T.I.P/or not?

[opsirc]

there has been a lot of comments here, and everyone has their own opinion. bottom line: if we are to continue to have fish and game for our childern and grandchildern, we need to be responsible in the taking of fish and game. Part of that is being responsible and contact a CO and let him or her sort out the facts. True there are not enough to go around these days and they have a diffuclt job. If we do not act now, all of us will lose in the end. Being old, does not give an individual the right to break the rules, because they feel they have paid their dues. My step-father was one of these, was blind in one eye with the other failing and he still felt he could drive. We finally managed to get him to give up his DL and not drive anymore. Not only for his safety, but for others as well. As far as calling TIP, we all have to do what we feel right doing and live with it after, as for me CALL.

opsirc

[can it be luck?]

Everyone be careful with you THOUGHTS. No one ever said this man lived on the lake. Vacationer like TeeDee? A man catches fish, illegal? This man may be in another Forum complaining about rude and inconsiderate people spying and stalking him and trying to take his favorite spot, and you may be talking to him without even knowing. We all have some "secret" spots we like to keep to ourselves, dont we? I sure do like to ASSUME things....NO RULES OR FACTS to base anything on......WIDE OPEN. Perhaps Frontier Justice should be used. Lets all go lynch this eldely senior and hang him from a tree. If he's Chinese we'll call him Lyn Ching. Perhaps dunk him in the water to see if he floats? We will then know if he's a witch or something. Lets burn a cross in his yard, I heard thru the grapevine and from a friend of a friend of a friend that people that are good fisherman are also KKK members. At least that is what I heard, not what I know for fact. Who needs fact? Get him boys! Hoist that scurvy dog to the yardarm! Lets all meet and ambush the elderly gent and then explain to his family why.....because TeeDee said he caught some fish for your dinner. A quote I made in a different forum...While mankind has progressed, some have regressed, yes Neanderthals do exist!!

[TeeDee]

Can it be Luck,
I appreciate your concern over this man's well being. Trust me, he will not be harmed.
I am not out on a "witch hunt". I know what I saw, and what I saw bothered me. {thus the questions posed to fellow fisherman that read this forum}
The ideas have been very constructive and helpful and I thank everyone for that.
You seem to be bothered by this, are you hiding something? Will I see you next week?
TD

[can it be luck?]

TeeDee are you implying something to me? Perhaps as you have done about others? If so, come out and say it. This way of thinking is what I'm talking about!!!!! And tell me exactly, what you seen, numbers and species. exactly!

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 07-21-2003).]

[TeeDee]

Can it be Luck,
So your vote would ne to leave it alone?
If so, I can appreciate that.
Thanks!!
TD

[B-bear]

Can it be luck --chill out-- Nobody said that they wanted to lynch the guy. And as far as proof of a crime being commited, you don't have to prove anything to call TIP. It is the CO's job to prove if the guy is over his limit-- not ours. If anyone suspects another angler is over their limits then call- that's what TIP is for.
You shouldn't get upset if some one calls TIP on you-- I for one wouldn't mind if some one else called on me-- because I am never over my limits. It also is comforting that some one else besides me cares about the lake I'm fishing.
So go ahead call on me-- I'm lonley out there on the lake anyways. I'd love to talk to the CO.

[This message has been edited by B-bear (edited 07-21-2003).]

[BLACKJACK]

canitbeluck, settle down!! Take a walk and chill out!

Teedee asked a simple question and people gave their opinions, no more, no less. The worst case scenario if TeeDee's 'assumption' is wrong is that a CO will talk to the old guy, find out that nothing is wrong, and life goes on. If the old guy is poaching, he gets nabbed - as he should be. No need to get bent out of shape.

[Giant_Jackpot]

Wow,

can it be luck has a lot of ideas! I think the bottom line here is that if TeeDee wants to see the right thing done then he has to call TIP. Let the CO sort it out and if the old guy has done nothing wrong then it is over. I know I would not have any problem having a CO ask me a few questions to see if I am in compliance because I know I am in compliance!

[can it be luck?]

