I'm kind of with SKEETER 51 on this, and if the fee's and rules aren't to your liking then yes, you have a choice.

I think it's a good thing and long overdue.

I would take my grand kids down to fish off the bank and most of the time the trash wasn ankle deep, and forget about using the restrooms as several times they were stopped up and unuseable.

I'll gladly pay more to get the park presentabe and be able to use it without fear of catching some dreaded fungus or worse.

CPS and SARA wouldn't have turned it over if it wasn't a major FAIL!

Hahaha I didn't hear many complaining about fees. I think most were worried that we wouldn't be able to fish the lakes at all. Look at my post earlier, I said I didn't mind paying more if the place was kept up. Sounds like you need more caffine (or less).
Also, I think CPS and SARAs footed the bill due to piss poor management. Again, raising the rates is ok as long as the serve represent the increase.

Latest from CPS today:

We are doing our best to keep the lakes open and available for the long run for fishing. For many years we have supported stocking the lakes financially or otherwise and have no reason to think that will change. Thanks, Scott

I am with Jimbo and Skeeter in that I was afraid that the lakes would close altogether. Reasonably higher fees are not a big problem except to those thousands of Southside San Antonio families who have been picnicking and bank fishing for generations. (There is an issue of these parks being de facto Southside SA parks. Most of the SA park $$$ go the northside. Look at the $30+ million for Voelker (Hardberger) park.)

I predict that this transition is going to be a mess for a while. I was at Cally today and IMHO, TT is not ready to open for business on Tuesday. They do not have the equipment or personnel for trash maintenance, emptying the fishing cleaning bins, etc. Minimum wage offers are what I have heard.

I have requested a copy of the CPS/TT contract. When I get it, I will let you know what it says. I called TT today and asked for information. The TT main office had nothing and were happy that I gave them the MySA.com press release. I have contacted SA District 3 City Council Rep (Braunig area) and Bexar County Commissioner Precint 4 Rep (Calaveras area) and solicited their help in monitoring this transition.

Here's to hoping that everything will work out to the best.

Hopefully most of the clowns you see out there with overloaded boats and kids with no PFD's will slow down... I don't mind paying a little more but the 8:00 p.m. thing is not that great of an idea for those responsible fishermen/women that like to fish overnight. I too enjoy hauling the boat to work and stopping at Calaveras on my way home for some downrigging or catfishing for a few hours. But if I have to pay to launch at 6:00 p.m. then pay once again when I'm leaving the lake at 9:00-10:00 p.m. I dont think I will be doing much afternoon/evening fishing during the week. If many others feel the same as I do. That just means lost revenue for the parks if you ask me. Anyhow I hope we see some IMPROVEMENTS and some if not all the irresponsible fishermen/women that seem to love to TRASH the place are detoured to Brackenbridge Park or some other waterhole.........



Rob

...but....but....they get free camping according to the article what a joke

Now now just remember it will be a high falutin members only resort & that free pass just might come in handy instead of payin an arm & a leg to go fishin!!!!! Lol ....... on a side note... Anyone else noticed how frequently the gates have been open lately??? Maybe they're trying to get some fresh water in the lake? ................................. Rob

I have the feeling that TT will try to clone other camping facilities that they manage..if you are familiar with their operations, then you should have an insight as to what's to come.
Roger

what gates are you talking about?

The gates on the Dam....... They were just cracking 2 of them open this morning on my way to work & over the past month or so I've seen them open quite a few times.

they drop the lake 1-2ft in the winter, winter time pool level, and come summer they will raise it back.... not as much water is need to cool the plant in the winter.

when in doubt...ask my main man will

cool thanks for the answer Will I never knew that.

anytime fellas!!!

Another thing to think about is they are in this to make money and making money means utilizing the area as they've done in their other parks.

Making a prime area like from the launch to the dam and making that for their RV/camper sites right next to the water, thus shrinking the public area of the park to whats left over.

I would think that they will control access a little more strickly and not let everyone that wants in to come in during those holiday's and peak summer time weekends. So when the park areas fill up look for a "park full" sign to go up. thus regulating the crowd so that they can manage.

I've been to their park at Medina lake and they have a tight rein on things for sure, and little reason to change!

a park full sign...what a great way to make money!!!! Im glad they will chose to let us in on there watch.

I hope someone went fishing at cally or braunig today (wish I could have) and can give us the skinny on what's going on.

you guys that are complaining remember this was put up for bid. any of you could have bid and then you would control the rules. it was not secretly given to TT to run the park. i personally would have like to see someone more local run it, but apparently noone even bid. by the way it is raining and cold in san angelo, not very good for fishing.

Do you know what Thousand Trails is? They charge a yearly fee and also for RV spaces and hookups. Do you know how many hookups and RV pads they could put into that park?

http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/Te...S&pstate=TX

Most of the money they are going to be making is from snow birds and campers and members fee's, and the public will just be a little icing on the cake so to speak.

This is a quote of facilites from their Conroe site for example:

Facilities:
Campsites: 266 full hook-ups, 10 power and water only, 29 extended lease sites - Rentals: 10 trailers, 4 TT cabins, 6 Getaway cabins

I wouldn't worry about them losing a few dollars turning back people at the gate say during the holidays.

They know how to make up for any loss, and that would be just to adjust the fee's and there will be people that will pay, and like someone said they do a market analysis, and from past experience. These aren't fly by nighters.

Huh? That is the perfect time to be catfishing!

a yearly fee that barely anyone from that side of town can afford at that! I can just see people from all over the country coming down to camp at calaveras! Sounds sweet...with all the money the are gonna make from them rv hookups and such they shouldn't have to raise the price on us local fisherman! i can't wait to fish there under the new company that's so great!!!!!!

and tufffish, yeah since we are all millionaire fishermen on this site, your right we should have bid!

These folks are nationwide and have the big bucks to advertise, and they know a good thing when they see it.

Don't look for Joe down the street to be able to afford it, so just look at the traffic driving down I37, and all those out of state plates and big gooseneck camper trailers and motorhomes that travel down south to the valley from up north.

It's not the locals who will fill the park.

I say more power to them!

i say more power to them too! as long as it's reasonable for the FISHERMAN to FISH the lake! Hopefully they advertise the great fishing, because it'd be hard to advertise the scenery lol, unless they put the smokestacks on the advertisement since they are a beauty to look at. lol... Honestly, I could care less what they do to the bank or anything to be honest, just wanna be able to drag the boat and slay some reds. Maybe ill see you out there if either of us can afford it

I've still got until about June on my annual permit that I hope they will honor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining and in fact I'm really kind of glad to see it because these folks will run it right and keep the place up, and that includes the launches and shorelines.

I'm all for them succeeding, and I'll gladly pay more for security knowing that I don't have to worry about my truck while I'm out on the water, and feeling safer if I want to spend the night out there when the weather gets nice, instead of sleeping with one eye open.

I think we will be able to afford it!

i hope so sir! if not ill pawn some old fishing gear ...i have to get on them reds, finally got there pattern pretty much down would hate to have wasted all them days out there

I'm with you guys! I don't mind paying a litle more as long as I can put my boat in and fish. I just started fishing Braunig, and don't want to lose it. If they can provide some security and remove the rifraf, I'm for it. I gotta recover from my surgery so it'll be a few more weeks before I'm out there again.