# Busted!!!! Surfside Gill Netter



## makaira1

Got to Access 5 this morning @ 4:45. Thought I would take advantage of the slick calm morning and beat the heat for some topwater action early. Waded out in the dark and started throwing a black spook. Just before it really got light enough to see, I noticed three guys swimming on the third bar and they were getting kind of close but not making any noise so I just kept on fishing. As it got lighter I realized they were not swimming THEY WERE RUNNING A ******* GILL NET!!!! They had an ice chest and were pulling the fish from the net they had set during the night and putting them in the ice chest. I hollered at the nearest guy to me and asked if he saw what I did. I couldn't believe my eyes! By this time you could see twenty or more fishermen lined up on the third bar and here these guys were right in the middle of us!!

I went back to the truck and called the Operation Game Theif # but I got a repeating recording and could not get through. I called Surfside Police Dept next and got a recording there also, so I called Freport Police and they referred me to the Brazoria Co. Sherrif who finally got me a number to the Game Warden dispatch. Surfside Police, Sherrif and the Game Warden showed and we BUSTED THEIR ***. There were 6 of them total and only one had legal papers. Myself and another fisherman named Mike went out and pulled the net to find it had 42 sharks, 4 big spanish, 1 sand trout and some menhaden in it. They had ice chests at their truck with the fish they had caught during the night. The net was at least 300 feet long.

The whole thing took until about 10:00 to complete. Thanks to the Surfside Police, Brazoria Co.. Sherrif Dept., Warden Bill Bullock with the TPW and Mike for lending a hand.


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## Blue Water Ho

What did the law do tho thoese *** holes?


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## elkhunter49

Well Done Makaira1, I don't know how to send a greenie or I'd
send you one. Thanks for taking the time and being persistent
enough to get the job done. Thanks again, Later Baker


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## jtburf

Congrats for taking a stand ...but your going to be saddened when due to Game regulations not provided in Spanish they will get off scott free...not even deported....

Sis n Law is HPD and they are told do not even hint at asking if they are legal residents!!!!!


John


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## Blue Water Ho

elkhunter49 said:


> Well Done Makaira1, I don't know how to send a greenie or I'dsend you one.


I gotta it covered for you. BTW, click the little scale looking thing on the top right of a post to send green.


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## FishBone

Good job makaira1.


FishBone


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## GSMAN

Good going Maka!! Glad you were persistent and made it through to the authorities. They were probably running late and wanted to make one last drag!!!


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## makaira1

Thanks guys....The game warden actually left church to do his duty. 2Cool.
Not sure about what kind of reprimand they will get....if any. After it was over I left in my kayak and did not see if any of them actully got hauled off but I suspect they were just give citations.


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## bambinosan

A greenie for you makaira1. Good work. Too bad they can't throw the book at those guys. Can't make an illegal pay a fine if you don't know where they are. Did they have any fish in the boxes?


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## Echoduck

Way to go makaira1 and thanks for hanging in there tell you got the GM. 

I wonder how long they have been running gill nets and how many of there compadres are running them.


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## Jolly Roger

Way to go.


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## MarcusT

Good Job!!!!!!!!!


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## spotsndots

Yea, I bet it wasn't there first try at it. Sad thing is giving them a ticket won't do diddly!!


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## MikeR

Unfreakin-believable! Good job makaira1, I'll add to your rep!


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## bbfishbone

*Dirty Nets*

Way to go !! The fish you saved will live to fight their own battle one day.Hopefully on the end of your line.


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## Brine Jake

Post the vehicle make model and lic plates?


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## GreatWhite4591

makaira1, it's folks like you that make me proud to be here. When we meet, the first one's on me.


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## trout250

great job. if you have the make of thier vehicles an plate numbers , don't think it would be wrong to post them , that way we all could keep an eyeball out for them.


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## makaira1

It was a white Dodge quad cab. I had the liscense plate when I called the Game Warden but I don't know what I did with it. If it turns up I will post it for you.


