Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[rides bike to work]

I was fishing one of my favorite spots with another gentleman who was there before me he had a fish on shore but I didnt look to closely at it as we fished I realized he must be a beginer ,thought pinks were coho and chum were springs and when he did land I coho I pointed out it was wild and should be released.This seemed to be news to him but he released it and seemed to appreciate the tips then I took a closer look at the fish he had on shore andit was a wild coho,I notified him that it was a wild and he isnt supposed to keep  those but mentioned to waste the meat is a bigger shame  he got a little worried and put the fish in a different spot away from him.at the end of the evening he took his 2 other hatchery coho and left the wild behind.I was torn what should I do there was perfectly good meat and the chances of getting caught are .0000000001 percent.

What would you do?

[Stratocaster]

If I am interpreting your question correctly, you are asking whether or not you should let the dead wild coho go to waste on the shore?  My suggestion that in that situation, leave it alone or place it in the river as it will provide nutrients to the other aquatic life in the water.  Under no circumstances should you consider taking it home with you. 

[hue-nut]

don't touch that fish!!!!! I would not want to try explaining that story to a C/O

[HOOK]

just light a fire and eat it   HA HA HA but seriously if you were caught with that fish then it would be your fine and not the person that had actually killed it. Im really starting to get sick over how many wild fish are being killed this year   or ones that are dragged way up on shore only to be molested for a picture and then just put back in the water without being revived properly  

Why cant people be bothered to learn how to identify their fish before they go fishing ??

[mr.p]

You should have called RAPP immediately.  Furthermore you should have told that "gentleman" that he shouldn't be on the river if he can't identify fish.  There is no excuse for killing any fish contrary to the regulations.

[Fish Assassin]

I guess the fact that he released the wild coho when you told him that it was illegal would seem to indicate he was not aware of the regulation. That being said, it's still not an excuse. I would give the guy a break.

[bbronswyk2000]

I guess the fact that he released the wild coho when you told him that it was illegal would seem to indicate he was not aware of the regulation. That being said, it's still not an excuse. I would give the guy a break.

I agree totally.

Look most of us here are all very avid fishermen/women who can identify a fish in the dark. Most people are not like us. They fish occasionally and not every weekend or everyday if your retired The guy seemed like a guy who was willing to learn not one of those guys who is dropping F-Bombs and telling you to mind your own business.

[purplehelmet]

Also, they have to make the regs more simple to understand for the average person.  For crying out loud, you have to go to the Freshwater Synopsis front page for your region, then find your river for additional regs, then to the salmon supplement, assume it's zero retention unless otherwise stated, then to updates...  You get the idea.  I work for Transit--fishing regs are almost as confusing as the fare structure.  I'm born & bred here & love BC, but our bureaucracies need some common sense. 

[Bassonator]

Also, they have to make the regs more simple to understand for the average person.  For crying out loud, you have to go to the Freshwater Synopsis front page for your region, then find your river for additional regs, then to the salmon supplement, assume it's zero retention unless otherwise stated, then to updates...  You get the idea.  I work for Transit--fishing regs are almost as confusing as the fare structure.  I'm born & bred here & love BC, but our bureaucracies need some common sense. 

Well said...Its pretty bad when Joe Average has to go over regs 3 or 4 times to figure out what it actually means...

[scouterjames]

Well said...Its pretty bad when Joe Average has to go over regs 3 or 4 times to figure out what it actually means...

I WISH I could figure them out after only 3 or 4 readings!!!! 

[adriaticum]

The other day I found a dead wild coho floating down stream and I pulled it out of water.
It looked pretty fresh, must have been killed that morning.
I looked at it and saw that it was wild.
Then I threw it back realizing I wouldn't be able to explain to the COs how I came into possession of a wild fish.
I phoned the RAPP line and chatted briefly with them.
There were 2 guys who saw me pulling the dead fish out of water and they could have corroborated my story.
But I threw the fish back anyway.

[Tex]

I'm with Bobo - the guy seemed to be listening... Leave RAPP for the a-holes who ignore you or are blatantly ignoring the rules.

With someone like this, IMO, you're better off trying to help someone like that out and politely but firmly explaining that you are helping them, but a CO would not accept ignorance as an excuse. 

Help them learn how to identify... it's what my fiance, an elementary school teacher, would call a "teachable moment".

Capitalize on it.


Tex

[Tex]

Then I threw it back realizing I wouldn't be able to explain to the COs how I came into possession of a wild fish.

Even if a CO had've been there to see you pull the coho out of the water, you STILL wouldn't have been allowed to keep it, so it doesn't matter how many fellow anglers could've "collaborated your story".  Good on you for throwing it back in (it's remains will help fertilize the river).


Tex

[silverslab]

I think before you are issued a license you should be tested,  not a big complicated one but just a simple one,,, identify a couple of species of fish, demonstrated the ability to find, read and interput the regs and then have a smal section on the liens that explains that the rulles for fishing in BC are constantly changing and it is the liense ho;lders resposibility to know the regs for where he is fishing.  Then we simply have a zero tolerance on the river,  ignorance should never be an acceptable excuse and I definatley would have phoned the rapp line

[Whitedevil]

That is a good lesson and for sure that he will not keep the wild coho anymore;  one dead but can save lots of the others for rest of the year...why not!  Just leave it on the ground and let the bird finish it...By the way, did you take that coho home?