Anglers Cited for Harassment on Toledo Bend

other Angler arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm.

http://www.scout.com/outdoors/wired2fish/story/1785288-anglers-cited-for-harassment-on-toledo-bend


Authorities were called to the water over an angler dispute and a gun being pulled on famed fishery of Toledo Bend.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents cited an Opelousas, La. man for an alleged dispute over a public fishing hole on Toledo Bend Reservoir in Sabine Parish on June 12, 2017.

Agents cited Dean Bullara, 56, from Opelousas, for harassment of persons lawfully fishing.

Agents were called to the scene following 911 calls to the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office (SPSO) from both Bullara and Donald Johnson, 48, of Deridder. Both men were in a dispute over a public fishing area on the reservoir near Kite’s Landing about 10 miles southwest of Negreet.

When LDWF agents and SPSO deputies arrived on scene they learned that Johnson and his wife were fishing the area when Bullara pulled up in his boat demanding Johnson leave the area. After a lengthy and heated dispute over the public fishing area, Johnson pulled a firearm on Bullara.

The Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Johnson for aggravated assault with a firearm and booked him into the Sabine Parish Correctional Center. Johnson reported that he had pulled his handgun in self-defense on Bullara because he felt threatened by his actions.

LDWF urges citizens that are being harassed while lawfully fishing in an area, to please call local authorities.

Harassment of persons lawfully fishing brings a up to a $750 fine and 90 days in jail. The harassment of persons lawfully fishing regulation provides that it is unlawful to disturb any hunter, trapper, or fisherman who is engaged in the lawful taking of a wild animal or who is engaged in the process of taking, with intent to dissuade or otherwise prevent the taking, or to prevent such person’s enjoyment of the outdoors.

Aggravated assault carries up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

Agents involved in the case are Sgt. Andrew Mitchell and Agent James Smith.

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/41262

I had an old codger in a pontoon boat try to run me off of a crappie hole at Rayburn once. He was going on yelling at us saying that this is his spot because he baited it. He said he put some dog food in a pvc pipe there. It's a spot we had sunk brush on yearly for many years. I stood my ground, I wasn't gonna leave. He started circling around us with the motor trimmed up high about half throttle. We just watched the show and laughed at him. It went on for about 4 or 5 minutes but it felt like 15 minutes. He finally backed his boat up within a few feet of mine and gas it like he was trying to spray us and headed back the direction he came from. I probably should have called the law but I had no signal in that area of the lake and I didn't really feel threatened. If he would have pulled out a gun it would have been a different story. This happened just before they started making phones with cameras, it would have been an awesome video

Wait a minute isn't this the kind of thing that so many preach on here about settling it on the water and showing their firearm to intimidate all over a fishing spot??? Imagine that, the police take you to jail for it.

Idiots

That's my hole, get out!

No, other than you saying just now I have never heard a TFFer suggest brandishing as a solution to a problem. But troll on buddy

Trust me there is at least one on here tbat did/would. I can recall one such incident from a couple years back.

Yep, I remember him Mark, on Lake Athens.

I had a meth monkey pull one on me and a couple of buddies on Palestine in the back of Flat Creek a few months ago. I thought about calling it in, probably should have.

There must be a little more to it but if Johnson and his wife were fishing the area already and Bullara pulled up and started telling them to leave, shouldn't Bullara be sighted for harassing and not Johnson? The level of dispute would contribute to the issue of the gun but the dispute began because Bullara tried to get the married couple to leave.

Or am I missing something?

"When LDWF agents and SPSO deputies arrived on scene they learned that Johnson and his wife were fishing the area when Bullara pulled up in his boat demanding Johnson leave the area."

I guess I just don't get it, pulling the gun notwithstanding. It appears it was Bullara who was guilty of:

The harassment of persons lawfully fishing regulation provides that it is unlawful to disturb any hunter, trapper, or fisherman who is engaged in the lawful taking of a wild animal or who is engaged in the process of taking, with intent to dissuade or otherwise prevent the taking, or to prevent such person’s enjoyment of the outdoors.

I didn't read the article but if the Johnsons were there first, fishing, and Bullara did the harassing, I'd have ticketed him.

I don't know enough about Louisiana law to comment on the firearm issue, only that it is a second issue in my mind.

