Dead fish goes in trash

At Lake Bardwell today I go to Mustang Park and at the ramp the wind is blowing towards the ramp.
Someone the night or day before cleaned about 30 small hybrid and sandies.
They threw them over the side of the boat after fileting them.
The washed up fish made the ramp small like a dump, and look like one.

The GW would love that. Several violations. It's illegal to transport any fish by boat that has been cleaned before returning to the ramp. The fish were probably undersized and that's why they cleaned them on the water.. Low lifes..

I would notify the GWs.

If no fish dressing station is available a trash can smells even worse in the heat. In my opinion this deters others from putting all their trash where it belongs. The fish parts will certainly be consumed by the other critters in the lake; but you must be observant of the wind direction which is mostly South East.
Take them down wind to dispose of them from the ramps.

Although I have seen some signs at some lakes saying it is illegal to dump fish parts in the lake. Then the onsite trash is your only option, unless you carry a shovel in the truck.

Yes. I fish Pool and the marina has a dumpster and bathrooms near the ramp. That place can reek and I won't go near it to throw away trash because of the smell and all the critters coming in looking for a meal.

Cleaning legal fish on the lake and dumping the scales, guts or whatever else should not be unlawful, like some of you guys stated it will be part of the eco-system. Illegal harvest and inconsiderate dumping should be the real issue

What a waste. Fish guts are great for the garden. I got 60 sand bass after PK Guide Randy Wood filleted them in the spring. They are great fertilizer. I had tomatoes until August and now have huge amounts of Purple Hull Peas and cucumbers.

Back before the Golden Algae outbreak on Possum Kingdom, Fox Hollow used to have 2 fish cleaning stations on their dock. I do know how may pounds of fish were cleaned there by folks but I know I used it a ton. Those old nasty Striper's and Sand Bass were good table fare and it made more room for the Black Bass. As a matter of fact, that pier was a natural fish attractant because of all bones. It was one of my better spots to catch Black Bass.

I fish Lake Conroe exclusively and it is illegally to dispose of any waste in this lake and that includes fish carcasses. My fishing buddy has dumped dozens and dozens of 5 gallon buckets of fish carcasses into the lake when I am with him. I told him about the rule, printed out a copy for him to read along with phone numbers to San Jacinto River Authority, and the lake patrol and game wardens office for him to call and verify. His dumping on the lake pollutes this entire cove with rotted fish stinking to high heaven. They wash up in the boat ramps, the vultures move in and the kids tubing get stuck with the floaters that have fins, like catfish. None of this good for anything. It's just pure laziness seeking convenience. He is a retired Pentacostal preacher and just does not want to comply.

He then complains about all the stink about the cove and also complains about the rotten carcasses he dumps that wash back up on the ramp where we launch. It is like he has multiple personalities and cannot remember that he is the one that has done it all.

I have refused to fish with him anymore.

I was in an Oklahoma state park last week and they had a sign stating state law REQRIRED the fish remains be placed in the lake!

Back in the lake is fine as long as you cut the air bladder. Take them out a little ways and they are history. The dock I use to clean fish on has guys cleaning them every day, including several guides. They cut the bladders and throw them off the dock. I never smell anything there, and rarely see a floater. If I bring them home to clean, they go in the pasture for the varmints, or during the spring, the garden gets them. Putting them in the trash can at the ramp makes for an unpleasant smell.

I remember something about that from my study of the pilgrims many many many years ago.........

If you talk to TP&W, fish in the trash can is illegal. TP&W buries all the fish guts from their fish cleaning tables because it is illegal to throw animals and animal waste in a landfill. City of Gonzales was ordered to close their dump because of dead chickens being dumped there.
The lake is actually the best place, as long as the bladders are punctured. Sommerville is a water supply lake and the fish cleaned at the marina, all the guts go right in the water. Doesn't look good at times, but it is legal.
Fish guts are a problem for all those that don't have a garden to bury them in.

so do you bury the guts
in the garden soil?

Yes. Spring time is good for easy numbers of Whites, and it is garden time too. I catch them, clean them, and then till them in a few weeks before I plant the garden. They compost down some and add some natural nutrients. I have also buried them under and beside plants at planting time. They work well for a good natural supplement.

I bury them in my garden year round. Just have to remember where you dug last time so you don't dig them up.

The reason cleaning fish on the water is illegal is because of illegal harvest. How is the GW to know how many fish you cleaned, if they were of legal size and when they were caught? Verifying length limit, bag limit and possession limit can't be done if the fish have been cleaned before you reach shore.

Actually when I mention trash, I take the guts home in a trash bag I carry with me.
I throw the dead fish away at home.

Yeah it is easier to know how many fish you cleaned, if they were legal size and when they were caught if you cleaned them at the boat ramp. I can look at a filet cleaned at the ramp and tell whether or not the fish was legal, but one cleaned on the water I can't................

GMB

The minnow bucket at Lake Fork also has a cleaning station on the water, with plenty of turtles at the ready to take care or your waste parts.

Think about it just a couple of seconds. If you are cleaning fish at the ramp, you would have a carcass. Cleaned on the water, no carcass and no way to tell what kind of fish or the size.

Them boys in Oklahoma are pretty bad spellers, reckon ?

"Back before the Golden Algae outbreak on Possum Kingdom, Fox Hollow used to have 2 fish cleaning stations on their dock. I do know how may pounds of fish were cleaned there by folks but I know I used it a ton. Those old nasty Striper's and Sand Bass were good table fare and it made more room for the Black Bass. As a matter of fact, that pier was a natural fish attractant because of all bones. It was one of my better spots to catch Black Bass."

And I agree with ChuChu1's post above as well. This part of why I am contributing to this conversation.


I recall getting ready to go fishing one summer morning listening to 820 AM in Dallas about 6 AM, about 2 or 3 years ago, they had a gentleman on that lived in Seattle or there abouts and was an ex or current pro fisherman that had gotten involved in trying to bring the Salmon population back and they had worked for more than 10 years on it and they had found the best thing they could do was to artificially introduce fish scraps up stream in the rivers to improve the overall population. At first Salmon scraps and then they found it did not matter what species of fish it was as they went along, as long as there was decaying fish material in the streams it fed the ecosystem or circle of life that fed the baby salmon headed to the ocean.
When the host asked him where he got the scraps. I really thought it was interesting when he said that all the restaurants in the area were the ones contributing the fish scraps. I thought Wow! That is the ultimate recycling.
Any ways I thought this would add to this conversation and from this one interview I agree the best place other than a garden is in the lake or some other moving body of water. And I think from this statement “If you talk to TP&W, fish in the trash can is illegal.” above that the TPWD understands this and I might add is a very heads up organization in this area when it comes to wildlife management.

Oops! I just noticed I had not flipped to page 2 of this conversation. Here it is any way before I finish reading all comments.

So I take a fish home and clean it who is to know, but me what size that fish was except for me. If I clean it at a fish cleaning station the hole world can know.

You do know that game wardens check fish at the ramp don't you? Then HE will know.