Who is responsible for killing every blade of grass in Toledo bend? I've been looking for answers for weeks and have come up empty. I've also notice dozen or so dead turtles on our lot has anyone else noticed this anywhere else on lake? If what they are spraying is killing wildlife something should be done. This is one of the best lakes in the United States please help me find answers.

Lots of people would like to know the same thing

I would start with calling Texas Parks and Wildlife. If they are not responsible then I think they would at least want to find out who is.

I just want to get the conversation out there because this is going to be a disaster. We all know what they are targeting but the chemicals used seam to be a bit overkilll. We will feel the effects very soon. i guess my real question is why and not who

Somebody got around at night and sprayed 185,000 acres of water without being noticed?

The Hydrilla peaked in 2013 and the huge rain events in 2015 wiped a whole lot of it out. Same for Giant Salvinia where the lake levels rose so much that it "flushed" vegetation out of the backwater areas and drastically reduced acreage coverage.

All of this is according to TPWD.

And, yes, there have been commercial applicators at work with chemicals.

Strangely, even though both Hydrilla and Giant Salvinia are considered "invasives," TPWD said they are not deemed to be nuisances on Toledo Bend . . . I think they mean no issues blocking access to the lake and a few other factors.

Regarding the Hydrilla, the same thing happened on Lake Athens where a fairly significant acreage coverage almost disappeared owing to the 2015 rains. It occurred completely independent of any herbicide spraying.

*** Looks like ever-growing North Texas region will be pulling water out of Toledo Bend. It is said to be a very long term project with a completion date of 2060.

Brad

Fished hard last week for 2 and 1/2 days without a single piece of aquatic vegetation throughout a very large area covered. Still caught some nice fish enough to keep it interesting. Found a very unusual small spot from friend SB with several kinds of grass and it was loaded with 2-3 lbers but only had a few hours of fun before heading back.

I hope it makes a come back soon I miss it.

All the hydrilla disappearing is not due to high waters in 2015.

....AND SO.....
what do bass do when the "grass" disappears ?
if LMB have been living in an area that had substantial hydrilla grass & that grass dies or is killed out........
where do they go ?
why do they then become "harder" to catch ?

Brush piles

Strange huh! But that's what's happening. I've been hearing air boats at Rayburn at night too. I think it might just be some bow fisherman but I have to admit, i wonder about it.

It's not about where and how you are able to catch fish today tomorrow or next year it's about the endless miles of grass the fry was able to get protection in. The last few years have had great spawns but it's going to be tough in the near future not only for bass but bream and sacalait as well. Heard from many of the people spraying that they NEEDED TO SPRAY ALL THE CHEMICALS THEY HAD even after most grass was already killed. Another thing I've notice while site fishing and walking banks is the large amounts of turtle carcasses in different areas of the lake

This is just from today walking 75 yds in front of camp

My guess would be TPWD knows something about it.

The bottom 2 are the same turtle.

It's turtle mating system and the weaker turtles gotta die! Kinda like bar fights.

Look, you ain't gonna change it unless you got a big ol pile of money, then you can sue somebody and still might not change things. Maybe you can get PETA to help you.

I suspect TPWD is at the root of this, maybe in collaboration with LDWF (although LDWF ain't much on collaborating with Texas or conserving the resources). I've seen Rayburn go from huge 500 to several thousand acre grass beds to no (nada) grass. And yes the fishing suffers. High water helps year class fry recruitment so look for TB to have a down cycle in 3-4 years as there's low water and no grass. Oh, and them coonasses get an 8 fish limit and practice release to the grease.

They've been spraying the north end for years. Last year they did venture south and alot of areas got sprayed. Haygrass that is. Hydrilla and milfoil aren't affected by the spraying so I'm told. And yes some areas that weren't deemed critical were sprayed, Indian mounds, Lowes, etc.

Tpw controls spraying on Toledo. Louisiana game and fish and SRA want nothing to do with it. They would let salvania take over. The Corps controls all spraying on Rayburn, not tpw.

Ray rob I'm sooo sorry for having pictures of the same turtle and for not including the picture of a dozen more and I'm pretty sure baby turtles don't mate they are all over the bank too.I think you are missing the point . I'm not trying to change anything I'm just trying to educate myself on why they killed every single blade of grass on the lake I could really care less about the turtles or Sam Rayburn.
They didn't just spray hay grass and they were still spraying 45 days ago Everywhere. What a person legally keeps has nothing to do with this conversation even though I'm a coonass and haven't kept a bass in 20 years.

