Fish cleaning station - etiquette?

[fishnotphish]

After loading the boat out of Strawberry marina today, I went over to help my boat guests clean their fish at the fish station. The station was busy at that time of day, so I was particularly surprised to see a guy there filleting a pile of cutthroat. As he "processed" each fish, he would add the fillet to a big bag of fillets he had already done -- so I have no idea how long he'd been there or how many he'd done, but it was A LOT. He was filleting them like bass or perch -- not gutting them, just cutting a flap of meat from each side and chucking the rest into the disposal (IMO, a pretty wasteful way to fillet trout).

Posted clearly, in LARGE letters, right at the station, is the statement about it being unlawful to fillet at the reservoir.

I have no idea what his circumstances were -- maybe he was cleaning fish for a lot of people -- but I do know that I am bugged by the outright disregard for the reservoir restrictions, and I wonder what other restrictions are being flatly disregarded.

So what's the protocol should I encounter this again? I thought about calling the guy out, pointing at the large lettered sign five feet from his face, but I figured the guy was either illiterate or just didn't care. I could have tried to find the DWR folks who were collecting data from the boats coming out of the lake, but they didn't seem like they were doing any enforcement. Or should I just look the other way and let it go?
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[TopH2O]

I would suggest you report such a situation if you ever encounter it again. A DWR law enforcement officer could have contacted the man and investigated the circumstances. I would be concerned about an over limit in addition to the filleting violation of the special regs.

There is a chance the man was camping at the lake and intended to consume the fish right away. It wasn't a good idea for the man to fillet the fish in plain view of others who may not have the full story. We pay the officers to sort out these types of cases.
You can call the Help Stop Poaching hotline and they will have an officer sent to the scene. Some basic information such as a vehicle description with license number and any camping site stickers that may have been on the vehicle used by the man would assist a responding officer to fully investigate the case.

Mike
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[Jmorfish]

I think I understand your frustration....watching someone blatantly disregarding a special fishing regulation, at a special place, like Strawberry....I've taught Hunter's Ed for alot of years, and I have NO problem turning in poachers, time theives, or trespassers, and have done so with thanks from DWR....in the end, they are stealing from you and me, and giving hunters a bad rap.....IMO, the same goes for fishing and all the regs., even those we may not agree with, and where DWR personnel are not always near to report to, in most cases we should take a stand, and say something....If you get a feeling that it could turn into something like RoadRage, then maybe just back off.....but you'll always have that 'bad taste' that you should've said something, and maybe he really just couldn't read the sign in front of his nose.....Guluk...
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[Kent]

Recently, I encountered a guy cutting off their heads and tails at the cleaning station at Strawberry. I told the guy,
"Be aware that you will receive a ticket for doing that if a UDWR officer catches you". He said he was from out of state and wasn't aware of that rule and thanked me for pointing it out. In cases similar to this, I have kindly pointed out the infraction and in every case the person was grateful that I had told them. If they reacted negatively I would have just dropped it and decided whether or not I wanted to pursue it further by reporting it.
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[OCF]

I witnessed the same thing one day & said to the guy "not that it is any of my business, but you might want to read this sign". He stated that he was camping in the campground & the fish were going to be consumed in a couple of hours.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, I was camping in the campground. Everywhere in the campground there are signs that state "no fish cleaning". So what is a guy suppose to do? Well, I like my fished filleted when I cook them. So I filleted my fish at the fish cleaning station that were going to be eaten later that day.

Hopefully the conservation officer's have some common sense & recognize the catch 22 that exist for those camping in the area - Just my 2 cents.

