How many of you have been fined by DNR?

[matfalk]

The only time I've actually been fine was for not having enough life vests for everyone aboard.  In all fairness the neighbor kids used to play in my boat and wear my lifevests as playthings.  Took my boat out on Prairie Creek and didn't do anything to attract Mr. Green Jeans.  But in the end, got stopped and he gave me every chance in the book to produce the lifevests that were missing.  Due to my foresite I was missing one, and paid for it.  I wonder how hard it its, short of not being licensed to get a ticket.  I've been stopped a few times just to check a license, but nothing beyond that.

[Stinkybaits]

I've been checked enough over the years. When I went from a 14ft to a 16 ft boat I forgot about the throwable cushion or whatever the law is states something about having a throwable that floats so if someone fell in... I just said wow never thought of that. Always thought the cushion was cushy for my tushy! He didn't give me a warning or a ticket just said run into the landing pick one up quick and he would check with the guy to make sure I did..... I spent twice as much for the cushion but waaaay cheaper than a ticket. Other time on a different lake I had the kids out but left my wallet at the cottage. I was told he could of wrote me a ticket for 160 bucks even though I had my license. He said he would look it up when he got back to the truck. I think he felt sorry for me that I had 10 kids fishing. I now make 10 or so copies of the license and put them in the boats plus keep one as a backup if I lose or mostly forget where I put them. As a kid I was fishing two officers pulled up and they had a dog even a doberman pincher. They didn't believe my age made me take the boat in talk to my parents so they could confirm I wasn't lying lol. My dad wasn't too happy and in a polite way gave them both a good tongue lashing and asked them why they were picking on.kids instead of all the boaters running around drunk putting themselves and others at risk. He took both their badge numbers down and called their lieutenant and gave him the polite tongue lashing too. He wasn't mean about it he just got tired of them harassing the fishermen and never the speed boats with the drunk people. That sure has changed. They look for the drunks now bigger tickets!  So all and all a pretty good experience so far. Few random license checks since but anymore they have gotten to know me and my stash of jerky! I think I'm a snack stop now lol.

[ridingerboy]

I have had many conversations with the bunny cops on the ice.I always have a licence in hand,and have never gotten a ticket(knock on wood) in over 20 years of standing on the lakes.I think that most law enforcement officers just want to help you abide by the laws,and are not really a cat waiting to pounce,unless you are doing something stupid.I also think a negitive attitude can cost a person a lot of $$$.

[Hoosier]

I've been checked enough over the years. When I went from a 14ft to a 16 ft boat I forgot about the throwable cushion or whatever the law is states something about having a throwable that floats so if someone fell in... I just said wow never thought of that. Always thought the cushion was cushy for my tushy! He didn't give me a warning or a ticket just said run into the landing pick one up quick and he would check with the guy to make sure I did..... I spent twice as much for the cushion but waaaay cheaper than a ticket. Other time on a different lake I had the kids out but left my wallet at the cottage. I was told he could of wrote me a ticket for 160 bucks even though I had my license. He said he would look it up when he got back to the truck. I think he felt sorry for me that I had 10 kids fishing. I now make 10 or so copies of the license and put them in the boats plus keep one as a backup if I lose or mostly forget where I put them. As a kid I was fishing two officers pulled up and they had a dog even a doberman pincher. They didn't believe my age made me take the boat in talk to my parents so they could confirm I wasn't lying lol. My dad wasn't too happy and in a polite way gave them both a good tongue lashing and asked them why they were picking on.kids instead of all the boaters running around drunk putting themselves and others at risk. He took both their badge numbers down and called their lieutenant and gave him the polite tongue lashing too. He wasn't mean about it he just got tired of them harassing the fishermen and never the speed boats with the drunk people. That sure has changed. They look for the drunks now bigger tickets!  So all and all a pretty good experience so far. Few random license checks since but anymore they have gotten to know me and my stash of jerky! I think I'm a snack stop now lol.

OMG !!!!!!  You had 10 kids in a 16ft boat. 


    thehehe.

