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got out on the Columbia for sturgeon for the first time this year on Saturday. Beautiful morning until the wind picked up around 10am. Fishing above a hole near Kalama. Caught one keeper and a shaker. Fished herring, roll mop, crawlers, but caught both fish on a Sturgeon Candy squid. Fishing in about 55 feet of water above a 100+ foot hole. There was a boat anchored in the hole that fished it all day without a bite. Fish & Wildlife boat stopped by taking survey, and said no other sturgeon boats were having much luck that day. Probably my 10th or 12th interface with F&W on the water in the past four years, and not once has anyone asked to see my license. I talked to a F&W officer at Silver Lake last summer for a good 10 minutes about how the fishing was there, where the fish were,etc. But no license check. How are they going to catch poachers if they're not checking?

afk

2/8/2012 9:12:00 PM

Any good law enforcement can tell if you are in a hurry, look sheepish or shady. IMHO

Darcscout

2/8/2012 10:58:00 PM

If they're fish checkers, all they do is check fish. They're not allowed to enforce laws, only game wardens.

Trout_hunter

2/9/2012 6:52:00 PM

OK, didn't know about the fish checker distinction. afk, I hope you're right. All of us who pay for licenses and support F&W programs should be outraged at those who don't. And if I can go years without a license check, I have to wonder how small a percentage of the "fishermen" out there are licensed...

Trout_hunter

2/9/2012 7:17:00 PM

OK, didn't know about the fish checker distinction. afk, I hope you're right. All of us who pay for licenses and support F&W programs should be outraged at those who don't. And if I can go years without a license check, I have to wonder how small a percentage of the "fishermen" out there are licensed...

rickydbasser

2/10/2012 9:28:00 AM

I was once approached by a game warden at a boatlaunch. He asked me if I caught any bass. I told him I had caught several, but they were al catch and release. After thanking me for releasing my fish we had a long conversation about bass fishing in general. Finally I asked him if he would like to see my license. He said basically said the same thing afk said. He watches a person's dimeanor, and, as in my case, as he said, "Anyone who has obviously spent as much money on boat and tackle as I can see you have, certainly isn't going to scrimp on a fishing license." But he did say to always remember to hang my permit where it is visible from the outside of the vehicle. Tickets are given for that laps in memory whether a fisherman has a license or not. And forget about game wardens. At American Lake I saw a Lakewood policeman giving out tickets for that very infraction.

Trout_hunter

2/10/2012 9:51:00 AM

Good point rickydbasser! I have occasionally got back in my car after a days fishing and realized I forgot to hang the vehicle permit. Been lucky so far. Maybe someday they'll issue those on paper that doesn't fade out after the first day sitting in the sun.

rhodes

2/10/2012 11:22:00 AM

game biologists frequent the same body of waters and drive game dept rigs but dont pretend to be wardens..... acase of not quite the same'
RHO

gregsalmon

7/13/2014 3:52:00 PM

Usually game wardens try to check the people who do NOT have licenses.

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