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Author	Topic: Harvest Fishing

Bear	Posted: 10/29/2011 10:16:58 PM Reply Hi all I was at Rice lake for a few hours today. On my walk in to the lake I passed a group of three elderly people on there way out.I asked them how the fishing was and in broken english they said it was very good and held out their bags so I could see their catch. Each bag had at least 6 fish in them. I asked them if they knew there was a catch limit and they quickly averted there eyes and hurried off without saying another word.I checked my cell phone to call fisheries but I didn't have any reception up there.At the lake I came across another group of people fishing. Beside them on the ground was what I thought was their catch for the day so far. There was four people fishing and at least 10 fish laying there. I was looking around for a place to fish and as I walked behind this group I saw three big plastic shopping bags tucked back in the bushes behind them and they were full of fish.This group seemed to have the magic touch with one of them landing a fish every 5 - 10 minutes.I refrained from saying anything as this particular group had angerly told me where to go in the past when i politely tried to inform them of the regulations and I knew they could care less about the rules and regulations.All they cared about was themselves and harvesting as many trout as they could.It makes me mad and sickens me that there are so many people out there who only think of themselves.I moved away from them and tried to see if anyone else had a working cell phone to try to call fisheries.One fellow I talked to about this group of poachers told me he sees them there almost everyday takeing as many fish as they can. He tried to tell them they were breaking the law and one of the men threatened him.He called the fisheries earlier and only got voice mail.I ended up fishing beside a fellow who caught and kept 6 fish while I was there. I asked him if he knew there was a catch quota. Once again I got told to mind my own business. When i said it was my business as I pay for a licence and support sport fishing in BC I got told to "F" off.I decide it was time to leave. Why is it when the salmon are running the fisheries show up at every river and check licences and quotas, but when they stock a lake there is never any fisheries officers checking for licences or quotas? And why do the phone calls to report these poachers only go to voice mail? What good does voice mail do. The poachers are long gone by the time fisheries shows up.I guess sport fishing is just a joke to these people and to the fisheries.We pay for licences for the stocking of lakes and they Harvest them for themselves for free. I've had better days on the lake Bear
G.A.	Posted: 10/30/2011 9:49:50 AM Reply its not to hard to report them as there is a booth right at the parkin lot that can take reports for this type of stuff. ive been checked out by them in past. and staff are in there most days all day
Bear	Posted: 10/30/2011 12:39:50 PM Reply I've walked past the Ranger post hundreds of times. Never once did anyone ask to see a licence or stopped me to see how many fish I caught.Nor have I seen them stop anyone else. Only once I overheard a Park ranger ( or whatever their called ) say that the stocking of Rice lake and all things releated to the lake fishing was the responsibility of the Fisheries. I'm paraphrasing here as it was a long time ago.The ranger was responding to a question as too when the next lake stocking was scheduled for from a guy walking in front of me.I assumed they , the Parks people , had noithing to do with licences or catch quotas and as most people that fish Rice have to walk past the Ranger post , if they were check people for fishing regulation compliance I'd have seen or heard of people being stopped and or fined for exceeding the catch limits. This is not the first time I've tried to call fisheries only to just get a ringing phone line or a voice mail that was never returned.It just seems that lake fishing is not a priority for fisheries and they turn a blind eye to all the illegal activities unless they have nothing better to do and someone calls at the right time to get a response. As I've posted before, I've only been checked for a licence twice in my 25 + years of fishing lakes. But hit a river and the DFO are standing right there checking everyone that come and goes or their hiding in a bush watching for poachers. Bear
G.A.	Posted: 10/30/2011 9:23:16 PM Reply i know that isnt a dfo office but it is forestry and im sure if anyone walked in and said what you posted here they wouldnt just tell you to go away its not thier problem. iu doubt if they aproached these fish thieves they would get told to beat it either. calling dfo is a waste of time when they have a small handfull to patrol the whole lower mainland, so even if someone did get to talk to a human they wouldnt bother going as they thieves would be long gone by then and they know it. and most times they want the witness to go to court and most wont. we just seem to like to stamp our feet and make noise but wont step up and make an effort to stop this crap. maybe i need to start fishing there again. id love some little import to tell me to beat it....lol its a shame all these see this as they say almost daily and dont do anything about it but grumble under their breath to each other on the dock.

Fishing forum > Harvest Fishing

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