Posted By: Liebers Dad
Bastrop cast netters (& fishing report) - 10/26/20 02:20 PM
Well, yesterday I encountered cast netters on Bastrop. As I'm coming into north shore there is a boat in the first slip and the second slip so I have only one choice to park while I get my trailer. As I'm coming up to the slip a guy casually walks over and picks up a grey 5 gallon bucket, but doesn't say a word. He goes back to the boat in the first slip. I glide in, go get my trailer and get ready to load. I put my boat in reverse and it dies. I literally just got it out of the shop for tune up, impeller etc so I'm really concerned. I try again and the same thing happens. The wind is out of the SE so I push out of the slip and let the wind carry me to my trailer. I start her up again and shift to forward and it dies as I'm drift by the boat in the first slip, the one where the guy who picked up the bucket is sitting. I casually mention "Dang I just got this out of the shop. Maybe I got hydrilla in the intake or something."
Not a word from boat boy.
I drag the boat onto the trailer with the winch and pull out to assess the issue. A #$@^!%*&^ brand new cast net is twisted and tangled around my prop.
Boat boy could have mentioned "Hey, lemme get my net outta the way" as I was coming in.
He could have said, "Yeah, you might have out net caught up" as I was drifting past wondering WTF was going on.
He didn't because he KNEW he was wrong!
I reported it to the guard shack who basically told me there was nothing they could do except tell people it's illegal to do that.
I reported it to the game wardens who told me it was LCRA jurisdiction and they couldn't do anything either.
My only good feeling about it is that they lost a brand new cast net because I gut it to shreds removing it. They were watching me the whole time and never said a word!
When I left the guard shack I came back around and felt like a confrontation, but I was an adult and just took pictures of them as they were loading up their boat because their day was over without a net to catch bait.
Oh yeah, the fishing on Bastrop was ok, but sporadic. I found a pattern, but could only mange 2-3 fish before they'd shut off and I'd move, repeat the pattern for 2-3 fish then they'd shut off again. Fun day until the end!
Now I gotta pull the prop, and spindle to make sure no stray netting got up in there.
Not a word from boat boy.
I drag the boat onto the trailer with the winch and pull out to assess the issue. A #$@^!%*&^ brand new cast net is twisted and tangled around my prop.
Boat boy could have mentioned "Hey, lemme get my net outta the way" as I was coming in.
He could have said, "Yeah, you might have out net caught up" as I was drifting past wondering WTF was going on.
He didn't because he KNEW he was wrong!
I reported it to the guard shack who basically told me there was nothing they could do except tell people it's illegal to do that.
I reported it to the game wardens who told me it was LCRA jurisdiction and they couldn't do anything either.
My only good feeling about it is that they lost a brand new cast net because I gut it to shreds removing it. They were watching me the whole time and never said a word!
When I left the guard shack I came back around and felt like a confrontation, but I was an adult and just took pictures of them as they were loading up their boat because their day was over without a net to catch bait.
Oh yeah, the fishing on Bastrop was ok, but sporadic. I found a pattern, but could only mange 2-3 fish before they'd shut off and I'd move, repeat the pattern for 2-3 fish then they'd shut off again. Fun day until the end!
Now I gotta pull the prop, and spindle to make sure no stray netting got up in there.