Anyone who fishes Corp of engineer lakes

Critical Corps Meeting in Arkansas
By Chris Horton
BASS Conservation Director
BASS just learned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be hosting a public workshop regarding their new fishing around marinas policy in Harrison, Ark., on Thursday night, January 22. The meeting will be at the Quality Inn Conference Room, 1210 US Highway 62/65 North.

Recently, we posted an article that covered some of the history of this issue (Click here to read the story). Basically, we had an agreement in place, an agreement by the anglers, marina owners, state enforcement and fisheries agencies and the US Army Corps of Engineers, that allowed anglers to fish around marina facilities, provided they didn't fish within 50 feet of gas docks, marina stores or restaurants.

In one of the most irresponsible moves ever by the Corps, they changed this policy about 9 months ago without even bothering to tell us. Now we can't fish within 50 feet of any marina structure. Marinas are effectively off limits to law abiding anglers. This is the worst example in many years where the US Army Corps of Engineers completely disregarded public input and implemented a policy that benefits one special interest group — the marina owners — over the American public that owns the water.

The Corps is facilitating the privatization of public waters!

As an angler, if this doesn't make your blood boil, you may want to check your pulse. If it does, and you live within driving distance of this meeting, you have an opportunity to let you voice be heard. If enough anglers show up for the workshop, it very well could be the catalyst for a favorable outcome for anglers.

I hope to see you there.

Best o' luck in your success. The LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT must be reminded that they are merely the MANAGERS over PUBLIC waters. I wish you guys that fish Little Rock District waters the very, very best.

This does NOT apply to any lake outside the Little Rock District. In the LRD, the Chief of Operations is new and the Chief or Real Estate is new, as well. Personally having worked for this bunch for quite a while, I think the staff at LRD is completely insensitive to the desires of fishermen and could really care less what we think. Recreation is the smalled cog in the Corps machine.

I have absolutely no trouble fishing around commercial marinas in the Vicksburg district...as it should be. I live too far away to attend, but keep us posted.

aj

Hmm, that happened here about 12 years ago. The corp closed a local marina with no notice and no public announcement. It turned out that the reason was they had found 3 diesel tanks that were on the bottom and had degraded to the point they were going to start leaking and polluting the marina. They closed it so that no one could catch anything from there. I didn't mind them closing it but to not tell anyone why for almost 2 months was totally wrong. The reason: we did not want to install a panic of media attention because of a situation that was monitored and did not pose a health problem at the time. We found the leak before it harmed the wildlife and did not want hundreds or thousands of people running to the doctor saying they were sick or looking for lawyers to sue us over nothing. While it was closed, they removed the drums and cleaned it up and then opened it again.

I don't the circumstances for the closure there and I agree that what they did and the way they did it was wrong but let's make sure we have all the facts before simply assuming they did it to try and take control of public waters for no good reason. Please let us know why they did it if they will actually tell and it is taken as the truth. If they did it for some unknown reason or some boguss lame excuse then let them have both barrels.