CTFishTalk.com: Need advice for a buddy who got a fishing ticket today - Connecticut General Topics ( CT General Topics ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

He drove up to an unmarked pond and was the only one there - DEEP pulled up and ticketed him, he said he looked up the pond on the CT Anglers guide and it wasnt listed so he thought he was ok to fish it

The DEEP worker said he'd never heard the pond called what my buddy knew it as, the DEEP guy said it didnt have a name he always just knew it by a nickname but it is fed by a stream that is stocked ( unknown to my buddy )

can my buddy fight this and plead not guilty and win? even the ticket calls the pond by a name that isnt listed in the Angler's Guide

what can my buddy do? He was fishing, kept no trout, never had an infraction before, and the DEEP worker said the pond really has no name anyway - how was he to know he couldnt fish it?

Thanks for any and all advice - there are many here much wiser than I so I told him Id check with all of you and gain from your knowledge and experience

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

The pond is fed by a stream that is stocked with trout. That means that the trout in the stocked stream can get into that pond.

DEEP told me that even though they only stock 1 pond at Twin Brooks Park, all ponds are connected by brooks that eventually goes to the Pequonnock River, which means I can't fish all other ponds while trout season is closed.

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

that I understand but I wonder

Because the DEEP officer wrote a name down for
The body of water and the name doesn't exist on
The off limits list in the anglers guide can my buddy plead
Not guilty and get off on a technicality having to do with
Being accused of fishing a body of water that doesn't exist?

The DEEP officer admitted he didn't know the name of the pond
He knew what he always called it but wrote down the name
Of the stream as the pond name..... But wrote river

Cedar swamp stream feeds into the UN named pond

Ticket states Cedar swamp RIVER / cedar swamp pond

Neither of those names appear on anglers guide

NorthEastFisherman · Joined: 27 May 2012 Posts: 582

Well the pootatuck river flows into lake zoar and you cant fish places on the pootatuck til opening season yet you can fish lake zoar. Theres also pond brook that flows into lake lillinonah and you cant fish pond brook yet you can fish lillinonah so i dont see why you cant fish that pond. Unless its like a huge pool that has a river flowing from both sides.

Stevius86 · Joined: 12 Apr 2012 Posts: 165 Location: Ellington

Sounds like he could fight it to me but I'm not DEEP expert

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

With neither river or pond name on the off limits
List... And the DEEP guy said he wasn't gonna confiscate gear
Because my buddy was harmless, never a prior offender

And he also suggested new places to fish... I think the
Officer had to write a ticket because the tip line was called

But when the officer can't even tell ya the name of the place
U are being cited at how are you supposed to consult
The no fishing list on the anglers guide ya know?

My buddy is gonna go Not Guilty

Ill let ya know how it turns out

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Yes, your buddy should fight the ticket. If the name of the lake or pond written on the ticket does not appear in the regulations pertaining to "Closed Seasons", the ticket is invalid on its face. I'm surprised that the DEEP Conservation Officer (aka CO) was such a Richard about it. I'd like to know what name for the lake or pond he wrote on the ticket. In any case, here's the relevant regulation regarding "Closed Seasons" for Connecticut lakes and ponds:

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

I'm surprised I don't see the name Twin Brooks Park Pond on the list Phil!

They've been stocking 1 of the ponds for a while now and a CO from a CT fishing site told me I can't fish any other ponds at the park while trout season is closed because of all ponds being connected by brooks that lead to the Pequonnock.

anointed130 · Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:50 pm Post subject:

It's on there Michael under Trumbull twin parks
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Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

found out that the ticket says Cedar Swamp Pond/River - guy decided to name it himself even though he said it doesnt have a name and he always referred to it as The Pink Ravine ( wtf )

DEEP officer said that he stocks the trout into the un named pond but the Cedar Swamp Stream is on the list as a no fish zone, even though he stocks fish into the pond, not stream

a stream and a river are not the same by any stretch and the ticket says cedar swamp pond/river - how can you designate a dual spot to be busted at? especially when there is no cedar swamp pond or cedar swamp river in mansfield

buddy sent ticket in and is gonna fight it

coupled with the fact that he was friendly and the deep officer was friendly back, was told no gear was gonna be taken, and was even told where to go fishing after - seems like he has a fighting chance - stay tuned i guess

sbehuniak09 · Joined: 10 Jul 2012 Posts: 229 Location: Seymour, CT

Today Ryan and I had a similar experience and it makes your buddy's all the more odd.. We were fishing what we thought of as Bone Mill Pond (maybe the same place your buddy was?) and we each caught a trout or two. Surprised both of us.. After a short while, we took off because we both wanted to catch bass. After I leave, I see a truck in my rearview and it follows me all the way into the parking lot for Ryan's dorm. Guy gets out, introduces himself as "Officer x" and asks if we were fishing that place. We said yeah, and were informed that it is closed until Opening Day. Apparently that pond is one of the 3 places listed in the Angler's Guide as "Cedar Swamp Brook." He said that someone called in a complaint and he was following it up. Despite the fact that he followed us all the way back to campus and got a call, he let us both off with a warning when we (truthfully) said we had no idea that it was closed. Couldn't have been a nicer guy which makes me all the more curious about why your buddy got a ticket..
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MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

That's the place yup

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

MANIMAL · Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 242 Location: Manchester

Problem is..... My buddy was fishing in Mansfield

This pond has no marker or sign
No way to even tell if it is on a list or not
The pond has no name
the DEEP officer wrote a mad eup name for an unnamed pond - he even said he wasnt sure of th ename - just that he personally stocked the pond so he knows its off limits

ridiculous to expect anyone to know its an off limit pond when the pond has no name, no sign, not on a list