wildtrout2
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That was rather blatant of them. Takes all kinds...
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moodyblues
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Was at Hay Creek this past Sunday for a walk and had to tell a couple jokers that the creek is presently closed to fishing. This in spite of at least 6 or 7 signs, that they had to walk by in order to fish, stating as such. They acted like they didn't hear me at first and really didn't say anything when they were told. I suppose they may have been deaf, dumb, and blind, as well as stupid. The lady that was with them was willing to listen at least, although her response was, "There were other people fishing when we got here." Joke was on them because it is scheduled to be stocked tomorrow. I will assist them since I need to get better acquainted, in a good way, with the local WCO.
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moodyblues
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Exactly why I am opposed to ANY adult fishing on that day. As I stated previously, if the kids ain't fishing, you ain't fishing!
6xAdams(Jones)
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I recall the stipulation that allowed an adult to cast and immediately hand the rod to the child... equating the act of setting the hook with the act of fishing. Easy to say... nearly impossible to enforce.
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moodyblues
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I'm OK with that. I'm referring to the adults who are actively fishing themselves.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
That's almost like getting caught shoplifting and telling security, " there were other people shoplifting when we got here".
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Mike
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Take a slight, very slight, amount of solace in knowing that your comment was part of the original concept for the program.
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Nympho
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Its that wonderful time of year again when grown men fight over stocked 10 inch trout missing half their fins and fight like wet rags.
Bamboozle
Well-known member
That's exactly why I never bother intervening, people know but they just don't give a $#!+ or figure they will WON'T get caught or ratted out.
Besides, HAY Creek has wild trout too so it isn't just about ignoring the rules and catching stockers, it's the general disregard for regulations in general which seems to be way more prevalent since COVID.
As for me, I watch, I observe and I call 717-626-0228 (Southeast Regional Law Enforcement) and rat them out and let the WCO decide how to proceed because I will always be of the opinion a fine has more benefit than a warning...
Another advantage is I have been a subscriber to the Angler & Boater (formally the PA Angler) magazine forever and I always hope one of those encounters makes the "Notes From the Streams" section,
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Cznymph
Active member
I wonder how much more patrolling could be done this time of year if WCOs weren’t spending the majority of their hours serving as a crossing guard for people stocking trout?
Based on my experience it also seems the the WCOs are restricted on overtime as well. A field day event that I took my children to, saw the PFBC WCO packing up and leaving partway through the event, citing the lack of overtime approval. There were several other state agencies there, PGC, DCNR and they stayed all day for the entire event.
Based on my experience it also seems the the WCOs are restricted on overtime as well. A field day event that I took my children to, saw the PFBC WCO packing up and leaving partway through the event, citing the lack of overtime approval. There were several other state agencies there, PGC, DCNR and they stayed all day for the entire event.
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moodyblues
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Not me! I used to help stocking here a Berks all of the time until John S. retired. I would help stock and leave to go and fish for wild fish to get away from the clowns. I also had personal phone #s and business cards of the local WCOs and the deputies and would give them a call when necessary. Work intervened and I slowly got away from it due to time constraints.
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steve98
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Im an OLD Timer!
Not gonna ever get my panties in a bunch over someone fishing illegally on a stocked stream or any other for that matter. Unless they are polluting or trashing!! But then I would to someone who WAS fishing legally>
Not gonna ever get my panties in a bunch over someone fishing illegally on a stocked stream or any other for that matter. Unless they are polluting or trashing!! But then I would to someone who WAS fishing legally>
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moodyblues
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100 percent agree but can someone be reached at that phone # on a Sunday.That's exactly why I never bother intervening, people know but they just don't give a $#!+ or figure they will WON'T get caught or ratted out.
Besides, HAY Creek has wild trout too so it isn't just about ignoring the rules and catching stockers, it's the general disregard for regulations in general which seems to be way more prevalent since COVID.
As for me, I watch, I observe and I call 717-626-0228 (Southeast Regional Law Enforcement) and rat them out and let the WCO decide how to proceed because I will always be of the opinion a fine has more benefit than a warning...
Another advantage is I have been a subscriber to the Angler & Boater (formally the PA Angler) magazine forever and I always hope one of those encounters makes the "Notes From the Streams" section,
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moodyblues
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So what happened to change the original concept is the question.
Bamboozle
Well-known member
I was told it's an option and I did it on one occasion (and it worked in Northampton County) but unless something has changed you CAN call 911.
They are supposed to have all of the contact info for the emergency and LE personnel which should include the local WCO. The individual WCO phone numbers are out there but IF a WCO is transferred to another region you would be calling the wrong guy.
At one time I had a really good relationship with my local WCO but he's been promoted a bunch of times and no longer a just a regional WCO.
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Mike
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There were just differences in philosophies.
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Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
Hay is stocked AND Class A wild brown trout, just to complicate things even more....
Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
On a positive note, a family friend who has fished most of his life is enthusiastically jumping into fly fishing at 21 years old. He caught his first trout on a fly on the Ridley FFO this month. I think that's what it's for, yeah?
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Another thing to be considered when people say "call the WCO", is that often, by the time a WCO is able to get to a given stream, the culprits are gone by then. So, they feel their time has been wasted. I imagine that gets frustrating after a while. They can't be everywhere.
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Mike
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That’s not hard to ballpark estimate.. Just check the daily stocking schedule for a given district and then tack on some more days because many streams get double coverage with one WCO at one end of the stopped vehicles and another at the other end. Then you can add some more days for covering the stockings in districts where there are present vacancies. Then subtract some man-hours for stockings that don’t take all day.
As for restricted OT, my personal philosophy would be that I would rather see WCO’s collect OT investigating pollution events than doing so flying the flag at field days. Furthermore, fiscal conditions and sources of funds differ from agency to agency, so a comparison among agencies’ OT usages doesn’t really tell the full story.
