Hi,

just wondering if anyone knows about any special fishing licenses or regulations concerning LLC or Iron Lake?

Wondering if fishing on our MN license will be OK for all LLC and Iron, or if we need to obtain
Canadian License for all or part of these lakes. We are planning on getting our remote crossing permits so that we can see Warrior Hill and the Petroglyphs, but would like to avoid paying on top of that for fishing.

moose2007

If you fish on the Canadian side of the border, you will need a Canadian license.

Minnesota side, need a Minnesota license to fish.

This is what I thought, but was not quite sure.

Thanks.

I was told by an unnamed outfitter that this is one of those gray areas. I fished the canadian side of Curtain because it had the best access to the holes. Was I illegal? answer: probably! If you have a Questico permit then yes absolutely get a liscense because you are no longer in the gray area. If you are camping on Iron or LLC then you are back in the gray area, just don't be blatant about it because if you are then you are no longer in the gray area and should be punished. I prefer to stay in the gray area which by no chance of luck happens to hold alot of good spots!!!

Sounds like some incredibly bad advice from the outfitter, but then he wouldn't be the one paying the fines.

From the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources: Non-residents of Canada require an Ontario Non-Resident Sport Fishing Licence or an Ontario Non-Resident Conservation Fishing Licence to fish on the Ontario side of the International Border whether you are staying overnight in Canada or not.

No real gray area in that statement.

A couple times our group went up the Bottle River to fish the spillway. We really didn't really know if these were Canadian waters or US waters.It looked split to us. I still really don't know the answer.

Bring a tape measure :- )

Well I think if you are fishing close the middle of the lake and it is hard to tell if you are over the border or not, I would call that a gray area and for the most part you should be fine. If it is obvious you are in Ontario waters then take your lumps if you are caught. For example fishing around an island or bay that on the map is in Ontario (poor map reading will probably not be a good enough excuse for the Canadians), will get you fined.

Fishnfreak from your post it sounds like you were standing on the Canadian side of Curtain Falls fishing. If your outfitter said that was a gray area then I would not use them again. Whether it is a shared portage or not standing on Crown land and casting/fishing is an obvious infraction--that is if you get caught I guess :)

Tim

Trust me, there is no such thing as a gray area.

If you are fishing in what a Canadian warden perceives to be Canada and you only have a Minnesota license, he will tell you to move as you are in the Queen's waters. (if he is in a good mood)

If you don't move, you will be cited.

We have been buzzed by planes when fishing close to the border in the middle of the lake. Move over a bit, they leave you alone. Must be a power trip thing

International portage use only applies to travel, not fishing.

I would have to agree with the Great Outdoors. I have spent lots of time on Iron lake and have heard many stories about the Canadian Mounties. They do not have a sense of humor.

It's not worth the risk. Just get a map and use it. The lake has just as good fishing on the U.S. side as on the Canadian side. If you want to see the Falls then get a RABC.

Happy Trails.

Now, I have another question? If I get a EP 16 permit and a RABC permit does this give me permission to explore the other side of Rebecca Falls and camp on the US side. Also if I wanted to fish below Rebecca am I covered as long as I have a fishing liscence for both Canada and the US.

"Now, I have another question? If I get a EP 16 permit and a RABC permit does this give me permission to explore the other side of Rebecca Falls and camp on the US side. Also if I wanted to fish below Rebecca am I covered as long as I have a fishing liscence for both Canada and the US."

Simple answer is NO---you still need a Quetico permit. You can get a day pass---I think the cost is $7-10--they are available at the Quetico Ranger station on Lac La Croix Indian Village. There is also an all season day Quetico Permit for approximately $70. I think Arkansasman has done this before.

Tim

Fishnfreak,

Do a search on RABC you will find many useful answers to your questions. I cut and posted the below topic from a search on this website.

