How are borders controlled on a body of water?

[mcmxi]

There's a large reservoir near me called Koocanusa that extends all the way up into Canada. I'm planning on spending some time on this reservoir this summer and was wondering how the US and Canada control the border here and on lakes such as Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. I've crossed into Canada a few times just north or Eureka, but have never been in a boat and crossed over that way. I can't imagine that there are US and Canadian immigration and customs agents bobbing around on boats in the middle of the lake, but perhaps there are.

I'm hoping that as long as I don't tie the boat up I can cruise around north of the border but this might be wishful thinking on my part.

 

[ken erickson]

This looks like a good resource that should answer many of your questions?
pb-pp-eng.html

This looks to be the rule that would pertain to you cruising north into Canadian waters.

Reporting exceptions
Foreign national boaters
If you enter Canadian waters, you are not required to present yourself and report your goods to the CBSA if you:

• do not land on Canadian soil and do not anchor, moor or make contact with another conveyance while in Canadian waters
• do not embark or disembark people or goods in Canada

If at any point during the transit you come to port, anchor, moor or make contact with another vessel, you must report to the CBSA immediately

 

[bearbait]

There's a large reservoir near me called Koocanusa that extends all the way up into Canada. I'm planning on spending some time on this reservoir this summer and was wondering how the US and Canada control the border here and on lakes such as Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. I've crossed into Canada a few times just north or Eureka, but have never been in a boat and crossed over that way. I can't imagine that there are US and Canadian immigration and customs agents bobbing around on boats in the middle of the lake, but perhaps there are.

I'm hoping that as long as I don't tie the boat up I can cruise around north of the border but this might be wishful thinking on my part.

View attachment 127219

As far as I'm concerned you're welcome anytime so long as you promise not to hold up signs and demonstrate however I'm in the minority, just a middle class white man who was born and raised here in Canada, you know, paid the bills over the years and old enough to remember when Canada was Canada.

 

[mcmxi]

This looks like a good resource that should answer many of your questions?
pb-pp-eng.html

This looks to be the rule that would pertain to you cruising north into Canadian waters.

Reporting exceptions
Foreign national boaters
If you enter Canadian waters, you are not required to present yourself and report your goods to the CBSA if you:

• do not land on Canadian soil and do not anchor, moor or make contact with another conveyance while in Canadian waters
• do not embark or disembark people or goods in Canada

If at any point during the transit you come to port, anchor, moor or make contact with another vessel, you must report to the CBSA immediately

Thanks for the link. I would eventually do some research but figured I'd ask here to see if others have crossed over into Canada. I had hoped that cruising around would be ok, and your post is encouraging.

 

[mcmxi]

As far as I'm concerned you're welcome anytime so long as you promise not to hold up signs and demonstrate however I'm in the minority, just a middle class white man who was born and raised here in Canada, you know, paid the bills over the years and old enough to remember when Canada was Canada.

I'm not the demonstrating type. Like you I'm also a middle class white male who was born and raised in another commonwealth country.

 

[Henro]

What’s color have to do with it?

Myself, I think I’m pretty much on the pink side…

 

[rc51stierhoff]

If you plan to be fishing during your trip, I’d make sure of the rules about that. I have not fished in Canada recently, but in the past on Erie, if in Canadian waters there was potential to be checked…same as in US waters…anyway if fishing there I believe need to be aware and follow their laws / limits. I am not sure how it works if packing any heat…that could be something else to check into in the case that you would be stopped for an inspection. Maybe also check on booze if that is possibility to be in Your possession up there …that was frowned upon last time I fished up there as well. Safe travels.

 

[GeoHorn]

On certain lakes in Texas (I am told) that dropping anchor becomes a trespass when it touches bottom…as the water and it’s surface belongs to the state…but the underlying land belongs to the property-owner. That is certainly the case where I live…as the ranch is deeded to the “channel” ..the original center of the natural steam before it was dammed and flooded into a lake.
(and many times boaters don’t realize the shore belongs to the landowner….despite the common belief that since they’re on a public lake …the shore must be also…. They trespass when they beach their boat.)

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

None of this info is based on the any single person posting on here!

DO NOT have any weapons on board, doing so is a huge event
Do not have excessive alcohol as that is also a fineable event
Do not have any Drugs that you don't have a perscription for.
And Medical Marijuana is not legal
Have all paperwork for yourself and any critters, it's a huge deal to take a dog to canada without a rabies certificate.

 

[bearbait]

None of this info is based on the any single person posting on here!

DO NOT have any weapons on board, doing so is a huge event
Do not have excessive alcohol as that is also a fineable event
Do not have any Drugs that you don't have a perscription for.
And Medical Marijuana is not legal
Have all paperwork for yourself and any critters, it's a huge deal to take a dog to canada without a rabies certificate.

I'm sorry if what I said came out wrong, just tired of all the protesting and people waving signs, had nothing to do with colour or religion.

 

[GeoHorn]

An idiot from Georgetown always carried a pistol in his flight bag as a habit and didn’t think about it when on a flight that went to Canada….so when he remembered he had it with him….he left it in his hotel room when he walked around Toronto on a trip..

He stupidly forgot it under his pillow when he checked out of the hotel. ….

He can no longer be employed at many places because he can’t re-enter Canada.

(Not to mention that good-judgement and risk-assessment are considered Required-Skills for such work.)

