Author: Guide

JASPER, Texas — Favorable winters and high water levels have contributed to the spread of Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) in Toledo Bend Reservoir, one of dozens of lakes affected by exotic aquatic water weeds statewide. Infestations once confined to the backs of a small number of creeks and bayous in both Texas and Louisiana have now spread throughout the reservoir. Giant salvinia is easily spread overland to new locations by boat trailers, propellers, or even the intakes of jet-skis. The possibility of giant salvinia reaching neighboring Sam Rayburn Reservoir by this fall is extremely high, considering the number of boaters and anglers that utilize both reservoirs.

The threat giant salvinia poses to Sam Rayburn is very real and should be of primary concern to anyone who utilizes this premier bass fishery. Under ideal growing conditions in Texas, the invasive plant can double every 5-8 days, is resistant to cold weather, and can live for weeks out of water if kept moist. Once established, the invasive fern forms dense mats that eliminate all other aquatic vegetation in the area, introductions may be apparent as early as spring of 2005. Meanwhile, the potential threat to Sam Rayburn and many other popular reservoirs in Texas and Louisiana continues to grow.

The magnitude of the problem has reached such proportions that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is now forced to concentrate all control efforts near boat ramps and other access points in an attempt to simply contain the infestation to Toledo Bend.

TPWD has begun large-scale introductions of a bio-control agent in the form of a weevil that is totally dependent on giant salvinia throughout its life cycle. Although it may take as long as two years for reproducing populations of giant salvinia weevils to establish, results of these introductions may be apparent as early as spring of 2005.

Concerned anglers and other resource users can help by inspecting and cleaning their boats, trailers, jet-ski intakes, and other equipment of all aquatic vegetation before leaving an infected area. Anglers fishing Sam Rayburn should be aware of any suspicious floating aquatic vegetation, particularly around boat ramps and the backs of nearby creeks. Most new infestations of invasive species occur at or near boat ramps.

Giant salvinia typically has oblong floating leaves from .5 to 1.5 inches long. Leaves have a velvety surface and are usually a shade of green. Younger plants closely resemble common salvinia and have smaller leaves that lie flat on the water surface. In more mature plants the leaves are much larger, folded, and compressed into upright chains.

When viewed with a magnifying glass, the tips of leaf hairs on giant salvinia resemble an eggbeater. In contrast, leaf hairs of common salvinia are forked and do not form the identifying “cage-like” structure.

Common salvinia, a close cousin to giant salvinia, has been do*****ented on both Sam Rayburn and B.A. Steinhagen. Although a serious problem on B.A. Steinhagen, common salvinia persists in relatively small populations on Sam Rayburn primarily isolated to the Harvey Creek and Stanley Creek arms.

TPWD personnel, the Sabine River Authority, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) have been waging a pitched battle with giant salvinia on Toledo Bend since its discovery in 1998. Aggressive herbicide treatments by TPWD and LDWF soon after its discovery held infestations in check for the first two years. An unplanned and extended drawdown in 2000 helped to suppress the invasive fern, stranding many plants on dry land. Lower water levels during the summer normally help contain the spread of giant salvinia, although small populations will continue to thrive in the backs of creeks and drainages.

Possession or transport of giant salvinia is prohibited by State and Federal law. Any possible sightings of giant salvinia on Sam Rayburn should be reported to TPWD immediately. Any suspicious plants found should be left in place and their exact location do*****ented. – Lake Mohave

ishing on Lake Sam Rayburn is not only back to a summertime pattern but we are back to our 100degree temperatures and late evening thunder showers. Please remember to take along some Catch and Release or ice for your fish. We do want to be able to release them in the best condition possible. With all this hot weather also remember to take along plenty of fluids for yourself and sunscreen.

White buzzbaits along with your favorite top water baits are still producing action early and late. Once the sun is up that bite is just about over. But don’t put your rod away we have had some schooling fish around main lake points and you will want to be able to throw something at them quickly once you have spotted them. Also late in the evening there have been schooling fish around the Black Forrest area . These schooling fish don’t stay up very long so be alert.

Rayburn’s grass is not up to par this year. The grass line is very hard to follow and the matt is not solid. Favorite flipping areas such as Needmore and Farmers are no exception. But the fish are still holding in it. Most of the fish being caught are on the bottom, this is where that 1oz. jig in Black/Blue or Black/Brown/Amber comes in. Start in about 10ft. -12ft. of water. Look for the points of hydrilla. Most of the time if you find one or two fish in an area there will be several more . I use Stanley’s Rattling jig in 1 oz. Sometimes when the bite is tough the rattle makes all the difference. You also need to have a rod with enough backbone to hoist your trophy out . I would suggest a Castaway Grass Rake. The name say’s it all, this is the ultimate rod for grass fishing. You will also need to have some type of braided line . Lynch line in 75lb test or Spiderwire will work great this line has not streatch so your can snatch your catch right out of the hydrilla. Remember that vertically flipping a jig can be boring but the results can also be very rewarding.

