# BASS Master Elite- Louisiana Waters off Limits



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

BASS is officially out of Louisiana. It's a shame too. Last time the Classic was in Shreveport, the competition attracted a record 137,700 visitors and an estimated economic impact of $27 million.

louisiana-waters-limits-2018-sabine-elite-tournament



> In a message today to Bassmaster Elite Series anglers, B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon said competitors in the 2018 Bassmaster Elite at the Sabine River out of Orange, Texas, will not be permitted to fish in Louisiana waters.
> 
> The Sabine River forms part of the boundary between Texas and Louisiana.
> 
> ...



No surprise here. Big tournaments were always going to be the ones to bring down the house of cards that is Louisiana inshore coastal fishing. I have some pretty strong feelings on the subject but I understand why land owners are going on the offensive. When you open a dialog by telling someone how you want to take something from that they have legally procured, you end up with a mess and an unproductive conversation.


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## Whiskey Angler (Mar 20, 2015)

Interesting. Thanks for sharing!


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Its such an archaic law. And such and EASY fix.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

ifsteve said:


> Its such an archaic law. And such and EASY fix.


Right or wrong these people acquired property legally, taking it away is a hard sell to the voters. While I am on the side of the fence that believes tidal waters should be property of the the people of the State of Louisiana, I understand it would be very bad for people who aren't part of the problem. I'm not exactly sure how much different my fishing experience would be if the law changed tomorrow but at the same time I'm not a big fan of footing the bill for coastal restoration if you're just going to keep me out. 

I feel like if this issue were approached from a more thoughtful place we could get the attention of other people interested in conservation. The potential for recreation goes far beyond shallow water fishing. Louisiana is in a position to have something similar to the Everglades National Park. Changes in legislation are needed but things can be done in the meantime. I'd like to see an effort to get a land trust established to acquire property and return the use of it's tidal waters to the public.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Here's the fix.
1. Change the law that makes tidal waters public.
2. Re survey the land mass. Land owners have the option as follows:
a. Turn it over to the state.
b. Keep the land in private ownerhsip and pay taxes on it
3. Based upon #2 the state can determine how much tax revenue they will lose by the new determination of what is actually land.
4. Take that tax revenue loss and apportion it across all saltwater fishing licenses. For example if the state would lose $1M in tax revenue and there are 100,000 saltwater fishing licenses then the licenses would go up $10.
5. Mineral rights under the ground can be handled in two ways.
a. Land under the water per the new land maps remains under private ownership and the landowner keeps the mineral rights BUT he pays taxes on that "land". 
b. Law is written so that land underneath tidal waters is also public.

The root issue is that the landowners do not really have a leg to stand on once the tax issue is taken care of. Yes what is water was once land. But that land did not have redfish or trout on it. Those fish ONLY got there via tidal waters.


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## fishicaltherapist (Mar 9, 2013)

A PART of the problem when fishing/hunting areas become privately owned is 1) "It's mine, it's ALL mine!!!" 2) When folks still have the ok to fish/hunt the area, they DO NOT leave it in as good or better condition than they found it. 3) ALL tournaments should be CPR, with NO exceptions ( No relocation of fish conflicts ). Realizing that it is somewhat of a complex situation, discussions between land owners, government, and sportsmen MIGHT be a start. IfSteve, you ideas could DEFINITELY be a part of the solution !!!


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

there is a petition floating around on change.org for the very purpose of changing the tidal water access law.

https://www.change.org/p/louisiana-...hare_email_responsive&utm_term=share_petition


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## kylet (Jun 29, 2017)

The issue isn't that the land/water is private. The issue is that the law does not require them to post the property as private. 

Most from that area find catch and release tournament fishing a joke anyway. BASS would do better to petition PETA to host dog fighting matches.


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## E-money (Jul 7, 2016)

ifsteve said:


> Yes what is water was once land. But that land did not have redfish or trout on it. Those fish ONLY got there via tidal waters.


I think part of the problem is the land owners don't feel that this is any different than leasing for ducks and deers on private land. The game comes and goes as it pleases yet the land can still be privately owned and policed.

I really hope it doesn't get to the point of having to join fishing leases.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

E-money said:


> I think part of the problem is the land owners don't feel that this is any different than leasing for ducks and deers on private land. The game comes and goes as it pleases yet the land can still be privately owned and policed.
> 
> I really hope it doesn't get to the point of having to join fishing leases.


E, I think you are correct and that is how a lot of those landowners think. However, there is a fundamental flaw with their thinking. Ducks and deer were always a part of that land and they historically could access that land all the time. Redifsh and trout NEVER accessed that land.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

E-money said:


> I think part of the problem is the land owners don't feel that this is any different than leasing for ducks and deers on private land. The game comes and goes as it pleases yet the land can still be privately owned and policed.
> 
> I really hope it doesn't get to the point of having to join fishing leases.


Even if we ignore the fundamental differences of hunting land as it compares to tidal marsh, people still acquired the property legally. Taking it away because of the demands of a vocal minority is a tall order. While I agree completely that tidal water should be the property of the people, I find it increasingly more difficult to agree with organizations like Louisiana sportsman coalition (LASC.) 

The fishing lease thing is something I don't see happening on a larger scale than it is right now. We have more than a million acres fishable water if people are willing to do the research. This is coming from someone who spends most the spring and summer in the so-called war zone of south Terrebonne and lower Lafourche. 

Ultimately what I would like to see if a gradual return of access. TRCP does a very good job with a land trust that acquires land and returns it to public use. I believe we would have much greater success with a similar approach rather than allowing LASC to continue to drive a wedge between property owners and sportsmen. The problem with that utopian idea is people don't want to open their wallet. It's going to take an effort greater than shallow water fishing crowed can muster. Bringing together like minded conservationists with a common goal is what I believe to be the best chance. 



ifsteve said:


> Ducks and deer were always a part of that land and they historically could access that land all the time. Redifsh and trout NEVER accessed that land.


I'm not following. It seems like you're saying the trout and redfish don't walk on land, but I don't get how that applies.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

The redfish and trout that the "landowners" are keeping to themselves or for leases were not available to them when it was actually land. So the comparison they try and use between ducks and deer and fish are full of water....lol.

Secondly, governments take land away from landowners all the time (with some reimbursment) for the greater good or whatever term they use. Everything from building roads to military installations.

The problem with the TRCP or the Nature Conservancy is two fold.
1. They don't have even close to the amount of money to do all the land acquistiion needed.
2. They move at molasses pace. Time we may not have.

Certainly I am in the get all the sides together and see if a reasonable approach can be worked out for all parties. However, failing that I have zero problem with LA changing its archaic law. Seems like every other state has long ago figured out how to deal with this.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

ifsteve said:


> Certainly I am in the get all the sides together and see if a reasonable approach can be worked out for all parties.


There are a lot of people that agree with this, but the problem is the current narrative. It's just like the gun debate. When you approach an issue with a statement about how law abiding and tax paying people should give up their right to something, you immediacy create a hard line tactic to prevent the other side from taking a mile after they have been gifted an inch.

Another thing you have to ask yourself is how many time have you actually been chased out or harassed. Even the kayak community in South Louisiana, whom barely posses the ability to _not _trespass, have very few interactions with property owners. You simply can NOT kayak fish in Louisiana without trespassing. It flat can not be done, yet they are spreading like herpes. What gives?


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