Question: What should the fine be for an illegal fish? (length or creel violation)

I am guilty of the short fish and over the limit too. I have measured fish and for what ever reason come up with a short 1 at the cleaning station. If the fish was still alive I tried to release it.

Gotta be careful with some of the fish measuring devices. Those little blacks (footballs) are stockier than the whites and will hang up in mine. You're looking at the tail end and sometimes will not notice the mouth is not touching. I have learned to make sure the fish is all the way in before calling him good.

Last year I had a day that I was over the limit. Didn't realize it till I got home. Got done cleaning my fish at the fish cleaning station, got home & started packaging the filets. I put 20 in the first bag. Got 20 in the 2nd bag and had 6 fillets' still in the sink. Thought I had miscounted the first bag. Started over and had same outcome. Dumped'um out and counted the fillets' and had 46. Anyway you figure it I cleaned 23. Found out that my counter had rusted up a little and was hanging up sometimes.

Either way if I had been checked I shoulda been fined. Might not have liked it, but it woulda been right.

Back several years ago I got a speeding ticket for 38 in a 35. I know for a fact that I was doing 35. I was looking at the speedometer when I passed the cop. BTW this happened in Cairo, Ill. (known speed trap for OOS vehicals). I was gonna fight it! Thought his gun was off. Argued with the guy! Went to my mechanic, told him the story and asked if he could check and verify my speedometer for court. He said "I don't have to check it. I can tell you right now your speedometer is off. You're running over sized tires." He then explained to me how the bigger diameter tires rotate at a slower speed than the regular tires that the truck was setup with.

Went to court, pleaded my case and paid the fine. :( I was told that ignorance was no defense.

No difference. Do the crime... Pay the fine. Good ol'boy or not.

I think there should be a BIG sign at every public boat ramp on Ky. & Barkley stating the limits AND the fines!!! Also publish the fines in the fishing & boating guide. No more of this "I didn't know" defense.

Hey Whiskers,
There was a guy on the internet who said he murdered someone a few years ago and got away with it. Well a few weeks later Knock,Knock who do you think was there. The man. They convicted him by his internet testimony . So if you mess that guy up at Medina River please do not say it here. I am sure we can come up with some bail money selling some crappie fillets!

Good points Wiskers. I think that if most of us are honest, we have all been there in one situation or another.

I've heard lots of defenses, but I've never had the "I didn't know the fine" defense. People rarely come in and say that they didn't know that it was illegal. Most of the defenses relate back to the assertion that "It was an accident" or "Its my first time or Ive never been in any trouble" or even occaisionally, "I was just trying to feed my family."

Lots of post use the phrase "good ole boy" and that really puzzles me. I see lots of people with some outdated idea of a "good ole boy" walk or break, but I can tell you that today that is just not the case much these days, especially in Kentucky. In fact, I am constantly amazed at the "good ole poor and rich boys and girls" who come in; plead guilty; pay enormous costs; and leave embarrased and contrite.

P.S.: I pay my speeding tickets and don't ask for breaks. You should have seen the looks on some of the faces in Traffic school when they saw me a few years ago.

RCO

There are several of us who have a deer lease in Liv. county. We have had trouble with poaching for years. We knew it was going on. Had an idea who was doing it. But couldn't catch the guy. Well I'm sure you heard about the guy they caught with all the deer & turkey in Liv. last summer. That was our poacher! Lives right across the road from our lease. It is my understanding that this is the 3rd time this guy has been caught. He winds up paying a little fine & gets a slap on the hand and he right back at it.

This guy should be serving time, pay a BIG fine, & loose some property (home)! We're not talking about 1 or 2 animals, we're talking dozens!

How do these guys get by with this stuff?!!!

I say smoke these guys rearends and publish the outcome in the local papers. Get the word out that we are done playing around.

I would like the same effort put into the fish side of the business as they do with the dove and water foul. They get serious about that stuff. Get caught with a plug out or baiting a dove field & you got trouble.

I will say that there was a Game Warden, I think his name was Jerry. I called in about 3 guys snagging spoonbill out of a boat. He jumped on that and got them.

Most of the CO's work off of tips. They spend very little time just driving around looking for offenders. In reality that is the most cost effective way to do it, but if you see a boat or a truck at the boat ramp it'll make ya think.

I've been checked 1 time in the last 20 year by a CO. I've been checked by the USCG 3 times for boat safety. I spend a lot of time on the lakes too.

I'm gonna start tell'n every fisherman I see to look out cause the Game Warden has been really watching this bay, no mattee where I'm fish'n. Make'um sweat alittle anyway. Might make them start throw'n some back.

Hey Whiskers i completely agree with you, make these people really sweat when they come off of the water with illegal fish and make them know that if i do get caught it is not going to be a slap on the hand and some of this stuff will stop. We all know that it is hard to completely enforce and we know that it is going to happen,but if you catch a few of them in a good spawning year then it could make a difference in fish populations. I have turkey hunted in the past in missouri and over there they have there wardens put on camoflouge and turkey vests and shotguns and they go into the woods and when you walk up on someone over there that you do not know it could very well be a game warden and when you think HEY!! I might kill two of these turkeys then you stop and think i wonder if there is a warden on the next ridge, no more of that stuff well when i get to the truck i will hide the turkey and make sure they are not there to check me, point is maybe the state of Kentucky needs to ummark some boats and put the wardens to crappie fishing and then the people breaking the laws will SWEAT more as they are doing these things.

I had not heard about your Livingston Co. case. It sounds bad. My advice on those issues is to make your thoughts known to your elected prosecutor. My constituents seem to have no qualms about calling me at home, at night, stopping me at church or grocery or anywhere to make their complaints known. I say that and I don't complain about getting these calls. I view it as a large part of my job to make the penalties consistent with what I think my jurys would assess. The statutes sets a wide range of penalties and it is the prosecutor's job to determine what the penalty is (unless there is a trial and then it is set by the Judge or Jury). I hunt and fish, so I know the perspective of the defendant, the CO, and the sporting public. MANY of your prosecutors and judges don't hunt or fish and they have ABSOLUTELY no idea how serious these cases are to their constituents. While it is unethical to try to talk to the Judge out of Court about a case, it is appropriate and reasonable to make your wishes known to your elected County Attorney. I have a unique situation in that the people who live on the East half of the County generally demand tougher enforcement and the people who live on the West half of my County generally want government less involved in their lives. I have to balance this public opinion in the decisions I make.

I know that my hunters and fishermen are tax paying voters in my County. As a group, they want strict enforcement (unless of course its a relative or friend LOL!) and they hold me accountable.

I also see your frustration on the lack of checking, especially when compared to safety checks. I remember when water safety was the principle responsibility of the KSP (Water Patrol). When F & G took this over, it really impacted the officer time. This is not the fault of the local and regional CO's and is an issue that comes from Frankfort down. While safety (equipement and alcohol) are important, it seems that the officers are required to spend an inordinate amount of their time enforcing this as opposed to wildlife issues.

I assume that the Jerry you refer to is the former law enforcement supervisor. I agree that he took care of business. He had two brothers who were also COs and they were all tough but fair.

Good points.
RCO

Maybe put mandatory signs at all the fish cleaning stations both public and resorts stating "BEFORE you beginning cleaning your catch, make sure you count and measure them one more time!"

I think signs at every ramp would be a good thing , with limits and size . Like Wiskers says none of this I didn't know .