Fishing a private pond

[Skylineracer329]

Tried searching here. Tried the state website. No luck.

Do you need your fishing license to fish a private pond on private land? My gun club has a fish pond that I was gonna check out with a buddy who doesn't have his license yet.

 

[Penniepup1]

Nope, private is private

 

[bbarer]

I am not sure that is true (although I always thought you didn't need a license on your own property), this was all I could find in the regs...
Agricultural Landowners: Any person who owns or leases land that is principally used for agriculture and any immediate family members and who are domiciled on said land does not need a hunting, fishing, or trapping license to hunt, fish, or trap on that property. Permits and stamps are still required

 

[bostonirish14]

I shoot in marshfield where they have a pond on the property for fishing. I'm told by the club that even though the pond is on private land I still need a license because it has tributaries that intermingle with public ones. No clue if that's just club bullshit or not but hope it helps

 

[MisterHappy]

800-632-8075

That's the EPOs' number. They're the ones you have to worry about.

 

[Skylineracer329]

800-632-8075

That's the EPOs' number. They're the ones you have to worry about.

Thanks!

I shoot in marshfield where they have a pond on the property for fishing. I'm told by the club that even though the pond is on private land I still need a license because it has tributaries that intermingle with public ones. No clue if that's just club bullshit or not but hope it helps

Yeah that's the deal with my clubs, it's spring fed from some other river that's public

 

[whacko]

Tried searching here. Tried the state website. No luck.

Do you need your fishing license to fish a private pond on private land? My gun club has a fish pond that I was gonna check out with a buddy who doesn't have his license yet.

A private pond must be truly private to fish without a license. If it has tributaries into public water source it's not a private pond.

And private property doesn't mean shit if it's on a public body of water. The property is only privately owned to the mean high water mark! You can't own the water!!!!

Call the f and w office for advice......or better yet just buy a fishing license. It pays for conservation.

 

[whacko]

Nope, private is private

Proof of the body of water being completely on private land and not fed through tributaries into or out of a public body of water though. And as I stated before......private land abutting a public body of water........you need a fishing license. You may be "private" owner of land but only to the mean high water mark........your line is in public water.

Here is another tid bit of information for all you "free staters" out there that think "private means private"......yes you may hunt your own private owned land without a license....but you still need to obey season, bag, and hunting implement rules. You may own the land......but not the fauna that walk on it or fly over it.......the game animals are public domain. Just ask the crazy Bitch in Connecticut a couple years back that was penning up white tail deer on her land saying they were hers because they were on her property......and was protecting them from hunters. Same holds true for hunters of private land.......you can't take game animals out of season......you don't own the animals.

Private game preserve operate differently and may hunt out of season......because they raise and / or buy game animals and place them out for hunting. But the animals being "hunted" (if you can stomach calling it hunting ) have to be raised privately and not a wild caught animal. But.....when the time comes I find the need to pay someone to place farm raised birds in a field for me to shoot......is the day i turn in my man card. I even stopped pheasant hunting in mass because of the circus it becomes. What a joke. And before I get flamed......that's my choice personally.......a private land owner has the right to operate a private hunting preserve......but it's my right to an opinion that the guys taking part in it are lazy pussies.

 

[Skylineracer329]

Proof of the body of water being completely on private land and not fed through tributaries into or out of a public body of water though. And as I stated before......private land abutting a public body of water........you need a fishing license. You may be "private" owner of land but only to the mean high water mark........your line is in public water.

Here is another tid bit of information for all you "free staters" out there that think "private means private"......yes you may hunt your own private owned land without a license....but you still need to obey season, bag, and hunting implement rules. You may own the land......but not the fauna that walk on it or fly over it.......the game animals are public domain. Just ask the crazy Bitch in Connecticut a couple years back that was penning up white tail deer on her land saying they were hers because they were on her property......and was protecting them from hunters. Same holds true for hunters of private land.......you can't take game animals out of season......you don't own the animals.

Private game preserve operate differently and may hunt out of season......because they raise and / or buy game animals and place them out for hunting. But the animals being "hunted" (if you can stomach calling it hunting ) have to be raised privately and not a wild caught animal. But.....when the time comes I find the need to pay someone to place farm raised birds in a field for me to shoot......is the day i turn in my man card. I even stopped pheasant hunting in mass because of the circus it becomes. What a joke. And before I get flamed......that's my choice personally.......a private land owner has the right to operate a private hunting preserve......but it's my right to an opinion that the guys taking part in it are lazy pussies.

Lol

The pond is "spring fed" so I'm sure it's considered public. Seems like any body of water could be considered public if you can't prove it's not fed by underground streams etc.

 

[whacko]

Lol

The pond is "spring fed" so I'm sure it's considered public. Seems like any body of water could be considered public if you can't prove it's not fed by underground streams etc.