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## RECONER

Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## fridayfisher

Somebody with details ought to write to a newspaper for follow up


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## scotthawk55

Thanks for caring enough to interrupt your day to help our tomorrow. My mother in law is a dispatcher for tpwd and is on the other end of the game theft line, I will see what she says about the lack of response to your call.


Scott


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## makaira1

Thanks Scott but all in all, once I finally got to the TPW dispatcher they responded very well. The only real problem was that I couldn't make the operation game thief automated system work. It just kept telling me to press 2 to report a violation....over and over no matter what # I pushed. But in the end it all happened well.


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## luvflounder

great work man. If it wasnt for you no telling how much more fish they would have gill netted!!!


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## texas john

Nice work!


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## cybermania

congrats to you for doing the right thing and preserving fishing for the future.....yes those folks will most likley not be deported or suffer reprocussions....i bet you a $100.00 they will not come back to that spot to fish......


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## vince

Great job! I think you deserve a reward !

Vince


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## Omanj

That is a job well done! At least now they know people are going to be watching them. We need more people like you!


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## 3192

Outstanding job! gb


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## dbarham

those immagrants could give 2 craps long as they eat. way to go you should get a free fishing license for life or something. i bet the shark fisherman are trippin better deport these jack holes b4 the fisherman do. they sure moved up from the cast net! dont they know there are people out there for the trout this time of year. dip ****s. I also see people on and behind bryan beach burnin copper wire im gonna get em seen em twice just did not wanna deal with the runaround like this fella call 3 authourities. b4 you get help thanks for the good eye sir great bust and pics


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## Brine Jake

Let's all watch. It's a big beach. 
These guys will be at it again as soon as they replace the net.
Next stop Bryan, MOB maybe.


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## jake67

good job on bustin the bastards


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## dbarham

jtburf said:


> Congrats for taking a stand ...but your going to be saddened when due to Game regulations not provided in Spanish they will get off scott free...not even deported....
> 
> Sis n Law is HPD and they are told do not even hint at asking if they are legal residents!!!!!
> 
> John


 i work with em its getting tougher there gonna hang these dudes! they are pullin over illegals in certain areas they end up at INS i know a guy that just got outta there therte are many guys there that recently got checked or pulled over for no apparent reason but to check papers. including him in pearland! times are a changing im glad send em home we got enough. they are killin the price of work and everything else bastards!


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## Capt. Hollis Forrester

*Hoooorahhhh!!*

Man ur awesome!!, No telling how long this has been going on. They should award you somehow!


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## dc1502

*poachers!!!*

good job , hopefully they get what they deserve. in some cases i have seen the wardens impound the the vehicles and everything, i guess this did not happen here too bad , i'm just happy to know the net is out of the water!!!! nice work thanks.


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## txjoker

Great job! How many fish were in their coolers I wonder? I also wonder if they can get busted for those fish in the cooler as well?


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## texaggie2007

Helluva job



> Sis n Law is HPD and they are told do not even hint at asking if they
> are legal residents!!!!!


Unfortunatly this is true; however this is only for Houston and other "sanctuary cities" without getting to political on here there is a petetion going around for folks who live in the city limits to end this "sanctuary city" policy.


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## ol' salt

Outstanding job Makaira1. If we intend to have fish to catch tomorrow, we need to protect the resource today. Not only did you do that, but you persisted in the face of difficulty. Thank you for helping us all.


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## Brew

Just sent some greenage your way. OUTSTANDING JOB YOU DID THIS AM!! My future grandchildren and I thank you!

Jeff


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## OUTLAW

Ditto on what everybody said, great job


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## Bevo34

*greenie sent*

greenie sent​


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## specker

Just wonder? What about those fishes they caught? 
Nice Job :bounce:


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## Brad Beaulieu

Good job man ! Us police always appreciate the help we get from citizens. 
Last year we while fishing out of PM we came across a gill net. It was disgusting. You wouldn't believe the sharks that were in it. We managed to cut a turtle loose and save him. He was exhausted and could barely swim. We cut out sharks and dolphin for about an hour then realized we were not making headway. Couldn't get a cell signal although we were about 4 miles out. Couldn't get a single answer from anyone on the VHF (good thing we weren't in danger !!). Ended up taking pictures and marking it with the GPS. Called TPW when we got in and about 4-5 hours later they showed. Later said they couldn't find anything using the numbers we gave. We offered to take my boat back out and help but they said they would fly it the next day and look from the air. We left that next day so I don't know if they got it or not. 
I hope whoever was responsible for it gets what they deserve in the end. I get mad all over again when I look at the pictures.


