so this is legal?

[Ontario Climber]

spear

April & May All waters except the following: the waters of Lake Erie fronting
Norfolk and Haldimand Counties (Div
. 2), the waters of Lake Huron
fronting the Counties of Lambton, Bruce and Huron (Div. 35),
Divisions 3, 5, 6 and 13, waters in the Counties of Bruce, Dufferin,
Grey & Simcoe (Div. 4), waters in the City of Toronto, in the
Regional Municipalities of Peel and York, waters in Morrison Twp.
(Div. 15), the Rideau River between
Hog’s Back Dam and the Ottawa
River (Div. 9) and the waters of Georgian Bay fronting the Counties

so it would appear to me that spearfishing for rough fish in Ontario is legal on the st. Lawrence river ? they do not specify , only say spearing, so I will assume and have a copy of this and this:

SPEAR
– Fishing with a spear, or having a spear within 30 m (100 ft
.) of the edge of a body of water, is illegal except in the circu
mstances noted above.

nowhere does it say you can't spear underwater with a speargun or polespear .

anybody else read into this the same way?


It also reads in the 2013 regs, that May 1st until July 31st, it is legal to spear carp and sucker with 1 spear, during daylight hours, and that you can't have a spear within 30 metres of shore unless it is for spearing these fish; hell I will delight in ridding the river of these big pigs, then heading to Quebec for eating-fish

2013 MNR Fishing Regs ENGLISH

Cheers, CDG

 

[ntcp8]

i think they mean hand/pole spear and not speargun...

 

[Ontario Climber]

i think they mean hand/pole spear and not speargun...

yeah, but I'm thinking unless they expressively say NO underwater spearing, it is grey area, especially if it was a polespear, which is what i had in mind.

Better to beg forgiveness, then to ask permission AND to have a copy of this regulation in hand if need-be.


I will find out this spring, but chances of seeing a CO in my county is about the same as getting attacked by a white shark in the St. Lawrence river it is 1, 354 sq miles, and 1 CO to patrol it, with no funding for fuel costs, lame, but true.

CDG

 

[ntcp8]

this is directly from the ontario fishery regulations....



Prohibited Fishing Methods and Gear

• 9. (1) No person shall fish with
  
  • (a) a hook used in such a manner as to pierce or hook a fish in any part of the body other than the mouth;
  • (b) a gaff;
  • (c) a snare;
  • (d) a snagger; or
  • (e) a spear gun.
• (2) Despite paragraph (1)(b), a person may use a gaff, other than a spring gaff, to assist in the landing of a fish.

• 10. (1) No person shall possess a snagger, spear gun or spring gaff in any waters or within 30 m of any water’s edge.
• (2) Except when spear fishing in accordance with these Regulations, no person shall possess a spear for the purpose of fishing in any waters or within 30 m of any water’s edge.
• (3) No person shall possess a snare for the purpose of fishing on any waters or within 30 m of any water’s edge.

 

[Ontario Climber]

yep, which is why I think a polespear will be classified as a handspear bowhunted for 20+ years, have had a few run-ins with CO's, one was dumbfounded to find out i could bowhunt during the gun season as long as I wore hunters orange to and from my stand, he was told it was prohibited, this spearing thing is a very shaded area, so it will be an interesting read into the rules, but as long as it says "NO spearing of carp in any way shape or form", then I'm betting a polespear would be considered legal as long as you have a valid fishing license.

I have zero interest in a trigger speargun for this application, and as soon as it has a trigger based firing mechanism, it is a "speargun", a handpowered and hand released polespear is not a gun.

least the way I see it , and it states May 1st to July 31st, spearing with a handspear is legal, doesn't say anything about it being above or below the water. Underwater is better, less chance of mistaken identity, a few years back a buddy accidentally shot a big pike lying on bottom that he thought was a bowfin, case in point, underwater close range is better for ridding our river of the nasty river pigs

cheers!

 

[nils.french]

Really does look good to go fore polespear in Ontario, just so long as you're 30m from shore. And if you're seen with your spear on the way out to that 30m mark you can simply say you're fishing for carp and white sucker.

 

[Ontario Climber]

there is a large "grey" area there, I just go with it and am prepared to back it up with facts.