Torpedo Bend dead? (Insert laugh here.) You would need a perspective to use in comparison to judge if TB is dead. One is close at hand. You wanna see what fishing pressure does to kill a lake? Go fish Rayburn. After fishing it since 1969 I quit bass fishing it a few years ago, preferring its crappie now. It survives only on its reputation it gained in the late 60s-70s. Starting in the late 80's the local Chamber of Commerce recognized the merchantability this public resource. They assisted businesses to market its attraction, they increasingly whored-out it out for the sake of commerce, the over-commercialization of the sport of fishing for the sake of maximizing profits for the few. That is just what local businesses do, and I understand that.

And tournament fishing bears some blame too. (Let my lynching begin.) If you disagree you are delusional, you weren't there to know it in its better days, and you are letting your pride and knee-jerk defense of our favorite sport override your common sense...and the truth. Witness: the construction of Umphrey Pavilion and Cassell-Boykin Pavilion, built only for the purpose of attracting tournaments. I don't know of any other function that regularly uses them, do you? You don't have to admit it here in public forum, but when you lay your head on your pillow at night you know this is true. Sorry to offend you tournament anglers, but I was there all these years, I fished these tournaments, and I witnessed the fishing drop proportionally to the increase in fishing pressure, pressure brought on in no small part by the multiple weekend tournaments, week in and week out. To be fair, yes, all fishing pressure has increased. Incessant pressure of all types. An inconvenient and unpopular truth, but the truth never the less. I am there regularly, on the boat ramps, sharing, when asked, my knowledge of the lake with out of town anglers, most of whom having been attracted there for a tournament. Camping beside them I see many come back disappointed because the lake did not live up to its vacated reputation. Best thing that has happened to Rayburn was the economic downturn of 2006-2012. The lower pressure of that period helped it bounce back, but only a little.

In contrast, Torpedo Bend on its way out? Never. Vast water, fully 71,000 more acres, almost 40% bigger than Rayburn, 500 miles more shoreline than Rayburn. A lake that you cannot see most of because of the curvature of the earth! Ride out to the main lake, cut your motor and survey the horizon: From the mouth of Six Mile you can see at least four bays over there on the LA horizon, each of which big enough that a man could fish but one of them for the rest of his life and never unlock all of its secrets, never fully figure one out. TBend is a fishery that could be devastated by a natural tragedy in the future, but probably not by fishing pressure, and that includes tournaments. It too may not be the lake it was back in the 70s, but it is much more fishing pressure-proof. It still has fish in it that have never seen a lure, and never will.

Anybody know why the lake's so low? It seems as if we've gotten plenty of rain this year to fill 'er up. All the other lakes around are at/near pool.

Anybody know why the lake's so low? It seems as if we've gotten plenty of rain this year to fill 'er up. All the other lakes around are at/near pool.

Skipper, I live outside of Woodville and got 4" with the first round of storms and then last Sunday with the 2nd round didn't get 1/2". Storms just didn't hit here. But, over around Alexandria, La they had 8"-9".

Maybe they're trying to make the Salvinia easier to get at. I'm pretty much staying on Rayburn this spring (it is closer anyways).

Some low weights as expected