I was hanging out at a local fishery last weekend, and was surprised by a warden??? He hiked into the canyon to check my license I guess.... Anyways he checked license and hooks. He decided one hook was not pinched down enough. He asked if I had pliers... I gave him my flat tipped pliers and he pinched down the hook some more... Well no ticket or hassle, so I asked him how much the ticket is. He said $440 for not pinching barbs or if you are using bait, and it doubles if you have a fish in possession.Â
I told him people poach this river all the time. He said he knows all about it as he has been fishing the river for many years. Three wardens for one big county, I can't catch them all... He did say that poachers will in the end have to pay.  Eventually the ticket goes to your paycheck or to DMV.
its a good rule in general to pinch barbs for the saftey of the fish anyway but did he only check the hook you were using that moment or did he check all unused hooks too?
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If people concentrated on the really important things in life there'd be a shortage of fishing rods
I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago on the American a warden jumpeed out of the bushes as I was walking up the bank at the end of my fishing day, it was about 30 min after sunset. He almost got a face full of fishing rod. Anyway he checked my licence and hooks, this area was barbless. He pulled out a cotton ball and ran the hook through it. The barbs were pinched but still hung up a little. He said I could write you up for this but You showed intent by pinching the barb and let it go at that. He said I should buy barbless hooks and I told him they are hard to find. HE agreed and that was that. I looked in the fish and game regs and never saw anything asbout a coton ball test. Barbless hooks are hard to find. Just throwing in my 2 cents.
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God does not subtract from your life the hours you spend fishing. Â Â Herbert Hoover.
Hey Otter, Thanks for the heads up! I'll be taking the time to insure the barbs are as flat as I can get them from now on. Glad the warden was willing to work with you. Have a great season, Viking
I have had a warden pull out a ball of cottonwool......???? sticks the fly in and if a thread comes back out he deemed the hook to still have a barb ??!!!
Like with Otter, even though I failed the test, he worked with me as he saw I had pinched the barbs and asked me to be more careful in future. I now carry a hook file with me especially for the occasion when the tip of the barb breaks and doesn't lay flat.
Taking in the wardens "test" if I am not sure I just stick the hook into my shirt....comes out clean I'm A OK if not I get the file out.
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"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn." - Anon.
Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
-- Edited by AfricanAngler on Monday 8th of February 2010 02:06:23 PM
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"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn." - Anon.
ya ur telling me, i think its that hat u been wearing, u should wear it leaving your house, but put on the true fishing hat when u get in the car. lol. dont want to make the significant other mad.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
I don't know where DFG came up with the cotton ball. It is definitely not in the general regulations that your fly must pass smoothly through a cotton ball. My best suggestion is that you don't argue with the man.... The DFG guy I was talking to said that the only ticket he has written for a bad barbless hook was to a guy that did not pass the attitude test. The guy was arguing so much that the warden gave him a ticket.
What happened Alastair? Did you lose your lucky Pink Sandals on your float down the Trinity? Man those were some nice Trinity steelies!! Try some big orange or yellow mottled 10mm beads, I am sure you could get some from the guy whose name starts with a B......
Try some big orange or yellow mottled 10mm beads, I am sure you could get some from the guy whose name starts with a B......
There are hard plastic beads on the market called "Trout Beads" that melt right onto hooks. All one does is heat up the hook with a cigarette lighter and press the bead onto the hook shank. Trout Beads are available in different colors including mottled ones.
I don't know where DFG came up with the cotton ball. It is definitely not in the general regulations that your fly must pass smoothly through a cotton ball. My best suggestion is that you don't argue with the man.... The DFG guy I was talking to said that the only ticket he has written for a bad barbless hook was to a guy that did not pass the attitude test. The guy was arguing so much that the warden gave him a ticket.
I will second that! The attitude test is the most imporntant. I think the Cotton ball is more of a tactic to make you think about what a barbless hook is supposed to do. Not catch on anything. I will tell you it made me think.
Â
-- Edited by timmosazz on Thursday 11th of February 2010 11:46:50 AM
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God does not subtract from your life the hours you spend fishing. Â Â Herbert Hoover.
Try some big orange or yellow mottled 10mm beads, I am sure you could get some from the guy whose name starts with a B......
There are hard plastic beads on the market called "Trout Beads" that melt right onto hooks. All one does is heat up the hook with a cigarette lighter and press the bead onto the hook shank. Trout Beads are available in different colors including mottled ones.
AB
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I've made a few of those. I think they're called the Tobey egg.
Pink crocs are still around but I have been getting in my waders and boots at home lately and not wearing the magic shoes to the water. With 5 skunks in a row now the crocs are going to be worn to the stream and if that doesn't work I might have to start wading in the damned things. As to the "unlucky" hat I haven't given up on it yet but if it I don't have a good day with it on shortly it will be in the never to be worn again pile!!!!!
As to the suggestions I will try the mottled beads.... i have tried out some pretty big globugs and suckerspawns but will take on the advice and try them beads.
And if all this fails look out for a yard sale at my house there will be some good gear going cheap!!!
-- Edited by AfricanAngler on Thursday 11th of February 2010 02:17:37 PM
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"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn." - Anon.
I know this post is kind of old, but I had DFG come down and check me at Putah. He checked my barb and license. He said that my barb was fine and he knows that it is hard to get them down all the way, but he did ask me to fill out my height and weight on my fishing license....i guess I've been kinda half ass'n it for the last 18 years (I never filled them out all the way). It seems to me that the DFG has had orders from the top to tighten their bootstraps and make enforcement top priority. Good to see! I thanked the DFG officer for coming down to check me and I told him that almost all the bait fishermen I see are fishing the other bank on the RV side. He thanked me for the tip and wished me luck on the creek.
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Fly Fishing is not a choice, it's a necessity. My ex girlfriends just couldn't understand that!
"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn." - Anon.
