Ok I am tempted to break out the 4 letter words but I guess I better not. Today while fishing the East Fork Lewis I came across 2 dead Steelhead that some bleeeping bleep of a frigging bleepedy bleep decided to cut kill cutt open take the eggs out of and discard. One of them was a male DUH! I see this a lot and I am sick to death of it. It's ANGLERS that do it. I see it on the Washougal, the Klickitat , I basically see it everywhere I go. It is widespread enough that we as sport anglers have no right to complain about tribes doing it to Chums in Puget Sound.
Anglers that do this are the sbsolute scum of the Earth. If I ever catch anyone in the act I am gonna call the sherrif and tell them to get there quick before someone gets hurt (would most likely be me). Its a Bleeping good thing they were both hatchery fish I'd have come unglued if they were wild fish. Everyone who knows me know that I am a mellow guy, They anit never seen me around stuff like this..

I agree. Some people don't care much about our resourses. If I was to find tha going on I would of called the cops. A person that I have talked to told me that he came across some "fisherman" that had a nate and bonked it just for the eggs. This was in a place where they could keep nates. The "fisherman told my buddy that he could have the fish and he just wanted to eggs. Some people need to be educated.

Plug puller I disagree not they don't need to be educated they need to be shot in the head.. wellmaybe not quite but damn close to it.

I understand your anger Rob. SOimething must be done about this sort of stuff, that would actually irradicate it. These sh!theads come from the same place as the snaggers, literbugs, and rude river assholes. It's also a complex deal trying to figure out why a significant percent of guys are that lame. I have my ideas, but most of you likely know what they are, so no use dwelling on it here because it won't do much to help the problem. With one exception. It's what I've posted about a number of times before - dramatically raise fines for these type of offenses. Big money fines along with losing fishing gear and licenses. The states need to get serious and do their job! Soon. With more and more people trying to catch fish and game this stuff needs to be addressed with very harsh penalities. It's just like the terrorist assholes - 'the only thing they understand is the sting'! I've become cynical enough to now think you just aren't going to change these lowlife scum self-serving ****heads without getting appropriately tough. The state needs to act accordingly.

Write your reps for dramatically raising penalties. As I wrote in another thread recently, I'd like to see those caught poaching/snagging/litering get a MANDATORY MINIMUM fine of $500 or more, and fishing/hunting license taken away for a few months for a first offense (first time caught actually). For a second offense, try a $1000 fine, gear confiscation, and license taken away for 2 years. For a third offense it's strike 3 and you are OUT! Give them a $2500 fine or more, take their truck and fishing gear away, give them a lifetime ban from fishing in BOTH Oregon and Washington (regardless of where they live or where the infractions occured)! And if they are caught fishing, or the other crap, after the ban then put them in prison for a long time. Again - make this into law as 'mandatory minimums', so shortsighted non-sportsmen judges won't be able to let the scum off with wrist slaps any more. Since there is no shortage of contiousless dummy's out there (who don't even know or care that plenty of steelhead can be caught without eggs), so a lot of revenue would be garnered from this program to increase enforcement afield. With the appropriate publicity, this would mostly to fully stop the problem. Grow a pair of balls within the WDFW/ODFW and in the legislatures and DO THE RIGHT THING!

RT

RT is RIGHT ON THE MONEY! Typically these guys if nailed get a $500 fine that is reduced down to $100. Make it a mandatory $500 and the risk of losing your fishing rights....well that will educate in a hurry!

gooose

In my opinion as long as they punch it and its not a nate then who cares. That hatchery fish is out of the spawning environment and it gets to do some nutrient enhancement instead of being on the dinner table.

In my opinion there should be no daily limit on brats, I think they should all be killed. I keep very few myself and have never killed the fish strictly for the eggs. I only kill one if I feel like eating fish that night.

Ive fished a lot of smaller rivers that get hatchery fish dumped in them, in these rivers the brats either get caught or spawn in the wild. And wished I could kill every one I caught and throw it on the bank for the coons to eat. I havent done this but have been very tempted.