On the South end of the lake ,Rayburn has a Friday Jackpot Tournament to offer anglers that lasts 4hours and has a 3 fish limit. This is a tournament open to all, and can be alot of fun.

Gene Larew has out some new colors in Hawg craws that have been very popular . They are core shots. Colors are: redbloodline,bluebloodline, pumpkin core and firetiger and don’t forget glow. Glow is a white hawg craw that is very hot right now. For the lastest in tackle or a fishing report just give us a call at D.J.’s Tackle 1-800-870-0131.

This lake report is provided by La Donna Jones. La Donna is a Tackle shop owner, and an avid angler who is fishing the Bass-N-Gal Circuit along with several other tournament trails, she is a member of the Texas Outdoors Writers Association and provides a weekly report for the Jasper NewsBoy. La Donna is currently sponsored by Castaway Rods and StanleyJigs.
– Lake Mohave

EARLY AND LATE FISH YOUR TOPWATER BAITS SUCH AS : POP-R’S ,BUZZ BAITS AND EVEN A SLUG-GO OVER THE TOP OF THE HYDRILLA. ONCE THE SUN IS UP OR ABOUT 7:30 TRY GOING TO THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE HYDRILLA. YOU WILL NEED A 1 OZ. OR EVEN AN 1 1/4 OZ. JIG TO PUNCH THROUGH THE THICKEST MATT . THE BEST COLORS WILL BE BLACK,BROWN, AND AMBER OR BLACK AND BLUE. STANLEY HAS A RATTLING JIG THAT WORKS GREAT RIGHT NOW. SOMETIMES THAT RATTLE MAKES ALL THE DIFFRENCE. THE OTHER OPTION IS TO FLIP A GENE LAREW HAWG CRAW ON THE EDGE OR JUST LOOK FOR THE HOLES IN THE GRASS. CLORS IN THE HAWG CRAW ARE: PLUM, PUMPKIN-PEPPERGREEN/CHART. CLAWS, OR PUMPKINGREEN. IF YOU ARE ON THE NORTH END OF THE LAKE AROUND THE BLACK FORREST TRY A BLACK /BLUE HAWG CRAW AND INSERT A GLASS RATTLE IN IT. THIS DOES MAKE A DIFFRENCE IF THE BITES ARE FAR AND FEW INBETWEEN.

IF YOU LIKE TO WORM FISH TRY THE 4″ RINGWORMS IN PLUM, CRABAPPLE AND CRANAPPLE. EVEN THE RED BLOOD LINE AND TEXAS SMOKE COLORS WILL WORK USE A LIGHT SINKER SOMETHING LIKE AN1/8 OZ. AND FISH SLOW. WACKY WORM FISHING IS STILL PRODUCING SOME NICE KEEPERS. THE COLORS ARE WATERMELON AND PLUM. THIS BAIT CAN BE FISHED ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE HYDRILLA ALSO JUST REMEMBER IT TAKES LONGER FOR IT TO FALL. BE PATIENCE.

ALSO BE AWARE THAT THE SCHOOLING BASS ARE USUALLY AROUND POINTS IN THE MAIN LAKE AND RUNNING INTO A SCHOOL OF THEM CAN FUN.

IN THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER YOU CAN FIND THE CRAPPIE IN ABOUT 25 TO 30 FT. IN THE BRUSH PILES. BEST BAIT IS A BAG OF MINNOWS.
AS LONG AS THE DAM HAS A GENERATION SCHELUDE THE HYBRIDS WILL BE RUNNING . THE BEST BAITS TO USE OR A SLAB IN WHITE OR CHART. OR A HAIR JIG.

REMEMBER TO CATCH AND RELEASE AND FOR THE LATEST FISHING REPORT OR LAKE ACTION JUST CALL 1-800-870-0131.

LA DONNA AND HER HUSBAND DENNIS OWN AND OPERATE D.J.’S TACKLE IN JASPER, TX. SHE ALSO IS A TOURNAMENT FISHERMAN PARTICIPATING IN BASS’N GAL, ANGLERS CHOICE COUPLES, AND BASS N BUCKS TEAM CIRCUIT. HER WEEKLY FISHING COLUMN ABOUT SAM RAYBURN APPEARS IN THE JASPER NEWS BOY. SHE IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE TOWA. CURRENTLY LADONNA IS SPONSORED BY STANLEY JIGS AND CASTAWAY RODS.
– Lake Mohave

Fishing on Rayburn is back to a summer time pattern. Start off by using a top water bait. I personally like a Rattling Chug Bug. This little chugger will walk like a Zara Spook or pop like a Pop -R. But it has a rattle in it and it drives the fish crazy! The best colors seem to be Tennessee Shad and White Herringbone . Use this bait or a buzz bait in white or chart / white first thing in the morning or late in the evening. Remember if there is cloud coverage these baits will produce all day.

After the morning bite is over start in about 10-12ft. of water throwing a Carolina Rig Zoom Watermelon lizard or centipeide with about a 2ft. leader.

