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#48941 07/25/04 05:19 PM
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I helped a friend of a friend drain his backyard pond 4 years ago. Before he drained it he told me that there was at least 15 bass over 4 lbs. inside. This pond was maybe 40' X 80' x 7' deep. When it emptied out, there was only one bass 14 inches long. He had it dug out deeper and enlarged. The next summer he stocked with hybrid redear. I had not seen it since it was drained four years ago. Last night I went back to see it. He told me that he put in 40 bass over 4 lbs.(some over 6 lbs.) that he had caught from a local lake.
Come to find out, He caught these fish from a small 5-7 acre lake that he was sneaking into to fish. If this lake had 40 bass over 4 lbs., I would think that the owner probably spent a lot of time and money to achieve that. I don't know where this lake is, but I will try to find out and notify the owner.

What would you do?

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If someone did that to my lake, I'd sure want to know.


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#48943 07/25/04 05:34 PM
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Stupid is as stupid does! People like that really suck and I’m sure you can see he’s stupidity in every choice he makes.

#48944 07/25/04 06:02 PM
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Man, that is a tough question -- friend of a friend - hope he does not know where you live. I'd want to tell the owner of the lake, but I also would be afraid of the thief. If he'd steal, then he'd do something more to your place. Keep your name out of it, but let it be known if you can. Some people just can't respect other's property.

#48945 07/25/04 06:41 PM
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It wasn't my pond was it? If it was that would explain why they seem to get a little scare at 4 lbs. If it is I'll be waiting with some birdshot. ;\)


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#48946 07/25/04 07:14 PM
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DCagle - thanks for that informative post.

I think any pondowner would want to know if someone was stealing their fish. As most all of you know,, it takes a lot of time and effort (including money) to establish a quality fishery. Removing fish without permission is theft, plain and simple.

If you find out the who the unlucky pondowner owner is who is losing fish to the thief, an anonymous tip would be appropriate and probably much appreciated!!

40 big predator fish is a lot to lose from a 5 - 7 acre body of water. Think of how the loss is upsetting the balance of prey and predators. Also these big fish are being punished and starved by cramming them into a 0.11 acre pond with very limited forage items and food resources. Hybrid redear produce very few offspring to feed bass. It is no wonder that his original 15 big bass never survived. This guy obviously did not learn anything the first time around. Some are trainable some are not. I feel sorry for this guy's wife. Plus if he has kids he is teaching them very bad things.


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#48947 07/25/04 08:16 PM
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I think this lake is somewhere close to Evansville Indiana. My friend has brought him over to my lake to fish before. So he knows where I live. My lake also has very good bass fishing with some in the 9 - 10 lb. range. My property shares 2 boundries with state forestry.

I think I will try the anonymous tip. I just hope I can find the owner.

#48948 07/25/04 08:18 PM
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DCagle,
I agree with Bill & others. The lake owner needs to know so he won't think he is managing his fishery wrong. As it stands he may be wondering why he can't grow bass bigger than 3#!


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#48949 07/25/04 09:15 PM
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dcagle, i admire you trying to contact the owner. but, you did just post all of this stuff on a public internet site, and if i were you would see if i could somehow erase these posts, even contact bob lusk if i were you. THEN, contact, quietly, (not broadcasted over the internet), then contact the game warden or owner. i just would be a little more subtle than letting intentions like this be known about your plan here. your "friend" may get pretty ticked, especially if he came across these posts someday. And if he faces stiff fines may do some weird stuff. so get rid of these posts, call bob lusk or whoever can take these posts off, then be discrete, and do what you have to do. mark

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To Those Interested: To put the value of the 40 large bass (4 lbs) in perspective lets us estimate their base value.

40 largemouth that are each 4 pounds have to eat 10 lbs of forage items for each pound of predator weight (4 lbs predator x 10 lbs forage). I will assume a cost of $5.00 per pound of minnows. Some places charge up to $7/lb. If a bass eats 40 lbs of minnows to grow to 4 lbs, that is $200 of minnows per each 4 lb bass ($5x40lbs). This assumes the bass does not eat a few small LM bass during his way to 4 lbs. 6" to 8" LM bass cost around $1.50 to $2.50 ea which makes each large bass even more valuable. 6" LMbass = abt 10 fish/lb, $1.50eax10=$15/lb. and 8" LMbass= abt 4fish /lb, $3eax4=$12/lb. 40 lbs of bass as forage would equal abt $540!! to grow one 4 lb bass!!.

40, 4 lb bass x $200 per bass = a total base value of $8,000 that this guy has stolen from this small private lake. What is the difference in this sneaky fisherman taking privately owned fish or if he was stealing the man's chickens, sheep, dog, gasoline, tools or other property?.

Some people get into the habit or mind-set of legally removing fish from public waters and tend to think of all water as similar to public waters. Also they think since the fish are not easily observed they will not be missed. This guy actually knows the difference betwen the two because he was "sneaking" onto the property to do his stealing.


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#48951 07/25/04 10:38 PM
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D. Cagle, I agree with everyone's comments.

