14-year-old goes fishing in Onion Creek. Then a man threatens his life: ‘GO TO THE COPS’

A 14-year-old Austin-area teen is going viral on TikTok after sharing a frightening encounter he says happened while he was fishing at Onion Creek.

Noah, who posts under the handle @noahlovescatchingfish, regularly shares videos of his catches and fishing trips with his more than 10,000 followers. But a clip he posted in October struck a different chord. In it, Noah explains that a man approached him while he was fishing, prompting him to start recording.

“I knew something was up whenever he was walking towards me, what a coward who says that to a kid,” Noah wrote in the text overlay of the video.

The clip quickly took off, racking up more than 4.1 million views as viewers reacted to what Noah says unfolded next.

What Happened?

In the video, Noah is seen fishing when a man who is never shown on camera begins talking to him.

“How are you doing? Catching anything?” the man asks off-camera.

“Not yet,” Noah replies.

The tone then shifts. The man presses Noah about whether he has a fishing license, insisting one is required. Noah tells him he’s 14 and says he doesn’t need a permit yet, adding that he plans to get one when he turns 15.

“We’re going to report you to the Parks and Wildlife for illegal fishing,” the man says. “You’re illegally fishing.”

The exchange escalates from there. The man calls Noah an “idiot” and then makes a violent threat.

“If I catch you out here again, I’m going to punch your lights out so hard you knock yourself out and [then] drown your [expletive] [expletive],” the man says. Noah responds, “OK.”

It’s unclear whether Noah had any further encounters with the man. In the caption of his post, he asked followers in the Onion Creek area to reach out if they recognized the individual.

“If you’re in the Onion Creek area in ATX lmk if you have heard [of] this man,” Noah wrote.

Do You Need A Fishing License In Austin?

Noah is right. Under Texas law, anyone under 17—not 15—is exempt from needing a fishing license anywhere in the state. That means a 14-year-old fishing at Onion Creek does not need a permit, full stop.

There’s also a location-based carveout. If you’re fishing from the shore inside McKinney Falls State Park, you don’t need a fishing license regardless of age. Park entry fees still apply, and all standard fishing rules are still in effect, but the license itself isn’t required for bank fishing within the park boundaries.
For everyone else, the rules are straightforward. If you’re 17 or older and fishing in Onion Creek outside the state park, you need a Texas fishing license with a freshwater endorsement.

Texas also designates an annual Free Fishing Day, typically the first Saturday in June, when anyone can fish public waters without a license.

So, in Noah’s case, there’s no reason why the older man should’ve harassed him. A teenager fishing in Onion Creek does not need a license, and neither does anyone fishing from the bank inside McKinney Falls State Park. Claims that a 14-year-old was “illegally fishing” there don’t line up with Texas law.

Viewers Can’t Believe How Quickly It Escalated

People who watched Noah’s video said they were stunned by how fast the interaction went off the rails, with many praising him for having the presence of mind to start recording.

“Bro went from ‘are you catching anything?’ to ‘I’m going to drown you,’” one viewer observed.

“Why’d he get so mad?” another asked.

“Why do people get so angry about fishing?” someone else chimed in.

Others watching the clip wondered whether there was something deeper driving the man’s reaction and suggested the encounter may have been racially motivated.

“This had to be racially motivated wtf,” one person said.

“It’s racism,” another commenter insisted. “That’s it.”

A separate group urged Noah to take the threats seriously and involve law enforcement, pointing out that he’s a minor and was explicitly threatened.

“Dude, make a police report,” one person advised. “You are a minor, and he has threatened to KILL you.”

“GO TO THE COPS WITH THIS FOOTAGE,” another wrote in all caps.

“Yo bro, that’s a verbal threat against your life, you can get him arrested now,” a third commenter added.

Patch has contacted Noah via a direct message on TikTok.

@noahlovescatchingfish"