Have you ever been inspected on the water

[Streaker]

I was talking to a friend of mine on Sunday and he said that he was fishing at Deep Tempest on wednesday and was boarded by the Water Police and they done a check of his catch etc. It turns out they had 2 fish on board that were borderline so borderline infact they were fined a total of $250.
The guy swears they were of legal size before they went on ice. My questions are has this ever happen to anyone here and do fish shrink when their put on ice.
Wayne

[Zeeke]

yes fish shrink.. its called rigor mortis where the muscles tense up and and go hard.. like fish do when they are stuck on ice.... best way to avoid that is to toss back fish that are just on legal and only keep the ones that are nicely oversize..

ive been boarded by police and dpi a few times.. had breath checks to see if i was pissed as a newt.. pretty funny considering i dont drink at all.. never had fish checked because 90% of the time im catch and release and these days they just wave me on..

Tim

[Scorpion]

Hi, streaker
its a fact that fish do shrink when they're put on ice but i don't know if they shrivel up because of the cold water or they just shrink when they die.

Scorpion

[MTpockets]

Wayne.... yes I believe they shrink and for that reason alone I will never keep borderline fish. If the legal size is say 23 cm, I will only keep 25 cm or better. I have lived by that rule for many years now. I have been checked out like that maybe 5 times this year and always pass ok.
My worry is if things shrink when dead...... oh never mind ;D

[SNELLY]

Basically you are looking at 5% as far as I know

[mackmauler]

in the haze of excitement that follows the capture of a squire always measure twice ;D

ill add that to my ruler lol.

[TonyM]

Strangely enough I have never been checked on the water - Not ever! And I've been fishing for over 30 years and generally go out at least once a week...

I have been checked only once when land based.

I don't know if it's just dumb luck (although I never keep undersized), maybe it is, as I also have only been breath tested once in over 20 years driving...

[TonyM]

Bugger - I hope i didn't just jinx myself :o

[SeaHunt]

You must be one inconspicuous sort of dude there Tony. 8)
I get Fisheries/police inspected about once a year and I only average about once a fortnight boat fishing.
RBT about 5 or 6 times a year.
The record is still clean though. ;)

[DaneCross]

Been checked for safety gear/licence/rego twice, have never actually boarded or had the catch checked. The water police seem to be a good bunch of people, friendlier than their land-locked counterparts anyway ::) ;D

[Cheech]

Last summer I was pulled over 3 times in 5 weeks. Once by the water police and twice by fisheries. Police were only interested in safety gear. Fishereies guys were pretty good to talk to. I suppose they picked up pretty early on that I was on the up and up. Have never had one ask to see fish. Probably coz I usually didn't have any. They could probably tell after a while from body language etc.

[el_carpo]

When you get checked by the officers, ask them if anyone is catching anything. They are a storehouse of up to the minute information. I do this every time and they always give me information. I've even learned of some "spot x's" this way. Other fishermen won't give you that.

[raefpud]

mate i never checked - i been fishin cape york to tweed for the last 8 years, ive seen them wave at me, but never before spoke to me - i reckon they are scared, hahaha lol - i'll most definately give them fisheries DPI mob a piece of my mind if they want to chat

[sir_noelus]

Checked on water in the mountains fairly regularly by Police, Waterways and not so often by Fisheries. Pity about that. Still clean though. Couple of comments; Fisheries have told me they rarely check freshwater shore based fly fishers as they are honest about their fishing. Also, in Wollongong the other day I bought an aluminium folding boat trailer in prep for a long fishing trip. A bit surprised that the sales guys (yes, more than one, aged 20+ - 50+,) said they had never had a boat licence in their lives, even though they regularly take clients for test drives in boats, and had never been pulled up. As a client what would you think if the demonstrator was booked for having no licence while showing you a $60-80,000 boat? All I could say was 'bloody hell'. I like the trailer though. Noel.

