Sad Find On the Bow Today
 

I was fishing on the Bow River today by Fish Creek Park (By Lafarge) and was shocked to see this.
Heavy line baited with 2 large barbed hooks baited with smelts submerged and anchored by a big rock. I would have never noticed it if the poor bird wasn't hooked and desperately trying to get loose. I was able to cast my spinner towards the line and bring the bird to shore. To my amazement the bird was calm and did not make any move until I was able to cut the hook and set it free. After destroying the guy's setup I called Fish and Wildlife and showed them the spot and rig the guy was using.

It is sad to see that people will go to such means to catch a fish when they can buy one for $10 that tastes way better.
I'm posting this so those of us who fish that section on the river will keep their eyes for suspicious activities.

Sickening , some People's kids .

Thank you sir for outstanding effort , freeing the snagged bird and following thru by reporting the poacher rigged set line. Cheers to you.

put a bear trap in that spot, might get lucky @ night when the *****hole go retrieve his fish .

Big Fat X2!
Hats off, well done.:)

X3.... Sad what some people do. A couple years ago i found something similar onanother river but it had a dead Bull Trout on it...

Nice work!

Someone should set up a trailcam in the area and get pics of the guy when he comes to check his setup.

LC

Great work and hats off to you !! May the fish gods be good to you. Alberta has to get way tougher on these ****heads. Lock them up I say.

Some people make me sick, good job!!

Unbelievable
 

It's hard to believe some total a___hole would have the gaul to do that right in the City (?). Thank you for taking it out and reporting it. I wonder if bozo was trying to catch a fish or the bird? My solution though - put a couple of store-boughts on the hooks (Tilapia - someone that ignorant won't know that there are no such in the Bow), after injecting them with a quantity of ....(pick your poison)... and put it back. Not so much, I guess, because bozo may have kids - scary thought if he is bringing them up that way (?). Makes one wonder how much of this sort of thing is going undetected.

You have my respect that was a good thing you did the bird has a chance. Its Unfortunate someone broke the rules and it resulted in that. Definitely bugs me.

Thanks, I was just in the right place at the right time. Although I spent 3 hours without a single bite, saving this bird made my day. I just wish F&W catch this guy in the act.

good going man on helping the little guy out. myself and a buddy (adam) from lomond did the same thing only this was on travers and a rather huge fiesty pelican. we chased the pelican clean across the lake with the boat and caught it with a huge fishing net. then adam screams at me grab the beak grab the beak as i unarmed and now jousting with the darn thing till i grabbed the beak, removed all the line and sinkers and cut one line close to his throat because he swallowed one of the hooks. we figure we gave it a fighting chance. hope he survived. but this was a snagged and broken off line near the shore not a deliberate set up to poach.

Nice save!

good on you for saving the grebe , at least it looks like one? I've also found and dismantled set lines . Luckily there was nothing in the ones we found

Great Job. Hope the CO's can stake out the area and catch the guy.