Dialogue about Lake Fork and tournaments

I want to begin a discussion about tournaments on Lake Fork. I am in process of building a home on the Lake after much thought about which lake to retire upon. I choose Fork for a number of reasons. I knew the lake was very pressured, and I am prepared to deal with that. What I would like some help understanding is why the local folks are so welcoming to these national tournaments. They will bring more attention to a small (in comparison to other reservoirs) lake. The pressure on the fishery will diminish the fish stocks in the lake. Catch and release though widely practiced probably results in a substantial percentage of mortality--- my guess 20%. The tournaments are relentless and every week. I fear they will kill the goose that lays the Golden egg. It isn't just bass tournaments, crappie and catfish are under attack as well. They aren't catch and release for the most part.
I know that business in the area need the dollars, but you have to wonder how much they will make if they destroy the fishery. I just don't see national attention as a good thing. I am glad the legends folks left the area proclaiming how friendly the local folks were; after all we are Texans.. Still, I just don't understand how there isn't more local concern for the fishery in general. Why does Texas parks and Wildlife sponsor and support this event? It's feather in their hat today for a depleted "has been" fishery tomorrow. The reservoir is aging and the guide numbers are staggering. Why does the SRA sponsor this event? What do they get from the notoriety? Why did folks volunteer for various tasks to facilitate the tournament? Just opening these thoughts for discussion and perhaps a little better understanding..

Lake fork was impounded 39 years ago. Fishing pressure has always been relentless. Tournaments are not just now suddenly going to “kill the goose that lays the golden egg”. My opinion. Do I wish pressure was less? Sure. Always have. Will it ever be the fishery it was 25-30 years ago? No, never will. Is it dying? No.

It's one of the best big bass lakes in the country and always has been. It's pressured with or without events. It's the prize jewel of the Texas Parks & Wildlife and they've done a pretty good job keeping the lake in shape over the years. SRA isn't there to promote events, they are facilitating an ask by their partners and providing a facility for an event because they have the only available footprint to handle it. As for the local businesses at Fork and any major fishery in the country, they live and die with the angler base and the spend that comes along with it and are thankful for the business. It's only the "local" angler who begrudges the traffic and the business.

I'm curious, did you ever fish any tournaments on Fork over the years before you selected it as your retirement home?

Over the last 2 1/2 years more "overs" are caught and released than there were 25 years ago. More tournament anglers complain about those darn "slots". Meaning there are many more good size spawners in the pipeline.

TPWD has been stocking up to 1/2 million Florida strain largemouth bass fry in the lake every year since the big fish kill. You may ask why Fork gets so many. Because almost every year Fork produces more share a lunkers than any other lake. And now with the DNA info from the LRB from all of tournaments even more fry are being shared around all the lakes in Texas.

Our senior citizen bas club members have caught more overs this year than any year in the past. Last Thursday another came across the board. Plus we have caught a whole bunch of 7's this year. Lake Fork is not dead or dying by any means you might come up with. It is in great shape and the high water really doesn't help how good the fishing could be.

And what 361v said.

I don't think you have to worry about it to much its probably the most stocked (bass) lake in Texas by TPWD.

By moving to the area just for the bass fishing and the lake you have become the very thing you are describing(fishing pressure and attention to the area). Basically a rather hypocritical thought process in my opinion. There are many well employed folks that work to make the fishery sustainable, even then everything has a breaking point. Of course folks are welcoming, its texas and it pays their Bills for folks to be at the lake. The whole mentality or wanting to be there is part of the atmosphere

The fishing has been improving. If the hydrilla would come back it would be even better.

If you knew all this ahead of time then why are you still moving there? Are you going to complain about it for the rest of your life. If so I suggest you need to find a different lake to retire on. Life is too short to put yourself in a place where you are going to always find faults and live to regret what you did.

This sounds similar to moving next door to a dairy then complaining about the smell or moving next door to an airport and complaining about the noise.

In a nutshell TP&W has a much better grasp on managing a fishery way more than anyone on here. They benefit from Texas Fest financially and that's a good thing. They are the experts so I trust them above all others.

