WHERE ARE THE WARDENS?

TUESDAY, WENSDAY, TODAY HAD GREAT FISHING ON ERIE TRIBS, FISH AFTER FISH. BUT I ALSO SAW NUMEROUS PEOPLE "LIFTING " FISH. I SAW AT  LEAST 15 FISH FOUL HOOKED INTENTIONLY ON 3 DIFFERENT CREEKS AND I WASN'T WATCHING THAT MUCH. IF I WAS A WARDEN I COULD HAVE WRITTEN TICKETS ALL DAY LONG EACH DAY. THESE GUYS WEREN'T RUSSIANS, THEY HAD 400.00 WADERS, 300.00 JACKETS, 200.00 VESTS, AND FLY RODS. THESE PEOPLE GIVE FLY FISHING A BAD NAME, IF YOU CAN CALL IT FLY FISHING, MOST OF THEM WERE FLIPPING OUT 8 FEET OF LINE AT FISH THEY WERE LOOKING AT.

YEAH, I HEAR YOU. BUT, THESE GUYS RELEASE THE FISH AFTER GETTING THEIR JOLLIES PLAYING THEM. IN N.Y. YOU CAN GET ARRESTED FOR FISHING IN A MANNER SO AS TO FOUL HOOK FISH. MEANING YOU CAN GET A TICKET FOR LIFTING WHETHER YOU ROPE THE FISH OR NOT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LAW IS IN PA.    GLEN

i've seen the wco's wait until the guys are back to their vehicles before arresting them. wco's do walk the creek, i've seen them in action. when there are a group doing something wrong they'll call for back up, again, once the party is back at the vehicles..

As far as the WCO's go, belive me, they are there.  Remember there are alot of miles of water to cover in Erie county, so they can't obviously be everywhere at once, and are not always in a position to respond to every call right away.  They do the best job they can with what they have.

ORIGINAL: tippy-toe

I have seen a WCO once in all my trips to Erie and that was at the project waters.... I'm not complaining, but you think they would be walking the streams.

Skip is right though we need to police ourselves and be part of the solution.

 
I'll bet you've seen them many other times, you just didn't know it. Although a greater percentage of "visible" presence might nip alot in the bud BEFORE a violation occurs. I still think they do a great job, given the task.

Again, you can pick these cards up at the WCO office at Walnut. I suggest putting on in your Licenses Holder...........

IF the fish were hooked in the mouth, then he was NOT eligible for a violation.  Even if they were not, as long as the fish were released UNHARMED, then I highly doubt a ticket would have been given in this case.

Trust me, I've been steelhead fishing for a long time, and VERY RARELY will they actully issue a citation for "lining" as it is defined, or even for foulhooking a few fish when they are stacked thick in the creek.  As long as the hook is in the mouth, you are legal, and as long as the fish is released unharmed if it is snagged then you will not get fined.

P.A. fishing summery laws state " unlawful to take or ATTEMPT to take fish, OR keep fish accidentally caught, by snatch-fishing, foul hooking, or snag fishing." i would say TAKE means to hook or catch, not neccesarily to keeping. this is where i would like the legal response to beading, this was a thread earlier, from what i read about beading the intention is to hook the fish outside the mouth intentional. i am not condemming those who do it i just want to know if it's actual legal or not. wouldn't want newbees beading and then they get fined when a wco watches them lift the rod when the bead drifts in front of the fishes mouth to hook the fish underneath the jaw. it's seams a lot of guys do this just wanting to know if it's legal...

I've been fishing NY for many years and even though there is a law with that wording in the books it has not put a dent in the practice of "snagging/lifting".Why is this we ask?Well first the fine in NY is n't high enough and appears to be at the descreation of the court,I hear anything from $25 to $100.The lower figure is a joke to many and they go right back out and snag again,the higher figure does make most think about doing something else for kicks.Another problem is that there is alot for the DEC to look after and not many to do it all,so they are spread thin and can't be everywhere at once.
The only way to put a end to it is make those that insist on "snagging/lifting" pay through the nose.$500 fines for first offense,$1000 after that and no license to fish for five years,that will get their attention.Along with that the State of NY should educate the public that fish will hit when fished for but there are times that they won't,that's why it's called fishing and not catching!
In Erie what you see is nothing compared to NY,most people are fishing legit for the trout but because of the huge numbers of fish some are foul hooked,it happens.However,you're right there are those that are intentionally lining/lifting,but it's tough to catch them because they usually release them.However,I know for a fact that the fish cops are out there,the guy next to you may look like a another nimrod but if you rope that foul hooked fish it could cost you more than the fish market.BEWARE!

AMEN TO THAT PATFISHER, RAISE THE FINES.     AS FAR AS N.Y. HAVING MORE SNAGGERS, IF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT PLACES LIKE OAK ORCHARD OR BURT DAM I AGREE WITH YOU, BUT THE NUMBERS ARE PROBABLY THE SAME ON THE N.Y. ERIE STREAMS AS THE PA. STREAMS, WHICH ISN'T A REFLECTION ON N.Y. OR PA. FISHERMAN BECAUSE EVERY OTHER CAR IS FROM OUT OF STATE.

money doesn't hurt as much to some people, you take away their fishing lisc. or suggest that they'll lose it for knowingly breaking the law, now you'll have people straightning up!!! and they might read the rules...

Dude first off take off your cap lock....  Looks like you are screaming all the time........
 
Just do like I do when you see this happening..  I've done it many times
 
Put the WCO Cel numbers in your cel phone..  Call them the instant you see this happening...  Sometimes it might take a while to get there but not one time I called did they fail to show up... 
 
BTW  I can almost guarantee you have fished alongside either a WCO or DWCO on 20 mile.....

ORIGINAL: tippy-toe

ORIGINAL: spoonchucker

ORIGINAL: tippy-toe

I have seen a WCO once in all my trips to Erie and that was at the project waters.... I'm not complaining, but you think they would be walking the streams.

Skip is right though we need to police ourselves and be part of the solution.

I'll bet you've seen them many other times, you just didn't know it. Although a greater percentage of "visible" presence might nip alot in the bud BEFORE a violation occurs. I still think they do a great job, given the task.

There is no doubt they do a good job, i just meant that I haven't seen them much,(which is a good thing I guess) but then again I'm pretty focused on my drift when I'm fishing....

 
Tippy it might have to do with the fact that you have only been fishing up there for a little over 2 years.  .   They are there. 

Yea ... Be prepared for that . I hooked 5 fish legit using estaz eggs & a sucker spawn on a dropper . It just so happened the one fish that was accidentially foul hooked last friday decided to swim in front of these two purists fisherman ( when walnut was like chocolate milk ) some guy tried to tell me I snagged all 6 fish on purpose. Keep your cool man it's not worth it some of these guys would shoot us over thier " observations" over a fish that is being released. Some just get jealous that you're pulling in a fish the majority of your time in "thier" hole if you know what I mean.