If this is not your cup of tea then go to a 3/4 oz. or 1oz. black/blue or a black,brown and amber color( #93) Stanley Jig. Use a black /blue Gene Larew craw worm with the black/ blue jig and a pumpkinpepper green /chart. claw craw worm behind the #93 Stanley jig. The Gene Larew craw worms are salt impregnated and the fish do hang on to them longer. Also the Gene Larew Hawg Craws in Black/Blue or Pumpkinpeppergreen /Chart. claws will be used this time of year. This bait is used the same way the jigs are, (Vertically) only you use a Florida Riged 3/4 oz. or 1 oz. screw lock weight to secure the craw worm to the weight.

The hydrilla line should be easy to follow, but a flasher is needed if you are really hunting for the hawgs. Also make sure to use some type of braided line. The most popular is Lynch line in 75lb test and Spiderwire in 50lb. test. These lines help you hoist those hawgs out of the hydrilla. The water depth will be determined by the lake level. Most common place to start jig fishing willbe somewhere between 12-and 15ft. As the summer progresses the debth will get deeper.

Terry Oldham also has out a new 1 1/4oz. jig that will bust through the thickest hydrilla. To go along with the jigs ,a new scented craw worm that fits on any jig perfectly. You don’t even have to bite any off. Terry has one last NEW item to offer this year and that is a rattle. This rattle will fit on any hook shank. Making a non -rattle jig a “rattling one” by just adding this rattle. Remember for the lastest fishing report or tackle information just give us a call at 1-800-870-0131.
– Lake Mohave

Sam Rayburn Fishing Report:

LAKE LEVEL: 169.07
WATER TEMPETURE: 69 – 78 DEGREES

Crappie: Crappie action is well on its way. Favorite baits to use now are the road runners in black/ chartecuse , chartecuse and white in 1/16 ounce . Also the spring grugs in 2inch are very pouplar in black /chartecuse and chartecuse. Later in the year 3″ grubs and 1/8 ounce road runners will be more the dominating baits. To be on the safe side take along a bag of minnows and fish 6 – 8 ft. over the moss. Veach , Coleman and Tiger Creek have already started producing . Start fishing in about 8ft. to 10ft. of water on the points early and late. Also use your minnows on your brush piles.

Stripers: With the flood gates open there is plenty of activity now. Use a 2 oz. white or chartecuse slabs on the river side ( Tip), change the hooks out on your slabs and replace them with a flash tail hook .

Bass: The top water activity is getting better. Use your chuggers in chad colors or buzz baits early or until the sun is up. Make sure to use them again late in the evening untill dark. With the lake level up the fish are sitll in the bushes. Several baits have been working. Flipping a Stanley black/blue 1/2 oz. jig with a black and blue craw as a trailer will work well or use a Zoom centipede Texas riged with no weight and place a nail in the end of the worm. The nail will work as your weight. Now you can flip the brush right in the middle without getting hung up as bad. The fish are holding tight to the brush and laydowns. The other pattern is to carolina rig with a 2 1/2 foot leader , use a watermelon lizard or pumpkinseed/chart. lizard over the scattered moss in about 8- 12 ft. of water. If the fish quit hitting a lizard change to a smaller bait such as a centipede in the same colors mentioned earlier. Slowly drifting seems to produce more fish.

For the most up to date lake report or guide service give us a call at D.J.’s Tackle 1-800-870-0131
La Donna Jones is an avid angler following several different trails this year Bass-N-Gal, Bass N Bucks Team, and Anglers Choice Couples, she also writes a weekly lake report for the Jasper News Boy, is a member of the Outdoorwriters Asso. and along with her husband, Dennis, owns D.J.’s Tackle in Jasper, Tx.
– Lake Mohave

This is truly a fish tale. After catching this massive fish and wanting to see just how big her trophy was the couple went to Piney Point Plaza on March 12, to weigh it in. The scales at Piney Point were Postal scales and they are certified but…. they were missed read by the weigh master. Something to remember is that any one that is present and weighs in the fish becomes the official weigh master. And this is where the story gets confusing. This scale has two sides to read and by accident the wrong side was read at 12lb 10 oz. Michelle decided that she wanted to mount this hawg and took it home. This trophy bass was 27 and 1/4 long and 22’” in the girt. Hard to believe it could be mistaken for a 12 pounder.

The story continues, three days later this fish is on ice, they take it to their taxidermist, who re-weighed the fish. To everyone’s surprise she weigh in at 15.00 lbs. His advise was to take it to certified scales and have it re-weighed.

Fourth day the fish is taken to Wingates Meat Market in Orange, TX. and is weighed in at 14.75 lbs. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was notified and the proper paper work was filled out for certification.

Now , a problem arises that Michelle’s fish can not be certified because in the rules it states that the fish must be weighed in before the 3rd. day on certified scales. This couple had waited until the fourth day to weight her in on certified scales. Not really, because the scales at Piney Point Plaza are certified . Well , the miss read scale was not detected until Mr. Seidensticker was called out to make another certification and he started looking at the scales at Piney Point. On his inspection he found that if you look at the side that read 12.10 oz. the opposite side reads 15.00lbs. This solves the problem of the fish being weighed in before three days , because she was first taken to Piney Point. So new paper work was submitted and finally approved. Sam Rayburn has a new lake record.