The pressure on Fork is probably 25-50% less than it was in it's "Heyday"

this thread is pointless


Fork is the bass tournament capital of the world. If you don’t like The Cowboys, don’t build a house in the parking lot of ATT. If you don’t like Tournament anglers, or bucket list anglers, stay away from Fork.


Don’t really know what to say. Other than that. Fork is built for fishing. The economy around Fork is centered on fishing.

Either love it, or list it. Haha

Yep, if you built on lake fork expecting pressure to diminish you need your head examined. That deal drives the local economy out there and they ain't about to stop having tourneys. I don't like fishing tourneys out there but they always draw big turnouts.

The TP&WD (the fishing pros say they are the best in the nation) must raise as much money as possible to support projects under their watch. They do it well.

Many folks have planted their flags/businesses around Lake Fork. Their livelihood depends on the traffic and deserve the promotion.

I remember the 80s on Fork - it was better than you think. Sure, it's different now. I'm thankful for what we have.

Traffic on Fork was lite today. It isn't "every weekend" as you state. In fact, there are very few medium or big tournaments out there in the heat of the summer. Your gonna be out on your dock during the Sealy screaming "Get off my lawn" to anyone that comes within 50 feet of the place aren't you?

It has been since it opened and still is on everyone's top 10 bass factories in the world get over it, or move somewhere else.

Just hope and pray Bassmaster Magazine never lists Fork as the number 1 bass lake in the country... that’s the death sentence for a lake.

Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the pressure in Fork is way less these days than it was 10 years ago. If your plan is to move to Fork you should accept the fact now that it will continue to be the most promoted most heavily stocked fishery in the state. As it continues to get better the number of boats will only increase.

Fork is going to be awesome for the next few years, I've never seen so many shad as I have this year, and the grass is coming back.

To the OP, why would you buy and build at a place you hate?

Do you take meds? Angry old man? Someone slipped in and BOOM, BOOM #$%ed your old lady while you were trying to catch a fish? Your dad didn't take you fishing? Your mother wouldn't hold you?

As a Rayburn fisherman I laugh at the insinuation by the OP. Fork is near pristine in comparison to the hammering Rayburn gets year round by huge pro and semi-pro T's and not to mention multiple 600 boat HS T's. Yeah, its 3 times larger but has 20 times the number of livewell transport of your 5 biggest fish up to 30 miles after living up to 8-9 hours in a 2x2 box of stale water that mimics a POW hotbox from May until October tourneys.

I fail to see the root of your consternation. At the very least those quality tweeners get released on Fork.

Forks tournament pressure is nothing compared to Rayburn and Toledo where the majority of fish brought to the scales would have to be released on Fork. The slot will keep fork productive for a long time.

Mr Olducker, welcome to the neighborhood. In my opinion, the tournaments aren't as bad as some people say they are...especially if
you live there. Yes the big tournaments, (2-3) get a little crowded, but they are off the water by 3pm. Public ramps get crowded, but
most residents/rv parks have their own private ramp. Being retired you can fish M-F and usually have the lake to yourself.
I would like to see the bass tournaments limit their weigh in fishes to 3 instead of 5, (redfish guys only weigh two),
One thing I like is Fork is not a recreational lake, no ski boats, wake boats, or jetfleas..... Its a fishing lake, and the lake right now is in great shape.
jim

TPWD wouldn't let the jewel of their black bass program be significantly degraded by tournaments without imposing more regulations. And, most of the big tournaments self-police themselves regarding fish care because they don't want or can't survive the black eye of high mortalities after events. Tournament mortalities still occur, but they're lower now with better scheduling, equipment, and education of tournament staff and anglers. I don't recall the literature on immediate catch and release (non-tournament casual fishing) mortalities right now but I assure you it's far lower than 20%.

Most people don't seem to realize what drives the stocking and conservation efforts by TPWD. They have to justify every dollar they spend. By justify I mean they have to show a $$ impact on the local economy because of the fishing taking place in that lake. In order for lakes to get the level of stocking and management that they do.....tax payers have to be using that resource. Lakes like Fork, Rayburn, etc get huge pressure but they also get a HUGE amount of management. Their stocking numbers are off the charts. I get that it's a double edged sword for the locals, but that is the way it works.

