Curious if you guys feel like you are catching the same quality fish (bass 4+#s) at Fayette? We are catching good numbers of bass on most of our trips, but mainly 2#s and under. The 3,4 and 5# bass are much more inconsistent. We fish from the bank out to 20+ feet of water and mix up bait selection.

Fished Fayette 22 times last year. We averaged 27.2 bass/trip with 13.8 bass per person per trip (# of fishermen varied per trip). Summer trips crushed our average and we missed some opportunities in March and April for bigger fish.

Shock surveys continue to reveal a healthy lake as far as numbers go.

Too many fish, too few shad and other baitfish. There are some bigger bass in Fayette. My last trip out I caught 23 over 3 pounds with several 4 and 5. You just have to find them, I got lucky and found them in one spot. A guide I know there catches a LOT of 5 to 7 pound fish. He is an expert with his electronics.

The surveys actually show a lake that is extremally out of balance. And the biologist will tell you that also. Catch and release has worked too well.

Fayette is where I end up. A seven lb fish has been considered a big fish since I can remember when I started fishing there in 2003. I hired Bill Spear who guided on that lake for quite a few years prior to me going with him and I remember him telling me then (2003) that he thought there was double digit fish there but very very few. I like fishing Conroe which does have double digit fish but the tolls from Katy towing a boat adds another $20 to the trip. So I go to Fayette and enjoy catching fish and not worried about how big they are.

The 2019 TPWD survey of Fayette County shows a healthy bass population.

Here are the highlights:


" Historically, this reservoir has been characterized by a high-density Largemouth
Bass population relative to other bass populations in central Texas reservoirs (Farooqi and De Jesus
2016). In 2019, the total catch rate of Largemouth Bass was 106.0/h, which was lower than that recorded
in 2017 (227.3/h) and 2015 (208.7/h; Figure 5). In 2019, the catch rate of Largemouth Bass greater than
16 inches (14.0/h) was lower than that obtained in 2017 (45.9/h) and 2015 (38.0/h). However, during the
last six surveys, no fish above the upper slot length limit (24 inches) have been caught. Population size structure was good;
PSD was 62, which was within the range expected for a balanced population (Gabelhouse 1984). Larger
fish were also present (PSD-P = 40, PSD-M = 4) and their size distribution was within the preferred range
(Gabelhouse 1984). Florida Largemouth Bass influence in this reservoir has remained high during the last
four assessments even though the reservoir was last stocked with Florida Largemouth Bass in 1994. In
2019, 94% of the sample contained Florida Largemouth Bass alleles and 40% were pure Florida
Largemouth Bass (Table 8).

Juvenile bass CPUE was highest in 2006 (109/h) and lowest in 2009 (17/h). The last three surveys
have shown the highest production of juvenile bass since 2006. Based on this data, there does not seem
to be an issue with juvenile bass production at Fayette County Reservoir. Also, based on Wr, most stocksize fish have been in good to
excellent condition from 2005 to 2019 (Appendix F). Thus, the available
data shows no deterioration in juvenile bass production and no decline in the condition (Wr) of the
population (≥ 8 inches) during the study period, beyond what could be explained due to natural variation.
While the total CPUE in 2019 (106.0/h) was lower than in 2017 (227.3/h) and 2015 (208.7/h), it is
comparable to the data from 2013 (108.7/h) and 2009 (88.7/h), showing that such wide fluctuations in
abundance do occur at this reservoir and that the population can rebound, as occurred post 2013 and
2009."

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/lake_survey/pwd_rp_t3200_1292_2019.pdf

I was on several of those surveys the last few years, I missed the one in 2021, but they sent me the results. They had the highest overall catch rate they've experienced at Fayette. And there was definitely an abundance of young of year bass as juveniles. I've never heard them say it is out of balance or any concern related to baitfish/forage. I do know they are monitoring the amount of small bass.

I've seen the photos of the big bass being caught so they are in there, I'm just not catching them as consistently as I once did.

Sure there are lots of young bass, but there are no crappie of any age, catfish are rare. And bass do not a balanced lake make.

"Sure there are lots of young bass, but there are no crappie of any age, catfish are rare. And bass do not a balanced lake make."
You sure are hard to please.
First: Fayette is one of the best bass lakes in the state. How about being thankful for what TPWD has done so far for this lake.
Second: Stocking programs and harvest regulations can only do so much for a lake. Mother Nature plays a huge factor in what makes, in your mind, a "balanced lake".
I suggest you make the effort to educate yourself about the fishery in Fayette County by talking to the TPWD biologist in San Marcos.

The TPWD did a survey in 2021 as a result of a petition they received asking them to not allow cast netting during the spawning season. They have not formally published the results of the study which included fish shocking, creel surveys, and cast netting surveys. In talking to the lead biologist for the lake, he said their initial assessment of the data showed that the bass population, including bass numbers in the slot limit weren't being impacted and indicated a healthy population. They also recently restocked the lake with catfish and bluegill. If you are looking for an occasional 7lb + bass or the chance for a double digit fish, I don't think Fayette is the place to go. Now when the power plant shuts down as they are thinking in less than 10 years, the lake will definitely change. The tilapia will be gone and good vegetation will return. Maybe the bass dynamics will change so that larger bass will evolve.

