I love the fish cops!

[FishingFrenzy]

Hey everyone, I just have to share the experience i had with the fish cops today! So me and a buddy decided to hit the NSR for a couple hours. Decent day for fishing but it was slow (only one walleye) so we were just casting some spoons and jigs hoping for a bite when we look down the river and see a boat coming along. Didn't think much of it till it came up close and we relized it was the fish cops. Anyway we weren't worried since we had licenses and pinched barbs. So they come up ask if we're licensed, have barbs pinched, what we've caught,what were targeting, etc. Guy said they were doing some sort of study. Then when they go to leave they give us each a drybag for free, say thanks for obeying the rules and left. AWESOME people, very nice and my best experience with fishcops ever.

Had to share that! Remember to respect them, their just doing there jobs! And heck if your nice they might give you a dry bag!

[alodar]

I get checked by some really great guys on the nsr on a regualr basis to the point where when they see me all they want to see is that i have my license with me. I find as long as you are good to them they will be really good to u sweet im gunna have to see they have ne drybags for me next time lol...

[WayneChristie]

And heck if your nice they might give you a dry bag!

OHHHH you mean to put your gear in!!!! :sHa_sarcasticlol:

[solocam3]

ANd you still call them Fish Cops?:bad_boys_20:

[Safety D]

Seen the city cops on the river to Sunday. They were also very good. Just asked a few questions. They seen the orange flag waving so they were good....

[Fishfinder]

ANd you still call them Fish Cops?:bad_boys_20:

lol. X2. Good to hear about a good xp. Personally, I enjoy talking to FnW as they give me the rundown on the area I am fishing usually. If ya aint doing no harm, the "fish cops" can be more than a great resource:)

[archer66]

I had a good experience with the Ministry in Ontario on Lac Seul. They always try to check all the boats coming back to the lodges on the last day of the week and our last trip up there was no exception. We'd had a good week, very successful fishing for walleye and norther pike and were headed back to the camp to eat dinner when sure enough there he is. He checked our licenses, checked our fish, chatted about the lake, engaged the kids in conversation and wished us a safe trip home. All in all he was VERY nice, VERY professional, and a did a great job.

[pdfish]

Seen the city cops on the river to Sunday. They were also very good. Just asked a few questions. They seen the orange flag waving so they were good....

Yup, they swung by us while we were anchored across from the Terwillegar dog park. They asked why the two of us had 3 rods in the water, showed em' the orange flag and then BS'ed with them for a couple minutes. Good guys. Did you happen to see the white Custom Weld beached high and dry up by River Ridge? On the way back it was floating again with the help of a couple Rhinos, a quad, and a 4x4 truck (I have no idea they got the truck onto the island.)

[FishingFrenzy]

I will always call em the "fish cops" ;D! We were right under the Anthony Henday bridge, close to terwilleger. Was anyone on here the people with the 12-14 foot aluminum near there? I was just suprised they were so nice to a couple of teenagers fishing down there, most people think we're screwing around or doing drugs or something :mad0100:

[FishingFrenzy]

ohhhh you mean to put your gear in!!!! :sha_sarcasticlol:

LOL!!!!! :lol:

[Albertafisher]

Yeah fish cops are generally good guys, Ive had only 3 encounters and all 3 gave me really good impressions. The dry-bags that they give out are pretty awesome too!

[ghostguy6]

Whats the orange flags?

[Chris K]

Whats the orange flags?

If you participate in the Sturgeon Tagging Study Program like pdfish does, the license holder (pdfish) may fish with two rods on the NSR for himself. This is allowed inder a license for the program to be more effective in catching fish and obtaining data from old and new fish, and tag new ones for the study. The specific orange flag is there so that it's easy for Fish and Wildlife to identify from a distance that there is a volunteer participating in and fishing for that purpose.

Chris K

[ghostguy6]

Thanks, Ive never heard of that program before. Thats good to know.

[Cal]

Up here in Slave we've got a couple with real bad small man syndrome but we've also got some decent ones. Met a realy nice one up around Grande Cache.

[CNP]

I got a warning for posessing flies with barbs from one of them, but he was still good about it.

...and what is wrong with posessing flies with barbs? If you tie your own you probably pinch them right away but if you buy them they will probably have barbs. Nothing wrong with having barbed/unpinched barbs of any kind in your posession (in your tackle/flybox/on your hat lol). Now if you have a barbed hook, in use, you are guilty, guilty, guilty....

