Label your portables

[peteinvermont]

This is just an FYI for those of you fishing from portable shanty's....

Fishing on Lake St. Catchnothing Saturday (Its been really slow this year, as noted by my hilarious wordplay) and a very polite, friendly and thorough warden comes by.  He asked for bait slips, licenses, counted our tipups and made sure my kids were actually participating so they could count toward the number, etc etc.  Before he left he asked if our shanty's were labeled with our names and numbers.  Its a portable that only goes up when I'm standing there fishing, and since I was under the impression only hard sided shantys that get left out on the ice overnights needed to be labeled, I told him it was not.  He said its a very common mistake, and he even carries a sharpie with him because lots of people misunderstand that law.  So I scribbled my name on the side, and he was happy.  I was thrilled not to get a ticket and happy to write my name on the side.  I didn't avoid it for any reason, and it only took 10 seconds with minimal effort to do it, so I should have done it when I bought the portable anyway. 

So heads up...if you're someone that doesn't have your portable shanty labeled with your name and address, grab a market and start scribbling.

[koissu]

Don't have one (yet), but good to know

[thebryno]

exact same thing happened to me last weekend. my big hub shanty has my name on it. i was in my flipover i just got. never thought about the labeling. been a few years since i labeled the other one.

[peteinvermont]

exact same thing happened to me last weekend. my big hub shanty has my name on it. i was in my flipover i just got. never thought about the labeling. been a few years since i labeled the other one.

It makes sense.  I did ask about the idea behind portables being with a person at all times, as opposed to a hardsided shanty being left for long periods of time.  He said that they include portables because they often times can blow away and/or be stolen. 

[straightShot]

Temporary shanties here in Michigan do not have to be labeled.  Permanent, overnight-type shanties must have the owner's information on them.

My shanty is a hub shanty, so no Sharpie for me!

[skeet]

Thanks for the advice. I had know idea that was a requirement. I will have to get the sharpie out before our next trip .

[peteinvermont]

He wasn't picky at all.  I have a black shanty, so I found a little non-black patch near the logo and scribbled the info.  He was fine with that.  I appreciated it - I wasn't legal and he could have wrote me a ticket right there. 

[filetandrelease]

Here in Ny permanents need name and address but portables they don’t enforce , but I’m sure that could change

[Fat Tony]

Should your tilts have name and address also? I know some states do require that   Not sure about VT

[Gills-only]

Don’t make sense if you are in it or standing beside it !!

[WVBoy]

This is just an FYI for those of you fishing from portable shanty's....

Fishing on Lake St. Catchnothing Saturday (Its been really slow this year, as noted by my hilarious wordplay) and a very polite, friendly and thorough warden comes by.  He asked for bait slips, licenses, counted our tipups and made sure my kids were actually participating so they could count toward the number, etc etc.  Before he left he asked if our shanty's were labeled with our names and numbers.  Its a portable that only goes up when I'm standing there fishing, and since I was under the impression only hard sided shantys that get left out on the ice overnights needed to be labeled, I told him it was not.  He said its a very common mistake, and he even carries a sharpie with him because lots of people misunderstand that law.  So I scribbled my name on the side, and he was happy.  I was thrilled not to get a ticket and happy to write my name on the side.  I didn't avoid it for any reason, and it only took 10 seconds with minimal effort to do it, so I should have done it when I bought the portable anyway. 

So heads up...if you're someone that doesn't have your portable shanty labeled with your name and address, grab a market and start scribbling.

Was the Warden Wes Butler? If so, he's a great dude. I've known him for years. This has been happening to alot of people this year too, I've known a few that got slapped with a fine. Label your shanties and always have your baitslip on you!

[peteinvermont]

Should your tilts have name and address also? I know some states do require that   Not sure about VT

Thats a good question.  I know some of mine do, but you just made me realize I never did it on my newer ones.  I guess I better do it just to be safe.

[peteinvermont]

Was the Warden Wes Butler? If so, he's a great dude. I've known him for years. This has been happening to alot of people this year too, I've known a few that got slapped with a fine. Label your shanties and always have your baitslip on you!

I think it was.  He's newer to that area, so this is my first interaction with him, but that name does sound familiar.  Very nice guy, and thorough.  I could tell he had already checked out our setup from afar.  And I'm good with that. 

[Fat Tony]

Thats a good question.  I know some of mine do, but you just made me realize I never did it on my newer ones.  I guess I better do it just to be safe.

Them mailing return address labels you get from time to time in the mail are quick easy way to tag them tilts   

[RyanW]

Sounds like a pretty cool CO. For guys that don’t want to write on their portables, I’ve heard of guys writing on paper and putting it a ziplock then placing it between a window a window cover on the inside. You could also laminate it. If it has to permanently placed, then I guess that idea is null and void. If I had to write on my portable it would severely effect my self-diagnosed ocd.