[river_scum]

lol no kidding! thats a lot of hooks flying around. lol

i dont recall ever getting a real ticket. got a written warning for no name on tip-up one night. the info was on the flag and it blew off(out of truck i assume). i set it rite next to the shanty and explained that to him. i knew it wasnt a worthy excuse, but thought i would try. he made me walk back to the ramp to get my prize. i was glad he was understanding about it though. i thought for sure i was getting pinched.

word to the wise on this subject. at least 2 dozen times over the years, i have spotted them with the binocs, doing perimeter scans. they do glass you out there. 



 

[Cool Cat]

If I'm not mistaken, fees from the fishing licenses help to fund their retirement fund.  So if that's the case, they take it a little personal if you don't have a fishing license.  But like I said, if I'm not mistaken.  I could be.  Just something I heard in the past.

[river_scum]

I've been checked enough over the years. When I went from a 14ft to a 16 ft boat I forgot about the throwable cushion or whatever the law is states something about having a throwable that floats so if someone fell in...

when i went to a "16ft" boat i wondered about this. the law states 16ft from bow to transom. my boat is only 15'10". lol

[cohobob]

We used to go up Minnesota, Had the boat in the water for 5 minutes and the DNR came over and checked for license, off course we had them. Next day a boat pulled in the bay we were fishing in and the same two guys checked us out again It happened one more time that week. The third time we asked them what was going on ? The proceeded to check all the fish in the boat and back at camp. The week before some guys from Indiana were over their limits on Pike, Walleye, & Blue Gills. I guess being from the region they didn't trust us. 

[wax_worm]

I have been checked a lot more times in the bass boat than on the ice, but have never received any 'paperwork' from them.  Lately, it seems the only place we are checked is on lake st clair since we have out of state tags they are looking for an easy fine, because the requirements for what you need onboard are different for the great lakes and connecting waters than they are for inland lakes.

[Stinkybaits]

Lol! No the kids were on a pontoon my bad!

[Musky50]

1 ticket 25 years ago on Big Barbee for exceeding 10 MPH after dusk. Really pissed me off, technically it was after sunset, but it was still plenty bright out and there was actually a guy out skiing and he pulls me over instead in my 14' boat.

[DR.SPECKLER]

in my younger years I did.i was a trouble child.my dad grew up in the snagging years and taught me how but I did it when snagging became illegal.chasing deer with a spotlight.standing in closed trout streams trying to grab salmon.yeah.. the younger years with lot of jim beam,now I abide by every law and you do get a lot wiser with age.

[marmooskapaul]

After I started golfing a lot more than bass fishing...I decided to go fish a tournament on Summit. Put the boat in and was waiting on the take off...when CO walks over to my boat and looks at it and ask for registration. I said no problem and proceeded to pull out last years...kept looking for the new one..long story short. I had to pull the boat out and no fishing for me. Had to pay 140.00 fine and two years registration fee.
That year 2007?? The BMV did not mail my re-newel boat registration papers with all my other vehicles. We just payed them all and forgot about them...lol..not anymore. The worst part was having to pull my boat out in front of all the guys I use to fish with/against..I felt so dirty and cheap...lol

I have been checked many..many times ice fishing on Summit. In fact most of the guys call me by name now...lol
Paul

[52isntbigenough]

The closest I've come was up in Mn on LOTWs. Conservation warden gave my party tickets for not being close enough to their flags, I just so happened to be walking back to our group from checking mine when he came rolling up. They're aggressive up there, I've probably been checked almost every day I've fished.

Wisconsin budget issues have cut back the amount of wardens up in NE Wis. In the 20 some years of fishing, I've been checked once on open water and once on the ice. When the snowmobile season starts up here, they're way too concerned with OWI sledding than guys fishing without a license. The only time I was checked on the ice, the warden admitted that if there was snow on the trails, he wouldn't be out checking licenses. Pretty sad really, the only thing that stands between poaching and illegal hunting/fishing is the DNR and we rarely see them.

[ryoder]

In the past I used to spend 99% of my time on the water wakeboarding. I used to ride multiple times a day and teach lessons, and the boat would be running for easily 5+ hours a day. We would put 400+ hours on a boat in one summer. In fact, if any of you have spent any time of the past on Syracuse/Wawasee or Dewart I am sure you have seen me riding behind a big red Supra wakeboard boat. We took riding pretty seriously as we were practicing for events and were always respectful to other boaters (many of which would follow just to watch us).