[-spiro-]

Been checked once this year out on the top of Hutchies, by dpi. They approched my boat in a 14ft zodiac with the 20y old girl driveing and the 30y old male sitting wright behind her. Like they ride motorbikes. All i could think of when they where there, was lucky bast***. But get this they didn't know what one of the fish where, a blue banded sea-perch and didn't even measure a fish. This is the next job im after.

[hoge]

I have been checked many times and I must say that both the Water Police and Fisheries inspectors have been very reasonable.
Was given a warning for flares that had expired the previous month. These same fellows saw me 2 weeks later and checked out my new flares.
During the prawn season I get checked on average of once a week.
Have never been breath tested on the water, but have been tested 3 times in the one day on the black top.

mick

[aido]

heading from cleveland to peel once, the big police cruiser
was trying to intercept from 90 degrees off starboard.
i kept pushing the throttle up and he kept his intecept course.
guess who's boat fell off after about 80kph...
not that i was pi$$ed or even started fishing yet, just felt like
blowing the cops off for once, i won. lol.

funny thing was a few hours later in horseshoe bay, the rubber ducky
was alongside and 2 nice officers were checking all my gear with a
fine tooth comb.

another fine sunny day had the usual 30 or so boats at harry atkinson.
funny watching them go from boat to boat checking the usual stuff
and about 7 dodgy types getting red carded. one by one heading back
to manly, wello or cleveland. like players sent from a footy field.

most of my fish checks have been by a dpi guy who hangs around the ramp
holding a very elaborate fish measuring device, looks like a shoe sizer, lol.

[Fisheasy]

Was checked by fisheries/dpi zodiac crew (she's probably mid 20's!) about 6 weeks ago just out from Nudgee. Our boat's reasonably new so they really didn't worry about the safety equipment all that much which was good actually ::)
Anyway, had a quick look at our catch (diver whiting) and that was that.
Prior to that, pulled up by the water police in the Nerang seven years ago, and also pulled up in Hinze Dam (permit check) about 5 years ago.
So, three times in 20 years isn't too bad.
Fisheries usually allow some form of shrinkage so surprised Streaker's friend got done. Maybe they were a little more suspect than he led you to believe?

[dnej]

Mate of mine was out with his son age 6, son caught only one legal size fish, got checked at the ramp.The fish had shrunk, to 1/2 cm undersize, and no discussion could be entered into. Cost him 250 and they threw the fish away.
Seems to me we need to do something to get some allowance built in.If we know that fish do shrink by a certain amount,surely that could be the allowance.
Regards David

[NQCairns]

Those sticker rulers also shrink, could add to a compound of errors. I might invest in a SS meter ruler popriveted to the gunnel. Just not worth getting rolled.

[klyons]

I was anchored up in the Burnett river when TweddleDUM and his offsider approached from the rear. I watched them right up to the side of my boat. TweddleDUM asks to see my licence. I tell him I don't have one. He asks my son, 15 at the time ,if he had one. When told he didn't have one he asks in a VERY snide voice if theres some reason why I believe I don't need a licence. I said last time I looked the outboard was 6hp. NO, its a 15 says TweddleDUM ???. F**k me says I, swing it around and theres this great big red 6 on a black cowling. Nope ,still a 6 says I ::).TweddleDums mate is now looking for somewhere to hide :-[.TweddleDUM then wants to see lifejackets etc getting crankier by the minute.Finally he gives up and heads of while telling me I'll need a licence soon, they're changin the law.
Now ,two things concerned me.1: If he couldn't see the big red 6 on the outboard he shouldn,t be driving a boat and 2: a check with the transport dept revealed no such change(re licence) was anywhere in the pipeline.
When he left he drove straight past the next 5 boats without even looking at them!

Kev

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

checked twice

once 100 odd km off the coast fishing the bombies off Northwest Is. never saw them coming - they were really very polite & friendly about it - we actually pulled in an undersize maori wrasse (about 20cm) whilst they were tethered - needless to say that pretty little fish was very well looked after ...

the other time was in absolutely rotten south east weather mid week at cabbage tree boat ramp a fisheries bloke in a white commodore ute checked out my catch - a 41cm Logan river whiting...

