Game Warden's Disguise Helped Him Trap Illegal Fishermen In The Most Bizarre Arrest Imaginable

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Game Warden's Disguise Helped Him Trap Illegal Fishermen In The Most Bizarre Arrest Imaginable

CBC.ca

I've read and written a lot of stories about crime and those that have gone the extra mile on both sides of the equation. That being said, this has gotta be one of the weirdest stories that I have ever come across.

CDFW News - WordPress.com

Most people don't realize the power that fish and game wardens have, in several instances they have more power than the actual police, and they take their jobs exceedingly seriously.

One former fish and game warden, Terry Grosz, recounted a hilarious story from back in the early 80s. He was working in Northern California, where they had a monster salmon population. Fishermen were using illegal tactics to pull in these massive fish. By law you had to stop fishing 30 minutes before sunset, but these guys were fishing well past 2 AM. They were also fishing in pools where salmon were resting, and they were using these special lures that glowed when hit with a flashlight. It was like shooting fish in a barrel...

Full Moon

It was always hard to catch these fishermen because they would have spotters sitting out on the roads to warn them if the wardens were coming. Terry came up with a crazy idea, well crazy to an outsider looking in.

Terry borrowed a wet-suit from a friend, and stuck his 6'4" 300lbs frame into it. He then waited until it got late and wadded into the water downstream from the spot he knew these guys were fishing illegally.

He swam upstream against the current until he could see their lures, their lit cigarettes and hear them talking. He swan closer, remaining quiet. It was pitch black on the water so they couldn't see him. When one of their lures came close enough, he snagged it with his glove and started fighting against it like a big fish. He could hear them talking about how "this must be the biggest salmon they had ever caught..."

Little did they know, they were about to get the surprise of their lives.

Wiggle Guides

When Grosz was close enough to shore to get his feet on the stream bed, he calmly walked out of the water and up to the three men. They were so shocked that they didn't say anything. He wrote them all citations and confiscated their gear before quietly taking everything back into the water and swimming away.

Could you imagine the authorities just emerging from the water to cite you before melting back into the blackness like nothing had happened?