FISHING -- A Washington steelhead angler Rick Itami was so impressed with the routine action's of an Idaho Fish and Game Department conservation officer, he was moved to write this report to share his respect.

I wanted to share a positive experience I had with an IDF&G Conservation Officer while fishing the Little Salmon River near Riggins, ID this past Monday. 

A fellow fishing next to me landed a small male steelhead that was fin-clipped.  He let the fish flop around among the rocks and dirt for several seconds until he finally figured out the fish was too dark to keep.  So he grabbed the fish with a couple of fingers in the gills and flung it out into the middle of the river without any thought of the fish possibly needing to be revived.  As luck would have it, a Conservation Officer by the name of Dennis Brandt was watching this activity from behind and above us.  He came down and very tactfully but firmly admonished the fellow for his careless handling of the fish.  When confronted, the fisherman was remorseful and very apologetic.  Message delivered well. 

As all this was going on, I managed to hook and land a nice female keeper of about 7 pounds.  After checking my license and tag, Dennis offered to take my picture with his cell phone and send it to my e-mail address.  When I got back to the motel and cranked up my laptop, there was Dennis' e-mail with the photo and a nice note thanking me for fishing Idaho waters (I live in WA).  I was so impressed by Dennis' courtesy, professionalism and friendly demeanor that I sent an e-mail to his supervisor in McCall, ID to let him know what a model CO he had working the Little Salmon River.

It's nice to run into the really good public servants out there protecting our fisheries and still maintaining good relations with the fishing public.