Think someone called the fish cops on me today

[leeaspell]

I was down at the boat launch in WCT today with the wife and kids. The oldest was just playing on the playground and what not, wife and baby were in the truck chilling. This other couple pulled up and started fishing on the far end. In the half hour they were there I caught 2 walleye and 1 pike, the one walleye was a legal keeper so I took it back to the truck. When I came back they were staring and talking to each other and she went back to the car.

15 minutes later he packed up and left, with in minutes the fish cops came sort of ripping in and pulled in on an angle beside my truck. Young guy gets out and starts talking to me, old guy guys to my tailgate where the walleye is sitting and starts measuring it. First thing he asks is if im catching anything and if im using bait. Told him I've caught about 5 or so in the last hour, kept one. Then asks me again what Im using. Showed him the little Berkley pike im using, then asks me where i was casting( mcleod you can keep em, athabasca you cant) so I pointed to where id been standing, im wearing Dunlops so my tracks are pretty noticable. Then he asks who owns the second rod leaning against the rail, it was mine. Asks why I got 2 rods( the other one wasnt in the water, just sitting there), told him the wife got me a bait caster for my birthday a week ago and I was trying it out.

At that moment the other guy notices the wife in the truck and asks if she is fishing and if thats her rod, no shes in the truck feeding the 2 month old baby( she has a licence anyway). Oh, ok. Then asks me at least 2 more times if im using bait. The last time he sort of leans over and looks in my tackle box, only thing in it was some trout marshmallows, still not illegal.

Finally scans found my license and says its good and they het in the truck and leave. Weirdest encounter with fish cops ever. Its like they came in thinking they had me or something.

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[pikergolf]

Sounds great, they are responding to calls!

[leeaspell]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Sounds great, they are responding to calls!

I guess thats one way to look at it lol. Just the whole experience seemed very strange.

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[leeaspell]

The fillets how ever were delicious

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[sns2]

Good on ya, Lee. Looks like your family was having a good time. Sounds to me like your neighbors thought you were breaking the law Nice filleting, btw!

[leeaspell]

Originally Posted by sns2

Good on ya, Lee. Looks like your family was having a good time. Sounds to me like your neighbors thought you were breaking the law Nice filleting, btw!

Got schooled by a young lad, maybe 9, at slave last year on how to fillet, he had an electric knife. Watched at least 3 youtube videos before I stuck the knife in to it lol

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[Ken07AOVette]

Well done mister!

[grouse_hunter]

Good for you for abiding by the regulations. There are police informants everywhere. In Canada ratting on your fellow human beings is deemed a commendable, even honorable, thing to do.

[elkhunter11]

Good job. I certainly don't blame F&W, they can only act on what they are told, even if it is nonsense from some idiot that has no clue what is going on.

[leeaspell]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Good job. I certainly don't blame F&W, they can only act on what they are told, even if it is nonsense from some idiot that has no clue what is going on.

I can sort of see where the other guy was coming from. The only other time I have seen someone cstch fish like me today was a few years back. Me and and old guy were there and this couple were catching 2 at a time. Old guy goes over and talks to them, they are using bait. They packed up and left.

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[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by leeaspell

I can sort of see where the other guy was coming from. The only other time I have seen someone cstch fish like me today was a few years back. Me and and old guy were there and this couple were catching 2 at a time. Old guy goes over and talks to them, they are using bait. They packed up and left.

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I would be 100% certain , before I would call F&W , and waste their time.

[Red Bullets]

It is possible the people that left did not call too. I believe the "come in gangbusters to a scene" tactic is done by CO's for the element of surprise and to watch reactions.

Have seen the CO's come in very fast while I was in a boat and while I was ice fishing. One lone CO approached fast on a seadoo when I was alone in a row boat on a lake and two CO's on skidoo's came in fast and one parked on each end of my vehicle while I was ice fishing. I firmly believe they were observing how I was reacting. Once while hunting we got stopped and the CO's jumped out quickly and secured the firearms to check if there were bullets chambered. In each incident no infractions or laws were broken and it ended up being a cordial meet and greet with the local F&W. After they checked and cleared me I would ask a few questions to them about the area's fishing or hunting. It was like having a CO's information and local knowledge drive right up to me at no charge. Now that's resource I don't mind paying for...delivered info.

[tri777]

There should be a $50 "falsely accused user fee" on such reported fables imo. Truely wreckless call from some no good yapping hen(s).

[leeaspell]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

It is possible the people that left did not call too. I believe the "come in gangbusters to a scene" tactic is done by CO's for the element of surprise and to watch reactions.



Have seen the CO's come in very fast while I was in a boat and while I was ice fishing. One lone CO approached fast on a seadoo when I was alone in a row boat on a lake and two CO's on skidoo's came in fast and one parked on each end of my vehicle while I was ice fishing. I firmly believe they were observing how I was reacting. Once while hunting we got stopped and the CO's jumped out quickly and secured the firearms to check if there were bullets chambered. In each incident no infractions or laws were broken and it ended up being a cordial meet and greet with the local F&W. After they checked and cleared me I would ask a few questions to them about the area's fishing or hunting. It was like having a CO's information and local knowledge drive right up to me at no charge. Now that's resource I don't mind paying for...delivered info.

Very posdible. Just seemed rather odd. They talked, she went to the car. 15 minutes later they come rolling in. First time they have ever come in while I was there.

My reaction was, continue tying up a new hook as i was switching gear, mini pike to walleye lure. I wasnt even technically fishing when they came

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[pikeman06]

Did they talk to the people that might have reported you? Someone trying to be the hero that didn't even know the laws themselves. Greasy. Good for you tho. Don't let them try to make you mix your words under pressure. That's what they trained to do. Love the way they come storming in, that's how you know someone already threw you and your wife under the bus. Glad you got a fish to eat. That's why they were put here. Not to drag them in then throw them back.