Underground would not be an issue. It's tributaries that allow access for movement of fish that is the issue. I have an uncle with a true private pond on his property......it is spring fed (that means from below).

 

[Jbarila]

I shoot in marshfield where they have a pond on the property for fishing. I'm told by the club that even though the pond is on private land I still need a license because it has tributaries that intermingle with public ones. No clue if that's just club bullshit or not but hope it helps

Environmental cop is a member and he directed license requirement.

 

[bdb]

Here is another tid bit of information for all you "free staters" out there that think "private means private"......yes you may hunt your own private owned land without a license....but you still need to obey season, bag, and hunting implement rules. You may own the land......but not the fauna that walk on it or fly over it.......the game animals are public domain. Just ask the crazy Bitch in Connecticut a couple years back that was penning up white tail deer on her land saying they were hers because they were on her property......and was protecting them from hunters. Same holds true for hunters of private land.......you can't take game animals out of season......you don't own the animals.

Mostly correct, many states have exceptions for land owners but as you said all other regs need to be applied. That said it doesn't apply to "special hunts" in NH so no shooting one in ML season with an ML without a license, no archery deer and no turkeys or pheasants on your own land without a license.

 

[bigblue]

FWIW Our club has a private pond that is posted as such and stated in several locations that members do not need licenses to fish there.

 

[whacko]

Mostly correct, many states have exceptions for land owners but as you said all other regs need to be applied. That said it doesn't apply to "special hunts" in NH so no shooting one in ML season with an ML without a license, no archery deer and no turkeys or pheasants on your own land without a license.

Good info.

The main point of my post is that the game animals that happen to be on private property.......are still public domain. I got into a pretty heated discussion with a dick stick on here awhile back that blatantly said......if it's walking on my land it's my animal to do what I want with.

He is WRONG. That game belongs to everyone as it can freely move from public to private land and is therefore a public resource to be managed.

Fish are no different. You may own the land that abuts the lake but you don't own the lake. Many years ago I was fishing in chest waders.....I parked and walked in on public Access land. Was in water up to my waste moving along the shore. Big fat ass comes out on his deck yelling at me to get off his property. I told him politely about the mean high water mark rule and that if my feet are wet I'm not in your property. He said he was going to call the cops. I said please do. I stayed there and kept fishing. Cops showed up and asked how I got where I was. I pointed to the public Access lot and said that is my car way over there. Cops told me to have a nice day and left the asshat standing there! My point.....what difference does it make if I'm in a canoe at that point or in waders? I still gained access from public land. Lots of home owners on public waters need a lesson on what's what!

 

[robjax]

you can get a license in 12 seconds through the F&G web site. You can even print it to save a buck or two.

 

[whacko]

FWIW Our club has a private pond that is posted as such and stated in several locations that members do not need licenses to fish there.

If it has no tributaries and the club stocks it......party on!

 

[bigblue]

If it has no tributaries and the club stocks it......party on!

If the tributaries remain on the same land, that would also be fine wouldn't it?

 

[whacko]

If the tributaries remain on the same land, that would also be fine wouldn't it?

I meant tributaries that connect to public water.

 

[EMTDAD]

Wrentham Sportsmans Association requires a fishing license to fish club pond.

 

[Admin]

FWIW Our club has a private pond that is posted as such and stated in several locations that members do not need licenses to fish there.

What happens when you catch a bunch of fish, drive home, get pulled over and tell them "Oh yeah these were all caught on a private pond..."

 

[whacko]

What happens when you catch a bunch of fish, drive home, get pulled over and tell them "Oh yeah these were all caught on a private pond..."

Good question! I guess show em your membership I'd card as proof your at least a member of the sportsmen's club.

 

[bigblue]

What happens when you catch a bunch of fish, drive home, get pulled over and tell them "Oh yeah these were all caught on a private pond..."

Ask why they are conducting an illegal search of my trunk and why they care about the fish my friend gave me?

We have a fishing derby run by the po-po so I don't think its a huge deal.

 

[robjax]

What happens when you catch a bunch of fish, drive home, get pulled over and tell them "Oh yeah these were all caught on a private pond..."

In Mass.....you'd have to catch me in the act of freshwater fishing without a license. I don't eat any freshwater fish caught in Mass. So no reason for me to take them home....lol


Here are some guidelines....so unless the pond is stocked you shouldn't eat freshwater fish in Mass. So I don't really even know why they want you to have a freshwater license...just money I guess.

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/exposure/fish-eating-guide.pdf


This is a great link....PCB's Mercury, Pesticides, DDT, Oh my....

