Bill Gunn
04-02-2010, 01:28 PM
Went out on Lake Erie near Buffalo for a few perch. I launched in the Niagara River, went and netted a little bait. I then proceeded to the lake, passing under the International Rail Road Bridge, and the Peace Bridge. Anyone that fishes this area much almost “has” to have a Canadian fishing license, because the line between the countries is crossed so many times during the day, and the best fishing very often is on the Canadian side. As a matter of fact, it is darn near impossible to get out into lake Erie via the Niagara River without going through Canada, as the boundary runs through a rock-strewn area about 1 foot deep, and the boating channel is all on the Canadian side.
The perch in this area, at this time, seem to be in a “Pre-spawn” mode. They are scattered all over, and a lot of searching has to be done to find any numbers of fish.
I started out in a couple of areas in front of the windmills south of Buffalo trying drifting and anchoring, and that equaled no fish, and no bites.
I then headed about 10 miles north to Holloway Bay in Canada, and also tried in front of Point Abino, Canada, a popular spot, and struck out there also no fish, and not even a bite.
I then headed back toward Buffalo, and was fishing near the departure buoy, when another guy (I never met before) pulled up to me and asked how I was doing. I told him all the areas I’ve been to, with no success at all. He said a friend of his did rather well the day before in an area near where I was, and I was welcome to try it there with him.
I was actually about to head in anyways, but decided to give this “new” spot a try. As soon as I dropped in a line, within 2 minutes I had a nice 12.5” perch in the boat!!
Within 10 more minutes, I got two more (and missed 3) 12 to 13” fish. I ended up with 9 REALLY nice fish from 9 ¾” to 13” in about an hour. The guy that showed me the spot got 3, so I offered, and he accepted the fish I had (I already have some in the freezer now), and also I gave him the few minnows I had left. When we were fishing, we were separated buy about ¼ mile, and during that time, a “Homeland Security” boat stopped by and checked us out with his binoculars from about 100 yards away, a very common occurrence in this border area.
When I was giving him the fish, he was telling me about a floatplane that was buzzing the shoreline of the Niagara River. He said within 5 minutes the launch was filled with Homeland Security, Border Patrol/Customs Police, and local cops. They were asking this guy all about the plane, and if he got the #’s, and were in general, pretty much upset that the plane was buzzing the area.
I headed back up the river, and went into the launch at Sheridan Dr. I tied up the boat, went to my truck, and backed my trailer into the water.
I started to untie my boat, and INSTANTLY the world around me changed.
Two Full Cabin Defender Class SAFE boats pulled up behind my boat at a VERY high rate of speed. They came to a sudden stop right behind me, one staying out in the river blocking my escape, and one docking right next to me. The large waves they were making made it VERY hard to keep my boat from slamming into my trailer, and it was very hard to line the boat up right. I was more than a little aggravated, and figured that there must still be some stuff going on about that floatplane that was buzzing the area earlier.
At the same time, a Border Patrol/Customs truck pulled in front of my truck, blocking me in, but I didn’t notice this until later.
Let me say that at this time, I had 4 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours, and was out in the sun fishing all day. I was a little tired, to say the least.
I got in the back of my truck, then on the trailer tongue, and cranked the boat fully on the trailer. By now, 4 or 5 guys had surrounded me with a lot of guns, on the docks on both sides of me.
One of them asked “Is everything still in your boat, that was in your boat when you were out in the water?” I was a little confused by the sudden question, still not having the slightest idea what was going on, but said, “Yes, all my stuff is still in the boat, I’ll take it out after I pull the boat on shore” in kind of a "Matter of fact" way, not thinking much of it.
Now at this point, the guy thinks I’m lying to him.
“What about the “Package” that you took out of your boat, and put in your truck?” he then said. I said, “I didn’t put any package in my truck.” (He’s thinking…. Lie #1)
“Do you have your drivers license? I need to see it.”
I said, “Yes” and started to take out my wallet.
“I also need the registration for the truck, trailer and boat, and they better all better be in your name.”
He asked where I just came from. Thinking he was in the Homeland Security boat that checked us out earlier, I told him “I was one of the boats that was just fishing in front of the steel plant” (He considered this lie #2)
At this point the guy next to him whispered to him, and he said “You were at Crystal Beach (a town) in Canada” (At ALL times when your in the Niagara River, or Lake Erie near Buffalo, they ARE watching you on radar, you can bet your LIFE on it) I told him I drove the boat past Crystal beach on the way to Hollaway Bay, and also fished off of Point Abino.
“Did you catch any fish?” I said yes, I got 9 nice perch, but I gave them away. (Ya, right, he’s thinking). “How big are these “Perch” your catching, about this big” he said as he held his hands about 20 inches apart, (I found out later he knew exactly how big perch were, he was trying to catch me in another lie). No I said, about 9 to 12”s.
“But you were at Crystal Beach” he said, and I said, “I went by it”.
“And your saying that you did not take a package out of your boat, and put it in your truck” “I don’t have any package” I said, and I was just starting to take this serious.
