Public Access on Red River

Beagle · July 12, 2008, 02:28:10 AM

Well, there's a little misunderstanding as to whats private property and whats not as far as fishing locations on the red. I've found a few articles to help clear it up. I don't know alot about hows these bills work. It looks like it will be settled on 8-15-08. Hope this helps. I was told Coolies was open to the public back the first part of April, before the Open. I asked the BASS Open officials about this and they told me it was true but they were keeping it off limits to be fair to the anglers who had came into town and pre-fished before it became open. I do know that I have been in there many times this year and there are always boats in there. I even spoke to one of the wildlife agents a couple of weeks ago at the ramp. He asked where I was catching my fish and I told him "Coolies". No problem. I also know several people that were fishing it during the recent "Last Team Standing" and Coolies was loaded with boats for the Oilmans tourney. I hope this helps. If anyone can add facts to this, please chime in.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/conservation/news/story?page=b_cons_LAaccess_4_30_08

Beagle · July 12, 2008, 04:31:46 AM

Well, here I am a couple of hours later. I have found other articles in reference to this. It looks like SB 292 was shot down a couple of months ago but it's still alive. I also learned that my Senator, Senator Adley, is very much against the bill and has been a smart arse about it. Well, a dirty letter is coming his way. Elections are always right around the corner. I'm fixing to study this dudes voting record. Looks like he is helping with the problems in Bistineau though.
http://www.louisianabass.org/current-events.htm

Beagle · July 12, 2008, 05:42:18 AM

Looks like if you own a little land on the Red and you got a little money, you could buy a bunch of rocks, build you a jetty out in the river, close it off, and own your own fishery. If I owned land on both sides, could I build a jetty all the way across it? I know I'm sounding like a smart arse here and I appologize but I don't know if I agree with this. SB292 has to do with fishing "Flooded" land. If the river comes up and you can get over the rock wall they are building, then this law would allow it. If it passes.

beast96z · July 12, 2008, 10:57:48 AM

I chuckled when it said someone proposed a bill for it to be illegal for fish to swim on flooded private property. I'd like to shake that guys hand.

Beagle · July 12, 2008, 03:32:35 PM

It was Adley. He is also your senator and the one who is bigtime opposing the bill that would let us fish flooded water.

b1jeremy · July 12, 2008, 05:43:47 PM

BTW Mr Adley lives on the beloved BB/Cypress Lake. He is totally an arse. I installed his direct tv a long time ago and he just reaked of arrogance. Anyway, As far as I know, Coolie's is and will be open. The Coolie's are the ones who are protesting everyone "trespassing" in "their" lake. Actually if you google earth that area, you will notice about .5 miles north of what we call Coolie's, is their own HUGE private lake. From what I understand this was never an issue until, I believe it was Mr. Coolie past away. Anyway without getting into a lot of hear say, I don't think that they will ever completely close it because it is not a floodwater access area.

FishinSteelersFan · July 12, 2008, 07:59:34 PM

From what I understand, they have a stockpile of rock (and alot of it) ready to be put in.

Beagle · July 12, 2008, 08:57:22 PM

They are taking a chunk of Port Lake and rocking it in to call their own. This should not be allowed. As for Adley. We needto build up an Anti-Adley group around election time.

fishin couillon · July 12, 2008, 11:53:16 PM

I believe that Mr. Adley is one of those "Good Ole Boys" down in Baton Rouge. It would be great to get him out of office next go round.

Todd · July 14, 2008, 10:29:36 AM

This is not a new issue with Coolie's. This has been going on for several years now. Not being the only one, but i fished it severalyears ago during duck season. Me n a buddy kept cover as ducks flew over. We were approached and told that this was private property and ordered to leave. This young man informed us that if we didn't leave, the law would be called. Needless to say, the law (W@F) came out. We were not ordered to leave, we were told to make things easier it would be nice if we did leave as to not cause any problems with the supposed landowners. Just go fish it, until it is rocked in or the law changes, its open accessible water.

beast96z · July 14, 2008, 12:20:23 PM

Somebody tell me if I'm wrong, but are the Coolie's being like this because this used to be their dry land before the lock and dam was built? If so, the way I see it, if you agreed to let the land flood, then it should be open access to boats. However, even though the land is flooded, it's still theirs. If they want to rock it in, that's their choice, but I don't see what it hurts for people to be able to fish in there. Sounds like they are just trying to be difficult. Are they really worried about having their own private lake? I've seen it happen to many times. People with private lakes/ponds who never let anyone fish them. Over time, the fish will keep producing and no one clears them out. Eventually it will be full of little fish and not worth messing with.

