DNR may not look into my cooler without cause. Once at a State park,
the park police saw a beer bottle on a nearby table and gave a friend
of mine a ticket for this even though it was not his. Then, they
proceeded to search all coolers nearby, including mine. Of course, I
walked up while they were doing so and went ballistic, snatched my
cooler from them, asked em if they had a warrant, etc (I had no
alchohol). We all got tickets and went to court in Wakulla. The judge
basically told DNR they were at fault and they dropped all charges.
Yes, I really am a 5th gen Fl native who does not fish. I have watched
people on the beach fishing who catch something that they couldnt
identify and throw it back for that reason to avoid being caught with
something possibly illegal. maybe that makes sense.
I have had bad experiences with the Marine Patrol on two occasions and
I no longer expect them to act with any intelligence. In fact, I think
my life is in danger whenever they are near (based on my experiences).
If you have done nothing wrong, it is best to hide anyway.