Thread: Smithville questions

A couple of my uncles were up at Smithville on Saturday. I think they kept 21 decent fish.

They say they got run off by the Clay County ranger when they were fishing the deepwater edge of one of the marinas from their boat. He yelled at them with a bullhorn and told them they were trespassing if they were casting toward the dock.

Is that really the Corps' official policy for Smithville?

Later, up at one of the bridges, they watched a guy who was running a foot-long, remote-controlled speedboat along the shoreline. They said the same ranger drove up, used his bullhorn to order the guy to beach the boat, and then wrote him a ticket. For what, I have no idea.

Wow. I think I'd be afraid to sneeze up there.

Which brings me to my second question: Is it legal to fish from a belly boat on Smithville? Or does Clay County prohibit that, too?

Bill B.

I got no idea what a belly boat is....but if you fish around the gas docks they will run you off. They like to protect their buggle lipped prized fish in that area!

Other than that...you can fish around any of the boat docks...it's open water ya know!:D

Ya got clay co. sheriff,c.o.e.,water patrol,park rangers,and MDC that are all able to write tickets-water patrol are the only ones I've ever seen write a ticket.I can't imagine why they would bother a RC boat?Was the plastic man in the cockpit wearing a PFD?
Fishing around the marinas should be legal,but they run ya of them in most any lake-with all the water it ain't worth the hassle.In another month if ya pay your 2$ they will let you walk on it to fish..go figgure.

The pay dock at Camp Branch Opened Nov 1 it's $3.00 a day or $20.00 for the winter season thru March 15 but all of the good fishing is in the private slips. I fished the private slips at Little Platte Thursday night and last night did pretty good. There are a lot of huge shad at the marinas so hopefully I can pick off a walleye or two. I also fished Camp Branch private slips on Sunday. Haven't seen a park ranger yet so I'll update if I get ran off.