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## joe martin

Good work to all. I am glad to see people take a stand. Thanks to all..


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## mastercylinder60

way to be a conscientious citizen, makaira! i add my thanks to you for doing the right thing.

if i was in mexico and got busted for breaking the law, then complained that i didn't understand because the laws aren't written in english, they'd laugh at me while slamming the jail cell door in my face. 

i've always thought that "ignorance was no excuse" for not obeying the law.


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## reef_runner

Good job makaira1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## KingTut

They have completely depleted the fisheries down south with their gill nets! Thank you for taking a stand for generations of future fisherman!


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## Stickemfisherman

ABIDE BY THE LAW, YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN A 2COOLER IS WATCHING!
Good Job!


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## txdougman

*Way to go!*

I salute you! Too bad those guys didn't get their truck confiscated so they would be at a real loss!

Good Job! Hope they hammerdown on Em.


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## fishcat01

Way to go, dude. Operation Game Thief does offer a monetary reward. This I know from personal experience. My future son-in-law called in about a year and a half ago when we saw numerous Mexican-americans (? - illegals) with stringers of 2,3, or 4 oversized black drum. The GW did show up about an hour and half after the call and gave a citation to one guy, the others had left already. Future son-in-law received a check for $300 a few months later.


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## ShawnQ

I did the same thing last year on Mustang Island - only they had snook, redfish, pompano, and trout - not sure if there were any sharks (we only saw a few of the fish).

http://extremecoast.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3518&highlight=busted

Good feeling, isn't it?

Make sure Operation Game Thief has your phone number, address, etc. You'll get a reward for the bust - I personally told them to keep mine and put it towards TPWD.

SQ


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## DUKFVR

Way to Go!! THANKS for taking action!


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## WilliamH

Big pat on the back for you!!


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## makaira1

Pretty cool BlueWave....yeah it does feel good. I don't care about the reward but I will call and see if they can donate it somewhere useful. Thanks

Tim


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## txranger

Nice job Tim! Now can someone post the number(s) to call if you happen to witness something illegal? ...Operation Game Thief? ...TPWD? ...any others?


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## makaira1

Here are the numbers:

Operation Game Thief 1 800 792 GAME 

Brazorial Co. 24 hour Dispatch 281 842 8100

Should have posted them for you before now....thanks for the suggestion


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## jettech17

awesome!!! gave ya some green..everybody should remember the numbers and call from a distance..someone with no legal identity has no legal concerns if he can get away afterwards..i had a run in with a cast netter at the t.c. dike he actually got close enough to catch my line!!when i "reeled him in" and went to cut my line i slipped(sorta) and cut a LARGE hole in his cast net..when my buddy and i got back to shore we had a landing party waiting on us....was a long night!!be careful folks and fish on


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## MsAddicted

Well done Makaira.


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## coathanger

*Kick A$#*

You da man! I think a lot like the fellow man, something like this is Sh*#!!! Thanks


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## twitch-twitch-reel

I can speak from personal experience. I have spent up to 3 months in a row in Mexico surfing and checking out the sites. I can tell you first hand they don't need a reason there! They will pull you over and tear your car apart and then just walk off. If you don't speak the language shame on you that just gives them a chance to take advantage of you. If you get caught breaking the law they could care less if you speak Spanish or if it was written in English. They will tell you this is Mexico so learn Spanish. The people in Mexico are very friendly but get offended if you can't speak their language. There are many that will take advantage of any situation. As for gaming laws there are few and far between and no one to enforce them. Gill nets are commonplace there. They will fish a place out completely and leave not one bait fish. They throw their trash over the sides of larges cliffs and fill a natural canyon with trash then move to the next. They have no regard for anything. The mentality is "what ever is easiest". That is why they are coming here rather than stand and fight for their own country. It is easier to sneak in here and rape our country. They can be very loving people but they can also be very hateful and lazy. I commend what you did, taking the time to do the rite thing. To not allow another person to do something bad.