The "promoting" of Fork falls into the same category as what the Toledo Bend Lake Association (TLBA) does for Toledo. It's all about the local economy in the area. When these organizations "show off" their local lake, they have one goal in mind - to attract visitors to stimulate the local economy.

For example, the local economic development group AND the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce allocate money each year to help offset a few of the larger tournament promoters expenses to encourage them to continue to have tournaments on Rayburn at Umphrey Pavilion. They realize the importance of having trucks and boats coming and going through their county.

Be thankful you have a place to retire that is one of the best fisheries in the world!!!

I stared back fishing Lake Fork in 2006 when a friend we were building a house for wanted me to take him bass fishing. Two years later he caught his personal best ,a10.80. I try to fish it 8 to 10 times a year usually starting in the middle of the week thru the weekend. I have probably caught 20 fish over eight pounds. Fishing Louisiana the last 50 years I have caught one fish over 8. That's why I fish Lake Fork. ! When you're retired you can fish when ever you want. Lot less pressure in the middle of the week. I'm still looking for my personal best and believe if the good Lord's willing it will come from Fork. Another plus about the lake is that there a ramps all over the lake which allow you easier access it the wind is a problem. It's also full of slab crappie. Don't think you could ever go wrong retiring on Lake Fork.

you will always have the days of December, January, and February when the air temps are in the 30's with a North wind gusting at 25 mph with little to no fishing pressure, something to atleast look forward too!

Rankings came out today. #5 in the country.

probably because of the stats from the Elite tournament in May. There are not many lakes in this country that produces 100+ # bags on 20 fish.

And those are some great days to have a real shot at some big fish. I love being out there that time of year.

I honestly don’t see the concerns over Fork’s future. I think if TPWD is hosting a Bassmaster event on its waters then they feel confident of its future as a big bass producer and holding up to the pressure of tournaments. I do believe they’re on top of this more than one might imagine.

yes there is a ton of pressure. The tournament mortality rate is no where near 20 percent however. I would think its well under 5 percent. I am sure the numbers out there and with most of the fish that are being brought in on tournaments 99 percent of those fish are under the slot so if a few die it is really not bad small fish management.
That being said the lake during the spawn for the last 4-5 years has been up with vegitation so the spawns have been off the chart good imo.

Dude, calm down. It will be okay.

I'm betting your attempt to stir the pot didn't go as you planned.
I've been fishing Fork since the days when we snuck in (I was younger then) and fished the brood ponds.....long before the lake was finished. The lake has had a few "downs" and to be successful on it, you have to evolve with it. If your doing the same thing you did 10 years ago, or even last year, your catch rate will be affected. As stated, one of the premier lakes in the NATION and it's not going anywhere. People have been crying doom and gloom for years but mother Fork just keeps producing.

It has been a lopsided “dialogue” so far. The OP is MIA. Haha.

I get the feeling that you're not overly knowledgeable in lake Fork history . If I were looking for a leisure lake to retire to, it would be one of my very last choices in the state.

The OP isn't MIA...he's searching for the "delete post" function...

I am Not missing,,, still working for a living.. Retiring soon.. I think you guys are misunderstanding the point of the conversation. I am just seeking understanding about the dynamics that drive the Bass fishing on Fork. I was aware of the tournaments and pressure, but I suppose the Elite tournament kind of was more than expected. This was just an information seeking thread. I expected a very pro tournament response under the bass section here on the fishing forum. I must say I did not expect such lack of civility. I am not going to respond in kind because that is not the general nature of this forum. I am moving to Fork partly for the friendly folks that I have met in the area. I enjoy all types of fishing including bass fishing. I really had no agenda here. I just thought it odd that a national spotlight would be considered a good thing by local folks.. The argument about tournaments creating a lot of stocking therefor negating the negative pressure on the fishery is a weak one. A 3 inch bass takes how many years to become over the slot?? No need to suggest I buy elsewhere or that I fall in the lake and not come out. I was hunting and fishing on Fork when it first opened. I had kids and began a business that slowly replaced all my fishing time. I have family in the Fork area and need to stay close to the Dallas metromess. I always wanted to return later in life and fish my last days. I suppose I have become apprehensive about the pressure hence the thread. I really appreciate the feed back (well most of it)

no one truly understands the dynamic that is Fork. It just is.
As to tournaments and tournament pressure, it is and always has been here. It helps drive some of the local economy but what you should be more worried about is what happens down the road as more and more people pour into the area. Will it end up like speeder creek and twok, as far as living around the lake or will it be able to maintain a as it is?

