Texas Fishing Forum

The Fayette Puzzle

Posted By: barbarian

The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 12:27 PM

I've gone from the best year I've had at Fayette through mid June in long time to the worst in 1 month. The last 2-3 weeks have humbled me past the point of mental stability. LOL
I fished yesterday afternoon and didn't get a bite. Fished some grass areas that looked really good out to 4-5', then trees in 10-20', then couple of humps and pond dam. Last couple of trips I have barely seen any shad on graph and yesterday the humps and pond dam looked deserted of life. There are very few boats now days so I assume it isn't just me struggling. Heck Saturday, there were only 8 boats by 8am at Oak Thicket and 6 of those were catfishing or cast netting. Which brings up my next point. I've seen more cast netters this year than ever before especially in boats. Yesterday there were 3-5 boats cast netting. 2 of them had 3+ people chunking. Could this be a factor? April-May the cast netting was out of control.
I know BCMD was doing pretty good in early July. Anybody else been fishing lately?
Posted By: AgFisher08

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 01:19 PM

Fished Sunday 7/30 and had 21 in the boat by Noon. My buddy that I was with went again on 8/2 and also had 18. There was a FB post I saw from a guy fishing there on 8/1 and he had 77.
Posted By: barbarian

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 02:15 PM

Lol. You aren't helping my mental stability or pride issues. Any tips?
Posted By: AgFisher08

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 02:20 PM

With how hot it has been I would fish the areas on the lake with "current".
Posted By: Tufhrse

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 03:13 PM

I was also out on Thursday. Very few boats out, and they were all moving about the lake. Plenty of popcorn fish, but no real quality. I also saw a boat marked ""SS Minnow". They showed at 9AM, and used two cast nets for over three hours. Another truck arrived at the launch and they transfered four ice chests to the truck, which then left. They went out again and loaded up another three 48 quart chests. They were not in the least trying to hide what they were doing. I went over to them and asked if they were commercial fishermen, to which they went pure barrio and would not speak. I did notice a few baby black bass in the bottom their boat. The park hostess said they were there all of the time, and that the the only game warden was to busy to persue these guys. What a shame that I can't even catch one 2lb. fish to make a fish sandwich, but these guys are profiting off of our tax dollars.
Posted By: T Bird

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 03:24 PM

Originally Posted By: Tufhrse
I was also out on Thursday. Very few boats out, and they were all moving about the lake. Plenty of popcorn fish, but no real quality. I also saw a boat marked ""SS Minnow". They showed at 9AM, and used two cast nets for over three hours. Another truck arrived at the launch and they transfered four ice chests to the truck, which then left. They went out again and loaded up another three 48 quart chests. They were not in the least trying to hide what they were doing. I went over to them and asked if they were commercial fishermen, to which they went pure barrio and would not speak. I did notice a few baby black bass in the bottom their boat. The park hostess said they were there all of the time, and that the the only game warden was to busy to persue these guys. What a shame that I can't even catch one 2lb. fish to make a fish sandwich, but these guys are profiting off of our tax dollars.


1 oz wt, treble hook, 60lb. braid & cross eye hook set will do a serious number on cast nets. thumb
Posted By: barbarian

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 04:25 PM

I definitely think they are keeping more than tilapia. Lot of dead fish floating too.

Agfisher- thanks for that tip. It's not much, but it makes sense and it's more than you had to and definity more than zero. Thank you.
Posted By: Casso

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 05:04 PM

Took my son out there last weekend and did pretty good. Caught some early where I would have expected (points, grass, wind related) then they kinda disappeared. Couldn't find them set up on anything where I have in the past or where I expected to.

Found some later unexpectedly suspended chasing huge bait balls. Bait seemed to be moving or relating to anything I'm smart enough to pick up on but the bass were there and catchable.

There is a lot of tilapia in that lake and I hope they catch the heck out of them.
Posted By: Tufhrse

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/04/17 08:42 PM

These guy'are not netting for Tilapia. They are raping the forage fish that keep us all catching bass on this lake. TPWD has to stop this illegal harvesting. Big business for catfish ponds as a feed, or stockings for local tanks, ponds,etc..
Posted By: Rayzor

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/05/17 12:36 AM

If a lake has a good number of tilapia, these ba!@#*ds will be out there with their cast nets. These "fisherman" prefer power plant lakes such as Lake Fairfield, where I've seen them many times.
Posted By: ChuChu1

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/06/17 11:03 PM

Originally Posted By: Tufhrse
I was also out on Thursday. Very few boats out, and they were all moving about the lake. Plenty of popcorn fish, but no real quality. I also saw a boat marked ""SS Minnow". They showed at 9AM, and used two cast nets for over three hours. Another truck arrived at the launch and they transfered four ice chests to the truck, which then left. They went out again and loaded up another three 48 quart chests. They were not in the least trying to hide what they were doing. I went over to them and asked if they were commercial fishermen, to which they went pure barrio and would not speak. I did notice a few baby black bass in the bottom their boat. The park hostess said they were there all of the time, and that the the only game warden was to busy to persue these guys. What a shame that I can't even catch one 2lb. fish to make a fish sandwich, but these guys are profiting off of our tax dollars.


Did you call Operation Game Thief?
Posted By: horseplaydvm

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/07/17 12:56 AM

Originally Posted By: Tufhrse
I was also out on Thursday. Very few boats out, and they were all moving about the lake. Plenty of popcorn fish, but no real quality. I also saw a boat marked ""SS Minnow". They showed at 9AM, and used two cast nets for over three hours. Another truck arrived at the launch and they transfered four ice chests to the truck, which then left. They went out again and loaded up another three 48 quart chests. They were not in the least trying to hide what they were doing. I went over to them and asked if they were commercial fishermen, to which they went pure barrio and would not speak. I did notice a few baby black bass in the bottom their boat. The park hostess said they were there all of the time, and that the the only game warden was to busy to persue these guys. What a shame that I can't even catch one 2lb. fish to make a fish sandwich, but these guys are profiting off of our tax dollars.