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/exposure/freshwater-fish-consumption-advisories.pdf

 

[bigblue]

In Mass.....you'd have to catch me in the act of freshwater fishing without a license. I don't eat any freshwater fish caught in Mass. So no reason for me to take them home....lol


Here are some guidelines....so unless the pond is stocked you shouldn't eat freshwater fish in Mass. So I don't really even know why they want you to have a freshwater license...just money I guess.

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/exposure/fish-eating-guide.pdf


This is a great link....PCB's Mercury, Pesticides, DDT, Oh my....

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/exposure/freshwater-fish-consumption-advisories.pdf

We stock our pond but yeah, I wouldn't eat fish caught in MA. I might even hesitate in ME or NH depending on location.

 

[whacko]

In Mass.....you'd have to catch me in the act of freshwater fishing without a license. I don't eat any freshwater fish caught in Mass. So no reason for me to take them home....lol


Here are some guidelines....so unless the pond is stocked you shouldn't eat freshwater fish in Mass. So I don't really even know why they want you to have a freshwater license...just money I guess.

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/exposure/fish-eating-guide.pdf


This is a great link....PCB's Mercury, Pesticides, DDT, Oh my....

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/exposure/freshwater-fish-consumption-advisories.pdf

Of course it's about money you are not just paying for the actual stocked fish with the license. You are paying to support the management plans for the public resource your are using Sure the naturally occurring fish in mass have high heavy metal levels but they still need to be managed for sustainable population levels. Populations of game animals and fish are managed two ways.....control the pressure (licenses, bag limits, season limits) and control the success rate (impliment rules, # of hooks, number of lines, size of nets, size of traps). So you are not just paying for a stocked fish.

Last time I checked the state of mass does not stock deer.....bear.....turkey.....squirrel.....or rabbit but you need a license to hunt those. Your arguement is pretty much moot here based on if they fish is stocked or not.

 

[robjax]

Of course it's about money you are not just paying for the actual stocked fish with the license. You are paying to support the management plans for the public resource your are using Sure the naturally occurring fish in mass have high heavy metal levels but they still need to be managed for sustainable population levels. Populations of game animals and fish are managed two ways.....control the pressure (licenses, bag limits, season limits) and control the success rate (impliment rules, # of hooks, number of lines, size of nets, size of traps). So you are not just paying for a stocked fish.

Last time I checked the state of mass does not stock deer.....bear.....turkey.....squirrel.....or rabbit but you need a license to hunt those. Your arguement is pretty much moot here based on if they fish is stocked or not.

I know, I took the hunter ed course and have done some other reading so I get the management aspect of it...and to a point I agree.

I guess to clarify my point a little more...we have to pay to fish for fish that we cannot consume or would be unsafe to consume unless the body of water was (recently) stocked. And even with that you have no idea if you caught a hold-over.... I could understand it more if we could safely eat the fish. I still do not agree with having to buy a license to do something that should be free. But here we are. In the case of my gun club the club pays to stock the pond, not the state. So in that case, depending on where they get the fish, they should be safe to eat.

 

[whacko]

I know, I took the hunter ed course and have done some other reading so I get the management aspect of it...and to a point I agree.

I guess to clarify my point a little more...we have to pay to fish for fish that we cannot consume or would be unsafe to consume unless the body of water was (recently) stocked. And even with that you have no idea if you caught a hold-over.... I could understand it more if we could safely eat the fish. I still do not agree with having to buy a license to do something that should be free. But here we are. In the case of my gun club the club pays to stock the pond, not the state. So in that case, depending on where they get the fish, they should be safe to eat.

"Don't believe in paying for a license for something that should be free"

Ok. So how do you propose the resource be managed then? Who's going to pay for it? Or do you recommend no management plans and we let people take what they want?

 

[bigblue]

 

[robjax]

"Don't believe in paying for a license for something that should be free"

Ok. So how do you propose the resource be managed then? Who's going to pay for it? Or do you recommend no management plans and we let people take what they want?

I have no alternative management plan....that's why I pay for the licenses....lol

 

[StevieP]

you can get a license in 12 seconds through the F&G web site. You can even print it to save a buck or two.

Save the paper, and download the .pdf to your phone.

Don't lose the phone.

- - - Updated - - -

I know, I took the hunter ed course and have done some other reading so I get the management aspect of it...and to a point I agree.

I guess to clarify my point a little more...we have to pay to fish for fish that we cannot consume or would be unsafe to consume unless the body of water was (recently) stocked. And even with that you have no idea if you caught a hold-over.... I could understand it more if we could safely eat the fish. I still do not agree with having to buy a license to do something that should be free. But here we are. In the case of my gun club the club pays to stock the pond, not the state. So in that case, depending on where they get the fish, they should be safe to eat.

your license fees pay for ramp maintenance, and plenty of other programs from MassWildlife. Combo hunting/fishing (Sporting) license isn't cheap, but if there's anything in this state that's "worth it," it's hunting and fishing licenses.