# Who can fish and how many line?



## Skinner 2 (Mar 19, 2004)

Three guys trolling for walleyes ( or salmon...) and the boat is one fish shy of a 3 person limit. Law allows 3 rods per person. How many rods can still be in the water targeting the last fish needed for a limit?

Skinner


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## Benzie Rover (Mar 17, 2008)

you could have 9 lines... now trolling 9 and not tangling is a different story. That'd be a serious porquipine boat.


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

Benzie Rover said:


> you could have 9 lines... now trolling 9 and not tangling is a different story. That'd be a serious porquipine boat.


 9 rods makes a porquipine boat!? :lol: So what about when a guy is trolling with 18 rods or more? 

For the original poster......you can troll your legal limit of rods the entire time as you still do not have your "boat limit" of fish. As long as you do not exceed the limit of fish, you are good to go. It isn't like 2 guys are limited out and the third is still fishing, which is what I assume you were leaning towards in the question.


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## Skinner 2 (Mar 19, 2004)

wartfroggy said:


> It isn't like 2 guys are limited out and the third is still fishing, which is what I assume you were leaning towards in the question.


Yes it is just like this as you mentioned. A person can fish with three rods. if two guys are limited and cannot target walleye then either the guy short of a limit has too many lines or two guys are fishing illegally.

I don't know what the legal answer is and cannot find it in the regs. Trying to find out what the LEGAL answer is to settle different arguements right now LOL

Skinner


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

Skinner 2 said:


> Yes it is just like this as you mentioned. A person can fish with three rods. if two guys are limited and cannot target walleye then either the guy short of a limit has too many lines or two guys are fishing illegally.


 No....as I said, you can continue to fish with as many rods as your man count allows, regardless of how many people technically have their limit. If you have 3 guys and 14 fish, you can continue to fish with 9 rods. Even if 3 guys have their 15 walleyes, you can continue to fish as long as you do not keep more than your legal limit (catch and release).


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## PWood (Aug 6, 2004)

They can all legally keep fishing with three rods each as long as the two guys that have already limited out are releasing any walleye they catch.

By law, there is no "boat limit", only individual limits.


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## duxdog (Apr 13, 2008)

Yep,the guys can be catch and release fishing or they could be fishing for White Bass, Sheephead, Carp, Catfish etc. I do know a guy was hassled by the DNR on the bay because of this very issue. They were a couple of fish away from their boat limit and the DNR was trying to tell them they were fishing too many lines. She (the DNR officer) was wrong.


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## Michihunter (Jan 8, 2003)

I was giving this some thought and although it may not be very honest, the other two could always say they are targeting a different fish I would imagine.


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## duxdog (Apr 13, 2008)

How technical do we really want to get. Each guy puts out his own 3 rods with his name on each rod and only fights fish on the rods with his name on it??????? Then, each guy either keeps a seperate live well or cooler on the boat and keeps the fish he caught in his own container OR maybe tags his personal fish to put into a community cooler?????? SHEESH.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Michihunter said:


> I was giving this some thought and although it may not be very honest, the other two could always say they are targeting a different fish I would imagine.


Ah yes, that is the whole point, honesty, but like with so much of the other areas of fishing and hunting greed always takes over with what seems to be a majority!


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## Michihunter (Jan 8, 2003)

boehr said:


> Ah yes, that is the whole point, honesty, but like with so much of the other areas of fishing and hunting greed always takes over with what seems to be a majority!


Unfortunate but too true. So what's the ultimate 'honest' answer here Boehr? If 3 walleye fisherman are one fish away from a boat limit and the target species is indeed walleye, how many lines are allowed?


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## Skinner 2 (Mar 19, 2004)

Michihunter said:


> Unfortunate but too true. So what's the ultimate 'honest' answer here Boehr? If 3 walleye fisherman are one fish away from a boat limit and the target species is indeed walleye, how many lines are allowed?


Yes Boehr, Please explain what the law is?

Skinner


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Sorry, I'm 4 year past and about 1200 miles from explaining Michigan's laws anymore. I'm just joe smoe with an opinion now. There are phone numbers one call call if they want to learn what the law is.


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## Spoon Fed (Jul 26, 2006)

Hows Florida treating you Boehr?


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Spoon Fed said:


> Hows Florida treating you Boehr?


Very, very good.


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## malainse (Sep 2, 2002)

Michihunter said:


> So what's the ultimate 'honest' answer here Boehr? If 3 walleye fisherman are one fish away from a boat limit and the target species is indeed walleye, how many lines are allowed?


To be 100% legal and ethical , the fisherman that has not caught his limit could have 3 rods out .


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