So i thought i would share this - I'm not a huge cat fisher but do occasionally go after them. Debated on posting this... but it is such a beautiful cat i finally decided I had to.

I was free-lining w/ live minnows for sandbass, bass, and catfish... and snagged an illegal throwline with this fish on it
1) had no gear tag (on any of the three lines we eventually found during this drift)
2) had sunfish & small bass live hooked - sunfish are fine... the bass ticked me off...
3) 6 hooks per line
4) this is subjective - but seems it was purposefully hidden using wire on land and transitioning to standard jug/trowline 2-4ft under water.

Whomever set these up drilled holes in the cliff cracks to anchor their wire - and hid those as well.

Though some will object - given the above and the fact that we found these completely by chance. I released all fish that were on them, took off all bait, & snipped all hooks. I also reported it. I get pissed when people don't follow the rules that are there so that everyone can enjoy a decent fishery. And even more so when they appear to KNOW they are breaking the rules.

I couldn't resist taking a picture with this fish once i got the hook out of him though. Biggest flathead & one of the healthiest i've ever dealt with to date. ~40 inches.

Good! I hate when people don't follow our simple laws! Nice cat too!

Geez, another post to stir the pot! Illegal stuff happens everyday...look at the hundreds of trotlines left on all the lakes in Tx...GET OVER IT...or go be a game warden. I dont like the trotlines that foul my prop all the time but I dont rant about it on a public forum either...i cut the son of a gun and go on about my business!

I enjoy trot lining very much and there's nothing worse to these types of fishermen then coming back to your lines being cut . It just sucks . I always try to keep my line out of the way the usual boat traffic. they are always tagged and dated and never sit in the water longer than a few hours without being checked and are NEVER EVER EVER left behind when the trip is over . Im sorry and apologize for the few a holes out there that give the Trotline fisherman a bad image . Please don't go cutting lines all willy nilly everytime you see one there is a lot of time money and effort put into running those lines ....

Exactly! Especially since I invest so much money into them. Now I am setting right at dusk, check every 4 hours and pull them at sunrise.

Nice fish.

Ain't spent much time in the sticks I reckon. Whole diff world in the country my friend. Better be careful about who's lines ya cut when you're more than 70 miles from the closest Starbucks.

DISCLAIMER for the TFF GW's- I don't advocate anything illegal.

Nice fish and good job on the release!

Lmao that's funny right there . wouldnt want nobody to have an "accident" lol. I'm only playin but there are seriously some folks out there that are ready to whoop some [censored] or worse . It's like foolin with someone's wife or takin a [censored] on someone's boat . It's a big no no

Good Job! Thank You.

Worst ramp whopping I ever witnessed was over a cut line. The guy that cut it was screaming "it wasn't marked and it was an illegal line", while he was trying to crawl under his truck it avoid the soccer style kicks the line owner was giving him. About the 3rd time he yelled "somebody please help me", a buddy and me broke it up. Line owner quickly left while the guy that cut it was trying to explain to us, through his busted lip, that the line he cut was illegal. I couldn't hold back the smile when my buddy told him if he's gonna go around cutting lines he should take a self defense class. We went fishing and left the guy fumbling through his phone for the wardens number. He asked us to stay as witnesses, our reply was I didn't see nothing.....

I would have left everything alone, especially the bait, and had the GW come "greet" the owner.

Really, you puled someones line released fish, cut hooks and posted a picture of yourself doing it. What a tool. Mind you own business.

Agreed. Your not a game warden and you committed a crime when you tampered with the line. It was probably hidden to keep people like you from messing with it. It had fresh bait so it was being maintained. If you had a problem, you should have called gw. What you did is way outta line.

You messed with someone's set line....ouch

Searsay,
That looks to be a Porta-Bote. I recognize some of it, as my sister bought one & I use it from time to time. It's a 12' bought back in 2002 for about $1000. A few years ago, she said it doubled its value, or maybe they cost that much now.

Nice fish. Glad you released it. I would also call the game warden on the illegal rig.

