With the sandbass run coming up in the near future I think it is important that everyone has the OGT phone number in there cell phone.

I'm now 39 but I grew up right down the street from the shooting range by Rowlett Creek. I lived so close I would walk down to the creek everyday and fish after school when the sandies were running.

Anyway, I always noticed a lot of cast netters down there and it would tick me off when I would be throwing my arm out casting lures and someone would show up not to far from me a start throwing their net. With no cell phone back then (more than 25 years ago) there was no way to let the GW know what was going on. Back then, the GW would make an occasional appearance. Not like now, where I see there trucks around there all the time.

I quit fishing Rowlett Creek about 12-15 years ago due to the amount of people and TRASH I would see on the creek walls whenever I would drive over the bridges. It just really hated seeing the place I enjoyed as a kid being treated like a landfill (even though there's one right up the road).

Anyway, the reason I am talking about this is because a couple of years ago my dad called me and asked if I wanted to go down to the creek and catch some sandbass during the middle of the week when it wasn't so crowded. I don't think the middle of the week helped because it is always crowded now. But that's life. While we were down there we proabably caught 200 fish and threw them all back. About noon time I noticed about three of four guys and their kids walking down the bank from the Pleasant Valley Bridge throwing a cast net. I looked at my dad and said "Are you freaking kidding me? Seriously?". I didn't have the GW's number in my phone at the time but I knew the Operation Game Thief number was on my license. I called OGT and the GW called me back in no less than 5 minutes.

To make a long story short, he and I spoke by cell phone several times while I helped guide him to where the cast netters were. He ended up writing them tickets for the fish they found on the bank and for whatever else he found.

I felt really good about myself that day. I felt like I helped protect one our natural resources. To this day I have the GW's number in my phone along with Operation Game Thief.

I encourage everyone to program these numbers in your cell phone since we all see people cast netting, keeping undersized fish, keeping more than their limit, etc. while fishing the creeks in the metroplex.

Sorry for the rant but I felt it needed to be said if it hasn't already. Especially since most outdoorsmen are good people. It's just takes a couple of bad ones to ruin it for everyone else.

Operation Game Thief - 800.792.4263 (up to $1,000.00 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction for a wildlife crime).

One more thing, please pick up your trash.

Good luck to everyone!

I do. I cant stand a cast netter coming up and f*%#@ing up our holes. This year instead of waiting on the GW's. I might just shove their sorry a#% into the creek myself

RINGER 1 GREAT JOB AND THANKS FOR THE NUMBERS. I WILL PROGRAM THE NUMBER IN MY PHONE. I AGREE ON HELPING TRYING TO KEEP THE PLACE CLEAN AND PROTECTED THAT WAY ONE DAY MY SON CAN ENJOY FISHING THERE LIKE I HAVE!! GREAT JOB AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!

Knot at work that sounds like a good plan to me! Let me know if you need some help tossing them in? lol. I can holdem by their feet and you can get the hands and we can try to go for some distance on tossing them? lol. Who knows maybe the other people mite join in also and it can turn into a annual thing like the run? We can call it the annual [censored] toss at Rowlett creek! lol. Man some people are so ignorant!!

Its always best to carry the numbers of the GW that patrol that area such as martin and sergio. I just got a new phone but hopefully carey or another RC frequenter will chime in with their numbers. I personally reported 3 different castnetters last year during the run and will continue to do so this season

Look on the back of your fishing license - the number is on there.

I met the two GW's that work RC, Martin and Jamie and got Martin's state issued cell number..214-886-4074.

Just wondering, are yall saying they are using the cast nets to catch the sandies, or bait? Is that illegal? I have never heard of it.

They are stating, people are using castnets to catch the sandies..

castnetting is legal for bait, but if you net any fish, you are suppose to release the fish, and keep the bait.

pleasant valley is the worst area.

game fish cannot be kept when caught with a net ... lotsa folks don't really know what is what when it comes to game fish & non-game fish ... even folks on here

Very true.

worst problem is when someone catches a yellow bass in a cast net, lots of people think theyre non-game fish, and can be kept and used for bait or eaten, just because they have no regulations on them.

Are Yellow Bass a game-fish? I castnet for small bluegills from time to time for bait purposes..

You got that right...2 years ago I was with Angler_Josh..we were in a hole close to Gun Range hooking up with a Hybrid every other cast...Then a few fellas came down on the other side of the hole and threw a cast net..They had atleast 2 hybrids and 8 sandies and threw em in a bucket