Todd Driscoll Talking About Toledo Bend Fish Tracking Study Starting This Fall

Guys this was news to me, Texas Park & Wildlife about to start a new fish tracking study on Toledo Bend, maybe we finally get some real data on where fish go season to season, this is really exciting!

Very good information.

This just keeps getting better and better. Nice work Ken!

They going to track them right to the cooler then the grease on Toledo haha

Sad but probably true on that Lake.

Because of the grease, is there anyway we can contribute directly to this study?

Yesterday I catch a pretty good one on Rayburn. Put it in the livewell and drive to the ramp hoping there will be someone who can take a pic. Sure enough there is a man and his wife just launching. I ask if they would mind taking a pic for me. They do and as I am releasing it back into the lake the lady ask," don't do that, we'll take it." I said why and she says we came over from LA we don't let those go we eat them. I ask why drive to Rayburn when TB is closer? Her response, " fishing just not that good on TB anymore." I proudly let the fish go back in the lake shook my head and thanked her again for the pic.

This is exactly what I've been saying for a while and unfortunately it's starting to happen more now that Toledo is tougher. People just don't wanna hear it

Wow....that's unbelievable, but its not.

This was a couple years ago on Toledo. A buddy of mine put all these in the grease and did all the time. I would get mad at him for doing it but the people over there don’t care they eat anything and everything. I got a bunch of friends from Louisiana and they are good people but they don’t throw nothing back.

Could have done well in a lot of tournaments with any 5 of those fish.

The biologist said the population at Toledo has not decreased. Rather the fish may be wiser and becoming harder to catch. It will be interesting to see what their study reveals.

I work a lot around Beaumont area and talk to a lot of guys working in the plants about fishing. And when I tell them I like to fish but don’t keep them I get told how crazy I am to bring them to them they would show what to do with them said no way are they driving that far to throw a fish back. And the reason they choose Toledo over Rayburn is the limit said 16 better than 10. It ain’t just Louisiana people doing it.

No doubt the biggest one was dang near 8 alone.

Ya the population of fish under 14" hasn't. Once they get to keeper size they gone to the grease. I'd like to see the actual size numbers in the survey. If the shocking is a whole bunch of 10-12" bass, doesn't tell the whole story

I just dont understand why they like eating bass so much. Much tasier fish out there. Give me a 25 inch yellow cat any day and it's coming home with me. Haha

If everyone just thought the same, acted the same, believed in the same, and liked the same it would be a great country right!

So post more pics in hopes of shaming someone into your beliefs, confront them at the boat ramps to try to educate them as to why your way is superior, push for laws to ban their current right to live the way they have for generations, organize/unite/destroy. And be sure to do it with the mindset that you had the moral authority.

It’s getting a little disgusting guys. Fish frys to Cajuns is BBQ’s to Texans. It’s deeply rooted in the culture and is something that brings humans together for joy. Which is needed more today than ever. It does not decimate the population and none of you seem to have any issues with any other species being harvested. Get over yourselfs. And stop omitting the grass kills that precede every downturn on T-Bend, and the gazillion tournaments annually. I know it doesn’t fit the agenda.

For your info the pic I posted wasn’t meant to shame anybody thank you very much. I don’t care what anybody does really if they are friends will I say something on the bigger fish you dang right I will. Those big ones taste like [censored] anyway. I myself will keep the spotted bass from time to time those are actually good eating but largemouth are not.

That's just it, it does have a long term impact. I have no issues with people keeping some fish but don't turn around and say "I'm going to to Rayburn cause Toledo isn't as good anymore". That's the problem, some people want to keep everything then wonder why it isn't like it was in 1970's. Well it's not the same lake and it sure doesn't have the same pressure. The tournament pressure is a drop in the bucket compared to the constant pounding Toledo takes from February to early summer. You can go out on a wed and there's boats everywhere. The downward trend of Toledo has nothing to do with tournaments, if it did, Rayburn would suck. It gets way more pressure from tournaments than Toledo. The difference is conservation. Rayburn gets more respect for catch and release and that helps keep her going.

I purposely quoted no one. This is continuous issue on this topic that I felt needed to be addressed.

Rayburns been loaded with grass the last bunch of years while T-Bend hasn’t had a significant hydrilla population in a decade.
You also made a great point that I alluded to. T-Bend has insane pressure. It never rests. And without good habitat for the fish to thrive, populations start to naturally decline and/or fish habits change and we as anglers aren’t in tune enough to switch.

Which brings me to the next possible scenario to consider:
I’ve had a phenomenal year on T-bend throwing crank baits and big spinnerbaits around hard spots in drains. Nothing else around them but hard spots. When the hydrilla was there those fish would not be there in the summer. They never have before. But the habitat is different so the fish changed I guess.

Point is: There is dozens of things to consider when trying to determine what’s happening. But this crusade against the Louisiana folks and their culture because their fish frys include Bass needs to stop. Too many things are being taken away simply because someone who doesn’t understand it, has an opposing view point, or just doesn’t agree with it, wants it that way.

I’m all for conservation, but let’s figure out the facts first before crusading. These studies Todd is conducting will go a long way in helping understand the true causes. But Fish & Game authorities have put harvest limits in place that allow you to keep fish for a reason. If someone is breaking it, hammer them. If not, leave them alone.

Well actually Rayburn hasn't had much due to all the flooding conditions the past 5 years. Toledo had good grass 5 years ago. Amazing grass actually. But I get your point. Rayburn can be 10ft high muddy, they catch them. It can be low, they catch them..... All because the fish exist, they can't hide. Toledo they just aren't there in the same numbers that they were. There aren't some magical groups of fish hiding out there.

Everything says something has happened to toledo. Whether it's the lack of grass, the amount people eat, or maybe even when they sprayed poison on all those spawning fish a couple of years ago. The 2 years study could be extremely interesting if they can sample enough fish and keep track of them. I am one that agrees that they arent there anymore but I'm also willing to say the theres a possibility that they are there and they have adapted and we haven't.

With all of the tournaments held every year on Rayburn and Toledo, it would be interesting to see if Todd has any way of estimating the number of fish that are killed as a result of these events.
Obviously, the fish must be alive to be counted at weigh in, but after transporting them to the scales, holding them up for an extended period for the photo op, then transporting them back to be released, I would think that a significant percentage of them don't live.

Any thoughts?

Hes given a percentage before if I remember correctly. He studies the tournaments on those 2 lakes a lot. I cant remember what the number was though and it varies by time af year for sure

I wonder if those shocking numbers are fish, or 14" plus fish?

He has a delayed mortality study somewhere.

So, if we as anglers want to contribute to that specific study so that there is enough transmitters in fish to actually complete the study: is it possible? Or has the State funded and no variations of funds are allowed?

Trent I have asked Todd and he hasn't had a chance to get back to me, will let you know when I hear back