The only way to get them all out is Gill Nets. Once upon a time it was a good lake but any lake suffers when you kill the hydrilla out. Falcon does so well because it has had very little fishing pressure the last few years and huge pounds per acre. I remember when there was Hydrilla in a bunch of lakes and pressure from land owners persuaded TPWD to eliminate it through spraying or grass carp. Cypress Springs, Cedar Creek, Athens, Palastine and even Tawakoni had a bunch of it at one time. Sure you can still catch fish but when you stock it with fry, there is just not enough cover to protect them and they become dinner for cats and crappie just like everything else in the lake. If you watch Doug Hannon�s take on killing hydrilla out of a lake and what it does to Bass you will see that killing vegetation by spraying actually kills bass too ! http://bassprofessor.com/BassBlog//?s=hydrilla

TP&W blew it big time !!! ANY lake grass = fish in any part of the country. Florida lakes are shallow most 9ft or less but have lots of water grasses and that is where you will find the fish.

Look at what happened to Fork it's just a shame and has reduced my numbers and size big time.

The goldfish sling'n dock fisherman were complaining that is why the grass went away and so did I.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfH_hz0DylI

If this don't burn you up about TPWD's program to eradicate Hydrilla in TX lakes then I don't know what will...

It's cause yal don't know how to fish the GREAT Purtis Creek!

I've been in Montana since May but I took a trip tom Purtis in early May and the beginning of August. (I've gone over 20 times in the last 1.5 years)

May - fished our normal hours we usually do and caught, if I remember correctly, either 18 or 19 LMB. No goldfish, no minnows, using our secret bait that I will not share unless you go with me! I caught my PB at 6lbs on this trip (may not be 15.8lbs but hey it was a heck of a fish!)

August - our best fishin trip we've ever had out there! Fished normal hours again and this time caught a 3Lber on first cast. Caught 2lber on second cast and pretty much didn't stop. We finished with a grand total of 24LMB 2-5lbs and 2 good sized cats.

The reason why Purtis Creek isn't as good as it used to be is because the bass got smarter than the humans fishin' it. Yeah maybe the carp does have something to do with it but you have to know the right bait to use! If you don't, you'll consider Purtis a mudhole. It's my honey and money hole and only once did I not catch a bass, and it was rainy and 40degree's.



If you wanna know how to catch LMB at Purtis Creek, PM me and we will go!
But probably not until March or April because I'm in Montana right now..

Here's a couple of pics..








As you can see, two bass..





More pictures coming..

Betcha can't catch this at Purtis!

Or how about this one? The guy in the back, was probably using what all yal try to use, and he caught 1 dink



PURTIS CREEK SURE DOES SUCK!

People who complain about grass carp and all that, there are still a few people who know how to fish at Purtis and the BMBM knows how to!

A guy caught an 11lb 4oz LMB outta there the other day, we catch these normally guys, stop your whining!!!

Purtis Creek = most fun I've ever had fishin!

I'm thinkin' about starting a guide service out at Purtis! Anyone wanna learn how to catch the 2nd greatest sport fish in Texas?

PM me

Oh yeah, I forgot, we do fish for crappie too..we use minnows and mayflys.
If no one on this forum has ever seen the minnows in Purtis Creek, they aren't shiners or you're normal ol minnows, they are blackstripe topminnows! We call em asian minnows cause they look totally different than other minnows.

Only thing, is that no stores sell blackstripes, you gotta harvest them yourself, and we do it legally. No gill nets or anything like that. PM if you wanna find out how!

Here's some from two different trips..









A big ol shad too!



Crazy eyes


Yup

And of course, some more fish from the best mudhole inTexas!





More pics..coming

....



This was the night where it was rainy and 40 degrees..only fish we caught

People, please tell me what yal think because I think it's a laughing shame that people consider Purtis Creek a mudhole and a piece of trash lake.

We always catch a lot of LMB and when we target them, Crappie.



Like I said before, I will teach you and show you exactly what we use out there if you are willing to take the trip and willing to learn how to fish at every single lake and be successful.

Yal can stay home while we catch the bass there, and if your lucky, you may be able to miss out on more 5lb+ LMB at Purtis.

PM for more info

Lake Record in '95 from the great Dan Fikes!



I know Purtis isn't as good as it used to be but there are still quality fish to be caught at a high rate.

D-B-F: those are some nice fish you're catching on live bait. It's always been a well known fact that the best catches off the piers are going to be made on live bait, whether goldfish, bream, shad, whatever...

I've seen days where guys fishing live bait of the pier just whacked fish after fish, but I couldn't get a bite on artificial. Did that make me want to fish live bait? No. I don't see much sport in that.

Yes, there are still good fish in Purtis but I, and many others on here, have been fishing PC for many, many years and we see that the overall population of fish is not anywhere near what it once was, or what it should be for a healthy fishery. It's not that we lure chuckers can't catch fish anymore.

I'm happy for you that you enjoy fishing the way you do and that you're having success with it on PC. But your success with live bait, at the lighted fishing pier (where I too have had some killer catches - on artificials), is not really a good indicator of how the lake is doing.

Good luck with your guide business

and by the way.... keeping that bass is still illegal. There is not a provision for "it was going to die anyway" in mandatory catch and release regulations.

maybe try circle hooks for your live bait rigs.

So you're just assuming all we use is live bait huh? I guess you know everything and know us real well. hmmm, maybe we just know how to fish Purtis Creek..? Just maybe. We use live bait for crappie and cut bait for catfish. Coach Gundy, "That's not true! So get your facts straight."

I'm sure you have your success on your fancy boat, if you got one, but we will do what we do and continue to catch fish where and how we want. Whether you see no fun in it or not. I wish you would come out there with us and see how to have success every trip at Purtis! But from what you said, I really don't wanna go with you!

In my opinion, your opinion sucks! (on this topic anyways) because you are limiting others by saying you don't see much sport in using live bait. Does it really matter how someone catches a fish..? Whether you use what everyone else fishes with or your own lure/bait. I would tell you what we use, but I don't see any value in it!

I guess it really doesn't matter what is said, shown, proven at Purtis Creek, people are still gunna think it's trash. So, enjoy



Actually, I would love for you to go to Purtis and post pictures of your catches! If you can't, then mind your own business! If you can, I will have some respect for your opinion of Purtis Creek.

Hope the fishin' is good!

Dude, people keep dead striper/hybrid, including their limits, on Texoma, Ray Hubbard, Livingston, Tawakoni. And the wardens are ok with it because what good is a dead fish? These are guides too, not just a weekend warrior

It was dead already, maybe read what was said, it was floating upside down..

Dude, all it seems you do is instigate arguments on here. Calm down with all the hostility, and enjoy the forum for which it was designed.

DBF - I have posted multiple pics of 8's, one 9 and an 11-4 from PC.

You've stated in previous posts that you're using live bait. I guess you've changed. I'll stand by my statement that catching some fish on live bait at the fishing pier does not indicate a healthy population of fish. I've had over 100 trips on the lake since 97 and I know where to find them day or night, anytime of year. The population of fish is just not there throughout the lake like it should be / has been.