No more slot limit at Bridgeport and changes to Grapevine slot

Kinda weird to think in about a week the slot at BP is gone as well as the changes at Grapevine to where you can only keep 2 LM under 18" in your bag.

Both lakes will get more tournament pressure for sure.

We swapped Lavon and Bridgeport so we could fish in September. McKinney Bass Club

September is hit or miss out there. Seems it changes daily if not hourly that time of year. You might catch 100 fish or you might catch 2. It really gets going and the better smallmouth come out to play after the first front or two in mid to late October.

Will be a new adventure for me. Hope to pre fish mid September. Tourney is 9/29.

I wonder if this was more money driven (getting more tournaments/tournism) or science driven (the slot wasn't working)?

Considering BP has had that slot about 20yrs and little to no lakeside businesses I doubt its money driven. GV has very few lakeside businesses as well.

It will be good by then.

Thanks Mark!

Bridgeport is gonna get hammered. RIP lol

RIP

Glad to see this from a ET POV.

The last two years have been outstanding. Best I have ever heard of. Going to be sad if it gets destroyed.

Been phenomenal for quality. Idk why for sure. I just assume from drought and lake getting so low. A lot of hybrid and sandbass died off. Lake filled up and had a lot vegetation to be safe and thrive. But the lake is already over 6’ low and dropping. I don’t see any reason why it won’t go back to a dink fest. Hope it doesn’t. But you would think the quality wouldn’t have been as poor the 20 years prior right? Maybe someone way more knowledgeable can say why it’s so good now and why it will maintain? Why it won’t go back to the way it was? They haven’t stocked any lmb it shows since 2008 either.

For about the last 5 years it seems you could put together a solid limit of fish over 14" most trips. Now this year the average size has been crazy good but I think Bridgeport has a huge population of fish and now it has a good amount of 14" plus fish.

I have had some days out there this year that made me question why I fish out east so much.....

I fished Bridgeport for the first time today, and that was not my experience. Caught around 20 with maybe only 2 going over 12 inches. It is August, and I did a lot of looking, but the guys talking about size out there also seem to be the guys that fish it a lot.

I talked to the GW he said they was going to restock the lake with smallmouth

Awesome!! About time.

That would be good news

There is a open on BP this coming weekend...We will see what weights are brought in

Probably on the lower side due to time of year. You never know though someone might catch em.

Funny to hear the naysayers always respond "RIP" whatever lake someone posts something positive about. RIP Athens, RIP Monticello....now RIP Bridgeport? Silly. Every fisherman that shows up to the new RIP lake is someone not showing up another lake. It all balances out.

Pretty sure I can get 5. Spots that is for 4 1/2lbs lol.

Be careful with spots there. We had one brought to Club weigh-in that looked like a spot but jaw extended behind the eye. We called GW on Monday and he said that there are hybrid spot/largemouth in the lake. He also said they have to be treated as largemouth.

I got big bass in an ABA tournament with a big spot once out there. 8 have seen a few big spots on Bridgeport.

The jaw is what matters.

I think this will hurt tournament participation on the Vine.. cant weigh a limit of largemouth unless you have 3 overs. It almost always takes more than 3 these days to win but usually some of the paid places are 1-2 good over with 3-4 solid unders.

They just restocked it within the past year. They hardly ever update the website but post about it in their Facebook page. I want to say the last stocking was last fall with 60k fingerling lmb.

You are probably right.