Need advice please, Rick Z.

[Joe Hyde]

Thanks Rick, and everyone else for the replies/advice.

When I visited initially with the pond owner's dad, he mentioned that they went ice fishing on this pond last winter and caught lots of bluegills and crappie, also the aforementioned largemouth shorties. So there are bluegills in the pond.

This guy's wife has a computer. (Well, they both own it but she's the only one who knows how to use it.) I don't know if a person has to be an FAOL member in order to read our BB posts, but I'll steer her in this direction anyway; if she can access the BB then he can read your reply, Rick, plus the others, too.

If the computer option doesn't work, I'll pass along these suggestions verbally. I told him that I was asking for your advice, Rick. But for now I'll go with passing along your suggestion about removing more of those little bass, as the main suggestion. That should do the job. And actually, this was the same solution the landowner's dad voiced to me.

I saw the Dad this afternoon, but it was before I checked my email inbox. Consequently, I didn't have all these suggestions handy to pass along. This afternoon he told me that last year a number of 5 and 6 lb. bass were taken out of the pond. I told him it was just my guess, but removing those largest predators might be what threw the pond out of balance, that the best thing to do with bass this big is to shoot a quick photo then release them so they can keep the panfish in check. He said his son always tells people to do exactly that, but not everyone complies?


Joe

[bugman]

not fishing related but... you might get a signed letter from him stating that you have permission to fish the pond if its on private land... here in texas, if ya dont have a letter signed & dated ya can git in a big bind... meaning either a huge fine and or jail time... a few years ago a man named dan which is a good friend of mine gave me permission to fish 1 of 3 big bream ponds he had in turnertown texas... i took up the offer... he had to leave to take care of some stuff & while he was gona police drove up... costed me 400$ in fines + 70$ court cost back then... dan got back & talked with the police the next day but didnt do any good... all they said is ya shoulda had a letter... dont know how it is where your at but here its crazy...

[Joe Hyde]

bugman,


A crazy law, did you say? Try "Certifiably Psychotic".

And even if a fly fisher did have a letter on their person authorizing the trespass, how is the officer to know the letter is genuine?

The way this situation should be constitiuted is that the landowner has the option of posting his or her property with signs that read "Trespass by written permission only". THEN if you don't have the letter in your possession the officer can cite you.

But even with your law the way it is now, once any fair-minded judge discovered that you actually did have permission from the landowner to fish that pond, the charge against you should have been dismissed or the fine greatly reduced.

This state law ought to be challenged and overturned, taken to Federal District Court if necessary. What you describe is a state usurpation of private property ownership rights. The state of Texas is not physically taking the property, true, but it might as well be taking it by dictating the method by which owners of private land let otherwise law-abiding citizens enter onto it? I can understand this sort of oppressive arrogance happening in the old communist Soviet Union, but not in Texas.

Something tells me this law got pushed through your legislature by a partnership of wealthy absentee landowners and wealthy sportsmen who typically acquire a stranglehold on hunting and fishing areas by means of high-dollar leases.

And now...back to Zip-cast. Good thing I was going to Cabela's next week anyway; I'm gonna buy some of that stuff!


Joe

[Rick Z]

Another thing I rmember last night, is that several lakes in Texas have rulles that you must take any bass of a certainsize you catch. SOmething like 12 to 16 inches long.
Catch & release fishing was leaving too many bass in to get any growth.

Rick

[joe cool]

Im guessin that was a typo and supposed to be 12 to 16 inches? picturing a 166 inch bass is kinda tough

[Thad S.]

Here is a great booklet published by the state of Nebraska about stocking and managing ponds. There is a lot of great information there.

http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/epubs/G1000/H081-2006.pdf

[pdowney]

Your tax dollars go into paying people for this. KS Dept Wildlife and Parks should have a district fisheries biologist that can help. That's what they do.