Again license number's , vehicle description's, and physical description's. Call them in, if enough calls are made, action will be taken. Start writing the newspaper's they have columns for these thing's. The more noise you make will force action to be taken by the appropriate law enforcement official's. Sound'd like you have several violation's not just poaching, drinking and driving come's to mind. Minor in possion, minor in consumption, and etc. be creative there's all kind's of violation's happening here. So before taking the law into your own hand's start making noise, the squeaky wheel theory. I sure don't want anyone to end up in jail or worse yet get hurt. So put a campaign together and end all of this squabbeling amongst us. We are the sportsman of this state and we will be heard. Take Care.

I don't know why you always want to meet some place to stop the poachers. You and I know that this will never work. You might scare them off one time but they will always come back. I think until we get better inforcement,it would be in your best interest to just turn away and forget about it.

This is just like us all cleaning up the rivers and lakes. You clean it up on Monday and on Tuesday it's dirty again. Some people just DON'T CARE. It's like poaching THEY don't care.

They think that when they get a license that they can fish where ever they want.

Well I'll get of my soap box now and get into something else.

Jim - I agree that it gets very discouraging when you can't seem to make an impact. But I believe you have to take out the trash once in an while, or it will just start overflowing. This would apply to litter as well as poachers. Picking up a bag of litter means just that much less litter for the next guy to pick up. Yes, some jerks will come along and trash the place again, but if we just gave up, the place would start looking like a garbage dump instead of just a messy fishing spot. And if we just decide not to try to educate, report, and stand up to the poachers (and litterers), then the problem will DEFINATELY get worse. Many of these kids and foreigners either just don't know the rules, or just don't think anyone really cares. Sportsmen need to step up and address both of the issues. For the group that just wants to cause trouble and do whatever the heck they want - leave them to the law enforcement(and do your part to help report problems).

Now I'll get off my slippery soap box

Maybe what you guys could do is have one of you dress up as a game warden and four or five others can pose as poachers. Then have the game warden write fake tickets. The posing poachers can ham it up and make a lot of noise about the $100 ticket they just got. I don't know about the legality of this, but I bet if you guys pulled it off a couple of weekends in a row, word would get around about the new strict game warden, and it might thin out a few of the poachers. Just a crazy idea.

Pelican and PP: I agree with both of your most recent posts. Nicely said. (PP, I posted about the same issue, which I think you responded to, on the WA Fly Fishing forum earlier this week.) Anyway, I'm willing to help in any way I can. I will continue to inform poachers of the rules, and I plan on taking my cell phone with me, along with the poacher hotline number, from now on. When you're floating around on the lake and the poachers are far away from their vehicles, it's tough to get a license plate and vehicle description, but perhaps more phone calls to WDFW reporting the poaching activity will bring more and more enforcement to the lake. One can hope, anyway...

Thanks HSL. Yes, I thought the timing on the other site was pretty good

Another thought I had was to bring my video camera along. From the middle of the lake, my digital zoom could easily put a face to a jar of powerbait and a stringer full of fish - without them even knowing it. Of course it would also be fun to help them 'celebrate' that nice big triploid they caught by catching it on film. You should hear the cheers when these guys get a big one. They'd never think twice about someone taping the event...

Some of these guys are so dumb, they actually set up the old forked stick and sit back on the rocks and drink beer. Gee - do you think they are using bait? Who knows - maybe some of them have a bobber on and are still fishing chironomids

My turn as I have been way to quiet. Bill will stop poachers. He is to good to fight anyone.
So lets just go back to where this started and just call in the poachers , be rude and tell them to get the hell out of there. It's easy to do I've done it many times.

Also we could allways just send Bone Head opps
I mean Micro Brew to bull sh___ them away

Now TM, be kind. BTW, how many trout have you brought to the boat during your last few trips?

The poaching is bad on RL and just as bad on the Snoqualmie Forks. Does anyone know what WDFW does with the poaching reports, or are they just a waste of time? Seems like hefty fines, $1k - $2K plus no license for 5 years, gear confiscation would help. A few tickets in the right spot, and word would get out quickly.

PP,

I'm kinda dense. What do you mean by " But if you can't leave well enough alone and want to keep up the pi$$ing match, then let's just meet and get it over with.

If you mean what I think you mean, then you're not as bright as I thought you were. Don't you know stuff like that (if you meant what I think you did) will get you bounced out of Big Brothers. That's not good role model stuff.

Shame you don't have the maturity to go with your intelligence... even at the new lower level I have you at.

I 'spects you're around 30 years of age and think you have all the answers. Fifteen years from now you'll have a clearer picture.

Have a nice day, PP, and don't get too stirred up.

Back to the problem of persistent illegal fishing I'm reminded of the persistent problem
at Lenice and Nunnally a few years back. One group of 6-8 wetbacks in particular were there
nearly every day powerbaiting openly all day long despite the sign at the parking lot in Spanish. Confronting them resulted in blank stares.
Several guys cell phoned for enforcement, but as usual no one ever came.
Then one afternoon as they poached at will, their beat up Van developed four flat tires.
They never returned and nowadays nearly all poaching on these waters is done at night,
which I hope is less effective?

bill - can we just move on now before we embarass ourselves any further?

I appologize for letting this get out of hand and not just ignoring the jabs in your initial post. I welcome your opinions, wether the same or different than mine. And I will make every attempt to be respectful when I feel the need to share my differing opinions with you and others.