There were a group of us that rode every day and would get pulled over at least once a week by the same sheriff. He knew us all by name and despised us for some reason. We would even offer him a water or gatorade on a hot day. Apparently he thought a group full of 20 year old guys would at least be doing SOMETHING wrong... but we had our bases covered and were not your typical recreational boaters. We made sure we never did anything wrong and obeyed all the laws, and avoided anything that might place our integrity in jeopardy. We even went as far as to pretty much memorize the boating laws to the point where we knew more than he did about some things.

Long story short it got to the point where it was turning into some sort of harassment and he was making it his mission to pull us over multiple times a week because we were on the water so much. We documented what was happening and informed some decision makers and we were never stopped again.

We were never worried about getting a ticket, but more annoyed by the time it would take for him to stop us and check everything on the boat.

[Fishslayer81]

I get fined every year...somebody needs to help support the green jeans organization.  

[MC_angler]

If I'm not mistaken, fees from the fishing licenses help to fund their retirement fund.  So if that's the case, they take it a little personal if you don't have a fishing license.  But like I said, if I'm not mistaken.  I could be.  Just something I heard in the past.

In the USA, state-level DNR divisions of fish/wildlife conservation are funded almost entirely by license dollars (hunting, fishing, boat registration, snowmobile trail fees, etc). DNRs usually receive very little "general fund" money that is generated from sales and income taxes. In Indiana, when you buy a hunting or a fishing license, the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife receives the money from that license. They also receive matching funds from the Federal Government, which are revenues from the excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment, and boat fuel (the Pittman-Robertson Act, Dingell-Johnson, and Wallop-Breaux, respectively)

Here is a couple resources explaining parts of the funding cycle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittman%E2%80%93Robertson_Federal_Aid_in_Wildlife_Restoration_Act

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/7491.htm


I'm sure CO's take it personally on several levels when you don't have a license, given that most of them hunt and fish themselves.

[rico]

Good stuff MC!

[High Tide]

They've tried very, very hard to get me... Covert ops, pulling me over for possible DUI, show up three deep at my door step, but I prefer to keep my money... so do the right thing and pat em on the butt and tell em keep at it!

[Jigmup]

All I can say is, "know the rules inside and out". Even the vague ones!!! Dot your i's and cross your t's!

[rico]

They've tried very, very hard to get me... Covert ops, pulling me over for possible DUI, show up three deep at my door step, but I prefer to keep my money... so do the right thing and pat em on the butt and tell em keep at it!

Post of the year!!!!!!!!  I am so laughing right now, that Keystone came through my nose.......where are my car keys?  I need to make a run.

[bull gill hunter]

Several years ago I was checked on a Saturday and Sunday in the same weekend on the same lake. I got fairly annoyed when I seen him coming out the following Saturday, I knew he was going to check me again because I gave him a bit of a hard time for checking me two days in a row. As he was making his way through the guys I loaded up and moved about 100 yds. when he got closer I moved again. I moved on him 4 times before he yelled my name. When he got to me, he started griping that I  was doing it on purpose and I agreed.  He threatened to give me a ticket for trying to avoid him. He did not. The following weekend  I went to a different lake and he showed up said hello to me and kept walking.

[sprkplug]

Several years ago I was checked on a Saturday and Sunday in the same weekend on the same lake. I got fairly annoyed when I seen him coming out the following Saturday, I knew he was going to check me again because I gave him a bit of a hard time for checking me two days in a row. As he was making his way through the guys I loaded up and moved about 100 yds. when he got closer I moved again. I moved on him 4 times before he yelled my name. When he got to me, he started griping that I  was doing it on purpose and I agreed.  He threatened to give me a ticket for trying to avoid him. He did not. The following weekend  I went to a different lake and he showed up said hello to me and kept walking.

In my opinion that Co was doing his job, and doing it well I might add. It sounds like he was checking everyone, not just you, and if you're fishing every day, I don't consider it out of line to get checked every day. If you're legal, why give him/her grief for doing what they're supposed to do?

Honestly, how much trouble is it for an angler to show their license and their catch, and let the CO give things a once over?

[bull gill hunter]

In my opinion that Co was doing his job, and doing it well I might add. It sounds like he was checking everyone, not just you, and if you're fishing every day, I don't consider it out of line to get checked every day. If you're legal, why give him/her grief for doing what they're supposed to do?

