Busy week with the wife going to Nebraska for a few days, so today was my only opportunity to fish in the near future. Had plans to just fish for sunfish today, but ended up going 50/50 with the bass. The 1st hour I hit all my old spots for sunnies...reed beds, tree areas & certain points...no luck. Not sure why they are showing up in fewer & fewer spots, but that's the way it is. Could be the tilapia are crowding them out or the cast netters have screwed up those bedding areas...or maybe some folks are over harvesting...just not sure. Anyway...fished from sun up til 3pm when the heat got almost unbearable. Ended up with 2 bass over 5 lbs. with my 5 best going around 21 lbs. Also had a nice day with my sunfish buddies so really can't complain...

Nothing beats the habit of the thump! Solid post and fish. Good job as always Steve!

Good job Steve. I agree that when we find the sunnies we need to be mindful of over harvesting. The big ones are doing the spawning. If Fayette was not a slot lake for bass, plus the fact for some reason a good part of the bass population is in the slot, the tournament pressure alone would more than likely have an impact. Bass mortality with fish being hauled around in a live well in this heat would be high. So kudos to the bass clubs and others for practicing catch and release. Fayette is a prime example that this practice works.

I saw on two occasions fishing Amistad in the heat what a big tournament can result in a high fish mortality. A lake like Fayette could not handle it in my opinion.

Nice gillz Vogey!

Great day!

A true Texas Combo. Bluegill & Bass! Good job Vogey as always.

Great post Steve as always. I'm having the same trouble with those gills. I happen to think those big bass are scooping them up.

Thanks Yesenia, Scoundrel & the 2 Toms.

Zane...I really don't think the bass have anything to do with the reduced sunfish issue. There have always been lots of good size bass in FCL. Also, the sunfish can defend themselves against predators as they always have. I think it has more to do with overharvesting by the few who just go out to fill up as many ice chests as they can, and the cast netters that have no consideration for what they are doing to the environment they are exploiting...

Your probably right Steve. I have a 3/4-acre tank on my farm that I stocked with bluegil and redear. Fishing in it previously, I caught a few small sunfish and mudcat. I guess some bass got into there from heavy rains. Anyway, I fished it 6 months later and only caught bass.
A&M guy told me that the bass will clean it out and eventually die off due to lack of food.
I suppose a lake the size of Fayette wouldn't have that problem due to it's size and structure protection.

Keep on keeping on Vogey! You caught some good ones!