Cleaning fish at the lake

Yesterday, when comming in, I saw a guide at the ramp cleaning his clients fish. When he had them all done he gave the guys their fish then dumped the fish carcasses off the end of the courtesy ramp. Two questions. Is it legal to fillet fish at the lake and is it also legal to dump guts, bones, ect. there? I am not knocking anyone here. I really don't know. I thought I remember a some kind of law about not having fillets because they couldn't measure your fish? Anyone got an answer on this?

all the Guides on Lake Whitney do this , so IDK

Do it all the time on Texoma.

No, it is not legal. Get caught by a Game Warden and learn the hard way.

Guides do it as they advertise they do it as a service.

Get caught on the way home and see who gets the ticket.

Yes, it is legal. Just don't clean fish while still on the water.

Please show me the regulation that makes it illegal.

From the Outdoor Annual:
"In order to verify length and species, a fish caught may not have the head or tail removed and may not be filleted until an angler finally lands the catch on the mainland, a peninsula, or barrier island not including jetties or piers and does not transport the catch by boat."
They can be transported away from the water filleted. Until recently, I thought the same as you, but looked it up. Makes sense. Too many variables once you leave the lake, to cloud things.

Many of our state parks have fish cleaning stations in the park. If it was illegal to clean and transport fish I don't think they would be there.

Sadly for me the lakes I fish are Corp lakes with Corp parks. I sure wish the Corp would spend some of my tax money and install cleaning stations.

Unfortunately, the wording in the regulations, the number of regulations, contradictory regulations, and the way they are interpreted have made it difficult to remain within the law, even if you are trying. I see regulations being violated on a regular basis while I am out fishing. Most appear to be unintentional, but many are not.

What is the law on dumping the carcasses in the lake?

Just don't have the fillets with you and you're legal.

So, we had a big blow up at our neighborhood ramp (on whitney) about this a few weeks ago... I'm under the impression it's legal and it really doesn't bother me* since I'm sure it's food for other species in the lake.. Although I take mine home and let the racoons/pigs have them.. But, it bothers me when the guide literally throws them right where my kids are swimming (along with about 20 other kids).

Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer. I am unaware of any Texas Parks and Wildlife regulation that prevents dumping fish carcasses directly into a public waterbody, and I have done it many times, in both freshwater and saltwater, with a game warden standing right next to me. However, there are qualifiers. For example, it is unlawful to leave edible fish or bait fish taken from the public waters of the state to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait. So technically when you dump your unused bait at the end of the day you are in violation. Also, if you are sloppy and leave a great deal of edible meat on the fish, or just get tired of cleaning and throw entire fish in the lake, you are in violation. And those of you, like me, that threw a fillet I just cleaned In the water instead of the carcass, you are in violation.

Other state laws complicate the issue. Generally, it is unlawful to pollute any public water. Some cities and local agencies have interpreted these regulation to make it illegal to dump carcasses in certain water bodies, including some lakes and harbors.

YEP x 2

TCEQ has a couple of rules that apply, and if it's COE you bet they've got a paragraph or two on the subject.

It's amazing how something so simple is being over thought and becoming complicated.

CONTROL,CONTROL, & CONTROL, that what it is all about. MOST GW's that I have ever talked to have common sense and use it. Gw's have the authority to enforce any law they want to and the latitude to turn a head when they want to. Example, unless it has changed, all Federal lake require a paddle in your boat, when was the last time, if ever have you had to show it?

pretty sure the ramp is on the mainland, just don't transport the fillets by boat after that...

Had a guy yesterday on Choke pull up to the cleaning station and dump a bunch of fish. Guess he cleaned them on the water as he took the load out of his boat. And yes they were bass with a couple of good ones in the batch.

Legal to do on land. Illegal on the water. Never heard anything saying it was legal or illegal to dump remains back in but assume that since it is food for other fish it would not be littering.

I called the Game Warden in Bosque county and according to him it is perfectly legal to dump carcasses into the lake. Just don’t throw them on the shore which would be littering

They (Corp) can't/won't even maintain the courtesy docks. Darn shame.

It is absolutely legal

I don’t keep fish, so I don’t have a dog in this hunt. But! Why are your kids swimming in a nonswimming designated area? There are NO FISH CLEANING stations on a swim beach.

It's not non-swimming designated to my knowledge (it's not in a park... it's in a neighborhood not sure if that matters). Heck I've been swimming there for 28 years since my folks built the place.

I was told 2 summers ago by a guide at Lavon lake the rules changed there and no one could clean fish at the lake nor drop remains in lake or they would get a ticket.
I could not find any information on it but, was not worried since I don't clean my fish there.

Granger had cleaning stations when I fished there many years ago. Did they remove them?

I don’t fish Granger so I don’t know.

I know of a courtesy dock that has been 100’ from the water due to flooding for a year now.

My parents live on Toledo Bend. They have a fish cleaning table. All carcasses are placed in 5 gallon buckett. Next trip out, usually same day or next morning, buckett goes with us in boat and it's dumped out on lake but, minimum 500 yards away from shore. They have several Eagles near their home that take care of a lot of the trimmings as well as turtles.

an active cleaning station is a great spot to catfish



MO

Calling bulsh on that , Corp rules are Corp rules. Lavon does try and make up their own as they feel , it’s pitiful how this lake is managed

I know the guides on Whitney do it every day , but I was told to take my fish cleaning station down at my slip at Harbor master because it was not legal ???

Someone lied to you

100% legal. There are a lot of people who will try to muddy the waters about this and that when it comes to throwing fish carcasses in the lake, because they don't like it. It's legal. Don't listen to yuppies. If you don't like to see swim suits, don't live next to a beach.

Granger lake is COE and at least one park has a cleaning station on the bathroom building in the parking lot some distance from the water. carcasses are dumped in a dumpster on way out of parking lot..

Things I discovered when trying to get LCRA to build a fish cleaning station at Fayette County Lake.
Choke Canyon buries the remains every day. They said the remains could not be dumped in the water because Choke Canyon is a water supply lake.
LCRA would not build a cleaning station because the plant did not approve and they did not have a way to dispose of the remains.
Dumping remains in a commercial dumpster is illegal. Animal remains can not legally be dumped in land fills. This is what caused the City of Gonzales to lose their landfill.
Most of these rules are from TECQ, and yeah, they are not actively enforced until someone complains.

Hired a guide on Whitney almost 20 years ago. He opened a couple of canned tuna and threw them in the water right off his dock. After waiting a couple of minutes he started cast netting. Must have caught 30 perch. When we were finished he dumped all the remains in the same place. Until then I thought the tuna was magical. Just the circle of life.

deep water cleaning docks have big bass under them,..!!! they love crappie ribs...