Searsay,

I suppose that you think that you are the rightful lawman on that part of the water? You claimed to be doing the "right" thing when if fact what you did was just as illegal as that line you found in the water. You don't know how many times my lines have been cut and or checked while I was watching and notifying the proper authorities. Sure, I could have rolled up on the person doing it and threatened them, but why? I can handle it the proper way by calling the GW.

The old adage of "two wrongs doesn't make a right" applies here. I would advise that you be very careful playing hero to the fish from now on as I have witnessed some crazy stuff happen over a few hooked fish.

Just remember, that a fish on a trotline is now considered the line owner's property and you technically stole from them.

If the trotline isn't marked with any information then its nobody's personal property. If you're going to fish then do it the right way and or don't get upset when something like this happens.

So, a couple issues. Trotlines, even abandoned ones, are considered private property under Texas law. It is illegal for private citizens to remove them. Second, the untagged trotline using gamefish as bait is a violation of multiple laws. By freeing the fish and cutting the line, you not only broke the law, but made sure the other law breaker couldn't be apprehended and punished. If notified, it is a pretty good chance the game warden would have come out to observe and catch whoever set that line.

That's a pretty yellow cat though.

Good deal I wish they would outlaw trotlines and jug fishing

Why

Because they think it's cheating ...And They get tired of running them over in there pretty little glitter boats gettin caught up in there props and what not .

This is real good advice here! You are touching that trotline and a game warden see's you, comes up to you. The trotline is unmarked and you are taking fish off. To the game warden, looks like your trotline and your taking fish off.. get the picture! If you come across a unmarked trotline, GPS it and CALL THE GAME WARDEN. It's his job to enforce the law, and he just might have caught and educated the person who is doing it. Keep yourself out of trouble, it's really hard to prove it wasn't yours when the GW seen you taking fish off. Better to spend your money fishing, then to a lawyer trying to get you out of a ticket.

Also, cutting a trotline in Texas, marked or unmarked is illegal. Your tampering with evidence of a crime being committed. GPS and just call the Game Warden. Also, be careful who you argue with on these pages, you might be talking to a Game Warden.

Some very good advice! I can't stand unmarked Jug lines or any other illegal means to catch fish. Plane and simple!

I don't know.....if you saw antlers sticking out of a truck bed at a gas station I'm sure you would walk over and take a look. If the buck did not have a tag on it, would you reach in and remove the deer and throw it in a dumpster? Or would you write down the license plate, the location and call it in? Hard to say what could have happened....maybe it was tagged and the wind blew it off? Maybe the tag was under the deer? Maybe the hunter had it in his pocket and was buying duct tape at the gas station so that he could secure it properly? The point is, two wrongs do not make a right. And one of the other commenters nailed it perfectly. When you are in some back cove of the lake, self righteousness alone will not protect you when a pissed off local finds you cutting his lines. That could get ugly REAL quick. Saving a catfish's life is not worth getting shot over.

i have mixed emotions about this

From the Operation Game Thief website:

Alert observation by concerned citizens such as yourself, followed by immediate reporting of the suspected violation, gives the local warden a much-needed edge in catching the bad guys. Operation Game Thief is the mechanism that allows you to get immediately involved and quickly get that information to the warden. Receiving a tip on illegal activity while it is occurring can make a significant difference in whether or not the violator is apprehended. Even if the offender has left the scene before the warden can get there, there may be critical evidence, or even other witnesses with important information, that can be used to make a case in court. Make the poachers know that you won�t sit idly by while they exploit our resources. Pick up the phone and call 1-800-792-GAME. Remember YOU can make a difference! The reward hotline is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Over the life of the program, more than 28,000 calls have been received and investigated.

Problem is the OP removed the evidence of any wrongdoing instead of calling the authorities.

Just curious, if it was reported after the fact, what did the LEO tell you about tampering with the scene? Anything?

I too have mixed feelings. It's one thing to run up on a line strung at water surface level that's full of empty hooks and no marker, but what you found was obviously pretty fresh and it's quite likely a game warden could have apprehended the offenders or at least verified the legality of the rigs in question. Pretty sure the OP had honest intent but the end goal is to keep wardens involved since they might even have reports from other areas of similar illegal rigs and can use it to build a case.

Was a pretty fish though.