TeeDee, It's everyone's job to help conserve our resources. I use extreme scenarios to make my point. Check my freezer? Feel free, I have nothing to hide. Knowing all the facts is what I'm trying to get across. Believe me I'm the first one to make the "call" when needed. can it be luck? PS I also achieved my first FM milestone 100 posts

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 07-21-2003).]

[BLACKJACK]

Giant-Jackpot and B-bear, I like the way you think! We must have been composing/posting at the same time!

[Rick]

can it be luck,
here is TeeDee's Post:
Recently, my family and I spent a week at a small resort in Northern MN. During my time spent on the water, I noticed a pontoon that would pull up and anchor on the same spot every morning. {an older gentlemen all by himself} He would stay there 3 to 4 hours the whole time pulling in crappies and sunnies. Size didn't matter as most would end up in his basket. This basket would get very full.
I watched him do this at least 5 days that week. Now, unless he ate these fish everyday or gave them away to people he knew, he had to have a freezer full of fish that would put him over his limit.
Do I make a phone call? Do I confront him myself? What would you do?
Thanks in advance for your input!

TeeDee just made a statement of what he observed and asked for opinions on what to do based on those observations. Everyone has shared their opinions, including you.

I don't see anything in his post that goes to the extremes your posts suggest.

I don't agree with the confrontation position unless you are trained, qualified and prepared for the consequences of that action. Initiating friendly or helpful contact may be a good option if you are good with people. Contacting the CO would seem like the prudent and best way to go about it for most people.

Getting the facts are indeed important. It's something that can be done by observation, either by initiating contact or by calling the CO to observe. Now back to the topic:

Which would you do and why, can it be luck???

[can it be luck?]

Obervation. Keep a log to remember dates,times,location,boat info.,etc. Then I would have facts. After getting the facts, I would then contact the proper authorities and relay this info., even call back to follow up if anythings been done. No one can give info. about things they dont really know about. Describe a situation and apply to two different instances, with different people you would have different answers. Every situation is different.

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 07-21-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 07-21-2003).]

[Granny]

Rick,
Thanks for bringing us back to the real question. An observation was made and a question was asked. Who knows where all the other B.S. came from. I have been reading this post for the past week and wondering where some of these people were coming from. This weekend I was fishing a river and saw a guy fishing with what I thought was two lines (illegal). After the guy left I went up and found out it was a bobber attached to some line that had been broken off. Moral of the story is don't jump to conclusions. Its good to ask for advise on this, but TeeDee, you are the only one who saw this take place. Use your judgement and the advise given in some of these posts and do what you think is right.

[Rick]

Thanks can it be luck,
I agree, that's another good way to handle the situation.

Let's stay on topic here please.

[can it be luck?]

TeeDee, Please understand that none of this is directed at you. Far from it. No one but you or any other winesses are able to make that call for that particular situation. I can understand if you feel as though it was, but I had to exaggerate a few things to make a point. Any dealings with the law, are legal matters, and could have some serious repercussions. Good advise based on all the needed facts can help you make a wise and guilt free decision. Some of the advise was good, although some was bad IMO. Some people may take the wrong advise with terrible consequences. I dont want anything bad to happen to you. You seem like a reasonable person, I'm sure you'll make the right decision. can it be luck?

[Surface Tension]

DO SOMETHING!!!
Report it to TIP and the local warden at the least. They will decide what to do. Because this guy lives on the lake a CO will keep an eye on him and catch him in the act. CO's are spread thin so when you see a violation let them know about it. TIP isn't a hindrance to law enforcement, its a tool so get involved. If I see a violation that I think wont result in prosecution because certain of circumstances then I will confront them. Either way their not going to go unchecked.

If your seen with to many lines and over limits of fish don't blame any waste on the CO's for thawing out illegal fish.

[Guest]

Wow, what a topic. I happen to know TeeDee and he is not out to hurt anybody, but he is concerned. TeeDee's only problem is he does not fish enough. One week up north does not make a fisherman.

can it be luck: I enjoyed your replys. I think you were just stirring the pot. Good job. I am going to guess you are a good fellow also.