# ENRAGED AT POACHER



## Sick Leave (Dec 23, 2004)

I debated long and hard about writing this thread but as time passed, the matter I got. Regulations and rules regarding limits placed on fishing are put in place primarily to protect the species. It is with this mind, that it is imperative that each of us fishermen, abide by the law, not only because it is the law, but because of what the law is intended to do. 

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to go to Sea Wolf and catch my limit of flounder (2). As I and my 2 friends were casting, a 22' red Century comes in, anchors, and a guy gets out with his garb to wade. He cast out, immediately catches a flounder about 20" and strings it. I'm thinking, that's one. Next cast out, another flounder on about the same size - he strings this one. I'm thinking, that's two and he will be leaving. But, he reaches in his bait bucket, puts on another shrimp and cast again. Fish on! and he strings it. That makes 3. Now I am getting mad. He reaches in his bait bucket and gets another shrimp and he is back out again.

Another wader close to him, told him that 2 is the limit and he said he didn't care - he was there to catch fish. The other wader cautioned him about the Game Warden that sits near the entrance gate at at Sea Wolf. 

The Century man, Mr. Claude Sanders, put another shrimp on and cast out. another big fish on and it was strung up. Now it is four.

One of my buddies and I got on the internet, on his cell, and after a great deal of research got a number for the Game Warden. We left a message on his answering machine and within 10 minutes, the Game Warden called back. We gave him the information, including the TX 7067 BB of the red Century. He said he was off duty but would call his Captain about the infraction.

While we were awaiting for a return call from the Game Warden, Mr. Sanders had already put 2 more keepers on his stringers and wasn't slowing down. It was only when he saw us on the phone, did he give the rest of this bait to the other wader, and walked briskly to his boat. 

A return phone call from a Game Warden on duty asked what was going on. We gave her the TX number, make and color of the boat and that he came from the direction of Texas City and in fact, while we were on the phone, Mr. Claude Sanders hit full throttle and headed back in that direction. The Game Warden said she would have another Game Warden stationed at the dike awaiting his arrival.

She informed us that the fine for every fish over the limit is $567/fish and that they demand payment immediately. If the fine cannot be paid, the penalty imposed is 12 days in jail. 

Now I do not know if Mr. Sanders was caught, but I did what was right, report the poacher to the authorities. Back at the Galveston Yacht Basin, I got some information that will help others do their civic duty. The local Game Warden in Galveston is Mr. Jackson and his cell phone is 409-502-0330. The general number is 409-933-1947.

How did I know who the poacher was? The Texas Parks & Wildlife website provides the name and complete address of the boat owner, make and year of the boat, the color, length, serial number, year built, etc - all you need is the TX number.

The Game Warden's cell phone is now in my cell phone on speed dial. Rules are in place for a reason and each of us must obey them, whether or not if we like it. I was infuriated at this poacher and I hope that he received the justice that was due. Had we not made the call, he would have finished his bucket of shrimp off and no telling how many flounder he would have cleaned at the end of the day.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

Great job! Green to you


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## Ledslacks (Jul 21, 2009)

Would you post if you find out that they caught him? I've seen sooooo many overlimits over the years, but I'm just hoping that with our modern technology, insta-busts can actually be made. That would be really awesome if they got him over at the dike!


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## Buckerup (Feb 19, 2009)

Rest assured ,you did the right thing. Thank You.


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## Back Bay boy (Apr 7, 2010)

Atleast he didnt cull them.


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## Croaker Choker (Nov 11, 2010)

applauds to you brother. thanks for the #'s


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## hookset4 (Nov 8, 2004)

Good job for doing what you could. I too hope they got him.

-hook


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## 4 Ever-Fish N (Jun 10, 2006)

You did the right thing, without a doubt. Good job! Not to take anything away from what you did but I do have one question. Is there a possibility that this guy you saw keeping more than the legal limit purchased the boat from Mr. Sanders but failed to transfer it into his name? I hope not but....


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## deke (Oct 5, 2004)

Nice going!


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

good job and thanks for the number it will be helpfull whenever I return to the water .you did great and keep doing it we all should I will.good thread man wtg.and that is letting your light shine brother


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## danmanfish (Jun 17, 2010)

good job.. limits are set in place for EVERYONE to obey.....


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## glennkoks (Jun 24, 2009)

I was wondering where Mr. Sanders got all those fillets for the neighborhood fish fry.


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## Matteo (Feb 22, 2006)

I applaud what you did and shame on the guy for breaking the law.

That being said, I have called Game thief on several occasions while out fishing, gave license plate #s, descriptions of vehicles and people, then waited hours for the GW to show up and ticket the people.

