[size 1]I WAS RECENTLY FISHING WITH MY WIFE ON LAKE CACHUMA IN CALIFORNIA, WHILE WE WERE STOPPED BY FISH AND GAME FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A ROUTINE LICENSE INSPECTION TURNED OUT HE WAS WATCHING MY WIFE WITH BINOCULARS AS SHE DISCARDED A CIGARETTE INTO THE LAKE ACCORDING TO THE OFFICER. HE WROTE HER UP FOR A MISDEMEANOR OF FISH AND GAME CODE 5652. HAS ANYONE EVER RECIEVED A TICKET SUCH AS THIS AND WHAT KIND OF FINES DOES THIS CARRY? IS THERE A WAY TO FIGHT THIS? [/size]
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[size 1]your best bet is to go in front of the magistrate and plea guilty and ask for a 100 hours of community service to keep this off your record.
you have not a chance of beating this since you have a witness against you.
the fine can be any where from $500 to $2500 depending where you were. (if you decide to fight it and lose you will be faced with the heavest fines posible plus cort cost)
It is best to say you have learned that this is a mistake and you wish to make amends.
chances are good that she will be faced with picking up cigerett buts. out of a park some where.
15% of all forest fires are caused by cigarett butts
30% of all house fires are caused by cigarett butts
I am not against any one who smokes, I did smoke at one time and for the most part quit. I still use a pipe or cigar on seldom ocations.
Please if you are going to smoke, do so responcibly, just like drinking, you can effect the lives of those around you, weather it be human or animal and plant.
rule of thumb, if you carried it in to the woods or on the water then you are expected to carry it out of the woods or off the water.
this is not so much a moral issue as it is a personal constitutional issue.
just like flinging a fish hook, dont axidently hook some one in the eye while casting, pay attention to what you are doing and be deliberate in your actions. [/size]
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Hey there Shaka,
First of all, just curious about the 'Shaka'handle. What characters do you use to write it, other than hiragana?
Anywho, there is a wierd thing going on concerning smoking and butts. There's a couple of lakes up in northern California and maybe some in so cal (???Lake Perris????) that actually have a no smoking regulation. Don't shoot me on the Perris thing if my memory slipped. Up north, it's not due to fire hazard but because (??urban myth??) somebody put out a report that cigarette filters where found in the stomachs of poor little trout undigested and was the cause of their demise.
As davetclown has wisely advised, be real nice and polite to the judge, as I'm sure you would be anyway. You see, I've heard of some DFG cases being tried by judges specifically on the bench for the DFG. Gulp!
Good luck, If your wife has to do a couple of 100 hours of community service for what she did, hey! that just means you've got a little time to yourself to go fishing on the multi-day trip you've been looking at!
JapanRon
a.k.a. tsurikichi
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Hello Guys! Ouch Shaka,
Sorry to hear that! I have only had 1 fish and game ticket and it was for an undesigniated campfire. I can tell you this DON'T MISS COURT! The buddy I was with missed his court date and was picked up on a failure to appear. The problem is it is a Failure to appear on a Fedral Court. He spent the weekend at Terminal Island Fedral Prison! Definetly overkill for an undesignated campfire! Sorry to hear it and good luck Shaka!!!!
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Shaka: Whew.....Thought I'd heard it all. One insight maybe, a slim one. I know a guy who was cited as he pulled away from a fishing spot and dumped an empty can of worm dirt overboard. They caught him at the dock and not only cited him for "chumming" worm dirt, he was cited for too many jars of salmon eggs in his tackle box. The Wardens' reaction is the all timer,"tell it to the judge!" In our trout tourney we don't even wash our hands in the lake.
Why don't we get together and get some one from the policing Dept. of the Fish and Game onto these boards? We could get some reasonable reactions to some highly un-reasonable actions by law inforcement
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[cool]Wonder what the penalty would be for dumping a "tin can latrine", as I have witnessed on so many lakes. Then again, a lot of boaters just "cut out the middleman" and "download" right into the water. If the punishment fit the crime that might do something for population control. Might even put you up before judge Lorena Bobbitt.