03/17/2006 07:30AM

For those of you who might be interested or doing what I am camping in the BWCA and Day Tripping into the Quetico. To legally do this you must acquire a RABC and a Day Trip Permit for the day you are entering. RABC can be acquired on line at Canadian Immigration or other links ($30.00 Canadian). A Day Trip Permit can be acquired at a Quetico Ranger Station, (Lac La Croix or Prairie Portage) for $12.00 Canadian. Other options include having a friend, or outiftter pick one or more up for you... they just have to have the day you are using them stamped on it. Or you can go to www.ontarioparks.com and purchase a Summer Vehicle Pass for $70.00 Canadian that is good for the entire summer. Any Questions ask me and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge... Bruce

Good Paddling, Great Fishing, and God Bless All...

With today's GPS technology the Mounties will cite you for being less then 5 feet across the border..,.this is from 1st had experience...luckily I was just warned, but he was in a pretty good mood..as TGO states..."there are no gray areas"

Funny thing is that I talked to that same outfitter today and the term gray area was used again in reference to RABC permits. Now, honestly I know the law very well as it pertains to the BWCA, but those smallies stacked up in that one hole below Curtain Falls were really big( 4-5 lbs) so I broke the law. I don't feel bad because it was Canadian Law and I am not Canadian. I followed all US laws. Because I am not Canadian I follow all US laws and most Canadian laws except when 4-5lb smallies are in question. I think I am back in a gray area again.

Wow, this gray area thing is pretty interesting.

But now I am confused again, do I need a Quinteco permit to fish on the Ontario side, or a Canadian fishing license?

Do I need a Quinteco day use permit or a Remote area crossing permit to explore the Canadian side? I am not going to camp there, just float by and hike a bit.

Canadian Mounties don't scare me, and they can't make me obey silly Canadian laws (U S A U S A!!!!), but I also don't want to get stuck paying fines.

All joking aside, you will need a canadian fishing liscence if you fish Canadian water ( about $25 for an eight day liscence) you will need a RABC and a day use permit to explore foreign soil. Ignore all my posts above, I like to have a little fun with these fellas every now and then. I was serious about the Canadian Side of Curtain being the far better fishing side though!!!

Fishyfreak

thanks for the info, these permits just keep adding up so I might skip the Canadian fishing, but that hole sounds pretty tempting...

he he he gray area

Isn't Bottle Portage considered gray under an old Treaty? I guess,NOW, you need a permit to walk to Warrior Hill with no lunch or fishing pole? Might as well plan on staying well away from border unless have extra money? That 5 lb. smallie will make me fell like a Sanoran Immigrant!

ovethehill technically you always have needed a Quetcio permit and RABC to visit warrior hill--nothing new. People have been getting fined for years for that. Someone posted right on this site last year that they were written up at warrior hill for not having a permit. They were not written up for no RABC because they were caught by Quetico Park employees, not Canadian Immigration. I would think immigration would have been much harder on them.

I think some people confuse what is legal for what they have gotten away with in the past. Most people that go to Rebecca Falls, Warrior Hill, Lunch or fish on the Canadian side of Lower Basswoood Falls never get fined simply for the fact that they never get caught. Your chances are slim of ever getting a fine/caught, but if you do, you could be fined or warned--depends on the mood/jurisdiction of the Canadian official. I have also heard if you cannot pay on the spot some Canadian officials will fly you out (at your expense of course) to a holding area until you do pay. They may also confiscate your gear if they so choose. An unlikely scenario, but it is possible and has happened.

Tim

Thanks! Was under wrong impression. What about Bottle Portage? Still "shared"? orneed permit to use bottle portage? fishing and camping in bwca only. Curtain portage the same? Thanks, oth

Thanks! Was under wrong impression. What about Bottle Portage? Still "shared"? orneed permit to use bottle portage? fishing and camping in bwca only. Curtain portage the same? Thanks, oth

Bottle is a shared portage as far as I know. Curtain Portage is on the US side.

yep, any portage that allows travel from one lake that straddles the border to another lake that straddles the border is covered under the treaty.

Let's try this again, last post got et!

timatkn is correct, but let's clarify to eliminate all questions.

An international portage is one that connects lakes on either, or both sides with the Canadian/US border running through that lake.

NO PERMIT IS NEEDED to use these portages.