[tacklerunner]

lPersonally, I enjoy talking to FnW as they give me the rundown on the area I am fishing usually. If ya aint doing no harm, the "fish cops" can be more than a great resource:)

X2 If you want true, accurate info on what's working, they're the guys to ask. Personally, I think I ask them more questions than they ask me when I get a visit from them.

[fish-man]

I get checked 1-2 times a season and I've never had a bad experience. I'm sure small F&W people out there are jerks, but I've never met them.

[dmckay]

I haven't had a bad experience yet really. My last experience was running into two F&W on the Bow by Fish Creek. I'm a newbie to fly fishing, so once he checked my licence and hook, he gave me some pointers on what to use and even a good little spot to try. I never even asked! Still didn't catch anything....must be doing something wrong.

[nicemustang]

One time on burnstick we were checked, we were having beers in the ice shack at the time. He counted the amount of beers we had in total (it was a six pack) and said good enough. Be smart and safe and have a nice day. He said if we were being iresponsible with a bunch of beer, we would have received a ticket. That was a good guy, we thanked him and he gave us a tip for birch, which we packed up and went over and had luck with his tip. Great guy, ran into a few times after and he's always been good.

[Darren N]

In the last few years on the NSR I run into them a couple times a year at least. I had one guy near Devon bridge talk to me from his truck speaker as he thought I had a gun! It was just my flyrod case. Overall I appreciatte the job they do as it makes it eventually better for us down the road.

[pdfish]

One time on burnstick we were checked, we were having beers in the ice shack at the time. He counted the amount of beers we had in total (it was a six pack) and said good enough. Be smart and safe and have a nice day. He said if we were being iresponsible with a bunch of beer, we would have received a ticket. That was a good guy, we thanked him and he gave us a tip for birch, which we packed up and went over and had luck with his tip. Great guy, ran into a few times after and he's always been good.

Gotta love common sense, it's so rare these days.

[thefisher]

where on the NSR were you fishing

[johann_seb]

I haven't had a bad experience yet really. My last experience was running into two F&W on the Bow by Fish Creek. I'm a newbie to fly fishing, so once he checked my licence and hook, he gave me some pointers on what to use and even a good little spot to try. I never even asked! Still didn't catch anything....must be doing something wrong.

You mean like fishing the bow ? Hit some rivers that don't see 2500+ flies/mile/day and I think you'll do much better.

[johann_seb]

...and what is wrong with posessing flies with barbs? If you tie your own you probably pinch them right away but if you buy them they will probably have barbs. Nothing wrong with having barbed/unpinched barbs of any kind in your posession (in your tackle/flybox/on your hat lol). Now if you have a barbed hook, in use, you are guilty, guilty, guilty....

Note : this only applies in Alberta's domestically operated waters. In the waters annexed by Ottawa (trans. Banff/Jasper/Waterton), one mustn't have these within 100' of fishable water, on pain of death.

I hear the going punishment is a CRA audit and forcing the defendant to sit through question period highlights anthology vol. 4

[Izumi]

Note : this only applies in Alberta's domestically operated waters. In the waters annexed by Ottawa (trans. Banff/Jasper/Waterton), one mustn't have these within 100' of fishable water, on pain of death.

I hear the going punishment is a CRA audit and forcing the defendant to sit through question period highlights anthology vol. 4

That's backwards, barbs ARE allowed in the National Parks unless it is specified otherwise for the body of water you are fishing...

There was a discussion about this 2 weeks ago here, have a read
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=64917

[Fishfinder]

Heads up friends. Let's not refer to them as fish cops, they support and protect our resource which we all love. SRD officially, without them we would be screwed. Know it and believe it cuz it's true! And ya never know when the person fishn beside you may be a "fish cop".

[FishingFrenzy]

I dont call them fish cops to be derogatory, its just what everyone around me has called them growing up. its not meant to be a bad thing! if it really makes people mad i can call them Fish and Wildlife Officers but i dont think its a big deal.

[Fishfinder]

It's kinda funny. I don't break the fishn rules at all and don't drink booze( got a hunch 99 percent of fines given are becuz of this) Fishcops lol wtf, respect people.

[BuckMaster101]

Lac La Biche has a real loser up there that works in the parks, but i guess we cant all get alone.