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## eltigre

makaira1 is da MAN vbmenu_register("postmenu_669508", true);


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## Zork

Way to go bro! Show them illegals we ain't gonna let 'em have everything for free!


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## Freshwaterman

Wat to go man! I love to see poachers get busted. I serves them right.


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## fshnmajician

are those guys vannoys


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## bedicheck

as a law student, i think that this is an example of the worst consequence of illegal immigration. a whole group of people unfamiliar with our laws or unwilling to abide by them (just by being here they are unwilling to abide by them). this is dangerous for all of us. it makes me sick. 

great job and thank you, makairo!


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## texasmr2

You the man bro! Hey by any chance can you list the phone number to the Game Warden dispatch and is it Texas coastal wide? I want a number I can call instead of taking the law into my own hands.

Way to go my friend,
Gregg


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## chasintail

Good job, way to go!!!


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## mikem487

Great job making the extra effort and following through.


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## kevin122344

42 sharks, thats ridiculous. and those macks were jumbo. good work.


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## Thekayakpirate

Thanks man, you did what many others would have not taken the time to do.


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## poppincork

They don't have a sign posted for me ...and they have no problem enforcing the law....like they always say "Ignorance is no excuse to the law"..I thought they would at least be deported..Surley the police and game wardens know immigrations phone number....I thought game warden's had more power than police..


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## deke

"They have no regard for anything. The mentality is "what ever is easiest". That is why they are coming here rather than stand and fight for their own country. It is easier to sneak in here and rape our country"

Good post twitch.

We found a gill net two years ago behind San Louis Pass! 
 It was about 500yds east of the water treatment plant up on the flat running out towards the gut. I watched a guy I was fishing with messing around for about an hour over there , then decided to go see what he was doing, I thought he might need help or something. It was a huge gill net. He was pulling it in releasing what he could as he went. We called the wardens and they didn't show up until the next morning, the net was gone, only foot prints from the aholes. 

This was the second gill net behing San Louis that the guy I was fishing with found in an 8 month span there! The warden called me and told me what they found, I asked why it took 14 hours for them to check it out, he had no answer. Calling Operation Game Thief seems to be a slow way to get immediate warden help. He gave me his direct #. He did tell me that they had just busted three groups netting in East Galv. bay the week before. He was doing stings at night with night vision equipt.(our tax dollars actually doing good work). 

He did tell me to pass on anyone I know that if you come across a gill net call it in, don't remove it or mess with it. They want to set up a sting op. to catch the guys. After our converstion I felt bad about pulling it in and losing the aholes that set it. This was at the end of October. The warden said they see a large increase in this activity in Oct. Nov. and Dec.. The netters are trying to cash in on the flounder run. 

Try to get the direct # to your local game warden office or officer themselves. OGF # goes to Austin then gets tranfered. Sometimes you can't wait for the red tape to get cut and need to talk to someone immediately.

If anyone has a number to thier local GW post it up and the area they cover so we can all put it in our phones.


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## rost495

Amen to leaving the net and calling it in direct! Catch them in the act.


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## 100% Texan

Great job fellas and if there is no legal laws broken by these **** holes at least they will lose there net and if there was trout caught then Im sure they got busted any way good job.


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## OUTLAW18ss

My hats off to you guys...GREAT JOB!!!!!! Throw the book at them....


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## caddokid

Fantastic, way to go the extra effort. Thanks for all of us.


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## El Robalo

Great job makaira1, too bad they will only get a slap on the wrist. A minimum of a $2,000.00 fine and jail time is appropiate.


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