I once got a ticket for fishing with two rods, in Utah, for having a second rod hanging off the back of my float tube, with the lure touching the water...only six inches from the rod tip. Some of our officers take their jobs far too seriously. Cost me a day off work to appear, and a $75 fine from an unsympathetic judge.
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Im suprised that he didnt charge you for littering!!!!!!
Aaron
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IF YOUR IN A TUBE HOW ANYONE GONNA KNOW WHEN YOU LET LOOSE ON THE WATER? DONT GET ME WRONG I CARRY AROUND A GATORADE BOTTLE WITH ME. MY WIFE THINKS ITS THE NASTIEST THING.
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[cool]We insiders of the tubing persuasion refer to that as "stealth bombing". In warm water conditions, where waders are not necessary, who's to know when you flavor the water a little? Whenever I paddle through a warm spot in the lake, I wonder who was there before me. A good argument for bottled water if you receive water from that reservoir.
I always advocate collecting "bilge water" and properly disposing of it when you get back on shore. I used to use heavy duty plastic bags...until one broke. I anticipated the time when I might be able to use one as a surface to surface missile for obnoxious boaters or PWC, but never got the chance.
I do not doubt that you are ecological minded, as are most true sportsmen. It is a shame that an overzealous officer chose you to make an example of, when so many others are purposely doing much worse things to not only the water but the shorelines too. I feel your pain...and frustration.
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Hey there gvanzant,
Boy I'll tell ya! I hate to see any fishing board get quasi-political but some topics effect the quality of our recreation and, to some such as me, lifestyle one just needs to scream out whatever. I agree, the fox should watch the chickens. ha ha No offence meant my good buddy.
I have just experienced an episode of selective treatment (no tickets issued, that's the problem)and know that no answers will be forth-coming from the 'powers that be' as some feel there judgement on something WILL be the final word.
JapanRon
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The BOTTOM LINE,IN "MY" Opinion as a Smoker,NOT FOREVER,The &*%#@ $$$$ Money Hungry F#&*# GOVERNMENT,would prefer to allow the very profitable "Tobbacco Corp's" around,because,the revenue they generate,through ENFORCEMENT! not to mention,the Funding for Government Official's to send there children to college,and the entire blame game,and the fleeceing of United States!Our own Gov. Mr.Betty DAVIS,today announced to raise MORE Taxes on Tobacco,to Save and Recover the States Deficiate.The Truth is POLITICAL SPENDING IS WHY WE ARE "BROKE" IN CALIFORNIA,and hideing behind,the Smoke Screen,Is what the U.S. has done for years.ScapeGoats,to fill there pockets,and the DRUG of NICOTINE,to Calm' you down,when necessary.Even Wonder Why The Price Of Cigarettes,is Up and Down? Keep On Grinding! p.s. For those who Don't Smoke and love bashing smoker's,"TRUST ME,BIG BROTHER,HAS HAD YOUR $$$ SIZED UP,A LONG TIME AGO TOO!" hint? "the Best Part Of Wakeing Up is F______'s in your Cup" Wake UP!"FOLDGERS," I' mean "Soldier!"
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Hey there ROMEROFISHERKING,
I must appologize for never having any topics on this board where you might have a strong opinion! ha ha I am a non-smoker and still I feel your pain. Especially, as you say, our fishing, hunting and outdoors related activities are next, and for this board's main topic, what's of foremost importance.
Seriously, I understand your frustration. I would only ask that as our boards are viewed by kids, and just as importantly monitored by parents for their youngsters, that we don't get those youngsters started wondering what all those %$#&!? between key letters mean. I haven't too much of them on the boards here either, regardless as to whether some of them might be able to give us multipule choice answers. ha ha
I also support reasonable resistance to any unjustified curtailment of activities or legislation i.e. laws, taxes or fees that is meant to stop fishing and just as important access to fishing.
I bet we all feel better now. And back to fishing!
your buddy,
JapanRon
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