Unattended (?) lines

[Musky Mauler]

I know that the new rules will officially be posted at the end of this month, but I thought I'd stir the waters just a bit during the winter doldrums while the ice is beginning to melt. Here's what the current rules say, and I doubt that they'll be re-written:

“When fishing open water, anglers must remain within 100 yards of their line(s).
Failure to immediately respond to a line upon indication of a bite will be sufficient
evidence that the line is unattended.”

I take this to mean that I can toss out a line and affix my pole to the end of the boat pier. Then, I can mosey back into the shade, grab a soft chair and a Kugel, and watch the world go by - - as long as I'm within 100 yards of my pole. Then, I'll “immediately” move out to reel-in the catch when a cooperating fish comes along. (By “immediately” I mean at a pace commensurate with my advanced age, of course.)

I realize that most folks probably attach this caveat to ice-fishing and tip-ups. But, I don't see anything that says it can't also apply to summer fishing in “open water” adjacent to the boat pier. Has anybody had a run-in with the DNR while utilizing this particular method of trying to entice a bite?

[ToddM]

If I see a line and don't see a person, I call the hotline.

[BlueRanger]

Some of our neighbors do this from their docks. Driving past in the boat, you really can't tell if they're in the cottage watching the rods out the window (legal), or just ignoring them and hoping to find a fish on the end of the line whenever they decide to come back out (definitely illegal). If the warden happens past, all he has to do is pull up to the dock and wave to see if anybody comes out. And you certainly wouldn't want to do it in the dark unless you were using some kind of lighted strike indicator. But as far as what you're describing, I don't think you're likely to have any issues as long as you're visible and in a position where you can monitor your line(s).

[Musky Mauler]

I belatedly got around to checking with the DNR. It turns out that it's perfectly legal to leave an unattended line as long as you remain within 100 yards, and as long as you respond "immediately" to a bite. You can retreat to the shade on the shoreline, and you can also retreat into your cabin. There's actually no requirement to remain "within view."

This means that I can retreat to the rocking chair on the porch, or even into the cabin to view a Brewers/Cubs ball game,
just as long as I respond immediately to a bite. Of course, "immediately" is now at a slower pace than it was 50 years ago. That bodes well for the fish rather than the fisherman. Also, I doubt that there's much chance of getting a limit of walleyes in such fasion, but that's sometimes the case out in the big water, too.

Although I do remember that way back when, my daughter hooked a crappie while fishing from shore. It reamined the biggest in Skully's box all week long. Back then, before the "catch-and-release" craze, large muskies also adorned Skully's freezer box in Park Falls. Those were the days - -