Iowa Folks

[Rick Z]

Be sure to look at the new regulations.
25 daily limit on bluegill and 25 on crappie.
No possesion limits.
This is for public lakes.
Trying to find out how you convince them you were on a private pond.

Rick

[Bluegill222]

Good Luck with that. Photos with a time stamp on a digital camera with the water in question in the background?

[FishnDave]

Prove it by stating, "I would not have kept more than 25, had I been fishing Public Waters."

I imagine conservation officers would be checking creels/licenses at public lakes. Since they have no authority over private waters (you don't think you even need a license?), they have no reason to check you or your creel when you are at (or leaving) private property.

[jimsnarocks]

Just tell the warden they are your pet fish and you just took'em out for a swim in the pond. Now you are taking them back home. Jim

[Bluegill222]

Hard to get the little collars and leashes on 'em, though. Would you need tags?

[white43]

There is reality for sportsmanship. Isn't there? JGW

[HideHunter]

I've talked to a couple wardens about this in the past. We have different regs for catfish on "inland" waters, the Iowa River and the Mississippi.

They are going to about have to observe you on public waters before they can write you. As a warden told me, If you are "on the road" with too many fish and say you caught them in the Mississippi, there's not much I can do. If I catch you unloading from a landing in the Iowa and you say you caught them in the Mississippi I will write you.

Now - if they really believe you are in violation they have various tests they can use to pinpoint where those fish came from.

The new regs aren't going to affect me much anyway. As much as I like bluegill fillets, I'm too lazy to clean over 10.