Ron Fogelson · July 14, 2008, 02:03:04 PM

First off I don't know a dang thing

I have been told that the area in question on the red was dry land and those folks didn't sign or agree to lose their land in the flooding waters if a dam was built, so when it was flooded they lost part of their property.

I've also been told that they didn't care if folks fished in there or not as long as it wasn't duck season because they used it to hunt but the repeated run in's with folks have turned them off a bit.

If the above is true I would have to say I would be pissed if someone decided to raise Lake Bistineau and I lost some of the land I bought and paid for. To then have folks come out in my back yard to hunt/fish might send me off the deep end. But like I said I don't know them or how it went down, just what I've been told.

In any case this has been ongoing for years not just in this case but with land/water owners all over the country. Down in South LA and in FL where land owners have dug canals into the local water ways they have been putting up chains to keep boaters out of what they think is their water filled property. Heck on Black Bayou and in one cove on Cypress, land owners dug out a large area so they now have water front property. I wonder if they also get the right to fence that are off if they want?

Maybe the difference if the folks on Cypress/Black wanted part of their land under water and in this case as I know it on the red they didn't want their land flooded.

I would bet that not one of you on here would be very happy if the government decided to flood your property or take it and make it into a roadway. Not sure what the right answer is here on this one but for the most part I do agree that as long as I'm on water and not on private "LAND" we should be able to fish.

casso · July 14, 2008, 02:53:21 PM

Quote from: Fogy on July 14, 2008, 02:03:04 PM
First off I don't know a dang thing

I have been told that the area in question on the red was dry land and those folks didn't sign or agree to lose their land in the flooding waters if a dam was built, so when it was flooded they lost part of their property.

I've also been told that they didn't care if folks fished in there or not as long as it wasn't duck season because they used it to hunt but the repeated run in's with folks have turned them off a bit.

If the above is true I would have to say I would be pissed if someone decided to raise Lake Bistineau and I lost some of the land I bought and paid for. To then have folks come out in my back yard to hunt/fish might send me off the deep end. But like I said I don't know them or how it went down, just what I've been told.

In any case this has been ongoing for years not just in this case but with land/water owners all over the country. Down in South LA and in FL where land owners have dug canals into the local water ways they have been putting up chains to keep boaters out of what they think is their water filled property. Heck on Black Bayou and in one cove on Cypress, land owners dug out a large area so they now have water front property. I wonder if they also get the right to fence that are off if they want?

Maybe the difference if the folks on Cypress/Black wanted part of their land under water and in this case as I know it on the red they didn't want their land flooded.

I would bet that not one of you on here would be very happy if the government decided to flood your property or take it and make it into a roadway. Not sure what the right answer is here on this one but for the most part I do agree that as long as I'm on water and not on private "LAND" we should be able to fish.

while requiring you to pay property taxes on that "private" land

Ron Fogelson · July 14, 2008, 03:53:58 PM

Quote from: casso on July 14, 2008, 02:53:21 PM
while requiring you to pay property taxes on that "private" land

Thats a great question. Again I don't know what the whole deal is on the red however in some parts of LA there are common flood lands. Private land that only floods from time to time so the owner, I would think still have to pay property taxes because it isn't not always under water. In the cases that I have read about in the LA Sportsmen and on line news sites some of the owners are posting that water as private. Again my feelings are; when I'm fishing any place I can float/motor to is open to public use.

The only thing I have trouble with is if that land is flooded forever and the land owners got screwed on the deal. Just as I stated below if the gov decided to take some of my land I wouldn't be very happy about it.

BeauxPete · July 14, 2008, 04:22:53 PM

Alright Gents, this is the deal per a good friend who would know. The proplem the Coolie's have is not with the fisherman, but the state non-the-less. When the Corp of Eng. built lock and damn number 5 the land was flooded in which caused there property to be flooded. The problem comes in where the State of Louisiana is still charging the Coolie's state tax for the property in which they can not use. They have been to court to get the state to waive the taxes in which we would continue to be able to fish no problem, but the state being the Sportsman Pardise state that it is says "NO". Now the Coolie's are making the state use tax money to rock off the land in which they pay taxes on. To me that is what I would have done, not to disrupt the fishing, but to make the state spend the money that I was paying them to keep my land private. Now I have no idea what they are paying in taxes on that land but maybe if we all got together and held a tournament each year that would raise enough money to give the Coolie's for Taxes they would not make the state rock it off.

