Fishing Forum

So, we parked on Oregon side and walked out on the ice. None of us had read the Oregon regulations because we were all completely aware of what our own regs said. Well, their regs say you have to be in a floating device to fish from their side. Ours just say you can't fish from the shore including wading and that we can use our regs because we have an Idaho license. "Snake River between Idaho and Oregon or Washington:
The holder of a valid Idaho fishing license may fish the Snake
River where it forms the boundary between the states of Idaho
and Oregon or Washington, subject to the fish and game laws
of Idaho but may not fish from the shore including wading,
and may not fish in sloughs or tributaries on the Oregon or
Washington side. An Oregon or Washington license holder
has the same rights and restrictions with reference to the
Idaho side.
Any angler who fishes on the Snake River or any other water
forming an Idaho boundary is entitled to have in possession
only the limit allowed by one license regardless of the number
of licenses in possession."

We tried to explain to him that the ice is floating and is not supported by the land, but he didn't seem to like that concept. Ice is not a floating device. I agree it is not a device, but it IS floating and should be treated the same as a boat.

So then he decided he was okay with everything, except that we were in a bay. He said if we were beyond the mouth of the bay we would have been fine, which made absolutely no sense to me, but he considered the bay to be a "slough". He has since retracted all of that and we can fish from anywhere outside of the powder river arm on the ice. Don't try to fish from the bank or wade, though. You'll be busted for sure. Ice will be treated like a boat in the future.

Here is the text from a message I received from him today.
Troops, FYI from here on out we will be handling ice anglers on Brownlee (Snake River), (where the River forms the boundary between Oregon and Idaho) just as we handle boats out on Brownlee Reservoir. This means as long as an Idaho ice angler is on the ice they can fish with their Idaho angling license and be fine even if they are on the Oregon side. Idaho is treating Oregon ice anglers on their side the same. If you have questions regarding this matter please contact Lt. Wagner. Thanks

So I have since replied to him with this. Officer Cyr,

Just for the record, we all feared that you were going to cite us on Saturday for something we believed (and still do believe) to be perfectly legal. I want to thank you for doing your due diligence in following up on this matter and for clarifying the rules and enforcement on on both sides of this shared water. I can only hope that this incident will be useful in eliminating confrontation and frustration for other officers and sportsmen alike in the future.

Sincerely,

There's a bit more to the story, but that's the short of it.

Ahh, that does make sense. I was a little unsure myself if I could drive on the Oregon side and then walk out on the ice (or put in my pontoon in the summer) or if I needed to use Steck Park or the Dam. Just be sure you pull in all your lines before you get to shallow water and stand up, I assume.

Glad it all worked out and helped the rest of us, but I don't envy you having to sit through the scrutiny and defend your position.
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Sometimes I think they have a hard time understanding the rules themselves, last year I was filleting my Crappie catch at the end of the day at Spring. I was checked by an Oregon warden, he got upset when he seen I had an Idaho license and told me I could not fillet my catch in Oregon? I never heard that one before.
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It is imperative to know the regulations. I believe some of the wardens rely on their authority to bully sportsmen.There are so many rules and regulations. No matter how legal you think you are being they can always find something to get you on.
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[quote Koke-Fiend]Sometimes I think they have a hard time understanding the rules themselves.[/quote]

I definitely agree with you. We all have a hard time understanding them sometimes. In this case different verbage is used in Idaho than is used in Oregon. That only complicates things. Especially when I only read Idaho's.

[quote customweld]It is imperative to know the regulations. I believe some of the wardens rely on their authority to bully sportsmen.There are so many rules and regulations. No matter how legal you think you are being they can always find something to get you on.[/quote]

It seemed like he was trying to bully us a bit at first. Then when he realized we weren't just going to roll over and take it then things got better. He still kind of seemed to like holding the authority over us and never completely apologized even though he was in the wrong. He really tried hard to find something to get us on. He looked at all our baits, looked into every window of my truck, in the back, in our sleds, etc. He wanted something to get us on for sure. I'm really glad I didn't take my CCW. Oregon doesn't honor Idaho's CCW permits and I'm sure he must have known that I have one. I was a little surprised he didn't ask if I was carrying. In this case I'm glad I wasn't because I normally do.

Well done and a good job on writing your response to his follow up. Thanks for making a difference!
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I got a warning for being tied to a cliff on the bank . My boat was 15 to 20 ' out in the water . I was casting jigs through the rocks . He said as long as I was anchored I was fine . But no part could be on dry land . I didn't use my anchor because it was a clff and fairly deep . Just seemed easier to tie up . Now you have wondering if we were legal .
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In our bass clubs, if we launch in Oregon we have to have Oregon lic and snail tags. If we launch in Idaho we have to have Oregon lic for the powder. If you walked on to the ice in Oregon, common sense would mean a Oregon lic is needed. Better to buy the lic, I'd rather argue with the brainiac at walmart than a warden or judge. Got my lic checked one time when my fishing buddy was taking a dump, didn't have a pole in my hand, but had the potential.
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This is total BS . It should not matter what state you camp on or launch from . If you have a license from either state , you should be legal . Next they will be trying ot draw a line down the middle of the river .
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[quote curt69]This is total BS . It should not matter what state you camp on or launch from . If you have a license from either state , you should be legal . Next they will be trying ot draw a line down the middle of the river .[/quote]

watch out they might..... LOL....
Matt
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Stupid move on their part. If they cared about their local town's economy, they should be inviting all kinds of Idahoans to come to the Oregon side to get on the lake.
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we got questioned hard one year when we were hunting in a general deer unit but camped in a controlled unit. a fairly sought after controlled unit. lol!! just happened that we were way closer to the area we wanted to hunt in from the controlled side. warden was a complete jerk but I new there was nothing illegal going on and we did not cower to his chest thumping.

wardens and/or cops have no right to treat people with disrespect, for NO reason. the ones that do this do not like people who are educated on the law and what their rights are. pisses me off!
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