Question?

[Splitshot115]

When trolling with the LEGAL amount of rods for the licensed people on board,

(say 2 people) does the 3rd need a license if not fishing or driving the boat?

I've had different answers and can't find it in the DEC book or pages. (probably not looking in the right place)

Splitshot115

[Hookedup]

I would say No. I got a call into ENCON for ya I will let you know.

[Splitshot115]

Thanks Sean!

Splitshot115

[Mower]

To add another question to the mix? If you have an young angler say 12 to 15 who does not need a license yet can he fish rods when trolling?

[Splitshot115]

To add another question to the mix? If you have an young angler say 12 to 15 who does not need a license yet can he fish rods when trolling?

Mower,

The answer to that is yes he can, I've been stopped before with 3 kids on the boat

while fishing, all under 16, 8 rods out, no problem, they should have some kind of ID

to prove it, the ones that stopped us took our word for it though.

Splitshot115

[mtboxess]

From the scenario that you asked the legal amount of rods out would be 2 per angler then you woiuld be allowed 4 rods in the water. If there are three people in the boat then at least two of them would need licenses. The catch is that the person without the license should not be handling any of the fishing equipment. Driving the boat, I presume would not be classified as fishing. If I am wrong please let me know. On a side note, recently while trolling by myself, I had what I believe the ENCON mirror my boat for over a half an hour from about a quarter of a mile away. I could actually see him watching me through a pair of binoculars. I sure he was checking the number of rods I had in the water. SO THEIR WATCHING!!!!!!

[Splitshot115]

From the DEC site::

Fishing means the taking, killing, netting, capturing or withdrawal of fish by any means. This includes every attempt to take fish, plus assisting another person in taking or attempting to take fish.

This, I would assume, would include driving the boat.

Splitshot115

[Hookedup]

I will add driving the boat to the question. As far as the kids under 16 no problem, I run rods for my three and six year old, I have not tryed it for the baby yet

[chowder]

We got stopped last year and the DEC told us that everybody in a fishing boat is fishing, all adults included, "how do we know who is and isn't fishing in a trolling boat" was their point. They told us to get one for my wife on the way home and the judge would receive notification by computer, we wrote this on the ticket, got a license on the way home and there was no fine. We had no lines in the water at the time we were stopped, and the other time I was stopped I had no lines in the water either and they did not ask who was fishing, they just asked for licenses. I have had the DEC go by my boat one other time when I had lines out and they did not stop me which I thought was very decent of them. These guys get grief from people all day long and they have have NO sense of humor about any of it - my advice is to make sure all adults on the boat have a license, why have one more thing to worry about, it's supposed to be a fun day out!

Sean, you probably know this but technically you can lose your guides license for having a unlicensed angler on your boat.- Don't ask me how I know this!

[mtboxess]

Wow, that is disturbing. It means that on the days that my wife and are out for a leisurely ride on the lake, not fishing at all, she needs to have a fishing license? In the fall we usually just cruise down the lake looking at the fall foliage. Even though I have a fishing boat, everytime I take it does necessarily mean I am fishing. Am I missing something?

[chowder]

In the situation I described, we were fishing, just didn't have lines out. There were a bunch of rods in the holders, riggers, etc. It was obvious we were doing some pretty serious fishing. If you are riding around in a general purpose watercraft w/ rod or two stowed below I think it would be a different situation, but if you are handling a rod while the wife runs the wheel, I think that she is fishing too! The point I was making is that my wife was not at the wheel, just present in the boat and that was enough given that it was obviously very hard to say who was going grab one of the many rods and who was not. The take home lesson is; Don't push your luck!

[Splitshot115]

Looks like I better get the wife a license for this weekend or fish by myself.

Splitshot115

[mtboxess]

I'm in agreement with that!

[spoonfed-1]

You can drive a boat, sit in a boat that is being fished out of and as long as you have the legal amount of two rods per licensed angler you are completley withing the law. Of course the unlicensed person cannot in any way handle the rods. The net would be an interesting question. If you are not fishing you do not need a license period.

The DEC would have to make sure there are licences to accomadate the number of rods being fished. Thats all they need to know.

Happy fishing.

Glen

[Hookedup]

Ok Guys, Just called my friend with over 25 years on as an ENCON Officer in NY in the Finger Lakes area. Kids under 16 you can run Two poles for each with no problem. You can run two rods for each license on boat every one does not need a license on boat, (EX 5 ON BOAT 3 WITH LICENSE 6 RODS) the person with no license can drive the boat but cant net fish. Chowder you must have got checked on a bad day they got a scratch and new it would be tossed in court. But like you said they do get grief all day and do have one big area to cover.

[711skwerlz]

What's the minimum age to have rods. Should we mount rod holders on the carseat?

[Justin]

jim you have a PM

[Splitshot115]

Thanks for the legal answer Sean.

Splitshot115

[tree top flyer]

Thanks for calling on the legal answer. It never crossed my mind that a person without one shouldnt net a fish but it does seem right. I fish out of the genny alot and have been stoped alot. Ive learend to bring the pitt bull and only once been checked with her. " sir could you please restrict your dog? Um how do you do that in a 19ft boat?: They didnt have a answer. I understand its there job, but they always seem there to stop a fishing boat that 99 out of a hundred times is going to have everything in order but where the hell are they during the fall when there snagging steel along with the salmon out of the river? On any given day some one is up there snagging and hardly ever c dec, That is why i get more than a little irritated when now theres double police , coast gaurd, border patrol and dec in the river this year all wanting to do a saftey check on a 20ft boat with poles out the back and the biggest net made up front

[Gezijamez]

OK a little more to add to the soup,if your fishing pro am does your spotter need a license if they handle the fish to weight or measure ? Jim

[IRISH56]

I got checked a few years ago by ENCON with four guys on my boat one of whom was unable to produce a license ( ) Thankfully we were running only six rods at the time and they hadn't been watching us for long apparently as he (the knucklehead who forgot his license) had just boated a fish.

All they wanted to see were 3 licenses to account for 6 rods and life jackets. The Officers suggested he drive the boat ... All the ENCON officers I have ever run into on or around Cayuga have been great.

DAN

[scruffytoad]

Thanks for the legal response!

We were out trolling a few weeks ago and were checked. They just pulled up next to our boat, looked at poles (we had 4 in the water) and asked to see 2 licenses, even though there were 3 guys in the boat.

[Justin]

how old does my little guy have to be before he can have two rods. cant find the answer any where.

[Trolling Keuka]

How old is your little guy? My son is going to be 3 in July and I've been running two rods for him this year. He does a fine job bringing in Keuka fish. I have a rod holder from cabelas that fits in the pedestal base for him. That's a lot easier for both of us. He can reel the fish and I can drive the boat.

The two rods I run for him are off downriggers with only a spoon. He knows those are his and the wire rods are mine. I just don't think he is strong enough yet to bring in all the other stuff (dipsy, flasher, etc.) attached to the line as well as a fish. If my daughter who is 6 goes with us, I run 4 rods off the downriggers for them and nothing for me. I would rather watch them and it just awesome to watch them!

[goin hungry]

There is no minimum age limit in the law, but the child has to be able to fish (see definition of "angling" in post above or in regs). If you have a 3 month-old out on the boat with you in his car seat and are running four rods, then all four would be imputed to you, as you can only operate two rods, so if you are operating more than 2 (because the child isn't old enough) then you'd find yourself in hot water with an ECO. If your 3 year old can let out line, fight a fish and bring it to the boat, then you're fine.