Nunnally

[ffishnfly chatterton]

At the risk of reopening some very vocal feelings, I am going to once more go out on a limb and state that IMHO the major problem with the fisheries in Eastern Washington is poaching and the lack of enforcement of said problem. While increased pressure from those fishing legally, which is very evident on all waters these days, is a contributing factor, it is nowhere near as damaging a factor as people taking literally coolers full of fish illegally.  While many of these people, and I have observed them myself on the Lenice-Merry-Nunnally chain of lakes are of immigrant status, there are also many non immigrants who also follow the same practice. The fact of the matter is that the price to be paid for those who break the law is pretty low compared to the risk.   A point was brought up in this string about illegal immigrants not wanting to disobey the law, thus causing them to have to leave the country. Two law enforcement officers, a Chelan County Sheriff's Deputy, and a Washington State Trooper have been killed in the past couple of years by illegal immigrants who have disobeyed the law openly on numerous occassions,  have been deported and were back in the country shortly thereafter.  So I can't put credence on this being a deterrent to somebody not illegally fishing. Since my son is a Washington State Trooper ( some of you may have met him) and runs across illegal immigrants on a regular basis, I can assure you that not obeying the law is well down the list of priorities of a select few of these individuals, just as it is for the non immigrant population.  If they do not respect the law, they will disobey it.   Soulution for the string of lakes mentioned?  My solution would be a set up similar to that of campground managers in State Parks, volunteers who would keep in an eye on things, watch over what is going on on the lakes and report them to the proper authorities.  I would think it would go a long way towards solving the problem.  These individuals could even be given limited commissions to give out tickets, etc.   The hard worked WDFG agents could use some help.  Some of my friends and I have even gone so far as to having one of us remain with the vehicle while in the campgrounds/parking areas while the others fished, and changing off every so often.  So far, with this approach, we have not had a vehicle broken into, and have been able to persuade some who showed up with illegal gear that perhaps that was not a good idea to fish there at the time.   While not a Gary Locke fan, I think the problem goes much deeper than just him. It rests with us, as individuals, putting our time and effort into getting into office, those who feel the same as we do, rather than just blindly continuing the careers of full time politicians because maybe we recognize the name.  If we don't like any of the candidates, maybe it is time we become involved.   On a side note, some have mentioned the winds in this area on the 10th and 11th.  While driving to visit my daughter in the TriCities area, passing by the chain of lakes mentioned, I can assure you the drive from about Beverly to the TriCities was as hairy a drive as I have ever made, with blowing sand, dodging huge tumbleweeds, and reduced visibility due to dust in the air.  As my grandson said, it was like playing tumbleweed dodgeball.   Just my 3 cents worth (because of how long I have rambled on!)   Roger