Steelhead fishing

[mr. 3 wt.]

Turn him in if my cell reception is working and it looks like he should know better. . I did have a heart to heart with a newbie last year who was walking around a gravel bar on the Eel with a dead wild steelhead on a stringer. I told him the law and the ethics side of releasing wild steelhead. He felt bad and said it wouldn't happen again and I told him that was his one chance cause next time he would be reported.

[speyfool]

Hard to know what I'd do. There are a lot of variables that would alter my decisions. I've seen newbies poaching that didn't know they were poaching. In those cases, I'd say something in a friendly manner. If they looked like they were doing it on purpose, I'd try to judge if they were dangerous or not. If not, I'd probably say something. If so, I'd walk away and report them.

Someone who hooks a fish on the outside of the mouth may not know that they were doing something wrong.

BTW, isn't there some company now promoting a rig that purposefully hooks trout on the outside of the mouth? The flies aren't on hooks, but rather on flexible material, and the hook is a few inches down the line. The idea is for the fish to go after the fly, but get hooked (flossed?) by the bare hook.

[stevie steelhead]

I talked with my local DFG officer.
If you feel safe, he recommended writing down his license # etc.
When I asked him about a "citizens arrest", he said that I could do that, but do not touch or do anything else, but ask for their fishing license and tell them that you are doing a citizens arrest.
I am waiting to try this on the Trinity where there are poachers, snaggers, and many un-licensed folks.

[mikel]

What I've done on the lower kings C&R section is get a picture and license plate and call caltip. No idea of the outcome...

Speyfool, yes I saw a video of that no hook fly deal. It's like putting a bead 6" above a circle hook. You hook the outside of the jaw (or the cheek or the eye)...not my style. I have hooked steelies in the cheek with my bottom fly while nymphing. I think it's like that...they hit the top fly and you end up flossing them.-Mike