I think rayburn is the best example of this right now. Fishing on Sam is tough this year even for the best anglers on the lake. Most big tournaments are paying checks for 11 to 13lbs where in years past you would not even touch a check with less than 15lbs. Did the fish die? No I dont think so. I think that bass are changing thier behavior (adapting) due to high angling pressure and changing lake composition. Think about it, there are more people on the water now than every before. I think the fish are just changing thier home ranges due to angling pressure and the changing habitat on most lakes.
Rayburn in the past has had lots of grass and well defined channels. Now there is no grass and a bunch of the channels are silting in. The fish (at least most that I have caught this year) are in areas that in the past held NO fish.

there are lakes all over texas that have increased their records over the past few years. just here in east texas caddo produced a 16 lber, pines put out a 15lb giant, and little lake gilmer spit up a 13lb monster so to say all texas lakes are on a decline is a false statement. lake fork on the other hand is in a slump. one of the contributing factors is the lack of hydrilla and the over all lack of fertility of the lake. I have talked to several people who think the slot limit is the cause of the decline in size,because the average size fish has reached its peak. just like in a pond. when the pond becomes over stocked the fish become stunted so they dont outgrow the forage base and eat themselves out of food. Due to low mortality rates Fork bass may be entering a stunted phase in their development due to the mass of mid sized bass in the 8 to 12 lb. range. I know people are going to argue that if it were over stocked everyone would be catching 10 lbers. Just because you are not catching them doesn't mean they are not there. Most fishermen would be shocked at how many bass watch your bait go through the water and ignore it. Just a thought at what could cause the decline.

One other question I have had about Fork is are they pumping it now? I live almost on Cooper Lake and it has almost no bass population because it stays so low. The green fish's habitat is high and dry 90% of the time and the water level fluctuates so much I don't see how they could ever spawn. I can remember a time when I thought Cooper was going to give Fork a run for its money because in its early days I could catch some really good bass out of it and it produced some double digit fish as well, but DFW seems to have litterally sucked all the life out of that idea. If you are into catfish, sandies, and stripers Cooper is your Huckleberry.......

Lol. So,then,you think those 12 pounders are stunted,are they??

No FZ its got to be inbreeding....

they are stunted compared to the 16 and 17 lbers of the past when the slot was 14 to 21 and you could keep 3 fish. the lake has got big fish in it and lots of them. its the massive number of bass in the lake that is causing the decline of the true giants of the past.

"A man's got to know his Limitations". It is unknown why the size has dropped:That is all that is known,regarding this matter.

Yep,that was FZ1's,initial,thought.

Imo, the world record bass is now swimming in TX and another is in CA. Maybe a couple freaks in other states. These are deep, probably "fraidy-cat" bass that most bassin' folks don't ever fish for. Many record fish are caught deep by oddball baits -- meaning people are fishing for other species. One'll be caught at some point....

Well,it's been about 20 years,since,the state record,so,uh,when do you think it might be showing up?

Bass Johnson, I never said she had never hit an artificial. I said she was caught on a minnow and no way to know if she had or would ever had hit an artificial. Point I was making was that our record was caught on LIVE bait and most bass fishermen throw artificial. So if there were one or two records in Toledo bend or any other fairly large lake, what would be the odds of setting the hook on her? Especially since most bass fishermen don't fish 20 ft plus. That was my point.

This gets back to what I was say about watching 3 Louisana state record fish feed in an aquarium, I think you'd have to fish slow, deep, and deliberate and by slow fishing vertically like a crappie fisherman and just letting the bait hang in front of your prospective target for 30 minutes to an hour or longer and yes you are going to need some really good electronics to find this old girl.......my two cents.......

I think it is simple why there are no records being broke.

1. More fishermen
2. Better Equipment, Rods, Reels, Lures, Boats and of Course, eletronics,

Think about it, with the above in place. More fish are being caught. More are being removed for consumption and more die from stress related incidents due to so many Tournaments and Fishermen. What could not be fished very effictivly 15 years ago now can be fished with in inches with the correct eltronics in place. Maybe in the past the deep haunts a fish could not be a target like he is today and thus be caught on a Crappie brushpile at 30'. Not saying that there is not one of these incredible fish swimming around, who knows but it just seems like chances are they are not there as we shrink the water with the equipment used and the knowledge of the Angler today.

so any chance of fork ever returning to its old glory days of producing real monsters or are they gone forever?

I tend to agree that lakes go through peak fertility cycles especially If you follow the food chain all the way down to plankton and other tiny organisms. On a freshly flooded resevior these little organisms thrive on decaying vegetation and timber. Once that timber loses it's value to small forage as the lake ages their numbers decline which in turn effects the entire food chain. Vegetation becomes the new home to these little organisms and we all know how the vegetation health and growth can vary year to year in our lakes leaving an unstable environment for bass.

Sure post drought might bring some new life in a lake but giant bass need a stable haunt where they can hang and get fat year after year, a few years of stability just isn't going to cut it.

I would say lake Belton is a good example, no vegetation and loads of old worthless timber. There's no fertile haunts for forage and lots of competition so the bass are always on the move hunting shad. Not going to find many fat lasy bass in that lake!