QuestionA friend of mine told me that 15 years ago that he was charged with a fishing ticket of $35.00 for casting a reel and rod using live bait in his private pond. He lives in Mecklenburg county in North Carolina and he had a driver's license with him at the time for identification. My friend said the officer said that it was illegal to cast a reel and rod without a fishing license. Is this true?
AnswerEvening John!...As simple as your question is, I'm having trouble getting the definitive answer for you.
I live in the LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS a.k.a. The Peoples Republic of California...EVERYTHING is illegal here...you see the fruits and nuts say "Fish are people too!"...I say "Aye carumba!"...anyway, I decided to check out North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission (www.NCWILDLIFE.com) and came up blanked on fishing regulations...no print out, no online reading...nothing. So I checked the State's official website and did come up with one thing: the regulations of the state for inland waters are enforceable for all of the waters (not controlled by agreement with the Coastal fisheries division)of the state EXCEPT...you guessed it...PRIVATE PONDS.
Now, they were very noteworthy in defining a "private pond" this is how it reads:
15ANCAC 10C.0102- Note: a private pond is a body of water arising within and lying wholly upon the lands of a single owner or single group of joint owners or tennants in common and from which adult fish cannot escape and into which fish of legal size cannot enter from public waters at any time. THis does not include an impoundment located on public land owned by a public body or government entity.
That tells me your friend, if fishing on a "private" pond shouldn't even have been approached by a police or fish and wildlife officer...he'd have been trespassing to do so. BUT my question is this...if the land owner allows ANY public access, he is, in MOST states then held accountable to the FIshing and hunting regulations of the state. Here in California, if you post NO HUNTING or FISHING on your property, NOT EVEN THE LAND OWNER CAN HUNT OR FISH THERE! Go figure! (you have to say "without permission"...of course then if a fisherman cuts his finger of drowns in your pond, he can sue ya for everything!)...told you it was the land of fruits and nuts!
Anyway...it was fifteen years ago...and unless it was in the city and not in the back woods where Billy Joe Bob is the police chief and Theotis Cleveland is the guy that wrote the ticket and he's also the cousin-in-law of the police chief...I'd have just paid the ticket and said "Thank you sir!, much abliged!"...(you can always just start fishing after he leaves!...)
One last thing, "fishing" doesnt mean "Catching"...on those tough days, I wish it was a "Catching License"...I'd feel better too...
Try giving Dicks Sporting Goods a call at (704) 896-6244 and ask them if they can give you a booklet of regulations or the phone number of a Fish and Wildlife officer for the area of Micklenburg County you and your buddy are in. I'm sure they'd be happy to set the issue straight once and for all...I signed up for what I THINK is a regulation book at the Wildlife website...we'll see.
Hope this is of some help for you! Feel free to ask me any other fishing questions you may have...and next time you're out fishing, snap a photo of your catch and email me with it at
[email protected] or
[email protected]'d really like to hear from you...
Thanks- Mark Rimmer- AllExperts.com
