I wanted to share a little trick I use to find spots to fish while staying legal and respectful of property owners. Recently, I was looking at Harbor Refuge. There’s this small beachfront right at the mouth of the harbor – it screamed incoming and outgoing tide ambush point. You just know predator fish stage there to smash bait washing in or out.
But here’s the problem… when I drove by, there was parked construction equipment all over the lot, and it looked like private property. Most people would stop there and move on. But I pulled up GIS data.
When you pull up the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) property data for the area, it was clearly marked as City of Port Lavaca property. That means it’s technically public. Now, just because it’s public doesn’t mean someone hasn’t leased it or isn’t restricting access – but calling the city is a lot easier than chasing down some private landowner.
So I gave the city a call. Turns out it was leased out, but the lease had been terminated. The harbor master confirmed it’s public land and there were no signs posted prohibiting fishing.
Bingo. A prime ambush spot, legal access, and peace of mind knowing I wasn’t trespassing.
If you’re scouting new shorelines or marsh entries, use your county or city’s GIS map to verify ownership. It might open up areas you’ve overlooked for years.
Stay legal, stay respectful, and tight lines, y’all.
But here’s the problem… when I drove by, there was parked construction equipment all over the lot, and it looked like private property. Most people would stop there and move on. But I pulled up GIS data.
When you pull up the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) property data for the area, it was clearly marked as City of Port Lavaca property. That means it’s technically public. Now, just because it’s public doesn’t mean someone hasn’t leased it or isn’t restricting access – but calling the city is a lot easier than chasing down some private landowner.
So I gave the city a call. Turns out it was leased out, but the lease had been terminated. The harbor master confirmed it’s public land and there were no signs posted prohibiting fishing.
Bingo. A prime ambush spot, legal access, and peace of mind knowing I wasn’t trespassing.If you’re scouting new shorelines or marsh entries, use your county or city’s GIS map to verify ownership. It might open up areas you’ve overlooked for years.
Stay legal, stay respectful, and tight lines, y’all.
