Thread: Who Owns It?

The fish dont care who you are.
God willing there will always be tomorrow.
These hot spots should be shared with children
So they can show their fathers!

No, you don't own it. Common sense should prevail. Yes, you own your boat thats on the water, but there is something called abandonment of property. If you leave your boat just like the structure, on the water, over a period of time ( time is determined by state law) the boat is considered abandoned.
If you place structure in public water it is considered abandoned. The time period is related to cost of the item. Anything less that $250.00 in Alabama and after 24 hours is abandoned. Every state has a law or statute to determine this. Thats just like if you drop your watch at the boat landing and someone finds it later. It is not stealing if someone finds it.
With that being said. It is bad form to sit and watch someone place structure, not offer to help, and mark it to come back later to fish. But still you can't stop someone from fishing it.

My opinion is once dropped anyone can fish it but people should show a little respect. If you follow people around that are dropping structure and mark their spots then ur a jerk. If you just happen on to it fish it all u want. If im on a spot and somebody comes up and is friendly i have no problem letting them fish close by i will even tell them depth jig color whatever if there friendly and ask. If someone just comes barging and is rude then thats a differet story. Luckily i dont think this happens alot in the crappie fishin world compared to some of the other species.

when I drop a brush pile, I expect others to fish it. I just don't tell EVERYBODY where it is. That just gives me more insentive to ge tup early and be the 1st on the water, so I get to fish it 1st.

Once a brushpile is sunk, it's free game. I don't like much to see someone sitting on my piles, but it's just the way it is. Chances are, the person who finds it doesn't know if it was placed by someone or fell in from the bank. If I'm scanning the bottom for cover and find some that looks promising, the last thing I think is "who put it there?". I fish tournaments in a local lake circuit. A lot of guys sink brushpiles and drive stakebeds. Most of us know where a lot of these piles are. If everyone had the "that's mine, leave it alone" attitude, there would be fights at the dock every time out. But it doesn't happen. If you plant some and they become community holes, be proud you were able to sink a productive spot, and sink some others where people don't know about yet. They can't fish all your spots at once.

Who owns it? The man with the fastest boat on tournament day.

Originally Posted by Southeasttackle

Thats just like if you drop your watch at the boat landing and someone finds it later. It is not stealing if someone finds it.

I dissagree with you on the fact that I have arrested many people for "theif of lost property" in Alabama. Abandonment is different than lost property and because it is lost does not mean that it is fair game. Found property must be turned in and if no ones claims it within the time period, you may reclaim the property. Theif of lost property of Less than $500.00 is third degree, between $500.00 and $2500.00 is Second Degree, and more than $2500.00 is First Degree. You are correct in stating that it is not stealing by just finding it but the not turning it in or trying to locate the owners is where the problem is.

Code Of Alabama

Section 13A-8-6

Theft of lost property - Definition.

A person commits the crime of theft of lost property if he actively obtains or exerts control over the property of another which he knows to have been lost or mislaid, or to have been delivered under a mistake as to the identity of the recipient or as to the nature or the amount of the property, and with intent to deprive the owner permanently of it, he fails to take reasonable measures to discover and notify the owner.
(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §3205.)

I put in alot of structure at truman, if i'm dumb enough to put it in around a whole bunch of people i agree community property. I just don't want people following me around. so basically fish it I share don't burn it out.