1thing that is much better today is the quality ( weight wise),until 1988 you didn't give a lot of thought to catching 10lb+ fish in east Tx.lakes. Prior to then big bass in most tournaments were between 4 & 6lbs. Occasionally someone would stumble on a7 or 8. But in the early - mid 70s a5-8 lb fish got you about the same noteriety that a8-11 gets today.In the mid 80s there were several tournaments that were guaranteeing a fully rigged boat for the first fish over 12 lbs. But in Sept.86 out of the deep grass the multiple7-9 lb.ers. started showing up. The 12 lb. boat deal disappeared forever. These comments about 86 and after are about Sam Rayburn, They stocked Rayburn with Floridas, in a nursery cove in the 70s.I guess it just took a certain amount of time But Rayburn got revived in 86 like turning on a light switch. And it goy better and better every year until the fish kill in 98. There was also walleye stocked in Rayburn in the 70s.I only ever heard of 1 being caught. Hard to believe none survived.

1966 a 3 year old ME sat on a dock on Lake Caterine in Hot Springs AR, I stared at a bobber until it was time to come into the house. It was the only time my parents had ever seen me sitting still for any length of time. Mid 70's, Barlow's Tackle opens up with rod building supplies and a worm bar. Built me a super high sensitivity fiberglass Shakespeare rod and added the new to me and grandmother bought Garcia 5500C, I was the bomb. The worm bar was at least the size of a football field and had every color and style of worm possible and it did'nt matter what color it was as long as it was black. I waded the old 66 bridge on Ray Hubbard, fished the bridges rip rap on the upper end of Lavon and times were good. At some point the prices changed and it was in the form of the Shimano Calcutta a game changer in the baitcaster world. Smoooooth never had so many "o's". The fish were as dumb as I was but we made good friends and it is a sport that carries me thru most of days. I will take today as my favorite day to fish and I have felt that way everyday for the last 50ish years.

My old fishing buddy Mike called me out of the blue last night. We laughed about the old 7hp Sea King from Monkey Ward's. He said it always got us out there but never got us back. He was right. But we loved fishing Caddo and learned how to clean Hydrilla out of the water intake holes. We both graduated and went to USN Boot in '69.

I remember when we saw our first Skeeter flying across Caddo. It will always be the fastest, most beautiful Bass Boat I ever saw.

I remember easy limits of bass even on terrible post frontal days when we were fishing for the native Northerns. Once those finicky Florida's took over, it turned into a whole nother ballgame. But you're spot on about the quality. Prior to the Floridas going into the power plant lakes like Monticello and Fairfield in the early 70's, my biggest bass was a 5-12 from Livingston.

Growing up in West Texas i enjoyed it more. Looking for ponds and tanks and being able to fish them. Lots of fun. The people that raised me for a few yr=ears got me involved.

IMHO bass fishing tournaments were more fun in the 80's and 90's. Modern technology has removed a bunch of the skill from fishing. Nowadays, anyone with a $65,000 boat with electronics to pinpoint where the fish are can catch a good limit. And it has become a sport where you have to have all that to compete seriously nowadays. It is sad statement about the instant gratification society we live in today. There is no more studying lake maos for contours and putting time in on the water. You can see any lake now on Google Earth at different times of the year to find vegetation and underwater structure.

I miss the days of guys with flash graphs just going out and fishing and seeing what happens based off instincts.

There is less skill involved now more than ever. Most pros don't even pre-fish anymore. They have evolved into driving around all day looking for stuff on their $10,000 worth of electronics and marking waypoints. They then make a long series of miljruns to fish what they found after three days of driving around showing them exactly what lies beneath.

Pandora's box has been openenes and there is no going back to the simple times. Money and instant gratification has driven it to this point.

Oh, I imagine my current fishing partner could raise some eyebrows. How many can remember leaving the Texas side of Toledo Bend headed for Many, La and can't see the Louisana side for all the standing timber. How about running the pipeline in the Jungle on Livingston. Catching a 11-2 on the Big O and the marina staff didn't even want a picture. Earl Golding starting the Texas State Tournament. Joe McDaniels forming the MBAA, now ABA. Winning an open Bass Tournament with 13oz bass because it was the only bass caught. Caught it on a small white spinner bait, on the 5th cast trying to hit a duck. Could go on and on but maybe later.

I would have said �back then,� except for Private Water Fishing. With PWF, definitely now.

I started fishing in the late 60's and really got into it in the 70's as a teenager.12' v hull 7 1/2 hp Johnson and a sears 2 speed trolling motor.Purple yellow tail worms,red ambassador 5000 that I was so proud of,Every fish got cleaned.I still love to fish,I like competition so I do fish tournments,I have instilled both in my son.The biggest difference I see today are the folks that get into it because it's the "cool thing to do"buy the biggest and baddest boat with all the bells and whistles and never learn to appreciate the sport,learn manners or good sportsmanship,there are some good ones out there, mabey I'm just an old fart that just doesn't understand the younger generation.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMOkkcQIDRcdm-f4al4iCcA

Any of you gentlemen remember this guy, Don Dickson. He came to Dallas multiple times but he once loaded the boat at lake Arlington with a sports writer in the boat who then wrote a big article in one of the papers. One of the videos he tells the story. He is a true buck Perry disciple and actually worked for buck for a few decades. His new videos talk about fact based, simple fishing and very curious to hear everyone�s opinion. Just curious if anyone ever caught 37 legal largemouth bass in consecutive casts? Apparently it has been done.

I started fishing for bass with my uncle in the late 40s and he said if I had an A average in school he would get me a fiberglass rod. Never did work that hard in school but I got the rod. He was a river fisherman so that was about all I got to do since my dad didn't fish. Then we started fishing the TVA lakes. Around 1959 I got into driving race cars and the fishing kind of took a back seat until I got busted up in a super modified in 64. When I got out of the hospital I started doing some fishing again and bought my first bass boat a Stury boat and trailer cost $650. Sure was different than prices now I don't remember what the Lowrance Little Green Box cost buy I still have it. Fenwick rods and Lews Speed Sticks were the rods. Sure was different in the old days and I think we caught as many bass.

high fence

Anything is better before it becomes a business I think...