Couple years back I was fishing the same area, infact Wayne was with me, and we got stopped by the same boat but a different officer. He checked everything in my boat and I was fine until he asked about PFD's and I opened a floor locker and showed him they were there. He said they were sposed to be within easy reach and if we weren't going to wear them would we at least drape them over the back of the seats.
He could have easily given me a big ticket because the jackets weren't accessible, but instead he explained what he wanted and let it go at that.
And to me, THAT'S the way to handle minor infractions.