Gary,
I think what you are doing there is fantastic.
Can I go fishing with you sometime? I'll bring a new bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20 for us to enjoy!

This might have more to do with the age of the lakes now, when was the last lake built of any size?

I see how it is, When you bribe me all you off is Mad Dog 20/20 and Banana Red, not even the Grape...


On a serious note:

Don�t let anyone keep you from doing what you want to do. I think it�s a great thing you are doing, and can not even begin to imagine the time and money that you have invested, little alone giving up control of it to allow the state to do their testing and research.

Also I want to thank you for posting and keeping us updated on the progress of your two lakes. It�s almost an unfathomable to think about what you have put into this, and I personally would love to see some pictures of the work. I can�t imagine what the set-up is like and then to have the prawns, and other production lakes, it must be flat amazing!

I don't post much either, but I am truly fascinated by what Gary is doing. I wish there were more updates with Tecomate. Gary get on TexasBowHunter.com and give updates there

I like the updates now, but I can not wait to hear about the statics that come from this research. I hope that TPW will share, and allow you to share the information gained.

I am interested in knowing how old share lunkers are in other lakes, and how old your 13lb fish are. Are the fish able to live longer, is that due to food, fishing pressure, etc. Lots of information to gain from this, just can't wait to hear it. Maybe one day I will own enough land that first off I can hunt and have food plots, and 2nd build a great pond. Nothing huge, but maybe some tid bits from this lake will help me learn. Maybe introducing a ton of crawfish is better than shad. Maybe crawfish habitat is important on a body of water. I dunno, but I am excited to tell you the least.

Please, please, keep updating us.

Can I sneak in after dark.? Please

Not really an area you wanna be wondering around at after dark....

Once

Gary,
Thanks for your reply. Let me clarify a little. It doesn't matter how you obtain the SAL fry, it is a conflict of interest for a private land owner to use State funded resourses if you are going to eventually charge a fee for someone to fish your lake. Maybe I am wrong in my assumption and I apologize if so, but I cannot imagine you or anyone else investing that much time and money to not eventually try to recoup some of that by charging a fee to fish? If you want to be transparent, then show everyone a copy of the contract. I'm sorry you get offended that people ask questions or demand answers, but I would hope you would do the same when your on the other side of the fence so to speak. If I got upset and quit posting on this forum the first time someone disagreed with me or had a different opinion, I would have been gone a long time ago. This forum is a great place to learn and have discussions.
Again, I hope you are successful with what you are trying to do in growing trophy bass!

Well that's all I ever see you drink!
I got some Sloe Gin for you next time! But it is vintage.

Dr Schwarz

Thank you for taking the time and consideration to update and inform TFF members like myself on your progress with your lake projects. Every time I drive past your gate on 83 my imagination runs wild thinking about those Bass of La Perla that lay just beyond sight. Good luck with everything you are doing and thanks again.

Basically, anybody reading this forum just got a multi-million dollar education for almost free. That in and of itself is worth the price of admission as a Texas Fishing License holder and TFF member.

I was going to mention in many of the um, er...uh, interesting dealings I've been er, privy, to over all these years, there was some "quid pro quo" involved, and the state, TP&WD-if you will, all fishing license holders by extension, usually would get something in return for whatever it was they were um, doing "research" with. This here case goes so far beyond that it is difficult for me to comprehend. All this one man, a Dr. Schwarz, gets is to be part of a very interesting research study. Not one of those 1/4 acre pond or ten gallon fish tank studies, a real life, real lake with real controls and real uncontrollable things as well, scientific study. And not just be a part, as it looks to me he also gets the honor and privilege to pay for the entire kit and caboodle. So, as far as I'm concerned he is owed a debt of gratitude by all those in pursuit of both knowledge and bigger bass. That is how I feel about it as a Texas license holder, as a businessman in the outdoors, and as a biologist. Win, win, win.

Saying all that, the scientific observer in me takes exception to one or two things Dr. Schwarz and his biologist (I know who it is) seem to have learned that is a bit off from my long term observations. Perhaps a topic for further discussion at some other time....

I hope and pray the addiction to TFF takes aholt of Dr. Schwarz like it did me and we get to learn a lot more things like all those above as the project progresses, first hand.

I also do believe, contradictory to some of the above, that LMB can be "trained" to stay and feed (bite a lure) in certain locations, under some circumstances.....once my job depended upon that....

I just want to know why would the La Perla have ever agreed to give up their lake for 15 years if that's what the contract really said. Seems stupid to spend that much money for nothing but a "study" in return. There has to be more to this than any of us know (excluding La Perla & state biologist).

Fishbreeder, obviously bass will stay where they know the food is coming from. There's a teenager on here that feeds them by hand and even has names. He has been doing it for a couple of years.
I would love to fish these lakes and I am happy for Dr. Schwarz. That said, I can't see where TPWD should be involved other than info sharing. Unless this lake will be opened to the public later. Ofcourse, I feel the same about lake x. TPWD could gain some knowledge but lets be honest, what don't they know. The more you feed, the more they grow, besides that, the more cover the merrier. They aren't going to start growing prongs to put in lakes. I am interested to see what the guy can grow and I hope he grows the world record. It would be pretty cool, although really hard.

Well you got your altruism......then again, I try to think both like a biologist and a businessman. Yes, surely there is money involved and potential for profits at some point in such a "scheme." Nothing wrong with that, I also work for money. Land values may increase after 15 years and a lake with a reputation for gigantic specimens not found elsewhere, or indeed, if a world record LMB were produced, they payoff could be huge, you must think like as businessman, not a biologist or fisherman to see it.

A scenario....so the project works beyond anybody's imagination and after 15 years you got a lake with a some sea monsters in it. Call up an old buddy at PRADCO and ask him, "Which bait you wanna push? We can get you a gin-u-wine 20+ bein' caught on film on that bait for 'bout 'um say $half million$....."

I've told the tale of the first scumfrog tv commercial I helped make with Keith Warren a hundred years ago before they were released for sale.

Say a rich old Japanese businessman dreams to catch a 20+ and matters not how much the cost.....I have seen koi sell to the same type dude for that $half million$ why not a 20+ every bit as rare as a top koi?

The commercial opportunities as well as the road to get there are only limited by your knowledge and your imagination. Granted a 15 year planning horizon is kinda long....but stuff likes this takes a long time.

I truly hope they raise the record and that I live to see them (all involved, including TP&WD) cash in big time. If that is what they want.

In a place some may have heard of near West Columbia, where abovementioned tv commercial was filmed, we did find a way to congregate and hold, actively feeding (biting) LMBs where they were especially vulnerable to capture by hook and line.

Oh, and I really like rainbow trout as cheap bass food....

I know those fish at Lakes of Danbury would line up by the dock when the truck came to dump gizzard shad or crawfish. It was a solid hour of bone crushing explosions with giant gizzards flying out of the water like mad. After the melee subsided, one could throw a zara spook and have the time of their life for another hour or two. It was something to experience.