Violations

[Bill Babler]

Got on upper taney this AM at 10 and from start to finish in the restricted zone it was a complete disaster. From boaters in violation, to wade fly fishermen it could have been a game wardens Nervana.

Who I give you gives a flip about some poor slob shooting a stinking deer. Missouri herd estimate at 1.4 million. 3.5 million in auto accidents, and over 100 million in crop damage per year, but MDC for some reason puts all there efforts into working this very small segment of wildlife management.

Do to the wonderful weekend and all the folks in town the upper river was full of fishermen. Even with the flow the fly fishermen were out and they were keeping fish. I spoke to two as I drifted by and seen many more in violation, and advised both to release Yikes!! a very nice brown and one guy with at least 3 bows on a stringer over 16 inches and under 20. Of course all were dead, and it would have probably been better had they kept them after killing them.

At least 10 boats were keeping fish in the slot and most fishng powerbait in the restricted zone. There was only so much I could do. I was guiding and just could not police the entire area. And for that matter, is it my job?

Really got tired of telling people what to do, and I'm sure my client tired of it.

At least 6 rental pontoons in the restricted zone with mulitple fisherpersons, all keeping fish. Fish were running huge with a capital H, and they were chunking under 12's back and keeping the big boys.

We had about 100 fish with 70 percent in the slot up to 22 inches drifting either sculpin wooley's in size 6 or small stickbaits.

Fishing is thru the roof.

Don't know if people didn't know or care, or thought there would be zero enforcement, but it was clearly a very dark day on the upper restricted zone.

I have fished taney well over a 150 days a year since the start of the restricted area and have never seen this type of complete neglect for the law.

The quality fish really took a hit today.

[Danoinark]

Sad Bill...I think most people know the rules....I think they just don't care.

Would agents have even showed up if anyone had called?

Interesting post. Thanks

Dano

[Bman]

Bill, Thank you for posting what you saw. I have seen the same thing.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Roscoe P. Coltrane, in pursuit. Cujuu, juu juit.

Couldn't agree more about the deer management issues, but given the money put into rearing trout and whether or not you could really call them "wildlife" as they exist in T-como . . . I don't know.

Nevertheless, poaching is wrong no matter how you slice it. Was down at Blue Springs Cr. Conservation Area yesterday afternoon (Friday), and gunshots were going off all around and in close range. Guess the season started a few hours early?

[Thom]

I see this almost every time I fish the restricted water. Interesting that we were given as a reason to raise fees on boat registration was to add more enforcement. I wonder where it was added? Certainlly not anywhere on Taney or any of the Trout empoundments.

I was at Busch wildlife last week and there was an agent checking Trout stamps. When he left there was a man, and two boys got out of their vehicle with at least 8 poles of various kinds. They were large spinning gear with big floats on them like what one would use to fish bait. Lake 21 and 28 are both fly only and one pole only.

The sad part was they parked in front of the sign that stated that but I don't think they even knew the difference. Nice family but not observng the law.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Thieves!

[Ron Vought]

There are idiots all over the place. We have them here in PA as well. Bait containers littered all over the artificial lures only areas and fish being kept illegally. When I do get a chance to come out to Branson I have yet to see a Fish Warden so it doesn't suprise me that these things are occuring. If a few of these guys got written up on a frequent basis most of that activity would stop.

Ron

[Bill Babler]

I will say this. I usually started the conservation like this. "Gosh, you all are really doing well. Mind my asking how you keep catching so many big fish?

Of course I already knew. Then I would point out the rules and of the many I spoke to, only 2 questioned me, and continued to keep and fish. The fly fishermen, immediatly let the dead trout go. The boaters and pontooners did not release the fish they had, but they for the most part left the area. Most said they didn't think the area was clearly marked.

I will tell you it is clearly marked, but another warning or poster across from the houses in Point Royal would be very nice. I will bring this up at our meeting on November 24th.

The fishing for big fish right now just does not get any better, and I believe that is really bringing the folks up and keeping them up there. Usually after a drif or two people can catch just as many fish below fall creek. Right now there are just some toads to be caught in this off color water, in the restricted zone.

[Phil Lilley]

Not to throw water on Bill's report... but I had 3 trips up there last week and caught very little numbers and those I did catch were dinks.

Just goes to show, fishing is fishing and not catching. Sometimes they bite and sometimes they don't. Yesterday was the bite day.

ANYONE who wants our agent's cell phone number, PM either me or Bill. They WANT to be called in these cases, although sometimes they are off duty or out of the area and cannot come. They will follow up on reports when the reports include description of people, boats, registration numbers and they love images. They have been known to call the party(s) and give a verbal warning which scares the bee-gee's out of most.

Our creel checkers cannot write tickets but they do do a good job of scaring a poacher into stopping and start looking over his shoulder when he goes fishing again.

Bill's approach is a proven way to at least get people headed in the right direction.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I have yet to see a Fish Warden

They're in the dam area fairly often. I think its as Bill said, opening day of deer season. One of the problems with that isn't the deer but the trespasser's it creates and the MDC is often called act.

The agents generally don't get out and walk around, but view the area through binoculars before acting. This makes them hard to spot at times, but that's probably the idea.