[Fatfish]

Friday night was a great night to fish on Travis with clear skies and a temp in the 70s.   The wind finally laid down at about 11:30 pm.  (I'm taking an Astronomy class and my excuse was that I need to go study the constellations!)

I didn't make the best of it- it mostly felt like my brain was disconnected and I wasn't fishing well.  I caught 20-25 or so fish, with nearly all the keepers ranging from 1-3 pounds. I don't remember exactly, but well over half were 14"+.  Best five at night went about 11 pounds.  These fish were very tight to cover and seemed to be hanging right on dock cables for the most part.  

On the other hand, as morning broke, I had 12 pounds just between 6am and 7am. Overall, best 5 went 13 or 14 pounds (lotsa 3s, no kickers), but I was out there a very long time from 930pm to 7am.

As usual, main bait was a tx-rig senko.  Caught them as deep as 40', but most came from 0-10'.

So, I can't really say that my experience last night is a good indicator of how well Travis is doing this year, but... I did run into a friend of mine who was fishing with a couple of his friends.  We were in an area that I consider "his", but he was nice enough to share it with me a while back.  While we were there, his friend caught an 8.9 pounder about three boat lengths away from me!  At least I got to be the witness!  This fish was a beast and made just one huge crash near the end of the fight.  I know for a fact that this fish came out of about 1 foot or less of water.  It was not on a dock or marina, but since it's not my spot, I don't feel right about saying more about the location.  If I can get a copy of the picture, I'll add it to the post.

Final note... I noticed one dock where the owner has recently posted about half a dozen "Private Property - No Hunting, Fishing or Trapping..." signs on their floating dock.  I wanted to leave a note promising not to do any more trapping on their dock, but I was too tired.

 

[bassfantastic]

Nice report. Sounds like you had a fun night on Travis.

I get a kick out of those owners that think they own the lake. We ought to get a Dozen boats out there on his dock fishing. I have a feeling it would be enjoyable to say hello to this arse

Jim ;D

 

[RPB]

Good report

They can put up alll the signs they want, as long as they don't violate the Sportsmans Rights Act

This, I think has been posted before, but I couldn't find it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
We as sportsman have the right to pursue the sport of fishing without any undue harassment from boaters, land owners, or anyone that willfully interferes with that activity. Here is the wording of this act:
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[glb][SEE POST BELOW][/glb]--------------------------------------------------------------------
What and How you should report this violation???
· Report the incident to the authorities as soon as possible;
· Have an accurate description of the protestor, address, license plate number and vehicle identification, boat number and boat description;
· Remain calm and rational;
· Be prepared to file harassment charges;
· Remember that any law officer can enforce this law.
You may want to print this and keep a copy in your boat to provide to the authorities in the event of a violation

 

[Rambler]

Just Printed 5 copies! Now thems is fishten words!

 

[RPB]

Here is the current law DIRECT FROM THE STATUTES

http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/cgi-bin...=125552&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=1&CQ_TLO_DOC_TEXT=YES
-----------------
VERNON'S TEXAS STATUTES AND CODES ANNOTATED
PARKS AND WILDLIFE CODE
TITLE 5. WILDLIFE AND PLANT CONSERVATION
SUBTITLE B. HUNTING AND FISHING
CHAPTER 62. PROVISIONS GENERALLY APPLICABLE TO HUNTING
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
§ 62.0125[0].  HARASSMENT OF HUNTERS, TRAPPERS, AND FISHERMEN.
(a)  This section may be cited as the Sportsman's Rights Act.
(b)  In this section:                                                          
(1)  "Wildlife" means all species of wild mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, or amphibians.
(2)  "Process of hunting or catching" means any act directed at the lawful hunting or catching of wildlife, including camping or other acts preparatory to hunting or catching of wildlife that occur on land or water on which the affected person has the right or privilege of hunting or catching that wildlife.
(c)  No person may intentionally interfere with another person lawfully engaged in the process of hunting or catching wildlife.
(d)  No person may intentionally harass, drive, or disturb any wildlife for the purpose of disrupting a person lawfully engaged in the process of hunting or catching wildlife.
(e)  No person may enter or remain on public land or enter or remain on private land without the landowner's or his agent's consent if the person intends to disrupt another person lawfully engaged in the process of hunting or catching wildlife.
(f)  This section does not apply to a peace officer of this state, a law enforcement officer of the United States, a member of the armed forces of the United States or of this state, or employees of the department or other state or federal agencies having statutory responsibility to manage wildlife or land during the time that the officer, member, or employee is in the actual discharge of official duties.
(g)  A person who violates this section commits an offense.  
An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
(h)  It is an affirmative defense to prosecution that the
defendant's conduct is protected by the right to freedom of speech under the constitution of this state or the United States.

