I hate to tell u boss but Texas ain't the southeast and fork ain't the best lake in Texas anymore prolly toledo

Well, Boss, maybe Texas ain't the southeast, but put up the credentials that Toledo is the best TROPHY lake in Texas.
Let's keep it to the history of producing fish over 13 lbs.

Well I'm talking present day not the 80's rite now it's better than fork fact. I love to fish fork to but it just won't never be what it once was just think if state stocked every lake like they do fork we would have numerous lakes with potential for trophy fish

would love to hear what a tournament director would say or rule on this situation.
I know there is one on this forum or is reading this thread.

Since Fork donated the first sharelunker in 1986, an avalanche of Sharelunkers have been produced by over 40 lakes in Texas.
Fork has 250+.
What is the next highest producer?
Why does anybody NOT want to allow Fork to recover from the blows that NATURE has dealt it?
Why isn't everybody on board to take measures to allow Fork to rebound?

Ok I am curious, have the wheels been set into motion to get her back on the road to recovery?

Is there an organization that has been formed to try and get the state on board with a plan to try and fix the issues.

I am with you 100% on the lake's population is significantly down from just 3-4 years ago. You do not catch the numbers of 3-4 pound fish like you used to on a regular basis.

What is the next step and is anything being done to try and get the lake back to what she once was??

Even though you posted a personal attack on me, I'll respond.
Yes, the wheels have been set in motion.
I seriously doubt that a successful plan will come about, due to the fact that the TPWD toolbox is only so big, but there is conversation.
Sometimes, we as sportspeople have to simply change our mindset, without being forced to do so by regulations.

I was about to go after a fried baloney sandwich but decided not to in fear of being improperly handled without my body weight supported and ending up with a broken jaw.

After reading the last few fork threads, i think the sun from all those days on fork has fried someone's brain cells.

I gotta go with Clay. It's an altered fish.

I appreciate your passion for Fork but are you implying we should just stop fishing Fork period? I don't have any stats to back this up but even if there werent the big tourneys out there like Sealys, Champs, etc, I would venture to guess Fork would still lead the pack in fishing pressure vs other Texas lakes.... Catching a bass is catching a bass tourney or not ain't it?

By typical rule, do you mean you it is verbatim from the rules of a tournament?

If so, based on the OP, how would the rule still apply? I think someone would have a great case if an overzealous TD (or warden, for that matter) decided to enforce the rule you provided above and the tail was clearly healed over and an old wound.

"May in no way be altered to gain an advantage in this tournament..." "Such acts..."

The person in this scenario did not commit any act to gain an advantage in that tournament. How can you disqualify the person who cut the tail if he isn't fishing the tournament or trying to weigh in the fish? There is no way to prove the alteration was done to gain an advantage in that specific tournament. Might want to tighten up that language up if it is verbatim from tournament rules and you plan on enforcing this hypothetical scenario.

That was from Champs verbatim. I am not a TD, so I don't have to enforce, I just pulled that one as an example. My logic goes, once the fish was altered to gain an advantage it is always altered (an extension of "fruit of the poisonous tree"). That is the logic I would use, and why I couldn't in good conscience weigh said fish.

I'm the one that caught this fish. It was so obvious that it was cut to me, I asked my wife did she see anything wrong with this fish and she didn't see it till I pointed it out. I have pictures of it and it is old scar tissue but it would be a 3 3/4 pound bass in a tourney.

Fair enough. I can see not weighing it if you caught it and I respect that, I just don't think it should be a DQ or considered breaking a law, but neither of us have to make that call, as we are not tournament directors.

Agree to disagree.