You, however, cannot fish from the Canadian shore while using their portage, or in any Canadian water, without a Canadian license.

You cannot "explore" the Canadian woods while using their portage, without having a Canadian travel permit.

Normal straight line travel is no problem on either side.

If you decide to stop and eat lunch, you may have the dreaded, non-existent,gray area if a Canadian warden cruises by.

You will a seasoned beaver skinner by the time your sentence is served in a village near the Arctic Circle:)

Ok, say I'm half way across Bottle portage and my bowels begin to churn. If I was to "explore" off the portage to "press wild flowers" would I be in violation?

Probably not, but taking a dump in the Queen's Forest may constitute a littering violation.

Earlier points being, no sight seeing, no exploring, no picnics.

Best bet, get in, get out-portages are meant for travel!

"Explore" on the American side:)

BUT, I'd really enjoy reading about this arrest in the local paper,
"Canada: Man detained, because Forest was stained"

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TGO...
If you stain the Queen's soil with a RABC, on a portage... are you still illegal?? I knew I had a guilty feeling for some reason ;-)

Bruce

I would think that you would be allowed to squat with a RABC, but the staining part is in question.

You best hire an attorney, and send both him and your ass north to face charges:)

Incidentally I'm not allowed in Canada because 30 years ago I was at an abandoned farm house in Minnesota with someone that stole a wooden toilet seat and got caught. Apparently that is a felony in Canada(but not in Minnesota), three years ago after going there for several years prior they decided they didn't want me in their country anymore because they now classify me as a serious criminality, but for a $1000.00 Canadian(Looney's) I will be rehabilitated and allowed in their country again.
I have no further desire to go to Canada except maybe to stain the Queens soil.

We really need to tighten up the toilet seat laws in the US :- )

ill say it again. they HATE us, they LOVE U.S. dollars.

Kellyrth-Sounds like stealing toilet seats goes right along the same lines, in Canada as a DUI. Question I have for you is...Did they deny your permit, or did they stop you at the border and turn you away?

So, what kind of authority do the mounties have in catching you, if you were on the other side of Curtain falls and you saw them coming and quickly paddled back to US water, can they come and chase you in US water? Or, at this point, being a legal US citizen can we turn around and make a citizens arrest on them for illegally entering our country. Or in this situation would they not chase you and just yell "Eh, hosers, stay ooout of the Queens land, eh"...at which point I would yell back "nice canadian tuxedo, and Molson sucks". This is all hypothetical, but really can they chase you down, or use force?

Moose Plums, Prior to the toilet seat incident I would go into Canada at least twice a year fishing, amethyst mining and site seeing. Then out of the blue they decide to search my car for a couple hours and harass me, when they didn't find anything they dug up this long forgotten teenage indiscretion. I could see it if I was a career criminal and didn't have car load of people and camping and fishing equipment with me.
At the time of this incident I was raising several geese at my place and if anyone on here has raised geese they know that geese love to do their job on the sidewalk. Anyway sooner or later it gets on your shoes and then on the carpet in your car. Well, as the search for contraband in my car proceeded some of the goose droppings became of interest to them. What could this substance be? With a good sized piece between his fingers the officer examined it, it didn't smell like drugs to him or taste like drugs but that didn't stop him from doing both. I gave him no help in determining what the substance was, it did make the experience much more entertaining.
Evenflow, More than likely the mounties would not follow you but they would contact the U.S. authorities and they would be all over you checking every crack and crevasse for something to arrest you for.

Hmmmm...I never tasted goose droppings before. Did you follow it up with a question? "TIC TAC SIR?"

LOL

Evenflow,

The Canadian wardens (not Mounties) would most likely follow, and stop you, if you quickly crossed back over to the U.S. side for no reason.

They would have "observed" you appearing to flee the Canadian side, and use the continuous pursuit excuse because you acted in a suspicious manner.

Best not to press the issue.

Remember, you are not dealing with American authorities.

You are dealing with another country and their laws are different.

You can demand an attorney, and they will allow one.

Which you may fly to your place of incarceration at your own expense, of course.