SFR Most Aggressive Wildlife Agent

Sorta fishing-related
chrome/22

chrome/22

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You've ever interacted with?

I have one from about 1987, was parked above the Raging River fishing the mainstem Snoqualmie River. It was November and was banking it C&R drift fishing for some Chum salmon. Guess a early winter Steelhead was a possibility but not likely.

As I was walking back to my pickup he came flying up in his official rig jumped out in his full on black tactical outfit and somewhat excitedly asked if I'd caught anything.

I replied nothing worth keeping. He asked me if I was sure, I said yes I'm sure then he started inspecting my pick up looking thru the canopy windows. I popped the tail gate down and lifted the back lid to put my gear in as I was moving to another spot. He looked into the empty truck bed, and I said see? Just my spare tire.

He looked a little disappointed then turned tail and tore off down the road. I don't know if he had gotten a report that someone was poaching fish or what.

He just seemed awfully amped up to this mild mannered fisherman and left me shaking my head.

You?
 
My personal experiences with Fish and Wildlife LEO are boring. They've all been relaxed and professional, nothing out of the ordinary.

Sometimes the local sheriffs seem disappointed I have a PFD, noise making device, and my WAP when I'm on the kayak or SUP.
 
Most wardens know that we flyfishers comply to rules and regulations. I’ve been at lakes when they’re checking others and just wave at me. But the most drilling encounter I had was on a west side lake, this one checked everything from barbless flies, PFD, license and if I had a whistle. It was still in the colder months so I said if my ass hits that cold 🥶 water I don’t need no stinkin whistle….I’d be screaming like a little girl!! He didn’t think that was funny so good thing I carry my old playground whistle from recess duty! He thought he had me there….
 
In Washington I've only been checked once, on the upper Bogachiel. He was pleasant, but was very skeptical that winter steelhead were ever caught by fly fishermen.
 
Yeah I can only think of one time a warden was anything but friendly and professional, and that was on a day when there was about 20 snaggers below me and he was writing tickets as fast as he could, literally just walking down the river telling people to go sit down, taking their licenses and going on to the next person.
I was watching the shitshow, so when he asked where my rod was, and I said at home, I'm only here for the laughs, he wasn't too thrilled.
 
On a funnier note, one time I was checked by a gorgeous young rookie warden gal. I was going to say you better check inside my waders….I might be hiding over limit trout….but the male warden she was with probably wouldn’t think that was funny….or worse yet he might’ve checked me?
 
chrome/22 said:
You've ever interacted with?

I have one from about 1987, was parked above the Raging River fishing the mainstem Snoqualmie River. It was November and was banking it C&R drift fishing for some Chum salmon. Guess a early winter Steelhead was a possibility but not likely.
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While his "enthusiasm' could be questioned I would say good for the officer. To my knowledge the Snoqualmie has never been open for chums. The harsh reality is that we as anglers are losing more and more opportunities rising form concerns impacts from anglers intentionally targeting closed season salmon. Doubly so if the salmon are ESA listed.

curt
 
Yeah as far as I can remember it's always been release all Chinook and Chum, could be wrong but fished it a lot in the early 80's and 90's, and that's how I remember it. There was a super hard ass up there at one point who tended to be a bit gruff, but so long ago it's pretty vague in the memory now
 
Smalma said:
While his "enthusiasm' could be questioned I would say good for the officer. To my knowledge the Snoqualmie has never been open for chums. The harsh reality is that we as anglers are losing more and more opportunities rising form concerns impacts from anglers intentionally targeting closed season salmon. Doubly so if the salmon are ESA listed.

curt
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If that's truly the case I'd have appreciated him telling me so, and he didn't.

I was just a clueless kid who's buddy had shown a stretch of water with some salmon in it. He said they make a good practice fish, just release them
 
I was kicked off the Skykomish for trespassing by crossing the railroad tracks. I left with him knowing full well how much of a piece of :poop: he was!

A newer young punk ass bitch trying g to make a name for himself.
 
Bambooflyguy said:
On a funnier note, one time I was checked by a gorgeous young rookie warden gal. I was going to say you better check inside my waders….I might be hiding over limit trout….but the male warden she was with probably wouldn’t think that was funny….or worse yet he might’ve checked me?
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Thats called a trouser trout!
 
I have not met any aggressive wildlife agents in my 65+ years of fishing and I have been checked a number of times. All encounters have been pleasant and often included some joking around too.

My best experience was in Montana on a well known creek. The agent saw me fishing and pulled over onto the side of the road. He motioned to me to show my license. He scoped it and gave me a thumbs up. It saved one of us from a 20 minute trek to meet up while crossing the stream and climbing up/down a steep bank. Nice!
 
Dustin Chromers said:
Nobody at the department fishes anymore so you get a more law enforcement vibe.
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Even if there is some sarcasm in that statement, I think you've nailed a big part of the divide in understanding between the participants and the enforcers.

I noticed the change on the federal lands in Wyoming starting around 2017, when the wardens would show up in full tactical at the take outs. Seemed like overkill to me to have the bullet proof vests, service revolvers on the chest, and tactical shotguns while checking a bunch of middle-aged and geriatric idiots in driftboats trying to row down slow water against 30-mph winds all day.
 
Landlocked said:
Even if there is some sarcasm in that statement, I think you've nailed a big part of the divide in understanding between the participants and the enforcers.

I noticed the change on the federal lands in Wyoming starting around 2017, when the wardens would show up in full tactical at the take outs. Seemed like overkill to me to have the bullet proof vests, service revolvers on the chest, and tactical shotguns while checking a bunch of middle-aged and geriatric idiots in driftboats trying to row down slow water against 30-mph winds all day.
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Not sarcastic at all. Wardens used to be anglers and sportsmen that went into the trade. Now it's cops, ex cops, and or other law enforcement. I got checked and the guy was arguing with me about one of my coho being a king. It took others at the ramp to convince him that it was 2 cohob he was looking at. To me that's unacceptable when coupled with the attitude. I'm generally happy to see enforcement but the quality has dwindled as of late. Rather than bust snaggers abs poachers they are looking for the easy traffic cop buck while actual game crime goes largely unchecked.
 
RCF said:
I have not met any aggressive wildlife agents in my 65+ years of fishing and I have been checked a number of times. All encounters have been pleasant and often included some joking around too.

My best experience was in Montana on a well known creek. The agent saw me fishing and pulled over onto the side of the road. He motioned to me to show my license. He scoped it and gave me a thumbs up. It saved one of us from a 20 minute trek to meet up while crossing the stream and climbing up/down a steep bank. Nice!
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I had the same thing happen to me on that same creek. If your handle is the one. Also had that happen in CO on the Arkansas as well.

I have been checked a handful of times on the beaches during coho season. They’ve always been professional and pleasant. Even cut me some slack fishing a barbed hook accidentally when I first started fly fishing for salmon. His reasoning: “I saw 10 guys cut off their hook or pinch the barb as I was working my way up to you but you did not”. Based on that, I’ll assume it was an honest mistake”. I appreciated that.
 
I caught a little flack from a sheriff's deputy at the Warm Springs boat launch a few years ago. I had a 1911 in a chest holster in the bow of my drift boat. He didn't seem happy about it. Kept asking me questions about it. "What caliber?" "Manufacturer?" things like this. There had been a homicide in a train tunnel along the river close by just a few days prior to that, so I was just taking precautions. He asked if I had a pass to fish the tribal side of the river (I didn't and hadn't planned to). He said "don't get caught with the pistol on tribal land by tribal law enforcement." "They don't take kindly to white folks with guns on their land." He just seemed a little worked up about someone legally carrying a firearm.
 
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