Hey bud, you did the RIGHT THING. If the people aren't doing it legally they are hurting the resources that we all pay taxes into. I would do the same thing over and over again if it wasn't done legally, Reported it to the Game Warden and put it to them if they messed with me. I can't stand losers that do that sort of thing. I'd dunk em in a heartbeat if they came around. Don't worry about this talk about messing with lines. No telling how many fish are taken out of a fishery like this. This loser was probably selling the fish illegally too. Good Work! Proud of You!

Hahahahaha ^^

I know of a few places for ya to start pullin 'em. You just let me know when ya wanna head down there.

So to answer some of what/how people have responded

1) reported first - GW said they had no resources due to another situation (it was a quasi-rural area) and that if what i was saying (and pics)were true I should release the fish & disable or remove it as i saw fit. See statement about being pissed as to why i disabled the way i did. He did take coordinates and say he would start checking the lake for similar rigs in the future.

2) I've run into hundreds of throw, jug, trot-lines - most i completely ignore (it is after all someone else's line). Really the only time I've touched them is when I've accidentally snagged them when drifting/free-lining myself - and then only to get my line free. Out of the 10-15 I've snagged on in the last 5yrs+ I've been in TX - that is the first one that was blatantly illegal. Some have had worn tags, a hook to many or similar... but meh as long as your generally following the rules I don't run around doing this. In fact that set is the first and only time I've reported (and then removed fish and disabled).

3) Yes that is a porta-bote - i do a lot of rural/tent camping (though this time we were not camping)- and usually kayak - when i go with others who are not comfortable on the water i take the porta-bote. So it lets me lug a mess of camping gear and a reasonable boat on one trailer.

I don't believe you. Going from your Op it seems your story has changed. I would be quite intrested in knowing the name of the gw that deputized you. As well as the county and water body. If your being truthful.....why not?

Y'know, I don't often say something like this, but will do so here.

Given your long association with the TFF and your extensive pattern of thoughtful, contributing posts, I see no need for the OP to justify himself to you. While I'm not yet an attorney, I'm also not a complete fool either.

Please explain how it's unlawful to clean up untagged trash on a public water body.

Thanks for the welcome zeek. My name is fence and I live near lampasas. Fishing for large catfish primarily in the Colorado river is a passion of mine. Rod and reel and I release most all of what I catch . I also raise channelxblue hybrids in my tanks. I admit I mostly lurk, mostly comparing my observations with lynns calender. I find it quite interesting.

What the Op removed was not simply trash. To make that claim is simply ridiculous. If the line was as he stated it was evidence. He did not have the authority to make the judgement on wether it was legal, illegal, or trash. It would be akin to chasing down a speeding car and cutting the tires. I do not believe that he called the gw. So I called bu11shyyyt. You have your opinion and I have mine. I do believe Texas law shares mine.

How do you post pics here?

Just got off the phone with the Denton county game warden because this was bugging me. He said there is no statute or regulation regarding the removal of an illegal trotline or jugline by a private citizen, although there is a statute that allows law enforcement to do so with immunity from a lawsuit. The trotline owner could sue a private person for trespass to property or something similar, but judges typically don't find in favor of a person doing something illegal (imagine a drug dealer suing a customer who didn't pay him, think the judge will award him his money?).

However, the GW DID draw a great big distinction between tampering with someone's legally set fishing gear as opposed to removing abandoned fishing gear (trotlines, juglines, gillnets, etc) from the water and destroying them. The fact that a trotline is unmarked (no gear tags of any kind) can be evidence that it's abandoned, but is not conclusive in itself, and is mostly a judgement call by the individual. He also pointed out that someone who is willing to set illegal fishing gear in violation of law is quite possibly willing to commit other crimes e.g. assault & battery.

So, no simple black and white answer. The upshot of this that I took away was that if I get an unmarked trotline wrapped in my motor or tangled with my fishing line, and it gets damaged or destroyed in the process, it's probably ok to remove it & dispose of it. But if it's got a gear tag I need to put it back in the water, or alternatively contact the line owner from the number on his gear tags & let him know what happened.

So basically, both sides of the argument have a case?