Congratulations to Michelle Ford on her outstanding catch. – Lake Mohave

Lot me just start out by saying how much I appreciate the opportunity to write this report and give readers a brief introduction. I have been an avid bass fisherman my whole life, although I have competed in tournaments for about 8 years. I have had the pleasure of guiding on Falcon since 1984. In 1993, my wife LeEtte and I opened Lunkerville Tackle & Guide Service. We have about five guides who work for us besides myself.

In 1993 and 1994, 1 directed a team trail in South Texas, before deciding that I would rather fish as many as possible. Currently, I am fortunate enough to write several periodical articles monthly, as well as fish two team trails. My sponsors are: Falcon Rods, Browning, T.U.F, Line, Stealth Boats, and Angler’s Marine.

Now that you have a little background, let’s talk about the fishing for April on what many anglers feel is the best bass lake in the United States, Falcon Lake.

During April, we will have pro, post, and spawning bass throughout the lake, This is highly unusual during April as the bass down here usually spawn from January-March. The low water level seems to be keeping fish away from the beds until the last second- About 80% of the fish will have already spawned by April.

One of the fantastic things about Falcon fish, is that they will remain active and shallow even after the spawn. They also recuperate from the trauma of spawning and become aggressive quickly. With these two things in mind, there will be several patterns that will produce ten Pounders and thirty pound stringers in April.

First of all, spinnerbaiting the Salinillas Creek is a must, White, gold, and red and chartreuse combinations work for us. Fish the numerous hydrilla Patches around hardwoods. I recommend staying in the 2-4 foot range. Chrome rattle traps have also been a perennial hot bait.

From the Tiger Creeks, north fish big crankbaits along the rocky points. There are several brush piles in these areas, and those places are even better.

I recommend chrome, firetiger, and red colored Rapalas and Storms. The new Norman’s are producing real good also, With the lake down some 27′, we have a lot of off shore ledges and house ruins popping up. While these are terrible navigation hazards, they are awesome fish cover. Be sure to fish them anywhere you see them. A Carolina rigged lizard will produce some heavy stringers.

With this information you can come down and get your string pulled throughout April. I recommend calling us or Oso Blanco Motel ahead of time to get your reservations. For guide, lake, or motel information give me a call at 210-765-3939. Until next month, good luck, good fishing, and I hope to meet you all on the water. – Lake Mohave

This month’s report is a sort of good news bad news scenario here on beautiful Falcon Lake. The bad news is that we are still suffering from extremely low water levels and from all appearances the lake will continue to fall through the summer. The good news is that the fishing is fantastic. As Mr. McCarty talked about last month, Falcon is one of the few lakes that will produce five fish 30 pound stringers throughout the summer’s heat.

For the summer there will be two predominant patterns. One will be deep diving crankbaits fished down rocky points and parallel to rock ledges. With the water so low these areas will be visible. I recommend red, firetiger and chrome.

The second hawg huntin’ pattern is to pitch and flip worms or lizards around 3-6’ hardwoods. This pattern works from the Marker 9 area south. When it comes to colors I would recommend red shad, blue fleck and junebug. In locating the preferred hardwoods limit your search to ,areas that are near deep water.

When coming down to Falcon this summer I have several recommendations. First spool up with braided line. Down here all my guides use T.U.F. line 50-65 pound test. I can personally recommend this super braid as I have used it for the past three years. It was one of the first braids available and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Secondly have plenty of sunscreen and water available. Thirdly purchase a good map and run the international markers along the main river channel. There are lots of mean rock piles and trees popping up right now. Finally bring a camera. Falcon can produce the fish of a lifetime, even in the summer months.

Give me a call at 210-765-3939 for any information you might need. My headquarters are at Lunkerville Tackle and Guide can take care of everything from guides to motel and taxidermy. you will find that our unequaled selection of tackle and capable guide Pro Staff will gladly help you in any way.

Until next month hope to see you on the water. If you see a big red silver and red Stealth motor on over and say hello. (Chip Harmon’s sponsors are Stealth Boat, Falcon Rods, T.U.F. Line, Browning and Angler’s Marine. For information on any of these products or a demo ride don’t hesitate to give me a call) – Lake Mohave

Texas Black Bass Unlimited is a non-profit organization that exists for the future of Texas lakes. For three of the past four years, the Houston chapter of TBBU has raised funds to aid the Houston area lake determined to be in the most need.

In October of 1993, a TBBU Houston Gala was held at the Woodlands Executive Conference Center to raise funds for the Lake Livingston Channel Marker Project. The Gala saw donations totaling almost $46,000 from generous members.

Once again, Lake Livingston, along with Lake Conroe, were deemed in need of TBBU’s assistance in 1994. The 1994 Houston Gala was held at the Greenspoint Wyndham to raise funds for the Lake Livingston and Lake Conroe Habitat Projects. The project’s goal was to bring the ideal fishing of past years back to the lakes by improving the fish habitat. Members of TBBU have been working with scientists of the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the last three years to this end. The 1994 Gala saw proceeds in excess of $44,000.

