Originally Posted By: dlowrance
Originally Posted By: luvmypond
I live in Minnesota and the rules are a laugh. I talked to the DNR and in order for me to have fish in my pond, I have to buy fish from a certified hatchery. This is the funny part. I have to buy a fishing license in order to catch the fish in MY pond that I bought from a hatchery and raised! I am not kidding! I got this info straight from the DNR! I had the kids catch some fish for me and release them!!


Here's a nutty rule for ya...in Illinois they have statewide creel limits. The DNR regs state that I can only catch 6 LMB per day. When I first read this years ago I was in the middle of draining one pond and creating another so it was fresh in my mind - I thought to myself 'I'm sure this is only applicable to public waters - I'm going to call though just for fun'.

I get a hold of a lady at the DNR office in Springfield - long story short, the regulation is statewide, for every BOW public or private. I state 'so let me get this straight - I paid to build the pond, on my property, and I paid to stock it - and you're going to limit me on how many fish I can remove? I can drain the pond and kill every fish in there, but if I'm using hook and line I can only take 6?' - the answer is yes.

Fast forward to last fall...a friend of mine is a fisheries biologist for the state - I tell him this story, he says 'no way, that can't be how the law is written'...he then calls me back a couple of weeks later. That is EXACTLY what the law is. 6 fish per person per day, no matter who owns the BOW.


Wow is that government in your face or what? Not enforceable either.

I'm required to pay $100.00 for a fish dealers license to sell dead frozen fish to your Illinois. (I sell trophy size fish to taxidermists). I'm know it technically applies to live fish but the IDNR won't budge. Needless to say I refuse to sell fish in Illinois.

I did make one exception after a taxidermist begged and begged me to sell him a frozen brook trout. Temp was in the 90's, and UPS instead of delivering the box the same day it got to his area, let it sit in a trailer for a day. When he got it he was livid as it reeked. He called me and ripped my head off. I told him to calm down as I would refund his money or replace the fish. He kept on and on.

I refunded his money but he had the nerve to ask me when I would have more available. No chance ever buster. I risked my livelihood for you and you ripped my head off. Even told you it was too hot to ship fish. God some people are so dense.

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/21/13 06:35 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.