How many SALs do you think were caught on Falcon that were not turned in to the SAL program this year? My guess is a TON!

I would imagine several in gill nets. Not as many as you probably think on the US side.

I would agree with you TexasTech.

me too

I personally know of two that weren't turned in. They were caught by locals that won't turn them in, since they say they want the genes left in Falcon and not having the fry turned loose somewhere else.

I heard of four or five, but I did not see or weigh them.. But the digital handhelds are remarkably accurate.. And I am sure there were a few that I did not hear about.

And I will admit that I am a hater when it comes to sharelunker and Falcon. If you do a little research it is easy to see why.

I encourage everyone to release the big fish on Falcon, and I am talking about any fish over 16". Eat a few little ones if you're hungry..

Lots of folks think that SL is the cause of some of these lakes putting out huge fish. I have a different idea.

Conroe two years ago turned out a batch of sharelunkers. Why? The lake was a little low and all the grass is killed off and these fish saw baits they never saw before.

Choke Canyon last year turned out a batch of sharelunkers. Why? The lake was low, almost all the grass was gone, and thse fish saw baits they never saw before.

This year Ivie turned out a pile of SL's.. Why? The lake is low and these fish saw baits they never saw before.

Not to mention that these lakes have never, ever seen this many fishermen. More man hours of fishing equals more fish caught.

That's my theory.. But it is kinda hard not to notice a pattern there.. Is Ivie the next fork? Maybe.. But I don't think so.

And one thing I want to point out, as I've seen it posted on the forum several times. The TPWD study where they say that SAL ofspring are growing faster than "Wild Fish".. Duh.. Wild fish are not pure Floridas.. TPWD only stocks pure Floridas.. And the SL babies are nothing but pure Floridas in my book. So if you want to do a real study, then test the growth rates of Pure non SL Floridas against SL Babies, and use the exact same methodology on both. And if you can show me a significant difference in growth rates I'll eat your hat.. Or a piece of it anyway..

Just my two cents.. And although we may disagree on the SL issue.. I still respect your opinion..

That's about what I figured James on the numbers. Not some extraordinary number like some may think. 13 lb fish aren't just everywhere under any bush.

+1 James.

Release them back or good chance they are going to die in a tank. Your choice, my opinion.

I understand why Falcon wouldn't want to donate, but I can also understand why TPW wouldn't want to release a bunch of fish that are shared with gill nets in Mexico.

Only time will tell if it can produce past the pressure and meat eaters.

We'll never know Cam, cuz we'll never see many of those fish from Falcon.

Mr. Bendele nailed perfectly the reasons for the rush of SAL's from those respective fisheries. BUT, can they sustain those numbers over a long period of time? Not without the habitat.

Lake Fork has proven sustainability, and it's proximity to the hatchery makes it the logical choice for the most donations. It is an incerdible fishery and the anglers and habitat help keep it that way. Man hours fished per surface acre have contributed greatly , as well.

I have absolutely no doubt that were Falcon to be near Athens, and the anglers were of a like mind, we would have witnessed nubers similar to Fork. Perhaps even greater. Falcon also possess the habitat for sustained recruitment.

But again, we'll never know. I sure as heck don't fault the locals at Falcon for their stance on the matter. I agree with them.

Ivie is low, but is up overall from where it has been for the last 10 years. About 6 years ago, Ivie was much lower than it is now, and you couldn't buy a bite.

I believe the impact of gill nets on the bass population at Falcon, or Amistad, for that matter is minimal. The bigger the bass, the less chances for them to get caught in the nets. Also some of the best bass fishing on both lakes in on the Mexican side and in some of the same areas as the nets.

For the sake of arguement...

Why hasn't Falcon produced a fish greater than 15.12? Completely absent from the top 50 with the largest SAL being 14.44. That record is older than Fork's lake record.

Just as a question, does it have a lot to do with the water levels? Falcon, Amistad and Choke all have significant changes in their water levels? Maybe that has something to do with it?