Poachers Busted Over the Holidays with 76 lbs of Illegally-Speared Bass in Downtown Austin

In a bust that took place on December 30th, Texas Game Wardens followed up on a tip that would lead to a massive discovery of illegal spear fishing in downtown Austin. 

Snaking through the city, the river-like reservoir known as Lady Bird Lake attracts tourists and locals alike. Offering a place to chill, hangout or fish while still remaining in the bustling downtown core of Austin, the lake is a staple of city living in the state’s capital.

While fishing is encouraged along the banks of the famed waterway, there are rules and regulations that ought to be followed. After receiving a tip from the state’s Operation Game Thief hotline regarding some suspicious fishing activity, Texas Game Wardens took it upon themselves to head into the city and have a look.

As game wardens arrived at the lake, they noticed someone snorkeling in the reservoir with a companion located on the nearby shoreline. After some careful observations, game wardens noticed that the snorkeler was shooting black bass with a pneumatic speargun - a direct violation of Texas fishing laws.

Looking towards the cooler that was being guarded by the spearman’s companion, game wardens peered inside and found 18 black bass that they soon determined to have been taken illegally. Noticing that many of the bass were of trophy size and caliber, the collective haul weighed in at over 76 pounds.

“Harvests of this magnitude can be very detrimental to bass populations in a localized area like this,” Texas officials said in a Facebook post. 

While spearfishing is legal for non-sport fish species in Texas, it is a prohibited method of take for any black bass species in any body of water in the state. 

The two poachers were promptly cited for using illegal fishing methods and unlawful possession of black bass. The pair’s fish, spearguns and other fishing equipment were immediately confiscated as evidence and officers donated the illegal bass for consumption.