Haven't encountered these folks and don't want to after hearing stories.

There are four people on a boat with saltwater recreational fishing licenses, three rods/reels, and one speargun.

The rec. limit of a certain species is "One per Harvester." There is no issue with four legally sized fish being on that boat, regardless of who actually caught which particular fish and how.

Regardless of whether the fish were taken with hook & line, or spear - where that species is permitted to be taken by spear (some are not).

Have I got this right or is there some other wrinkle?

Many years ago I got stopped by the FWC for the third time in one day.

Told that to the third officer and politely told him to fuck off, which he did.

Had it up to here. Attached File

"Anything on this boat that's not supposed to be here?"

....



"Just you, buddy."

The rules are very simple. Read and follow them and you won't have any problme.  How long have you lived in FL?

correct, last year during snapper (2 fish per "angler") my friend and our wives went out, we brought back 8 snappers, and the girls did nothing but toppless sunbathe and drink.... I'd imagine if you had a super gungho cop that was observing you miles offshore with a telescope and saw only 2 fishing and not all 4 it could have been an issue....

Thanks, this is what I figured. There's just no way to know anyhow, and if asked who caught what, we all caught them together. Each one of us is in possession of the limit, or less of legally sized fish.

The notion that two licensed people go out fishing and one person catches three reds and the other none means that the third fish is thrown away is insane.

I know for sure your fishing trips are more colorful than my own.

Was duck hunting and upon return the fwc was standing at the dock, inspected our catch which included two ducks that had a limit of one each.  Oh he non-nonchalantly asked which one of us was lucky enough to shoot both of these Fulvous ducks, lol, nice try at entrapment.  Set him straight right away as we both bagged one, but he was a dick with a badge and that left a foul taste ever since.

My interaction with FWC does not mirror those posted.

It's been years since interacting with them as I hunt strictly private land now.

About ten years ago my brother and I were headed in from the Gulf when FWC stopped us for a boat inspection. The guy was nice and polite despite my brother being a complete dick to the guy from the start. There were a few things the FWC guy asked to see and my brother simply replied something to the effect "no, don't have that, write me a ticket". This was repeated several times and the guy look at me and I just rolled my eyes as if to say "fuck it, write the asshole some tickets". Well, the guy wrote two tickets, both warnings. I chewed my brothers ass and he realized HE was the asshole. The guy went above and beyond and should not have been subject to my brother's attitude.

Some years back I shot a canvasback, when unknown to me, they were not in season. When I got to the boat ramp, two FWC guys were there and asked if we had any luck. I held up the canvasback and said "check it out, a canvasback" real proud like. They both said congrats and admired the duck. Later that afternoon I went back for an evening hunt and ran into them again. They asked if I had the canvasback and I said yep, it's in the cooler. They told me unknown to them as well, the canvasback was not a harvestable duck this year. They told me not to sweat it, just don't show it off to any hunters.

I suppose there are some assholes out there, same as any profession.

In all fairness,  I can catch boobs most days, snapper on the otherhand is a once a year outing for me. I couldnt care less about the sunners lol ...

Same here, all my interactions with fish/game cops be it here or in Ohio/North Carolina etc. have all been good.

Being from NY I'm going to ask a question and I mean ABSOLUTELY NO DISRESPECT!

You didn't show them your badge or anything like that?

My experience in NY with the DEC was always shitty unless my best friend was with me - he was a Deputy Sheriff and that seemed to get him "courtesy."

By myself (and I'm a very respectful person in general to all people) they seemed to come out with the old God Complex really hard, letting me know how benevolent they were being for not writing me for things that aren't even illegal.

But maybe the FWC is better than the asshats in NY!

I happen to know the only professional jerk FWC.

My wife got really good cooperation from headquarters getting her sons crab trap tags after his death
but she had to get the right person.

FWC over all would rather the tags disappear.

That was $40,000 for the grand daughter when she turns 18.

@byuind

I am proud to say absolutely not... the first incident involving my brother I didn't say a damn word and the FWC guy should have hammered my brother for his attitude.

On the second incident, involving the duck, it wasn't until after the afternoon encounter that I mentioned I was a deputy. I only mentioned it after the fact as I didn't want the guys to take any chances getting dinged for not dinging me as several other hunters had seen the canvasback by now as well as a third FWC guy found out about it. The two I encountered found out canvasback were closed that year from the third FWC guy who gave them a hard time for not knowing the change in the law that year, even the couple hunters at the boat ramp didn't know canvasback were closed. That year it was literally a one sentence entry in the migratory bird pamphlet.

I've never had a bad interaction with the FWC.  Fishing or hunting, they've always been quick and cordial.  

I'm sure there's always that one guy that ruins it, but I haven't met him.

Definitely makes me feel a little bit better.

I am admittedly against environmental conservation police in general, as I believe in the right to harvest food as a constitutional protection. I do also admit that I don't have a solution for protection against over harvesting as most any of the solutions involve encroaching on the above mentioned right.

I'm told I will almost assuredly run into them when I'm fishing - and I am just so wary after all the stories I've heard since moving here.

I will add that though I encountered one fwc trying his best in entrapment generally I've had decent encounters with them.  I've spent many years shooting ducks on federal land in the swamp in SW Palm beach and the fwc guys don't hold a candle to the feds fish & game cops, those guys have an attitude and are flat out assholes, never friendly and always trying to stick a shiv in your ass. Only mentioning this as I've had countless interactions with them and it's always the same, at least they are consistent, lol...never have I been ticketed either as I and my hunting partners have always tried to be above board.

We need an app that tells us where they are. Like Waze does.

Even if you're doing nothing wrong, it's still best to avoid contact.

Questionable personnel in that agency..........some are as good as you'll get, some should not have be hired. truly ............far as the policy aspect goes to be polite it needs gutted with a complete re-do.       Watch the meetings and it quickly becomes apparent that mostly its a "good ole boy  pat on the back structure" with far to much glad handing.............truly a copycat agency with little innovation and an overly complex rule structure................Example:  the so called deer management program as newly implimented............no more than a poor, poor copy of what's in existence in other states (mostly for the better part of the 20th century!!!).

If there is a more poorly managed agency in our state it could only he children and family's.  

Damned good example of a genuinely 'staff driven' organization with the main objective being bureaucratic survival

My interaction with a FWC officer was he had his own version of a speed trap in the woods. A no hunting area on one side of a fire break in a wildlife management area where it had been legal in the past. He sat and watched the fire break with binoculars from the top of his truck and wrote tickets that required a court appearance. There was a sign on the fire break about 3 miles from where I crossed it.  He also kept a nice Gerber model 1 that I was wearing. It disappeared never to be seen again. I own the ticket and he got a free knife. My expectations are low based on this incident years ago.

Most of them are decent in my area. As long as you aren't blatantly drunk, doing some stupid ass shit, and have all your safety gear in order and quick to prove it they dont mess with ya. I do a lot of lobstering in the Keys and the few younger crew pull the haul for the older folks that try but just cant quite work some of the deeper spots. Double trippin/dippin is a big no no and i've heard of people getting popped having over limit stuff when the number of people and days didn't add up to the catch in the coolers.