Olducker don't worry about the tournaments or how much pressure Fork gets. When you retire, fish on Wednesday and Thursday. The fish seem to settle down. I have also seen Saturdays in the spring when 20 boats will troll thru the areas the fish are in . When it settles down the fish will start biting again. You have to understand this is a Florida strain bass. And they can be pretty finicky at times. I would consider myself a very blessed fisherman if I could retire on Lake Fork. The Goat Lake! Every trip I plan and every cast I make I think" This may be the one". Just enjoy every day you get to fish.

Bois d’Arc Lake is going to render Fork obsolete so there will be no worries. I can just imagine how many DFW area fisher people are going to be there for at least the first 5 years. Its at a minimum an hour closer than Fork and TPW are already starting to gear up to load it with Florida strain bass. If its half as good as Fork was then Fork will be like a ghost town. JMHO

That is exactly what they said about Cooper. LOL

Exactly my thoughts also.

Do some research and just see how many overs have been caught out of Fork this year and it is only half over since you seem to think Fork is headed for doom and gloom.

We need about 10 Bois d'Arc lakes in North Texas. DFW is the reason Cooper isn't one of the nation's great bass lakes and other lakes will be drawn down to meet the Metroplex's incredible use of water as well. We have had numerous years of plentiful rain so the problem hasn't reared its head lately, but it will.

We need something to scatter the fishermen as well, especially in East Texas. Since the 2011 drought when DFW area lakes were too low for people to launch I think half the state decided fishing over here is better so they keep scheduling their tournaments here whether their lakes are full or not.

Fork is a different matter. It always received tremendous pressure no matter what. I wonder if it received more and bigger stockings because it grows more big fish or if it grows more big fish because it is stocked so often and heavily.

Get off my lawn!

You east Texan (almost Louisianaian) folks are so friendly.

A Texas fishing license is good at ALL Texas lakes. Even the ones you’d rather us DFDub folks shouldn’t be allowed to use. Hah.

Lake Tyler used to be the bomb before the WWW. got it

The City of Tyler and TP&WD deserve their share of the credit for killing all the hydrilla.

Enjoy your home. If you frequent the lake during the week, it is absolutely wonderful with minimal pressure (excluding feb-april/spawn). I really enjoy fishing out there during the week. the weekends are something else. The madness drives the local economy that is built upon the angling revenue. It will never change. If that bothers you, I would spend the weekends exploring the country for nice places to brunch or shop with the family. The whole area out in that eastern part of Texas is beautiful. I hope to retire on the shores of Lake Fork one day. That is my goal. So if anyone has a 1/2 acre lakefront property for sale... hook me up LOL!

I was a little disappointed in the direction this post was taking. there are a lot of people who get on here and heckle you over something you post. As for living on Lake Fork, after the tournament is over there is plenty of open water and hardly anyone one in sight. The spawn is the by far the busiest time of the year out here. After 3:00 pm on a Sunday afternoon you have the lake to yourself. Most any day during the week you will find very few boats on the water. Between October and the second week of February the lake is almost a ghost town. The boats show up starting in January and really pick up in February. Have fun and enjoy all that time everyone else is at work.

I spoke with a man who was the the head of the Texas state water board at one time and He said they would pump all the water out of Fork if needed to supply people with water and Fork was not built for fishing or recreational use at the end of the day . ( IT IS A BLESSING THAT MOTHER FORK IS AS GREAT IS IT IS TODAY ) The lake is healthy and full of fish with grass and hydrilla coming back in some areas . Fork is like the Masters coarse to me and brings butterflies each time I fish it . The understanding about the dynamics that drive the Bass fishing on Fork ? I would say the stocking report for the past 20 years would explain most of it . I think it would be a great place to retire and you have several other lakes close by as well if Fork is not fishing well .

W. There may have been a time when Dallas thought they could drain the lake, but they lost that court case a couple of years ago. They can take a few feet every year. We loose more than that to evaporation.

in a nutshell this is like moving from west tx to dallas an then complaining about the traffic.