"how'd ya go" #he said

"just the one" I replied (knowingly)

"mind if i have a look?"

" sure thing" i offered

"no problems there"

"no problems, NO PROBLEMS - OATH NO PROBLEMS - THAT'S A FOOT & A HALF (i exaggerate when i think) OF THE FINEST QUALITY LOGAN RIVER SEAFOOD YOU WILL FIND MY FRIEND" ...

actually I just said "ta"

chris

[Chrisso]

LOL #;D Chris

Can't say I've been checked enough as I would have liked. #>:(

Must admit the fish I catch always shrink about half a cm. To be sure but, it's probably a good thing to keep them in a bucket of salt water and that way the water doesn't escape them and they shrink. If the fish was really close to the legal limit you could also put the fish in fresh water and watch osmosis take place.

[Commodore]

Had a few run ins with the Water police and Fishing Inspectors
1. Quite a few years ago, fishing dogwood creek, runs into the Condamine River, walking the banks bobbing. :D See a local in water hole and this guy has lost his prop, so we give him a hand. He offers some bait..great..take small bag of frozen fish? Go back to camp, put bait in bucket. Not 10 minutes later down comes Mr Inspector..”can I have a look around” he says, “no worries mate” everything is in order except, you guessed it frozen bait contains 1 under size yellow belly :o, I tried to explain how we got this bait, plus the fact we didn’t have a bloody deep freeze in the middle of the bush, no luck received $250.00 fine…… >:( >:( >:(

2. Next year same place, pissing down rain, dirt track, just keeping momentum and not getting bogged, same inspector approaches in his nice government supplied 4x4 ???. Flags us down….you’ve got to be kidding we say :(…..nope Mr inspector want to check all the gear, we had just got there, makes us pull everything out in the rain and the mud >:(, checks fishing gear and eski (full of piss not fish) “all is o.k.” he says and drives off leaving us with a bloody big mess. >:( >:(

3. Fishing Clarence River last year, holiday season, millions of boats with a fair percentage of wankers on the water. The Waterways guys are very busy giving some of the holiday makers a real hard time as he drifts down the line off about 6 anchored boats. My turn, he has a look from a few meters away, asks a few questions, to which I produced some safety gear and so on, no problem, nice guy doing his best with the amount of people on the water. :)

4. Earlier this year, been fishing behind Green Island till 3:30am, get to ramp, pull boat out, hello :o….Mr water police from Fish Island…checked everything, safety gear, fish, breath test, rego….no problem, nice enough guys :), but they got to be keen…3:30 in the bloody morning, just doing there job, just wish sometimes they go under the bridge next to their base and check some of the catches taken down there?? ??? ???
Matt

[setthehook]

I only ever was pulled up and told to a life jacket on when i was entering a bar but thats all.
I think when it comes to the crunch with undersize fish on ice that there is a certain leeway there. I may be wronge but i think its like 3 or 5 mm. I may be misinformed though so dont use this as an excuse when they pull you up lol. ;D

[sir_noelus]

Re fish length stickers. They cover their bum. If you loook at the stickers (NSW anyway) you will find they say something about being a guide only. Obviously they know, as we do, that they shrink after a while. They are not accepted as evidence if you are sprung with undersize fish. That stinks. If they provide the service of stickers, they should stand on their own right as evidene for or against you. Regardless, if fish arere that questionable as legal size, throw 'em back. Noel

[charleville]

Have been checked several times at Mud Island and Green Island. Once saw them visit lots of boats at Harry's but they did not visit me that time.

The most interesting time was when I launched th eboat at 2.30am at Manly boat harbour at the ramp at the Lota end a couple of years ago. A 4wd pulled up at the ramp. There were no lights at the ramp then so I could not see the Police sign on the side of the vehicle until they were right at the ramp. Seems like they had waited for me to get the boat into the water before they came over and did the safety check on flares etc.

Personally, I welcome their visits. It is a constant reminder to me to keep my safety gear in order and they are always polite.