The funds necessary for the habitat projects were still needed in 1996, so TBBU held a Houston Fishfest ’96 Gala at the Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. The goal of this project was to raise funds to complete the habitat projects begun in 1994.

This year, TBBU is raising funds for Lake Houston. They hope to raise funds to build a fishing pier on the lake for the physically challenged, elderly, and underprivileged youth of the Houston area. The pier will be constructed on Lake Houston at Deusen Park. The entire project is expected to cost approximately $60,000. The goal of TBBU is to raise $30,000 at the Gala. Matching funds have been promised for the project from the City of Houston, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and Operation Kidfish. These are just a few state organizations who want to see this pier on Lake Houston become a reality.

TBBU is pledging, along with the pier, their ongoing support to City of Houston youth with monthly instructional fishing seminars at the pier. Volunteers from Houston area bass clubs will conduct the seminars. TBBU believes the seminars and the fishing provided at the pier will give Houston’s young people a desirable alternate activity. Everyone is invited to the seminars and a sign will be posted stating the times they will be held.

The ’97 Houston Gala will be held at the Marriott Greenspoint in Houston on Saturday, November 8. There will be a banquet dinner and a live auction of boats, vacation trips, hunting and fishing equipment, and much more. Doors will open at 5:00 with *****tails served and auction items on display. Dinner will be served at about 7:00 PM. Activities are expected to conclude by 10:00 PM.

The ’97 Houston Gala is being sponsored by many fishing and boating merchants in the Houston area, including Platinum Sponsors Mercury Outboards, Astro Boats, Champion Boats, Fisher Boats, Nitro Boats, and ProCraft Boats.

Patrick D. McCarty is Chairman of the TBBU Steering Committee that is organizing the Gala. He is very excited about this year’s Gala. “We hope to exceed prior years’ attendance at this year’s exciting event. Everyone is personally invited.” So come out and show your support for this worthy cause. General admission tickets are $25.00. For reservations and information, please call Pat McCarty at 409/856-8537 or see the TBBU ad on their website: www.tbbu.com. – Lake Mohave

It’s almost here! The 1996 Texas Black Bass Unlimited Fishfest and Gala will take place at Sam Houston Race Park on May 4. This date will coincide with the annual Derby Day at the racepark. It promises to be a great time and a benefit for a worthwhile cause in the interests of both anglers and water conservationists alike.

Randy Nichols of Louis Delhomme Marine and Vicki Follmar of Boots Follmar Marine are serving as co-chairpersons for the event. Both Randy and Vicki have worked very hard to make this year’s Gala a success and they will be working even harder in the last month before the event takes place to insure a great night for all.

Serving on the Advisory Board for this event are Clay Mills of Family Boating Center, Glenn Kirk of Captain Kirk’s Marine, Keith Kocurek of Pier 45 Marine, Ed Parten and Leonard Ranne of TBBU, Don McPherson and Larry Bozka of Texas Fish and Game Magazine, John McCroskey of Louis DelHomme Marine, Pat McCarty of the Texas SportsGuide and Fred Lester of Redwing Boat Company. All of these people have gone through great lengths to provide a great evening of entertainment for the whole family.

Some new names have been added to the guest list that should be mentioned: Forest Wood, a fishing Hall of Famer and the founder of Ranger Boats, will be an honored guest along with Andy Sansom, Executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife. John Hope will introduce his new ESPN outdoors program, “Tracking Trophies.” Two more familiar faces on ESPN, Billy and Bobby Murray of “Guides”, will be on hand at the event. Mike Dyes and Lonnie Stanley will also be attending the Gala. Mike and Lonnie host the popular “Sportsman’s Challenge”. Another big name in the fishing industry, Keith Warren of “Texas Angler”, will be hosting the event.

Sports celebrities such as Elvin Bethea and Dan Pastorini, both former Houston Oilers, will be in attendance at the Gala.

But none of these celebrities will be as heartily welcomed as fellow fisherman and country music recoding artist, Mark Chesnutt, who will perform at the event at 9:30 PM.
Boat dealers from the Houston area will be presenting their new lines of Astro, Champion, Ranger, ProCraft, Skeeter, Stratos and Tracker boats. Silent and live auctions will be held at the Gala and dinner will be served.

The Infield of the Sam Houston Race Park has been reserved for this event on May 4th. Steve Hofmann, Director of Retail Sales at the horse track, and Richard Linihan of Publicity and Marketing at the racetrack were kind enough to show me around the grounds of the massive Sam Houston Race Park. Steve told me he was “very excited about having the fishing industry represented at the race park.”

The Sam Houston Race Park is located on the south side of Beltway 8 in northwest Houston between Highway 249 and Highway 290. The park sits on 240 acres and has two horse tracks, a children’s playground and a 20-acre lake. More than 1000 television cameras throughout the park keep viewers abreast of the action on the horse tracks.

