Unattendance tickets

[SLAYERFISH]

     I would just like to see some indication that we're being listened to! I'd like to know how leaving a tip up that has your name and address on it on the ice overnight is a harm to the fishery. 

if you gut-hook under-sized fish it's a harm!

[meandcuznalfy]

if you gut-hook under-sized fish it's a harm!

X2,  burbot on tipups are notorious for not tripping flags, need to be checked often to not gut hook small ones

[Hillsfisher]

Today I fished the afternoon.  Got to the lake and no one was in the area that I wanted to fish.  Tracks in the snow and holes in the ice said that someone was there earlier this morning.  I find three tip-ups set in holes with smelt hanging below.  No one around... and I fished for several hours, and no one showed up.   If you go home, and leave your lines out, that is definitely unattended, and your tip-ups become mine!  How the heck do you leave the lake and forget to pull any of your tip-ups?   

[POk3s]

if you gut-hook under-sized fish it's a harm!

How? If you leave tipups out overnight, you take the chance of having to keep some small fish by morning. I would argue that keeping a limit of “undersized fish” is less of a harm to the fishery than keeping 6 “oversized fish.”

[SLAYERFISH]

How? If you leave tipups out overnight, you take the chance of having to keep some small fish by morning. I would argue that keeping a limit of “undersized fish” is less of a harm to the fishery than keeping 6 “oversized fish.”

What if the limit on Eyes is 15"?  And you gut hook several 12" eyes. =Duh!

[Dorado]

What if the limit on Eyes is 15"?  And you gut hook several 12" eyes. =Duh!

Not to mention you can only keep 2 Sauger and 3 Burbot…

[reelrusty]

      Very good point slayer! Boysen and Pathfinder are my ice fishing spots. Typically I'll leave two lines in thru the night. I've never had an undersized fish on in the morning and never had a fish in poor condition due to being tethered to my tip-up all night come thru the ice in the morning. That being said, I can see the potential for that happening. If one were worried that a fish may be ''gut hooked'' maybe only fish with hand held rods or lines. If that was the reasoning of the Game and Fish then there would be no tip-ups allowed. It irks me to propose more restrictions on sportsmen but maybe the two rod limit should be in place on waters that have length or slot limits    

[fishinator]

Just because a fish swims away doesn't mean it won't die. Check out some mortality studies.

[sportsman234]

     I would just like to see some indication that we're being listened to! I'd like to know how leaving a tip up that has your name and address on it on the ice overnight is a harm to the fishery. 

You must be part of the new generation cause this is ridiculous. If I leave my rod out unattended overnight while I sleep I would expect to be ticketed plain and simple. Why does having your name and address on it make it okay in your opinion to do? You want the G&F to make it more clear holy crap they will laugh I am sure.

[POk3s]

You must be part of the new generation cause this is ridiculous. If I leave my rod out unattended overnight while I sleep I would expect to be ticketed plain and simple. Why does having your name and address on it make it okay in your opinion to do? You want the G&F to make it more clear holy crap they will laugh I am sure.

I don’t think the name and address part is the main focus of the comment. The name and address portion he’s talkiing about was simply additional information about his tip up as that is how they are to be labeled.

We want clarification on the rule, and mostly, some lenience on the rule. Ever since people have been fishing they’ve been leaving lines out overnight. To this day it’s trot lines in the “south” and tip ups in the “north”.

If you want to read back through the posts so you can get a grasp as to what we want clarified here, that would be helpful.

But…you must be part of that new generation that doesn’t read anything and just likes to attempt to bash people on the internet. 

[sportsman234]

I don’t think the name and address part is the main focus of the comment. The name and address portion he’s talkiing about was simply additional information about his tip up as that is how they are to be labeled.

We want clarification on the rule, and mostly, some lenience on the rule. Ever since people have been fishing they’ve been leaving lines out overnight. To this day it’s trot lines in the “south” and tip ups in the “north”.

If you want to read back through the posts so you can get a grasp as to what we want clarified here, that would be helpful.

But…you must be part of that new generation that doesn’t read anything and just likes to attempt to bash people on the internet. 

