I marked my Fluke ruler
 

No fines for me for oversized fluke!

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

You'd be legal, but shorting yourself....:)
If the 18" mark is at the dead center of the 18" line, 17.99" would still be within the thickness of the black line.

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

Def will be when they hit an ice slurry and shrink up a little more

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

PERFECT! :D

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

I love this thinking. The slot is 17” to <18”.

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

The lines on my fluke ruler are about 1/16" wide, which means, technically, there's 1/32' on either side of the true 18" mark. That 1/100" fits easily within the 1/32".
Point being, in the field, 1/100" is not discernible and is the increment that may determine whether or not a fish can be possessed.
Law enforcement nightmare.

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

The real conundrum will be what to do if you catch an 18” fluke right off the bat. Do you keep it or let it go? If you keep it and continue to fish and then catch a 24” fluke, what do you do? Hopefully you will be with a group or partner so you can share. Otherwise, that 5 pounder has to go back.

Lots to consider. Strategy will come into play. You still have to catch ‘em first.

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

[QUOTE=Billfish715;568490]The real conundrum will be what to do if you catch an 18” fluke right off the bat. Do you keep it or let it go? If you keep it and continue to fish and then catch a 24” fluke, what do you do? Hopefully you will be with a group or partner so you can share. Otherwise, that 5 pounder has to go back.

[/QUOTE

Simple. You keep them both

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

Fill your cooler with saltwater instead of ice. Keep your 18”+ fluke alive until you catch a bigger one.

Re: I marked my Fluke ruler
 

[QUOTE=frugalfisherman;568492]This is the answer. Become a ☠️