Almost a fight!

[grampa ron]

I saw a group of people starting to clean thier fish in the pond. Most people know it's against the law. Aparently they didn't care, so I reminded them. The older guy (about 50) in the group got extremely mad and told me to mind my own FN business and wanted to to fight about it. His nephew calmed him down. As soon as they got away from me I called the State Cops. When the guy saw me making a call, they left as quik as they could. Probly didn't have license among them.

 

[radiation]

I think you should be able to clean them in the moving water of a stream to feed the other critters. Even if you were allowed to, I wouldn't do it in still ponds like JC. All that happens is the bees come and the guts just sit there and start to stink. I guess they were too lazy to use the dumpster sitting there! :naughty:

 

[TTFishon]

We've had this discussion before. I'd never clean my fish at a pond. yuk

 

[Mike123]

I don't think its a huge deal in most lakes, ponds I can see where it does. It does add nutrients to the water. The only reason it's illegal from what I heard was they don't want salmon/steelhead bucks coming along and wasting their milt on whole skeins that won't make it where they have been gutted. It does kinda get messy and nasty when people leave guts all over the bank though. So I can see both views.

 

[troutdude]

I heard that the reason it is illegal; is they don't want domestic critters like dogs to scarf up the guts and get sick.

True? Don't know for sure.

 

[troutdude]

P.S. Grampa Ron...I tip my hat to you, for taking the stance that you did. You were only trying to be helpful. He had no reason to want to pick a fight (what a jerk). And if they were unlicensed, they deserve to be ticketed!

 

[Raincatcher]

Eeewwwww! Icky stinky ca-ca doo-doo!! A really big no-no if it won't be put to good use in a hurry. You did exactly the right thing Ron. I salute you!

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

They don't allow it because the osp wants to be able to identify if you killed a hatchery steelhead or salmon. If you fillet the fish and throw it back into the river they cannot see if you were killing a bunch of natives. I think its retarded because its great for the rivers and fish but maybe not so great in a pond. People who are killing native fish illegally are going to do it either way.

 

[grampa ron]

Thanks for all the positive input. I do think we should be allowed to clean fish in the rivers, not leave the guts on the bank. By not doing this we are depleting a natural source of the food chain. How many fish died in the river before fishing got started? I think the hatcheries should be required to put at least 50% of the carcasses back in the system. I'm pretty sure they sell them instead.

 

[troutdude]

How many fish died in the river before fishing got started?

Answer: ALL of them!

 

[Mike123]

P.S. Grampa Ron...I tip my hat to you, for taking the stance that you did. You were only trying to be helpful. He had no reason to want to pick a fight (what a jerk). And if they were unlicensed, they deserve to be ticketed!

Ditto.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

thats too bad the guy had to be a word i can't say on the forum. i was planning on going to idaho and its illegal to transport fish without heads and tails. i bet its for the id thing. it does make sense for the point steelheadstalkers made. i did read or see something about it being law because they want the parks/boat ramps clean. i think all parts of fish other than the part you eat need to go back in the water. so if i clean a fish on site i toss them back in but make sure not to due it in slack water. its good for the environment. at a lake or pond they should be tossed way out so you don't see them along the shore and there shouldn't be a problem but for some reason we have this dumb law that makes no sense. NEVER toss them on the bank. and i can't believe they would want the guts in the garbage can stinking up the park/ramp instead of doing there part for nature and even worse taking up in land fills. land filss that another dumb temporary solution to a bigger problem that is going to make problems but thats another topic. ron you did do the right thing. i wouln't have said anything had they been tossing the remains way out in the pond but it seems thats not the case and the whole situation seems shady. next time they are fishing chase them around with that rc boat and make there time misserable.

 

[grampa ron]

Don't get caught, as far as I know it's a $75 fine. I saw a game warden make a guy show him where he had cleaned the fish to make sure he didn't throw the guts in the McKenzie River.