An Alaska Wildlife Trooper conducting an aerial patrol along the Yukon River spotted a boat beside a gill net during an emergency fishing closure, then watched as the vessel moved away when his floatplane approached.
The encounter, featured by the bodycam channel WildlifeWarden, unfolded near Stevens Village in July 2025 during a seasonal closure on all gillnet fishing. Officer Mike Potter landed his floatplane on the river and stopped the boat after seeing what he believed was a net recently set in the water.
The boat operator, identified in the footage as Charlie Yatlin, told Potter that the net was not his. He claimed he had found it tangled around a stump and was merely trying to free it from the swift river current.
But as Potter asked more questions, the explanation changed several times.
By the end of the encounter, troopers seized the approximately 150-foot gill net and issued Yatlin a citation for fishing with a gill net during a closed fishing period on the Yukon River. The citation was a minor offense requiring a court appearance, not a criminal charge, and the allegation had not yet been decided by a judge.
A Floatplane Spots a Boat and Net
WildlifeWarden’s host explained that Alaska Wildlife Troopers were flying over the Yukon River as part of routine enforcement during an emergency closure.
From the air, Officer Potter saw a boat drifting alongside what appeared to be a gill net. The timing immediately raised concerns because fishing with gill nets was prohibited during the closure.
Potter said the boat accelerated away as he flew closer.
That response did not prove a violation by itself, but it made the situation worth investigating. In a remote river environment, aerial patrols can offer officers a direct view of activity that would otherwise be difficult to observe from shore.
Potter landed his floatplane on the river and approached the boat.
When he asked what was happening, Yatlin said the net was caught around a stump and that he and the others in the boat were trying to pull it free.
“There was one on a stump,” Yatlin told Potter. “Trying to get it out of the water.”
Potter asked whose net it was.
“I don’t know,” Yatlin replied.
The initial explanation was that the net belonged to someone else and had become tangled in the river. But Potter’s questions quickly exposed problems with that story.
The Story Begins to Shift
Yatlin told Potter that the net had been wrapped around a stump near a bar before the canyon and that the current was too swift to pull it loose.
He said the net was now floating freely downriver.
But Potter had seen the net from the air. He told Yatlin that the net appeared to be connected to the boat when the floatplane approached.
The trooper also questioned why someone would try to pull an unknown gill net from the water during a fishing closure.
“Why are you trying to pull it out if it’s not your net?” Potter asked.
Yatlin answered that he did not know why, suggesting that he was simply trying to deal with a net that had become entangled.
The explanation created more questions than answers.
If the net had been tangled around a stump, Potter wanted to know whether it was anchored, whether it had markings, and whether there was any visible debris caught in it. Yatlin said he had not noticed identifying marks and continued to insist the net was not his.
He also said he lived in Beaver and was traveling to pick up his parents.
That meant, according to Potter, Yatlin was a long way from home and from the fish camp he said was located about 30 miles from Beaver.
The details did not fit together cleanly.
Potter Returns for a More Direct Conversation
After initially speaking with Yatlin, Potter returned for what he described as a “man-to-man conversation.”
The officer told Yatlin that the net had not appeared tangled around a stump. He said there was no anchor, no broken line, and no debris wrapped in it.
“There’s no stuff in that net,” Potter said. “There’s no anchor on it. There’s no busted line.”
Potter also told Yatlin that the net had been tied off to the boat when troopers saw it from the air.
“It’s your net,” Potter said.
Yatlin denied that claim.
“No, it’s not my net,” he replied.
Potter said he had spent 22 years working in the field and knew the river well enough to recognize when a story did not match what he had seen.
The officer’s frustration was clear, but he did not accuse Yatlin of a major criminal offense. Instead, he repeatedly urged him to be honest because the incident was being recorded and could later be reviewed by a judge.
“I’m telling you, we’re trying to yank it out,” Yatlin continued to insist.
Potter replied that the net did not appear difficult to remove. He said he had pulled it out with the floatplane without major trouble.
The issue was not merely whether Yatlin was fishing. It was that his explanation changed from a net caught on a stump, to a net floating freely, to a net he had simply encountered and tried to retrieve.
The Empty Tote Raises More Questions
Potter also questioned Yatlin about an empty tote in the front of the boat.
The trooper said the tote had contained the net before the officers arrived. By the time he spoke to Yatlin again, the container had apparently been removed or discarded.
Yatlin said it was garbage.
Potter said that explanation did not make sense either.
“That’s the tote that the net was in,” Potter told him. “We saw it all, Charlie.”
The officer’s point was straightforward: several parts of the story appeared inconsistent with what the patrol had observed from the air.
Potter told Yatlin that even if the net belonged to someone else, taking or handling another person’s fishing gear during a closure could still create legal problems.
“You can’t take somebody else’s gear,” Potter said.
Yatlin maintained that he should not have been near the net at all and said there was “no story to even have.”
But Potter told him the facts he observed were enough to support a citation.
A Citation, a Seized Net, and a Court Date
Potter ultimately told Yatlin he would receive a citation for fishing with a gill net during a closed fishing period.
The trooper said the matter was not like a routine traffic ticket because it required a court appearance.
Yatlin was directed to appear at the Fairbanks Courthouse on Aug. 28 at 8:30 a.m.
WildlifeWarden’s host said troopers seized the approximately 150-foot gill net as evidence after determining it had recently been placed in the Yukon River during the closure.
The officer explained that the alleged violation was a minor offense and not a criminal charge.
That distinction matters. A citation is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. A judge would ultimately determine whether the evidence showed that Yatlin had illegally fished during the closed period.
Still, the footage demonstrates why wildlife enforcement can depend heavily on what officers see before they make contact.
In a large and remote setting like the Yukon River, a trooper may have only a brief view of a boat, a net, and the conditions around it. That makes the initial observations especially important when a person later offers a different explanation.
Why Closures Turn Small Encounters Into Bigger Questions
Fishing closures can be frustrating for people who depend on rivers for food, income, tradition, or recreation.
But closures exist because fish runs and river conditions can change quickly. When officials restrict gear like gill nets, enforcement often becomes a balance between protecting the resource and dealing fairly with people who may have explanations for what officers see.
Potter did not treat Yatlin as a dangerous criminal. In fact, he told him that catching fish was “not the crime of the century.”
But he also made clear that the decision to use a net during a closure, if proven, was still a violation.
The key problem, from Potter’s perspective, was the attempt to explain away the net after troopers had already seen the boat beside it from the air.
The incident ended without an arrest, but it left Yatlin facing a court appearance and without the net troopers took as evidence.
For WildlifeWarden’s audience, the footage offers a simple reminder: when an officer has watched events unfold before making contact, changing explanations can become more damaging than the original violation itself.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