20 percent mortality? Are you fishing with live minnows and they're swallowing the hook? Sujective assumption. Ive fished fork before and after major tourneys. I have a friend that fishes there every weekend np matter whats going on, including the Elite series. Some of those tournaments weighed in a crazy number of bass and we would notice hundreds of floaters the next day if 20 percent of those fish die.

Not sure what it is about that lake but it is definitely something special. I drive 7hrs one way just to fish it. Did it just a couple of weeks ago. Most pressured lake I have ever been on. Some times even hard to believe the amount of boats but I will still keep going.

I don't think he ever indicated that he hates Fork.

Do you have an axe to grind with the guy?

Ok here's some stats on fish that die at the "big" tournaments. Since our association provides the live release boat (LRB) at 95% of these big tournaments we have an idea of the mortality rate of fish that are left to waste..
It's ZERO.


Now you might say that is impossible because you know for a fact that some are hooked deep or in the tongue, while others are stressed out from being caught deep or from riding around in a live well all day long in hot water, and not all live wells are created equal so there might be some problems there. The LRB uses chemicals to sooth and relax the fish, to help with sores and wound repairs, icing the water down about 5 degrees and oxygen to help revive them.

Generally on the really big tournaments, which are hourly events, we get to hold the fish in our big tanks for up to 4 hours before they are released. We observe and inspect all of them. Usually the ones that have issues come to the surface and float. Either on their sides or upside down. We address each of these fish individually removing hooks, fizzing, or having their gills held in the water over the oxygen diffusers. 98% of
those fish right themselves and swim upright and/or down.

Fish that are not going to survive we deal with in another way. If we get a fish in with pink or even white gills it is going to die. If we get a fish in where you can look straight down the mouth and see the hole leading to it's stomach is open it is going to die. About 1% of the bass that fall into this category are disposed of in the most wonderful way. They are immediately put on ice in a cooler and they are eaten by a family in need.

A good example of that would be a recent tournament in May that the LRB attended there were over 500 fish caught with an almost record number of over 24" fish brought to the scales. We had 7 dead fish on a three day tournament. But unfortunately 2 of them were big fish. One was a big slot that was brought in dead by the angler. (He did get a ticket and was DQ's from the tournament). The other was over the slot that our wonderful game wardens wanted held for further investigation and it did not make it over night in the unattended LRB tank. Our fault.

When we drive out to release the fish and we open the bottom doors on our tanks we observe the fish as they are swept out. Dead fish of which there are rarely any are recovered to the cooler. We then observe around the LRB for any floating fish while we are refilling the tanks. And there haven't been any that I can remember in the last 10 years.

First off congratulations on becoming part of the great community surrounding Fork! Your living my dream as I hope to retire there one day.

I love to bass fish Fork but I am a novice bass fisherman at best. In response to your observation that the catfish are under attack. Fork is an awesome catfishing fishery and there is really no pressure on them. Having fished catfish tournaments for the past 30 yrs, I can’t recall any Tournament were the fish were not released and emphasis has always been keeping the fish alive. The annual catfish tournament raises money for the local Yantis Volunteer Fire Department and helps local commerce during what would normally be a slow time by filling hotels and restaurants.

The catfish population at Fork is in no immediate danger in my opinion and bass fishing is really good even for a layman like myself.

Just think positive, You will have the advantage of fishing during the week and periods of less boats on the water on one of the best bass lakes in the country.

Word of advice, don't build to big of a home. The taxing authority out here has gone crazy. They will tax you right out of it. They have almost double our appraised value and keep incensing the assessed annually. At this rate we could be paying $600.00 a month for taxes and insurance by the time we reach retirement age. We may have to sell our home and move into an RV park.

Welcome to Texas, it ain't just there.

Very well said Mark.

Oh no, another "get off my lake" neighbor... Please don't build a dock... Dan

To the OP. You’ll learn real quick not to post anything that goes against the TFF “cool crowd”. Most of them aren’t smart enough to offer an intelligent response so they will just take shots at you. Do yourself a favor and just accept that fork is busy and always will be. The lake is a bit overrated but still solid. And as long as fork has its reputation (which it rightfully earned back in the day) people will come from all over to fish it. Good luck on your new home.