't prime cusk waters !!!! and i don't beleive that all should pay the price for a few bad apples either !!!!!!!punish the offenders not everyone

[duck doctor]

Two years ago we had a guy on a lake that walked onto the ice one morning before daylight. He walked out to his shack mess around for about 15 minutes and walked back off the ice with a 19lb laker.  The witnesses that gave written statements said that they never heard an auger or a spud hit the ice. They never saw him even set a trap either.  Close friends of this gentleman have said that he leaves a cusk line in over night under his house.  This gentleman was under investigation for the rest of the season. The c/o's spent many nights on the ice waiting to catch this guy. They never did.  This particular lake is 50 miles from any cusk.

The end result of the investigation......the y "know" he caught the laker on a cusk line/set line of some kind. They can not prove it though.  This particular gentleman now fishes during the week only.  He does not talk to anyone, not even a hello. He also keeps his sled covered up so you can not see what is inside if you get close to him.

It is the law breakers that have caused many of your fees to go up and new laws to be written.

[knurren]

I'm pretty sure that hearings are open to the public when some of these laws are considered.  Also, it doesn't take much time to write a letter or call the Fish & Game to express your grievances.  If they missed adding a good cusk lake to the list, maybe that fact needs to be brought to their attention.  I understand your frustration, but if they don't know about it, there's not much they can do.

[KissMyBassNH]

the group with finless brown caught a nice laker on a cusk line to...u just have to let em go.
if someone wasnt to let the fish go, there breaking the law and know they are.

some people just dont care about the fishing laws ..me and a couple friends were out on winni last year ..walked around to different peoples houses, stoped to see hoe they were doing ..this one guys bobhouse had a lock from the inside witch is illegall and also had a nice salmon wrapped up and hidden in a bag that he was just about to cook up.
people are going to break the law and theres not much anyone can do about it,

makeing new laws, that screw us guys that obey them is not helping one bit in my opinion...whats next registier our augers?
!@$# Fish and Game!

[duck doctor]

this one guys bobhouse had a lock from the inside witch is illegal

Where is this "lock" law? I have never heard of it and every house I have has a lock on the inside to keep the door from blowing open.  Can you give me a page number in the digest to reference?

[huntr-]

Yeah,I would like to know about this so called lock law. I have never heard of it . I lock my door from the inside so the wind doesn't rip off the door ! Does anyone else know anything about this ?

[Riverat]

Only "lock law" that I know is from the laws of nature, "lock thy door, else the wind whilts rippeth off"