Boat ramps and launching

A boat ramp is where a fishing day gets easier or harder. The ramp itself may not reach the water when a lake is low, the launch can hold up a line of people, and Texas has rules about draining your boat and what must be on board. This guide covers all of that: how to read a ramp's status against the lake level, how to launch and back a trailer without causing a pile-up, what TPWD requires when you leave the water, and the life jacket and boater education rules. The launch and backing steps come from Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine; the rules are TPWD's.

Is the ramp usable today?

A ramp has a lowest water level where the concrete still reaches deep enough water for a trailer. When a lake drops below that, the ramp is not usable, whatever the sign says. TexCast compares a lake's current level with a ramp's minimum elevation, but only when that minimum comes from a source. If the lake is below the minimum it shows closed, within 2 feet above it shows caution, and above that it shows open. When there is no sourced minimum, TexCast does not guess: it shows "No live status," and TPWD's ramp list itself does not report open or closed. That is a comparison of two numbers, not a check of the ramp. Always look at the ramp, and check the reading's observed time. See lake levels and the conservation pool for how a lake level is measured.

An interactive drawing goes here in the app.

Launching without holding anyone up

The rule behind good ramp manners is to do the work off the ramp. TPW Magazine's etiquette tips are to stop before the ramp and get everything ready; to have someone who can drive the boat stay aboard if possible; to turn off headlights and use parking lights after dark; to clear the ramp as soon as the boat is in or out; and never to leave a vehicle or trailer parked on the ramp. Step through a launch and try it after dark.

An interactive drawing goes here in the app.

Backing a trailer

Backing is a skill with a few simple rules, not a gift. TPW Magazine gives four rules borrowed from professional truck drivers: watch your trailer wheel in the outside mirror, not by turning around; pick a target for the wheel no more than four feet behind it; put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and move it toward the side you want the trailer to go; and never back more than about four feet before stopping. If you get it wrong, stop and start over. TPW Magazine says even the least-skilled boater can back confidently with about an hour of practice.

An interactive drawing goes here in the app.

Leaving the water: clean, drain, dry

Zebra mussels and other invasive species travel on boats. TPWD says boaters leaving or approaching public fresh water anywhere in Texas are required to drain all water from their vessels and onboard receptacles. That applies to every kind and size of boat, powered or not, personal watercraft and sailboats included. When you leave a water, TPWD says to remove visible mud, plants, fish and animals, to get rid of water, and to clean and dry anything that touched the water, including boats, trailers, gear, clothing and dogs, and never to release plants, fish or animals into a water they did not come from. Failing to immediately remove and lawfully dispose of a harmful or potentially harmful aquatic plant clinging to a vessel, trailer or vehicle can bring a fine of $25 to $500. TexCast shows TPWD's zebra mussel status for a lake at the top of its page, with the date it was checked.

An interactive drawing goes here in the app.

What the law asks of you on the boat

TPWD says each person on board needs a wearable, U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket, and boats 16 feet and longer also need a throwable one. Children under 13 must wear a life jacket on a boat under 26 feet while it is underway. Anyone born on or after September 1, 1993 must complete a boater education course to run a boat with more than 15 horsepower on public water, with an exception when another legally qualified operator 18 or older is on board. TPWD also notes that over 90 percent of sportsmen who died in the water in a year were not wearing a life jacket. Put in your boat and see what applies.

An interactive drawing goes here in the app.

This summarizes what TPWD says and is not legal advice. TPWD and the Texas statutes and rules decide what applies to you. TexCast shows readings from public sources and is not a rescue or warning service.

On TexCast

For more reading, we suggest these articles

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