Guess I don't understand why they allow them to enter the park if they believe they are doing something illegal? You have to pay to get access. Game warden used to be on the lake more than any other lake I have fished. Its not hard to find anyone on that small lake.
Posted By: fishytx

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/07/17 11:32 PM

The bite is slow as far as quality fish. The water is to hot. How ever, there are some being caught early in the morning and anglers off the water by 11am.
Posted By: Bass Junkie

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/08/17 05:15 AM

We need to all write to TPWD. Cast nets should only be used for catching bait fish to fish in the same lake. What's the difference if you are removing the fish from a lake if you are using a cast net or a straight line net?
Posted By: skeeterK

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/08/17 07:43 PM

Originally Posted By: Bass Junkie
We need to all write to TPWD. Cast nets should only be used for catching bait fish to fish in the same lake. What's the difference if you are removing the fish from a lake if you are using a cast net or a straight line net?


Have you seen this post on the main menu? http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/12034056/1
Posted By: Tufhrse

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/08/17 09:02 PM

TPWD does not address the issue of quantities or weights of the shad collected. The only mention is for a container to be 82 quarts or smaller to avoid needing the proposed fee. I saw six 48 quart ice chests being loaded onto a truck, with the boat returning to the water for more. I have a 1 acre pond stocked with catfish. Does this mean I can collect all of the shad I want and use them for feed? I would save a lot of money not buying catfish food. I don't and won't do this because I feel it is stealing. What will happen if a dozen netting groups start harvesting on Fayette. We will all be fishing in open water.
Posted By: fishytx

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/10/17 01:52 AM

I have seen a pontoon boat that goes out and the load it up to the max with smaller shad. The deck of the boat is covered and they make the biggest mess you ever seen at the boat slip. Dead shad everywhere, on the boat slips, ground and in the water floating. Really ticks me off.
Posted By: fishytx

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/10/17 02:03 AM

They are also pulling up the grass from its roots with these cast nets. These people doing this to the lake do not care about the fishery at all, they are just looking for a way to make a few bucks and are willing to destroy anything and everything in their path while they do it. They show no respect towards the sport of fishing at all. And they do not care what you or I think either. Low life folks, let me tell you.
Posted By: barbarian

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/10/17 11:46 AM

My last trip, I saw an old deck type boat headed out with at least 6 people. It looked like they all had cast nets. Many shallow areas are tore up. I just don't understand why TPWD allows that in this lake. We have a special LMB size limit because the lake is so small. These cast netters can disrupt the balance very quick in that lake.
Posted By: Tufhrse

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/10/17 01:56 PM

The Game Warden for Lake Fayette is:

HARBAUGH, CALVIN B 979-966-3514
Posted By: BMCD

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/10/17 02:09 PM

what r they doing with the shad, there is no way they survive very long.
Posted By: King.

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/10/17 06:05 PM

Originally Posted By: BMCD
what r they doing with the shad, there is no way they survive very long.


When i was pre fishing for the TxTT championship on Livingston i put in at the 190 bridge public ramp, (big mistake by the way, don't ever put in there). There were 5 or 6 guys with nets destroying the shad spawn. They were putting them in big plastic buckets, 80-100Qts if i had to guess the size. I asked one of them what they did with the shad. He was pretty tight lipped, but said, they sell them to a distributor that packages and sells to Walmart, Academy, etc... They had 10+ buckets full of shad, had to have been 500 to 1000lbs. On a big lake like Livingston it prolly doesn't matter. But on Fayette, i bet it can destroy the fishery in no time. It needs to be stopped ASAP!
Posted By: BMCD

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/10/17 06:59 PM

Sounds like its legal with a $60 permit.
Posted By: fishytx

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/13/17 05:58 PM

This lake has been hit hard for the past three years now. I have contacted the warden and there is nothing they can do from what I have been told. It just doesn't add up to me. So hard to watch these guys tear this lake up with no one out there willing to put a stop to it.
Posted By: Kevin D.

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/25/17 07:14 PM

Originally Posted By: fishytx
This lake has been hit hard for the past three years now. I have contacted the warden and there is nothing they can do from what I have been told. It just doesn't add up to me. So hard to watch these guys tear this lake up with no one out there willing to put a stop to it.


I think there are more than a few of us who are willing to do something about it. Heck, I'd make a special trip even. It's got more to do with what we can do legally. These days it seems as though the laws protect the criminals and make the law abiding seem like criminals.

I wonder how those dudes would do with 6 or 8 bass boats floating around them with deep sea rods and big giant treble hooks that would make a gator tremble at the ready. Reckon they'd get the message? slinger
Posted By: Bass Junkie

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/26/17 11:55 AM

One night I was fishing and this rig with all these lights hits almost all the shore of three fingers area. TPWD does not have a clue what their stupid acceptance of cast nets are doing to our resources, Fayette is like the Mexican side of Falcon.
Posted By: fishytx

Re: The Fayette Puzzle - 08/26/17 11:29 PM

Originally Posted By: Bass Junkie
One night I was fishing and this rig with all these lights hits almost all the shore of three fingers area. TPWD does not have a clue what their stupid acceptance of cast nets are doing to our resources, Fayette is like the Mexican side of Falcon.


I totally agree with this statement.
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