I am sure there are those that illegally fillet their fish. As far as the number of fish & cutts being in the slot, that is totally a different issue.
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[smokepoles]

[quote OCF]

Fast forward a couple of weeks, I was camping in the campground. Everywhere in the campground there are signs that state "no fish cleaning". So what is a guy suppose to do? Well, I like my fished filleted when I cook them. So I filleted my fish at the fish cleaning station that were going to be eaten later that day. [/quote]

For myself, I would clean the fish at the station following the regulations. I would then take to camp and prepare the fish for cooking by filleting them followed by proper disposal of remains which might entail taking skeleton back to fish cleaning station.
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[liketrolling]

I think it would be OK to show him the sign about Trout and salmon may not be filleted
I think your fish can be filleted if you cook and eat them the same day at camp.
I may be wrong.
I don't go by the fish station a lot
one time I saw a guy cleaning a 20" cut and I asked him where he got the cut and he said it was a rainbow. and I just left it but you see that people think cuts are rainbows
me the only time I will take a rainbow home is if some one is with me and wants it.
and never take a cut home


Anglers are encouraged to voluntarily
release all cutthroat trout.
Trout and salmon may not be filleted,
and the heads or tails may not be
removed in the field or in transit.
All cutthroat trout from 15 to 22 inches
must be immediately released.
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[Fishrmn]

[quote smokepoles]For myself, I would clean the fish at the station following the regulations. I would then take to camp and prepare the fish for cooking by filleting them followed by proper disposal of remains which might entail taking skeleton back to fish cleaning station.[/quote]

Yep.




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[mtncat1]

one of the reasons they don't want you filleting fish is the disposals are on there last legs and they don't want heads and bones in clogging the disposal . the camp ground people hate cleaning them which they have to do more than once a day []
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[Tin-Can]

They also want to be able to measure your catch for ones in t he slot limit. Hard to do that without a head or tail.
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[smokepoles]

[quote Tin-Can]They also want to be able to measure your catch for ones in t he slot limit. Hard to do that without a head or tail.[/quote]

I believed that was the rationale for the regulations and would like to think that convenience for campground employees was not a major consideration for setting fish and game regulations.
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[Bovineowner]

fishnotphish I will do my very best to keep this reply civil, but REALLY? You see someone breaking fishing regulations and you want to know what you should do? What we all should do at the very minimum is promptly contact DWR! That guy was breaking the law and when anybody ignores things like that, then in my opinion you enable them. I would love to see fellow sportsmen stand up for wildlife and point out to the offender how offensive it is to be ignorant of regulations. I don't care if folks have "passive personalities" or "don't want to push the issue"! WRONG IS WRONG! And when folks ignore someone and don't report them, it ticks me off. I have confronted guys many times. Shooting from the back of a pickup, trespassers, Not waiting til the correct time to open the waterfowl hunt. Standing up to idiots who either don't care or don't "know" is the responsibility of all of us if we want to truly care for the resource, i.e. fish and wildlife!!! Next time, SAY SOMETHING! Or at least pull out your phone and call the DWR. Your own words state, "I COULD HAVE..."
Next time DO SOMETHING! You aren't a Conservation Officer. But you are a fellow sportsman/woman and we all have to do what is best for fish and wildlife by keeping all the regulations ourselves and reporting those who don't! If a regulation doesn't make sense, then do something about it. Contact the DWR and explain the rule in question. Don't rationalize and do what you want. Follow the regulations or work to change them. The 2 pole issue is a great example. How many guys fished with 2 poles without a second license before the regulation was changed? They were rationalizing their way into breaking fishing regulations. In my experience, when folks start choosing which regs to keep, it says a whole lot about their character or lack thereof. Sorry for the tirade. But not doing something simply isn't good enough for me. Best of luck to you in your fishing and outdoor activities.
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[fishnotphish]

Thanks for your thoughts, Bovineowner -- I appreciate your passion. In retrospect, I probably could have done something else. However, as you can see from the other responses to this thread -- reasonable people can have different opinions on the correct course of action. The fact that I posted about it simply indicates that I'm trying to get a better feel for what that course of action might be from a group of peer fishing enthusiasts whose opinions I value -- including of course, yours.
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[mtncat1]