[williev18]

I have both mine labeled for this reason. Instead of writing on them though, I made up dog tags for the door zippers. I did them on one of those machines you see at Walmart beside the vending machines. Got checked last month, the warden thought it was a good way to do it.

[peteinvermont]

Them mailing return address labels you get from time to time in the mail are quick easy way to tag them tilts

Wow, good call. 

[cbice]

My Clam has a plastic slot to put a name tag in.  I filled out a piece of cardboard and slid it in and it's waterproof.

[Hideebeez]

My Clam has a plastic slot to put a name tag in.  I filled out a piece of cardboard and slid it in and it's waterproof.

Same with my shappell

[fishingidjit]

My Clam has a plastic slot to put a name tag in.  I filled out a piece of cardboard and slid it in and it's waterproof.

Ditto with my Otter

[Crayfish2]

My Clam has a plastic slot to put a name tag in.  I filled out a piece of cardboard and slid it in and it's waterproof.

Yup, that's what I did.  Printed name, address, phone # on paper, laminated it and put it in that slot.  It's not "permanent", though, so not sure how that will go over with a warden.  I really don't want to write on my shanty!  Suppose I could sew up the open end of the plastic slot.

[aquarium234]

THanks for posting, is this a new law, I've been checked many times, we've never had our names on our shanties...I'll add mine now just to avoid hassle. NY used to require we have names and addresses on tip ups, that was a PITA but they did away with that silly law thankfully. (it was bad, you had to have each persons name...so if you took a friend fishing....you had to scotch tape their name on "their" tip ups", it was a dumb law)
:-)

[DirtyDan23]

THanks for posting, is this a new law, I've been checked many times, we've never had our names on our shanties...I'll add mine now just to avoid hassle. NY used to require we have names and addresses on tip ups, that was a PITA but they did away with that silly law thankfully. (it was bad, you had to have each persons name...so if you took a friend fishing....you had to scotch tape their name on "their" tip ups", it was a dumb law)
:-)

I was told the same thing on sat. I believe that technically this was always the law. (all fish houses need to be labeled, never distinguishes between portables or not) This was the first I've ever been told as well... must be just starting to enforce it this year.

[shiveringjoe]

I'm pretty sure this is the third year of the law. I actually just print an extra copy of my license and sharpie my contact info onto the back of that. My shappell flipver has a small window for displaying it. My buddy wrote his info on a white handkerchief and safety pins that to his shanty.

[gofish22]

I did not know this. Going to label mine when I get home. Also going to put my screen name on there next to my IS sticker.  So if you see me out there come say hi.

I got checked out at Monkton by a warden last weekend and he didn't mention this. But my flip was collapsed because it was nice out so maybe that is why. I will say that all of my interactions here with the warden's here have been great so far.

[TRT]

I got checked 15 years ago by a known chucklehead warden on Willy. He asked about my lack of a name and address on the
shanty. I explained it was portable. He explained the law and asked me if I would make it proper in the next 2 minutes? Huh,
I popped out a business card and put it in the window. I believe he has since retired. The one and only time I thought a
warden was unreasonable. I've been checked at least 10 times over decades of fishing all over N. America. We were checked
at Holiday harbor this weekend, young warden was great. 

[Fish Farmer]

I was told the same thing on sat. I believe that technically this was always the law. (all fish houses need to be labeled, never distinguishes between portables or not) This was the first I've ever been told as well... must be just starting to enforce it this year.

Yep, I had my old portable labelled years ago, which I left out on occasion and now on my newer portable.

[fishingidjit]

I got checked 15 years ago by a known chucklehead warden on Willy. He asked about my lack of a name and address on the
shanty. I explained it was portable. He explained the law and asked me if I would make it proper in the next 2 minutes? Huh,
I popped out a business card and put it in the window. I believe he has since retired. The one and only time I thought a
warden was unreasonable. I've been checked at least 10 times over decades of fishing all over N. America. We were checked
at Holiday harbor this weekend, young warden was great.

If that Wardens last name started with an F then I too thought he was a chucklehead!

[EyERipLip]

I usually just throw last years fishing license in the clear plastic slot. And no this is not a new law. Been in effect for the 10 + years I’ve been ice fishing. Sometimes they don’t ask or care. But it’s a pretty easy thing to do to avoid a hassle.

[pikeaddict]

Good reminder on a long standing law.
I usually just sharpie my info on the tent near a door, but if I thought I may sell it down the road I would probably laminate a card with my info it and zip tie it to one of the zipper pulls.
The good thing about the sharpie is if you ever had it stolen, or somehow managed to leave it somewhere. It's more difficult for someone else to claim it as their own.