I've been on the phone back and forth with Officer Addicted this morning...seems he has found himself embroiled in the apprehension of wild steelhead poacher on the beach this morning...I'm sure he'll fill us all in on the details when he is back at the ranch.

Fish on...

Todd

Funny thing about Rico, he's so cool about whatever he does that the perp will call him and thank him for "setting him right" when it's all over.

Me on the other hand...I'd just get my ass kicked and my house burned down.

Todd, Did you catch that fish in your aviator or is it someone elses?
Can't tell with out a face. You know how some people are.

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/412766#Post412766

Fish on...

Todd

Todd, You know what I was getting at with the "is it your fish" comment?

Yeah...that's why I attached the link where I was making that joke, too...

Fish on...

Todd

Nice chrome who ever it is.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

That's some funny Shu% right there, and it's the truth. He could sell snow to a ski resort.

"Hey Cuz you know you shouldn't be a doin that right?"
"Wanna go catch some the right way?"

Rico does have a boiling point threshold. Remember the guy staring at him at the eatery Sol.

I've seen it many times, heard of it being bragged about from this individual. If I get a native on the beach, I keep it , screw them,is the mentality. For some reason it pissed me off.

A beach bonked native just because you are local is still a bad deal. The other thing that bugged me is this person getting help from a couple other in the concealation of the fish in a bag that looked to be either grain/grass/ or a fertalizer bag. It just bugged me enough, so I called a steelhead guru to get the poacher hotline. Amazing how fast it worked. Within 10 minutes I had my first call back asking more details from an officer. Soon he was there, "in contact". He was there a long time. (Approx. 2hrs.) Not sure of the details of what all happened after that, who got taken away, what tickets were written or what. Cuz I went to the recycling center for a bit, but then returned later. They've got all my info, and said they'd call back. They really seemed to respond quickly and seemed it was very important. I think the game enforcement has been doing a very good job this year, with presence, and actaul enforcement.

I felt kinda bad calling it in, didn't want certain other people to get tickets, but hey, what are ya supposed to do. I've looked away plenty of times. I hate to be a nark, tattle tale, or anything, I'd rather deal with it my self, or honestly look the other way. But it pissed me off for a moment for some reason. I know the guy, and the others who helped him. He has been known to read these pages, but is not a member. I'm sure they will be happy with me on the beach. Oh well. Still feel a little bad about some of the others on the beach, as fishing is supposed to be fun, an enjoyment, a pursuit, a passion, hate to cause unnecessary turmoil.

Don't need to create a post worthy of getting locked, I called the big Bob to make sure it was cool to post about it.

The main thing, I was seriously impressed with the quickness, and concern of the response. Kudos to the people involved in taking the call.

Wish I'd never had to of called it in.

Ya did the right thing .... may fish Karma come your way soon...

Good call Lucky!!

The reality of today's world:

many fisheries suck or are in decline.

many laws exist to try to protect at staus quo or rebuild these fisheries.

ignoring such law does stick it to the other guy, it is your business.

enforcement is spread way too thin as it is.

those of us who give a hoot about our fishing and the fish need to help now and again.

I've always been one to believe that you help those that are ignorant (not an excuse, but realistic) ... and put the screws to those trying to screw you.

To elaborate on that last part ... if I see a dad and a youngster with their trout rods flailing casts 80 degrees up in the air or five feet in front of them with a single egg or powerbait on in a selective section of river ... I'll help them out and explain things. If I see a boat come through and plop that glob of eggs 2" from that lovely looking holding spot in the same section of river, the number is programmed into my phone

I turned in a good friend of mine for taking kings and wild steelhead out of the Dungy. I had told him for a few years to leave those fish alone but to no avail. So after telling him one more time and letting him know that I will turn his ass in, he kept and does keep fishing for these fish. I have been in contact with Fairbanks for check ups but I guess nothing yet. It really does suck having to turn in one of your friends only because they are so hard headed they wont listen to a word you say. You definetly did the right thing, better than your crew giving him a beat down.

Richard, it is what it is...they know the rules, and it's not your fault if they break 'em...and while I think it's responsible stewardship to educate when possible, the time for education is a little too far gone when they're stuffing the fish in a fertilizer sack and hiding it in their truck.

Good fishing karma coming your way.

Fish on...

Todd

Good job, Addicted. I'm sure it was/is an awkward position for you to be in but it is important for all of the respective "locals" to know that the tide has turned and that being a "local" doesn't mean that you get to do whatever you want.

May the next river steelhead you catch be one that would have been retained on the beach if you hadn't done what you did.

cool richard! as far as you know that fish couldda been heading to a little notellum stream, its cool to hear wdfw has there shi't together over that way

Even if there were twice as many enforcement officers in the field, it still wouldn't meet conservation needs without anglers taking some ownership and responsibility for protecting the fisheries. Good job Rico.