[quote smokepoles][quote Tin-Can]They also want to be able to measure your catch for ones in t he slot limit. Hard to do that without a head or tail.[/quote]

I believed that was the rationale for the regulations and would like to think that convenience for campground employees was not a major consideration for setting fish and game regulations.[/quote]
your right and i figured that wa obvious to most people on this forum.
but believe me they don't want you to return to the cleaning station and put bones and heads in it. there are signs all over telling people specifically to not do that .
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[smokepoles]

OK, my original post said to do whatever is proper after preparing fish at campsite. Just going into garbage and dumpster is another option if not allowed to grind at fish cleaning station as you say. If they deem that as more proper, fine, I'll abide with it.
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[ratnest]

Based upon some comments in months past, I am surprised there is not outrage for this guy even keeping any fish. []
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[brookieguy1]

Why have a cleaning station if I can't fillet and prepare the catch the way I want? Another reason Strawberry sucks! Weak cutts and understocked rainbows. Glad it's there but it's safe from me! So over rated.
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[Koko21]

Well said. We all have different personalities. Some people thrive on confrontation and some people (like me) do not. That being said, I would agree with previous comments that it is a good idea to say something, politely. You don't have to be a jerk about it and if they decide to be rude or aggressive I would also agree with backing off and talking to an officer. If someone approaches me aggressively and threatening, I most likely wont be the most friendly or open minded. If someone has a bit of advice or comment to make to me, I am all ears open. I also respect you for bringing this up, and starting a GREAT discussion to have on this board.

For most of us on the forum, it seems obvious that you would look up and know regulations on the body of water you fish. However, some people don't think like this. I am a die hard fisherman. Most of my family and friends are not. I'm surprised on the occasions I do fish with them, how clueless they are to fishing regulations, especially if not a local body of water. Many people are like this. For these people, a polite correction or pointing out the laws/regulations would be accepted well and much appreciated. Should they be responsible and already know the law? Yes. Are we all human and subject to error and mistakes? Absolutely. They also may not understand the severity or consequences their actions can have and how serious these laws and regulations are taken. Many people are surprised at the cost of tickets from DNR officers- much like someone's first speeding ticket. Not every fisherman can be perfectly educated.

There are a few "perfect" fisherman on this forum. I'm almost there.....BUT until then we can only try to improve and help educate others along the way.
The fact that in this case there was a sign right there makes me wonder, but many people just don't pay much attention to their surroundings.
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[wiperhunter2]

I agree with your comments. Mtncat1 and I were cleaning our catch of kokes and saw a guy cleaning some cutts that were in the slot. Rich mentioned to him that it was illegal to keep cutts in the slot, the guy never missed a beat on the cleaning his catch but told up his fish were rainbows. One thing I wish is that the DWR would enforce the rules more there but I can't say I've ever seen one at a cleaning station. I've called them several times and it's pretty rare to find one any where near a cleaning station. Unless you are willing to follow that person to their vehicle, and get their plate number, then there is no way that they will get caught, IMO. I rarely use the cleaning station and I understand that some members feel the need to make those folks pay for wrong doing but when I'm fishing, I'd rather not get into a hassle with others. We have enough thing in our lives to get upset with, besides someone keeping a few fish and if it were really a big deal the DWR would be there to enforce the law. Just because the OP did not choose to make a big deal about it with the guy, doesn't mean anything IMO, as stated, we are all different and we all choose the battles we want to fight. That's my 2 cents on the subject.
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[ice_sled]

I have mixed feelings about calling the DNR about wildlife violations. I know they are busy at times and can't respond to all calls. That being said one winter I was ice fishing at Strawberry and noticed a group of fisherman icing every fish they caught. Maybe fifty fish or more. I called the Report a poacher hotline. Four hours later when I was leaving no one had been their to confront these slobs. I had given GPS coordinates when I made the call. I have made calls to report deer poachers with the same results. But when they got a call about a collared Wolf half the CO's in the state was on the way to investigate. Guess their priorities are different than mine.
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