Pitchfork- A legal implement?

[Cap't Ernie]

I won't say where, but over the summer I had a chance to spend a week up on the lake at a camp.

Me and two other counclors were teaching a snorkling class (you can do that in Lake Erie, believe it or not) and we saw a catfish one day.

My friend was determined to capture this catfish, dead-or-alive. He ended up spearing it with a pitchfork and then we put it in a 5 gallon bucket (we were in waistdeep water with a paddle boat and a wave runner) in which it died shortly. Of cource, we weren't going to let it go to waste...it was the nastiest thing I have ever seen.

So now a few months later, we are feeling a little guilty and I am wondering what is the penaty for spearing a 6 pound catfish without a license?

Captain Ernie

[Links r Us]

Ohio only allows spearing of rough fish such as carp.

[Cap't Ernie]

I mean, it's not like we torturted it or anything, but I couldn't believe that it was actually possible to spear fish.

Captain Ernie

[OLD FORMULA]

We snorkle the island area on a fairly regular basis.Never did get to get in but it looks interesting around West Sister,alot of structure tight to shore.Rattlesnake was good also.Hopefully next season we will get more in as we will be out for Friday to Sunday weekends and I will have to incorporate more playtime to keep mutiny astride.

[WLB]

<JD:"1501:31" /1501:31 Division of Wildlife

1501:31-13-06 Skin and scuba diving sport fishing regulations.

(A) It shall be unlawful to engage in skin diving while using a snorkel or to engage in diving with scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) in any water area owned or controlled by the division of wildlife except when fishing for forage fish specified in paragraph (A) of rule <JL:JUMP,"1501:31-13-01" /1501:31-13-01 of the Administrative Code.

(B) It shall be lawful to take only the forage fish specified in rule <JL:JUMP,"1501:31-13-01" /1501:31-13-01 of the Administrative Code while skin diving with a snorkel or while scuba diving with self-contained underwater breathing apparatus in any water area owned or controlled by the division of wildlife or in any other water area where skin or scuba diving is lawful.

(C) It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in fishing while skin or scuba diving while alone, or without first marking the fishing area by displaying an official diving flag at the water's surface.

(D) All definitions set forth in rule <JL:JUMP,"1501:31-1-02" /1501:31-1-02 of the Administrative Code shall apply to this rule.

This info came from here:

http://www.ocssdi.org/legislation/spearfishing.htm

[Cap't Ernie]

WLB,

The snorkling was amature and done safety and legally.

When we speared the catfish we were in waist deep water and didn't even have pool diving googles on.

Captain Ernie

[WLB]

Cap't Ernie
I know where your comin from, just thought you or old formula might be interested in that scuba site?
http://www.ocssdi.org/

Still, like Links said, your only allowed to spear forage fish in Ohio,
no matter how your doing it, a catfish is not considered a forage fish. The man will take your money. :D

[coonskinner]

you can spear carp or suckers,basically any fish you can shoot with a bow...and you must have a fishing lic...i know a guy that used to use a pitch fork to spear carp at strouds run upper end creek...he ate all of his catches...yes he was a carpeater...:(

[OLD FORMULA]

Thanks Bill,it's pretty cool to chase smallies around out there.

[WLB]

When I was a kid, we would get a piece of rope and a spear, go out in the marshes of the Portage and literally fill the back of this guy's pickup with carp, he would smoke them and serve them at his bar....He sold alot of beer! :D

Remember those days Dan_cmb?:D

[WLB]

pretty cool to chase smallies around out there.

I know a couple guys that dive out there, they said the smallies are pretty curious, they'll swim up and check you out! :cool:

Now if I could just get more of them to check out my lures,
I'd be in business.:D

[Cap't Ernie]

Hey- this isn't a full confession!

Captain Ernie