The game warden never showed up. three times this happened. I don't bother calling anymore. I find it sad that the effort to enforce these laws is so small. 

Now I just inform the people of the law andpray that is enough to get them to stop. Usually it isnt.


I hope they got MR. Sanders but I wouldn't stake my life on it.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

Matteo said:


> The game warden never showed up. three times this happened. I don't bother calling anymore. I find it sad that the effort to enforce these laws is so small.


There are only so many wardens per county to enforce the laws and they can't all be in the same place at once.


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## Die Terrorists Die (Sep 18, 2009)

Matteo said:


> I applaud what you did and shame on the guy for breaking the law.
> 
> That being said, I have called Game thief on several occasions while out fishing, gave license plate #s, descriptions of vehicles and people, then waited hours for the GW to show up and ticket the people.
> 
> ...


Don't give up, they could have been on a real emergency and had to prioritize. Also, they may have followed up with the information you provided.


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## Steven H (Jan 15, 2006)

If you gave the TX numbers, I hope he at least got a phone call and the local warden probably would remember the boat description if they did not catch him this time and at least pay him an obligatory visit next time they saw him. But, I believe THEY have to witness the violation but not sure.


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## Die Terrorists Die (Sep 18, 2009)

Good Job for doing the right thing. It would have been different if the guy said oh yeah, its November and there is only a 2 fish limit. What a douche-


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

Sick Leave said:


> How did I know who the poacher was? The Texas Parks & Wildlife website provides the name and complete address of the boat owner, make and year of the boat, the color, length, serial number, year built, etc - all you need is the TX number.


I salute you for calling the guy in.

But before you smear someone's reputation, you may want to find out if he was the one in the boat registered to him. He may have loaned the boat to his brother in law, an employee or any number of people. He also may have rented the boat for a day to a complete stranger, or sold it 2 days before the violation.

In fact, I once got a registered letter about a boat that I had sold 6 months earlier that the buyer never got around to registering in his own name, and had a visit from the police about a car that I sold to someone who never got around to registering it, either. I'm certainly glad I didn't get blamed for anything they did...


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## TechTopwater (Jul 17, 2009)

Green to you!! Unfortunately, we sometimes have to police our own. Hopefully he had an unplanned meeting with the Warden back at the dock!


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

Shouldve got a pic of him in action and posted it.


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

$567 a fish .......WOW, that would buy a lot of farm raised Catfish filets, or even a lot of commercially caught Flounder.

Some people don't realize how expensive one illegal fish can be. It's not worth it to poach !!!. Get your limit and then catch & release if you want to keep fishing.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

Son is at TAMU Galveston in the island

wardens are out there , he watches them write flounder tickets all day long 

you also cannot fish inside the campus unless you have TAMUG ID by the way


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## Bonito (Nov 17, 2008)

Green to you SL. I would have done the same thing. I'm glad that most fishermen agree with you and support what you did.


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## sommerville (Jan 16, 2008)

https://apps.tpwd.state.tx.us/tora/jump.jsf

link to boat number look up 
good job sick leave


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## Lone-Star (Dec 19, 2009)

Good thing to call the game warden but for all you know Claude Sanders rents the boat, or let his friend/neighbors/family use it.


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## kennyboy (Aug 11, 2010)

*Poachers*

WTG. You definately did the right thing.

Ken :texasflag


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## AnglerAl (Feb 16, 2006)

Lone-Star said:


> Good thing to call the game warden but for all you know Claude Sanders rents the boat, or let his friend/neighbors/family use it.


So what. If it is not Claude in the boat when the game warden checks no problem for Claude.

If he rented the boat to someone who has no regards for the limits what care will that person take with the boat?


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## ol' salt (Jun 11, 2006)

Thank you for doing the right thing. You're welcome at my campfire anytime.


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

Good call!

Not to hijack, but I am apparently due to go fishing...I think the last time I flounder fished it was like a 20 limit??? WOW! Things have changed!


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

AnglerAl said:


> So what. If it is not Claude in the boat when the game warden checks no problem for Claude.


Point being the guy's reputation has been smeared here on the forum with no evidence it was him in the boat, only that the boat was registered in his name.

Kind of like getting a ticket from a red light camera and having your name posted on the newspaper's "Police Blotter" when it may have been your brother in law driving your car.


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## Finatic (Oct 4, 2010)

*phone # Operation Game Thief*

Operation Game Thief 800-792-4263
Game Warden 409-502-0330

I have been calling Operation Game Thief for some time. Thanks for the game wardens #. From now on I will call them both.


