Spokane St. Poachers on TV

[returnofthefish]

Anybody see the Komo 4 news problem solvers go on a sting with WDFW at the Spokane St Bridge. The guy claims the fish was hook in the mouth, but they had him on video. Lets just day he got a ticket for over $500.

Go To - http://www.komonews.com/news/problemsol ... 59952.html

Be sure to click on "Watch the story"

[BentRod]

Nice! Unfortunately, the video wasn't available for me to watch, but I can imagine. Nice to see some of that stuff we gripe about get delt with. Thanks for posting!

[tommytitan08]

Great story Returnofthefish. I see alot of illegal stuff on the puyallup river. Some of that stuff they are watching for resembles what i see while fishing. Thanks for posting this story.

[hanapaa808]

its to bad that there arent more officers to patrol more areas at a time. ive seen many anglers that dont record fish caught right after they land a fish. who knows if they even have a license..... probably not. i really havent ran into snaggers but fishing with more then one pole and failing to record catches i see a lot!!!!!! if they dont get busted this time im sure it will catch up to them later. thanks to all that follow and obey our fishing laws so that the next generations are able to have this awesome fishing experience!

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

I can't seem to play the video.

But I wish they would show public footage of the one or more idiots on the bridge who would shout at the top of their lungs "Woo Hoo! Fish on! Fish On! Woo Hoo! First cast! Woo Hoo! Fish On!" while they reel in an ass-hooked humpy with their 3 ounce point wilson dart. Maybe if those idiots see themselves on tv, they would realize how silly they look/act.

[Rich McVey]

"File cound not be found on server" is the error I get.

I havnt even hit the river yet this year, I suppose I should.

[returnofthefish]

Sorry guys, I guess they took the video down. I am getting the same error message too.

[Rich McVey]

Legally pull in a pink then kick it over because its not big enough... wow, thats kinda messed up.

It also talked about the guy who caught the one by the tail and said it was mouth hooked. If it truly were an accident, what should he have done with it? Toss it back injured?

Ive had plenty of incidental catches while trolling and if I dont think it will survive I will keep the fish depending on the species. But I really hate tossing one back if Im sure its just gonna die.

Your thoughts?

[Jake Dogfish]

I watched it earlier yesterday and then my friend came over in the evening and it was gone. I am glad they are getting some of those guys.

[kcc]

Was fishing the Green last nite and heard about it from a guy that was there when they were filming it. Said he thought it was great that they were catching all the snaggers on film and handing out tickets. About time.

[BentRod]

I've had plenty of incidental catches while trolling and if I dont think it will survive I will keep the fish depending on the species. But I really hate tossing one back if Im sure its just gonna die.

Your thoughts?

I'm sure most of us have had this happen at one point or another. It really stinks when it's not legal to keep the fish. I'd hope most people would keep the ones that are critically injured if legal to do so, but I'm sure there are those people who don't. When I was a kid, I once watched a guy (adult) C&R a nice rainbow one time, but the hook was stuck in the gills and to prevent the fish from being out of the water too long, he just ripped the hook out by force, bringing half the gills with it......I knew the guy and he was a decent guy, but that image will always be stuck in my head.
I try to always keep a mortally, and some severely, if not mortally, injured fish, if it's legal to keep them, because I can't stomach throwing them back. Like I previously wrote, having to send a dying or maimed fish back to the depths because the regs. won't let me keep it is a crummy feeling.

[Dustin07]

ive seen many anglers that dont record fish caught right after they land a fish. who knows if they even have a license..... probably not.

I think thats a ridiculous rule. especially when fishing in waders in the middle of the river. What's the difference between recording each one, and waiting till I get out of the water to record them all at once?

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

ive seen many anglers that dont record fish caught right after they land a fish. who knows if they even have a license..... probably not.

I think thats a ridiculous rule. especially when fishing in waders in the middle of the river. What's the difference between recording each one, and waiting till I get out of the water to record them all at once?

It's an enforcement issue. They need to set the rule at some enforceable/define-able point in time, such as when fishermen need to record their catch immediately before fishing again.

If the regs were changed such that it allows anglers to record their catch later at any time they wish, like when they are finished fishing for the day, when they get home, or whenever they like, then there is virtually no way (or at least more difficult) for wardens to determine whether a person has retained a legal fish and how many.

For example, if the law is such that it permits people to record their fish when they get home, then it would be very easy to break the rules by catching a limit in the morning, take the fish home (but not record them), and then go out and catch other limits multiple times in the same day while taking the fish home each time and never recording them.

I always record my fish immediately before fishing again, since (1) it's not a major inconvenience, and (2) I am cheap and don't want to get nailed with a stupid ticket/fine

BTW failing to record fish on the punchcard immediately after catching, is probably the 2nd most violated rule in the regs IMHO (the first most violated rule being catching and releasing lots of trout, using bait, until a person decides to keep the 5 largest trout they want). I was on the Puyallup the other week and my pen dried up when I tried to record my last/4th fish. I asked an old geezer walking away with a stringer if I could borrow his pen--he felt around his pocket and said "sorry I don't have one". I didn't say anything to him, but I wanted to say something like "Then what did you use to record those fish, which you caught using barbed hooks, on your punchcard?" But I did not say anything, since it is the Puyallup and lots of people there are rulebreakers. I was shocked the other day, when a fisher next to me indeed punched his card after each fish.

[Blackmouth]

ive seen many anglers that dont record fish caught right after they land a fish. who knows if they even have a license..... probably not.

I think thats a ridiculous rule. especially when fishing in waders in the middle of the river. What's the difference between recording each one, and waiting till I get out of the water to record them all at once?

Go throw your limit in the car. Repeat until you feel compelled to document your catch on your catch record card.

It isn't hard to get a pen and paper out and fill it out...

[Blackmouth]

Ive had plenty of incidental catches while trolling and if I dont think it will survive I will keep the fish depending on the species. But I really hate tossing one back if Im sure its just gonna die.

Your thoughts?

You would be very surprised at how well a salmon's wound can coagulate to stop bleeding.

Granted, tossing a bleeder back isn't good news, however there is a food chain and some organism will benefit from the provided nutrients of a dead salmon, whether it be bottom feeders, crows, eagles, salmon frye, etc.

[Marc Martyn]

I watched it earlier yesterday and then my friend came over in the evening and it was gone. I am glad they are getting some of those guys.

Here's another link:

http://www.katu.com/outdoors/fishhunt/5 ... eo=pop&t=a

[Mike Carey]

That one worked. Ouch $540 and lose the fish to boot, right? Pink season is also a revenue bonanza, not just in license sales. Works for me. [-x

[Easy Limits]

My buddy fished the Duwi yesterday from a boat and he said the pinks were stacked in their like cord wood.

[The Quadfather]

You know what the most fascinating thing about the link which the original thread had attached is? Hit the link and go through the story, at the bottom there is a place to click where you can read people's comments and their dialog on the matter. NOW THAT IS WORTH READING#-o There are some really great points made by people who do understand the rules, and do understand the effort to manage our fishery. BUT!!!!!!!!! It is amazing how much ignorance you will see when you read these comments. It's sadly entertaining.

[Mike Carey]

wow. again I say, wow. definitely entertaining. "don't eat the salmon out of the Duwamish"... how uneducated can a person be?