[CNP]

Good to hear you were above board. Hate the guys who call the fish cops when they do not have any reason to do so. By all means call the fish cops if you can verify a violation has been committed. There is simply no reason to call the cops otherwise. What would someone reporting you say you were doing wrong? Catching fish lol...

"If" you were reported, the people who reported you should have to answer to the fish cops. They may be in violation themselves for concocting a false story the result of which caused the fish cops to be misled or be distracted from apprehending real poachers.

Criteria for calling RAP: Know why you are calling them.

[Oldan Grumpi]

You should have mentioned that the couple who just left pulled a 40’ net 15 minutes ago, and hightailed it out of there with a washtub full of walleyes!

[tri777]

Originally Posted by Oldan Grumpi

You should have mentioned that the couple who just left pulled a 40’ net 15 minutes ago, and hightailed it out of there with a washtub full of walleyes!

And then added, "i think i even over heard one of them asking a few folks if they were interested in buying a black bear's gall bladder."

[raab]

They were probably watching you for a bit before they came down. Maybe when you were changing lures, they thought you were putting bait on and we’re trying to catch you in the act. Either way, probably just a coincidence with the other couple. Not very often a F&W guy is in the area able to respond within 15 minutes

[Bonescreek]

Reminds me of when my wife I were approched by fish and game warderns on
a pond on state land.

We were fishing for bass and using lures off a dam on the lower south side
of the pond. The wardens came in upon us after we had been there for an
hour or so. We were the only ones fishing the pond at the time, pond was about
a acre or so not bigger. The fish cops wheeled in the camo 4x4 and blocked
are truck in on the far side of the pond then 2 of them came to the bank
and let out loud on the bull horn "come over to this side and show us your
license" .. "Now".

Granted the pond is about an acre around so I can understand they could not
read our licenses that we kept in our takle boxes so as not to get them wet.

It was simply the crude abousive way they went about finding out if we were
in fact crimials (which we were not) and how much it ruined our fishing day
made little of any appreciation for the F&W game dept. as to how well they
destoyed a fine day on the water for my wife and I and did nothing to catch
the A-holes who were there at 3:00am poatching fish and got away.

The thing that really peed me off was they had guns draw from the other side
of pond and simply could not walk over to talk, we had to walk hands held high to meet them on the other side.

Just to show we were innocint.

But they could not stay away until 3:00 am and catch the bad guys here.
State don't pay that kind of money to stay up late ...

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by raab

They were probably watching you for a bit before they came down. Maybe when you were changing lures, they thought you were putting bait on and we’re trying to catch you in the act. Either way, probably just a coincidence with the other couple. Not very often a F&W guy is in the area able to respond within 15 minutes

White court boat launch is in town. Pretty good chance there were officers around.

[Bonescreek]

Things like I said that happened to my down here in states years ago,
most likey don't happen to you so much.

Just reminded me a bad taste that made me decide to move out.

[RavYak]

F&W thought they caught me recently. I had my spare rod in rod holder pointing backwards and he thought I was trolling with two lines. When I came to shore he realized there was no lure on it.

They do have a different mentality if they believe you were breaking the law(saw you do something questionable or someone told them you were doing something wrong). So they should though.

[raab]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

White court boat launch is in town. Pretty good chance there were officers around.

Those guys are spread so thin, and they have other tasks besides checking licenses. I mean it’s entirely possible they were in town, but from what I know most of the time they’re working outside the town limits.

[Kim473]

Sounds like they were a bit of A holes to you. Glad they are checking. They were probably not far away and watching you with bino's and thinking they would catch you in an non legal act. This is a tactic that is used quite often to catch poachers. Too bad they don't target the right ethnic people more often as I have seen many over the years that seem to be poaching. Not confirmed but looked like they were.

[nast70]

I wonder if the other couple saw you measure the keeper, or it was obviously legal and no need to measure. In their eyes, you took a fish without measuring it and kept it?
If they didn't see you go through due process, then good on them for calling (if they did). If I saw that, I would talk with the guy first, see what the fish looks like then decide to call Report a Poacher or not.

[elkhunter11]

With so few officers, for such large areas, I would never waste their time in that particular situation, unless I was 100% certain that a violation had occurred. That being said, I will report and have reported violations, the officers need all the help that they can get.

[warriorboy10]

Originally Posted by sns2

Good on ya, Lee. Looks like your family was having a good time. Sounds to me like your neighbors thought you were breaking the law Nice filleting, btw!

Yup.. It’s good that the fish cops are out and about, if your not breaking the rules there’s no issue.. Just doing their job but they sure make you feel guilty with their questions and tactics.

[250mark1]

was out a phylis lake by caroline a couple weeks ago
and the fish cops were parked up the big pipeline near the northend of the lake
probably using binoculars to watch people fishing the lake
they drove out past our campsite in quite a hurry heading for the lake

[does it ALL outdoors]

Originally Posted by CNP

Good to hear you were above board. Hate the guys who call the fish cops when they do not have any reason to do so. By all means call the fish cops if you can verify a violation has been committed. There is simply no reason to call the cops otherwise. What would someone reporting you say you were doing wrong? Catching fish lol...

"If" you were reported, the people who reported you should have to answer to the fish cops. They may be in violation themselves for concocting a false story the result of which caused the fish cops to be misled or be distracted from apprehending real poachers.

Criteria for calling RAP: Know why you are calling them.

Completely agree.

Sounds like the ones that called might of been ignorant of the law themselves.