Game Sabiki
Game Sabiki Information
Should I stop suggesting to others not to keep their catch?
One guy today was pretty excited about his saltwater catfish and another guy caught a huge redfish over the legal size. I don’t want to be a buzzkill or seem like a snitch or a hater but I’d rather give a heads up before the cops come and confiscate a car, fishing gear and give a huge fine and arrest someone. Or to the guy who was excited with his kids and about slicing fillets off of a bottom feeder with no meat, not even good for bait.
I just don’t want to be one of those jerks like some schmuck the other day who got mad that I crossed his line ( he left it sideways in the current ) I suddenly pulled up 3 spanish mackerel on one sabiki and he said the one I didn’t throw back ( over 12″ ) looked too small. He didn’t catch anything and his wife was with him so he felt bad.
Yea I ranted but I I don’t want to sound like a game warden or leave people uninformed if I can help it.
No, don’t stop. Just do it for the right reasons and in the right way.
Don’t get angry, don’t belittle, and don’t lecture someone because you’re jealous or put off — that not only leads to shouting and fists and the sheriff getting called and other embarrassments, it also will never convince anyone of anything. Use good manners and humor to point out something that’s illegal or unethical. Educate, don’t indict. If someone’s doing something patently illegal that could lead to a truck and fishing gear getting towed away and they won’t listen to reason, it’s really out of your hands. If someone’s doing something truly damaging to some natural resource, you are not out of line in tipping off the authorities — fisheries and the component resources belong to the public and are maintained and kept up in part with money from angler permit revenue. No one would call you a snitch for calling the cops on someone if they took a bat to your truck or hucked a rock at your house. In some tiny way that oversized redfish and that bottom feeder belong to you and you have a right to respond appropriately.
Obviously, keep your own act clean — practice what you preach (even when non one’s watching) and always be in firm possession of the facts (the regs, fish identification, geographical boundaries, etc.). Keep a copy of the regs handy and be familiar with the most expedient and responsible way to involve the law.
Recognize that there is a difference between violating the regs and various angling philosophies. I went on a trip this year to Wyoming to a place where there were lots of cutthroat trout to be caught. Most cutthroat species in the United States are under a lot of pressure and personally I’d never think about harvesting my limit (that’s what nonnatives are for, says I). A few guys I was with felt differently and kept and ate several cutthroats every day of the week we were there — it irked me but they were within their rights and they were keeping to the regs, so I didn’t have a leg to stand on and I’d only sound preachy if I said anything. Just a difference in philosophy.
Again, no, don’t keep your big mouth shut. Anglers and hunters have to be the ones who stand up for the game and the natural resources. Otherwise we’re just a bunch of guys outdoors harassing wildlife.