Look up "the Googan Squad" or Jon B.

That's your answer

On the lakes I frequent fluctuating water levels are the biggest factor. Cant ever keep water in the cover to let the lakes rebound.

So much so that I am leaning towards selling my boat and a lot of my tackle. Too crowded, too much work and honestly I enjoy golf more on the pretty days.

I will buy another boat, when we move to southern Louisiana after I retire in a few years.


I am thankful I was alive and was the age that I was blessed to enjoy Fork and many other lakes in our area during their heydays...

I'd say fishing is better than ever most days, most places.
I try to always remember the bad days with a touch of humility.

If you think Louisiana fishes better than Texas spend some time on the Red or Sabine. I�ve never seen more beautiful water that doesn�t have a fish one in it.

The lakes that I have seen take major declines over the last 10 to 15 years was mostly caused by TPWD's efforts to eradicate hydrilla. This eradication has resulting in the loss of all or most vegetation in the lakes for years. Examples: Conroe, Jacksonville, Tyler, etc....

There are many other places to fish other than the Red and Sabine rivers

Bingo. Spot on.

Fall and prespawn is about the only time I like to go

High school fishing

Ray Roberts is a good definition of not what it was.

Fishing pressure. I just got back from a fishing trip in a very remote part of the country. I fished water that rarely ever sees humans. You casted towards a fishy looking spot. You caught a fish. 4-5 lb pre-spawn smallmouth by the hundreds. Most fun I've had in a long time. The whole country fished this way before... humans. Same amount of water and the population just keeps going up and up. It's pretty straightforward math. We've added 100 million people since 1980.

Agree on the fishing pressure and think it comes in a number of ways.

Number of people fishing tournaments and pleasure. High school and College teams practice as well as fish the tournaments and as their success is advertised it creates more interest.

Lumping improved graphs, Spot Lock and Talons/Power Poles into one category means fish that use to be able to hide are now easier to find and stay on.

Aging reservoirs are losing structure and cover. One thing that Table Rock Lake did, that was revealed in the MLF tournaments there, was the rebuilding of the structure that had been lost.

Knowledge available via videos,etc. makes for more informed fishermen and women. We can learn in weeks what used to take years.

#1 reason right here. All the internet pros.