Thanks. I didn't know that.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/action/fishregs2.php?water=0734
texans get 8 also ?

They are not spraying Toledo and as far as I know haven't sprayed in weeks

You may be seeing the turtles because of mating season. The females go to shore to lay their eggs and might be getting caught and eaten by coons, foxes, opossums, etc. before they finish laying their eggs. Seems a little early in the year for that but with the little warmer then average weather this year they might be getting an early start. I don't really know for sure, just a possible theory. Can't speak for the grass issue.

I would think that if TPW were responsible for any spraying going on at TB their concerns for any potential negative effect on wildlife would cause them to be extremely measured as far as application. I can tell you from experience that on Rayburn, Conroe and Livingston where the COE does get involved in grass kills that there is no such concern.

Yes. Texas and LA came to an agreement on 8 for the whole lake instead of having 2 different limits. The chemicals killing turtles wouldn't surprise me. I've heard more than a few people mention it to me and I'm not even a toledo fisherman. Just think of the chemicals that are in the fish that were around when they sprayed. Here's a thought, although it's completely tin hat material. From old timers and stuff I've always heard TX and LA have never really agreed so to speak on how to manage toledo. Well, if you look at it, LA has been reaping all the benefits of the lake fishing the way it has with cypress bend holding the majority of big tournaments. All of that while the Texas side was almost always the best fishing. I could see some candy @$$ getting butt hurt about that.

Actually the corps on Rayburn is very concerned with the impact of spraying and take precautions to limit any collateral damage

Jaret, is there still salvinia on Rayburn. I know traditionally it was back in Coleman. Wondering if it has been eliminated.

Maybe in some areas they are Jaret but not all, 2-3 years ago we watched as they just about decimated everything that grew in on the back end of Hank's, and it was all navigable waters. About that same time they hit an area way up the long cut on about a 600 acre flat that had been some of the fishiest water you'd ever want to see and wiped it out too. Maybe it wasn't their intention but the end result seemed pretty indiscriminant.

Thanks for your apology. . . . the angles and distance seemed an attempt to display differing dead turtles ... I am still wondering why the same one twice when there's hundreds but not a big deal.



There was a multiple page thread on this last week, try the "Search" option.

Well, you originally posted concerns on fish populations AND you mentioned the turtles, I was just giving an example through my experience of the rise and fall of and the effect cover has, which, again, you seemed dismayed at .... there is a correlation on water bodies and even though you weren't concerned about similarities regarding Rayburn there were over 1,000 people on the "Bass Fishing" board and any number might have been reading this and might see a correlation with their home waters. Thus I posted a local large public water that has seen similar situations. You sure seem to be resistant to education for someone claiming to want to be educated. Sometimes education is learning by example. Capiche?



Again, you were lamenting potential declines in fish populations. Taking more than the resource can stand lends to population declines. You being a coonass and not keeping your bass catch is quite the exception wouldn't you agree? (I fished La. waters for years).


Here is your 3rd post. My original post in this thread was an attempt to address some of your concerns from your 1st 3 posts.






Then multiple pictures of "large amounts of turtle carcasses".

Have a good one young feller!

Somebody sure seems to be in a bad mood today.....

Save a bass, kill a coonass!


Saw a thing on Facebook the other day where a dude and his bud had 16 big bass on a nail board ready to filet, said they had several good days in a row.

It hasn't been eliminated. I doubt they will ever eliminate it. Every time we get a big rain it washes some in the lake from the river and bayous and creeks. I haven't seen it out of hand anywhere but it's just getting to peak growing season for it so it will choke a few of the creeks up towards the back of them.

You can never get rid of it imo due to the countless areas it can hide in brush, haygrass, etc. All you can do is manage it. It's all over midlake Rayburn and north in small amounts but that doesn't hurt anything. I think the big concern is for it to explode in growth and take over the entire creek. I don't ever seeing that happen especially the lower end of Rayburn where water quality is best.

A. I said dozens but I wouldn't expect a redneck like you to be able to read . I didn't take the pictures.
B. I don't need your example of similar lakes
C. See Caney lake
The amount of fish anyone takes legally has nothing to do with why they killed all the grass but you can keep make long paragraphs to boost your ego all day and it still means nothing for answering my question capiche
Sleep tight boy