Party fishing, legal or not?

[Kylersk]

Taken from the 2006 regulations:

• A party is defined as a group of two or more persons:

– angling from a single watercraft; or

– if not in a watercraft, maintaining unaided visual and vocal contact

with each other. The total number of fish possessed by the party

may not exceed the combined limits of the numbers of the party.

Each party member may transport only an individual limit of fish.

• Party fishing does not apply while spearing.

That's all I could find regarding party fishing. Talking with a co-worker, he thought it was always illegal to party fish, but reading the regulations, It looks like it is legal to do so.

Thoughts?

[walldoggie]

Party fishing is legal in minnesota, as long as you are within in visual and vocal range of your party for ice fishing.

My thoughts is if you are planning a fish fry great law if you are not then not so much. As you could take 3 or 4 kids with that are able to hold and use a fishing pole and you could catch there limit while there are not actually doing much. If you are in a group of 3 or 4 guys and having some beers and one guy has a hot hole and catching most of the fish and you plan on going back and eating them when you are done more power to you. kind of a double standard I know.

But then when it comes to fishing sometimes you have to ask yourself what you thing is moraly right?

If your co-worker lives in wisconsin then it is illegal to party fish once you catch your limit you are done and have to sit and watch the rest of your group fish. Where this then presents another dilema if you only came to catch one species and you came with a group and you have caught your limit, most ppl would just start fishing for another species as to keep themselves busy thus draining more of the species out of that specific lake.

[PerchPounder]

im not really sure how it couldnt be anywhere really. if your fishing in a boat with three of your buddies and catching some bull bluegills on the spawning beds how are you supposed to tell who caught what and keep track of how many you have in each persons possession?

[Phunnyfarm]

Quote:

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how are you supposed to tell who caught what and keep track of how many you have in each persons possession?

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I was just checking the MN DNR Regs again, and I didn't see anything in there stating specifically how and angler is supposed to keep track of how many fish are in possession, but I think they want us to COUNT them.

(I don't mean to be a jerk PerchPounder...just giving ya a little heck! )

[PerchPounder]

i was just asking this question because when we are duck hunting and throw all the ducks in the pile we are apparently expected to know who shot what. i know this doesnt sound un reasonable except when you are hunting with 10 other guys and your all shooting at the same flock.