Brad

My son and I were fishing a dock in legal waters from my boat in the water on lake Nasworthy in a slough behind some of those reeds that run back north by that frisbee golf course. A lady came down from her lake house and told us that we were tresspassing. Yelling at us that we couldn't be throwing any lures under her dock. She threatened us saying she wa going back up to her house and get a shotgun.i didn't argue as I didn't want to waste any time there we were fishing the annual Concho Bass Clubs tourney. We did just pull out and around her dock at least thirty foot away and fished on up the bank in the reeds. Sometimes it's best ( even knowing your in the right ) to just move on. I did mention it to of the members of their bass club.
Now if I'm already fishing in a good legal hole and some one comes up telling me I have to leave I might argue a little, but an old lady in her house coat threatens me with a shotgun nah it's not worth the fight. Especially with your son on board.

Sounds like both of the Stupid A Holes got what they deserved.

Felt threatened by his actions, you mean as in coming into your boat or swimming toward you? Doubt the judge buys that. Hope they take his gun and license away if he has one. Thats plain dumb. And a fishing hole is not worth dying over. Short of someone brandshing one in front of me, doubt mine comes out of the holster..... buts its visible when I turn around to ignore him!!

that's not a troll I've heard it on here a time or two myself

Bullara was cited for harassment, Johnson was cited for aggravated assault for pulling a gun on Bullara

Agents cited Dean Bullara, 56, from Opelousas, for harassment of persons lawfully fishing.

Aren't most of our reservoirs actually Corps of Engineers lakes, and therefore have the standard no firearms allowed rules (certain hunting seasons excepted on some lakes)?

No. Most of our lakes are controlled by river authorities.

I believe t bend is SRA controlled.

Bullara was cited for harassment. Johnson (the man being harassed) was arrested for assault with firearm.

D/FW area has a lot of Corp lakes for some reason..........

I've noticed that too.

This is pretty ridiculous. So you drive up on people fishing what you believe is your spot on a public lake and harass them to the point they think they need to pull out a gun for protection. What in the world is wrong with people. This guy should have his fishing license suspended for 6 months, or better yet have his boat confiscated for 6 months, be required to take anger management and be evaluated for mental issues before he is allowed back on the lake.

Its a no win situation. I would like to see a stiffer penalty for the instigator. However, unless you are under fear of your life there is no reason to pull a firearm. If you are pulling your gun it better be to use it and not just to brandish it around.

In this day and age, there is no reason that one of the boaters pulls out their camera and record the whole thing. Call the police for harassment after the fact. It beats a stay at the cross bar hotel.

Again, all this could have been avoided if the pot licking [censored] just went to another spot.

96speed - What makes you think the first guy on the spot was pot licking ? It's a community lake. Nobody owns the structure or cover in the lakes. If someone dumps brush piles in the lake and others find it, Good on them, they found them, they can fish them. First come first served.

I'll bet they both learned a lesson that day. Hopefully others will also learn.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Johnson boy don't get away with. Depends on whether Bullara shows up for court and how convincing Johnson is. That's if he wants to spend money on a lawyer and fights it. Might not get any more than a suspension of his CCL.

I never said the first guy on the spot was pot licking.

Boat #1 = on the spot fishing
Boat #2 = pulls up and demands the other boat leave

I was referring to boat #2. I have no idea if he was pot licking, but he could have avoided the whole thing had he just gone to the next stop, or even just kept his mouth shut. I can't count the number of times I've been cut off/cast on/etc. However, there is a huge difference in that happening vs that happening + someone demanding that I leave the spot I was fishing. You are just looking for trouble that way (from the law or a fellow fisherman that owns a firearm and is having a bad day).

I agree, thanks for clarifying.

Yeah, the same guy that catches record crappie and catfish. catches the big ones.

Back off buckwheat! Maybe you need to do a little reading before posting.

Here's a little reading to see some of the crazy things people post if you don't believe me.
This was just a week or so ago.
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/12262302/3

That was a little over a week ago but Ya that's what I had in mind . There was another one a bit prior to that one where some guy pulled up a Trotline and people were politely reminding him what could happen if they were to catch him doing so. There's some loons out there stay alert guys Ya never know

Since avoidance is best, here is some advice to avoid these kind of problems:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-gyoG_7Od8
Enjoy. . .

Wow

That's ugly.

oh geez that was BAD!!!!! i'll stay clean OFF whatever lake he is on to avoid seeing that!

I had a guide at Rayburn pull up to where I was fishing and asked if I would leave so he could fish that area uninterrupted...lmao I said sure you and the rest of the people on this lake. So I was nice and asked which way he wanted to fish and I would fish the other. I wasnt in a tournament that day so it was no big deal but a good story now.

That must be a super hot hole anybody got the GPS on it ?

great. i can't un-see that.

That's not enough of a warning.

ha! misery loves company!