speaking of regs…

I was just checking the regs to be sure I will be within bounds this weekend(fishing in pool 4/Redwing). I’m from Wisconsin, have a valid Wisconsin license, I’ll be staying in MN. The MN regs say to adhere to WI regs where the MN vs WI regs differ. The WI regs say you must follow the regs of the state your fishing in…so I guess the regs covering me change as I fish the east or west side of the river? or I adhere to MN regs as I’m staying in MN? In either state the daily limit is 6 with a 15 inch minimum on walleye, no minimum length on sauger. Sooo, my question…the possession limit for WI is 2x the daily limit, the possession limit in MN appears to be 1x the daily limit….OK, this isn’t a trick question, what’s my possession limit? If this is confusing now you know how I feel.

The key is where you are staying. If you are staying in MN, you will need a MN license. Therefore, you can only posses 6 fish.

J.

boy we have covered this one before…… and either Im confused or if you have a wisconsin license you are covered by wisconsin regs….. dont matter which bank of the river you are on… as long as your fishing border waters…..

I remember there was confusion about this….. but Im sure thats what the Warden told me……. the regs for sure are NOT written clearly…… but basically just like the 3 rod issue, those with Wisconsin licenses can keep a possession limit of 12 walleyes……

personally I would favor a reduction of this to 6, to stop this sort of confusion… and further limit the take of fish…….. plus it hardly seems fair that Wisconsin licensees are not restricted the same as Minnesota ones…… (and Im from Wi so I feel I can voice this opinion without sounding like a whiner)…..

RiverEyes,

The key is where uboat is staying. If he is in a MN motel room and a MN conservation officer checks him, (On land, at the motel room with fish in a cooler) he will want to see a MN license. Period.

Now, if he was staying at Evert’s in WI, he could keep a double limit, fish 3 rods and so on.

If he is simply fishing, and not keeping any fish, he can stay in MN and fish with his WI license.

Confused now?

J.

Let me relate a story similar to this topic that happened to me several years ago….

I’m a MN angler, living in MN. I was fishing out of Evert’s on the WI side of Pool 4. When we left we had decided to take hiway 35 on the WI side up to Prescott, then cross over to MN. We were stopped shortly after leaving Evert’s. The WI DNR had set up a road check at the railroad tracks right before getting on 35. Everything was cool except one thing. When fishing border waters, you must take the most direct route back to your home state. That meant turning around and head back through Red Wing. No ticket….just a friendly warning.

No WI license…No possessing fish in WI.

J.

hmmmm…. well I did not address THIS question when talking to the Wardens before….. and pretty much they all said…. “confused? then take the MOST restrictive reg and you will ALWAYS be safe”… sounds like good advice to me!!

Here is a link to the MN dnr website. scroll down on the left side and click on “Border Waters” This topic is covered in the first few paragraphs.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_and_wildlife/regulations/fishing/2001_fishing.pdf

J.

Sorry if you guys have flogged this one to death before…I’m relatively new to this site.

Jon, I did read the MN regs & this is where my confusion started. I’ll be staying at my mom’s house in Lake City. I was born in MN, but I doubt that matters much anymore as I left a long, long time ago. I can see the the logic in a MN DNR person checking me on the MN side, but the language in the regs (MN I think) I read said ‘when in doubt follow the regs where your license originates’, which is WI where I think(on the river) is 2 rods/baits, 6 walleye over 15″, & 12 fish in possession. So when a warden checks me in MN & I pull out my WI license I’m busted? If so, this really is screwed up. I’m legal to fish the river with either license, but if I don’t go back to WI by the most direct route right away(and actually spend the night in MN) then I need a MN license? Trust me, MN will get a whole lot more money from me if I eat in MN pubs, buy their bait & tackle, & fuel up locally. Not real sure if I’ve made any progress here.

Yes, I understand. However, MN regulations are written for people who have MN Fishing licenses!!

Take a few minutes and call the MN DNR and see what they say. Let us know what you find.

I’m not an expert, just play one on TV!! (Kidding)

J.

I’d have asked Jon J. if he wanted to wager another Tail Dancer over this one but I think he’s got the edge on this issue. The MN/WI confusion is ON the border water. Once you LEAVE the water, you are considered inland and must either get back to your resident state DIRECTLY or you will be expected to show legal right to possess fish in an INLAND area, which in this case, would require a MN fishing license.

Uboat, you can fish 3 rods with a resident WI license on the Mississippi as long as you don’t enter any backwaters or tribs that are considered “inland”.

I believe, at least for pools 4-7, that the railroad tracks on each side of the river are considered the boarders. This can be strange cause if you have ever been to Trempealeau you can fish what seems to be lakes (3rd lake) on the wisconsin side, as a MN residant, because the tracks run to the east of those lakes.

All I know is that this whole boarder water deal is really confusing. Just ask any DNR about using sunfish as bait to fish for Flatheads and see the multiple answers you get. I wish they would make one rule and one only.