What really boggles my mind is that this fish thief guy knows you have a nice pond/lake, and he still tells you that he's stealing fish from someone elses private pond/lake. Like you're supposed to appreciate that.

This guy is obviously an idiot and a dickhead to boot.

If I had been in the conversation when he stated that he was stealing, I would have inquired more about it; almost like I was interested in maybe going and catching some fish for myself. After that, I'd also have to state that I would bust any individual doing that to my lake with the full involvement of the PA State Police and Fish Commision.

Of course, my comments are in hindsight.

I'd disassociate with the dickhead.

I'd also question the original friend more about dickhead.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

#48952 07/26/04 06:38 PM
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I hope this thread doesn't get removed because of it's value of expressed ethics & Bill's insite into the cost of fish removed from a pond.
However anyone can remove their own post & the originator of a thread can remove the whole thread by clicking on the pencil/paper icon at the top right of your post.
From there you can edit or delete the post but only the originator of the thread can delete the whole thread.


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#48953 07/26/04 07:35 PM
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I don't think there is much chance that idiot will find these post. His name is Phillip and he has fished many of ponds without permission. He will never be allowed to fish my lakes again!

Phillip has trespassed on several ponds and lakes, maybe contacting this lake owner will help put a stop to it. I think the lake owner knows that someone has trespassed. Phillip said that the last time he went to the lake there was something blocking the road. Maybe next time there will be something blocking the road on his way out!

#48954 07/26/04 08:57 PM
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To me, this is the same as having someone telling me that they were stealing tools, breaking into houses or something like that. I wouldn't contact the owner but rather I'd contact the local police. To me, this is definitely a police matter.


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#48955 07/27/04 10:20 AM
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In Michigan the Police will only take the complaint, or report of the theft, from the "victim" or the person suffering the loss, so I would still try to identify the pond owner and notify him so he can make the report. With the $$$ amount that Bill supplied in his post the pond owner will be able to show that it was not "just a few fish, what's the big deal".
Not sure how the pond owner will prove that this particular idiot did in fact take the fish and just exactly when they were taken. But at least he can put a stop to it and be aware of what is happening to his pond.

Dan


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#48956 07/28/04 05:35 AM
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I think I would just notify the owner. I doubt that the cops will or can do anything based on heresay.

My pickup was broken into a week ago. Several thousand $ of tools stolen. Second time in less than 3 years. I called, they came out, filled out paperwork, gave me a case # for insurance purposes and sent me a form letter. No way they can get the goods back. Too many hock shops and flea markets in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. If they were found, I couldn't prove they were mine. I expect, to the cops, one fish also looks like another. I think I would notify the victim and give him the opportunity to fill the guys butt with birdshot or administer a well deserved ass whuppin.

#48957 07/28/04 07:45 AM
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I'm certain that most police local to any of our ponds have "bigger fish to fry."

But what I've found with my local police in Somerset, PA, who are actually state police, is that they really do want to help the respectable land owners and residents. And after they "catch" someone, they need the follow up support of those same land owners/residents to show up for hearings and trials, etc.

One of the guys who stole my motorcycles and mini-bike is now doing 3 years in the PA State Pen. It was not the theft of my property that put him away in itself; it was the fact that he was on probation for so many other things and this was his third strike. This was the same guy who stole my canoe five years ago, and the same guy who I caught trespassing/fishing on my property five years ago.

I'm currently planning my approach to bust someone who is fishing/poaching on my property now. A few weeks back, I found one of those fish stringers (the metal kind with safety pin type clasps). That's the kind of stringer that a meat eating poacher carries. The stringer was brand new, not a spec of rust on it.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

#48958 07/28/04 05:07 PM
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Sunil, Be careful how you proceed. In Texas, only a licensed peace officer has the right to detain a person against their will.

#48959 07/28/04 06:58 PM
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Thanks Dave. Yes, I'm aware of what I can and can't do when I catch the violators. I've talked with the police. But your point is well taken.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

#48960 07/28/04 08:37 PM
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As a citzen of this great nation you have the right to make a citizens arrest. Not only can you do that but you can use the lowest resonable amount of force to affect the arrest.
Stpet291

#48961 07/29/04 05:17 AM
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Not so in Texas. A couple of years ago 2 Cowboys on the huge King Ranch in Texas caught a deer poacher. They held him (I'm not sure what kind of force they used) for or took him to the Game Warden or cops or? He sued the ranch and won. Don't remember where I saw the info or would cite it. However, I did talk to a Game warden who verified it.

#48962 07/29/04 09:49 AM
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Dave's post at the top of page 2 does bring out a valid point. As I learned in an incident in which I was burgularized, if you do not have your stuff marked; the cops can't give it back to you. You must prove ownership. Get an engraver and insciribe your name on your stuff! Better yet, inscribe your drivers liscense number. The cops can instantly find out your name, address... from that.

Trust me when I say that it is very frustrating to be standing with a cop, looking at your stuff and he can not give it to you. (because you can not prove ownership.)


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#48963 07/29/04 04:55 PM
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Do they make an engraver for fish?? \:D


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