I think the following things are all combining to make Choke tougher as the years go by:
- Fishing pressure from recent large fish catches for the SAL program. I guess we'll have to see how this effects Falcon and Ivie.
- Proximity to San Antonio...read more fishing pressure. But hey, Fork, Sam Rayburn, and Toledo are close to large metropolitan areas.
- Choke fishes small and in fact is small.
- The TPWD needs to show Choke some love as mentioned above with stocking.

So with all that said, I guess I need to work harder at Choke than I have been.

Perry

I have talked to several people and they all say last year was a lot easier to catch fish than this year has been.

Those 3 lakes, Fork, TBend, Rayburn, suffered major fish kills prior to the new decade.

Those 3 lakes generate more revenue than most other lakes in Texas. One of those lakes see more pressure than Choke Falcon and Amistad.

They could have stocked 10 mil bass fry in Choke in 2000-04 and they would have had no place to hide with that lake so low and no cover. They would have been bait at best. After t2004, according to BassChamps results, Choke is on Fire cause they have killed them at every tournament on Choke.


I for one as a tax payer, don't want any of my money sunk into Falcon or Amistad due to Mexico's gill netting and Mexico doesn't honor their part of the water treaty and release their share of water.

The life history of those three lakes have been so drought stricken, that its goes as mother nature allows it to go, fill them up with water after a decade of new growth and it was like a new lake.

Those lakes fish as mother nature allows them.

But for some great reports, hit fresh water. Father and son killed them on the 27th with pictures.

Do you think the gar, gators and the cormorants have any effect?
There seem to be more of all three on Choke than other lakes.

I agree, kill them all! Just kidding of course, what I would like to see in South Texas is a slot limit. I say that so people will eat more of the small fish instead of eating the 5-10lb bass. Yes, Fork and Rayburn get all the love but so be it, no need to argue about where the state waste our taxpaying dollars! Just look at the great effort that has come out of all the money spent at Fork. Well, I can't think of any, the state record was caught like 20 years ago by a crappie fisherman. They can't even grow a new record there with the strict fishing rules. Now let's see Choke is in the middle of a rundown town, the state won't even fix the current boat docks, they just remove them instead having only 1 20ft long dock and the lake had 4 15lb fish caught in the last year. Which I believe all died on the way to Athens. That doesn't help much!
Falcon, huge bass, lot's of gill nets (legal & illegally), middle of nowhere, draught stricken, holds the B.A.S.S record on weight (I think), and also no state love. All in all the states efforts don't seem to help much.
Choke is tougher this year because that's what lake do, they go in circles. Great a year or two then suck a year or two.