Be Aware the poachers are advanced

[Jayhad]

Hello All,

The point of this thread isn't to give myself a digital pat on the back, it's to bring you all aware of what's going on out there.  I highly promote self limiting pressure and not fishing during the brown trout spawn.  Today I saw the negative of this approach, more fishing equals more eyes on the water.

 

I was out looking for redds and I noticed a huge trap in the water, the size of a 50 gallon drum, just like a crayfish trap magnified 10xs.  I had never seen one of these so I pulled it in for a look. inside were some suckers and a brown. I was weirded out.  I walked up the creek further and found another, and I started to notice at most of the animal slides into the water were fresh, new cable snares.... weirded out more.  Further up the creek I found a make shift live well, stuffed with fish.... stuffed.  

I didn't go further and called RAP. The CO was horrified as I am.

This appeared to be fairly new gear and I speculate this gear was placed after the slow of fishing pressure due to the spawn and/or the snow.

Get out there and walk your favorite brown trout haunts, I was last out in this area 3 days ago.

[jdangler]

WTH, I’m going for a walk.

 

 Thanks 

[WayneM]

On the bow?

[fishinglibin]

Time for some stakeouts. Thr Brown Trout Panthers. Led lights, lawn darts and tazers.

[SilverDoctor]

Wow good on you for reporting to RAP. We need more good eyes on the water for just this reason.

[rudedawg]

10 hours ago, WayneM said:

On the bow?

There's a clue in the story: "I walked up the creek further".

Likely a trib of the Red Deer/Little Red, but folks that fish those small waters tend to be protective of the location of their favourite beats.

[Jayhad]

13 minutes ago, rudedawg said:

There's a clue in the story: "I walked up the creek further".

Likely a trib of the Red Deer/Little Red, but folks that fish those small waters tend to be protective of the location of their favourite beats.

Well said, mind you I tend to call the Bow a creek quiet often.

[bcubed]

CO head out there and check it out?

[Jayhad]

2 minutes ago, bcubed said:

CO head out there and check it out?

They said they would; I had to go pick up my son and couldn't wait for them.  I expect to hear back from them today.  I would assume there will be some late nights and overtime for those guys this weekend.

[WayneM]

I hope they get them all and catch m

[Jayhad]

They counted over 30 fish in the live well, removed some of the traps and they will be checking the left ones regularly.  This may be difficult to catch the offender.

[dwday]

this is the most screwed up thing I ever heard

 

[SilverDoctor]

Professional poachers.

[dwday]

Let everyone know what ends up happening 

[Jayhad]

15 hours ago, dwday said:

this is the most screwed up thing I ever heard

 

I agree, 30 fish out of a creek could set it back for years to come... I also fear the cost of replacing some nets is not going to be much of a deterrent. They will just move further upstream where access is more difficult.

[ppb]

I hope the CO’s has enough sense to set up a few trail cams in the area in a attempt to catch these buggers poaching our streams. 
a case like this should have as much enforcement as needed to catch these guys then have the full extent of the laws thrown at them. 

[trailhead]

I spoke a few years ago with an old timer, I believe he passed away a few years ago. He told me that he would string a net across the creek to catch fish and leave it overnight, then haul in a load for the winter. This was in west central Alberta. Maybe that behaviour was passed down.

[SilverDoctor]

Most of us "Old Timers" would have recoiled at this sort of idea then and now.

[fishpro]

Sadly this isn't the first time I've heard of such things happening on our brown trout streams.  Hope they catch the poachers and throw some decent fines at them.