Striped Bass:

[bulletbob]

sadly,the SOB that pulled the knife on you can get away with that in NJ, as they took away your 2A rights.. Up here he might have had a pistol aimed right at his nose for doing it, as in many upstate counties the 2A is still respected, and many of us avail ourselves of that constitutional right.

The kind of crap you guys are discussing does not happen quite as much here but it does happen. Not so much by the " no hablo ingles" crowd, but more among the rural types that believe anything that moves is fair game.. We have midnight deer jacking, all sorts of off season meat hunting for deer, turkeys, small game, illegal commercial fishing for panfish,and lots of taking over legal limits of all edible fish species,

Its not as out in the open as NJ, and the faces and lifestyles of the perps are different.. In NJ its more an urban/suburban problem, up here its more a rural issue, and the "harvesters" are actually VERY efficient ... also we have some massive problems with fish populations being devastated perfectly legally.. Tournaments out of control here, and they are year round.. Perch tourneys, Trout tourneys, Walleye tourneys, Bass tourneys, catfish tourneys, even friggin' ROCK BASS tourneys which have devastated populations of panfish, all so sponsors can make a few bucks.. World class fisheries wiped out in some of the giant lakes here.. There's a "Crappie Derby" up here on a reservoir called Whitney Point.. Its an ice fishing derby, and draws THOUSANDS of people some years.. Can you imagine a couple thousand people ice fishing on a lake only about 600 acres bigger than Hopatcong? For an entire weekend?.. every year?... So yes resources are being decimated illegally everywhere.. However, a lot of times it happens with smiles, pats on the back, and prize money..

[Broad Bill]

It's sad because it seems to get worse every year. Best we can do is keep your eyes open and call the right enforcement agency if you see something not right. Don't do what I did and intervene, only take getting into an argument with the wrong person once.

[WhaleFart]

So let me get this straight you had a knife pulled on you and didn’t call the police to report that but instead reported them poaching fish?

Pulling a knife, on anyone, results in immediate arrest. You could have gotten this animal arrested and maybe deported (assuming they are not here legally).

My brother and I beat the living shit out of some poachers in the point pleasant canal a few years ago who tried getting physical when we confronted them poaching schoolies. When we were done rearranging them we just tossed all their gear into the canal. Highly don’t recommend doing this as you never know what someone may have on them.

[Broad Bill]

No you have it wrong. It was early morning. When I realized how these guys were fishing, I called NJFG without luck and no one returned my call. At that time, nothing had happened. After an hour of watching them snag and keep landlocks, I confronted them and told them I called NJFG and local law enforcement to report them. That's when one of them pulled the knife.

As soon as it happened, I left and so did they. Unfortunately they were parked in a different area so I didn't get their license plate number(s) or see what car(s) they were driving. So no, I didn't have someone pull a knife on me and call NJFG for a poaching violation, the call I made to NJFG happened before the incident actually occurred.

And before you ask, I never called the police. I told them I did hoping they'd stop snagging and leave. No pictures, no license plate numbers and the guys took off after the incident. The only thing I cared about was getting the hell out of there. You're last comment was why I didn't wait around, three on one and I wasn't about to risk them driving by and the problem re-escalating. In hindsight I should have called local police later to report it and regret I didn't but I will tell you local law enforcement know they have problems at this particular impoundment.

[birddog]

Calling f&g is a waste of time. I called once to report guys trout fishing the day before opening day and the co was pissed off at me because of the amount of paperwork he now had to complete because I called operation game thief. The other time I called to report 7 deer carcasses that were dumped with only the back straps removed. I was told if I didn’t like seeing that then I probably should be hunting. Can’t tell you the last time I’ve even a co and haven’t been checked in over30 years!

[Broad Bill]

I've actually had pretty good results over the years with call backs and follow up.

[duranautic al]

what lake/reservoir are we talking about?...waywayanda,aeroflex,tilcon or merrill creek res?

[bulletbob]

I once called NY DEC F&G over a bunch of people in a van clubbing carp with baseball bats in a flooded K Mart parking lot adjacent to a creek where the Carp had run up from the lake to spawn.. There were lot of them in the shallow flooded lot, and these idiots were running around clubbing them to death to take and eat.. I called the NYD DEC , and was told-"thats a legal way to take carp", and that they didn't need to come.. I DEMANDED they show up in no uncertain terms, because I knew these guys had no licenses, and I was pissed even though it was "only" flood stranded Carp.. They did eventually show up, and sure enough none of the "clubbers" had licenses.. Those DEC guys did NOT want to be bothered, and only me screaming for them to get their asses to that lot and check for licenses made them come out. I get it, understaffing and all, but that IS their job, they are state law enforcement officers,and we are taxpayers.... bob