Caution: Recreational fishing in Maine is considered criminal and could cost you a lot of time and money, you will have a criminal record and have to carry that with you for the rest of your life
Recreational Fishing is Illegal in Maine.
I love New England and I love the outdoors. I made this site out of a sense of obligation towards my fellow New Englanders and outdoorsmen to warn them that Maine considers recreational fishing to be criminal when you are sighted in their forest by a warden. You will be charges with a Class E crime when caught and be summoned to court to face their legal system. This carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. I wish someone had made this site before I was arrested for fishing for perch near lake Sebago. Be very careful, a simple mistake will force you to confront a judge and accept a plea deal. The simplest way to avoid this is to avoid fishing in Maine...
What happened?
I'm a lifelong New-Englander and fisherman. I always thought that the outdoors was open to all of us.
One day, I was near Lake Sebago which was open to fishing but, having no boat, looked for an area to cast a line from shore. I could see other fishermen enjoying a fall day and had hoped to do the same. I found a purpose built fishing dock that looked like a fine place to fish. Nearby were some locks, I had a valid fishing license that I had purchased through the State of Maine. A warden confronted me and then I was arrested for fishing out of season.
Don’t be the next subject in their court, avoid Maine and find an outdoorsman friendly state to enjoy the outdoors in liberty. In my blog I offer some good alternatives that are still free to all of us to enjoy.
The court system
I was naïve to the fact that in Maine fishing is considered an unacceptable form of recreation. I feel like I have a duty to warn others that the state will prosecute you once you are caught. A copy of my arrest and summons can be found here. If you do not want to receive these yourself, find another state to spend time enjoy enjoying nature.
The system in Maine is set up to exact vengeance, you will not have an opportunity to explain what happened to a district attorney or a judge, you will only be given your plea deal. You have no rights. It’s your word versus the state, but you don’t have the option to get your side of the story to anybody. It is just a system to make sure that you have a criminal record going forwards. I learned the hard way, and I was completely ignorant, I am writing this to help people like me not get into the same amount of legal trouble. If your career or future career depends on you having a clean record this is not a state that you want to visit as you will go to trial or get a guilty plea and those are really your only options.