The info from TPWD was exactly what I expected. There is a strong population of bass. They have plenty to feed on with the shad, bluegill and tilapia populations being excellent. I believe the main problem with the bass size issue is the heavy amount of fishing pressure for such a small lake. There is a reason the Pelicans return every winter...lots of stuff to eat...

This string of emails confirms a few things for me, but the most impacting is the fact that I am basically not a very good fisherman. I live 24 miles from Oak Thicket Park. I've fished Fayette probably 10 times in the last 18 months. Some out of my kayak and some with a friend in his bass boat. I caught one 7 lb 6 oz bass and my friend caught an 8 pounder using a black saltie. Other than those two, neither of us has boated a bass over three pounds. The most fish I've caught in one outing was 13 from my kayak. Compared with the results of some of you above, this is beyond "pathetic".

Now, my friend and I are trying to focus on really knowing how to use our electronics. I think that is one of our biggest problems. These modern fishfinders are awesome, but they are not "plug and play". We're learning that the hard way!

Last Tuesday it was a really nice day. No wind, warm and some overcast. We fished five hours and boated three little bass. My friend did lose about a 4 pounder. All of the fish were caught on Carolina rigs between 12:00 and 12:30. We found some "spots" that looked like they had lots of fish suspended on them, but we could not get a bite.

But we were fishing! And had fun! Working hard to have a little more "fun" by actually catching some bass.

The current published survey address the cast netters.

I have. You keep referring back to bass. A balanced lake is not a one species lake. If it is such a good bass lake, why are people complaining about "small" bass and no double digit bass? Why is a lake managed for trophy bass never produced a share a lunker? Again, bass do not make a balanced lake.

Look at the title of this thread.

The long-term status of the Largemouth Bass population in this reservoir was identified as a concern by
local Largemouth Bass anglers due to the prevalence and mode of operation of cast netters targeting
tilapia. The cast netters work in teams, wading the shoreline to concentrate the fish and then use their
cast nets. The bass anglers contend the trampling of vegetation and Largemouth Bass spawning beds is
having a significant effect on the Largemouth Bass population. As can be seen from Appendix E,
vegetative cover has been quite variable since 2007. The highest coverage was in 2007 (241 acres), but
after 2009, total coverage declined to a low of 25 acres in 2016 and then rebounded somewhat from 2017
to 2019. The percentage coverage was a maximum of 10% in 2007 and a minimum of 1% in 2016. After
2009, percentage coverage has been consistent, averaging about 3%.

The preferred level of aquatic vegetation for productive fisheries is considered to be 20-30 % of the
reservoir acreage (Durocher et al. 1984, Dibble et al. 1996). In 2007, when vegetative coverage was at its
highest in Fayette County Reservoir, it was at least 10% lower than preferred. There are a lot of natural
factors that affect vegetation coverage making it difficult to know what impact was made by cast netters
wading in the water. It is also difficult to ascertain whether these variations in vegetative coverage could
account for a discernable change in bass population dynamics and whether wading could directly impact
the production of young-of-the-year Largemouth Bass. If there was a problem with juvenile bass
production (fish < 8 inches) we would expect to see low and/or declining numbers of juvenile bass, which
does not appear to be the case from an examination of electrofishing length-frequency data collected
from 2005 to 2019 (Appendix F). In addition, Appendix G shows the CPUE of juvenile bass from 2005 to
2019. Juvenile bass CPUE was highest in 2006 (109/h) and lowest in 2009 (17/h). The last three surveys
have shown the highest production of juvenile bass since 2006. Based on this data, there does not seem
to be an issue with juvenile bass production at Fayette County Reservoir. Also, based on Wr, most stocksize fish have been in good to excellent condition from 2005 to 2019 (Appendix F). Thus, the available
data shows no deterioration in juvenile bass production and no decline in the condition (Wr) of the
population (≥ 8 inches) during the study period, beyond what could be explained due to natural variation.
While the total CPUE in 2019 (106.0/h) was lower than in 2017 (227.3/h) and 2015 (208.7/h), it is
comparable to the data from 2013 (108.7/h) and 2009 (88.7/h), showing that such wide fluctuations in
abundance do occur at this reservoir and that the population can rebound, as occurred post 2013 and
2009.

Thanks for posting it. I did not see it. When I went on the site it only showed the 2019 survey and I did not see the mention of the petition and their response. The biologist last year did tell me based on their information that they collected that they were going to deny the petition. I told him it is going to be hard to convince people that a lake that has such low vegetation could not be improved if you kept netters out of it. He somewhat agreed with me but the only way cast netters are going stopped is when they shut the power plant down and the tilapia all die off.

Keep in mind when TPWD does a shocking survey it is only effective in about 6 foot of water or less. They run a boat with a giant generator running on it to supply the juice which makes a ton of noise. I've personally participated in a shocking survey with a private biologist. Depending on time of year when they do their surveys, most of the bass will NOT be that shallow and the numbers may be incorrect in regards to population and sizes.