Added by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 731, § 1, eff. Aug. 26, 1985.  
Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 700, § 1, eff. Sept. 11,
1993.
------------------------------------
Texas Penal code
§ 12.22. CLASS B MISDEMEANOR.

An individual adjudged guilty of a Class B misdemeanor shall be punished by:

(1) a fine not to exceed $2,000;
(2) confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days; or
(3) both such fine and confinement.

 

[LUNKERSAUCE]

Sorry :-X but do you think they just mean dont do any of those things off of their dock? im sure there are some @ss holes out there but maybe they caught some people chilln and drinking fishing from their dock. that would piss me off.

anyways sounds lke a good time lots of fish in the boat.
good report. any pics?

 

[RPB]

That is probably wht they meant, but several months back there were homeowners at Buchanan, just north of where Morgan Creek joins the lake, that were trying to chase off/harass some boaters fishing a tournament at their dock on "their" lake.  So, good to have a copy of the Sportsmans Rights act to hand to the Sheriff/Constable or whoever so the homeowner gets the ticket, instead of you.

finally found the thread ... SEE :http://www.austinbassfishing.com/cg...ing_classifieds;action=display;num=1211088496

 

[LUNKERSAUCE]

good idea ;D

 

[Fatfish]

I'm pretty certain that they are trying to keep fishermen away from their dock.  6 signs is not subtle.

Feel free to check it out for yourself next time.  The dock is right on the point leading into Cypress Creek on the right hand side.  Big new Titan boat built for poker runs docked on it.  Giant yellow and blue water trampoline tied off of it as well.  Trust me, you can't miss it.  In fact, try real hard not to miss it next time you fish the lower end.  

I'm sure that this is another case of the homeowner believing that they own all of the water on top of the land that they own out to the creek channel.  They think that by posting the no trespassing signs that they are enforcing their rights.  Unfortunately, they are quite mistaken.

I made it a point to cruise through and fish the entire dock/Titan/walkway/trampoline complex when I saw the signs.  Was kind of hoping someone would amble down to discuss it, but there were no takers.  

I remember one homeowner in Schneider Cove a few years ago tried to claim one whole arm as a private cove, complete with "severe" warning signs and a "no Boats" buoy as well.

 

[basstracker88]

Thanks for the thread; I was wondering if there were any rules of engagement when dealing with a dock owner. I fish that dock all the time, it has some huge schools of fish around it. I've been waging a battle of sorts with a dock owner in the cove behind Arrowhead point. I've fished that cove around dusk every time I'm on the water, I also fish it at night cause the dock owner use to have a underwater light but he turned it off. So I anchor up about 50 feet from his dock and put out my own underwater light. So the dock owner sits on the balcony of his house and shines a spot light on me. just to harrras me, so I do the same with my spot light. Unfortunately my spot light is on a battery, his is not.

So I re-position my boat and lower my bimini to block his spot light. Caught a lot of fish that night thanks to my underwater light and the extra light from his spot light. The dock owner finally got tired of it all and went to bed
.

 

[Fatfish]

I think the rules of engagement are pretty well spelled out above.  If they'll talk with you in a civil manner, you can explain it.  If not, call the authorities.  If THAT doesn't work, post it here and we can all form a flotilla and stage a fish-in around their dock!

I hate to say this, but one time I had a little red laser dot dancing around on my boat and myself and my friend.  We just left.  I have no idea if it was a pointer or a gun sight, but I know the general direction it was coming from, and I have a suspicion it was a gun sight, but probably kids just goofing.  I've also been threatened with a gun on Lake Austin by a drunken old fool.  Still, the point is that no one has to be a hero.  You can be right and be dead, too.  There are ways of making your point, or you can have it made for you by people who have the job of doing that sort of thing.

On the other hand, courtesy should rule the day.  I stay away from docks with people on them, regardless of whether they are fishing or not.  If I meet the dock owner, I always thank them for having the dock/light and I tell them that it doesn't matter how much it gets fished, more fish will come back.  Almost always, it's a very positive conversation. Generally speaking, they need to know that fishermen are not their enemies, and in fact, we spend a lot of time on the water and notice when something is "fishy" (sorry). It's kind of like we are a free security patrol for them.