Should I Even Care?

[78cj5]

Last night on White Bear Lake there were two guys in a Yar-Craft and two guys in a Skeeter casting muskie lures along the south shore. It was obvious that at least one guy in the Yar-Craft was not totally comfortable. He kept looking over his shoulder at us (as he finished his retrieves with a nice figure eight each time). It was also obvious that these guys knew enough about fishing to know that muskie season wasn't open.

I felt like yelling something to them, but I figure they would either ignore me or tell me to shove off.

Is anyone else running into this? Should I even care?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Program the TIp number into your cell phone and try to get boat reg off the boat.

[barnyard]

I would have waited until I drifted close enough that they could here me call tip and here the detailed description as I gave it.

I've done it before.

Tom B

[78cj5]

Good advice. I just entererd it into my cell phone.

Here is the phone number: TIP Hotline 1-800-652-9093

[Bauer and Standke]

yes that is a bunch of dump the sad part is if you even turned them in they would get away with it because they WERE FISHING FOR PIKE

[barnyard]

They might get away with it, but if more people called in and more people were checked, the fewer would do it. If folks know they can get away with it, they will.

Frequently, just calling in, with a description and boat registation will be enough to get them to quit.

Tom B

[walleyehawk]

Care because even if they are able to claim they are fishing for pike instead of muskies, the DNR has let them know they are being watched. We are all watching them. And writing their boat numbers down.

I saw the same thing on the St Croix a few weeks ago, guy casting spinner baits for bass. Even last Saturday there was a boat on Waconia casting huge baits for who know what, but my guess was muskies.

Just call TIPS.

[TSCTSC]

Maybe I am naive, but are not the techniques used for catching pike and muskies nearly the same? I mean, if I wanted to catch these type of fish, I would say that I have much better chance of getting a pike than a muskie right? So really, these guys could really be trying to catch pikes. What are the chances that they would catch a muskie? And if the caught one, and released it, which most poeple do, they are really not doing anything wrong, right? Please let me know if I need to be corrected. Thanks.

[fiskyknut]

TSC I think you are right, I have heard that big Pike will eat big baits. Heck I've even seen it happen once or twice.

[MossBoss95]

This goes on every year. I see people all the time doing it and it does annoy me. Either casting for sunnys with a 8" power worm before opener and spinner baits for pike. The Musky thing I havent seen yet, but with all the conservation things that musky guys do with CPR and such I would think they would hold on fishing until the june opener. These guys know what thier doing and hope their conscience will set them right as there is not much that can be done unless they actually catch and keep the fish.

Maby on designated musky waters the pike opener should not open untile the Musky opener does? With all of the special regs I wouldnt think this would be a problem to do.

When I have said something to the guy fishing 8" worms for sunnys they get really defensive, which is telling me they know they are in the wrong.

now I am not telling everyone to come and attack me about this thread but it is my opinion.

Follw the regs and you wont have a problem.

[porschevy]

I hate to take this on to a different plane, but here is the deal....

I am sure everyone here speeds every once in a while, maybe does a rolling stop at a sign, turns into the wrong lane when turning at intersection.

Everyone brakes the law a little bit. The difference is everything you do in your car can kill someone. So these people were fishing illegally... there are worse problems in this world. Don't let it drag down your mood while on the lake.

If we can't obey all the laws ourselves we have no right to point fingers at others...

People that purposely fish before for a species that isn't open yet will get whats coming to them in time. Call T.I.P. and forget about it.

Unless

[BobT]

I cannot subscribe to the notion that because we all make mistakes it is therefore okay. We are all sinners, does that make sin okay? Absolutely not! We are all still held accountable. In our secular world we, as citizens who have pledged allegiance, have a duty to uphold the laws of our land. When we make mistakes we take responsibility for them, but it doesn't justify our turning the other way.

Bob

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm not the fellas that were on the lake, nor was I there to see anything, but I'll say don't be too quick to judge. I use monster lures, and finish with a figure 8, when I'm fishing for northerns.

If you're on the lake and you see someone violating the law, call TIP. It works.

[porschevy]

If you want to be the person to uphold the law, become a conservation officer. Otherwise, getting all heated up about it is just going to ruin your day.

I never said what they were doing was right, all I was saying is that there are alot of worse things in this world that we can all do something about then what those guys may or may not have been doing...

[fishin789]

I have a couple lakes that I go to that the spinner bait is my go to bait for pike. and I'm fishing shallow. 1-3 ft of water. To anyone watching they would think I was bass fishing but on these few lakes I catch all my pike this way.

