Narcs on Party Boats

[Highlander_MDR]

Have you all heard the latest, it seems that the DFG has been doing an undercover sting operation for the last year from San Francisco to San Mateo .I read this in this weeks Western Outdoor News.Seems now the old days of fishing for the boat are illegal and if you get your limit on a party boat you have to stop fishing or release your catch.I have been fishing for over 45 years and never new it was illegal to give away extra fish to those who havent caught anything.Ignorance of the law is not a good excuse I know but to target the whole california party boat fleet and lump them all as bad is crap.What about all those youngster who dont know how to fish how many of us have handed off the rod to them even given it to a buddy cause he wasnt getting bit just so as they can feel the thrill of a bent rod and screeming drag.WE all know sometimes its only a few hot sticks who get bit, I have been thankfull to them many times for a few fish to take home to eat.I guess no more.I havent gone into all the details of this alleged party boat violations but I wanted to vent this because it really pissed me off.So everyone watch out the guy next to you on the rail might be a cop.Whats next are we going to have to take a test to get our fishing licences just like a drivers test.Oh hell I failed 5 questions no fishing for me this year.How many of us really know all the rules and laws for sportfishing.I know I dont.Watch your backs folks its getting nasty out there.We made someone mad with being so vocal about the Marine Preserve Bill and in this election year it looks like big bro is watching real close.
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[davetclown]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4]Highlander -[/size][/font]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4] I can realy empathise with you here on this one. [/size][/font]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4] The changes in the rules have paramounted since the day of the sportsman (when in Michigan we had the Sportsman's License that could be purchased for $28 and it covered every game in the state, in the water and on land or up a tree except for the federal migratory stamps for duck and goose.)[/size][/font]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4] Then we had two books one for fishing and one for hunting. Now we have three books just for fishing one for just trout one for all the rest of the fish and one for toxic fish reports.[/size][/font]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4] Our fishing guid then was about an 8 page phamplet that could be read in the time you sat in the barber's chair. Today it is a thirty page novel that needs to be offered as a colage course to understand. (a fish has to be at least this size and no biger than this size and if it is caught so many feet of a certain structure it has to be released.) This is not to mention the other two books that are any where form 30 - 50 pages.[/size][/font]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4] The rules change so offten that by the time the rule books are published and released they have changed.[/size][/font]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4] To make matters worse the water was are held hostage by corprate because the concider them to be their privet toilet rooms where they can flush down any unwanted chemical in to our water supply. There fore contamination advisories are never truly accurate or up to date do to the fact that the DNR's hands are tied when it comes to prosicuting corprate dumping in cities and townships, by the same city and township that they are being dumped in.[/size][/font]

[font "Monotype Corsiva"][size 4] But for the most part I respect the rules and regulations provided by our Department of Natural Resorces do to the fact that they are trying their best to accomidate sportsmen and still allow for the critters to live in the vastly encroching human population explosion.[/size][/font]
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[Fishslayer]

Thanks, Dave. Your font just gave me a headache!

I read the article to which this refers. I live in the country and the smell is familiar!

I have my opinions re what the DFG is up to and it's NOT for the good of the resource. There's more going on than meets the eye, IMO.

Fishslayer
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[Highlander_MDR]

Been there and done that,went to the meetings about the Marine Preserve Act.In the process of reading the rules and regs.I was so vocal because I thought it was an underhanded way of dealing with this alleged violation.I like to make new friends when I go out on a party boat,now I am not sure if the guy next to me might bust me for some obscure stupid regulation I over looked .I do agree that party boat skippers have to take on more responsibility and educate their customers.As far as the DFG listening to the sportsman thats another story.
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[Fishslayer]

Sorry, matey, but they do NOT have to listen to us. They are appointed, not elected.

'Course, we can replace the people who appoint them... []

Fishslayer
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[Highlander_MDR]

Way to go Jan, couldn't have said it better my self.As I said in my first post We need all to get behind this and as one voice let it be know that we will not tolerate a freedom being taken from us.Every year the fees go up and they take more freedoms from us.I believe in protecting our resources and practice catch and release.With the occasional good one or two fish taken home for Dinner. I also raise excotic endangerd fresh water tropical fish from all over the world having a breeding tank setup in my Garage.I do this so we dont have to take from the wild.I very rarely keep a fish that I know is old enough to breed .I let it go.The days of keeping everything are over .I am pretty sure most of the guys who frequent this site do the same.As an avid angler, more studies need to done to see who is desimating these fish populations.I bet it is not the average Joe.
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[davetclown]

[size 1][b]Highlander

You are correct about the average Joe not being the culprit in endangering fish species.

There has been no secret that the commercial fisheries have decimated the populations over a period of hundreds of years with out any regulatory seasons imposed on them

However if you are a sportsman then you are told what is in season and what limits and the sizes you may catch. Where if you are a commercial fisherman what ever is in your net what ever is the size is what is in season.

The world council last week has stated that commercial fisheries will have to limit their catches to allow fish to repopulate themselves because the oceans are endanger of being depleted of a much needed future food source.

These issues have been addressed for decades here in the USA but always the decree was we need more information before a decision can be decided on what to do. (In other words shuffled aside and strategically avoided) [/b][/size][size 1] [/size]
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