Called RAP line today.....Damn Poachers!
 

Well I was out pike fly fishing one of my spots today and there were quite a few fisherman on the banks.

Accross the bay from where I was a couple hundred yards away I see a guy catch a hammer handle pike. As he get it to shore he unhooks it and wings it up in the grass...no tape out no measuring nothing....I am thinking I know I am about 250yrds away right now ....but he brought out no tape and most fish people catch there are hammer handles.

I then see a mini-van that was parked further down drive up to where the guy is....I see another guy go over and proceed to stomp on the fish (assuming on the head). So I decide I can't let this slide.....

So I proceed to walk over to them .... past about 7-8 other people fishing some about 20 yards from them.

One guy sees me coming and reels in his line and breaks down his rod and goes to the back of the van to put it in. The older fella is standing over in the grass.....I knew thats where the fish was. So I walked over to him and look in the grass and there is 2 very undersize pike laying there....

So I proceed to tell these guys that those fish are way too small to be keeping......the ignorance started so my voice got raised and I proceeded to unleash on these guys.....they didnt say much once that started. Then they take the 2 fish and toss them in the lake....clearly they won't live. Then the oldest of the bunch proceeds to walk over and dig ANOTHER fish out of the grass and throw it in the lake......so I ask them how many more fish am I gonna find in the grass?

I also told them I have their license plate and if I see then down there again doing the same thing I'll call F&W. I told them if they have undersize fish at home they better go home and cook em quick...... so they get in their van and drive off.....not knowing I was planning on calling F&W anyways.

At this point I fish the floater out of the lake and take pictures of it next to my rod and my tape measure in case F&W needs it.

F&W called me back and asked for descriptions etc. As he is stting outside their house waiting for them to return. I gave him my email and told him ill send him the pics if he needs em.......I'll wait and see where this goes.

On a good note I nearly landed about a 15lb fish tonight! I tried to shore land him and when he got in shallow he spit the hook which is cool.

Lefty

good job. :shake2:

I hope they nail em all!

good job lefty. i might have kept quiet and let them take the fish home though. pics are good, but fish in the van when the fish cop is waiting for them is more damning than pics. sounds like they were going to die anyway. hopefully some charges are laid....and stick.

In good conscience I just couldn't sit back and watch them. I would hope most of the people here would do the same thing?

Yah I was kickin myself a bit about that....I honestly didn't think the Officer would stakeout their place!

Lefty

i am always suspicious of grown men who go fishing in mini vans and you have just confirmed my worst fears....lol.

in all seriousness good job on reporting them. i hope they get the book thrown at them.

hindsight is 20/20 alright. like i said, hopefully what you got will be enough for a conviction. and i agree......looking the other way is basically condoning it.

Any chance these guys were driving a tan toyota sienna and were of asian descent? Just curious, reported some poachers last weekend at Coal for the same thing.


Nice job on the RAP call, the more people that call, the more poachers get caught. Good thing for everyone!

YUP! those would be them.....I wanted to leave the race thing out of it....we should compare notes (ie. what license number you got!)

Apparently repeat offenders.....be really nice to have them get charged!

Lefty

Good job Lefty! We need more people like you that would step up and take the initiative in calling the wrongdoings

Whhhoooo Boy, I'm buying you a SUPERsized Mojito when I meet you sir!

Thanks for calling it in, and thanks for posting.

Good to hear, way to go!!!

SOunds like the same guys as a few years back Ukimov or however he spells his name and REdneckposse were out then polish guys kept every pike they hooked tossed it in the grass , and into a bag in the van , then left couple hours later come back do it all agian . I reported those guys even with video of them doing it . Never did hear back from fish and wildlife . Thats when I lost faith in the fish and wildlife report a poacher hotline . I was livid .

BBJ,

These three guys were definitly not polish. I think they have a really good idea of what they are doing..... although when approached plead ignorance. When they catch the fish and stash them in the grass.....they can plead that they are not theirs if F&W shows up (argue they were there before or someone else did it).

I just hope they get called on in enough times and get enough complaints logged against them that F&W can do something about it.

Lefty

I hope it has 2 umbrellas! Oh goodie goodie gumdrops I can't wait! Can I bring my garden gnome friend to? LOL :sHa_sarcasticlol:

Nice work Lefty!

good job Lefty!

Nice work Lefty. Karma is a wonderful thing at times. I am sure you will be rewarded somewhere down the line. Congrats on the 15lb pike too.

man I can not believe the poachers you guys have out there...I hardly ever see anyone when I go fishing, let alone people poaching...

very commendable Lefty, You can fish with me anytime!

True that. I really don't understand it either. For the costs involved with getting to a lake and then the risk of getting caught;not to mention the feeling of being a lowlife poacher. Why don't these guys just go buy some fish at the grocery store? It's probably cheaper. A typical day of ice fishing for me at Travers cost about $70 in fuel and about $10.00 in propane. Another 20 for incidentals like baits and such and it's a $100 day. I can buy a lot of Walleye fillets at Costco for that money.

BTW, Good Job Lefty.

Good Job
 

Good job Lefty....

Awesome job!!!
 

Great job man, hopefully the fish cops did something about it, unfortunatley i think they are well understaffed but regardless maybe it will make those tools think twice about trying that next time. Its amazing how ignorant some of these people are, any time i have seen poaching its where these folks are surrounded by tons of other fishermen, right in plain sight, all we can do call RAP and ofcourse suger in their gas tanks wouldnt be a bad idea either, lol!:thinking-006:

fish cops are understaffed but if we all took the time to get envolved they would be well staffed. just wondering Lefty is this bunch still at Coal or did they move after being reported the first time?

Asians poaching
 

why is it Lefty, that in your good citizeness, that you feel that you have to eliminate any description of the offenders race? we are smart enough to figure out that not every Asian is a poacher bcuz these ones were?

Well mostly I didnt want to have this anything about race....they were poachers plain and simple purple, green or orange doesn't matter....

Lefty

If it is the same group they were at coal last week and there again when I called yesterday.....so they havent learned yet. That is assuming they are the same people.

Lefty

plus, every time someone mentions anything descriptive about a poacher other than they were "people poaching", the thread is derailed within minutes and chubbdarter has to start posting youtube videos...

When you say "we", I hope you don't mean everyone on this forum, because it's pretty clear that collectively, "we" are not smart enough.

I'm sure Lefty gave a good description of the culprits, plus their vehicle, along with pictures to F&W. Great job Lefty!

Thanks for doing all you did, people like that really **** me off. Job well done!!!!!