“Will you let us search your truck, we can get a warrant if you wish.” I said I don’t mind at all, and I also said “I’ll pull the truck out of the water for you, and while you’re at it you can search the boat, and anything else you wish.” (I just wanted to go home)
He went into Hyper Mode, pointed his finger at me and said, “Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to attempt to exit the bed of your pickup truck until I say you can….. do you understand exactly what I just said?”
Wow, this just went up about 3 notches, and I honestly was VERY concerned where this was going…
I could hear them going through the truck, as he kept questioning me (like why was I fishing alone, why was it necessary to be in Canada, when there’s fish in the US…. this is when I found out he knew how big a perch was….). I gave him the license, and registrations, and he passed them to another guy, who took them to the boat.
As he was asking more questions, I had seen one of the guys that searched my truck signal him. He had a very perplexed look on his face, and held up his empty hands, and said “Nothing”, as if he couldn’t believe they didn’t find the elusive “Package” they knew I put in my truck.
He told me to stay where I was until they finished checking my ID, and info.
As luck would have it, my cell phone started ringing. I didn’t know if I should move to answer it, so I asked him, “Can I answer the phone?”
He said “I *WANT* you to answer that phone!”
He listened intently to my conversation to my wife, and at the end I said, “Love Ya, I should be home in about an hour.”
He said, “That was your wife?”
“Yes” I said.
Why is she calling you exactly at this time?
I was a little upset (I think it was justified) and told him.
“I’ll tell you why, I had a liver transplant 4 years ago, and I have to take medication every day. She was just reminding me because I sometimes forget, and she was asking how long I was going to fish.”
He said, “Nice wife you got there”
As he handed my ID back to me and said, “Have a nice day”
I didn’t answer back…
The Mysterious “Package”…
I live about an hour from the ramp, and all the way home I of course could not help but wonder what instigated this entire episode.
As I reached for a pack of crackers I had in the console, it suddenly hit me.
New York State just passed a law that if you are in a boat between Nov, and May 1st, you must wear a life preserver. When I went out yesterday, it was in the low 40’s so I was wearing long johns, flannel shirt, heavy pants, and my insulated hunting jacket. After docking the boat, when I was walking back to the truck it was a lot warmer out and I was tired and hot, I took off my jacket, and I also took off my new Inflate-a-belt life preserver, and threw it on the front seat.
A Customs cop was (and is often) parked off to the side to observe any “Suspicious” activity at the ramp such as smuggling, or aliens sneaking across the border. With all the fancy communications, he knew I was in Canadian waters, and observed me throwing this “Suspicious” (Inflate-a-belt life preserver) “Package” in the truck….
I will say I know they were just doing their job and they were very professional about it, but it sure takes the fun out of chasing a few perch when you come under suspicion of smuggling….
__________________
The perch in this area, at this time, seem to be in a “Pre-spawn” mode. They are scattered all over, and a lot of searching has to be done to find any numbers of fish.
I started out in a couple of areas in front of the windmills south of Buffalo trying drifting and anchoring, and that equaled no fish, and no bites.
I then headed about 10 miles north to Holloway Bay in Canada, and also tried in front of Point Abino, Canada, a popular spot, and struck out there also no fish, and not even a bite.
I then headed back toward Buffalo, and was fishing near the departure buoy, when another guy (I never met before) pulled up to me and asked how I was doing. I told him all the areas I’ve been to, with no success at all. He said a friend of his did rather well the day before in an area near where I was, and I was welcome to try it there with him.
I was actually about to head in anyways, but decided to give this “new” spot a try. As soon as I dropped in a line, within 2 minutes I had a nice 12.5” perch in the boat!!
Within 10 more minutes, I got two more (and missed 3) 12 to 13” fish. I ended up with 9 REALLY nice fish from 9 ¾” to 13” in about an hour. The guy that showed me the spot got 3, so I offered, and he accepted the fish I had (I already have some in the freezer now), and also I gave him the few minnows I had left. When we were fishing, we were separated buy about ¼ mile, and during that time, a “Homeland Security” boat stopped by and checked us out with his binoculars from about 100 yards away, a very common occurrence in this border area.
When I was giving him the fish, he was telling me about a floatplane that was buzzing the shoreline of the Niagara River. He said within 5 minutes the launch was filled with Homeland Security, Border Patrol/Customs Police, and local cops. They were asking this guy all about the plane, and if he got the #’s, and were in general, pretty much upset that the plane was buzzing the area.
I headed back up the river, and went into the launch at Sheridan Dr. I tied up the boat, went to my truck, and backed my trailer into the water.
I started to untie my boat, and INSTANTLY the world around me changed.
Two Full Cabin Defender Class SAFE boats pulled up behind my boat at a VERY high rate of speed. They came to a sudden stop right behind me, one staying out in the river blocking my escape, and one docking right next to me. The large waves they were making made it VERY hard to keep my boat from slamming into my trailer, and it was very hard to line the boat up right. I was more than a little aggravated, and figured that there must still be some stuff going on about that floatplane that was buzzing the area earlier.
