OSP needs help (fishing closed waters on Walla Walla river)

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Anyone recognize this dude? Want to make a quick $200?

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OSP Fish & Wildlife Seeks Assistance Identifying Angler - Umatilla County (Photo)​



UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore. 20 Jan. 2025 – The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is asking for the public's help to identify the person(s) captured on camera while unlawfully angling on the Walla Walla River near Milton-Freewater.

On Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, 2024, an individual was photographed while angling with what appeared to be trout/steelhead fishing gear. Trout and warmwater fish angling on the Walla Walla River had been closed since Oct. 31, 2024, and steelhead angling was not allowed during 2024.


Anyone with information is asked to contact Oregon State Police Dispatch at 1-800-452-7888, *OSP (*677), or email at TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Please reference case number #SP25-014838.
 
Does Oregon fisheries/OSP do this a lot? I can't remember WDFW or WSP caring about a poacher this much in the past. Perhaps I just don't pay attention to the right places. Or perhaps there's more to this story than meets the eye?
 
I used to fish this stretch of the river in the 60's and 70's, I'm old, before fly fishing but only in the summer for trout and often in very hot weather. So this post brought back a happy memory. I'm surprised it's closed in Oregon when per regulations it's open in Washington. It must have been a special closure last year as I don't see it in the regs book. If he's poaching I hope they get him. But it should be worth more than $200.
 
Yeah, it's open for steelhead in WA August thru April, I wonder if he's a Washington angler and unknowingly wandered below the state line.
I just did a Google Maps street view on the major road there that crosses the state line hoping I'd see a "Welcome to Oregon" sign, but I don't see one.

I always try to think the best of someone before knowing all the facts, because I have made mistakes like that more times than I care to remember.
 
I don't, and if I'd seen him I would have approached him and on my best behavior explain that it's currently not open. Done it before, usually people are confused, or just don't know any rules it seems. AFTER THAT I'm going for the $200.
Usually it seems ODFW posts hunting rewards that I see. Seems following through with enforcement is important to them on things like this.
Two days tells me poacher, because he should have checked for regulation changes anyway.
 
Merle said:
Yeah, it's open for steelhead in WA August thru April, I wonder if he's a Washington angler and unknowingly wandered below the state line.
I just did a Google Maps street view on the major road there that crosses the state line hoping I'd see a "Welcome to Oregon" sign, but I don't see one.

I always try to think the best of someone before knowing all the facts, because I have made mistakes like that more times than I care to remember.
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When I lived there I always bought licenses in both Ore and Wa. Still do today. There are other streams that cross the state line but I didn't have to worry. Just fish contentedly.
 
This is strange. I've never seen a posting such as this for unlawful angling before. And it appears he's flyfishing. I agree, there must be more to this story than just a guy fishing out of season.
 
GAT said:
This is strange. I've never seen a posting such as this for unlawful angling before. And it appears he's flyfishing. I agree, there must be more to this story than just a guy fishing out of season.
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I thought the same. Usually there’s only bounties if/when said angler is killing something like bull trout and putting beer cans in Their mouths.
 
In my experience OSP is responsive to reports of people fishing closed waters. If they are retaining fish it moves them into the bounty category.
 
Pretty sure that's the guy off Duck Dynasty.
He probably has a decoy tied to the end of the fly line.

Amazing how them birds pile in with just a little decoy motion.
 
Is it just me or is he holding the rod weird? Like he's holding it from below the handle and the reel? Maybe he's got a fly reel on a conventional rod? That color fly line, while there's nothing wrong with it per se, does scream "beginner's combo reel with fly line" to me.
 
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I'd be more concerned about someone killing wild trout in a C&R fishery and hiding them in their beer cooler ... which I've seen happen in the past. That was before the days of smart phones with cameras and they grabbed their cooler and took off when they saw me.
 
Crummy fishing days...the river (like most around here) were on the steep rise...12/13 avg flow at Pepper Bridge (near State Line) about 74 cfs, on 12/16 was 137...
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I'm not saying fly guys can't be poachers. But 95% of the adults I have encountered purposely fishing closed waters have been holding gear rods. The few fly dudes I've run into fishing closed waters have just seemed clueless (or VERY good at pretending to be so). Like a dude who just got his first fly rod, for example.

Now, is this because there are just more gear fishers than fly? Probably. But the point remains. If you tell me a fly guy is fishing closed water, I'm going to bet my $10 that it's because he's clueless rather than he's trying to poach fish.

That said, I don't live where there is good trout water to poach (or even good salmon/steelhead water with a fly rod). I suspect that more people are fishing closed waters with a fly rod in places with better trout fishing.
 
Tom Butler said:
I don't, and if I'd seen him I would have approached him and on my best behavior explain that it's currently not open. Done it before, usually people are confused, or just don't know any rules it seems. AFTER THAT I'm going for the $200.
Usually it seems ODFW posts hunting rewards that I see. Seems following through with enforcement is important to them on things like this.
Two days tells me poacher, because he should have checked for regulation changes anyway.
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This👍👍👍…. The dude has a rod in his hand, not a stringer of fish…
 
Dollars to Doughnuts he got it for Xmas and just hit the closest water to try and sort out the whippy pole while rocking his duck hunting gear.

Who knows. Maybe whoever took the pic saw him keeping fish. Seems like a lot of fuss over just fishing closed waters. If a first offense the fine wouldn't even be $200.
 
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