Two Anglers Sharing One Rod

October 29, 2015

Question: If there are two guys with fishing licenses and they are fishing from shore, is it legal for them to share one fishing pole between them? If so, can both anglers continue fishing until they both get their limits of fish? (Kong C.)

Answer: This would be legal, but CDFW recommends that each angler have their own bags or stringers for the fish they catch in order to keep them separate. It is not legal for one person to catch their limit and then to continue fishing to help their friend get their limit. If each person keeps their own fish separate, there will be no confusion if asked by a warden to display the fish they’ve caught.

How about abalone? If I have my limit, can I help my friend locate his next one? Of course not attempting to pick up the one I have located. 

How about abalone? If I have my limit, can I help my friend locate his next one? Of course not attempting to pick up the one I have located.

As long as you don't remove the abs, I don't think there is any reason why you can't find them and mark them with an iron or gun on a floatline for your buddy....

 

Sincerely,

Jim

How about abalone? If I have my limit, can I help my friend locate his next one? Of course not attempting to pick up the one I have located.

As long as you don't remove the abs, I don't think there is any reason why you can't find them and mark them with an iron or gun on a floatline for your buddy....

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I don't think this is the case, for the same reason why you're not supposed to begin "hunting" before the starting time each day.

-Allen

How about abalone? If I have my limit, can I help my friend locate his next one? Of course not attempting to pick up the one I have located.

As long as you don't remove the abs, I don't think there is any reason why you can't find them and mark them with an iron or gun on a floatline for your buddy....

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I don't think this is the case, for the same reason why you're not supposed to begin "hunting" before the starting time each day.

-Allen

Yeah I see what you're saying...but if that was the case then a father could never help mark an ab for his son since he would be involved in the process of the "take" of that abalone (hunt/find etc).

Popping abs for your friends is WAY different than telling/showing a friend where an abalone is located IMO.

In my mind, the process of taking an ab begins when you go to pry it off the rock...not when you look at it and mark it.

Early start time is a joke IMO....you are allowed to be in the water to hunt and take fish/scallops/urchins...as long as I don't pop an abalone before start time then I am in the clear. 

Just my opinion.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Just to give another example....

I have found cracks stuffed with nice size abalone down here in Monterey County.

Totally illegal to take abalone here.

I've put my gun on a floatline next to them and had buddies dive down and check them out.

Was that illegal?? No way.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I don't think this is the case, for the same reason why you're not supposed to begin "hunting" before the starting time each day.

Yeah I see what you're saying...but if that was the case then a father could never help mark an ab for his son since he would be involved in the process of the "take" of that abalone (hunt/find etc).
Popping abs for your friends is WAY different than telling/showing a friend where an abalone is located IMO.
In my mind, the process of taking an ab begins when you go to pry it off the rock...not when you look at it and mark it.

I agree...BUT...what does the DFW say about people using scuba to "scout" for abalone before returning to harvest them? Scouting for abs for someone else may fall under the definition of take.

Yeah I see what you're saying...but if that was the case then a father could never help mark an ab for his son since he would be involved in the process of the "take" of that abalone (hunt/find etc).

Well, as long as he isn't limited yet, then it would be ok.

-Allen

Yeah I see what you're saying...but if that was the case then a father could never help mark an ab for his son since he would be involved in the process of the "take" of that abalone (hunt/find etc).

Well, as long as he isn't limited yet, then it would be ok.

-Allen

No, no other person can assist anyone in the take of an abalone, regardless of if they have taken a limit or not.

So there would be no difference...

 

Sincerely,

Jim

SCUBA is a whole different can of worms...

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=61773.msg693017#msg693017

Anyway, I am comfortable with how I dive in regards to abalone, and have never had any problems with DFW so I think I'll just shut up for now.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

FWIW, the regs state on page 47:

"Each person taking abalone shall stop detaching abalone when the limit of three is reached."

They don't say that you have to stop diving, or looking at abalone, or showing your family or friends where an abalone is.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

The regs also don't say, "Each man shall refrain from applying blunt force trauma to the head of his betrothed after his limit of three abs is reached."
The absence of such regulatory prohibition don't exactly make it legal! 




(Disclaimer - IDK a thing about ab diving, just busting balls!)   

The regs also don't say, "Each man shall refrain from applying blunt force trauma to the head of his betrothed after his limit of three abs is reached."
The absence of such regulatory prohibition don't exactly make it legal! 




(Disclaimer - IDK a thing about ab diving, just busting balls!)   

 

Yeah I see what you're saying...but if that was the case then a father could never help mark an ab for his son since he would be involved in the process of the "take" of that abalone (hunt/find etc).

Well, as long as he isn't limited yet, then it would be ok.

-Allen

No, no other person can assist anyone in the take of an abalone, regardless of if they have taken a limit or not.

So there would be no difference...

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Well then, you answered your own question ...

-Allen

I think "scouting" falls under the definition of take (in the DFW's eyes). In that scuba example, just change scuba for another free-diver. It's still illegal for one person to assist another in taking abalone. I don't agree with the law or how DFW interprets "take." But I'm suggesting you leave that part out if approached by a warden (the part about marking/scouting abs for a fellow diver).