I spent 6 hours at the creek today and caught a single 12" rainbow at spot #4. The trout had a large hook (maybe #8 or #10) and line embedded deep into its tongue. The line was looped to a large steel clip with a small plastic rod connected to it. Looked like a broken-off section of a larger rig; a long string perhaps to which many hooks are connected, bated and left in the creek, maybe overnight. All that the poacher has to do is stop in the morning, retrieve the rig, collect the fish and drive off.
The trout was very lively and fought hard, evidence of their resilience and adaptability. Always a pleasure to see nature overcome man's misguided deeds.
I didn't imply that DFG uses hooks to catch them. I know the fish are stunned for counting, but how is a tracking device attached to the trout? What does it look like? I'd feel better if I knew that the rig I saw in the trout's mouth was not a poacher's rig.