Hawaiibassfishing Forum

today i saw the DLNR truck pull up and asked me if i had a flotation device, i told him i was just fishing from the shore but i guess you still need one. the asian dudes that keep the tucs were down there and had a couple in their bag. he told ,e i had to leave and then he pulled away...... what the hell. he couldve gave those guys tickets for keeping the tucs. but he said there were mosquitos and just pulled off. so he made me leave for not having a flotation device, and the asian guys got to eat tucs for dinner........

You told the officer that they were taking fish illegally and he said there's Mosquitos did you get his name send a letter to the new head aila tell him how good of an officer he is. what a loser! Unreal!

i didnt get his name....... i did try to call DLNR but no one answered ( as usual). oh well you cant control other peoples actions i guess i should have offered mosquito spray and then ask him if he could go down now!

Do you think they eat them or sell them? I've heard in Cali warden go to Chinatown and look for fish that are Poached. Then the seller must show proof of where or who they bought the fish from. If it's not legit, they must pay the price for poaching. Poaching is a crime and offenders should be punished.

There was a market over on the ocean side of the Moanalua freeway... near the Tripler exit. Ranch 99 or something. I saw bass for sale in there once.
I think they closed.

In the Hawaii Fishing Regulations book it says shore fishermen need a PFD... but I've never seen anyone with one.

A $5.00 license and a $5.00 float will go a long way in not getting bigger headaches by the DLNR.

$5 for a PFD:?:

I got 3 for $5 at a garage sale last week.
And the 4 before that... on the side of the road....for FREE
(I would have called the owner if they'd put their Name & Phone # on it)

If I drive by in my boat and see one of these guys hooked up, I stop and watch to see if they release it if is a tuc or lmb. They get real nervous and keep looking to see if I am still looking at them. That shows me that they all know they are breaking the law. Why cant we get the DLNR to come down on a boat and hit these guys hard one weekend. They all have multiple violations going. No license, no lifejacket, tucs in a bucket or on a stringer. That would teach them a lesson, and word would spread. I would even volunteer to drop a few DLNR guys off to check these guys out. No charge ! Maybe we should get the news guys to do a story on poachers ??

The news seems like a great way to get things done. A lot of people don't even realize there is a freshwater fishery here and that it is loaded with game fish. When the story aired about the low water levels a bunch of people that knew I fish were talking to me about it. The media seems to have a way of putting the pressure on and I think that might be the best way to get the DLNR to act. I don't care if I get checked by an agent every day I'm on the water, I have all my ducks in a row. When I lived in Phoenix I used to go fishing at the "urban" ponds. Usually every other time I would fish there I would get checked for my license and they would also count my fish to make sure I didn't have more than I was alloted for the day(I would bring the stocked trout home for my parents to eat). I think one random day a week of checking fisherman would really cut down on the poaching. It seems crazy it is taken so lightly here, there are reality tv shows about game wardens and poaching on the mainland. Mosquitos should not be a reason that laws don't get enforced that is really lame. If they are going to make marcusn stof fishing for not having a PFD they better be enforcing things that I consider more serious.

I'm in the Navy and there are A LOT of rules and regulation I find unimportant...but the fact of the matter is these are rules for a reason..and I don't get to pick and choose what rules I follow and as a supervisor I don't get to pick and choose what rules I enforce. There are time when rules and regulations become outdated but until the state decides to amend them they need to be enforced and followed.

Marcusn,
If you need a pfd still, I believe I have and extra one in my boat you can have. I've never had more than three people in my boat and I think I have 6 PFD's, two are for kids under 35lbs that I need to keep for my kids. But the other 4 are adult size and I can spare 1. PM if you want it and will give it to you.

thanks for the offer but i have one already for kayak fishing! i just didnt know you had to have it with you even if you're just fishing from the shore.

also i agree with you on not minding to get checked everytime. when i lived in cali the game wardens would always do surprise checks but it didnt affect people like us who actually follow the rules. i think that is why theres lots of "poachers" here because the game wardens here aren't strict enough

That rule doesn't make any sense to me either, you can go swim in the ocean(which is far more dangerous) with out a pfd but you can't stand on the bank of lake without one. I don't get it. Do you have to wear it or just posses it? I don't have to wear one in my boat, just posses it. I could see the arguement for kids 12 or so and under to wear a pfd while shorefishing. But even that seems crazy. If I was a shorefisherman and was going to wear a pfd id get the auto-inflater type, now way would I want to be fishing in the spring,summer or fall with that thing on...they are hot and uncomfortable.

You just have to have it readily accessable. I don't think the PFD has to be an actual life vest. It may be an approved flotation ring, cushion, etc. but must be with you.