Fayette

Sorry, not a report but a question and a report on the acting Park rangers. I went Friday afternoon and was warned 4 times before I left the check in station that the park and gate closes at 8pm. I said sundown is 8:07. What happens if I don’t make it out before 8:00? She twice refused to answer that question. Her only response was - park closes at 8:00. I told her I’d rip the gate off before I spent the night. Got no response from that either.

Anybody know if they really close the gate at 8pm and if so, it has to have motion sensor for exit vehicles. What if camper had an emergency? Just need to know if I should start bringing a chain or my cordless grinder.

The campers are given the code to the gate. Don't know what a boater would do.

I do not know for sure about boaters. I stayed at the cabins last year and was given a code. I suggest to just follow the rules and you should not have to bring any extra tools with you.

Anyone camping in the park gets the gate code, so they can come and go as they please. If you are nice to the Park Rangers and don't threaten to rip their gate off, they might give you the code.
Or just follow the rules and leave before 8pm.

Nah. I’m bringing my own rules, my own tools and my cutting torch. For $7 launch fee I should be able to fish until legal sunset.

Dang it's only $7? I wish the lakes around here were cheaper. I'm paying $20 to fish Eagle Mountain.

Lake Conroe or Houston does not have a time limit to get off. But what I was told by the game warden at some of the public ramps on Conroe your vehicle might not be there when you get back at the ramp.

It's a private park giving you an opportunity to access a great lake...why be a D-Bag?? Just follow the rules.

I wonder if he will feel as big and smart when the cops show up.

So they operate both parks now? Fayette use to be a great night fishing lake in the summer. Kinda sucks if you have to leave at 8:00 now.

If you are not staying camping or at a cabin there, you do not have to leave if you want to fish at night. But if you choose to do that, they will not open the gate until 6 am the next morning. So if you get there at 8 pm, you are only have to stay and fish 8 hrs. In my younger years that would not have been a problem.

Yeah but you pay to launch, Just give the fisherman the code. if I'm correct they just started this policy this year, for 20+ years its never had an issue that you have to leave by a certain time.

Cool story. How’d you do with the fish?

The new management company told me they had determined that most of the trashing of the facility at the ramp, bathrooms, and picnic area was occurring at night. Also they said one person would pay to check in with a boat or car and then a bunch more would "sneak in" without paying. People were using the picnic tables to clean their fish etc. So they stopped the uncontrolled night entering/exiting. People just need to quit their whining and enjoy the nice facilities that this new park management company has created. The park was getting to be a real dump until they took over. If night fishing is a must then I would just go to another lake or plan to fish all night at Fayette.

I don’t want to night fish. I just want to fish until legal sundown and be given a reasonable amount of time to get boat on trailer and get out. Heck in about a month, you’ll still be wearing sun glasses when they close the gate. Park should close at 9pm, not 8pm. It’s really simple common sense.

That's the same thing they told me.

It's very simple. If you don't like the way they run it, don't go.

Why not come on here and complain? If you don’t like the post, don’t reply. 2 way street

So…still no report of the fishing?
Just whining about not wanting to follow rules that everyone else does?
Ok then.

I think those who disagree with the rules should boycott the lake, and take their business elsewhere. That will teach them... and the rest of us will be happy about one or two less boats on the lake.

I was told the 8pm bs 2 years ago. It's absolutely ridiculous. As much as I love fishing Fayette I haven't been vack since. Im not driving 3 hours to only fish till 7:30

Some morons just won't be happy til they screw up lake access for everyone and it turns into a private lake with no public access for anyone. There's always one in every bunch.

My boat still smells a bit from the cast net I retrieved from the trees on the east side last week. Lots of dead, decaying fish in it. I felt obliged to retrieve it since nobody else was going to do it. The lady at the. Lots thanked me when I dropped it in the dumpster at about 10 till 8. The biggest problem at the lake is the cast netters. That’s why the dumpster has been moved from the launch area. They’re the reason for the nighttime curfew. If you want to be angry at the owners of the facility, your anger is misplaced.