Poor judgement/behavior isn’t limited to crossing borders….A client I had been training at DFW airport suddenly was removed from training by TSA/FAA because he was found with a pistol in his car glove-compartment during a traffic-stop in Dallas. It seems a driver in another car had called 911 that he’d threatened/road-rage/displayed it while driving in rush-hour.

He lost his pilot certificates…. along with all the money he’d spent for years of training for a profession he can no longer have.. (just to show how really goofy things can get….he now operates a child day-care facility)

 

[GreensvilleJay]

The sad thing is that guy WAS a commercial pilot.......

 

[mcmxi]

None of this info is based on the any single person posting on here!

DO NOT have any weapons on board, doing so is a huge event
Do not have excessive alcohol as that is also a fineable event
Do not have any Drugs that you don't have a perscription for.
And Medical Marijuana is not legal
Have all paperwork for yourself and any critters, it's a huge deal to take a dog to canada without a rabies certificate.

Very good points. The first and last items are the situations I'd likely encounter. As long as I don't do any of the things @ken erickson mentions, my dog and I should be ok. If I thought I might cross over the border I would leave all firearms at home, or locked up securely in the truck.

 

[lugbolt]

local lake is a border lake

yeah both states have laws that govern the navigation and such of the border lake and i have been on the water when the game & fish people checked me. Lots to learn.

You'd be wise to check into this with the governing body-not the internet forums. The forums have a lot of useful information and they have a lot of useless information. The latter can get you into some big trouble.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

There's a large reservoir near me called Koocanusa that extends all the way up into Canada. I'm planning on spending some time on this reservoir this summer and was wondering how the US and Canada control the border here and on lakes such as Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. I've crossed into Canada a few times just north or Eureka, but have never been in a boat and crossed over that way. I can't imagine that there are US and Canadian immigration and customs agents bobbing around on boats in the middle of the lake, but perhaps there are.

I'm hoping that as long as I don't tie the boat up I can cruise around north of the border but this might be wishful thinking on my part.

View attachment 127219

I/we fish the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, the shipping channel and to a lesser extent Lake Erie all the time.

If you cross the "invisible border" for any length of time, you can expect a visit from the Canadian authority's. Your pic shows a very small and "easily" patrolled area, so it might be different than what we experience with hundreds of miles to patrol.

I stopped buying Canadian fishing licenses years ago, so I make sure to stay on our side.

Like mentioned above, as soon as you cross, you are under a different set of rules.

Things like "flare guns" and rod limits/fish creel limits/fish sizes have been known to get people jammed up, but honestly I can't recall anyone that I know personally, getting in trouble. Most of us know better than to "poke the bear" especially if you carry a gun.

There are guys that do fish both sides, but we have enough fish on our side to keep me happy.

I have no idea how they know, but they do.

GPS is your friend if you are getting close.

 

[DustyRusty]

Do the fish have dual citizenship and do they carry a passport when they cross over the International border? Does the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement keep logs of how often the fish cross over from one country to the other? How about the Canadian officials? Are the fish bilingual and do they travel in schools to go to school?

 

[Moose7060]

I have no idea how they know, but they do.

We have a special force unit CGBP (Canada Goose Border Patrol) that spots and deals with intruders.

 

[bearbait]

Do the fish have dual citizenship and do they carry a passport when they cross over the International border? Does the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement keep logs of how often the fish cross over from one country to the other? How about the Canadian officials? Are the fish bilingual and do they travel in schools to go to school?

Nothing would surprise me any more in this crazy messed up fecked up world.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

True Story:

Circa 1998 I used to fish the amateur “Walleye Circuit” in Canada. Well one weekend, I could not “pre-fish” with my buddy, so I had to get up at O-Dark thirty to meet him in time for the start of the tournament.



I get to the border ~0200 and she (customs officer) ask’s me

Officer: “What is your business in Canada?”

Paul: “fishing tournament”

Officer: ”How long are you staying?”

Paul: “till Sunday afternoon”

Officer: “ Do you have any booze, fruit, weapons, or explosives?”

Paul: “No Ma’am” (I forgot to ask her about her pronouns) LOL

Officer:” What kind of fish are you fishing for?”

Paul: “Walleye”

Officer: “those are delicious”

Paul: “Yes ma’am”

Officer” how do you prepare them?”

Paul: “I fillet them”

Officer “with what?”

Paul ”my fillet knife”

Officer: “You just told me that you do not have any weapons….What do you think a knife is? “

Paul: “ummm…..ahhhh…I thought you meant like a gun, or a Bazooka, not a fishing knife....... I also have “sharp” nail clippers”…

I immediately regretted "cracking wise"’ when she said

Officer: “Pull Over, smart ass......”

Now I’m thinking that I’m getting a cavity search, and my car ripped apart for the next 5 hours, so I became very benevolent and very cooperative, very quickly…….

She read me the riot act for about 10 minutes about “lying and criminal charges, Russian spies, Nuclear war, Human trafficking.....and how serious her job is…blah…blah…blah” and I just stood there saying "Yes Ma'am" and nodding my head like a jackass, in complete agreement the entire time,......... She ended up letting me pass.

We won the tourney though…..

Who wants to hear the about the ride back????

 

[DustyRusty]

True Story

Who wants to hear the about the ride back????

Inquiring minds want to know..............