I’ve been upset for years about TPWD killing grass in great fishing lakes. There is one fisheries biologist that just loves growing grass carp. I’m from Athens and they just keep ruining great fishing lakes. Purtis creek, Jacksonville, lake tyler.
Sure the jet skiers and wakeboarders are happy but I really believe us fishermen use the lakes more hours per year, and likely generate more business from fishing. If we don’t voice our opinion the grass killing and additional lakes will be ruined.

Anyone have any ideas how we could stop this? Initially my thought was a huge petition to end or at least slow the production of grass carp. Like I said there is one senior biologist with TPWD that just loves growing them. The other biologists are not in favor of this.
There should at least be a happy medium for fish and skiers, not complete destruction of all vegetation.
Let’s get creative to at least voice the fishing communities opinion.
Looking for suggestions
Thanks

Sell your bass boat and buy a 2 million dollar house on the lake. Then they will listen to you.

Yup it's who lives on the lake that matters, not your little bass boat and truck. Just ask the people on lake Austin. They don't even know what a bass is and if you don't think they have some pull you better think again

Those with the money are the ones who get listened to. Money talks and bass fisherman get their grass taken away.

Not exactly how it works guys. Yes, there are plenty of people that want it gone, but I lived on a local lake here when THE Mad Scientist who like to grow grass carp (Richard Ott-TPWD) basically came in and told the lake association what they would be doing to our lake...later admitting that they added way too many carp per acre and it was an experimental application.

If grass loss is due to home owners - what happened at Fork? None of the home owners there were crying about the grass.

Zero homeowners on Purtis Creek
As biologists, they made a disastrous rookie mistake underestimating the power of introducing a creature into a forage rich environment. Their malpractice included acting aggressively when not knowing the voracity and lifespan of these grass carp.
You ever see the movie Jurassic Park?

Your best hope is the carp-overkill favoring biologists retire or die off without convincing younger staff that its' the way to go. They've been "putting in a few too many" since Conroe, which to this day is a barren mudhole.

Pretty much any lake that has an increase in recreational boaters and houses will be subject to grass removal. You can see it from past history. Conroe, Austin, LBJ, Cypress Springs all come to mind.

My house isn’t 2 mil but I can assure you they won’t listen just because you have a lake home.

put a group together, raise some coin and file a complaint with the court to block them removing any more or introducing grass carp into a lake.

all it would take is one state level judge that fishes to side with us and the fight would be on.

second would be to sue tpwd for mismanagement (remember they are supposed to work for us) and damages/loss of resources (fish) that we pay for with our license fees.

I was living in Houston and fished Conroe quite a bit when the discussion started about introducing triploid (sterile) grass carp into the equation to "control" hydrilla. The Asian carp introduced not only controlled the hydrilla but found other means of survival after their preferred food source was depleted and contine to thrive.

Not to mention that some where along the evolution of this program a decision maker was convinced that establishing a 'few' diploid Asian carp would not be a bad idea. Now there is an exotic species in an environment with a preferred food source that can grow 12 months out of the year AND can now reproduce. Jurassic Park is a great analogy.

If your going to petition something get to work on changing the classification of Hydrilla. Until it’s no longer considered an invasive species the folks wanting the grass gone will continue to win.

Ask anyone that travels the nation fishing and they’ll be the first ones to say that TPWD is the best fisheries management organization in the country. We are both very blessed and very spoiled at the same time.

A rather large petition was obtained for the Conroe debacle, and several meetings. But what hydrilla does on Conroe, I understand the need to control it.

Get involved, I agree hydrilla is considered and exoctic species, i think the main issue right now is salvania, and i'm fairly certain that treatment kills the hydrilla too.