Man, good thing you were only there an hour or the Medical Lake bait police would have fined you! Dude, can you say "restricted lake, no bait allowed"?

RaffenG...where were you????

Yeah you might not want to use bait on that lake! Nice fine if you get caught there a friend of a friend got busted there last year using bait can't remember the amount tho.

It is every SPORTSMAN'S responsibility to protect our Sport by following the rules. There is NO excuse for not being aware of special rules. You get a free copy of Washington Fishing Regulations when you buy your license...
The rules are not hidden deep in fine print and they are in plain English.
In fact someone has even posted signs reminding folks of the special rules at Medical Lake.

This fella is lost like easter eggs! Who in their right mind would dime themselves out in a report?! Unfortunately, poaching will continue to happen because rarely is there a warden or police presence on this lake. People will continue to poach this wonderful body of water until word gets out that it won't be tolerated. However, that's not the case....I haven't seen a warden there all year, and I'm down there nearly every day. They KNOW the hot spots are the cliffs, launch and the area between the launch and the beach. I don't know what's up now, they used to scuff em up. Must be a money thing.

Man, I'm really getting worked up over this! "This is my prize", the poacher wrote......that fish, and others like it, attained that size due to caring sportsmen and the lake's selective regs put in place by the WDFW and City of Medical Lake. Sure, it's only one fish some might say, but this happens a lot, more than people think. I've seen people in the early A.M. hours, hoods drawn over their heads and faces, hustling to their cars with stringers of these fish (not 2 mind you, but 4-5 apiece). I've encountered so many poachers and folks with motor boats (despite the HUGE sign that says NO MOTORS OF ANY KIND) down there this year that I don't even like to fish it anymore. I'm dead serious....I'm not making it up, this lake get hammered.

I say cut him some slack. Everyone makes mistakes. Obviously his intent wasn't to poach, like those "hoody" guys. He just simply made a mistake. Now, based on some of these comments, he'll likely never post another report. There's always more then one way to handle things, I think you holier then thous went the wrong way here.

FishFearMe, you may very well be correct.....the guy probably made a mistake and maybe we should cut him some slack. Can you tell I've calmed down now? But this happens on such a regular basis on Medical that many of us have trouble with the "mistake" theory! I don't hunt deer in GMU 121 with my rifle during September because I can't...that's archery season. I don't take two deer a year with only one tag....that would be illegal. I don't fish Medical, Amber or Coffeepot Lakies earlier than March 1st....because they're not open yet. Where do I find all this wonderful information? Take a wild guess. And if being a concerned, law-abiding sportsman paints me as a "holier than thou" type, then so be it.

Here's my story. I apologize for using bait on the lake. I asked around and the other people on the water told me what they were using. If I had known these were the rules then I wouldn't have done it. I appreciate regulations...and granted there is a pamphlet I could have read, but I happened to find myself there and i dropped a line in. I didn't keep the fish...so you guys all have free play at him. Again, I made a mistake...it'll never happen again. Happy fishing to you guys, i was there for a bout 15 minutes caught one fish and put him back. I am not a poacher, I have paid for a fishing license since I was 12 years old, and missed the regulations on one lake.

So you let him go? This Sportsman wants to let you know your fingers are buried in the gills (in your picture) and that fish probably won't make it. And you should NEVER use bait if you plan to release a fish. That is nothing new, that has been common knowledge for decades and it even covers this in the regulations for dang sakes. I have to wonder what your story will change to now?
The real point is you didn't check the regulations and brushing it off as a "mistake" is not a valid excuse.
Fish and Game laws are as important as any laws.
Fish Fear Me:
If reading and following rules and calling out folks that choose not to check them before they fish ( or they simply ignore them) makes me, or RaffensG worthy of being called names, fine, you can call us names like "Honest" or "Concerned" .
Remember:
Complacency and Apathy have never solved anything.
Speaking up and taking action do.

He said it was a mistake. He had the guts to come back and post it. What I'm trying to say is that there is always more then one way to make a point. Jumping all over a guy and calling him a poacher is one way. Saying "nice fish, you do realize that Medical lake is a restricted fishing lake right?" would accomplish the same thing but not chase someone away. Smooth, since you have NEVER broken a rule before, you go right ahead and cast stones.

FishFearMe is right. The mistake was made, it was pointed out, and the member ate humble pie. Let's cut him a break OK? Truth be told if I had been aware of the regs for this lake I would have never posted the report. But it's done so lets move on and consider it a LEARNING experience. TroutLure, you're a good guy for be upright and not blasting back. I hope you'll share more reports in the future with us.

BTW, I'm not condoning fishing lakes without knowing the regs ahead of time.

some of u people act like u never made a mistake if he were poachin why post look in a mirror and ask am i perfect i bet not live and learn nobody is perfect

Hey I admitted I was wrong...I should have read the regs but I didn't. If I had known it was wrong this whole blog wouldn't even exist because it wouldn't have happened. Let's not spend more time driving home the point...it was well received and I got it. I hope everyone has a great season and I'll continue to post reports...thank you for all your input i appreciate it

I hate to keep going on this but I agree mistakes do happen. I have them all the time. My line breaks, knots fail, lures fall in the water but not knowing the reg's and then saying it is okay and give the guy a break...I do not understand this at all. Poaching is not only fishing out of season or taking more than your limit, it also includes fishing with prohibited gear whether or not you are keeping fish. That being said someone using bait in a bait prohibited lake is poaching. My biggest problem is that the lake is posted at both ends where everyone parks. If I saw a sign that says "Selective Gear Rules" and I did not know what this meant I would look it up in the regs or not fish if I was not sure what that meant. Just because others are doing the same thing, in this case asking other fisherman who are fishing illegally, does not make it okay. And yes I have heard and read of people fishing on the restrictive lakes using gear and fly's with some type of scent (which yes it is bait if you look up the WDFW's definition of bait). So it is not just the spin fisherman who don't follow the rules.

I have fished with RaffenG64 many times and know that he is a stand up guy. He is all for having fun as long as it follows the rules. Hopefully if anything is learned here it is read the regs; either online or in written form. There is no reason that anyone should say "I didn't know".