If you do see an illegally kept Nate, don't say anything, quietly follow them and get their car license number and call the state patrol. They will pass on the info to the Game Warden who can go and search their freezer on "Hear Say" info. Gutting a fish and leaving it is "Waste of Game Fish Violation" You would have to appear in court as a wittness for the State. Remember, some of us carry guns, and some of THEM are a few FRIES short of a Happy Meal. Not worth getting shot and thrown in the water.

Rich-G I agree with what you say about hatchery fish 1000%. However the waste still bothers me It was gonna die and be nutrients anyway. I agree no limits on brats but I would like to see limits on peoples behavior.

Rich it doesn't sound like you get down this way much but if you are ever here in June you can come help me kill a few Skamania summer runs in the Washougal, East Lewid or Klickitat.

[ 12-30-2001: Message edited by: Robert Allen3 ]

Robert,

Maybe Ill make a trip down that way next summer. I have family down that way so maybe I could kill two birds with one stone.

RA3, I agree totally!

"RT for president". I agree brother hang the mfer's and as far as wasting brats, ya they are nutrients for the river but hey you pay taxes don't ya fight legally and let the state take care of bringing are rivers back into shape the government is the same outfit that destroyed are rivers. It's not the local fishermans job to "slay and lay".
One last point if at anytime any of you fellow riverpeople don't want table fair but would like the eggs there are plenty of local share house that love to have food donation's and what a treat for people in need to get a delicacy when you do not have the chance to do it yourself.
I my self give my christmas bonus to a local chapter and through out the year when I can.
Just something to think about

FUNDING THE WDF&W SUFFICIENTLY WILL HELP us get the level of fishery patrol officers needed to actually get after poachers. Right now the money is simply not there. Those who say we should be rallying our numbers to make our case to the legislature are correct.
Being activists will help put sportfishing issues on the table. Right now sportfishing receives little consideration from legislators compared to commericial fishing.
If you do not have the time to join the battle in person, then join an organization that will carry your message to the legislators and WDF&W. Trout Unlimited, FFF, Wild Steelhead Coalition and your local clubs all fight this fight and would appreciate your support. Unless you lock arms with others of the same opinion, you will simply be adding endlessly to the threads on this board (which Jeff Koenings, Governor Lock and others in the legislative halls of Olympia probably do not read). For sure you should keep on venting your spleens (I certainly do and it makes me feel better) but to initiate changes, it takes a unified effort.

Les Johnson

Hey all!

I'm new to this site and still fairly new to river fishing.

Enjoying the threads here, especially this one due to the passion it released.

As being inexperienced and not a biologist, I am missing something about this discussion involving eradicating Brats.

Someone educate me here. I hate being in the dark and cannot know enough about the critters I persue and the places I persue them.

Thanks guys and once again, great thread! :p

Path Finder, read yesterdays -"Is it a Native or is it Memorex" I"m on the Central Rd where are you?

Out here on Birch Bay.

Moved out here after a stay in the Middle East on a civilian contract.

Great area! I look forward to getting to know the rivers.

Thanks, I'll check out the other thread.

Middle East? I spent alittle time there with USMC in Somalia. That place SUCKS!!! Not much to kill there except camel jockies and Black Mamba snakes. Glade to be back in Washington though. Had a killer Coho season on the Sack. My son, who's 10, caught his first 12lbr this year! The Sack is in great shape now and Head are showing up. Semper-Fi, G-MAN

Well, fellow Devil Dog, good to know ya.

Was pulling some security ops in the Kuwaiti desert. Boy is that place U-G-L-Y! And HOT!

Glad to be back home where there are trees, critters to hunt, fish to catch and only the women wear dresses (discounting the Fairhaven area of course).

Did my time in the Corps between 83-87.

Just a heads up, the movie version of "Blackhawk Down" opens 18 Jan 02. The book was real good, though I thing you all had departed the AO by the time this happened.

Yeah, what's wrong with brats? Just curious