Texas Black Bass Unlimited hopes to raise funds through the ‘96 Houston Fishfest and Gala to improve the aquatic habitats of Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston. These lakes have been victimized for years with heavy pollution levels and the subsequent loss of aquatic vegetation necessary to maintain healthy fisheries.

Tickets for the event are $10.00 for general admission and concert, $50.00 for the dinner and photo session with the celebreties and may be purchased at the following locations:
Boots Follmar Marine 713-649-2709
Captain Kirk’s Marine 713-367-5630
Family Boating Center 713-441-4300
Louis DelHomme Marine 713-821-3300
Pier 45 Marine 713-999-5666
Red Wing Boat Company 713-921-0656
Texas Black Bass Unlimited 214-388-4724
Texas SportsGuide 409-856-8537

The Houston ‘96 Fishfest and Gala, according to Randy Nichols, is “designed to maximize the collective force of freshwater anglers while simultaneously bringing more people into the sport.” TBBU is a non-profit conservation organization that exists for the future of Texas lakes. Come on out to the races and show your support. See ya’ll at the races! – Lake Mohave

You may have heard rumors about the merger between the Texas Association of Bass Clubs (TABC) and Texas Black Bass Unlimited (TBBU) recently. The truth of the matter is that the two organizations have combined interests in producing one bimonthly publication, to be called “Texas Bass Magazine.”

Back in 1996, Leonard Ranne, who then held the post of President of TBBU, first considered to combine efforts with the popular bass tournament association in producing a publication. The idea was shot down at that time, but a year later the new officers of TBBU determined the merge was possible.

Both groups bring a great deal to the bargaining table: TABC has a larger subscriber base for the new magazine and TABC has the advertisers for the new magazine. Both organizations would benefit from combining their similar interests and dollars into one publication. The two groups both felt that the merger would increase the quality of the magazine by reflecting the interests of both organizations in one publication. They feel that this will appeal to each subscriber base, advertisers and sponsors. They actually hope to increase sponsorships now that both organizations are working together on the magazine.

After much discussion, both TABC and TBBU met in Austin at the Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo to finalize all the minor details. It was agreed that the first publication of the new magazine would be the January, 1998, issue.

Outside of the magazine, each organization is still very much distinct with each having their own Board of Directors. “Each organization still retains its own identity,” says Ed Parten, the new President of TBBU. The Vice President and Editor of the new magazine is Mr. Pat McCarty. Lindy Ellason holds the post of Treasurer of TBBU and Sandy Muegge is the organization’s Secretary.

The new President of TABC is Bill Bales. The Vice President is Bob Ryon and Mary Ann Debenport serves as Secretary/Treasurer.

Ed Parten served as an officer of both bass organizations in 1996. According to Ed, input from members has been very positive about the merger. “I have not heard one complaint.”

“With our new editor, Pat McCarty, at the helm,” says Parten, “ I see nothin’ but bigger and better things on the horizon for our magazine.”

McCarty says in the January/February issue of the new joint publication, “TABC will bring a wealth of bass tournament activities to our publication.” He further describes the magazine as bringing readers “enhanced magazine content that will include, not only TABC events and activities, but expanded content of Texas Black Bass Unlimited’s fund raising event schedules and status reports on ongoing projects.”

Texas Parks & Wildlife will continue to be represented in the new publication with regular updates from Austin.

The new magazine will continue to feature professional bass fishermen like David Wharton, Kathy Majors and Tommy Martin. Familiar names of article writers will continue to appear, too, like Bill Cannan and Jim Binns.
This new magazine is very exciting for the fishing industry in Texas. Don’t miss an issue!

For membership information call TBBU at 1-888-588-8228, visit their website at http://www.tbbu.com or email tbbu@tbbu.com. For TABC call 214-569-6124, visit their website at http://www.tabc-online.org or email tabc@netdot.com . – Lake Mohave

The Texas Black Bass Unlimited ’99 Houston Gala will be held October 23 at the Humble Civic Center in Humble. This year, TBBU will be raising funds for S.M.A.R.T., an organization derived to help all the fishing organizations work together to help with change of legislation and the purchase of a mechanical harvester. S.M.A.R.T. is an abbreviation for Sensible Management of Aquatic Resources Team.

S.M.A.R.T. is a non-profit organization formed by anglers, environmentalists and industry leaders to improve and protect our fisheries and the environment of this great country.

S.M.A.R.T. will do what is necessary to accomplish its goals. This includes educating and informing interested parties – particularly governmental agencies, corporate boards and the news media.

S.M.A.R.T.’s membership in Texas includes over 300,000 from 26 member organizations. Member organizations are Bass Clubs, Clean Water and Air Organizations and Conservation Organizations.

With its boards’ history and experience in protection of our resources, S.M.A.R.T. with its’ advocates, will defend and promote clean air, water, fisheries and fisheries habitat.

The fourth fund-raiser of TBBU will be hosted by S.M.A.R.T. and will be called “An Evening with Ray Scott.” Ray Scott is the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society and the author of two bass fishing books, including “Bass Boss”, which will be available at the Gala.

