Creek fishing inside city limits

March 15, 2009 1:19 PM

I live near a large creek in a major central Texas city. I would like to fish in it. Is that legal, safe, or even advisable at all?

I used to fish a lot when I was a kid, growing up in a wetter part of the country, and I miss it. Now that I live right next to a creek that seems fairly large, by Texas standards, I'd like to take advantage of it. This time of year, the creek is about 10 feet across and deep enough that I can't see the bottom. There are concrete structures and tree stumps in places as well, forming pools that I think would be pretty appealing, were I a fish.

Would it be legal to fish here? I have no idea who owns the property - it's a well-maintained wooded trail following the outskirts of a subdivision. It's within city limits. I know I need to get a fishing license, if nothing else.

Do I even want to fish in the creek? My access is downstream from a busy road, and there's trash in the water on occasion - beer cans, plastic bags, stuff like that. The water is dark, but it runs briskly, except for in those pools.

If I did fish in the creek, what would I catch? Catfish? (Is there anything special I should know about catfish fishing? I was primarily a trout and salmon kid. Cast off a dock, reel it back in, repeat until fish is hooked.)

Basically, I'm envisioning strolling to the creek with a fishing pole and a cooler, enjoying the outdoors, eventually catching a fish, and walking home for a tasty dinner. Can I make that happen?

posted by edrnjevich to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (12 answers total)

Catfish fishing usually involves live bait and a lot of waiting.

I also wouldn't eat from a creek near a city.
posted by schyler523 at 1:32 PM on March 15, 2009

Halogen: I'm looking for the part of the question that asked for shrill moralising, but I can't find it. Worth noting, perhaps? The bit about "leaving with a tasty dinner' seems to have passed you by.

OP: Is there no water quality index available for your area? Does the city not have any department (Game and Fisheries, kind of thing) that would give some test results for the water quality in that area?

I'd assess the water quality first and foremost. If the water is nasty, who cares how legal it is to fish in the river?
posted by Brockles at 1:44 PM on March 15, 2009

The water in most cities is going to be too dirty for you to eat the fish safely. Some particular concerns are disease (sewer lines usually run along streams, sewers leak) and metals like mercury and arsenic from car exhaust and coal fire powerplants.

Catch and release can be done without harming the fish by removing the barbs from your hook. You might do more fighting and less actual reeling in, but since you won't be eating them anyway that shouldn't matter.

You should do enough investigating with state or local areas to find out just how contaminated the water is (ie, you might not want to even get it on your skin due to disease possibilities). One place to start is Surf Your Watershed. If you haven't had Hepatitis A vaccine you should get one--it's easily carried in sewage contaminated water.

In any case, there is no harm in getting some waders and walking around in a stream. That's my job, and all by itself it's pretty awesome.
posted by hydropsyche at 1:56 PM on March 15, 2009

Legally probably depends on where you are, and the likelihood of their being any protected critters, such that you fishing might disrupt the food chain. For instance; there are a lot more protected areas around Austin than there are around Dallas or Houston.

From an enjoyment factor, I'm willing to bet that you won't catch much. For fishing in the central Texas area, your best bet are lakes, reservoirs and creeks in rural areas where the water is "live" all year long. City creeks tend to be run-off, rather than natural fed.

For what it's worth, there are a lot of stocked fishing lakes from Dallas down to about San Antonio. That's where you'll find stuff like bass and trout. Catfish you'll pull up in lakes, but probably not in creeks. (As an aside, I would avoid eating bottom feeders from urban settings...well, across the board, really...but especially urban bottom feeders.)

The 5 year drought has really put a hurting on lake and water levels across the state. You may find that stocked ponds are your only real option this year, as public waterways are often off limits when they get below a certain level.

You can get a fishing license at any Walmart or sporting goods store. If you hit somewhere like Bass Pro Shop, they'll have a guy there that will know all the best fishing spots within 100 miles of where you are.
posted by dejah420 at 2:05 PM on March 15, 2009

You can get the water tested to check for pollutants.

A fishing license is required for fishing in any public waters in Texas, except state parks.

You can buy a license here. You get a discount if you have been a state resident for at least six months.
posted by Pants! at 2:06 PM on March 15, 2009

I grew up fishing in suburban creeks and drainage ditches in Plano, TX. We caught plenty of catfish and assorted freshwater fish. We never at anything we caught. The fishing was much better in areas where the creek was partially dammed, forming a small pond.

Unless you are obviously trespassing on private property you shouldn't have any problems. Generally speaking, creeks and drainage easements are owned by municipalities. Definitely get a fishing license (even though in 20 or so years of fishing in Texas I have never been asked to present one).
posted by Uncle Jimmy at 2:28 PM on March 15, 2009

Pick up your local newspaper. Go to the sports pages. They will have fishing reports for your area (like this one right here), which will clue you in on both what the fish-able locales are, but also which ones are better than others, and what kinds of fish can be found there.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:29 PM on March 15, 2009

Thanks everyone. Lots of good reasons not to do it.

"Fishing report" was a great Google tip -- I see that I'm about a 20 minute drive from a lake that says it has decent fishing from the bank. Not as much fun as walking, but hey, it's probably pretty out there too.
posted by edrnjevich at 3:30 PM on March 15, 2009

Large city in Central Texas? I'm guessing that has to be Austin. With the droughts and then the recent rain, a lot of bad stuff might have run into your creek, so I would avoid eating fish from it. As long as it's legal, you could always catch and release. A lot of people catch and release in Lady Bird Lake and/or Town Lake.
posted by fructose at 5:10 PM on March 15, 2009

I find the assumption that the water is poison to be alarmist. Your local water board is checking all sources within the local watershed for pollutants. They will tell you the condition of the water.

I live in the S.F. bay area and swim in the bay, many onlookers express alarm, yet have no knowledge of the tidal changes that the bay experiences everyday.

Many fish within the bay are fit to consume others are not. This information should be easy to get from either the health board or again the local water district.

Finally, you don't have to keep the fish just let them know your out there.
posted by pianomover at 6:37 PM on March 15, 2009

You can check the State Department of Health website for pronounced hazards:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/seafood/survey.shtm
That being said, I would not consume the fish, especially on a regular basis.
posted by tangonerd at 8:03 PM on March 15, 2009

I find the assumption that the water is poison to be alarmist.

I didn't say "poison" I said contaminated and I listed the two contaminants most likely to cause the poster problems--metals and sewage.

Under the Clean Water Act, each state is required to maintain a list of contaminated waters. Here is California's. Here is Texas'. I can email you an entire literature reference list if you're interested in learning more about the contamination status of our waters.
posted by hydropsyche at 7:56 AM on March 16, 2009