Should You Report Fishing Violators?

March 5, 2009

Question: I spend a great deal of time fly fishing with family and friends in areas designated to be exclusively for catch and release, artificial barbless lures or flies only. Unfortunately, we usually run into someone who’s either fishing with bait or keeping their catch or fishing with two rods on stretches where the practice is prohibited. On the back of our licenses we have the CALTIP phone number to report poachers, but let’s be honest, is a phone call from me going to stop anyone from breaking the laws that we’re witnessing? Should we confront these obvious violators of the law or leave them be and hope a game warden shows up sometime? (Scott R.)

Answer: If you see violations in progress or know of people who are repeatedly breaking the law, I encourage you to use the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) CALTIP line (888-DFG-CALTIP) or else call your local sheriff’s office which can get the word to dispatch operators to locate a game warden. The more information you can provide as to descriptions of the individuals, vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers, observations of the activities, etc., the better the chance that law enforcement can find the individuals who are not in compliance with the law and cite them for their violations.

As far as whether you should approach the anglers or not, I would consider your own safety first and make your decision based on that. If the people obviously don’t know they are doing something wrong, then they may appreciate your insight. Otherwise, best to report the violations and leave it to the game wardens to hopefully take care of the situation.