Pretty sure we fished La Perla Lake. I was there with Charlie Haralson. Fished out of a Ranger Gary had there. Nice sandy beach on the SW corner if I recall. Beautiful outdoor kitchen. Beautiful place. Particularly like the observation tower and all the silhouettes set up at various distances around and across the lake for shooting contests. One fine adult playground!

Chris Mahfouz

All I can say is, "Hook'em" !

Hey Rob and Jackson and Chris I am in let's go!

Jealous! Man that would be an experience to fish there!

Ah...another bucket list lake. Dang it!!...and Hook 'Em

That is actually a really good question to discuss, because most people, be it deer guys or owners of private bass lakes, are looking for quick fixes and immediate or at least quick satisfaction. Rarely however does it pay off. The long, hard road is almost always best. I knew this when it came to Whitetails, but I have to admit that I had my knucklehead moments with the fish before my biologist managed to beat some sense into my thick skull concerning the release of Falcon bass.

I have a really good relationship with my Fish guy, John Jones of Lucho Lake Management. We argue back and forth like cats and dogs and debate each other's ideas on issues relative to Bass, and then I decide whether to go with what he advises, or I go with my gut. I have always been an innovator, which has often meant thinking outside of the box and going against conventional wisdom. It has got me where I am with both deer and bass, as my gut has led me to some "never done before" accomplishments. That is the good news. It has also led me into some serious vomits that I regret. Transplanting Falcon Bass was one of those, but I was saved by how small a sample size it was before John woke me up.

John's concern was mainly two things, genetics and disease. He has always argued for a pure Florida in our lakes, but my lack of catch rate in the first 4 years along with the stuff that is out there about the problems with catching the pure strain made me decide to overrule him (big mistake). He was also worried about a virus that bass can get that will wipe you out, and in his views the risks were just too great.

I would like to say that it was my intellect that woke me up, but such was not the case: it was the death rate of the larger transported fish that made me cancel the transplantation program. Out of the roughly 30 fish that several of my friends and I moved to La Perla Lake from Falcon, ranging from 2 to 8 pounds, not a single fish survived that was over 3 pounds, and I already had pure Floridas there that big. They either died in transport or within a day. Heat did not help. It made no sense to continue, and so I stopped.

Remember everyone, whether deer, bass, or anything else, there is no easy quick fix or instant gratification worth chasing.

I can't wait to see what your lakes are putting out in a couple of years. . .and now for that matter. Thinking outside of the box it what makes the best of the best. . .the best. I can honestly say I haven't been this excited about a place in a very very long time.

Well this is certainly one of the more interesting threads I have seen in a long time.

Good luck with the project, gentlemen.

I would like to see you add Mack Brown and R.C. Slocum to the Longhorn/Aggie rematch! It would interesting to listen to their thoughts on these young men post college football/ life after football!

Great idea. Coach Brown loves to bass fish, and He congratulated Jordan by twiitter on his big 12:2 he caught at La Perla. Jordan invited him fishing but he has not heard back yet. I believe Coach Slocum does as well.

We are considering a repeat of the event next year but doing it as a charity fund raiser next time, probably for scholarships for each school. If we do, I will announce it on this forum. We will probably open it to the first 400 contributors, or something like that.

I have seen pictures that John has of some of the fish that y'all have caught and shocked up out there. I would have to say I definetly think y'all will break the world record in the next couple of years if everything stays on track !!

State record almost for sure. . .

I can't believe you're on the tff Gary. This is Brandon by the way. I was wondering when y'all were going to let the cat out of the bag about La Perla.

Gary,

I commend you on thinking out of the box and humbling yourself to admit when things did not work out as you hoped or planned. For most men, pride gets in the way. Growing big bass is not for the faint of heart, but neither is growing big deer and you have experience in both. As I'm sure you know; harvest is one of the areas most landowners fall short. Food chain is massively important. Remember to get aggressive with your harvest. Shock boat works best has you do not remove the most vulnerable bass (easy to catch). Harvest and pump the food to them. You have a huge advantage to most other Texas lakes. Water above 60 degrees almost year round and tilapia that should survive year round. A great combination that only a few lakes in Texas have the benefit of. I hope you will charge thousands of dollars for a group for a days fishing for all the hard work, money, and consternation you have poured into this project. keep to your strategy of only fishing a few days a month and the bite should stay strong.

Looks like Doc is gonna give us a chance to give those Cali boys a run for their money. Cali has trout and La Perla has prawns. I can't wait to see how this shakes out!