Poachers

Cougarbaby

Cougarbaby

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 29, 2024
Messages
842
City
SW Pa
I did my 3 mile walk on Campbell rd tonight down past Deer creeks DHALO area I was looking for lost,dropped left behind flys,tippet,forceps, anything and low and behold there 5 trout heads and gut piles laying streamside, between them and the blue heron I saw tonight that place will be void of fish in a few weeks,they never make it to the day your allowed to harvest the them,
 
Cougarbaby said:
I did my 3 mile walk on Campbell rd tonight down past Deer creeks DHALO area I was looking for lost,dropped left behind flys,tippet,forceps, anything and low and behold there 5 trout heads and gut piles laying streamside, between them and the blue heron I saw tonight that place will be void of fish in a few weeks,they never make it to the day your allowed to harvest the them,
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Typical pa yokels. They are everywhere in this state...especially in that part of the state
 
Your right last year a friend caught people fishing before the first day,he called the police,they called the fish commish and were told to leave them be,ignore it LOL
 
Cougarbaby said:
Your right last year a friend caught people fishing before the first day,he called the police,they called the fish commish and were told to leave them be,ignore it LOL
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Gotta love it when the law-abiding folks are the ones who get (indirectly) penalized.
 
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I suggest that we turn the stocking trucks into food trucks. $12.99 for rainbow, brown and brook trout. $19.99 for the palominos. Must have a license to buy. Put a filet table on the back bumper with paper not plastic to wrap the fish for the trip home. Remember I thought of it first.
 
Over the last 49 years , I’ve fished on at least 50 streams in PA and only recall seeing a Fish Commission Officer four times- twice on project water, once on Spring Creek and once on a put and take stream. I’ve seen many violations. The funniest was while fishing the DLHALO area on Buffalo Creek in Armstrong County. It was maybe late May way before you were permitted to keep fish. A teenager was spin fishing with his dad. He comes up over the bank with three fish on a stringer. I said to him that this was a delayed harvest area. He said “yeah, I know. I waited a while before I took them out of the water”.
 
Dr.J 1952 said:
Over the last 49 years , I’ve fished on at least 50 streams in PA and only recall seeing a Fish Commission Officer four times- twice on project water, once on Spring Creek and once on a put and take stream. I’ve seen many violations. The funniest was while fishing the DLHALO area on Buffalo Creek in Armstrong County. It was maybe late May way before you were permitted to keep fish. A teenager was spin fishing with his dad. He comes up over the bank with three fish on a stringer. I said to him that this was a delayed harvest area. He said “yeah, I know. I waited a while before I took them out of the water”.
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Maybe he's a Congressman or Senator now? "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor"
 
Dr.J 1952 said:
Over the last 49 years , I’ve fished on at least 50 streams in PA and only recall seeing a Fish Commission Officer four times-
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In the last 20+ years I've never even seen a single WCO, let alone gotten checked by one. Admittedly, I only fish Class A streams that are generally in out of the way locations.

Last year I saw a young guy with his girlfriend fishing before opening day on Ridley Creek. I mentioned that the season wasn't open yet, and he replied "I wasn't aware of that". I asked him if he found it strange that there were about 50 trout sitting in the pool he was fishing and there were no other fishermen here?
He said "I wondered about that". 🤣
 
Several years ago, at Little Pine above the lake (in the DHALO without a single descriptive sign anywhere), I had one tell me Happy Father's Day while I was walking up the road with my youngest boy. That accounts for my one and only interaction with a fish warden. WCOs have "interacted" on more than one occasion during hunting season. They aren't as friendly during hunting season.
 
A WCO busted me and my dad in the late ‘80s. We had no lights on the boat and headed to the Yardley boat ramp before sunset, only to be backed up at the ramp behind several boats and jet skis. It was well after sunset when it was our turn and he was waiting there with citations for anyone who had waited patiently and had no lights. I thought that was a cheap shot, especially when we saw him earlier downstream at the RR bridge checking on us and other boats and anglers beforehand.
My only negative interaction with them, other times were fine and very friendly. On the other hand, some PGC officers could use a class on public interaction or even anger management. In their defense, every person they deal with is carrying some kind of firearm. So I get it and may even give them a pass.
 
I've encountered WCO's more than a few times, mainly on local Class A streams. One of the WCO's who is a now a Colonel and a big shot with the PFBC knew my vehicle and would always look for me if he saw my car so we could talk.

Great guy!!

And once on a private lake when I was float tubing, a female WCO snuck right up to me before I was aware. Good thing I wasn't relieving myself... 😳

I've also been asked to see my license by a PGC Game Warden.

But the hairiest situation was many moons ago and NOT in PA when I was living in NYC and fishing one of the upstate NYC reservoirs and I didn't have a reservoir permit.

A buddy & I were standing around in a parking lot when all of a sudden, a NYC DEP officer shows up and starts checking for licenses & permits. The rumor in those days was if you got caught without a permit, they would seize your tackle...

I didn't know if it was true, but because I was fishing only one of three fly rods I owned at the time, I was panicking. I stood there awhile waiting to get busted and decided to go for broke and I walked right up to the DEP officer and started shooting the $#!+.

After at least 5-10 minutes of chatting, he wished me luck and went about checking permits & licenses and never bothered asking me... 😎

When I went back to my buddy he just shook his head and said, "You have the biggest set of balls I ever saw" and we packed up and left.

The next day, I went to the World Trade Center NYC DEP office and got a reservoir permit and I have never been without one since even though I haven't fished a NYC reservoir in eons...
 
Funny. Once you get a reservoir permit it’s good forever I think.
 
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I only ever saw one once,he stopped for gas at the filling station my buddy owns,he were discussing Deer Lakes park and how we saw fish dancing on there tails one fall and he said they were oxygen deprived,they put them in an oxygen deprived water and never blinked an eye about, typical wasted dollars IMO
 
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