Poacher Observers?

[profisher]

Everyone has some level of ego...myself yep I have a healthy dose of it but I earned it with years of hard work at learning my craft...and still learning. Yet I always have and still look up some of the old timers who I strove and hoped one day to be equal too. These are guys who fished Otter Point back in the 60's and 70's. Only one individual that I fished along side of for years with the same type of boat remains today. Some of you will know who he is by the small 12 foot aluminum boat he fishes from, sits in the middle seat facing the stern with a extension pole to the tiller of his engine and the big red beard. When I was a snot nosed kid he was like a god to me. (Ken Campbell) Most of the others we fished with are gone now. Gordie Bell, Jimmy Fleet, Jack Young, Frank Frost, Ted Jaudrew and Jumbo Davies to name a few. I have had a great career as a guide for the past 27 years and have done it within the law...if I can so can everyone else. Rather than call out the others I know don't follow the rules..I would rather promote those I feel very confident do...they are Mark Grant (Mark Grant Charters), Doug Ferrier (D&D Charters), Terry Dobson, (T&T Charters) Norm, (Seagrit Charters) Ron Niesh (2 Reel Charters) Duff Johnson, (Duffy`s Charters) Gord Martin (Foghorn Charters) Ryan Chamberlin (West Van Ilse Fishing Experience) and Roy Carver (Bluewolf Charters) . There are probably others and I`m not implying these are the only ones. However many of you know that I know some high profile Sooke guides and the fact they are not on my list should tell you something. I hope that the members on this site will send any referrals on to those mentioned as a reward for their integrity.

 

[jeffywestcoast]

Well said Profisher, and big props to the guides mentioned above still fishing with skill ,integrity and respect for the resource. And no disrespect to any south island guide but if salmon were real hard to catch in Sooke there probably wouldn't be 20 or so wheel barrows at the dock! Poach you eggs not your salmon !

 

[seadna]

I'm glad someone mentioned that there are some guides who poach. I saw two aluminum boats out of Renny poaching bottom fish on the American side of Swiftsure. In WA, fishing for bottom fish in greater than 20 fathoms of water is prohibited as is retention of yellow eye or canary rockfish. While I was trolling for salmon a few weeks ago, these guys were drifting on the American side and slinging yellow eye over the rail. I'm pretty sure there were guide boats based on the matching design and people in matching mustang suits aboard. After a few drifts and good catches, they headed back in the direction of Renny.

 

[profisher]

In this case it is retaining springs over 85 cm before July 19th in areas you can't keep them. If checked I assume they are going to say they were west of Sheringham earlier on. However I fished the light almost every day up until the 19th and the others didn't and know they caught fish well over the 85cm limit. They also keep their customers in the dark, they have no idea that if checked by a DFO officer they would be charged. So its not like they are pressured by the customers to fish outside the law, they are doing it themselves. WHY? Purely ego, they want the biggest fish back at the dock and to make themselves look good and others look bad. If not the reason then why? There is no other logical explanation. Nice eh!!! I just hope that next year DFO has spotters at the light at daybreak watching which boats do actually fish there or farther west and then send a patrol out mid-morning to check these guys fishing east of the boundary.

 

[drilleryells]

In this case it is retaining springs over 85 cm before July 19th in areas you can't keep them. If checked I assume they are going to say they were west of Sheringham earlier on. However I fished the light almost every day up until the 19th and the others didn't and know they caught fish well over the 85cm limit. They also keep their customers in the dark, they have no idea that if checked by a DFO officer they would be charged. So its not like they are pressured by the customers to fish outside the law, they are doing it themselves. WHY? Purely ego, they want the biggest fish back at the dock and to make themselves look good and others look bad. If not the reason then why? There is no other logical explanation. Nice eh!!! I just hope that next year DFO has spotters at the light at daybreak watching which boats do actually fish there or farther west and then send a patrol out mid-morning to check these guys fishing east of the boundary.

I also have seen this before July 19th this Year. Not sure why people who depend on this Fishery would put themselves at risk. People do see what is going on out there, and they were fairly blatant at times. Driller

 

[AlGee]

The neighbor's daughter and her husband dropped by one day to show their day's catch. In the cooler were 3 quillbacks and 2 cabezon. The cabezon weighed at least 20 lbs each. She said they were fishing around Race Rocks. I can only assume they were inside the red line of the Rockfish Conservation Area. Where else can cabezon grow so huge? DFO makes the rules, too bad their budget sucks, otherwise I would still be employed in that field. Talked to one co-worker who saw a guy pull in a crab trap and take ALL the little crabs out and bagged them. He rebaited the trap and threw it back out. My friend called DFO and got an answering machine...wtf? So he went back to the dock and cut the guy's line. lol

 

[profisher]

BTW my list above is contained to the guides working directly out of Sooke Harbour. I don't see the guys from the other areas to the east often enough to have an opinion either way.