2 cited for alleged illegal fishing activity on Lady Bird Lake

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Two people are facing citations related to illegal fishing activity on Lady Bird Lake, according to Texas Game Wardens.

Texas Game Wardens said in a thread of posts on X that they responded on Monday, Dec. 30 to a public tip about illegal fishing activity on Lady Bird Lake near Barton Springs.

According to the posts, a Travis County Game Warden and captain game warden located two suspects in the area. One of them was "actively" spearing black bass with a pneumatic speargun while snorkeling, which is a violation of state fishing regulations, according to Game Wardens. The other person was on the shore with a cooler and bag.

Wardens found 18 unlawfully taken bass in the cooler, weighing a total of 76.05 lbs. and measuring a combined 348 in., according to the posts. Several of them were larger than 18 in. and many exceeded 20 in., wardens noted.

Fishing is legal on Lady Bird Lake, but there are special regulations on some fish, and bag and size limits.

The regulations for black bass are detailed below, per Texas Parks and Wildlife:

Black bass
For largemouth bass, length limit is a 14-21” slot. Bass 14 inches and less or 21 inches or greater in length may be retained. Only one bass 21 inches or greater may be retained. For smallmouth bass (if present), minimum length limit = 14 inches. No minimum length limit on Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted bass (if present.) Daily bag limit for all black bass species is 5 in any combination.

Wardens said all fish, the spearguns and gear were seized, and the bass were donated for consumption.

The Game Wardens said the two people are facing multiple citations for illegal fishing methods and unlawful possession of black bass. Fines and restitution charges are pending.

Texas Game Wardens said harvests like this can "be very detrimental to bass populations in a localized area like this."

People who suspect illegal fishing activities can report violations to Operation Game Thief, the Texas Wildlife Crime-Stoppers Program, at 800-792-4263.