I’ll have a 250 on it the day it opens

I’m not trolling. I feel very strongly about hippium. Not for it anywhere in any form.

You’d have to have caught that creek just right to paddle it. I remember one of those photographers that used to frequent here back in the day. Graves I think? They did a canoe trip down it and did an article about it just before the land acquisition took off strongly. They said to have grown up in that’s area.

I have run a few miles of it way up north just south of that highway that runs along the river. Water was moving I mean trucking. Most of the time I don’t think that stretch of river is even navigable via canoe. I know a couple years ago I tried to canoe a portion of it and after the 2nd port I gave up.

Agreed! I'd argue that with such little public land in texas that what we do have should be managed much better than what it is.

From what I can gather they are looking to improve the NTWMD land up north of Caddo national grasslands and the red river.

It would be nice if that became open to the public or part of the Caddo national grass lands. If it stays private with no public access than what's the point.

The mitigation contract at riverby ranch is a 20 year contract. I’ve heard whispers of us forest getting the land afterwards. Who knows if that’s true. Even if it is I’ll be too old to enjoy. I don’t know what else it would/ could be used for would make good sense the NTMWD to get it out of their hands less for them to deal with.

I hunt some big places with HP restrictions. They limit a lot of habitat destruction by rigs with enough power to chew their way through the shallow vegetation and mud. Unfortunately regulations like that are the only effective way I have seen to protect the habitat and still allow hunting access by boat. The percentage of hunters that do not respect or maybe just don’t understand protection of habitat can be a real head scratcher. Particularly when within easy driving distance of a large urban area with high hunting pressure. There are local folks that make good money “tweaking” motors labeled 25 HP to substantially increase their HP output that beat the regs.

So a 15hp longtail won’t damage vegetation that a 36 hp surface drive will.. oooooooo kkkkkkkk then.

Unfortunately you can’t outlaw dumb and that’s what y’all want outlawed. If anything shut down afternoon scouting. Problem with that is we don’t have green tree reservoirs and or refuges like Arkansas and the coastal areas do. I can throw some trotline running stuff or some crappie rods in the boat and Not scouting I’m fishing. There is no magic wands and north Texas reservoirs are multi use.

All that being said I’d be perfectly okay with a draw blind situation. But TP&W ain’t gonna do that, like already said WTs rule Texas and what public lands we have aren’t managed. A few feel good laws for canoe guys aren’t gonna change that.

Unfortunately you can’t depend on hunters to protect the habitat. I hunt alot of brackish tidal marshes. A 25 does not have the juice to power through the grass flats when it is dirt shallow. A 15 certainly does not. A bigger boat with a mud motor with enough horse power to turn a bigger prop will churn its way across it. In response to tweaking 25 HP blocks to increase HP output, prop diameter is also limited. Those regs impact the old guys like me and the fatties most. Those that don’t hold up to wading the marsh or are not willing to bow up hunt places with easier access. The young men willing to bow up to get to the best areas walk. It spreads people out and gives an advantage to the guy willing to put in the extra effort. In a lot of ways it turns the clock back to what it was before the excellent duck boats and mud motors opened up access to areas that used to require a lot of work to get at. Although I’m getting kinda old to take full advantage of it these days, I still like to see the young guys with the fitness and determination to go the extra mile to beat on them.

I can remember back in the day when north Texas lakes had hydrilla we would scout birds in the hydrilla through binos. Have to get there early in the morning. Push pole and paddle through a couple hundred yards of hydrilla then when it got shallow enough drag the boat through it all. We shot more birds then no doubt. I love my prodrive, I just wish I was the only person with one.

I was told yesterday at a boat ramp by some other hunters that Bois D Arc opened on Saturday. Not true. I received this email today

"thank you for reaching out. Bois d'Arc Lake is not yet open to the public for recreation. Unfortunately, the lake is still under construction, and it will not be open to the public for hunting, fishing or recreation this season.

You can contact the Fannin County Game Warden for more information about hunting regulations - Randolph McGee, 903-583-0708.

You can track the lake's levels on our website - https://boisdarclake.org/lake-level/.

Hope this information is helpful.

Thank you,
NTMWD Communications Department
"

It would have been interesting to have been around to see what happened up there over the weekend. The APH book has it listed as open for those who have the permit. The APH links on the TPWD shows it open. There is nothing on the TPWD or TPWD public hunting links indicating it is closed. There obviously is a contract with TPWD leasing the hunting management to them. Most hunters with a permit giving them access and the APH book map in hand are not going to be reading online forums, nor would have any reason to visit the lake's website, call the GW, etc. The facebook lake construction website has not had a meaningful post in weeks, mostly only has posts about how fast it is filling and says nothing about not being open for hunting. Makes you wonder how many showed up ready to hunt. Those that had boats of a type they could launch on the bank below the ramps likely launched and hunted. Or if they got there and the roads to the boat ramp parking lots were not accessible, or obvious signs posted saying the APH book is incorrect and hunting was not open yet, or personnel were there turning hunters away, or GWs writing tickets on return to the ramp, then some people would have been royally pissed I am sure. Some probably drove a long ways too.

I drove over 897 on Saturday for the fun of it, water still a long ways from the ramp. No trucks in ramp parking lot lol. I did no try and access the ramp, but I suspect there is a gate blocking access to the ramp/parking lot, should be obvious the lake is closed.

So what's the story on this? NTMWD said they'd open the lake at 524' (ramps functional) - lake has been well over that for most of this year.

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/...arc-lake-texas-newest-major-18109260.php

Doubt this season.

So why do they keep moving the goal post? First it was 524' - ramps are fully functional - that is from NTMWD early last year. This year they move the goal post to 532'? Typical for a government entity I guess.

After reading that article, I wonder what their position will be on closing the lake back down after water levels receed during droughts since they've been so slow to open the lake.

Probably NTWMD board members, friends and family having too much fun on their private fishing/hunting lake.

Happens more than you think. We’ve got a city lake here in Edgewood that was a heck of a little duck hunting lake (and crappie too). It was getting a little too crowded for the powers that be so that snuffed public access about 8 years ago. They’ve given every excuse under the sun as to why they closed it - still gets hunted by the local PD and ex city officials - they’ve built them a nice drive in duck blind that was NOT there when it was public. Won’t ever be open again so I don’t mind naming it. Tax dollars bought the lake and tax dollars maintain it - complete BS. No private property touches the lake and there is no leaseback - but yet there’s a dock on it too that didn’t exist in the public days. The locals get butt hurt quick when they get called out on it.

I know many folks at the district and I’ve always been told when it’s full. Not anything less.

Duck and bass is all over it, he probably already got his spots picked out.

I think the last things I read on Bois d'Arc facebook group that has a lot of area residents as members was that the lake was still 3 ft low, that water was already being drawn from the lake, and it would probably be spring or later before it opens to the public. Might or might not be true. Just passing on the gossip. Like last season, I seriously doubt there will be any duck hunting on it this season. If I remember this lake will have no bank access or shoreline hunting and will only be accessible by three designated boat ramps that are not near the upper end of the lake. I would not be surprised if that lake this year just like a big sanctuary short stops a few ducks.