Just to add another example of how things can vary from one lake to another, on Lake Athens, the Athens Municipal Water Authority owns all of the land around the 1799 acre lake up to an elevation of 448'. Conservation level is 440'. So, when a "waterfront" landowner wants to build any structures, docks and boathouses, etc., there is a permitting process and an annual fee. But, as regards to say someone floating up and camping out on the land between 440' and 448', the landowner has been granted effective control over that land mass formed by the extensions of his/her property lines down to the water and he or she can ask the party to leave.

But, portage is important, so this would seem to allow for that, a good idea I think.

Brad

For navigable rivers you can wade or for that matter sit on the banks within the boundaries of the river, regardless of whether the water covers it. In Texas nobody's property line extends into a navigable stream. There's plenty of landowners who think theirs does.

Inside the high water marks. A person can walk the stream bank. However, just like when I prospect for gold in rivers, there ain't nuthin' in ANY river, fish, gold or otherwise, worth getting killed over. Being "right" and shot, is not good.

That's the truth. Hard to convince some guy whose family's been on the river for 200 years that you can just walk through "his" land. You'd be right but it wouldn't get the birdshot out of your a$$.