I still just have a real hard time understanding why people gripe about lakes. I guess we are just spoiled here in Texas, but if I catch 5 fish in a bath tub, I'm happy. Why do you have to catch 30 pounds a day to consider a lake good? So it isn't what it was, big deal. The results still pay the same. Learn how to the play the game at hard, or stay home, it's that simple.

You make very good points and all true. I do question the creel survey accuracy but wont argue it. But, In all these years that you lived on the lake, did you ever see this many guides. This many new businesses, all depending on the fish? Do you ever remember this many tournaments. When the fishing gets tough the area always loses the tourism. All those new businesses close or change drastically. It wont affect me If I cant catch a bass. I'll go catfishing or just get out and enjoy the sunset..But it will affect the local economy and I just wonder does it really have to be this way? Couldnt we manage it better?

If we really believe that there are just as many fish in the lake. Including big fish. And that the fish are now just smarter. Then we should question the wisdom of " catch and release" I dont believe they are smarter, there just isnt as many.
I think the park could do the following things.
Limit tournaments to 100 boats.
encourage 3 fish limits, especially after March.
Ask the tournament directors to increase dead fish penalties.
The Tpwd could institue a slot on the lake and waive that slot for Tournaments.. As long as you plan to release the fish later.
This way the meat fisherman would only take the small ones and we could still draw the tournaments.
Get rid of the death chute.

That is so much BS tillas, have your cake and eat it too!!!! Now that the word is out and people are vested and investing in the potential rewards of that beautiful blue lake you want to make changes because people are having trouble catching 30# stringers in a post spawn/summer pattern on a deep clear lake.
Remember what drove property values up and is driving the boom in that area, be careful what you wish for. It sounds like all the "biologists" that are posting on this topic can not come up with a concensus on what is going on and if you dont know what is going on you can only shoot in the dark about what to do about it.
I agree with pushing for as much live release as possible but remember when they were begging for people to take the small fish out of Fork. There is a balance between harvesting the different species of fish on the lake and TPWD seems to have a pretty good handle on the state fisheries. Just look how great things are throughout Texas and remember what the tournaments bring to your community.

Well, the weigh-in went well. The air was pretty thick for a little while, but everything went smoothly. Final tally : 67 fish fizzed that wouldn't stay down ; right at 400 that had to be dropped by the cage due to decompression illness ; 69 dead ; and the rest released like normal. Will be doing the final release tomorrow. Things are looking up, I hope.

carl ,glad you were there I wish the flw would have something at the pairing meeting about fizzing fish .something like the permian does.

Final release went ok. I wasn't real happy with all the foam on top of the water(blocks oxygen transfer), but I was allowed to fizz every fish that was in harms way. No basket used, just fizz and release. Saw lots of fish with major color changes. Quite a few had the slime coat burned off of them. I hope they make it. When they opened the tank, the fish were moved to another with fresh water in it to fizz them. About 25 happy customers went back to swim again. Released them out by the buoy in deep water. Don't know how many were deceased this time, but saw several come across the stage. I sent (email) a letter through the media organizer to Mr. Evans about this event. We will see if he even gets it. 72-75 degree water temps. and the mortality that was presented just don't add up, post spawn or not. I am actually happy the fish were scattered because of the high water. Quite frankly I don't care who gets mad about this one. Full steam ahead. The organization can get mad at me all they want. They have no idea the media storm (I had tv stations from two major cities calling me wanting to send crews here to film a reported fish kill) that I stopped from coming out here. I am not the enemy, this is not FLW vs. B.A.S.S. or none of that horsesh%!, purely fish care, which is what I put in my letter to Mr. Evans. Changes need to be made. We will see. See ya'll on the water. Regards.

way to go carl, kudos to you for your efforts, lets hope they manage to keep most of them alive. We need more people like you around to keep the fishery going.

Thanks for the compliments fellas. Wasn't looking for them, but I do try. Oh, and one more thing before I go on parking lot patrol. You boys in the college tournament. Please, Please, Please talk to your fellow anglers and have everybody put more water in their bags if they are going to drive you up to the weigh-in in a pickup vs. trailering your boat with the livewell going. Oxygen demand would be helped so much more with more water. Maybe get a frabill aereation battery operated pump for your weigh bag. That is what I do. On a side note, congrats on you kids kicking some tail today. Some very nice fish were caught in your tournament ! You boys keep it up !

Carl, thanks for being pro-active about this. Maybe it's time to increase the dead fish penalty on some of the bigger trails. It really doesn't take that long to fizz a fish once you get the hang of it.

Here is some data to support Carl's Concerns. Tournament anglers and directors need to give this some serious thought when considering the flow of their weigh-in process.

Thanks Carl, and I agree with you 100%. Maybe a game warden should be present at the weigh-ins.

Thanks for the chart Tim. Micro, unfortunetly that form that everyone signs giving their fish to the organization kind of impedes anything. Only thing they can really harp on is the floaters etc.... Don't get me wrong, mortality happens even with just messing around fun fishing, but every tournament director should strive to acquire the best knowledge they can (not just what sponsor dollars and products tell them) about appropriate measures to keep the #'s of mortality as low as possible. Be a win/win for everyone if science was applied versus money talks/bs walks type of theories. The knowledge is there for people intelligent enough to apply it, which isn't very hard at all. And while speaking of products, all fish care products should be independently studied as to their effectiveness, one way or the other, before being used on our little green friends. Not what the manufacturer says, but with someone who has no dog in the fight to study and analyze everything. Goes for any product IMO. But, still there is very few , if any done that way. I applaud those who have for having the where with all to do it.

mu=ight be


Nomotortillas I have to jump in on one little thing I can almost agree on your points except the (death chute).

For those of you that have not been to Amistad we have a Big PVC pipe that has lake water circulated through the tube running from the weigh-in site down the hill to the lake. Its like a water slide at a water park. its about 50-60ft long. the fish are put in tanks at the weigh-in site that has Catch and Release formula in it so they can be fizzed and they are sent down the tube back to the lake, so they are not held in tanks for lond periods of time before they are released.

I have been working the tournament weigh-ins at Amistad for the last 12 years and probably (Fizzed) and released more fish that most can imagine and I can say this. I have never seen the fish tube kill any fish, it has aided in the quick release of tournament fish and done a great job. But I have seen this:

Fishermen bring fish to the weigh-in with no water in the bag and stand in line for 15-20 min. Then put their fish down the tube and try to blame it on the tube when the fish dies.


Fishermen that did not bleed the fish when they caught it and left them in the livewell for 6-8 hours upsidedown until there was no chance for the fish to recover. Then put their fish down the tube and try to blame it on the tube when the fish dies.

Fishermen putting dead fish or fish that were not bleed down the Tube and try to blame it on the tube when the fish dies.

The Tube does not kill fish, Fishermen kill fish!!!! its just that simple, like it or not.

I think you should rename the tube to the Life chute and put the blame where it belongs on those fishermen that don't take care of their fish and refuse to learn how to Fizz their fish.

those weigh in bags that they give use at the college FLW tournaments are stupid! they barely hold your fish (mesh top and about 8 inches of water.)and obviously designed by someone who doesnt fish.