Honestly, how much trouble is it for an angler to show their license and their catch, and let the CO give things a once over?
[/
You might be correct if that was the end of it. About a year later while he was sitting at MY KITCHEN TABLE, he admitted that he was doing it on purpose to prove a point and I was SINGLED OUT because he thought I was young and cocky. He would not admit it was wrong but he admitted  it was not necessary. My mother was their secretary.

[taxi1]

1 ticket 25 years ago on Big Barbee for exceeding 10 MPH after dusk. Really pissed me off, technically it was after sunset, but it was still plenty bright out and there was actually a guy out skiing and he pulls me over instead in my 14' boat.

Sure he wasn't one of those lake cops paid by the lake association? I saw one look the other way up on Clear Lake east of Fremont for all kinds of stuff the lake property owners did but target the fisherman that launched their boats at the public access. Almost got run over by kids in a boat with no response from him. Lake cops are the biggest joke. Definite conflict of interest.

[sprkplug]

In my opinion that Co was doing his job, and doing it well I might add. It sounds like he was checking everyone, not just you, and if you're fishing every day, I don't consider it out of line to get checked every day. If you're legal, why give him/her grief for doing what they're supposed to do?

Honestly, how much trouble is it for an angler to show their license and their catch, and let the CO give things a once over?
[/
You might be correct if that was the end of it. About a year later while he was sitting at MY KITCHEN TABLE, he admitted that he was doing it on purpose to prove a point and I was SINGLED OUT because he thought I was young and cocky. He would not admit it was wrong but he admitted  it was not necessary. My mother was their secretary.

It doesn't sound to me like he singled you out." He was making his way through the guys...." I took that as meaning he was checking others also?. And I agree with him in that it was not wrong as he was checking everyone, and not just you. How do you know the other guys hadn't been checked two days in a row?

You admit to giving him a bit of a hard time, then wonder why he found you cocky?

[bull gill hunter]

It doesn't sound to me like he singled you out." He was making his way through the guys...." I took that as meaning he was checking others also?. And I agree with him in that it was not wrong as he was checking everyone, and not just you. How do you know the other guys hadn't been checked two days in a row?

You admit to giving him a bit of a hard time, then wonder why he found you cocky?
Maybe a little cocky, but I never said a thing to him until the 2nd time in 2 days. and I was only 19 at the time.

[taxi1]

Not the same thing but years ago when I as getting my fisheries degree I got a summer job as a creel clerk on Sylvan Lake. Summer of 77'. Anyway there was this old crotchety couple with the big huge brim hats fishing for bluegills with canepoles that didn't want to be bothered. The first time I came up along side their boat I gently bumped it and they had a fit. From then on everytime they saw me coming they pulled the anchors and got the hell out of dodge. . Being a young man I was persistent and chased those ol' farts all over the lake to see what they were catching because it was my job.  My boss told me to just ignore them after they told him I almost sunk their boat! 

[tightliner812]

I have never got at ticket for anything . I have been checked more times that I could start to count . I did get a written warning onece . We were riding snowmobile trails up by the state line . Came up to a check point and they were just checking for registrations which was fine I had mine . All my stickers were on my sled but he asked to see the paper work for them . I thought no big deal I got that too . So I go to the trunk of the sled to get I and there it was plastered to a trail map . You could tell what it was but could no longer read much of it . So he gave me a warning for failure to produce registration . I was mad but smart enough to keep my mouth shut . A buddy of mine and I got the crap scared out of us by a C.O. on Lake St. Clair one day . We were on a guided duck hunt and hunting out of a 2 man layout boat . We were about 3 miles out and the closest other boat was our guide in his tender boat and he was about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile behind us . He could see us but we could not see him because we could not see behind us do to the way layout boats work . Will the C.O. Knew this too and snuck up behind us and drifted in on us . The never announced their presents until the were about 4 foot from out boat . Talk about scare the crap out of you when you hear a voice behind you and there is not supposed to be anybody within a 1/2 mile of you . 

[slabgill]

I get fined every year...somebody needs to help support the green jeans organization.  

I did one time...Took the Ranger for a little spin on a lake that is 10 m.p.h. and I was doing 60....LOL!!!! ....No officer I wasn't going 60 I was going 12.... ....