Corpusfishing.com

[eksda]

last time we went to bob hall. i saw a old man who was cleaning his catch of reds and trout on the pier. i didnt want him to get a ticket so i told him that the state says not to clean them til you leave pier. i thought he might be an out of state tourist. he jumped down my throat saying they had changed that law. he was a grumpy old man and it was obvious he wanted to be aleft alone so i left and we came home. i am confused now. i thought that the gw had to be able to measure the fish to be certain they were legal and if the head and tail is off that they couldnt meaure.. i know they allowed you to gut them but everything else had to be intact. i dont want to get a tongue lashing again. so will just keep my mouth closed.

[Fish2drink]

I emailed Larry Young whom is in charge of the Game Wardens in this region. I asked the same question you are asking about BHP but mine was aimed at surf fishing (same thing) and this was his response.......



State law allows fish to be filleted on the beach as long as the filleted fish are not transported by boat. Please let me know if you have any further questions.


Larry E. Young

Major - Region X

Office 361-289-5566

larry.young@tpwd.state.tx.us

Texas Game Wardens Serving Texans Since 1895 - Law Enforcement Off the Pavement
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The Hardhead Whisperer

[Bigrock]

From TPWD. There is a difference between piers and the beach.



https://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/fish_hunt/fish/general.phtml


could not get the copy of the pertinent regulation to copy...sorry

[RodBreaker]

This question has come up countless times on the various message boards. What we have been told by different game wardens over the years is that you can clean your fish at the pier if you are done fishing and all of your gear is packed and off of the pier. The surf fishing situation is covered by the barrier island exception in the regulations.

"In order to verify length and species, a fish caught may not have the head or tail removed and may not be
filleted until an angler finally lands the catch on the mainland, a peninsula, or barrier island not including
jetties or piers and does not transport the catch by boat. Broadbill swordfish, shark, and king mackerel
may have the head or tail removed, but the carcass must remain intact and may not be filleted."
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certified whiting slayer

[Fish2drink]

I fillet at the beach now right before I leave and take my catch in zip bags. I did not like the response he gave me either but I needed something in writing incase I get fined and have to prove my case to a judge.
Like with everything in life rules are in place and the enforcers interpret them their way so whether U fillet or not that's your call but if ticketed just sign it and fight in court not at the beach you will never win there.

P.S. My wife loves to go fishing and enjoys to eat fish but hates her yard to smell like fish sooooo...I rather take my chances with the judge than with the wife
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The Hardhead Whisperer

[FishLady]

Yes, but doesn't the rule also say, "not including jetties or piers"? Now does that say jetties and piers are not included in that rule?
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FishLady

[RodBreaker]

[FoldCatOne]

Wouldn't it be great if they just came out with plain English rules with examples for one to follow. Life for the fisherman and the game warden would be so much better. And then, the GW could concentrate on other things than "I gotcha rules".

It's like the length rule and fish shrinking when put on ice. GW should be instructed to never ticket for fish that are not over 1/2" or 1/4 " short for a fish that has obviously been on ice for an extended period of time. Otherwise the legal slot is not the legal slot, it's the legal slot plus XX amount of inches. Who does this mostly affect - the non resident fisherman who comes from a distance to fish for several days. While residents can fish each and every day if they choose, the visitor has to fish the days he is able to be in Corpus. People like to eat fish and wives consider the fish brought home as a offset to the costs of the fisherman going on the trip. Therefore each fish the fisherman decides not to keep impacts the likelihood he can afford to come fishing anytime soon.

That said, if I ever get divorced again, I will make up the loss of deductions on my taxes by buying a small place in the Corpus/Rockport area. I then benefit by having a place to stay, by being able to stay as long as I want, to be able to put fish in a freezer and not worry about possession limits in the same way a visitor does and tax wise. A winner in all cases.

[Gib]

Rodbreaker is exactly correct concerning fish cleaning on the piers.

I have asked several different game wardens while on BHP over the years. Their responses have been the same.

You do not have to have all your gear off the pier to clean your fish, but you better make sure all of it is packed away and clearly indicates you are clenaing fish and leaving.

If you are not comfortable with this and do not want to clean fish at home, I recommend you stop by Clem's or some other bait stand and clean your fish. Most of these places charge a dollar or two for cleaning fish.

[Central Scrutinizer]

[gonefishing]

I've always referred to gutting/gilling as "cleaning" and filleting as filleting. If you're keeping them on ice, I don't see any reason to wait to clean them except for maybe an hour or two so they'll be dead and a lot of blood will be pooled into their organs.

[justletmein]

Wait, you mean to tell me I can fillet and bag up all my fish at PINS legally? I just ASSumed it was not legal, for example if I stop and fish my way off the beach and have a cooler full of fillets (yeah right, more like ONE fillet ).
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JJ

[seanu21]

[rawlbay]

Bah. Just fillet at the house and dump the leftovers in the big green monster. Keeps all the saggy-pants island ne'r-do-wells away.
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[Central Scrutinizer]