TP&W ELECTROFISHING AND VEGETATION DATA SHOWING DECLINE IN BASS=>16" AND THE DOMINANT GRASS, MARINE NAIAD. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE FAYETTE LAKE!

https://www.change.org/SaveLakeFayette

Rampant

Spelling matters. Misspelling hurts you when trying to persuade.

Most godawful graphic I’ve ever seen.

I don't think the name of that body of water is "Lake Fayette" either.

Nothing can save a lake that gets the amount of rapage that lake gets......

CARDIAC -- Just thought I would add that I signed the Petition after your first post about this topic earlier this month. I agree fully that cast netters throwing nets and tromping though bass beds is extremely harmful to bass spawn and grass beds. This activity should be excluded during the bass spawn at the very least. On the other hand netting tilapia in areas where it is not harmful would likely be good for the lake.

My first comment in this thread was positive criticism. Wanted to make that clear. Good luck with this project.

dxr

What’s odd to me is that 2 years old ago they raised the keeper size 2” allowing keepers to now be under 16” from only under 14”. Reasoning was a more healthy population of 14-16” fish.

Maybe an over abundance of fish in that size.

I sure hope we don't go the way of regulations where we cannot cast net during the spawn. that's a path this state should never go on, and could lead to other regulations.

So in the last 10 years do we think the lake is fishing tougher then it was?

Believe me I hate the cast netter's, heck I know they throw there nets overboard for some reason, maybe they are illegal nets. Got 3 in my garage all from Fayette. And they don't care about coming in and throwing around you.

If you go read the TP&W survey, it gives a whole different story. I don't know where the chart above came from but it ain't very accurate.

sorry but that's simply not true. I've been fishing Fayette since I was 20. I'm 58 now. The decline in the vegetation isn't directly due to cast netters as hydrilla all but disappeared a few years ago. Hydrilla USED to be the main source of cover in water up to 8ft deep. The cast netters HAVE destroyed many of the spawning beds year after year and ARE taking fish illegally, along with the tilapia. (still not sure whose bright idea it was to introduce an invasive species like tilapia into that lake) Bass also have to compete with carp and tilapia for spawning areas too when years ago, it was just competition with carp...and the carp tend to spawn later. Guides are still putting clients on 50+ fish for a half a day trip. You'll not find that in most lakes in TX. I DO wish TPWD would stop the cast netting, especially during the spawn.

Anecdotal information is rarely used in making management decisions simply because it's unsubstantiated. However, according to the TPWD report on Fayette, whatever damage has been done to bass spawning beds has not yet been shown to be affecting the number of young being produced. Good to hear the guides are still putting clients on 50+ fish for a half day trip. Sounds like there's still some business for the guides despite the cast netters. The cast netters and any others should be reported when any illegal activity is taking place.

To @#$% with "regulate." Stop cast netting, period!

Thank you now go sign the petition