A scolding beyond the 40 fathom line.

Hook'd · 07-16-2001, 09:37 PM

Let me tell you a story...
On Saturday three of us were fishing out of Tillamook Bay for salmon and having a good
time. We had run into fish 240 - 260 feet of water west of Twin Rocks and the three of us had five fish in the boat. Were looking for that elusive last fish when to the south we noticed a boat heading our direction. When they got close to us we realized that the boat had two State Police officers and one from the Coast Guard aboard. They were very polite and courteous but they took exception with some of the things were doing.

1. With five fish in the boat for the 3 of us, we should have only had one rod out. Instead we were fishing all 3 rods.
2. With five fish on board there should have been 5 fish tagged and we had not tagged
any of the fish. We usually wait until we're ready to head in and then tag up.

There is no question in my mind that we were way in the wrong so we rolled over and
were as polite as we could be. We discussed some of the above with them but never
argued. We listened intently as we were lectured on the finer points of the law. They advised us that the fine for each of the above was $75 for each violation/person. They told us not to do this anymore. They then headed to the west... no fines, no tickets, no
written warnings, just a stern tongue lashing. Whew!!! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] That was close.

After taking a deep breath we tagged our fish, put one rod back in the water, and went on with our day. We did ask ourselves, "Why didn't we get written up?" I know some, if not all, the charters used to leave all the rods out until the boat was limited. I haven't been on a charter in the last 10 years so don't know what the practice is now. I also have yet to see another boat with 3 or 4 people fishing and only one rod out, so my questions to the rest of this board is:

What do the rest of you do?
1. Do you pull a rod in once you have caught your limit or do you leave it out to try and help your buddy catch his limit?
2. When you are fishing on the ocean or the hot bite at buoy 10 do you always take the
time to tag your fish before you get your rod back in the water?

I know after our one-sided discussion with some very courteous and polite officers I am
changing some of my practices. Hook'd

Pirate · 07-16-2001, 10:39 PM

Hook
I got tagged for $75 for not having my tag filled.....no negotiation, but as a rule we will fill them after getting lines back in the water. We leave all rods in the water till we get a limit. Which hasn't been a problem in recent years, because we never get close to a limit!! [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Like you said the charters and guides don't pull rods.

bait boy · 07-16-2001, 11:01 PM

Well I have to agree after looking at the regs I am pretty sure they were exactly right. Fish must be tagged immediately after retention and before fishing again. I can't find where it said the other rods can't be in the water.

In Washington this year they changed the rules to allow sport fishers to keep fishing until the limit was attained for the boat.

birdhunter · 07-16-2001, 11:13 PM

Ha! That is great! I was in a hogline last summer fishing at the mouth of the Kalama next to a boat-load of vacationing state cops. I caught my two fish and put my rod away as we were trying to be extra legal w/ them around. About 5 minutes later one of them asks why we put away the rod. I tell him its because I got my limit already and am done fishing. He smiles and laughs and says as long as we don't have the boats limit to keep that other rod out there. I readily comply and within another ten minutes hook another upriver bright, which my buddy reels in. So I dunno what the moral is, but they seem to be pretty leniant on the whole # of rods thing. Glad to hear you got out of that one okay!

Capin' Dan · 07-16-2001, 11:16 PM

I don't know about the rest of you guys but I have caught, Ling cod, halibut, and various other species of fish while trolling for salmon. I can't see where they can get you because you are fishing for other species of fish after you have your salmon. The tagging part is right. Mine gets tagged as soon as I get them from now on. I had a real close call this year already about tagged fish and it scaird me a little.

Dan! [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

fishinfool · 07-17-2001, 06:08 AM

Well I have to agree with most people on this board as I do tag my fish as soon as they are on the boat. I have never been caught by police but that is the way I have always been taught. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] As far as pulling a pole after a limit can't say I have ever done that as we have always fished all poles until all limits are on board. Well that is my take. Have fun fishin out there. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