Please forgive me for not handling this better (bill, et all)

Fishnfella - I like that approach - fighting fire with fire (although I'd never condone vandalism like that - I surely wouldn't shed a tear if I heard about it happening...)

PP,

Yeah... let's end it. It's time.

Next time, and I'm not trying to get a dig in here, bait fishers are "dissed", please don't assume that all bait fishers are created equal. Some are slobby and others are not. Also I wouldn't expect baiters who subscribe to this board are the ones being complained about.

Also, not all fly fishers are annoying.... but I have a hard time accepting the ones who think that throwing $$$ at the sport is the way to go.

Some of us fly fishers on this board, FishinFellaS, the highly esteemed Trout Master, MB and myself have evolved through the various methods of angling. We've done the handlining, the bait fishing, the hardware and eventually tried fly fishing. Also we've gone through the wanting to catch (and keep) the most fish, the biggest fish, etc., to where now when we do keep fish we're selective about it.

What I do now when I'm out fishing is probably similar to you. I check around to see what the other fisherpeople are doing... hopefully they're paying attention to the rules... if not... they can expect a visit from me. If it's because they don't know, then I take a lot different approach from when I meet someone who doesn't care. Yeah, I do chase people off of lakes. Last one was last year on an unnamed eastern WA lake. Three guys showed up to baitfish a selective rules lake. No, I didn't ignore them, or figure I'd call a warden, I walked up, informed them of the rules and that what they planned on doing wasn't legal there and"suggested" they try a nearby lake which was open to any method.

Only person not following the rules I ever "passed" on talking to was a crippled guy in a wheelchair using a spinning rod and bobber on Rocky Ford creek. It only became legal recently to fish RF that way. I figured if he wanted to fish, given his condition, then I wasn't going bother him.

yours in fishing,

Bill W

The Zen speaks only truth, as he is one who has evolved with wisdom.

I and most other ardent flyfishermen DID evolve to primarily C&R flyfishing after
using other methods. But we oldies had the luxury of having well stocked lakes,
uncorrupted by illegally stocked spiney rays,millfoil,and unpressured by too many
fishermen with which to evolve.Those were the days my friend.

Today it is different. There are only limited rich lakes capable of producing quality
fishing. Most of them are mismanaged in order to provide catch and kill 8" trout for
the majority of casual anglers to drag out with powerbait and a $5 spinning rod stiff as a broomstick.
I feel we don't have the luxury of mismanaging these lakes by overplanting and overharvesting
(take for example Blue and Park with 200,000 and 150,000 fish planted yearly) before the
resource is degraded and ruined permanently. Add to this our reluctance to regulate disruptive
and distructive jet sledding and water skiing as well as pollution from shorline development
and you will start to understand why those of us who love the SPORT of fishing have some
serious problems with how fast you baiters are evolving to a method(s) of fishing which
will preserve fishing for the future.
Ban Powerbait and get off your asses and learn to C&R flyfish or barbless lure fish.
Be more vocal with our F&G about wanting more than an 8' trout to eat. They think they
are doing the right thing untill you tell them differently.
Trout fishing should be about protecting and preserving the lake and the fish #1, about SPORT #2, and about taking and eating fish #3 if at all.

Poachers and illegal fishermen are stealing from you and should be treated just the same as you
would treat someone who has entered your garage to steal your tools for example.
Spend the time and effort to either chase them off or get their liscense plate and file a citizens
arrest if F&G fails to act.
It's yours to protect and preserve.....or to loose! There is no in between.

Amen to all of you. Let's just stick together and each do our part to educate / report violators with the ultimate goal of provding quality fishing opportunities for all.

Zen, you forgot shotgun fishing. Yes, at some time in my life I have tried them all, like FF the best but have nothing against drowning a worm or maggot.

micro brew,
I knew I picked the right guy to share a secret with.



I looked at this thread because I ran into a couple of guys taking fish from a c/r river that upset me.I am going there again this weekend If they are back this weekend I am going to hike out and find law enforcement.

I was ready to confront them last weekend but I am glad I did not as they were both sitting on a couple of revolvers and drinking beer.Be carefull there internet tough guys,I would take pelicans advice.

What secret? I don't know or remember nothin. That area is also kind of strange. A lot of weird things can be found in those woods!

Hit the lake again last night around 7-8:30 with my 2 yr old son. Fishing was slower than usual, but we still C&R'd 5 pretty little fish.

Didn't see any obvious poachers. One woman and here 3 (or so) yr old daugher were looking pretty guilty though. From a distance, I could have sworn I saw her with a spinning rod fishing, but whenever I got close, she'd walk away and start pointing out the ducks to her kid. This wouldn't be weird, except she was on a pretty 'remote' part of the lake (ie - a long way from any trail) and never left the general area the whole time I was there.

Say 'hi' if you see me out there. Just look for the green 'old town' canoe with a trolling motor (flat transom canoe) and usually a 2 yr old with me.

-Chad

What secret? I don't know nuthin.

There are a lot of strange things that go on in the woods over there... Sometimes I feel I should be packin....

I'm sensing some kinda de ja vou (sp?)....
Micro Brew - are you getting enough sleep? (see your last 2 posts)

Carl - I'll email you the file that I was talking about until I can figure out how to share it with the others...

Phish, check your URL.