The post titled “Poachers Caught & Fined in the Island Nation” got me to thinking. During the off season I take my dog for a walk by the Bear River just about every week. He loves the area and he loves to swim in the river.
On 3 or 4 of those trips I’ve seen people fishing the river or at least hanging out and talking with fishing poles leaning up against the trees. It’s off season and most of them don’t even have a fishing license visible.
Now that the season is on I’ve been fishing that area and even though on Saturday I saw the biggest mayfly hatch I’ve ever witnessed, not a single fish was rising in a pool where I usually see half a dozen risers. Could it be that the river was fished out over the winter?
The thing is, they’re partying and have (usually) been drinking and I’m not in a rush to start a confrontation and get my butt kicked in the woods.
So, do you think that a phone call to the game warden is in order even if they’re not catching anything? Part of me feels like I’m the one being a jerk by turning them in. I sort of feel like “When did I become such a grumpy old guy who calls the cops on kids partying down by the river”. Then again, there doesn’t seem to be many fish in my favorite river this year. Maybe that off season fishing really did hurt the fishery.
I should say that I’ve been confronted by people in the past who didn’t realize that the North Fork of the American river now has winter rules allowing fishing (catch and release only, no barbed hooks, artificial lures only). Even though I was legal, it kind of ruins the day to have somebody harass you on it. Then I have to explain that “Yes, it’s ok to fish here now. The new rules are in the regulations book, they’re posted on the sign by the trail head and I even confirmed it with the Park Rangers.” I try to be nice about it because we’re already in a confrontation mode and I need to defuse the tension. But it’s not a pleasant conversation even though I’m right.
What do you think? Should I be turning in the kids fishing off season without a license? Or am I becoming a grumpy old man? (I’m not even 50 yet)
IMO, breaking the law is breaking the law. Personally I don’t care to confront people on the stream, it ruins my day and it isn’t my job. I have mentioned to people fishing in an artificials only C&R area that they aren’t supposed to be using bait. Most just thank me for letting them know and move to a different area. If they push back I just shrug and say I just wanted them to know the rules. I do have the number of the Fish Commission hotline for all of the areas I fish regularly on my cell phone and I wouldn’t hesitate to call if I felt I saw someone knowingly violating the rules.
That said, I think a lot of the rules & regulations put in place by various Fish Commissions are not doing the resource any good. Until they get changed, they should be enforced. But, we should be working to change the rules to benefit the resource.
Is there not a degree of responsibility and stewardship that comes with knowledge and privilege? Are there not rules of a civilized society? To whom do the fish belong; the people or the state? Whose fish are they stealing?
We feel good because we fulfill our obligations and responsibilities to nature . Why deprive others of that privilege?
I know that Game Wardens in California are in short supply. I did meet one once at the trail head of a hike I was doing. He said it was the beginning of Turkey season and he was checking cars at the trail head to see if they looked like they belonged to hunters. If they did, then he would have to hike in and find them to make sure they had the proper hunting licenses.
In any case, that’s the only time I’ve seen one. I’ve heard stories that the entire state has less than 20 game wardens but I’m not sure if that’s true or not.
If they are partying, then they are probably not fishing the river out, since, as we all know, fish are scared of drunk people. You could go down and talk to them - it doesn’t have to be a confrontation. Something like, “Y’all might not know this, but if the game warden comes down here and sees your fishing tackle, he might write you a ticket 'cause the river is closed to fishin til spring.” Possible responses:
#1
" Really!!? Closed to fishing til spring? Thanks for telling us man. Want a beer?" So you have a beer and chat.
#2
" #$@* off you old geezer and mind your own business" So you say “OK” and go home…and call the Warden.
Report it. Get a description of the perps and a license plate number. Pictures even better. I know here in Oregon, even if the game officer can’t get there right away, if you give them good information and are willing to testify, they will track down the perps and cite them.
If you see it, you gotta call. I’d say about 1% of poaching is witnessed by non-offenders, so you have to act when you see something foul. Being 32, a ripe age for a beatdown, I hesitate to personally intervene, but I always have my cell phone.
I guess there is poaching and then there’s poaching. Kids sitting around drinking beer and making a few casts where/when they shouldn’t is one thing. Yahoos at night w/ illegal nets or spot lighting is another. One you can approach and talk to w/o confrontation, the other you better stay clear of and make the call from a distance.
Without a doubt call it in. In my area you can call the sheriffs department and they will get the fish & game dispatched. They will even write tickets in some cases. My favorite place it is artificial lures or flies with barbless hooks. Guaranteed every time I go I see someone that is acting suspicious. I try and leave people alone, but it is our responsibility to take care of our resources.
Poaching is poaching, no matter how it’s done or who is doing it. If you don’t feel comfortable intervening yourself, a call to the authorities is in order. Turning a blind eye to illegal activities only encourages more of the same behavior later on.
The very few violations I have witnessed, I have always addressed with the violators. Some were not aware of the rules & others were…I could always tell by their reaction & embarrassment. With the right approach, there need not be an unpleasant confrontation. Of course there are exceptions, but most often not.
Mike
Your topic hits me right at home along with every other angler but perhaps me more so being in law enforcement. So please forgive if I am very pointed.
It is a no brainier that in the very least you should report the incident or turn in a poacher. It is your lawful duty as a citizen of California to do so (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/caltip.aspx . This site contains a lot of information. You will have to ask Lt. Liz Schwall at (916) 651-9167 if her department enforces California’s “failure to report a crime” statute.
As for “how long would it take for the game warden to arrive (if he arrived at all)” you will never know if you don’t call. But know this; if you call they have to come. Calling shows you care, calling every time creates a problem. The knee jerk reaction will be to step patrols to alleviate the problem. A shortage of personal is not your problem it is theirs. CALL… Maybe your call will be the call that makes the difference but you wont know if you don?t make the CALL…
Not everyone is good or comfortable with personal confrontation and I wouldn’t recommend or encourage anyone not comfortable to do so. I could bore you all with hundreds of successes and just a few failures but my point is CALL… :tieone:
I think Sean sums it up perfectly with this statement. If they are really breaking the law, is it your responsibility to enforce that? I think that is why they call them law enforcement. If they’re aren’t breaking the law and a warden or ranger or another officer shows up, at least they’ll think that the area is maybe patrolled a little bit better than they thought and at the least I’ll bet they stop partying there. “Grumpy Old Man?” Hell, I’m 25 so if having that attitude makes one a grumpy old man, then I’m mature beyond my years, eh? :rolleyes:
With Cell Phones and GPS devices so readily available today, there’s really no excust NOT to call.
I sure wouldn’t go up and pick a fight with them. People who break one law, may have little remorse about breaking more. There’s no fish worth geting hurt (ior killed) over. But walking away and placing a call to law enforcement isn’t going to get you hurt unless you stand right there in front of the guy and do it in his face.
In Ontario, we now use the Crime Stoppers phone number, so if you carry a cell phone you would be wise to have that programmed in. Police or COs are then notified and they may or may not come. If you say you have photos and or have the plate number and car description and can describe the perp, you’ll get action faster. It really helps if you say you’ll go to court to help with the prosecution. They may not get to the scene but they can go to the home or campsite and often do, to check what’s in the freezer. Possession here means just that…what you possess on the stringer AND in your fridge or freezer…so five trout is five trout no matter where they are. (You are suppose to leave a skin tag on the fish for identification). PHOTOS are really good to get… ofter just saying your calling, holding the phone to your ear and taking the photo of the moron is often enough to get them to stop doing the illegal behavior often gets the results you want. They leave. IF you know they have a bucket full of fish…then don’t let them see you call…you want their hiney in a sling.
Also posting (spamming??) fishing sites with those reports about the fines and charges being layed will get it out there that people do get caught and they do stand to loose a lot of money or gear or cars, HELPS so keep posting. I love the big fines with revoked boats, gear and cars getting out there. More power to those prosecutors!!
I would call the warden, they need all the help they can get.
On the other hand… No game warden has ever asked me for a license. So I guess there arn’t many out there. Or maybe they were laughing in the bushes while I emptied my waders.
Sean, I take no offense at all. Your experience as a law enforcement officer makes you the authority on this topic.
It sounds like I should just call them in. If the game warden thinks the infraction is only worth a warning then I can see how I should allow him to make that call. For me to make that decision by not calling the warden is pre-mature, and not really my decision to make.
Quick story. I was fishing the North Fork of the American during the winter rules and I got to talking to one of the gold panners who looked like he may have been a squatter. We get those up here. We’re in gold country and Sutter’s Mill is just “down stream and around the corner” in Placerville.
In any case, this guy and I got to talking about fishing and I mentioned how it was the first time I’ve been out this year because money’s been tight and I had just bought my license that week. (There’s NO WAY I’m going to fish without a license). He said to me :
“Aw hell, I’ve fished here on and off for the past 10 years without a license. I ain’t never seen a warden up here.”
The very next day I came back to do some fishing and there were two Rangers there. They were checking camp site fees and checking for fishing licenses. So had he ‘rolled the dice’ that day and gone fishing he’d have lost."
