Fishing Forum

Not reading the proclamation can be a costly mistake

VERNAL — When Dan Barnhurst, conservation officer for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, walked up to the young couple, he knew they would be unhappy. There were 61 bluegill spread all over the ice. The bluegill limit for Pelican Lake is 10 per angler.

"It was a costly mistake," Barnhurst said. "The young couple had 41 bluegill over the limit. They hadn't bothered to check the proclamation. There was another mistake as well; one angler was fishing with two poles. Two poles are legal on some warm-water fisheries, including Pelican, but you need to have a permit, and he didn't."

Not paying attention to the rules cost the couple $854.

"The Uinta Basin is rich in its diversity of fishing opportunities," Barnhurst said. "Within an hour's drive, Basin anglers can enjoy excellent fishing for bluegill, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, tiger muskie and five species of trout: rainbow, lake, brown trout, brook and the native Colorado River cutthroat, plus a hybrid or two.

"We want anglers to enjoy these exceptional opportunities without having bad experiences," he said. "The first step for doing that is to check the fishing proclamation."

Managing for quality fishing often takes special regulations. "Fishermen have the responsibility of knowing the regulations before they wet a line in an unfamiliar water," Barnhurst said. "Ignorance is not a valid excuse. Conservation officers have a saying * 'either they knew and didn't care or didn't care enough to know.'"

Increased opportunity means anglers need to consult the proclamation each year. Barnhurst offers some advice, as rules do change from year to year: In the front of the proclamation is a "changes" page that highlights some of the changes that affect anglers statewide. There is also an alphabetical list of waters with special regulations. Check the changes page, and then look up your favorite waters to see if there are any changes. Before driving to a water you're unfamiliar with, check the proclamation list to see if that water has a special regulation.

"We would prefer not to have to issue citations," Barnhurst said. "We would rather anglers learn and follow the rules. But when they know and don't care, or don't care enough to know, we need to send them a message."

Anglers, boaters and others out enjoying the outdoors can help. If you see a violation, please report it to the division's Help Stop Poaching Hotline: * DEER (3337) for cell phones or 1-800-662-DEER.
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They certainly caught more fish than I did at Pelican!
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Try using two poles
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I'd like to read more stories like that.

I'm always amazed by the many posts here on BFT where ignorance of the proclamation is painfully obvious.

I do not care if that guy Barnhurst (C.O.) knew the couple WOULD NOT be happy forking out $854, because some people needs to learn their lesson to read the proclamation every year. It pays to learn how to read and know the law.

Yipee yay for Barnhurst to slap them with that hefty fine!!!! It shows that people needs to wake up and smell the awfully stinky fishy fines, and that the C.O. is doing his job to enforce the law. I wished we had more C.O. around every lakes, and rivers to ensure quality fishing in this state.
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[size 1]"Try using two poles
[/size][red][size 3]LUVR" [/size][/red]

[black][size 2]I did (and I have a two-pole permit) and it didn't help.[/size][/black]

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Then you didn't do the proper fish dance prior to or during fishing. For lessons on fish dancing contact Mikecromaine. He put on a fish dance clinic at the Utah Lake Carp party.
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What? No response from Mike? It's 9am Mike, Time to get your butt up, get to work and respond. At least get to work! LOL Al
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YOU BOTH CAN KISS MY BASS LOL AL JUST REMEMBER THIS SHORT PEOPLE HAVE NO REASON TO LIVE...... OH JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS AL IS A MIDGET ON STILTS..... AND FISHLUVR IS 100% FREAK I LIKE YOU BOTH I THINK .....[]
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