Not only do the cast netters ruin the lake, but it seems like every few years one of them ends up drowning, which isn't shocking considering they take out these 8-10ft flat bottom jon boats with 4-5 grown men and 200lbs of gear. When are they going to ban the cast netters?

Have a nice day.

Its really simple common sense business. And they don't want yours. Move on.

Not at Oak Thicket. It’s up by the check in booth. At least last week it was. And the lady told me it’s because castnetters hide behind it down by the water to clean their fish.

Have a nice day.

Don’t know what to tell you. On May 2 the dumpster that’s normally by the water was up by the booth. I had a nice long chat with the older lady as I was dumping the net and leaving. She told me it’s not going back to its original location. I was there on the 5th and didn’t pay any attention to where it was because there was a ton of other boats leaving when I did around 3:00 and I had to pull way up to get prepped to drive.
I’m not sure if you’re trying to imply that I’m lying, but all I can tell you is exactly what happened.
I’ll make a note next time and take a photo or two so there’s no mistake.

The last 2 weeks I fished (5-8 & 5-3) the dumpster was moved from the parking lot up to the pay booth area...this was at Oak Thicket...

Thank you Vogey.
I can also let anyone who wants to sniff the front deck of my boat. The carpet still smells despite my using vinegar, bleach, and a variety of pet odor removers. And there’s a few bones still in my live well from the decaying carcasses.

Have a nice day.

I suppose an apology for implying I’m a liar is out of the question.

Have a nice day.

Well at least we know one of us ain’t square with the truth. Noted.

Have a nice day.

Rules are usually made because people can't just fish and have a good time. Some push the limits until rules are changed that effect the ones that follow the rules. I will have a good day.

I'll give you a good example. There are "no boaters" buoys at Lake Bastrop's water intake. I couldn't tell you how many times I have fished that area and seen someone fishing WAY beyond the buoys. Yes, I would love to fish that somewhat virgin area, but I do not. It's the rules.

I have to agree this is all because of the cast netters. I was out there on May 10th and saw 3 boats cast netting. I was fishing a spot, moved to another and a boat cast netting was right in the spot I was going to and one deep in the cove. Went back to the first spot and there was a boat cast netting on the point of the cove. I went to my spot, several hundred yards from the boat. There were 6 people on the boat, 4 cast netters, a person helping to clean the nets, and the 6th was the trolling motor. They worked their way to within 100 ft of me then left. About an hour later a second boat, with 4 cast netters, starts working the opposite side of the cove I was on. They worked the entire side then left. That boat came by 2 more times in the next hour or so and left when they saw I was still there. When they were cast netting they were whooping and hollering and if I knew Spanish I could have understood their entire conversations. After they left the cove was full of floating young grass debris.

It needs to be banned on that lake.

Cast Netting has ruined the grass growth on Fayette...it needs to stop!

It also messes up the sunfish spawning beds. Unfortunately, no one has been successful at making it stop & there has been petitions etc. ...Any ideas ?

There is that saying, "be careful what you ask for" and I'm sure TPWD and others are aware of the problem.
It may just get worse, but continuing to report the abuse may be about all you can do.
That squeaky wheel just needs to continue to squeak!

I exclusively fish Fayette for sunfish. The cast netters destroyed my favorite Sunfish bedding area amongst the canes a couple years ago. It's never been the same again. They walk through all the sunfish beds in the shallow flats areas too, upsetting all those beds. On the other side, I worry that the Tilapia population would explode and destroy the sunfish population if they weren't harvested.

They should allow bow fishing again to help cut down the tilapia population.

I'm with BJ. Host a bowfishing tournament that raises money for park upkeep. I know quite a few guys that would pay

2 dollars for veterans

The cast netters love getting out of the boat and wading. Couldn't whoever manages/owns the lake ban walking on the lake bed? I'm not sure of the unintended consequences of that.

LCRA can stop the cast netting if they want to. They own the lake. Just like the no trot line rule. LCRA is who determined no fish cleaning facility at the lake.

So four pages in, and still ahve one question.

Hows the fishing this time of year?

It can be good. Check out the Lake Fayette Fishing page on FB. Lots of good posts there recently. Think the latest was to fish in 12-20' with cranks, jigs, shakyheads and swimbaits.