Grass carp have been in Austin since 2003, since then we've had about 15 ShareLunkers out of Austin and I don't think anybody complained about a lack of hydrilla during that time. That would indicate hydrilla was being managed carfully in Austin during that period. The problem happened during the drought of 2011. Water flow through the lake was minimal and the conditions became very suitable for hydrilla, which expanded to worrying levels very quickly. In the past, LCRA water intake structures were partially blocked and homes were flooded due to excessive hydrilla build up causing water levels to rise further during a flood. If there was a flood after the drought ended there could have been serious problems. In my opinion, it was only the last couple of stockings of grass carp that tipped the balance resulting in the elimination of hydrilla and milfoil.

With hardly any plant material to eat, the natural mortality rate of grass carp can be expected to be higher than usual. We've also had a couple of big floods that have washed out many grass carp into LBL and the Colorado River. In my opinion, Austin could start recovering vegetation within 10 years. Only time will tell. Instead of the trout/bass feeding strategy, TPWD went for the genetics route to produce bigger fish. However, if some anglers are prepared to pay for stocking trout in Austin, maybe TPWD would be interested.