Funny stories: the department of being lame

So, I was fishing with my sister up at the Goodwin Dam area of the Stanislaus river. It's a fly fishing only barbless hooks catch and release protected wild trout stream that I love to fish. Anyways this particular time, I forgot my fishing license. I have never been asked by a game warden of the department of fish and game for a license before so I figured no big deal.

So! I'm fishing upstream of my sister when sure enough, a warden starts walking towards me from further upstream. I figured I was safe because he couldn't get to me. So I yelled over: howdy! He cut through the brush right next to the shoreline next to me. I'm not sure why I was thinking maybe he wouldn't ask for my license, because if you know anything about Game Wardens, that's how they make there money (and they always ask). So I preemptive-ly show him my hooks are barbless and I have kept no fish. Sure enough he asks anyways: can you show me your license?

In a flash I thought:
Run! Wait, I'm in the middle of the water with rapids on either side!
Swim! Wait, I have my wallet on me.
Lie! No wait, that's a federal crime.

So I gave in and said. No, sorry. I may have left it in the car but I don't have it on me. The warden then said: well, what color is the license?

In a flash I thought:
Dang, this question may be worth $600!
Orange or green, orange or green

Um sir, it's orange? or... or green? Orange!

He just continued chewing his gum. You alone? ... No I said, I have my sister with me down stream.

Another flash thought... I remembered Chrissy, an amateur fishermen, had lost her fly and retied another fly on her hook. She had no clue it was supposed to have the barb bent downward with pliers. I knew for a fact that mistake would be worth hundreds of dollars. How could I get to her first?

The warden said we should head on over to her and asked for more specific directions.
Then I caught a break when the warden invited me to go across in the water on the right side of a branched off smaller stream to avoid the thorny vines on his trial on the left side of the stream. I'm like... sure whatever. Then as sure as he was out of site I sprinted in the water towards Chrissy. I got to her yelling, CHRISSY! CUT OFF THE FLY! She's like... uh sure. I explained to her: The warden is coming and you have a barb on your hook! Cut it off and grab the extra rod! I had another rod which she had got stuck on a rock. So she grabbed it just as the warden showed up.

He checked all the hooks and then joked about not being able to check the fly stuck in the water. Chrissy just laughed at him.

So! He checked her license and then showed me it was green not orange. I'm like, yeah great.

But he let me off because I was a minor. I don't really think he believed me about ever having a license.


Who needs the department of fish and game anyways?