Most Surprising Catch

[lar42]

I was fishing a small WTMA yesterday and the most surprising thing happened to me. I hooked a fish! :shock: Just kidding! I did hook a fish or thought I did anyway. Actually, what I hooked was a wad of fishing line that had a fish hooked to it! :shock: :? As I reeled in my line I saw my fly (olive bugger) and said to myself, "wait a minute, that's my fly, but where is the fish?". Then I saw what had happened. The fish was hooked by someone who was fishing with night crawlers cause the hook and worm was still in the fish's mouth. I thought about trying to remove it but it was pretty deep and I didn't think I would be able to without harming the fish anymore than it already was. So I just cut line as close as I could to the hook and turned it loose. It seemed healthy but one never knows. Weird day! :)

[The Fisherman]

Which WTMA? You should report this incident to the DEP. Reports have a cumulative effect, and while they won't necessarily catch the poacher responsible, it may result in an increased policing of the area.

[southpaw526]

Let's not jump to conclusions.....The fish may have moved into the WTMA from another area.....It doesn't necessarily mean someone is bait fishing in the WTMA....Just an observation.... :wink:

[The Fisherman]

Hence my question "Which WTMA?" There are several Class 1 WTMAs that are that designation for their entire length, which would rule out anything but poaching.

In cases like this I generally expect the worst. :cry:

[southpaw526]

Yeah, I guess you're right.....I always expect the worst too.....There's never a shortage of idiots on the water....That's why I do most of my fishing in the fall & winter....Funny thing is, when I'm standing in the water in February, I'm sure people are drving by saying..."look at that idiot."...LOL.... :lol:

[lar42]

This was in the Salmon Brook WTMA which I think is a Class 3. It is lightly stocked but most fish are holdover and pretty nice. I was fishing pretty close to the line, well, maybe a 1/8th of a mile away so it is possible that it crossed over. I did report it to the CT DEP but there is nothing they can really do. I got the feeling that I was being smirked at on the other end of the phone when I called it in. Oh well.

[southpaw526]

Yeah, I hear you on the DEP guys not taking reports seriously....I had 2 situations in the Simsbury (bow-only) public hunting area last year & the DEP officer basically told me there's nothing they can do unless they're there when the violation occurs....They won't follow up on anything.....I saw a guy bird hunting, which is perfectly legal, but the only problem is that the bird season & the bow season overlap....The guy had a scope on his gun & was glassing the fields for deer, but he was wearing orange so as to appear to be bird hunting....He had it set up perfectly...He had a dog w/ him & everything, but I've never seen someone birdhunting w/ a scope on the gun & I'm willing to bet my bow & one of my balls that if a DEP officer searched him, they would've found more than just bird shot in his possesion....I was on the other side of the river in full camo, because I was deer hunting w/ a bow.....Funny thing is I had this guy going crazy.....I kept grunting & bleating from behind a tree & every time I did, he would swing his gun around to try to find where it was coming from.....I had this guy going for a good half hour :lol: :twisted: .....Another time, I saw a guy in the parking lot w/ a crossbow and a climbing tree stand....He was actually pretty nice & told me he had a few fixed stands set up on the property & that I was welcome to use them if I liked....To be honest, I think he was just being nice because he didn't want me to report him, because I've never met a hunter who just offers up his tree stands to strangers before....especially since I too had a climber.....Now, I know it's possible to get a crossbow permit w/ a medical note, but wouldn't the fact that you're incapacitated in some way, mean that you can't get up into a tree stand? In other words, I always assumed that the medical crossbow permits are given to guys who, due to a disability of some sort, are at a disadvantage because they can't get into a tree stand.....If you can get up into a tree to set up a fixed stand, or are able to use a climber, wouldn't that qualify you as perfectly able? I called the DEP about this situation also, and I wasn't surprised to find that they had no clue if a disabled hunter w/ a crossbow is allowed to use a tree stand.....They put me on hold for a good 10 minutes, to look up the law, I suppose, but in the end, weren't able to give me an answer except that they would have to research it & get back to me, but that they would patrol to try to find this person in the mean time.....I never heard back from them w/ any clarification on the law.....Anyone know what the ruling is on that? :?: :?: :?:

[Redwings1]

When it comes to DNR officers I have found the same thing in both Michigan and Ohio....rare is a time when they will do anything unless they are there at the time of the infraction. I have found that the field officer for the county that has our trout stream is very responsive if called on his cell phone...usually arriving within 15 minutes if not on another bust.

As to the crossbow question...I am not sure that the laws are the same, but my brother has a medical exception for a crossbow in Michigan. He was a ski instructor and about 8 years ago on one of his off days he had the choice of taking out a little kid the was bombing the hill and had cut him off, or avoid him and go in to the woods. He was able to avoid the trees but then came up on a 4x4 fence...the fence won and he ended up with multiple surgeries to get his shattered arm back in place and now has pins to keep it in place. From all outward appearances he is a perfectly healthy 27 year old, but he does have a medical exception based on the pins in his forearm that can cause an issue when using a regular bow. When using his exception there are no extra restrictions over those with a regular bow.

Based on the guy offering up his stands to a total stranger...sounds like something was fishy in your situation, but him being able to climb up to a tree stand does not necessarily mean he couldn't have a crossbow exception.

Keeping the probable poacher going with grunts is hilarious!!! :lol:

[The Fisherman]

lar42,

Well, my bad. If it was a Class 3 there's no infraction to report as all standard gear is permitted on those waters. I was thinking it was a Class 1, which is a single barbless hook artificial only. Those are the ones we need to be extra vigilant about protecting from poachers as they receive no stockings and poachers could decimate a small stream's fish population.

Despite the perception that calls to the DEP are a wasted effort, I still encourage everyone to report poaching violations. Sqeaky wheels and all that.

:D

[lar42]

Fisherman,

No problem, I agree that we all need to be more vigilant and judicious when fishing any stream whether it's a TMA, WTMA or just a regular 'ole trout stream. They are precious resources and people like yourself who stay on guard will ensure that they are around for our kids to enjoy. :) You don't know unless you ask the question, is my motto. :wink: So let's all keep our eyes out for violators that threaten the sport we love.

[southpaw526]

Redwings....You make a good point....I guess not being able to draw & hold a bow can be a hinderance as well.....However, I still have to wonder....If you had a shoulder or arm that was in too much pain or too weak to draw back a bow, how then could you have enough strength to use a climber or climb a tree to set up a fixed stand? I don't know...It just seemed shady to me that this guy had the disabled hunter permit when other than being extremely overweight, looked perfectly able...The point of the whole story was that the DEP guys are not only slow to respond, but are sometimes uninformed in areas where a law can be misinterpreted & may require some clarification....They need to be readily informed at all times....What would happen if a DEP officer came upon this guy w/ the crossbow? Would he have to consult w/ another officer before deciding if action should be taken?