Busted by the DFG

[whalerkyle]

Went out last night out of Dana Point down to San Clemente Pier Reef. Incredible vis. Little Surge. 71 minute dive, with average depth of 25'. Temp was 56. Tons of life.
We managed 7 legal bugs between 3 divers. Awsome dive. We even saw an octopus trying to eat a golf ball.
Back at the ramp in Dana, about 930pm, Mr DFG Game Warden walks up to us as we were changing into our dry clothing and asks for the normal stuff, license, ID, and "Did you catch anything?" We proudly display our catch and all is good. Then he wants to search the boat and search through our BC pockets. We were in a little 17' boat last night, and all the gear just gets piled up everywhere with little room to move about.
It turns out that one little piece of S*#T lobsters crawled into the corner under one of the BC's. After the dive we allways take turns and dump our bags on the deck to re-measure the bugs. This one we missed tossing back to the ocean.
He was in plain sight, not even hidden, just wedged under a BC. There are bunch of hiding spots on the boat that could be used if we were intentionally breaking the law. Well, Mr. 2 Glock 9mm pistol packing Tough Guy Game Warden invites me to court in 2 weeks. And he kept the bug!!!!
There is allways a first time for everything.
Any advise?

LATERS>>>>

 

[Marebythesea]

Doesn't look good for you Kyle...they will say the bug should have been measured before you brought it onboard. I love it opening night when their just sitting there waiting for you to surface...you don't even have time to blink! :frown2:

 

[cornfed]

LOL, people try to catch lobsters and you get busted for one you didn't even know about!

 

[CBulla]

Sounds like one of those guys with nothing better to do, his wife left him, the dog passed on last week, his house burnt down, he didnt get to take part in the OJ chase, hasnt had a cigarette in 4 hours, still nursing a hang over from 2 days ago, his boat was stolen, and to top it off he forgot to do laundry last night and is wearing the same dirty underwear and socks as yesterday!

 

[pasley]

I agree with previous comment. The DFG regs are clear, the bug has to be measured and legal before it goes in the bag. Once it is on the boat, you have already gone into the violation phase.

That is not to say I would not do as you have done and recheck myself on the boat just to make sure that with the surge and trying to hold a struggling bug I hadn't mismeasured. But someone caught "X" and remeasued "X-1", they should have noticed they were short on their count and looked for the bug.

Not that it matters, but how short was the bug? 1/16th, 1/4 or way off?

About opening night, last year, I was in Catalina near two harbors on a friends boat. We were checking our position in the cove and cruising around in the dingy. A dive boat pulled in and we noted the divers suiting up at 10:00 p.m. During our cruise around the area we also noted a blacked out large zodiac sitting in the dark watching the dive boat. My guess abut the idenity of the blacked out zodiac was confirmed when the zodiac boarded the dive boat just before midnight and busted them for hunting before the season started.

 

[whalerkyle]

The short bug measured back to the "Hairs", so it was about 1/16th off.

 

[pasley]

The short bug measured back to the "Hairs", so it was about 1/16th off.

Bummer.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Doesn't look good for you Kyle...they will say the bug should have been measured before you brought it onboard. I love it opening night when their just sitting there waiting for you to surface...you don't even have time to blink! :frown2:

That is the right answer. It is good to have a gauge clipped to a D ring somewhere. Everything looks bigger underwater.

I mostly get my bugs at the deli now, from the fish tank. Its easier, and overall it costs less than an entire scuba expedition. The best prices are at the wharfs, but you should bring along your own small ice chest to bring the bugs back home with, if its a long drive to the seashore.

It sounds like you ran into a game warder who actually takes his government job seriously. Good for him. St. Matthew in the Bible was a government worker as well.

 

[whalerkyle]

There is no need for me to buy a lobster when I can launch my boat and be in the water in under 45 minutes. I'm sure St Mathew was a little forgiving at times when an honest mistake was made.

Why do you guys think he took the lobster with him and not just dump it back?

Lobster for me is the most expensive free food. Now it turned into a 650$ dive , lol. Oh well, lesson learned.

 

[pasley]

...Why do you guys think he took the lobster with him and not just dump it back?...

Evidence