Some people, if you give them a briefcase with a million dollars in it, they'll bitch about how heavy it is.

I got to fish it 4X since 2010. The first time in 2010 we fished with Alton Jones and it was big numbers the biggest at 5.5#. Second time a couple years later and 3 of us boated 389 bass in 10 hours of fishing. That's a bass every 1.54 mins for 10 hours but the biggest was about 6 pounds. Most were 2-3 pounds.

Third time one of the guys with me got a 10.60 but still most fish were 1.5 to 3 pounds. We caught lots of big crappie while bass fishing.

Fourth time same but no big fish. Gary Klein got a 13.79 there one day when they had an event. I missed that event.

https://majorleaguefishing.com/bass-pro-tour/8974/

The bottom line was the lake was too large & deep to effectively manage for a state record. It had lots of 30' water with max depths to 70 feet. The lake got crappie introduced into it, most likely by the lake above it flooding into it during high water and the crappie quickly became so prolific they were competing for the food source.

Fun place to fish but you had to weed through hundreds of small fish to get one 6 pounder. It is owned by the group that used to be Luminant so like mentioned, it is most likely part of the parcel of land being sold.

I’m almost speechless.

I caught an 8 3/4 lb bass at Lake Cisco when I 8 years old 1964 .. family vacation. Pictures in the local paper and write up... it was eaten.

Yep

Fished Amistad a few years back, a guide there told me how great it USED to be, but for awhile every time he went by the fish cleaning station folks were cleaning their double digit bass in droves.

Yes snow birds used to flock to our Texas lakes to rape our resources.

Not sure if they still do, thankfully a lot are old and dying off.

I've heard the theories about why fork was able to produce so many big fish. From habitat to the fertilizer used on the old crops. Same with Ivie. I've heard people say that it turned on because it came up after being low for so long. That is not accurate. Ivie has been an amazing fishery throughout the lake level fluctuations.
I don't know the cause, and I would wager that no one else here does either but it seems like every 20-30 years, a lake strikes the perfect balance that makes it conducive to growing giant bass rapidly. It can happen on a new lake or a very old lake. And when it happens, it doesn't last very long.

On the rare occasion that a lake does get really hot, I'm not convinced that it's a good idea to start removing all the big fish and putting them at a high risk of mortality for the sake of experimentation. Maybe it is a great idea. I've just never seen any comprehensive data that shows exactly how the program is helping our lakes. Maybe I'm having a Biden brain moment here, but these seem like pretty logical questions to me.

1. Where can I find data that shows exactly how this program is improving bass fishing in Texas. Are there reports with DNA tracking, etc?
2. Does SL still report whether a donated fish lived or died? If so, where can I find that information?
3. Why does SL still need donations? Can they not raise a few 13+ at the facility and breed them each year? Or permanently keep the donations from 1 year and breed those same fish every year?

I've followed the program since it began and I think it's probably a great thing. In fact, I've had their # saved in my contacts for 15 years lol. But I would like to fully understand the risk to fish vs reward of donating so I can make an informed decision, should the opportunity come.

I flock to Detroit every August to rape and pillage their resources right back. It’s quite fun.

Sounds like Toledo Bend lol

you're not a very good person

I'm not sure about the effectiveness of the SL genetics program but the overall stocking programs in Texas are very good. Any water with forage and Floridas will produce big bass at some point. as commonly said it's a specific set of conditions that lead to a hot streak somewhere and those conditions are typically a bit unique from lake to lake. I really think TPWD would learn as much about making a big bass fishery from studying the locations, like Ivie, just as hard as they focus on the genetics. Different lakes become hog-makers at different times for different reasons. I wish there was more funding for that work. Where's some of that State surplus money??

I wish when you sent in scales from 24 inch fish that you would get an email with some interesting data about the finish.. like has it been caught before, when, and by whom…

TX Strampion, You have said this multiple times " all the big fish and putting them at a high risk of mortality for the sake of experimentation."

Where are you getting this from? Have you been to Athens and seen where they keep the SAL during breeding periods?
I know a while back there was talk about broken jaws and such from mishandling of the larger fish but never heard about that from a TP&W employee. I also know that some areas are very remote and when they were finally able to get to the fish it was in poor shape, sometimes they were able to get it proper attention other times it was just to late. There has been some loss but by your statement you seem to be implying that most every entry equals a dead big fish. Maybe I am mis-reading what you are saying and if so Sorry in advance.

I recently read about a SAL that was caught at OH Ivie and when they got there the fish was already dead, I also read about one that the TPW person determined that he did not think the fish would survive the experience and that it's best chances were to be put back into the lake. I am certain there is a lot of this activity that we never get to hear about.

Jody