Have the rules changed? I have fished both lakes for years with no issues on high water. Is it true Game Wardens are writing Trespassing tickets for fishing these lakes on high water?

I have heard they are. Why .... I have no idea

If you have the book of faces, check out the Battle of Chippewa Lake
Does not appear people have been getting tickets recently.

I know of several guy’s still fishing it and have had no issues as of yet.
Rumors are out that the property has been leased to a group and they are trying to stop the public from fishing the lakes.

I joined the group ,,,, This excerpt comes from the page on Face booking that AlHawk suggested to look at,,,, here is and I quote

by Lloyd Alexander dated April 27th 2021 ... " Ok fellers I just talked to Captain Don Reaves with the Alabama Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. He said that the Chippewa lakes are PRIVATE property and they can and WILL be writing tickets to anyone caught there illegally. He also said that anyone who wishes to ask him anything about it or other "forbidden" waters can call him at 251-626-5153. "

FB'er named Matt say's after some other FB'ers claim Bull chips and can't stop from going in the Chippewas's dated May 21st 2021 and I quote " I’ll watch you get fined in court. I’m a lawyer. I’ve read the old case that decided it, I’ve talked to the landowner, talked to DCNR. If they write you a ticket, it’ll stick.

Several FB'ers entries that claim no tickets can be issued by game warden or anybody else , even though the land around the lakes are private land. Many have said they fish the lake all the time and have not been ticketed but they don't say if they saw the game warden. Getting in the lake is the deal,,, one FB'er says 4ft and higher river stage reading a Barry Steam plant no problem getting in... One person says the problem stems from a dude that leased the land is the one who wants fishing the lake shut down IMO It seems that after reading all the comments this may be the landowner pleading for the GW to scare off the fishermen by writing meaningless trespassing tickets .

The Battle of the Chippewa page is loaded with information that is of good use when referring the the Chippewa lakes off the Middle and Tensaw rivers...

Not sure who Matt is and if he represents the lakes owner or lesee he may be trying to intimidate everyone, lot of that going on these days, but I will call BS until there is a court ruling with a case number provided. If it can be navigated by water from public water in Alabama you have right to fish on the water. Step out on land you are trespassing! I am sure a lot of folks would want further control and bully people to think otherwise. I have fished a lot of backwater lakes, sloughs, and streams with never an issue.

I heard many a story from my Dad and Uncles about going into these lakes many years ago and the outstanding fishing. Accessible by boat. I think this is a bully tactic and would not hold up in court. If true where would this stop? Most lakes, rivers, creeks, etc. are bordered by private property.

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I know nothing about the situation, but I do know that private landowners around Millers Ferry lake have been able to get duck hunters ticketed for going into certain areas during high water, and they never got out of the boat. The law isn't logical or reasonable; it's whatever they say it is.

It doesn't seem right to me that access could be denied to natural lakes that have always been accessible in high water conditions, but I wouldn't be surprised if big money got the law to see it that way.

PCP, 4 foot reading at Barry Steam plant means there is NO water in the woods. Actually considered low and below normal. I am very familiar with that river system but there are so many lakes and sloughs to fish that are closer to where I launch that I have never gone to these 2 lakes. I would like to see some of our "ALDeer" family that are in law enforcement weigh in on this matter. It makes we want to go fish these spots!

Anyone from the Corp of Engineers on here care to offer any info on the subject ?

That makes it even worse if they are accessible at normal water levels and the public is still gonna be denied the right to enter a public body of water.

I think we are going to see this happening more often here in Alabama. There was a group of landowners decades ago trying to cut off public access to Okmulgee Creek in Dallas county, and they finally succeeded. They got the state to post the land under the bridges, so there is no place to get in now.

There are several lakes like this in the area. Doctor's Lake was our favorite as a kid in the 70's and 80's. With a small boat, it was accessible during normal levels. Fishing was phenomenal. Never stepped foot on land.
New owners of land surrounding successfully blocked access through Corps and courts.
I heard this had been reversed, but not sure.

Same has been going on in Louisiana for years, hasn't it? Canals and access to bigger lakes attached to the rivers or marshes closed by the landowners who say they own the water within their land.

I always love the big marinas on public lakes that say no one can fish around their docks and in the area. That's public water, not their water. They don't own the water.

I believe there was a ruling in Marengo Co 40+ years ago that made it illegal to access and fish a lake IF it was accessible ONLY during high water, otherwise it was legal to access the lake and fish.

I hope this doesn’t end up like all the marsh lakes and sloughs down here in Louisiana. They have tons of water posted with gates that are accessible by boats year round. I’ve been run off a few time fishing in the marsh down here. It’s ridiculous I can launch a boat drive a boat into a cut in the marsh but someone can own the land around it and stop people from fishing it. It’s a terrible world when you have to have a lease to go fishing.

Kinda like having to purchase a reef permit to fish in the gulf 🤷🏻‍♂️