Reading about the no wake thing got me to thinking. I have been out bank fishing in the late afternoon on Lewisville the last several weekends in Pilot Knoll Park on the far West side of Lewisville.

Every time about 3/4 of the boats coming into the ramp blast past the no wake signs at almost full speed. They weave through a gaggle of teens on rental SUPs (without lights or flags after sunset, of course no PFDs), slam their last beers as their old lady backs down the truck and then hit the road at what I guess might be over .08.

I must have fished that area from the bank and my kayak 200 times in the last 5 years. Number of times I have seen a game warden? ZERO.

Its the wild wild west!

I'm on Lake Arlington a lot and over the past 7 years I've only ever seen a game warden out there 2 times.

I see them from time to time on eagle mountain.

You understand that there is only 1 or possibly 2 GW's for each county? In Texas, we have some big counties, hard for a warden to be everywhere.
Some of the lakes have "lake patrol" but that's usually one officer/crew per lake and they also can't be everywhere. At some point, the traffic on the lakes is going to force a change in enforcement and patrol, I just don't know where/when it reach that tipping point.

Rare to see Texas warden out in a lot of places. Found it funny, we went and ran the Blind and Tickfaw river on Maurepas by New Orleans couple weeks ago for a rally, and that place was CRAWLING with patrol. They were on it. They were doing a great job.

I see DPD on Hubbard more then the warden.

On Lake Tyler I've observed the wardens patrol perhaps three times a year and commonly in the spring. I live in a cove with a bridge near the back and at times in the spring there are a bunch of bank fishermen. The wardens make a beeline back there to bust any bank fisherman without a license. Twenty five plus years ago there was a Lake Patrol on the Lake Tylers and I saw them pretty often. That program must have died because I've not seen a Lake Patrol boat in the five years I've been here since retiring. So though boaters are pretty courteous on this lake it could also be the wild west.

I've been stopped once in the 5 years I've had a boat. That was on Welsh. On Pool where I fish most often, the Grand Prairie police and fire are on the lake sometimes (usually for a downing), but never seen a warden. The GP fire has a boat on my dock but they aren't giving tickets or checking boats.

In over 40 years of fishing or hunting. I have never encountered a GW.

Once on Lavon bank fishing
Once on Falcon launching a kayak
Both times they asked for fishing license and ID.

I saw one on Athens on saturday. I shut down my full run outside the no wake, however I did not come to a complete idle until about 10 yards inside of it. As we passed he got close and pointed out the no wake sternly, but that was the end of it.

Fork, Conroe and Lake Travis are all heavily patrolled.

Got checked by 2 separate wardens on Fayette county 1 day about a month ago. Other than that lake, never.

I have seen one on Joe Pool about 5 years ago. And Once on Cedar Creek about 2 years ago. We need more. I was on Lake Lewisville in My Kayak last weekend under the bridge. A Posted area but the boaters did not care. They get to do whatever they want.

If it's a ramp issue or a potential drunk driver call police. They can't be everywhere. See something, say something.