Over fishing!!!

[Nemont]

388 white bass over the limit
OUTDOORS: Tip leads wardens to sizable white bass bust on DL

N.D. wardens cite 6 St. Paul anglers for keeping 388 white bass over daily limit

By Brad Dokken

Herald Staff Writer

Six anglers from St. Paul face misdemeanor charges for keeping 598 white bass in a single day - 388 more than their daily limit allowed - while fishing Devils Lake last week near Minnewaukan, N.D.

Charged in connection with the July 1 incident were Chane T. Moua, 19; Anthony Vang, 20; Kaven Kongchee Vang, 19; Peter Vang, 26; Xu Vang, 45; and William Yang, 21; all of St. Paul. The six are scheduled to appear Monday in Benson County District Court.

According to an investigation report filed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, an anonymous tipster called the state's Report All Poachers hot line after observing the anglers catching "a lot of fish" at the boat ramp two miles south of Minnewaukan.

The caller also reported the anglers as having several ice chests and was able to provide a description of the vehicle and a partial license plate number.

Game warden Gene Masse of New Rockford, N.D., responded to the call and contacted warden Chris Knutson of Devils Lake and a Benson County sheriff's deputy for backup en route to the scene. According to Masse's report, the deputy was the first to arrive and encountered the six anglers with coolers full of white bass.

Masse, upon his arrival, checked the anglers' fishing licenses and found they all had been purchased earlier that day, which meant none of the fish legally could have been caught before July 1. North Dakota's white bass limit is 35 daily, with 175 in possession.

"I asked them if they knew how many fish they had in their coolers," Masse wrote in his report. "They did not know. I told them that they probably were in excess of their daily limit."

Masse and Knutson then counted the fish, and the two wardens tallied 598 white bass in the coolers, along with four walleyes. Each of the anglers was more than 64 fish over his daily limit, Masse said.

Besides issuing citations, the wardens confiscated the anglers' fishing gear, along with the coolers and the fish, the report said.

According to Paul Freeman, game warden supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Devils Lake, exceeding the daily limit of white bass is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000 and 30 days in jail. Jim Wang, Benson County state's attorney, was not available Wednesday to comment on the case.

 

[MarvB]

Nemont- sounds like our here on our Lake Shasta...they don't even try to prosecute the Asians that break the rules- say its "too hard to get a conviction when the people can't speak/read/write in English" and "costs more in court fees than the fines allow for".

Thats a load of crap IMHO- charge tehm for the court costs as well
On Shasta they used to break all the laws including slot limits, fishing with crickets, over limits, no licenses, fishing with illegal bait fish...you name it. I've seen them leave the docks with 5 gal buckets of immature small-mouths and spotted bass the size of baby bluegills...walk right past the fish cops without batting a eye! As someone else here once said- IT JUST GALDS MY NARDS!

I'm off my

...but still pissed

 

[Elkhunter]

That is a lot of fish. Nail all of them!

 

[smalls]

Thats my home lake. I also hope they are prosecuted, but due to the maximum fine limitations, they will only be fined about $2.50 a fish over their limit. Maximums is $1,000 a person and 30 days in jail, which will never happen. IMO, the laws have to be changed that if it is a GROSS infraction like this that the maximums be removed or the penalty become a felony, much like the differences in poaching any animal versus a trophy animal in some states.

Usually the asians (as I understand alot of Hmong vietnamese), fish for rough fish. When I see them on the red river, they are filling their buckets w/ goldeye and suckers. That doesn't bother me. And they unlike alot of us are fishing for sustanance. Often on my lunch break I will see women fishing the river for that nights supper. Most often, the asians are respectful of our game laws, and they are usually very friendly (reminds me of the story when we were ice fishing next to an asian that was riding his bike on the ice...).

I also think that before we jump on them that we have to acknowledge that locals probably do more harm to fisheries that foriegners or out of staters. I have seen alot of two-somes get of boats (with ND tags) on devils lake and clean 20+ walleye. The next time I see that happen, the warden will be called. Too often we let locals get by doing things we love to chastise others for.

my .02
smalls

 

[MarvB]

smalls- not trying to asian bash on this end, just stating what I've seen and the fishcops response (none) to it. Here its a real mix of (I know I'm spelling them wrong) Hmong, Mong, Laotion, and Phillipino and they really do have a blatent disregard for the rules- compounded by the fact they are really free from prosecution.

Your right, the "white folks" do the same but at least we get to see one of those bastages nailed and their name in the paper from time to time.
Shasta doesn't really have (and its huge...365 miles of shoreline) a big trash fish problem- most of what they are taking here are just young gamefish and still there is the "no licenses" issue while the rest of us pay close to $30/yr.

...don't see it changing anytime soon though

 

[smalls]

Yeah, I may be ignorant. Most of my encounters haven't been negative ones. I have actually had them ask me if I was going to keep some of the rough fish I was catching (which I was...for catfish cutbait. I don't see that as wrong. As I stated in my first post though, regardless of race blatant disregard for game laws should not go unpunished, and IMO, these guys are going to get off way too easy.

I am actually off to Devils Lake right now. Hopefully I can find some of those white bass with my fly rod this weekend. What a blast!

 

[ELKCHSR]

I wonder what it was that brought most of the big game species to near extinction in this county? Could it have been sustanance hunting? It was an issue that had to be enforced or we may have been out of animals to hunt today.... Two notable animals were Elk and Moose. So what gives them the right to clean out areas of plant and animal reserves? Besides, I think the amount was a little gross to be sustanance fishing. That amount could have been to sustain the Dim Sun carts full....

 

[smalls]

Fished Devils Lake this weekend. Took my father out and limited on walleye both saturday and sunday.

I noticed an obvious increase in the warden's traffic visiting shore fisherman on the popular bridges and highways. I also noticed no asians fishing...hmmmmm?

 

[MarvB]

Talk about timing....a Hmong family was just popped this weekend for shooting squirrels (out of season) with a pellet gun at one of the local parks. Evidently DFG got some kinda tip and went to these folks house and found a freezer full of squirrels (grey and digger), pigeons (domestic), and "something they still can't determine"....I'm guessing Meow Mix

Doesn't solve the problem at the lake but at least its a start (provided they don't walk ) and maybe the word will spread.

smalls- any size to those walleyes last weekend?
Man I'd like to fish for them again- did so up on the Columbia a few years back and its was great...and great eatin' too

 

[Oak]

Jim Wang, Benson County state's attorney, was not available Wednesday to comment on the case.

My guess is that they'll get off lightly.

Oak

 

[smalls]

Both saturday and sunday was fishing heaven. Limits of 16-19" fish, releasing some smaller eyes and a couple of 22-24" fish. The fish were all a plus to getting to spend the weekend w/ my old man.

smalls

 

[MarvB]

Sounds like a great day smalls....nothing like a little shore lunch with your Pops

My Dad only hunted a little but loved to fish- passed away a year ago Feb. and I would have loved to have just one more day on the river with him...those were some good times!