Poaching Crappie

[alabamaal]

is a problem it the North Sauty bridge,numerous reports have been filed with not much follow up from the game wardens.Snagging crappie and throwing nets seem to be the issue.Two men have been caught with fish using these means but they were back days later.Are people $$$ fish?

[mikeymercboy]

I've seen the same issue with guys keeping undersize sauger at Guntersville. Not enough law enforcement out there to cover the problem areas.

[DockShootinJack]

This has been a problem. Have seen crappie being taken in a cast net also. Allot of discussions on here about how to help sustain a fishery. But this kind of activity is very detrimental. Photos on the guilty parties may not be a bad thing to get law enforcement to take notice. Problem is we have so few Game Wardens to go around. Stiffer penalties for being caught would help also. Confiscation on property used in the crime may make poaching not so attractive to them. Its a sad day for Sportsmen when things like this are allowed to continue.

[PW1]

I was fishing Lay Lake in the Hwy 280 bridge area yesterday and there were (3) game wardens riding in one boat. When they initially checked me there were only two in the boat. They came back and picked up a 3rd because he wanted to "ride" with them. I know there is a lack of officers, but someone could have take out three with one grenade yesterday afternoon. They should be spread out more and covering key locations.

[riverboss]

I met and was checked by a warden at Mink creek a couple months back, and he was specifically looking for netting activity and told me he had caught a few people there and had heard they were back doing the same. this was a week after I saw an Asian pair netting but not having any success. He knows they are there and he is doing his best to sneak up on them. phones can be used to video the activity and then call the warden.......

[DockShootinJack]

RiverBoss. I know the Asian pair you are talking about. I have seen them before. I saw another Pair of Asians ( father and son) netting at Belefonte.

[6165 Drbombay]

i know a couple of the game wardens in my area, one i went to school with. Both are great guys, but sometimes one of them will be hidden somewhere looking at fishermen will the other goes and makes his present know by checking license and fish. When he is finished everyone assumes that he is gone and out of the area. His partner is then able to see these guys and gals keep short fish too many ect. I do a lot of pier fishing and when i see people doing things they shouldn't be doing i tell them "hey it isn't worth it" and hope they make the right choice.

[lowe175]

Guys all you can do is call it in and take pics and video if you can. If they do it long enough they'll get caught. I have see them do to and not just crappie . I seen the game warden get some last year at Neely Henry dam so they are doing the best they can.

[alexava]

i know a couple of the game wardens in my area, one i went to school with. Both are great guys, but sometimes one of them will be hidden somewhere looking at fishermen will the other goes and makes his present know by checking license and fish. When he is finished everyone assumes that he is gone and out of the area. His partner is then able to see these guys and gals keep short fish too many ect. I do a lot of pier fishing and when i see people doing things they shouldn't be doing i tell them "hey it isn't worth it" and hope they make the right choice.

i think game wardens have gotten lazy. they also got their overtime cut off a few years ago. i dont know if they got it back but i was told back then you could get away with anything if you didnt do it 8-5 monday thru friday. this might have changed. i havent been checked in a while.

[Snapperking]

Here is the number for game violations.. 800-272-4263 in this area. If i had had this number i would have ratted out some guys in a boat keeping very small sauger. They had their fishing net hangin over the side of the boat and throwing them in it so that if the Man came around the corner of the locks they could dump them before being checked.If the Warden sees them turning any fish loose like that they can still ticket them.Sad since Sauger have all but dissapeared the last 8 years . As to the snagging I had a talk with the female warden that hangs around the lower gville bridges and dams and she knows there are 3 sets of netters and snaggers and if you see anyone doing that call the number asap. She did bust a couple of shall we say foreigners last fall for snagging under the browns creek bridge.On another story line, i was standing on the bank down at the Gville dam last year in the late winter and there were 3 "other " guys fishing up above me and the game warden walks all the way down past them to me and checks me with out giving those guys a second glance and they kept on fishing. After he checked me i just had to ask him why he didnt check them and he told me that he figured they did not have a liscense but that it wouldnt do any good to ticket them as they would not have a real address on them and they could never find them if they didnt pay the fine.That sort of chapped me and i told him it wasnt fair to those of us that pay his wages by purchasing liscenses and that I bet if he took them in and put them in jail someone would come looking for them and that he could at least make them dump out the undersized crappie I know they had in thier possession..I was told that would be considered harassment to take them in go figure and he didnt bother looking at the fish on his way out..........I didnt get his name but he was a rather short stocky younger looking guy.