4salt,
I agree with your post...either way, the penalties are stiff!
Ignorance: Failure to gather proper information.
Stupidity: Failure to process proper information.

Just trying to draw comparison between a father teaching his son to fish with worms and other equally egregious felonies.

Where have you been Salmo?

PARKER,

Right on and TOO FUNNY. By the way,
Moley wouldn't let Sok take that cutt. to bed, so
he canned it.

Thanks for the tip, I'll stop by the Mill Creek office and see if there is a way they can accept
his catch for the record.

Cigar

There's probably a lot more to this story than what you all have read. A simple glance at the reg's wil inform anyone that no bait was allowed and barbless hooks were required. The issue of live bait is a nonissue as bait is bait. Sounded like the guy had himself and 2 others fishing....a ticket for both violations times 3 equals bout 1000 bucks. The laws the law and its mandatory upon us fishers to read the reg's and follow them. There's nothing cryptic about a reg that says no bait and no barbed hooks. The references to criminal record and the inferences about live bait, different interpetations of what happened and such seem typical of the arguments I hear from many guys who got busted. I'll place my trust in what the officer found and wrote up rather than the snivels of a law violater and politician. Tough Dog Dooodooo!

I almost feel I need to retract my earlier statement. Salmo g hit it on the head with his post. Then again, the law is the law. However, it seems that in this day and age, one really needs to be online for the current regs (changes). (What about the less fortunate?) (Sure there's always the phone, but again....) I feel like tossing a coin at this point.

When I was warned, I really wanted to be a smart a$$ and ask, " Next time, you want me to record the catch or bonk the fish first?" I held my tongue. After all, the rule reads,
"immediately."

(1) Is there a definite answer or, is the "gamie" allowed to use discretion? Personally, I feel we need specifics on the borderline issues...
(2) Of all the places I have been fortunate to fish around the world, why is it that WA has the worse regs to decipher? My two cents...

Downriggin'

The specifics of a situation are based on how you react to the officer, if you are respectful and he[or she] can tell you are dumb you would usually get a warning. If you are a butthead as to mask your innate dumbness you will usually get written up.

Jerry, some wardens act like frustrated policeman wannabes. I have seen it. Regardless of how you react, they can be real jerks. Give them a hat, badge and a gun, and watch out.Granted that is the exception, but in this article, if the encounter description is true, this whole thing is complete garbage and got totaly out of hand.Sounds like the game guy was having a bad day...

The Guy was using a Snoopy pole!!!! A real big time poacher here should throw the book at him. Maybe rather than going through all the stuff ticket and court date, moneys spent putting this big time poacher in jail for his crime and all thim the warden could be catching som real poachers. A warning right here could have saved the department a lot of precious resourses. And made the world safe from maybe harming a Smolt

One detail I didn't see was whether or not he had fish on the bank. IMHO if there wasn't any, then give him a written warning. No harm, no foul. Another thing to look at is whether this guy has bought a license before or if he was a rookie. It sounds like he made a rookie mistake. I would bet that everyone on this board would agree that the first time they opened the reg book for WA state that they were confused. I still get confused after all these years.
It's too bad that this 6 year old boy's first impression of a gamie was probably not favorable. They have a tough enough job with the jerks out there, and they don't need to bring up our future fishermen thinking that they are a bunch of hard a$ses.
I live out in the Meth lab capitol of Pierce county. These scumbags get away with murder out here and the police's hands are tied. Then again, most tweakers probably don't fish. Maybe we'll put the worm fishermen in the same cell as the guys who tear the tags off their mattresses.

I would bet my last dollar that this officers initials are BC. He patrols the Sno and has a bad case of short mans disease. He has a pi** poor attitude towards people even if your within the law.
He harassed me a few years ago on the Raging.
It was in the Fall and I was fishing light tackle for steelies.( straight 6lb ) I started up high on the river and worked my way down and came to one of the last holes before it dumps into the Sno.
He pulls up in his truck and jumps out like his pants are on fire and ask me what the hell I'm doing?
Fishing for Steelhead was my reply.
You sure your not snagging Salmon he asked?
I replied that no I do believe that my gear is much to light to snag old boot salmon.
He told me that if I'd been 100 yards up river or down river this would not be a problem.
But since I just happened to be fishing a drift that has had alot of poeple snagging fish that he has a problem with me fishing here.
I finally cut my gear off and and broke my rod down and told him to stuff it, I was completely legal and I'd be giving Mr. Peck at Mill Creek a call about his public relations rep.
This is just my 2 cents worth on this person.
Not all Gammies are jerks.

Please note that this reply is not intended to affend anyone and no fish were harmed in the writing of this reply!

Parker, you are too funny sometimes!

So, what's it gonna be? Are you guys having a Justin or a Justine?

Or....is it really going to be named Parker Parker.

Not to stretch the topic toooo far, but i have heard a couple of times that not one person has been convicted of a felony for killing or wounding another person in a "hunting accident" even though wearing Hunters orange since 1950 in the state of Washington, but the amount of seized property for shooting a doe during buck season is more than we will all see in a lifetime.

just interesting perspective.

Found this while milling through the WDFW site...

...Just thought I'd toss it in.

TL/WN
Camo

this is what i don't get, the warden had time to pop that guy fishing with bait in closed waters. i don't think a criminal case was necessary. But when i go to les davis pier to fish bobbers for kings, i'm constanly seeing people who either don't speak english or don't understand the regs keepin' buckets of salmon smolts. i've called the wardens every time and nobody ever shows. i finally started takin' buckets and dumping over.
5 trout doesn't seem so bad after seeing all those poached smolts

KidSauk - If it's a "Justine", I won't let her any where near you! One of my favorite movie lines is from Clueless:

"I own a .45 and a shovel. I doubt any one will miss you." Heh. That will be my new .sig if we are having a Parkerette!



If it's a Justin, we'll teach it to cast before it's learned how to walk! It will be rowing me down the Calawah by age 7 (Bob promised me rowing lessons for Jr.) Will be guiding by age 9!

August 22nd is the appointment for the Ultrasoundgarden. Hopefully, we'll find out on that day what it is. I'm just hoping for a NORMAL baby, and not some mutated X-Files beast.

Parker

If it comes with ten fingers and ten toes call yourself lucky.

Of course being male I am sure your vote goes for the little Parker rather then Parkerette.