CATCH AND EAT · 07-17-2001, 06:42 AM

Biggest chinook I have ever caught was in Tillamook Bay on Labor Day 4 years ago. A beautiful 38lb buck in the Coast Guard Hole near the peir. Got him in the boat after 20 minutes of fun and excitement! Quickly rebaited and turned around to go back through that same hole. Let out my line and put the rod in the holder. Proceeded to take out my license to record my fish when up pulls the sherif and cadet Barry (a cute little hussie with an ax to grind). The big boss said that since I had both rods in the water we broke the law. You should record your fish immediatly after retention of the fish. Well I did not know that and I said We never did that with guides and Charters. He then asked me to name the guides and charters that did this. Nothing doin I said. Then I ask what the Cadet was doing. Ticket said the sherif. How about just a warning? Cadet then hands over a ticket for a "wildlife infraction" non-copable offence. $300.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well I quickly threw any seaweed onto the sherif boat that I had and shoved his boat away. That was an expensive lesson.

In the ocean however, it is to dangerous to just stop everthing to record the catch. I for one believe that as long as the catch is recorded before reaching the dock it should be cool. Yet, this really opens the door for poachers that sneak off the banks without recording. I have seen too much of that.

As far as leaving all rods out. I do. Don't see anything wrong with it. At least I'm not dragging 12 miles of net behind me ****** the entire ocean.

Gone Fishin · 07-17-2001, 06:54 AM

I guess I'm on the minority here, but I follow the letter of the law. When a fish is caught, that rod doesn't go back in the water until the fish has been recorded on the tag. Also we always pull a rod after a limit has been reached.

I know there are a lot of guides that don't. but I do.

A violation in the rules could cost me my guides liscense for up to two years, I enjoy doing what I do and the risk is just not worth it.

I'll play by the rules. I might not always agree with them, but I will follow them.

Beer Waggin · 07-17-2001, 07:00 AM

Last year while fishing out of Hammond, I had forgotten or lost the pen that was in my boat, so I had no way of tagging our fish. When we got back to the dock, I jumped out and backed the truck down and grabbed a pen while the old man spun circles at the end of the dock. I ran down and jumped back in the boat and proceeded to tag all of the fish that were in the box. (There weren't any boats around so I wasn't holding up the ramp) As I proceeded up the ramp with the boat, the local sheriff was standing there watching the whole thing. He says "You weren't out there tagging fish were you?" The guys got me by the ba!!s, so I tell him how I couldn't find my pen. He says, "Hey, I've been there." Maybe he was just in a good mood, or possibly he just understands the stuff happens. Either way, I was greatful.

DK · 07-17-2001, 07:20 AM

bird hunter, the boat limit in washington is for salt water only,

Bait O' Eggs · 07-17-2001, 08:11 AM

Geeez, Marty so much for inviting you on a silver fishing trip. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

After you caught your fish, you wouldnt leave your pole in the water to help a poor unlucky non pro guide fisherman fill his tag. I would tag it as soon as I landed it.... honestly.

I bet you were a hall monitor is High School werent you? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

ampersat · 07-17-2001, 08:20 AM

as far as i know, in oregon the rule has always been tag 'em before you get back to fishing. they were handing out tickets like mad on the clack at the bowling alley drift last year when the coho were in so thick they were 'stacking them like cord wood' on the bank. is it really worth a $300 ticket?

birdhunter · 07-17-2001, 09:40 AM

Thanks DK, but we were in the Columbia at the time and they were OSP. Should have made that clearer.

WaterDog · 07-17-2001, 10:42 AM

Marty, Don't listen to Bait, your a stand up guy. Maybe one of these day I might just book a trip with you for some winter steelhead.

Doesnt anyone read the regs or have them handy? [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] Page 11, General Restrictions, #4 and #14. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

4Salt · 07-17-2001, 12:46 PM

I wish Washington spent too much money on enforcement! [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] The amount of blatent violations I see every year, on rivers, and in Puget sound, really makes me wonder sometimes if there is any enforcement at all. My way of thinking about it is this: If you aren't breaking the law, you've got nothing to worry about, except maybe a little longer day. Hell, I would welcome being checked 3 times in one day up here, just to know that all of the poaching, snagging, keeping more than their limit, not punching their card scum aren't getting away with it. Intent is what makes a true lawbreaker, IMHO.

Eric · 07-17-2001, 01:24 PM

This very issue was addressed up here in Washington regarding rods in the water until all limits are retained.

Our wildlife commission, in a rare good move, realized it was a somewhat stupid rule since the charters regularly kept rods out until all limits were done and the old law was not being enforced. So they changed it to read that rods may be left out until the boat's limit is done.