At the same time, a Border Patrol/Customs truck pulled in front of my truck, blocking me in, but I didn’t notice this until later.
Let me say that at this time, I had 4 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours, and was out in the sun fishing all day. I was a little tired, to say the least.
I got in the back of my truck, then on the trailer tongue, and cranked the boat fully on the trailer. By now, 4 or 5 guys had surrounded me with a lot of guns, on the docks on both sides of me.
One of them asked “Is everything still in your boat, that was in your boat when you were out in the water?” I was a little confused by the sudden question, still not having the slightest idea what was going on, but said, “Yes, all my stuff is still in the boat, I’ll take it out after I pull the boat on shore” in kind of a "Matter of fact" way, not thinking much of it.
Now at this point, the guy thinks I’m lying to him.
“What about the “Package” that you took out of your boat, and put in your truck?” he then said. I said, “I didn’t put any package in my truck.” (He’s thinking…. Lie #1)
“Do you have your drivers license? I need to see it.”
I said, “Yes” and started to take out my wallet.
“I also need the registration for the truck, trailer and boat, and they better all better be in your name.”
He asked where I just came from. Thinking he was in the Homeland Security boat that checked us out earlier, I told him “I was one of the boats that was just fishing in front of the steel plant” (He considered this lie #2)
At this point the guy next to him whispered to him, and he said “You were at Crystal Beach (a town) in Canada” (At ALL times when your in the Niagara River, or Lake Erie near Buffalo, they ARE watching you on radar, you can bet your LIFE on it) I told him I drove the boat past Crystal beach on the way to Hollaway Bay, and also fished off of Point Abino.
“Did you catch any fish?” I said yes, I got 9 nice perch, but I gave them away. (Ya, right, he’s thinking). “How big are these “Perch” your catching, about this big” he said as he held his hands about 20 inches apart, (I found out later he knew exactly how big perch were, he was trying to catch me in another lie). No I said, about 9 to 12”s.
“But you were at Crystal Beach” he said, and I said, “I went by it”.
“And your saying that you did not take a package out of your boat, and put it in your truck” “I don’t have any package” I said, and I was just starting to take this serious.
“Will you let us search your truck, we can get a warrant if you wish.” I said I don’t mind at all, and I also said “I’ll pull the truck out of the water for you, and while you’re at it you can search the boat, and anything else you wish.” (I just wanted to go home)
He went into Hyper Mode, pointed his finger at me and said, “Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to attempt to exit the bed of your pickup truck until I say you can….. do you understand exactly what I just said?”
Wow, this just went up about 3 notches, and I honestly was VERY concerned where this was going…
I could hear them going through the truck, as he kept questioning me (like why was I fishing alone, why was it necessary to be in Canada, when there’s fish in the US…. this is when I found out he knew how big a perch was….). I gave him the license, and registrations, and he passed them to another guy, who took them to the boat.
As he was asking more questions, I had seen one of the guys that searched my truck signal him. He had a very perplexed look on his face, and held up his empty hands, and said “Nothing”, as if he couldn’t believe they didn’t find the elusive “Package” they knew I put in my truck.
He told me to stay where I was until they finished checking my ID, and info.
As luck would have it, my cell phone started ringing. I didn’t know if I should move to answer it, so I asked him, “Can I answer the phone?”
He said “I *WANT* you to answer that phone!”
He listened intently to my conversation to my wife, and at the end I said, “Love Ya, I should be home in about an hour.”
He said, “That was your wife?”
“Yes” I said.
Why is she calling you exactly at this time?
I was a little upset (I think it was justified) and told him.
“I’ll tell you why, I had a liver transplant 4 years ago, and I have to take medication every day. She was just reminding me because I sometimes forget, and she was asking how long I was going to fish.”
He said, “Nice wife you got there”
As he handed my ID back to me and said, “Have a nice day”
I didn’t answer back…
The Mysterious “Package”…
I live about an hour from the ramp, and all the way home I of course could not help but wonder what instigated this entire episode.
As I reached for a pack of crackers I had in the console, it suddenly hit me.
New York State just passed a law that if you are in a boat between Nov, and May 1st, you must wear a life preserver. When I went out yesterday, it was in the low 40’s so I was wearing long johns, flannel shirt, heavy pants, and my insulated hunting jacket. After docking the boat, when I was walking back to the truck it was a lot warmer out and I was tired and hot, I took off my jacket, and I also took off my new Inflate-a-belt life preserver, and threw it on the front seat.
A Customs cop was (and is often) parked off to the side to observe any “Suspicious” activity at the ramp such as smuggling, or aliens sneaking across the border. With all the fancy communications, he knew I was in Canadian waters, and observed me throwing this “Suspicious” (Inflate-a-belt life preserver) “Package” in the truck….
I will say I know they were just doing their job and they were very professional about it, but it sure takes the fun out of chasing a few perch when you come under suspicion of smuggling….
__________________