Northwest Fishing Reports

Couple caught fishing; salmon goes free
By CELESTE GRACEY
Renton Reporter Staff Writer
Today, 10:55 AM



A Filipino couple was caught fishing sockeye salmon in the Cedar River behind the Renton Senior Center Oct. 8, according to a City of Renton police report.

When police arrived, two Washington Department of Fisheries biologists pointed to the couple as they were walking to their red vehicle, according to the report.

An officer saw the man drop his fishing pole and start attending to a bleeding injury on his hand.

The woman denied fishing, before explaining the cut was from the hook on the fishing pole. The officer observed it wasn't consistent with a cut from a hook, according to the report.

Police inquired about a fishing net, which was in the trunk of the couple's vehicle.

The reporting officer said the "typical landing net" was about 24 inches and "wet with slime and had the smell of fresh fish on it," according to the report.

He asked for the fish, and the woman denied having any, according to the report.

He then noticed a black bag in some nearby grass started hopping. When he opened it, he saw a live buck sockeye salmon, according to the report.

A witness reported that the couple actually netted the fish, and were told repeatedly by locals that it was illegal to fish, according to the report.

The couple didn't grab their belongings to leave until they saw the two biologists heading their way, according to the report.

The officer believes the cut in the man's hand was caused from the salmon's "sharp dog-like teeth," according to the report.

Police photographed the fish before the biologists returned it to the river.

Fishing in the river closed Aug. 31.

Shakes my head ... some peoples children.

I hoping that these two didn't just get a "don't do it again" speech and were fined heavily. However, I'm guessing they got off with a warning as the article made no mention of a fine or confiscation of equipment/gear. This particular river could fund several WDFW enforcement officers if they decided to closely monitor and write fines for fishing out of season, illegal possession of fish and for not obeying the selective gear rules when the river is open in the summer. This system has massive potential, however water mismanagement and indifference to illegal fishing practices has hamstrung the recovery of this potential gem of a river. I can guarantee that the only reason that the police showed up at all is that their headquarters are only a few blocks from where this incident occurred.

I do hope that couple got a good penalty for it...but I am also glad this was published as to make the community more aware to help out and report these incidents with confidence that something will happen. Whether or not we see the results, here's the results for every person who has called someone in for poaching on the rivers!

i wish that fish would have took a bigger chunk out of that guy with a big ticket

So obviously they knew there was no fishing if they tried to cover it up. I dont mind ignorance as much as I mind an outright defiance of the rules. I am not sure of alot of the rules and seasons as it pertains to each individual river. I do however look them up on the wdfw website or glance over the book. I hope that the couple get a good fine loss of property, and a loss of fishing rights for a period of time. Sounds fair to me.

I hope they were both arrested and booked, and everything they had was taken as evidence!

Dave wrote:I hope they were both arrested and booked, and everything they had was taken as evidence!

That's what I'm talking about...enough pussyfooting around with these violators!