Ray Scott has quite a history in the fishing industry. He was inducted into the International Fishing Hall of Fame in 1979.

In 1986, Scott voted on and presented the Living Legends Award to 102 outdoor writers, renowned anglers, lure manufacturers and other fishing legends.

Scott was inducted into the national Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 1987 and in 1988 he became the Sports Fisherman of the Year.

Nineteen-ninety saw Scott’s induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association awarded him their Conservationist of the Year title.

Field & Stream magazine named Scott as “one of the top 20 persons who have done the most to influence the outdoor sports in our country,” associating his name with notables like Teddy Roosevelt, Rachel Carson, Gifford Pinchot and Aldo Leopold.

Scott founded B.A.S.S. in 1967 because he wanted a fair-minded tournament association that would attract the right kind of fisherman. “It would have entry fees and a set of rules that would guarantee a fair and equitable contest so you wouldn’t be cheated by a jerk with a frozen fish.”

Today the rules of the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail are virtually unchanged since their inception in 1967. And they work. After a cheating scandal in a local bass competition in 1984, an NBC-TV correspondent quoted federal officials as saying, “with the big money that’s now being offered in fishing tournaments, organizers are going to have to adopt rules as strict as those of the B.A.S.S.”

Also on hand at the Houston Gala 1999 will be famous country recording artist, Larry Gatlin. Gatlin has earned himself many major musical awards and is the author of the autobiography entitled “All the Gold in California.”

In 1976, Gatlin received a Grammy Award for his hit single, “Broken Lady.”

Gatlin was named the most promising male artist/song writer of the year in 1977 by Music City New Awards and in 1978, he won the Music City News Award for male vocalist of the year and band of the year.
“Straight Ahead” was released in 1979 and won Gatlin the prestigious Academy of Country Music Album of the Year award, with the single, “All the Gold in California,” winning the Academy’s Single of the year award.

In 1984, Cash Box proclaimed Gatlin as the Composer/Performer of the year.

Several of Larry’s compositions have been recorded by such notable artists as Elvis Presley, Cher, Johnny Mathis, Dottie West and Johnny Cash. His most popular songs include Broken Lady, Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You), I Don’t Wanna Cry and She Used to be Somebody’s Baby. Gatlin has performed on live stage, on television and had a seven-month run on Broadway with the musical, “Will Rogers Follies.”

Larry is a family man who lives with his wife, Janis, and his son, Josh, in Austin.

A live auction will be held at the Houston Gala ’99. Available for bid will be two loaded 2000 boats, two 2000 outboard motors and a specially designed and custom-built desk and credenza made exclusively for Ray Scott.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials will be on-hand as well as many other fishing celebrities.

All proceeds from the fund-raiser will be used toward S.M.A.R.T.’s purchase of a mechanical harvester. – Lake Mohave

A Texas Black Bass Unlimited Houston Gala is held whenever the conservation group sees the need to raise funds for the aid of Houston area lakes. For three of the past four years, the Houston chapter of TBBU has raised funds to aid the Houston area lake determined to be in the most need.

TBBU works with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other Texas organizations to determine the best way to help the Texas lake in question. After a plan of assistance is developed, TBBU determines the cost and tries to raise the funds to complete the process. In the past four years, TBBU has raised donations totaling approximately $113,000.

In October of 1993, a TBBU Houston Gala was held at the Woodlands Executive Conference Center to raise funds for the Lake Livingston Channel Marker Project. Lake Livingston, according to TBBU Board members, could benefit from markers that would guide boaters away from the shallow waters of the lake. With the funds donated at this Gala, TBBU purchased channel markers that were erected on Lake Livingston according to guidelines of the Trinity River Authority, the US Coast Guard, and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

In the summer of 1994, TBBU again came to Lake Livingston’s assistance to try to enhance the fish habitat of the lake. Working closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers, TBBU had determined a need for new aquatic vegetation in the lake because they were seeing problems of siltation and lack of fish due to the lack of food and shelter. They also were looking at the fish habitat of Lake Conroe and wanted to provide some assistance for this lake as well. The project’s goal was to bring the ideal fishing of past years back to the lakes by improving the fish habitat. Members of TBBU have been working with scientists of the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the last three years to this end. Cages of experimental native plants have been assembled on the lakes to determine which plant species will benefit the lake best overall.

The 1994 TBBU Houston Gala was held at the Greenspoint Wyndham Hotel. Donations helped TBBU purchase 5,000 bald cypress trees that were planted in key areas of Lake Livingston by TBBU Volunteers.
TBBU saw further need to enhance the aquatic vegetation of Lake Livingston and Lake Conroe in 1996. The 1996 TBBU Houston Fishfest was held at Sam Houston Race Park in May of ’96. Mark Chesnutt along with other celebrities appeared at the event to promote the conservation organization’s cause. The goal of this project was to raise funds to complete the habitat projects begun in 1994. According to Ed Parten, TBBU Board member, “we are very proud to state that the habitat programs for both Lake Livingston and Lake Conroe are well under way. The grass is growing in cages in several different locations and we’re excited about native grasses taking hold and growing in both reservoirs.”

