So I have a creek in my backyard (Dallas, TX) and I fish there often. Every week or so a group of the same 4 people (fully grown men) are leaving trash (beer bottles and food wrappers) in the creek, splashing around in the water, ripping hooks out of fishes mouths, and even catching spawning bass with nets! It is ridiculous and I don't know what to do to either stop them from coming here or to stop their shenanigans. Please help, what would you do?

Edited May 3, 20206 yr by clawair

My first call would be to the natural resources Dept of the state and have a warden/wildlife officer come out and look around and show them what is going on!  No sense in you confronting these folks, by the sounds of it they are morons!

as a retired law enforcement officer I agree, with Fishinbuck. Call the local wildlife officer or even a local sheriff deputy and let them deal with it and pay for it. the wildlife officers will make them get in that hip pocket to pay fines. They could even lose their fishing licensesor possibly denied from getting one in the future.

X3 - Call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department...let them know what's going on.

Calling it in to DNR, or Texas equivalent, and/or Sheriff is about all you can do unfortunately. It's a shame when people are awful.

You have witnessed this catching of spawning bass with nets?

Call your game warden/DNR, do not try to intervene on your own.

that would tick me off to no end.  I get angry in itself when I see a dead fish floating in the local lake.

 

as other have stated, let law enforcement take care of these guys.

First, you get a live tiger...........

1 hour ago, Sam said:

First, you get a live tiger...........

Louisiana yard dog would be a better option.

Backyard as in your property? Or just a creek that is on the land near/next to yours? 
 

If it were my property, a no trespassing sign posted very visibly in the affected area. If it happened again(which I’m sure it would), then comes Johnny law into the picture.

If it's public land I'd call DNR, or whoever. In my experience the DNR doesn't usually show up or do anything but what else can you do.

 

If it were my property I would immediately and completely block access one way or the other.

I would put up a game camera first and see if you can catch them in the act.

 

Than call the Wildlife and Fisheries 

I’d like to say call law enforcement of some sort but most likely they are going to take your call and then not do a single thing about it. At least in my experience most officers won’t go out of their daily routine to actually help people and do their job. I don’t mean any disrespect to any law enforcement guys here, I have just had too many experiences with them being completely useless not to share my opinion.

 Dont confront them or you might get a brick through your window like what happened to me .

14 hours ago, clawair said:

So I have a creek in my backyard (Dallas, TX) and I fish there often. Every week or so a group of the same 4 people (fully grown men) are leaving trash (beer bottles and food wrappers) in the creek, splashing around in the water, ripping hooks out of fishes mouths, and even catching spawning bass with nets! It is ridiculous and I don't know what to do to either stop them from coming here or to stop their shenanigans. Please help, what would you do?

If this is property you OWN, and these folks are Trespassing,

I'd post Two Signs in Plain View.

No Trespassing and Beware of Dogs. 

And then get a couple of these and let them have the run of your land . . 

Might help.

btw, if they have a problem with your new security system,

tell them to call the law office of Ura, Moron and D'Zervit.

A-Jay

I have had opposite experience with law enforcement ..a few years ago I was at a local pond and came across a guy who has tipped a couple too many. Well he wasn't driving/operating anything so it didn't really bother me...until he threw a half full beer can into the back of my truck for no reason when he thought I wasn't looking. So my mind instantly went where most people's would go...I figured I'm a big strong guy and this guy deserves a little lesson so let's beat his face in. But instead my adult smarter self took over and I talked to a park guy. He promptly called the local DNR and town police and the guy went to jail for public intox.

I'd call somebody...if you confront these jerks yourself they may try to fight you.

I once had a foreign guy ask me to see one of the speckled perch I had caught. I held it up and he asked could he hold it? I let him and he turned and walked away. I told him forcibly to bring it back. He didn’t. I decided it wasn’t a hill I’d fight for. Had plenty of fish anyway.

Another time I went surf fishing at the beach. Before I could hardly get out of the truck, 2 homeless people ( A man and woman ) approached and of course, wanted money. As I talked with them, another man approached, went to the back of my truck and took one of my rod holders and started walking away. I couldn’t believe it at first, then I yelled for him to bring it back .!He kept on going. I quickly decided this was a hill I would fight for. ( No law in sight ) I started after him, but the woman yelled at him to bring it back . He immediately turned, came back , dropped it in the truck, and left. 
My point is , it sounds like yours is a hill to fight for .  (the right way of course).

I don’t know how well your local game wardens do their job but here in Missouri if you call mdc for a warden, you’ll get one within an hour. If they find ANY violations the? will hit the fan. If you have any complaints, just talk to a game warden and explain what’s going on. At the very least maybe he’ll check in on the violators and see for himself what’s going on. Because once he sees a violation he can’t not do something about it. Hope this helps. 

Post this sign if it is your property:

 

Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.

Gosh....hope this all has a good ending...

15 hours ago, Phil B said:

I don’t know how well your local game wardens do their job but here in Missouri if you call mdc for a warden, you’ll get one within an hour. If they find ANY violations the? will hit the fan. If you have any complaints, just talk to a game warden and explain what’s going on. At the very least maybe he’ll check in on the violators and see for himself what’s going on. Because once he sees a violation he can’t not do something about it. Hope this helps. 

 

 

 

I think it's time to end this conversation...Goodnight Irene.