Earlier today, reader Kyle Couchman posted a comment about seeing a man chase a group of boys who were fishing from the banks of the Tonawanda Creek, near the Walnut Street footbridge.
The man, according to Couchman, claimed he owned the bit of creek bank the boys were on.
But according to the County's GIS parcel map, just about every inch of the Tonawanda Creek is public property.
Its path through the city is owned by Batavia and includes a few feet of creek bank (and in some places, such as near the footbridge, it includes slightly more).
Of course, that doesn't mean you can trespass on private property to get to the banks, but if you are on the banks, you're on public property.
This evening, for my bike ride, I thought I'd go to the spot Kyle described and guess who I found fishing there? That's Kyle above, rod in hand, and bragging that he'd already snagged a couple of nice fish. But nobody had tried chasing him off, either.
Nice photo...Do we eat the
Nice photo...Do we eat the fish next to the water treatment plant...lol...Looks like my artwork on the far side painted
18 years ago..Douglas~N~Karen...I still LOVE that girl
Lol Doug.... I did notice
Lol Doug.... I did notice that artwork, thought it was more contemporary. I myself rarely eat fish as almost all waters in the state still have some form of pollution or another, (reccomendation from dec 1 meal of fish per month) But I am an avid fan of catch and release unless one of my friends asks me to keep him or her something :D
Was pleasntly surprised though at the size and quantity of fish I got with just a few worms on a sunday afternoon. Pike, Smallmouth and Catfish as well as a big bullhead. I now have a favorite fishing spot. Now just got to figure out where to get and put the sign that this is a public fishing area :)
Doug, There is no statute of
Doug,
There is no statute of limitations on graffiti and BPD is happy that you have confessed, thereby solving a cold case. They'll be by this afternoon with the paddy wagon.
I've been meaning to take up
I've been meaning to take up fishing again. What does a pole, a license and a 6-pack of beer cost nowadays?
Fishing pole,reel,and line
Fishing pole,reel,and line ($30). Fishing license ($29). Six pack of decent beer ($5). The story about the one that got away (priceless).
I live on the creek, just
I live on the creek, just north from where the pic was taken, and I could care less if the folks want to catch fish that glow in the dark. Makes it easy to night fish, lol! Also, there's a 20 foot drop from my property to get to my private beach, so have at it guys.
I used to catch Crawdad's
I used to catch Crawdad's under the South Lyon Street bridge with my eight to ten year old buddies. We would fight them to see who were the fittest and then race the winners across the street to see who could survive the traffic. If I knew then what I know now I would have boiled some spices, potatoes, onions and garlic and thrown the suckers in the pot. Tear off the tail, suck the head and chow down. You can eat worms too, did you know that?
What would we do without
What would we do without George??
"Now just got to figure out
"Now just got to figure out where to get and put the sign that this is a public fishing area."
Five people at a City Council meeting can make it a law enforcement problem in one day. Who puts up No Parking signs? That's right, the people tasked with enforcing the law. Just show up and make them enforce it. The public has your back, but I wouldn't eat the fish unless you are really hungry. Same goes for McDonald's, although I do, when I am.
Janice, without me everything
Janice, without me everything would stay the same except one of my kids would miss me if he was short on cash before payday and I would miss him too.
Not too shabby art work Doug
Not too shabby art work Doug I had a girl friend named Karen too when I was in school.Kyle right where you are fishing in the picture is where my sons go fishing Nick and Zack Marotta.There is a carp in there by the sewage we call Moby Dick because he's white and much larger than the other carp that swim around him.He's broke both my sons line everytime theyve had his arse on.If you can or have caught him your quite an accomplished fisherman for that portion of the Tonawanda Good Luck!