Hey Robyns!

Yep at least every third day! Should have seen him , I had 5 crabs in a bucket and I let him put em back....... what a hoot!

Won't be long now!

We might have a pig roast up there if we do I'll get in touch with ya.



herm

I was pulled over by the Coast Guard yesterday...noticed them following me, and when I got to my fishing hole off Waldron noticed they had their little blue lights on. They were quite polite and only asked four short questions, which I answered (though I was thinking the thoughts in parentheses):

1. How are you doing? Good. (Did I violate some sort of marine speed limit?)

2. Where are you coming from today? Orcas. (Dang VHF unit is acting funky again.)

3. Where is your permanent residence? Orcas. (Why don't you just come aboard and check me and be done with it?)

4. What are you fishing for? Lingcod. ('Coz I got the day off! lol)

They wished me luck, motored a couple hundred yards away, then sat there, probably glassing me. I've been running about in small boats off Orcas for a couple years and never been checked before--didn't mind it at all, but then my registration is current, my gear in order, &c. Kind of nice to know they're out there!

Been checked only once here in Wa. It happened to be the only time I didn't have my liscence in my pocket. We went back to my car to get it. No problem. Up in BC however, been asked by counters each time I've been there.

fishkisser99

It kind of sounds like the coast guard was just following up on their "High Alert" that they have been put on. Apparently they thought they saw something about your boat or your activity that must have gotten their attention. It just sounds like they were doing the job that we are expecting them to do. Any other time, I would be wondering why they may have pulled you over. Remember, this week end we went back on "orange high alert" again.

Anyway, that's what probably has happened.

Cowlitzfisherman

Was springer fishing below Longview amongst about 25 boats. Along comes a OSP Jetcraft with a big red buoy hangin off the side(big give away) he checked only the older boats mainly glass boats and did not check a single newer looking aluminum boat. I guess they were boat profiling. Oh, and ive never been checked, except by a "bioligist".

Count me in on that Pig Roast!!! When are you leaving?
Robyns

I get checked about every time I head to Sekiu, and about 1 in 10 trips elsewhwre. Never had an issue with the folks doing the checking.

I've been checked once at La Push, no problems but another guy on the dock got ticketed for having a limit but no license. Have also been checked in Idaho fishing for steelhead on the Salmon river. It is fairly common for fish and game to set up check points along the road there. They are always very polite.

In Area 13, I can count on being checked at least once a month by the same three officers.
Last July and August, I was checked at least 3 times a week off Nisqually.

I have been "counseled" (I didn't like her tone) once by the officer. My buddy nailed a nice BM off Johnson's Pt last May and we were cleaning the blood off the carpet. The patrol boat came alongside and gave my buddy a warning ticket for not immediately annotating the punch card and I got a butt chewing for being the skipper.. total elasped time was maybe 3 minutes max between catching the fish and them coming alongside...

It has gotten to the point where my stuff is all ready for them and they just asked if I caught anythng...

We were checked Saturday by WDFW outside of Neah Bay. Everybody was cool.

I have been checked 3 times in the last year, but the prior 20 years just once. Last year June 1st on the Sky at the mouth of the Wallace(2 guys in a sled). Once in Dec. on the Pilchuck. The last time on the Skagit in March(2 guys in a drift boat).

I got checked by two gals last winter in Area 11. I was trolling for BM and eating some chilli when they snuck up behind me, then pulled along side causing me to get my downrigger ball and tackle hung up on the bottom. They seemed to have a real attitude issue.... probably the same ones Downriggen is familiar with.

There was a game wardon at the Everett Ramp on February 15th. I even forgot to put my license in the boat and he didn't write me a ticket. He did call in and check my DL# and was able to see that I do have my license.

Was checked a couple of years ago in July over by Kingston, just came along side and asked some questions.

Was boarded at Jeff Head about 10 years ago and got a ticket for not crimping a barbed hook.

I've been checked twice by the large gray zodiac. Once at Sekiu and once at Johns River in Grays Harbor. Neither time was I boarded. Last year however we were 12 miles out of Westport and 2 gamies pull up in a 10 foot zodiac. The seas were so so and they were big eyed! I later saw their mother ship out there with them but no way do you see them scooting through the swells. He comes on board checks the hooks, checks the floor boxes and coolers. We were okay but he closes by asking - Did I miss anything? NO!! Stay legal and fish with peace of mind. Several others around us had him on board for half hour or more. Hate to be the one answering to the dearly beloved for their screwups!!

We were checked at Everett crabbing a week or so ago..The officer was nice and climbed in the boat ...not easy since it was on the trailer and I use a ladder to get in..he looked at all of our 18 crab and measured several. We were all totally legal and polite to him....I appreciated him doing his job as I suspect alot of abuse of the crab rules goes on out there.

I got nailed once years ago at Sekiu for a barbed hook....I had a PIPS container with about 12 leaders all barbless and also about 10 barbless leaders in whole herring on ice ready to deploy. There was an unused rod on board the boat with a barbed hook..a new leader that hadn't been pinched and I got a ticket for that..not within the law but he originally stopped us for not punching a card fast enough....all our fish were over 30# and took 30 minutes or so to bring to the boat. We just netted one and sat on the cooler for less than 30 seconds waiting for the knees to stop knocking together before he appeared out of nowhere...We had 3 fish (all legal then) and had all of them punched ...except the one we just set in the boat...We don't cheat so it was pretty frustrating but I took his ticket and smiled...You shouldn't get a ticket for a hook not even in use but I suspect if I had corrected the officer he would have made my life miserable....Sometimes it seems like they want you to punch your card before bringing the fish on board..I thought it was ok to punch before you started fishing again. When the big King bite was on at Sekiu you didn't have a lot of time to mess around but we always punched the cards....just not in 30 seconds or less.

Got checked three times on the nooch gravel bar and once on the satsop highway launch last winter. All by the same warden. Nice fella.

Why would you let them board your vessel? They don't have the right to (except the cosat guard) so make them stick to the rules.

I have been checked lots of times, always in compliance. Most of them have been super polite but as with anything some of these officers were complete jerks. To them I say, Are you the coast guard? Then I'll see you at the dock.

Last time I was checked I was in the green river canyon. Two Wardens in Kayaks floated up and checked my wife and my gear. Nice guys just doing their job. I was surprised to learn that what I thought were two pleasure boaters were wardens.

Sometimes the checker at Shilshole is a cute gal.

I hear there are some other really cute female wardens out there....what are thier areas of patrol, maybe I should change my fishing habits:)

The last time I was checked was Friday (7/4). I was returning to the Modrow boat launch on the Kalama when a CO drove up in his rig. I had caught a nice chrome summer run. His arrival was a surprise and he was thinking he had an easy target and a citation. Fortunately I remembered to tag the fish on my license. So no tickets for me......

However, he did nail someone parked in the Modrow lot that didn't have a yellow sticker. That's was a $66 parking ticket. Ouch!

Last and only time in the salt was 9 years ago and 1 other time walking out of Blue Creek about 7 years ago. Had them go by and juat chat a few times with no stop to check, one of those times was springers 2 years ago and I discovered that I had the wrong years license with me (it was the first weekend after the 1st of April). Got lucky on that one. Saw them on the water in a sled on the Cow last Saturday for the first time ever!! At Sekiu a few years ago watched em' up an asian family for about a thousand dollars worth!!!
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff