Noodling question

Ok I own a private boat ramp on Lake Palestine. It gets hit quite a bit by noodlers and seems to produce fish, I don't personally know bc I ain't stickin my hand in there. Seen too many cottonmouths right there. Anyways, the ramp is somewhat breaking, and there is a large piece of concrete that noodlers are moving out of the way to access more spots. Neighbor has caught a few and asked them to put it back.

My question here is what is the legality on this? One part of me says it's on public water so it's legal....but by that same logic somebody could tamper with your boathouse, which obviously isn't legal. Even assuming they are not tampering with the ramp, and are only checking underneath it, is that still legal? I was told by the neighbor that technically somebody can't swim under your private pier, is that true also?

I realize these are random questions, just thought I would see what y'all think.

Put up a sign no trespassing and call g /w with tx numbers on boat whenyou catch them

I'm a noodler and often wonder the same thing, and I do fish Palestine. From my side of things, I try to stay away from people's docks and piers as much as possible (which is hard to do on Palestine because there are a lot of docks). I never step foot on their land, the dry part of their ramp, or their dock. I always stay in the water unless otherwise invited by the homeowner. If the homeowner is outside, I usually try to strike up a conversation with them as I approach so they know I'm not there to trespass, ruin their day, or steal their things. I always politely ask if they mind if I noodle their ramp. I let them get a good look at me, my boat, etc... so they know I'm just there to stick my hand under their ramp to catch a fish and nothing more. They'll usually watch to see what it's all about, then if we catch a fish they'll usually ask if they can get a picture or if they have kids they'll usually ask us to bring the fish on land so the kids can see it up close. We usually release the fish right there as well. I tend to treat a person with the same amount of respect that they give me. Most of the time, a little casual conversation goes a long way and I've become friends with a few of the lake-front homeowners.

From a legal standpoint, I would say that if anyone steps foot on your pier or boathouse, they can be prosecuted. On the other side of that, it is a public waterway and as long as an individual is obeying the law and not trespassing on your dock or your land, you really can't tell them to leave if they are in the lake. The State makes no differentiation between being in the water near the shore or being in the water in the middle of the lake, ALL of it is public. In fact, the Sportsman's act protects sportsman from being harassed in their fair and legal pursuit of fish and game by an individual by way of a misdemeanor. So both noodlers and homeowners have to tread carefully really. As long as everyone obeys the law how it is written, there really shouldn't be any problems.

That's my take on the regulations, from a hand-fisher's perspective.