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## Lat22 (Apr 7, 2005)

This isn't 'Nam. There are rules!


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## kevina1 (Apr 29, 2010)

Great JOB. I firmly believe it is the responsibility of the sportsman to monitor their sports. We are the most knowledgeable and it affects our brotherhood. If the people of MLB would have taken the time and energy to turn in the steroid users etc of the 90's and 2000's than there would be a greater respect and fewer asteriks for the game I love that is baseball. Weather you love to fish, hunt, or whatever.... it is much more rewarding when we play by the rules and do it right.


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## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

CoastalOutfitters said:


> Son is at TAMU Galveston in the island
> 
> wardens are out there , he watches them write flounder tickets all day long
> 
> you also cannot fish inside the campus unless you have TAMUG ID by the way


ATMUG has it's own Private Fishing area ? On State owned property? On a Navitgatable Waterway?

Are there so many Student offenders that they have to use a Full Time Game Warden resource daily to enforce the law?

Does a TWIC Card trump a student ID?


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

I'd have given a *jug* of whiskey, to see that joker written up. They should keep game wardens working in shifts at Sea Wolf Park the entire month of November.


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## madhatter1256 (Feb 24, 2007)

Trouthappy said:


> I'd have given a *jug* of whiskey, to see that joker written up. They should keep game wardens working in shifts at Sea Wolf Park the entire month of November.


 So true.


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## speckledred (Jun 1, 2004)

SL did not actually flame the owner of the boat but reported what he saw and called the GW, well done. 


Too far from the salt!


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

jabx1962 said:


> ATMUG has it's own Private Fishing area ? On State owned property? On a Navitgatable Waterway?
> 
> Are there so many Student offenders that they have to use a Full Time Game Warden resource daily to enforce the law?
> 
> Does a TWIC Card trump a student ID?


For 145 dollars it should. But is the land state owned or university owned?


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## fishnstringer (Oct 20, 2006)

*Thanks Sick Leave,*

I hope he got his due. I would think the GW reports are probably available to the public, if you inquire.


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## nelson6500 (Jun 8, 2007)

Sick Leave said:


> The Century man, Mr. Claude Sanders, put another shrimp on and cast out. another big fish on and it was strung up. Now it is four.
> 
> While we were awaiting for a return call from the Game Warden, Mr. Sanders
> 
> Now I do not know if Mr. Sanders was caught,





Lat22 said:


> This isn't 'Nam. There are rules!


The original poster said it was a man name Claude Sanders that the TX 7067 BB registration numbers came back as, So you automatically think it's a Vietnamese person? :spineyes:


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

He was referring to something else...


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## dreamcaster (May 24, 2004)

yeah,.. but how else will we know the poaching/driving habits of the people whom we let borrow our boats/cars.........hwell:


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## mastercylinder60 (Dec 18, 2005)

Sick Leave said:


> I was infuriated at this poacher and I hope that he received the justice that was due.


me too. good job. thanks for doing your part to protect our resources. i hope they hauled his butt to jail.

these scofflaws need to be aware that there are law-abiding citizens out there watching them who aren't afraid to report them.


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## pringlelake (Aug 13, 2010)

GREAT post Sick Leave. You did exactly the right thing. And I agree with posting the name of the registered owner of the boat. I'm tired of all of the politically correct stuff of not ever sticking your neck out when justice calls for it. Kudos to you sir for having the guts to do a call out. If Mr Claude Sanders is innocent, I'll gladly listen to his side of the story.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

it would go a long way towards stopping a lot of the law breakers if the tpwd had a website of violator names for this kind of stuff. probably wouldn't help with those names i couldn't pronounce, but it'd help i'd think...


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## SailFishCostaRica (Jan 7, 2010)

Get em, the stinkin pirates!!!


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

Matteo said:


> I applaud what you did and shame on the guy for breaking the law.
> 
> *That being said, I have called Game thief on several occasions while out fishing, gave license plate #s, descriptions of vehicles and people, then waited hours for the GW to show up and ticket the people.*
> 
> ...


OGT is a dispatch center and it always takes time to filter down to the local level. When you can call the warden assigned to a county directly - it's best to do that...you'll get a much faster response.


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## Randy-z71 (Sep 10, 2007)

I tried the same thing last year by calling on the 11 over the limit, but the guys name was nyguen and waited 3 1/2 hours and no game warden, called back and they said the didnt have the resources if his name was sanders they would have stuck his arse, sometimes it sucks being an american!


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## nelson6500 (Jun 8, 2007)

Randy-z71 said:


> I tried the same thing last year by calling on the 11 over the limit, but the guys name was nyguen


I guess you were close enough that you counted how many he had over the limit and new his last name?

