Maybe it's a Texas thing but I've dealt with this problem for over 30 years and folks just don't get it. I've tried to be nice by letting a few neighbors fish if they would help keep poachers out. Didn't work, problem got worse when poachers argued with me telling me the neighbors gave them permission to fish. I've had realitives I've stopped at the gate going out with
a cooler full of fish, when they knew it was only catch and release. I've run the gammit of friends and family over these years and only trust my dad and 1 friend. Last week my wife and I were feeding our catfish, this is real small pond and is full of hybrid bream and 9 catfish about 6 lbs each, we even had nicknames for the catfish. well now I've only got 2 CC left.
I've had a grown man bring up hsi 5 year old kid saying he just wanted the kid to catch something. I say "OK but don't keep anything" the next week I show up and the same guy, but without his kid, is fishing with 3, 3lb bass on the stringer.
From now on NOBODY is fishing without ME being there. Sad to say but you can't trust anybody these days.
Our largest pond is 2 acres and we dug it 30 years ago. I've caught bass as big as 8 lbs and 15 lb catfish from it years ago, we have kept less than 20 fish from it in 30 years and the thing is fished now out.
I've had the opportunity to fish some remarkable places and always followed the rules but people today don't get it. I'm to the point now of just hoping this drought continues and all my ponds dry up and it won't be a problem again. From now on it's bullheads and green sunfish only.
But back to your point, the best reason I was ever given for not getting persmission to fish was "Sorry, but only my imediate family gets to fish here."
