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Red River: Nebraska Trio Faces Charges for Catfish Violations

Posted on: Monday, 22 August 2005, 21:00 CDT

Aug. 21--Three Nebraska anglers face possible jail time and fines up to $1,000 each for keeping too many catfish over the size limit on the Red River.

Cited for the Aug. 13 violation were Daniel Wakefield, 31, Omaha, Neb.; Lee Wakefield, 25, Papilion, Neb.; and Ricky Wakefield, 24, Omaha.

According to Mike Sedlacek, district game warden for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Cavalier, N.D., the three anglers and a fourth man were fishing from shore below the Drayton (N.D.) Dam, when he checked them and found 11 catfish longer than 24 inches on two stringers. Anglers on the Red River can keep one catfish longer than 24 inches in their five-fish possession limit, so the three men exceeded the size limit by eight catfish.

Sedlacek said he ticketed Ricky Wakefield for four fish over 24 inches, and Lee and Daniel Wakefield for two fish each over the maximum size. The largest catfish measured 36 inches, Sedlacek said, and the smallest was 28 inches. The warden seized the fish and kept them as evidence.

He didn't cite the fourth angler because the other three admitted to catching and keeping the illegal catfish.

The warden said he discovered the illegal catfish after stopping by the Drayton Dam Recreation Area and noticing the anglers were fishing with too many lines. Unlike the rest of the Red, where two lines are allowed, the area between Drayton Dam and the boat ramp a few hundred yards downstream limits anglers fishing from shore to one line each. Sedlacek said the four anglers had seven lines in the water when he first checked them.

That would turn out to be the least of their problems.

Sedlacek arrested the three anglers, and a Pembina County sheriff's deputy transported them to the Pembina County Jail in Cavalier, in part, he said, because Nebraska is not part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

The compact is an agreement between 24 states that recognizes hunting and fishing violations beyond the borders of the state where the offense occurs. Had the anglers fled to Nebraska before posting bond, they couldn't have been extradited to North Dakota because the charges are Class B misdemeanors. Extradition from states that aren't compact members only applies to felony violations.

The three men and their fishing partner, who later was jailed when authorities discovered he was driving with a suspended license, posted bond and were released from jail Monday, Sedlacek said. Their trial will take place early in December.

According to Sedlacek, the number of catfish longer than 24 inches he confiscated in this case suggests the anglers' actions were more than ignorance.

"It took me by surprise to see that many big fish over the limit," he said. "There are 11 fish that are not in the river anymore, that nobody else gets to enjoy."

In a smaller incident Monday, Sedlacek cited three anglers from Iowa for having six channel catfish longer than 24 inches instead of the three they legally could keep. A noncriminal violation, that offense resulted in Sedlacek ticketing the anglers for $100 each.

According to Sedlacek, Red River anglers need to remember they can keep only one catfish longer than 24 inches, even if they're fishing more than one day.

"The guy that did most of the talking for the group said he thought the possession limit was double the daily limit," Sedlacek said. "It was a mistake, but the regulations are in the fishing guide, and nonresidents that aren't used to North Dakota regulations need to be checking into that."

The fish can be gutted and gilled, Sedlacek said, but they must be intact for wardens to measure. Violating that requirement is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable in North Dakota by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Sedlacek said fishing with more than one rod between Drayton Dam and the first boat ramp downstream is another common violation. The one-rod requirement doesn't apply to anglers fishing from a boat, he said.

To report suspected fishing and hunting violations in North Dakota, contact the state's Report All Poaching hot line at (800) 472-2121. In Minnesota, the Turn In Poachers hot line is (800) 652-9093.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

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Source: Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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