Hypothetical: marking your tag with wrong location code

[Herefishyfishy]

Just curious is anyone has ever accidently marked their tag with the wrong code and marked it for a location that was closed to the fish they were marking? I almost did that once and caught myself. I wonder what would happen if you did make a mistake, didn't catch it and turned in your tag at the end of the year; would they send you a ticket? Anyone heard of anything like this?

 

[ChezJfrey]

I've actually wondered this same thing as I noticed in the ODFW reports that there is a past year that some steelhead were reported to have been taken from the Tualatin River in November and I'm pretty sure that river is always closed in November and is also always closed to steelhead. Did those reporting receive a ticket after submission?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

What got me thinking about this was Dustinbowlz2009 (cool name!) posting about catching 2 nooks on the Wilson and Beaverfan pointing out that the bag limit was only 1. I'm assuming he tagged both fish so now his tag will show he retained over the bag limit..... Should he be worried???

 

[halibuthitman]

I have done it, so I drove into the state patrol office in astoria and showed them what I did, and showed him the fish.. he initialed it and told me to go home.

 

[waco]

so here is a rookie question!! this is my first year fishing and i dont know this. What i supose to do with my tag at the end of the year???!!!

 

[Thuggin4Life]

You turn it in when you buy a new one. they prefere it for records and info and studies and all that but it also buts you in a raffle to win a boat.

 

[STEELseeker4086]

Do I have to turn in and purchase my 2011 fishing license and harvest tags by a certain time I sure could use a boat?

 

[Mad dog]

so here is a rookie question!! this is my first year fishing and i dont know this. What i supose to do with my tag at the end of the year???!!!

Gave my last years tag to the clerk at the local sporting goods store and watched her throw it into the trash!

If you look at the harvest statistic's, there are lot's of mis-marked harvest cards! Simply, people writing down wrong numbers! I'm sure you would stand a good chance of getting a ticket if you are in the field with an improperly tagged fish!

 

[ChezJfrey]

Gave my last years tag to the clerk at the local sporting goods store and watched her throw it into the trash!

If you look at the harvest statistic's, there are lot's of mis-marked harvest cards! Simply, people writing down wrong numbers! I'm sure you would stand a good chance of getting a ticket if you are in the field with an improperly tagged fish!

My guess is that an angler very likely only risks a ticket if in the field with a mismarked tag (like you mention) and that after returning it they probably don't issue citations, but of course I can't be certain; and I sure wouldn't risk it myself.

As for the store clerk trashing the tag upon receipt...I don't exactly know my full reasons why, but that really bothers me. I guess I just have a high priority within myself for keeping good/accurate records and that disregard for the ODFW intent of the tag really irks me.

 

[fishtales]

I think you would have a good chance of getting a ticket if caught in the act. I doubt they have enough resources to investigate every mistake at the end of the year when collecting data from previous years harvest cards.

 

[Mad dog]

I think you would have a good chance of getting a ticket if caught in the act. I doubt they have enough resources to investigate every mistake at the end of the year when collecting data from previous years harvest cards.

Exactly!!! Do not kid yourself! Have your fish properly punched! You will get a ticket if in the field and the law even has a doubt as to if the fish was tagged correctly! I have seen or heard of so many variations of this law costing people money it isn't even funny! Once you get home with your catch....no problem!!! Just do it right in the field!

Also....the vast majority of people that I know who catch LOT'S of fish, do not turn in their harvest cards!

 

[fisherwilly]

I was fishing with a friend one day and we watched a guy catch a steelhead on the South Santiam. The guy asked us what the location number and hatchery steelhead number was. My friend looked at the reg book and told them two numbers. Awhile later I was curious about the fish numbers (ie 6W and 4) and got to looking at the stream and fish codes and realized that my friend told him the wrong stream code (In the 2010 regs it would have been 189 Wilamina Cr instead of 172 S. Fork Santiam R). I said "That was an a#*hole thing to do". Then upon further inspection my friend was looking at the numbers to the right of the stream instead of to the left and had told the guy the wrong one. By then the guy had left with his fish and went home. It was an honest mistake, but would have been a bummer for the guy with the fish had he been checked. Moral of the story is to look at the right numbers corresponding to the stream (it is confusing with numbers on both sides of most rivers).