# catch,clean,cook while on boat..ok?



## sfy2004 (Jun 2, 2008)

i was wondering if anyone can shed some light on this question, is it ok to take a fish off your hook ,clean it, and throw it on the grill when on the lake? if i was at Strawberry, what kind of concerns would this raise? and how does it count as far as your limit?

never seen this come up before in here, and having just bought a tabletop grill for the boat i wanted to get some input on this before i got in any trouble.


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## luv2fsh&hnt (Sep 22, 2007)

From the proclamation:
Utah Code § 4-37-305 and Utah Admin. Rule R657-13-16
At most Utah waters, you can dress or fillet game fish, remove their heads or tails, or otherwise physically alter the fish at either of the following times:
• Immediately after you finish fishing (while still at the water where you caught the fish)
-OR-
• After you reach a fish-cleaning station, a camp or your principal means of land transportation
NOTE: Do not dispose of entrails and carcasses on the bank. Leave them in the water where you caught the fish.
There are a few Utah waters where different filleting rules apply. Trout and/or salmon taken at Strawberry Reservoir, Scofield Reservoir and Panguitch Lake-and smallmouth bass taken at Jordanelle-may not be filleted, and their heads or tails may not be removed in the field or in transit.
*While you are in the act of fishing, it is unlawful to possess fish that have been dressed or filleted.* This does not apply to fish that are processed for immediate consumption or to fish held from a previous day's catch.

The bolded sentence pretty much answers your question.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I thought the last line answered his question better. 



> • After you reach a fish-cleaning station, a camp or your principal means of land transportation
> NOTE: Do not dispose of entrails and carcasses on the bank. Leave them in the water where you caught the fish.
> There are a few Utah waters where different filleting rules apply. Trout and/or salmon taken at Strawberry Reservoir, Scofield Reservoir and Panguitch Lake-and smallmouth bass taken at Jordanelle-may not be filleted, and their heads or tails may not be removed in the field or in transit.
> While you are in the act of fishing, it is unlawful to possess fish that have been dressed or filleted. *This does not apply to fish that are processed for immediate consumption or to fish held from a previous day's catch.*The bolded sentence pretty much answers your question.


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## luv2fsh&hnt (Sep 22, 2007)

I think we may have found another contradiction in the regulations. He better call the DWR. It was years ago but I got a scotch blessing from a CO at Causey for cooking fish on the bank right after I caught them. He didn't write me a ticket but said he could.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I called the DWR today and asked for clarification on this.
The CO that I talked with stated that on page 30, it states that you may NOT fillet, or remove the head or tail of any fish that is caught at Strawberry Reservoir. [Page 30 of the Proc.]
So you can't catch a fish and eat it while you are on your boat at Strawberry Reservoir.

The CO also said that he would contact the Division and let them know that the wording on page 14 in the Proc needs to be changed.
He went on to explain to me that the rules for specific waters [page 30] supersedes the general rules that are on page 14 of the 2010 Proclimation.

I hope that this helps with the question.


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## kastmaster (Nov 20, 2007)

But page 30 does not say anything about not being able to consume the fish. If one just takes the innards out, does not fillet it and keeps the head and tail intact, and cooks it whole, wouldn't that still be within the bounds of the specific rules for the waters mentioned in page 30?


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

I think the real issue lies in the over-harvesting of fish. If tweedle dee and tweedle dum are sitting there bbq-ing up their fish as fast as they can catch them, nobody is the wiser when they come back to the docks with JUST their limit of fish on the stringer (and who knows how many in their stomachs). A CO would need to watch someone catch, clean, and consume more fish than are allowed to be kept in a day in order to effectively catch them. 

A member of this forum essentially did this very thing down at Fishlake over the winter while ice fishing. If I remember correctly, there were 4 guys, and between them, they caught a bunch of fish, grilled them up right there on the hard deck, and then proceeded to re-fill their limit of 16 total fish for the day, totaling 25 (I think) fish kept by the party in one day. While the law does say that a fish from a limit must be consumed before you can keep another fish, it also explicitly says you can only keep 4 in a day, with a few water-specific deviations from that limit.


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## Briar Patch (Feb 1, 2010)

IMO, it's not worth the trouble of trying to talk a CO out of giving you a citation by way of a technicality. Much better off to stick with catching your limit and no more, and eating something totally different.



Eating freshly caught and cooked fish while on your boat may very well be your definition of paradise, however, I contend that the same situation altered by only two items would land you in a place so close to paradise that you would find it virtually impossible to distinguish between them.
Those two things being;
1 - The addition of PB&J. :EAT: 
2 - The absence of even the slightest hint of anxiety where CO's are concerned. :RULES: 

-_O- - sorry, I find that I am able to amuse myself far too easily.


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## sfy2004 (Jun 2, 2008)

Grandpa D, thank you very much for making the call for clarification. and thanks everyone else for weighing in on this. i guess the safest thing is just catch your fish, then wait till you are off the water to enjoy them.

it is interesting that their are vaguaries in the wording that some may try to interpret to benefit themselves, hopefully they will address this with the next proclamation.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

sfy2004 said:


> it is interesting that their are vaguaries in the wording that some may try to interpret to benefit themselves, hopefully they will address this with the next proclamation.


You would be surprised at how many items seem clear when you read them over, and then seem so cloudy when someone brings up a particular situation. This is why there is so much legalese that goes into the proc year after year. Someone may innocently violate a rule, which usually isn't a huge problem and others seem to look for all the loopholes and exploit the heck out of them, creating HUGE problems.


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