I recall one time I was fishing Ray Roberts on a weekday in the middle of winter. I was literaly the only boat on the water, or at least from the most commonly used ramp, both at launch and at load time. I'd been having a GREAT day, catching many quality lmb in the morning, then switching to whites in the afternoon, and catching continously. My freezer was full, so I kept no fish. Up comes the GW, and fines me because my life vests have illegible print on them: too old reckon. Alright, fine. I pay the fine. Then a month later I go out, and I see the same GW at the ramp and he asks me to borrow my boat to go rescue a guy that has capsized across the way (don't know why he didn't bring his own boat). Of course, I help out, and we rescue the guy, a dude with one leg, who was going out in big waves, 25 mph wind from the north (cold front) in a 10 ft john boat. Well, his boat was a gonner, and he was lucky to make it to shore, and luckier that I showed up crazy enough to fish in such weather before he died of hypothermia. Needless to say, I was dissappointed that the GW didn't recognize me as the guy he ticketed the previous month. He was thankful for me helping out though. And we did the right thing and saved the dude.
But keep in mind, these guys (GWs) have brutal jobs. Many of them spend a lot of their days doing drug busts and other dangerous crime enforcement. Some get killed in the line of duty. We owe them a lot of respect. I'm sorry that you got ticketed on your birthday. Bottom line is, they're doing their job and trying to save lives in the process. Try to thank your GW for the job he does next time he stops you. They do appreciate it when we acknowledge their work. Sometimes they'll tell you where the fish are too.
Good luck.
