Comments on: Could You Be Trespassing At Your Favorite River Fishing Spot?

By: bratt res

bratt res — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:07:18 +0000

If you can float it then fish it. Dont be out of your boat on someones property. The army corps of eng. Has jurisdiction over any flowing waters anyway, what I always thought. Now if this is changed there will be land owners trying to utilize all the streams and ponds to farm with. Our water table is drying up as it is. Every lake in central fl has dropped at least 8ft and has stayed there. Every orange grower has a huge pump drawing the lakes down to water their trees. It is sad to see all the dried up lakes and sink holes. We are ruining our water system

By: River rat

River rat — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:58:27 +0000

How would you feel if you your wife and kid was fishing in a local lake that got full access year around from the river and the land owner walks to the edge of the lake holding a shotgun cussing you your family telling you to get off land or hunting club submerged barbwire under water so it get rapped around your outboard motor. Not only does fishermen need to use common sense (most do) the landowners need to realize the waterway is for public use. I’m glad I fish in Alabama.

By: bob hudson

bob hudson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:33:51 +0000

may be I do not under stand this, but. when you buy land, you are given, property lines. why not survey the land, and mark it?No one has the right to trespass. I do understand that mistakes can be made.Place a high water marker at the waters edge. Now it seems to me that it should be up to the land owner to mark his or her ground. I would if I lived there.Common sense would seem to go a long way in this area. I mean, if it is high water, do you really need to be fishing in some one’s back yard?And no you should not be fishing near some one’s tool shed if it is flooded.

By: Janice Parker

Janice Parker — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:30:45 +0000

If you want to read up on this, go to Rivers and Public Trust. I read on one of these sites that the federal government declared at the end of the Lewis and Clark expedition tnat all running streams were to be held in trust by the federal government for the public. No one can own them. It is just access that you have a problem with. It stated that if you have access on one site that as long as you can travel that stream without having to leave your boat, it’s legal.

By: Landowner

Landowner — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:19:54 +0000

I understand the concerns of the landowners along the rivers, etc. ,BUT I always thought it was pretty stupid for a ‘trespasser’ to be able to sue someone because they were hurt in someway while trespassing. DUH! It’s been that way for many years. It’s waaay past time for people to take responcibility for their own actions and if they are ‘trespassing’ when they get hurt…oh well! I knew of a man who owned property with a gravel lake on it. He had a fence around it, with no trespassing signs. Some kids climbed the fence, went swimming and one drowned. He was sued and they won the case. Excuse me! I think the parents/guardians should have been held responcible for not tending to and keeping up with their children. The laws are DUMB that allows rewarding parents for neglecting their duties as parents. Also, dumb laws that allow trespassers to sue the people they trespass against. It all can be summed up…
BE RESPONCIBLE for yourself and your family and STOP blaming everyone else for your mistakes. just saying~

By: josh

josh — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:15:42 +0000

In my opinion, if a person can reach an area in a boat without having to get out of the boat, then this is public land. Hopefully law enforcement will use common sense in inforceing any laws passed.

By: SW

SW — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:49:21 +0000

Maybe good reasonable common sense enforcement would help, too.

Please don’t use the federal rules; create your own that allow for protection of the property owner.