Wish I could have made a citizens arrest last year when I watched a native get bonked right in front of me. I would have confiscated the clackacraft they were fishing out of. I still know that boat, just need to know the truck that pulls it. Only thing that happened was a verbal beating, and a call to the game department, who said they would forward the info to the officers.

What? It says right her on page 3 of the 9 page phonebook that "locals may, and can do anything they want as long as they do it good".

localbuoy haha?

Nice work Addicted!
That takes guts to shake things up in your own backyard like that.
Hope it all works out and these guys learn something.
Cheers

Addicted

Thanks.

Wildlife enforcement officer ranks are strecthed pretty thin. There are 31 less officers today than when Game and Fisheries merged. Work is underway to try to get the numbers up, but it will take support from the public to convince legislators to make sure the funding is there. Getting back up to the mid-1990s level is just a start.

Officer time is limited. FLSA rules restrict the total hours worked and overtime is usually not funded. When you look at district sizes and realize that the clock starts when the officer goes out the front door, a 40 hour work week doesn't work well with field patrol. A case, such as this one, probably used up most of the day with travel, investigation, and then related paperwork not to mention the probability of court time in the future.

The plus side is that it was a directed opportunity for a contact with a suspect. The officer was apparently in the area and could get to the scene in time to make the contact before the suspect left. If he had been some distance away, it would have been a more dificult case to make.

When you make a call, it is helpful to provide as much information as possible - who, what, when, where, and how. Pictures help if you have a camera. How much personal involvement is an individual call at the time. Being available as a witness, if needed, is also important.

I take my "Eyes in the woods" class on the 5th of March. Might be a good thing for other folks here to consider. This is a class offered by the WDFW and it teaches you how to be a good witness. The emphasis is not to confront, but to observe.

Super interesting dogfish.... Please report back when you're done, I'd be interested in possibly doing it if your report is good.

Just finished "Freakanomics" (interesting read) and it makes the obvious, but compelling arguement, that crime rates are massively correlated to the numbers of enforcement officers/police. You double that, you dramatically reduce crime rates.

Bushbear, how can we support the efforts here?

IrishRogue

I"ll keep folks advised as the process moves forward. In the interim, a call to your legislators asking them to start thinking about adding more field officers to the WDFW Enforcement section would be a start. Nothing will happen this year, but we're hopeful things can get rolling next year.

That must have been on the front page of the S. Whidbey Tribune today huh Rico?

Local Calls Authorities on Local

Seriously dude, you did the right thing. Has this guy always kept wild steelhead from the beach? Probably. Will he continue to keep wild steelhead from the beach? Probably not.

Kinda shocked that they have that kind of reaction time to the beaches though...pretty impressive. Was that from calling the Poaching Hotline (which is located on the back of our license, btw), or the State Patrol?

Ike

From the poaching hotline Ike.

The officer called me back fast and said he was 10 minutes south of Freeland (Lone Lake?). He wanted all available info. Called back when he was "in contact". I probably shouldn't put all the details on here, but I can assure you he is currently absolutely unable to fish the beach right now. What all transpired in that situation is not of my knowledge.

I'm not currently the favorite person on the beach with a few individuals.

Well looks like there is a new sheriff in town. I tell you what ,it takes balls to make that call. Richard will be on that beach all the time. You can be sure the other local yokel will too. I appreciate your efforts, it will provide an increased awareness for everyone on the Island who fishes the beaches. I have seen my share of BS in my short time up there as well, and did nothing. During pink season last year a couple yokels brought multiple limits of fish to their truck put them in the cooler, returned again and again. I did nothing, that wont be happening again. Thanks for the inspiration. I need to program that hotline on my cell what is the number?

By the way addicted your avatar is disturbing to say the least..

It's all about choices ain't it? To call or not call. To stick your neck out there for a junior deputy badge the price can, and is, high. Not saying it's a bad program, just saying it ain't for everybody. Once your in your in, done. To crap in your back yard is a judgement call I'll choose to skirt. So the perp smacks a native, yah that's a big deal. Now talk to the judge how bigga deal it is, THEY DON'T CARE. Slap on the wrist and a little fine and he's not suppose to hold a fishing rod for a year. You really think that's gonna stop him? He's a frigging poacher! You don't stop poachers and the judicial system still hasn't recognized the true severity of their acts. Some states are getting on board with big fines and incarceration periods, but not yet to the poinst where the risk / reward factor comes into play so as to cause a meaningful deterent. Don't be surprised if someone with their camera trying to play Maxwell Smart ends up with 36 pictures of his own colon, or worse. I've been dealing with a guy involved in the biggest poaching operation in recent history between Alaska and Washington with convictions in I believe 5 other states. And he's out there right now on $16,000 "CASH" Bail. He's a poacher. Dall Sheep, Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, FIsh, Crab, Clams, yada yada. He's a poacher. Two things will happen. He'll either finally pull a stretch with DOC or he'll decide he's getting too old to continue the game. Bottom line is he'll stop on his own, or we'll stop him by not affording him the opportunity during yard period. Do what ya gotta do, it is choices, but I'd advise you to be very careful. You're talking about outlaws that are probably will to do more than you think and are willing to bargain for. Sometimes less is more. Seperate yourself from the activity, make the call and let the folks with the tools take care of it. You did what you felt you were compelled to do.