Actually I did read this entire post and truthfully if a game warden is okay being lenient this is a rarity. So you think it is okay to not attend your tip up overnight which is basically an unattended rod overnight?

You need "Clarity" for this?

Yeah you take that to the G&F it won't get you anywhere smartass.

[reelrusty]

     Well 234, In my humble ''new gen'' opinion name calling won't get you any respect. I have been and, God willing, will continue to fish Wyoming as I have for the last 65 years. I got a late start 'cause we moved here when I was 5 . Perhaps the states that allow jug lines, bank poles, and trot lines and other ''unattended'' lines have it all wrong. Then again as Trent pointed out there are geographical conditions that make it more feasible to do that. Those methods are not what I would want to see in Wyoming but I would like to see overnight tip-ups allowed with reasonable restrictions and limits or a cogent reason from the Game and Fish why not. Oh, name and address on tip-ups doesn't make anything "OK'' but it does help to identify bad actors as Hillsfisher pointed out.   

[POk3s]

So you think it is okay to not attend your tip up overnight which is basically an unattended rod overnight?

You need "Clarity" for this?

Yeah you take that to the G&F it won't get you anywhere smartass.

Yes. I do. Because leaving a tip up out overnight is not the same as leaving a rod out overnight.

AND up until a few years ago, “in attendance” of your rods was simply within 300 yards of your rods.

The first tickets for “sleeping” I ever heard of was not that long ago. So again, clarification is necessary.

And since we’re going around in circles again, I haven’t ever spent the night on the ice with tipups in the water but I don’t think it’s wrong too.

And again what counts as “attendance”. Does an electronic device going off that alerts me that my tipup went off, and waking me up count as being in attendance? Why or why not?

Could the electronic devices not work? Yep.

Just the same as I can screw up and jam my flag into my trigger mechanism not allowing it to pop…which I’ve done before. Does that mistake count as “not in attendance” because technically it was a couple hours before I noticed.

Can you see how clarification would be helpful?

If not, we better not ever catch you nodding off, cooking dinner, chatting with the neighbors or doing ANYTHING that would ever take your focus off those tipups! 

[Dorado]

Ahh the internet 🤯.  this topic has been beat like a dead horse…

No need to be a Dick 234.  I will just reiterate that the guys who got the tickets were asleep in their camper, and the warden gave them time to respond to the flags…they didn’t.  If wardens start giving tickets for the scenarios you present Trent, I’d agree with you.  I haven’t heard of that happening recently.  I also know that writing statutes to be clear seems simple, but is not that easy.  As mentioned before, any changes will likely result in less liberal regulations.
Some states (I believe SD) say you must be Physically present to check your tip ups, so the electronic alerts don’t count.  Not sure we want those kinds of clarifications!

[Elkhnter]

Sportsman234- If you arent careful with your words someone might just have to ban you from here. There is no need to be disrespectful on here especially to those that are trying to help others out..

So lets all play nice or like I said not so good things might happen!!

[appleye]

So have we beat the dead horse enough? Giving some thought to nuking it because it’s run it course as useful. I have no problem us questioning the powers to be, I was in law enforcement, in Wyoming for 31 years, retired now I work as a probation officer for a treatment court. Us as sportsmen arguing over someone’s citation is unproductive. If you want change or to see how the law is take it to court, make the state prove their case, (Elk Mountain comes to mind). I’ve fished all around our region. In Montana you can leave your tip ups in all night miles apart. That’s how guys find areas with fish. When a flag is found the area is saturated, by the whole party.  Not my way of doing things but it works. I’m not going to judge or suggest WY go that way, but if I go to Montana with friends I’m sure they expect me to play their game.

The other thing that comes to mind in this case is we have only heard one side to the story and trust me there are always two sides. Chances are good there’s a recording of the event, just saying.

So that’s my 3 cents worth if nothing productive is going to come from this post I’m going to shut it down soon.

[Elkhnter]

I say "Shut it Down". folks have spoken their minds and it's now up to us to speak to the Game/Fish respectively and see if we might get some traction making things better..

Just my thoughts!!