Geez, it seems like the people on this board are all armed and pissed off! Hasn't anyone here heard the saying "It's easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar"?

Seriously, the best tactics when dealing with poachers are to be nice and non-threatening (e.g. "Any luck?", "What are ya after?" etc...) and then gently suggest that the area is closed ("Yeah? I seem to remember something about them closing this stream a while back for those fish. I could be wrong, though. You got a copy of the regs?"). This lets them know that you (while friendly) are on to them. Most poachers seem to move on at this point. Suggesting alternative legal waters/lands as a better option also gives an extra push ("I'm not sure this creek is open, but I do know that the Zipperlip is open. They say they might have a good run this year on the Zipperlip, so you might want to check that out if it's suchandsuch fish that you are after.")

If they persist or are unrepentant, give them a friendly tip that enforcement does happen...("I don't know...there have been an bunch of gamies up here in the last month.")
Let them know the penalties, too. Don't call it poaching, though - people get upset and confrontational at that word. Use "fishing/hunting out of season". ("They got one guy around here last year for fishing out of season...took his boat and fined him a bunch, too. Seems harsh, but ya gotta pay attention to the calendar, I guess.")

If they don't get the clue at this point, bid them adieu, note their description/license plate, and head for a phone to call WDFW. Their phone numbers are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/enf/enforce.htm . I generally have at least one on my speed-dial on my cell phone. Tell the agent to not have the officer act as if responding to a call, but rather as if simply on patrol. WDFW folks seem to understand personal safety issues in this regard and have always obliged me.

Just my $0.02!

ET is right on the money!!!

The one time I confronted a "poacher," he threatened to "put 2 .44 slugs in my head." Nice. The kids were quite impressed by this dramatic display of "manly" behavior

I don't know if he was bluffing (probably) or not, but I didn't stick around to find out. I guess I'm a "coward." :p

One thought I haven't heard mentioned is that a heavy-handed confrontation, besides being a potential threat to someone's life and limb, may actually do very little good. Sometimes I'm sure its gotta be smarter to keep quiet, rport the activity, and hope for the best.

The deer poacher post above is a good example. Hard as it may be, not saying anything to the guy would do much less to put him on the alert. He knew someone was on to him, and they had packed up and were leaving because of it. It was lucky they weren't long gone before the warden got there. Without a big confrontation they would probably have been sitting around the fire eatin' backstrap.

Worked in that case anyway, but sometimes the non-alerting method might be best.

When I was 20 I had "NADS" and joined the Marine Corps. If I learned one thing it was that people with "NADS" bleed like everyone else, just more frequently and often times unnecessarily.

At 40 I intend to keep using my "NADS" as long as possible and getting capped by a strung-out poacher is not my idea of "really living".

I think Yeticaster has come up with a great way to deal with these types of situations. At least it makes sense to me, but then I always keep my tail tucked between my legs.

Yeti reminded me of a time when we were fishing a no bait lake for trout when the warden walks up & checks us. We tell him the guys down the lake are using bait. He goes down there & busts em. He brings them back to his car & as he passes us he sez, "Thanx for the tip" The 2 guys gave us a dirty look. I didn't think they would get taken away & the warden was just going back to give them a ticket. With only 2 cars at the trail head we left right away as we knew they would vandalize our rig. He didn't have to say that.

S.S, Yeti and Finegrain have a great understanding of what i have been trying to say. Just because i feel compelled to do something does not mean that i will be confrontational about it.BUT, I will do something. If someone won't be reasoned with, then i observe and report. If Someone is threatening me, then maybe that should be added to the charges.But the point that i am trying to make, is that as a sportsman, We are the true environmentalists for the resources, and if we do not do what we can to protect and help this resource flourish, then what are we doing out there on the water?
In one of my last comments i said that i would use my greatest weapon against poachers, and that is my mind. Most people want to do things right, and being informed of the transgression will be appretiative of the information. However, if they are there to break the law, then there may be a cavalier attitude, then i would have to deal with that accordingly.BUT, something can be done.I think that more of us here are on the same wavelength than at first we thought...

First off I know which creek FUN5 is talking about and people are starting to get brave and fish it.

But sometimes you have to say something to the people just watch what their mannerisms are at that time.

Poaching is getting just to out of hand and with a shortened staff at the WDFW citizens need to start helping out more.