If those aholes give you too much grief Richard i'm certainly up for a little beach time.

Not sure what you are saying here. Yes there are some risks of retaliation if you know the person or they know you. But if we all choose to turn blind eye then the problem will only get worse. The idea they will stop on thier own is not a good reason not to report a crime, by reporting we up the ante, make it more of a risk and the poacher will either be cited and face the legal system or quit the illegal practice. If we ignore and don't report, then there is no risk to the poacher. I do not think you need to confront the offender, leave that to the guys with the training and authority, but to ignore the problem is not the answer.
Taking heat from the other locals is sad. Too bad they don't have the same point of view that you do, Richard. Imagine if everyone on the beach picked up thier phone and made the same call as you did, do you think this guy would be out there doing the same thing very soon.

Bonking a native steelhead on the beach is not just violating WDFW rules, but is a federal crime...one that potentially could come with jail time, and a $10,000.00 fine...remember, that fish is listed as 'threatened' under the ESA now.

Anyone remember that dude on the Skagit who got busted a couple of years ago with an 40 pound ESA Chinook?

Fish on...

Todd

Good point Todd. While the risk is fairly low, if WDFW/NMFS decide to make an example of someone with a dead ESA steelhead, that someone is gonna' wish he hadn't gone fishing that day. The Skagit chinook example lost his truck, boat, trailer, and fishing gear, plus the fine, which I think was $5,000.

You can either live in fear of bullies, or refuse to let them get to you. Addicted owns it. Nice move, seriously. If you ever need a partner on the beach, let me know.

Damn - Addicted's certainly got the stones to match the tool SOL's so fond of describing.

If the beach gets too hot and a Skagit trip sounds good, shoot me a PM. You've got a reserved seat.

Bravo!

I agree with Dogfish and others. Good work, wildman addicted! Always a pleasure finding guts!

It seems that I run into at least one incident every season where I'm put in a position where I have to make a choice. I have called enforcement, but never prior to confronting the perp. Wise? Probably not, but then I'm the one who has to live with me, and I'm OK with my choices.

This season's boondoggle was a recent happening where I observed a Nate get bonked. I was aways upriver, but knew who I was watching. I'm cutting some of the story out, but I ran into this fella later in the day and said to him, "Let me see your fish." He showed me a fat hen which was obviously a wild fish. I looked him straight in the eye and got up real close and said, "You know that is a wild fish and I know that is a wild fish. So don't F#ck with me on this. You are killing the fish I turn loose and that ain't cool." I then bent over and took a good look at his license plate which he pretended to try to cover up, then he said to me, "I won't do it again." I replied, "That's what I wanted to hear." and the issue is now dead with me.
But he's now on notice and knows it. Again, wise? Shiat, I don't know. I do what I do, and I'm OK with it. One of my co-workers said to me, "You know, some day someone's gonna knock your Dick in the dirt." Could be, but I'll deal with that when it's time. For right now, I know who I am.

Hat's off, Richard!

This is true. PROUD OF MY MAN, though!!!
Just hope my house dosen't "catch on fire" or something over this!

Jerry & Dogfish--thanks for the offer. I think Richard should take you guys up on that soon. He may need a posse to back him up!

Next time when I toss you a vodka bottle, it will be the good stuff.

To be clear. My stance is the poaching is never OK. It's all about how we "choose" to go about confronting an issue/incident to resolution. Government, State, and County organizations have payed for my services since the early 80s to take care of the ilk within their respective jurisdictions. Idiots or my forte

As well intended we think we are at times I can't tell you how many times joe citizen ends up crossing the line and going to jail verse the perp who is just cited and released. So now the perp is still out there with either only a misdemeanor citation and here joe citizen is be booked on felony charges of assault II ....... fill in the blank. Again, I go back to it's choice's. Yeah there are plenty of ways to handle this issue. I'm just saying I'd be very careful. As far as these poachers I stand by they will either choose to get outta the game or they will start doing time due to, and again, fill in the blank..... Confrontation, reporting, yada yada. The checks and balances of choosing to walk up to some stranger on the river for whacking a native is the rule. Hmmm, I wonder I if walk up to that guy and confront him with his activity what's the chances he pull's a gun and shoots me in the face? Hmmmm, I think I'll move up/down river and call Fish n Game. Again, choices we can "live" with? :2cents:

Richard called and let the dept deal with it and said he'd testify. I say way to go Richard
He knows the guy and he lives in a small town. :bigballs:

Sea strike you hit the nail on the head.
Blond bud, Richard has a lot of back up, On the rare occasions I am up, he gets mine. I will be minding the beach in your absence this weekend. Someone post that hotline number in case I need it... I think you scheduled your time away to coincide with my arrival on the island,