Just askin 



Randy-z71 said:


> waited 3 1/2 hours and no game warden, called back and they said the didnt have the resources if his name was sanders they would have stuck his arse,


I think you have that backwards, I'm not saying that the GW or law officials do racial profiling, But more times I can remember if the jetties are lined up with boats and they see the passengers wearing the round leaf hats or got slat eyes they will pull up to that boat before they pull over a boat with WHITE guys on it.

Just sayin

This isn't congress . There are rules!

This isn't wall street. There are rules!

This isn't major league baseball. There are rules!

This isn't The lone star card program. There are rules!


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## nelson6500 (Jun 8, 2007)

Guys I must apologize for sounding racist or hateful, But truth of the matter is I hate everyone that puts our fishing rights at stake with these unlawful over the limit catching. I don't understand it if you want more flounder then just wait until December 1st. I know that It looks like I defend the asian race but truthfully I will defend anyone who is wrongly accused. If an asian broke the law call the GW just like you would on anyone else. 
There are law breakers in every color and race, I hope Mr. Sanders clears his name if he let someone borrow his boat or just recently sold it and the GW catch all the poachers.

Matt


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## spike404 (Sep 13, 2010)

Certain groups of our society have a propensity to push the limits. Fishing laws are a specialty of some groups. 

All I know is that ~25 years ago I had a sailboat with a cabin, and my friends and I would often anchor out in the bay for the night. All night long there was constant shrimp boat traffic that we could see and hear within 100 yards of us. They were all blacked out, and all pulling trawls (against the law). We would light them up with our Q-Beam, and you never heard, or saw, such goings-on! It sounded like a Tet offensive--if you get my drift. Nothing has changed.

Profiling? Not to me. It is reality.


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## reeltimer (Feb 5, 2010)

spike404 said:


> Certain groups of our society have a propensity to push the limits. Fishing laws are a specialty of some groups.
> 
> All I know is that ~25 years ago I had a sailboat with a cabin, and my friends and I would often anchor out in the bay for the night. All night long there was constant shrimp boat traffic that we could see and hear within 100 yards of us. They were all blacked out, and all pulling trawls (against the law). We would light them up with our Q-Beam, and you never heard, or saw, such goings-on! It sounded like a Tet offensive--if you get my drift. Nothing has changed.
> 
> Profiling? Not to me. It is reality.


Funnny you metion shrimper's with no light's a few months ago me an reeling65 were headed offshore and we counted four shrimp boat's with no light's and we got close to about three of them.All had trawls in the water.humm.....I know a oysterer that was throw in jail that called me up for some money to loan because he was oystering in a no oyster zone and the SOB didn't like what i said about his sorry arse.


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## CajunBob (Feb 24, 2008)

Thank you


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## [email protected] (Jun 5, 2009)

Use operation game thief also! good job! thanks


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## SaltH2oAssassin (Jan 25, 2006)

Lat22 said:


> This isn't 'Nam. There are rules!


*** is that supposed to mean?:headknock:hairout:


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## SaltH2oAssassin (Jan 25, 2006)

nelson6500 said:


> Guys I must apologize for sounding racist or hateful, But truth of the matter is I hate everyone that puts our fishing rights at stake with these unlawful over the limit catching. I don't understand it if you want more flounder then just wait until December 1st. I know that It looks like I defend the asian race but truthfully I will defend anyone who is wrongly accused. If an asian broke the law call the GW just like you would on anyone else.
> There are law breakers in every color and race, I hope Mr. Sanders clears his name if he let someone borrow his boat or just recently sold it and the GW catch all the poachers.
> 
> Matt


:cheers:

Well said.... I don't think you are being racist by defending your race, just can't believe the ignorance of some people that they make race and issue out of everything. Just amazes me.


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## Gluconda (Aug 25, 2005)

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse, worst is for those who know the law and still choose to break them!

_*The LAW knows not of color, but only violators!*_


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## oOslikOo (Jul 13, 2010)

^^^^very true, nice job by the way


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## saltup83 (Jul 15, 2010)

GOOD JOB MAN!!!! I hope they got'em! :cop:


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## Chief5x5 (Apr 25, 2005)

I just knew there were good citizens like us out there. Great job, keep up the never ending fight for right.


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## Lat22 (Apr 7, 2005)

SaltH2oAssassin said:


> *** is that supposed to mean?:headknock:hairout:


Obviously, you're not a golfer.


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## SaltH2oAssassin (Jan 25, 2006)

Lat22 said:


> Obviously, you're not a golfer.


Nope, can't say that I am....


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