[BobT]

porschevy,

I'm not absolutely sure I'm correct on this but it just may be possible that a citizen failing to report a crime can be held as an accessory. We have a duty to report criminal activity even if we don't particularly agree with the law.

A conservation officer accepts a more active role in law enforcement but we all should be taking some action.

There is still such a thing as a citizen's arrest and it does happen. Of course, that would be taking it to the extreme. I think any of us that has a vested interest in protecting the resources we enjoy should feel compelled to report those that threaten it by violating the laws.

Bob

[toonfish]

I don't know WBL that well, but yesterday I was on the St. Louis River and we casted for Pike all day. We casted bigger spinners and we were doing nothing wrong. We had a great day on the water and boated about 20 pike. We were fishing for Pike, with lures that a musky may hit. But we were targeting Pike and had a great time. Pike season is open and legal and we should not have to wait to target Pike until Musky Season is open, just because a Musky may hit our Pike baits. We did catch a smallmouth and it was quickly released back to the water. Someone could have accused us of the same thing on the St. Louis River yesterday, but they would have been wrong because we were targeting Pike. So I too would be careful to judge in this case. You could make the same argument for Bass vs. Walleye season. Look at the "What was your First Fish Caught of 2006" post, there were a lot of Bass. When you are trolling a minnow, worm, leech you are going to catch some bass, this doesn't mean you are targeting them. It is just a fisherman's responsibility to do what is right if you catch an accidental fish.

[porschevy]

Bob,

I understand your point, and I am going to let this be the last my voice is heard on this subject... But if we are going to do something as citizens about someone fishing early (no human harm) then we should also do something about others when they are not driving safely (possible human harm).

Thanks,

Adam

[TSCTSC]

Hear hear!!!

[BobT]

You are absolutely correct! As is most everyone else, I am guilty as charged. Just think of the effect on traffic flow if we all did our part and reported what we saw. Speeding, passing on shoulder, running red lights and stop signs, failure to use turn signals, etc.

What about other illegal activities. Most of these continue because we rely solely on our law enforcement to handle the situation until we get tired of it enough to get involved. For example, meth labs, drug deals on the street, muggings, beatings, murder, prostitution, etc. How many of us would actually get involved or would we just turn the other way and avoid the situation?

Law enforcement can only do so much. If we truly want order, we should be doing our part as well.

Bob

[dovix]

Should you care? Sure. Should you let it sour your day? No way. If it makes you feel better, call TIP, but then do yourself a favor and let it go. We're all out on the water to relax and have a little fun, some of us follow "the rules" and some don't. If you get your undies in a bunch every time you see someone catch a bass a day early, make a wake in a "No Wake" zone, or violate the 30 second rule when backing their trailer in next to the dock you're just going to decrease your enjoyment of what should be a lovely day on the water.

As for this exact situation, we have very little control of exactly what strikes our lures, and big baits catch big fish. Maybe they were targetting big pike, maybe they were targetting musky, big lures and figure 8's aren't species specific. If they were nervously glancing over their shoulders, they probably weren't enjoying the sport as much as they should have been.

[harvey lee]

I always have the cell phone in the boat and I'am ready to use it and have.I do not like when someone else is taking to many.If everyone did this they would do some real damamge for my fishing and my childrens and yours.If you want to catch more than a limit,release them.It is hard to tell when someone is fishing for pike or muskie,or crappies or eyes.Most are honest and we can let the CO's take care of the rest.If they were legal then fine and if they get away with it,it will make them think before they choose to do it again.

The DNR does not have the resourses to catch them all,so as a good sportsman we need to help them police the waters.

[78cj5]

Quote:

---

Should you care? Sure. Should you let it sour your day? No way. If it makes you feel better, call TIP, but then do yourself a favor and let it go. We're all out on the water to relax and have a little fun, some of us follow "the rules" and some don't. If you get your undies in a bunch every time you see someone catch a bass a day early, make a wake in a "No Wake" zone, or violate the 30 second rule when backing their trailer in next to the dock you're just going to decrease your enjoyment of what should be a lovely day on the water.

---

I think if you reread my post, I didn't express any undo angst. In fact, now that I reread it, I sound pretty laid back...

[Slyster]

What is the "30 second rule"? Haven't heard of that one.

[walleyefisher0990]

i believe he was refering to the 30 minute rule. could be wrong though.