I have been checked twice. Once on Calaveras in my kayak, they could see my safety gear, just checked my fishing license. Very professional.

Another time, I just bought my boat and was putting it in Canyon Lake. As I pulled it up to the dock for the family to load, the Game Warden came over and said "I would like to talk to you about your boat", I asked her if it was about my numbers. When I purchase the custom numbers for my boat, the company messed them up (did not put TX in the numbers). On side had all the numbers minus the TX, the other side had no numbers. I still had the temp registration displayed on the windshield. I asked her if I should pull the boat out. She replied I could boat for the day, but get it fixed before coming out again. She told me I could have gotten the numbers from Wal-Mart, they didn't have to be custom made. She gave me her name in case another GW stopped us. She only checked my registration and insurance card. Again, she was very professional but allowed us to boat for the day. She had every right to make us pull the boat out.

I was very courteous with the GW, which I think goes a long way.

See ya on the water,
SportFisher

I've checked once on LL for safety stuff, mainly the throw ring. Never been asked to produce a fishing license though. I did catch a hybrid one afternoon while the game warden watched me fight it up to the boat only to loose it while trying to remove the hook. They were really close, about 20 feet away. I shouted out to them "did you see that!, It was a big one", They smiled and said they would have condidered it a catch and went on thier way. I guess if you don't act like an offender, I don't what one acts like, they'll leave you alone. You ever heard of looking guilty? Anyway, follow the rules and you'll always be OK. I wonder if they check you and find all is OK they log your TX# and the next time pass you by????

I have found that they do a lot of checking in the Summer. More boats and more booze.

Alan

Bastrop used to be a training lake......

So, I've been checked at least 50 times or more. One day, we were checked 3 times by the same warden but with different trainees.

I haven't seen one on the water there in quite some time. But they have done creel surveys.

No tickets, ever.

One bad apple at RayBob one summer. Tied my boat up next to the swim area at Isle du Bois and the wind moved my anchor ending up in the swim area by about 6 ft. We had stopped by so we could meet the group we were visiting for a picnic. GW drove by on his megaphone calling for the owner of a specific boat. My wife said isn't that your boat he is asking about. Walked down and saw the problem. He yelled at me to get in my boat and come out and meet him. Drove out there and pulled up where he proceeded to chew my you know what out for about 10 minutes. All the time I was explaing and apologizing for it happening. It was useless, so I asked him to write me a ticket so I could get back to my family. Chewed me out some more and then just fired up his rig and hauled butt.

I know two that are on Lville and one in Throckmorton. I always try to show respect but this guy must of been having a bad day and needed to chew someone out.

I too have been checked many times on grapevine! No kidding I would stop at the ramp scan the lake for him from Katies Woods head to the dam and before I made it there he was all over me!

I can't remeber the guys name but a very nice guy! Although there was another guy and woman warden that is a complete [censored].

However all my checks stoped when I recived my reg. stickers...... weird

By myself at Fork 0 times, let my wife get in the boat with me, 187 times and counting.

I have been stopped quite a few times. At fayette co. i was fishing in timber when we saw a warden pull through about 15 boats and come straight to us. When we asked he told me that they just had a thing going where they would check every gambler they saw. Kinda made me mad, but i didnt say anything, the guy was wearing one blue sock and one brown one. Had one on whitney ask me how fast i was going when i saw him, told him i was going about 85 and he said "I believe I would be wearing my lifejacket", told him that was a good idea as i pulled away from him without it on.

It seems they are just trying to manage the waters and not harrass the boaters and or anglers. Wish I could say the same about our local police.This guy is a idiot with no regard to for compassion. I had a sick horse drove 6 hrs from OKC trying to get home to get the animal doctored and meet with the vet, got pooled over 5 min from my hse. I explained mu situation took him 30 min to wright out his speeding violation give me a lecture all the while my 13 year old daughter crying her eyes out afraid for her horses life. Horse lived but only out of luck and a $1500.00 vet bill. Could have been handled with $30.00 dollar medicine had i got there sooner. Real Winner that guy.

I really think that the GW's profile people. If it is me and another guy the GW's will almost always just drive by and wave. If the wife is with me or any children they will always stop me. I wonder if there is something to it or just me imagining it? I could see the GW's wanting to make sure I was being safe with kids on board. I kind of think that if you look like you know what you are doing they leave you alone sometimes.

I was with some friends on the Nueches river one day in a pontoon boat. There were 8 of us I think and we were just out for a ride and a couple of us were having a beer. A GW was standing on the bank and motioned for us to come over to him and he stepped aboard. He asked my buddy who was driving if he had been drinking and he hadn't. Then he asked to see the lifejackets so we started pulling them out and we were one short. So as he pulled out his ticket book and started writing out the ticket my buddy says to him, "while you're writing that ticket go ahead and write one for yourself too". GW asked what he meant and my buddy says "well you're on the boat and you don't have a lifejacket." The GW kinda laughed to himself, stopped writing, hopped off the boat and said yall have a nice day. We've seen him a few times since and he's a really nice guy. Always curteous and professional.

I agree.Every time i get stopped,my wife is fishing with me,if i am by myself,they just wave.I figure maybe they think she dont have a fishing license.

the game warden was hitting every boat coming in at calaveras this past weekend. they were being complete a-holes, guys be carefull they were checking every single thing on the boats, i felt bad for those people were just trying to have a good time. they were out to screw anyone they could. its bad enough its getting harder to find the money to have a good fishing trip and then to add a fat fine over some dumb S!@*#

never been checked while fishing.

i have been checked during hunting season at the ramps.

It seems like I attract the bad GW's but last friday I was on Bedias Creek fishin and was checked by a friendly and polie GW. I always try to be friendly and respectful to all GW's but I was rude to one last year. He ask for my license and I was a little too slow in finding it in my wallet and he didn't like this. I did find the license and handed it to the GW but I had not unfolded it all the way. He leaned over and dropped the license in my boat and told me to pick it up and unfold it and give it back to him. I told him if I pick it up it will go back in my wallet. He then wanted to measure all my fish so I handed him my Golden Rule . He told me to put it away that I had compromised it and he would use his Golden Rule. Needless to say that upset me. He then started to empty my livewell by throwing the fish on the floor of my boat. I told him lets put the fish in a milk crate I had and he said he was doing it his way and for me to step back before we had a problem. I told him we would have a problem if he didn't put the fish back in the livewell when he was finished. In the meen time I had waved to a couple of friends to come over and they watched what was going on and this upset the GW. He did put the fish back in my livewell. This is the same GW that will write you a ticket if you don't have a life jacket out and accessible. Overall I have met some really nice GW's and I know they have a job to do. I also talked to some retired GW's at a fishing show and they told me the biggest complaint is the young GW's need to chill out some.