Went to a local community pond and I was fishing for some bass. When a guy and it looked to be his grandson pulled up and started pulling sunfish/bluegill and some little bass in a bucket. I was kind of weary about him as I watched him for twenty minutes. I then called the hotline and turned him in when I saw them but number ten in the bucket. The Division of Wildlife react to these fast and if you have names or a licence plate number they will meet them at there house. That is what this fish cop did. The fish cop kept in touch with me the whole time told me what he was doing and how he was taking care of it. He told me the guy was putting the fish in his own pond in his backyard, he was over the limit (since all community ponds are only two fish no matter what species), transportation of a live fish. He said there were a few other violations but I can not remember them all. He did say that he was going to enforce it to the fullest which is awesome. So if you see anything questionable call the hotline it is on your licence.
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The community ponds is about the #1 place that makes me
when I see a poacher. It is bad enough that the ponds are usually small and take ALOT of pressure. Usually I threaten them with the call and they put them back immediately. Not once have I seen a guy that won't do that when I confront them.
At first when I read the title I thought the "bucket biologist" part had to do with him taking them to another pond/lake. I wonder how often they even find the guys that do things like putting White Bass in Deer Creek etc? Stuff like that really does hurt the enviornment and fisheries that we enjoy. Sure this guy might not have been damaging another lake or something but if he could catch them with such frequency I must ask "why take them home to a pond?" Ha, probably to let them grow up a bit to actually make it worth filleting and eating right!
Imagine if he would have only taken his 2 limit for a few days or more. Would anyone have been the wiser?
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Nice work. Those ponds are intended for little kids...and all it takes is a few of those types of people to ruin the community fishery for everyone. In the spring this year there were a few folks who would go "pond skimming" (which is taking your limit from one pond, going home, and going to a different pond to catch more). The poatchers, pond skimmers, and cullers got so bad at the Sandy Pond that they were threatening to make the place an age 12 and under pond...meaning no adults. Community ponds are one of the few places where I practice selective harvest due to the small size of the pond and extreme pressure. In community ponds where there is no stocking program I release all my fish. I know...kinda hard to believe[
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Semper fi, ha ha. Nice job.
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Nice job on the call....however it really seems like the rules on those ponds are a joke. I haven't been to a single one this year without someone breaking every rule there is and getting away with it. At this point I would rather them out on the real water plenty breaking the law there to but would rather those guys get caught then the community ponds.
Before anyone starts arguing. I do like law breakers caught regardless....just pointing out that you could have a fish cop at a community pond all day and probably never stop writing tickets.
Maybe they could hire the Mantua Cop to cover all the ponds!!!!! MONEY IN THE BANK WITH THAT GUY.
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Mantua has a fish cop? Thought all that guy did was write parking tickets..[:p]
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Toadly!!!!!! EXACTLY :-) You are correct...but he could be worthless some where else :-)
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