2 poachers on Pickering Creek .....

S

springer1

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Each with 5 on stringers .... I was by myself so I couldn't even make too much of a fuss. Of course they said they "didn't know".

Back at my truck I saw the nearest sign did have new growth vine leaves covering it, but even so I gotta admit that the bold print "delayed harvest" really doesn't explain awhole lot.

Considering that most people will not read the finer print, maybe the signs need to say "No killing or possession of Trout permitted" and have the exception dates in the fine print.

Really, ask a person not aware what "delayed harvest" means and you'll probably get a "huh?". Maybe a revisions to the signs to put the main point in bold print may be a good idea .... considering that most people will not read the finer print and changing human nature isn't an option.
 
Really, ask a person not aware what "delayed harvest" means and you'll probably get a "huh?".
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This has been my experience also. Most all people know. They have either lived here long enough, saw the sign and ignored it, claim not to know english, run, get mad or give you a puzzled look.The ones that give you a sincere puzzled look honestly didn't know.

I had an entire family jump out of a van at the ditch with barbie rods and bobbers. I stopped them fast and told them the regulations and where they could legally fish Big Spring. They thanked me and left with their Wisconsin plates.
 
Regulations do no good if no one enforces them or follows them. And quite honestly I'm willing to bet the 2 that had the stringers wouldn't have cared too much if there were regulations or not. Hate to say it but thats the truth!
 
Thats the other problem.

No one enforcing the regs and even when they do, the penalties are fairly light.
 
They've either raised, or are in the process of raising the penalties finally.
From what I could tell it is primarily aimed at people making financial gain believe it or not (restaurants whatever) but will also have an effect on more petty poachers as well.
I believe the article used gaffing and nets on the Erie tributaries as a driving force.
Ofcourse that still doesnt help the "no one to enforce the regs" problem we have on the more average waterways.
 
This whole thing really chaps my ***. I have to ask, what makes some one want a trout so bad that they have to illegally take it? I mean really. At our local DHALO last weekend we cleaned up worm cans and packs of hooks. And to top it all off it seems that the powers that be always roll by when we are there with fly rods and ask how we are doing, but it seems that whenever the guys with bait are there, they are nowhere to be seems.

And a whole other thing... why do bait fisherman always seem to leave their trash everywhere they go?
 
gibs....one of lifes unanswerable questions....go to any spot that is frequented by bait fishermen and it is a mess...it is just like the person that throws a mcd's bag out a car window. Laziness and a lack of caring about their surroundings.

If you want trout to keep, why not go to the hundreds of streams and lakes that don't have any special regulations. They are everywhere..I don't know why these types of streams get targeted. Unless that is just all you hear about.
 
I have to figure it's part ignorance of the regulations and part not caring.
Also, there ARE a lot of people that are REALLY hungry, right now. If they know of a little used spot with edible trout, that could be very tempting to feed a family.
 
Should have called it in. The local commish is usually quick to respond. I know I saw something similar and they were there in about 15 minutes. No knowing is not an excuse.
 
I mean really. At our local DHALO last weekend we cleaned up worm cans and packs of hooks.
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I hear ya.

But, I think the point I was trying to make was missed by everyone ( or I didn't convey it right).

I was trying to suggest that the signage can be improved.

We know what "delayed harvest" means, but I bet most people don't, and it's human nature to not read the fine print.

I suggesting that the bold print on the DALO signs be changed to read something more to the point. I just don't think that "Delayed Harvest" is a meaningful term to many people.
 
KeithS wrote:
I have to figure it's part ignorance of the regulations and part not caring.
Also, there ARE a lot of people that are REALLY hungry, right now. If they know of a little used spot with edible trout, that could be very tempting to feed a family.
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And with gas prices topping $4.00 a gallon, I would think that someone who's starving could do a whole lot better shopping for food at Wally World. I think the poachers know what they're doing and have no respect for the regs. Unless of course they can't read English.
 
So what you do is you ask them if you can take a picture with them holding up their fish and then get a pic of their license or license place.
 
I wasn't offering an excuse, but I've seen some people do things WAY out of character in the last two years.
 
I fish Pickering on regular basis and I always find worm containers and even a 1/2 empty can of corn. All of the open water in this area and they have to poach the Delayed Harvest. This makes my blood boil. Does anyone have the phone # for the local Fish Commision Officer for this area ?
 
