A fall fishing trip on the Ramapo River ended in handcuffs and citations when New York State Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Steffen hooked two anglers breaking just about every rule in the New York State fishing book.
The pair were found with a mixed bag of yellow perch, sunfish, redhorse sucker, as well as 13 undersized largemouth bass measuring just 7 to 10 inches long. State law limits anglers to five bass over 12 inches, but these fishermen were keeping bass barely big enough to filet for a sandwich.
ECO Steffen released all 13 illegal bass back into the Ramapo and handed out a full tackle box’s worth of tickets: possession of undersized fish, over-the-limit violations, and fishing without a license.
The largemouth bust kicked off what turned into a busy month of fisheries enforcement across New York waters, from the Hudson Valley to Long Island Sound, where officers uncovered everything from hidden blackfish stashes to a commercial striped bass scheme involving hundreds of untagged fish.
Blackfish Poacher Busted Before the Season Even Began
Just days earlier, on Oct. 10, ECOs McGhee and Simmons were patrolling Plum and Fishers Islands just off the Long Island coast when they boarded several boats loaded with tautog, commonly known as blackfish. The problem? New York’s blackfish season in that region didn’t open until the next day.
While nearby Connecticut waters were fair game, these boats were fishing on the wrong side of the line, and the officers wasted no time issuing tickets for taking blackfish out of season. Those cases are headed to Southold Town Justice Court.
The Running Angler and the Cooler Full of Blackfish
One day later, on Oct. 11, ECO DeRose hit Robert Moses State Park on Long Island’s South Shore, and found two groups catching blackfish nearly a week before the legal season opened.
When DeRose moved in, one angler grabbed his cooler and tried to make a run for it. The officer gave chase through the parking lot and stopped the suspect, finding nine out-of-season blackfish packed inside. Another angler in the group had an undersized black sea bass.
Tickets flew: possession of blackfish out of season, possession of undersized fish, and an extra charge for failing to obey a lawful order.
247 Striped Bass, But Over Half Were Illegal
A few days later, on Oct. 16, a joint patrol between New York ECOs and NOAA Officer Lepre uncovered a massive striped bass violation off Suffolk County.
The officers boarded a commercial fishing vessel headed to dock and discovered a haul that would make any striper angler’s jaw drop: 247 striped bass, only 112 of which had legal tags. The other 135 fish were untagged, a clear violation of commercial fishing law.
The crew was escorted back to shore, the illegal fish documented, and tickets issued, returnable to Southampton Town Justice Court.
Hidden Under the Seats: The Shinnecock Inlet Stash
Finally, on Oct. 25, ECO Dickerson responded to a tip about anglers stuffing blackfish into a vehicle at Shinnecock Inlet.
When officers confronted the group, the car owner claimed they hadn’t caught a thing. But a sharp-eyed ECO spotted a fish tail poking from a plastic bag near the driver’s seat. The ensuing search turned up 14 blackfish hidden under car seats, with 12 of them being undersized.
Tickets were issued for possession of undersized fish and exceeding the possession limit, wrapping up a month of aggressive enforcement by DEC officers determined to keep New York’s fisheries healthy and fair.The fall can be a productive time for those hitting the water, just make sure you know the seasons and follow the rules. For full details on current fishing seasons, size limits, and regulations, anglers can visit the New York State DEC Fishing Regulations website.