Ron Fogelson · July 14, 2008, 04:30:48 PM

Quote from: Fogy on July 14, 2008, 03:53:58 PM
The only thing I have trouble with is if that land is flooded forever and the land owners got screwed on the deal. Just as I stated below if the gov decided to take some of my land I wouldn't be very happy about it.

Thanks, like I said it's not right to let the state screw someone over and to add insult to injury of not having your land any more to have to pay taxes on it is asinine.

This is why I haven't nor will I fish there.

FishinSteelersFan · July 14, 2008, 05:01:19 PM

All I know is that the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office Marine Unit asked their legal council to look at the situation of Cooley Lake. After contacting the Red River Waterway Commission, the legal council advised the deputies that should the landowner call and ask to have trespassers arrested for being on their private property, marked or not, that they should follow through with the landowner's request. This is one of the reasons that B.A.S.S. has not allowed their anglers to fish these waters, and made them off limits, is because it would be classified as trespassing onto private property.

Beagle · July 15, 2008, 11:21:14 AM

Everybody here is right. I also spoke to the Bossier Parish Sheriffs Office and got the same responce. I was told that the Coolies never accepted any money from the state for their land that was about to be flooded. If this is the case, I have to agree with the Coolies on this issue. I was also told that the Coolies had tons of rock brought in to finish damming it up. Don't know about the rest of you but it ain't worth it. I'm through with Coolies now that I know the whole story.

Todd · July 15, 2008, 11:31:04 AM

If that is the case, then I will no longer fish it. Knowing the truth changes things. I wouldn't want people trespassing on my property either.

BassBUFF · July 15, 2008, 01:47:40 PM

Quote from: Beagle on July 15, 2008, 11:21:14 AM
I was told that the Coolies never accepted any money from the state for their land that was about to be flooded.

OK, let's play devil's advocate. It's been stated that the Coolies never accepted any $$ from the state; but were they offered $$ and turned it down waiting for more $$? This would put a different spin on it.

I can't see the State legally flooding the land without compensating them. It falls under Eminent Domain laws, they had to be offered a "Fair Market Value" for the land. If the State couldn't get them to release the land it looks like they would have had to make a levee along the property line to keep it from flooding, which they didn't.

Now, I have no idea what actually happened and I'm not accusing anyone of anything. Just trying to look at different explanations.

cfrye · July 15, 2008, 02:50:38 PM

If you guys keep stirring the pot you are all going to make it worse. The owners have stated that they DO NOT CARE if you are fishing in there as long as it is not duck season. If you guys keep raising hell about it and calling down to the BPPD or CBPD who ever they are going to say NO you can not go in there just to keep all of you from calling. I have fished it for year, respect them and i dont go in there in duck season. Nov 13 or something to second week of Jan. Its that easy, when they rock it in, kick you out or have you arrested what ever then its over...QUite Pushing this deal are you all are going to screw up something great that we still have. THANKS

jclement · July 15, 2008, 05:37:29 PM

ok i hope i dont step on any toes but it looks to me that what started out a question on what was accessible on the red river has now turned to nothing but a topic on coolies. I may not be entilted to my opinion due to i dont even know where coolies lake is but its just what ive got from reading the previous topics on this.

beast96z · July 15, 2008, 05:44:53 PM

This thread was started because the other thread got off on Coolies. So, this thread is to talk about Coolies. That's all this is is talk. No one is stirring any pot. Alot of good info has been brought to light here and I see no problem with that. Someone needs to have a

.

jclement · July 15, 2008, 06:32:37 PM

i know alot of very good information has come from all of this and youre right no one should get there panties in a wad over this like you said its just talk but someone else was coming off like they were pissed about everything weve all said but i kinda said the same thing youre saying it started off a question and turned into good info about coolies so know ive had my

and my beliefs are that if you can float you can fish but i also understand that the land was once dry and does belong to the coolies and i would be upset too.

TB44 · July 15, 2008, 07:06:28 PM

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Public Access on Red River

beast96z

Todd

beast96z

Todd

beast96z