Wharfrat wrote:
I fish Pickering on regular basis and I always find worm containers and even a 1/2 empty can of corn. All of the open water in this area and they have to poach the Delayed Harvest. This makes my blood boil. Does anyone have the phone # for the local Fish Commision Officer for this area ?
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Here is a link with the WCOs phone # to contact:

http://www.valleyforgetu.org/resources/


The WCO in Chester County is Bob Bonney . Bob does a GREAT job!...but he has a lot of territory to cover as most WCOs do in PA.

If he catches up with them, he'll take them dead or alive (and I'm not talking about the fish:-o....:lol:).

Report all violations and give the WCO a chance to enforce the law. Get all the info you can, exact location, description of the violators, vehicle and license #. If they aren't caught that day, the WCO will be on the alert in the future.
 
Yep. Call the PFBC.

Alerting the interwebs has not been shown to be effective.
 
Well here is another poaching incident. I have only fished the White Clay a very few times, so I don’t know much about it. On Sunday afternoon my GF was visiting family in Newark so I had her drop me off at parking lot 2. Where I entered the water it was posted as ATW, no one around at all, cool I thought until I was low holed and then high holed within 20 minutes. I realize that comes with the territory around SEPA; but what happened next at first seemed odd; until I left the water and saw I had moved upstream to a Delayed Harvest section.

The high holer had apparently had been working downstream into a pool less than 50 yards away and I was working my way up to that pool. He came tromping into position and on the first cast his spinner hooked a trout. As I watched him a bit, he kept looking at me like he was nervous that I was watching him land the fish. Then as I encroached on the pool somewhat indicating I was working upstream, I saw his stringer that appeared to have a limit. He then decided to quickly leave the pool while he kept looking back at me; it was like he thought I was gonna say something to him. At the time I did not know I had moved into a Delayed Harvest section or I would have said something.

As I walked back to the car I had this pissed off attitude about what I had just witnessed, kinda ruined a pleasant afternoon; even tho I only caught suckers out of that pool after the poacher left.


IMGP2106.jpg


High Holer arrives

IMGP2107.jpg



High Holer Poacher picking up his stringer
 
Several of the new smart phones shoot in incredible detail. (not this one)

I don't know if the PA Fish Commission would consider it evidence, but it sure would ID the offender. I'm thinking a stringer of fish with an easily ID'd background would be a great starting point. Let the courts figure it out.


 
Dotman: The high-holer appears to be standing at the junction of the west branch and the mainstem of the WCCr. The west br., on the left in the pic, is the delayed harvest water, whereas the mainstem (aka middle branch) is ATW. Whether or not he was poaching depends upon one's interpretation of the downstream limit of the west branch. If the wb ends at the sand bar he is standing upon, then yes he is poaching the wb special regs area. But if the wb begins at the base of the large maple tree to the left of the photo, then he is fishing legally in the ATW.

In any case, I wasn't acting suspiciously; rather I was in a hurry to get home and feed the cats.
 
i was on the dhalo section of the quitte a few weeks ago.
saw some one that appeared to using a worm. i milled a round a bit to be sure of what i thought i saw. i wasn't sure if it was real or rubber, but said something anyway. in return i got a "it's rubber", i mentioned that you can't used molded imitations "where does it say that?"
i ended up not pressing the issue much more.....his buddies started joining in and i was alone. i moved down stream to continue fishing, they left shortly after.
frustrated, i quit fishing and just took the rod for a walk through the park, knowing the signs clearly mention what i said....to my dismay they in fact do not clearly mention it. the new signs are very brief and not clear at all......where as i found a few older signs that very clearly mention the use of molded facsimilings of bugs, fish, worms, ect and other invertebrates is prohibited. after returning home i referred to the hand book, which reads almost word for word as the new signs...the fish and boat website did not help me.




• Fishing may be done with artificial lures only
constructed of metal, plastic, rubber or wood, or
with flies and streamers constructed of natural or
synthetic materials. All such lures may be used
with spinning or fly fishing gear.
• The use or possession of any natural bait,
baitfish, fishbait, bait paste and similar substances,
fish eggs (natural or molded) or any other edible,
substance is prohibited.
 
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