I suggest you lobby your wildlife commission to do the same.

A fisherman should punch his fish right away though.

Amerman · 07-17-2001, 02:11 PM

Marty
I agree with all the things you said. It is the law that the fish must be tagged before you are allowed to fish again and you must put your rod away after tagging your second fish. For a couple of years this was only a law in the Tillamook county area since they wanted to keep it open to the charter boats and the ocean fisherman. This last year they changed the regs so now it is state wide throughout Oregon and is for all species. Including ocean Salmon fishing. I know one of the charter boats was ticketed for this out of Depoe bay. They captain and crew got ticketed for not tagging the fish immediately and for leaving the rods out until the boat is limited.
It is the law and I know it is frustrating when you see so few people follow it. I often felt like I was the only guide that followed the laws so close. So all I can say is you have heard the stories and the laws are there so break them at your own risk. But for me like Marty said the risk is just two high with the two year lose of a guides license.

O'City Fisherman · 07-17-2001, 02:35 PM

I can understand the people who guide for a living going with the law because this is there livelyhood.
It comes down to if you can afford the ticket then take the chance, if you can not afford the ticket then why take the chance. It will take less than 5 min. after landing a fish to tag it and then get you line back in the water...... [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Steve · 07-17-2001, 07:03 PM

First you've got to understand a few things on the south coast about police down here...having lived and worked in Clackamas County for 48 years I thought all police worked the same.NOT!..LOL...Newport, just south of Depoe Bay is the center of POLICE STATE in Oregon, 3 agencies are in Newport, Newport City Police, Lincoln County Sheriffs' Office, and Oregon State Police, they all are vying for your hard earned wages, micro managed beyond belief. Earn your keep...somebody has got to be doing somethng wrong...I have been stopped, tailed, had patrol cars turn on thier lights and race up behind, to see if I would rabbit, then shut off their lights after passing. I was told by a uniform that anyone out on the road after midnight is suspect for drunk driving, and subject to a stop. The coast is a training ground for new rookies, to get their feet wet. Don't expect much slack when dealing with them...by the way Lincoln and Lane counties bust an average of 6 meth labs a week...according to the News-Times.

Twoshottom · 07-17-2001, 07:40 PM

In the last 10 plus years that I've been a faily active fisherman, I've been checked 2 times by enforcement (not counting boat checks for life vest, fire ext. etc). I would like to see Washington step up their patrols and enforcement. I have always followed the rules and expect that everyone else should also have to follow the rules. Like others have said, if your not breaking the law you don't have anything to worry about. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Tinman · 07-17-2001, 11:25 PM

Oregon spends way too much money enforcing fishing regulations. Last year, I got checked THREE times on the way into Depoe Bay. A police (sheriff?) boat stopped me at the buoy, then Fish and Wildlife was at the dock, and another cop stopped me in the parking lot.

A few weeks back, I got stopped twice at Depoe Bay. With the Oregon state budget in the shape it is, why are they spending so much on fishing enforcement? It gets oppressive after a while, especially since we need more troopers and police on the streets. I follow the regulations to the letter, but getting stopped multiple times per trip is too much.

DK · 07-17-2001, 11:42 PM

thers never enough enforcement granted 3 times that close together is a bit much, letting the public know there out there, just look at the impact its had on you

Roeboat · 07-18-2001, 12:31 PM

I live in WA and have been checked many, many a time. I have been ticketed for failure to record a steelhead though I had not returned to fishing yet. I had just landed it, and cut the gills to bleed it. I then went to record it as the officer pulled up in his sled and informed me that I couldn't record a fish when I saw the warden coming. I fought the ticket and won. But the letter of the law is to record immediately and they mean before you do anything else what-so-ever. I have been stopped on the Cowlitz in my driftboat some years on every single trip. At Westport I have been stopped every time this year. I really haven't encountered this lack of law officials in WA. I have seen many tickets for the "immediately accessable" lifejackets also. If a life jacket is tied down or in a compartment it is not considered immediately accessable. If people in my boats choose not to wear a life jacket, then they get to sit on one. There a few more remote places where there are less officials, but they seem to know where the fish and the crowds are.

Keep those barbs pinched or be pinched.