This year, TBBU is raising funds for Lake Houston. They hope to raise funds to build a fishing pier on the lake for the physically challenged, elderly, and underprivileged youth of the Houston area. The pier will be constructed on Lake Houston at Deusen Park. The entire project is expected to cost approximately $60,000. The goal of TBBU is to raise $30,000 at the Gala. Matching funds have been promised for the project from the City of Houston, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and Operation Kidfish. These are just a few state organizations who want to see this pier on Lake Houston become a reality.

TBBU is pledging, along with the pier, their ongoing support to City of Houston youth with monthly instructional fishing seminars at the pier. Volunteers from Houston area bass clubs will conduct the seminars. TBBU believes the seminars and the fishing provided at the pier will give Houston’s young people a desirable alternate activity. Everyone is invited to the seminars and a sign will be posted stating the times they will be held.

The ’97 Houston Gala is to be held at the Marriott Greenspoint in Houston on Saturday, November 8. There will be a banquet dinner and a live auction of boats, vacation trips, hunting and fishing equipment, and much more. Doors open at 5:00 with *****tails served and auction items on display. Dinner will be served at about 7:00 PM. Activities will conclude by 10:00 PM.

The ’97 Houston Gala is sponsored by many fishing and boating merchants in the Houston area, including Platinum Sponsors Mercury Outboards, Astro Boats, Champion Boats, Fisher Boats, Nitro Boats, and ProCraft Boats. – Lake Mohave

Stow-A-Way Marina is ready to provide another year of marina services for the fisherman, boater and other lake lover. Nancy Richardson, President and co-owner of Stow-A-Way, and her husband, Jerry, are eagerly awaiting the summer crowds with a season full of lake-related activities.

Jerry owned and operated Richardson Chevrolet in Houston until 1987. He then invested in a boat storage facility across Calvary Road from where the marina stands today. He purchased the 15 acres of the marina grounds in an auction in 1988, sold his interest in the boat storage business and got to work on his new marina.

Business has been great since the Richardsons opened their doors at Stow-A-Way. They cater to the fisherman in the spring and mostly boaters from May to September with July being their busiest month of the year. Jerry says he really doesn’t have a slow month all year.

Jerry and Nancy are recreational boaters themselves. They own a pontoon boat they like to run on Lake Conroe.

Jerry and Nancy live very close to the marina, which is located on Calvary Road just north of the 1097 bridge, but they’ve recently turned over management of the marina to Jim and Cat Peeler.

Among the many things Stow-A-Way has to offer, you will find 40 wet
slips, an RV park with 75 spots, concrete bulkheads, three boat ramps, a pavilion, Bar-B-Q building, restaurant, grocery store and hi-octane gasoline for both boats and automobiles. Boats are available for rental and a new stage for presentations and seminars has recently been erected on the marina grounds.

The RV park has concrete streets and concrete pads, water and sewage connections and electricity hook-ups. Only the best for the guests of Stow-A-Way! A bathhouse for men and women is also available in the RV area.

The grocery store has plenty of camping and water-skiing equipment for all customers of the marina and Jerry is especially proud of their wide selection of wines and beers they keep on hand. The store provides a full tackle shop with both live and frozen bait.

Fishing licenses are available at the store and the marina provides a professional fishing guide service through Butch Terpe, who lives on the premises. Butch has been with the marina since it opened and he says he considers himself “part of the Stow-A-Way team.”

The Richardsons are involved in several tournaments and other conservation-related activities on Lake Conroe. “On April 23rd,” Jerry says, “we’re hosting the San Jacinto River Clean-Up Project, which is co-sponsored by the National Forest Project and the San Jacinto River Authority.”
Probably the most famous tournaments of Stow-A-Way Marina are the Sunday Morning Tournaments. “These are amateur team tournaments with $40.00 entry fees and 100% payback,” says Richardson.

Jerry is President of the Lake Conroe Marine Association and also serves as the Tournament Director of LCMA. The LCMA Team Tournaments will be held at Stow-A-Way on May 21st and 22nd. This tournament has a $100.00 entry fee with an optional $20.00 Big Bass category. First place is an estimated prize of $5000.00! The tournament boasts a 95% payback with 5% going to the Lake Conroe Restocking Program.

Both the Richardsons and LCMA are active in the Lake Conroe Restocking Program, which goes to great lengths to be sure Lake Conroe is stocked with a good supply of bass and crappie. “The program owns six restocking ponds on Highway 1097 that the state stocks with 1-200,000 baby bass fingerlings each year,” Jerry explains. “The bass are fed minnows for 75 days from mid-April through June. Once the bass have reached adequate size, they are released into Lake Conroe.”

The Lake Conroe Restocking Program also released 42,000 crappie into Lake Conroe in January. “These crappie were commercially raised,” Jerry says, “and were three to five inches long at the time of release.”

The Houston F.I.S.H. bass club will hold their 13th Annual Take A Kid Fishing Tournament at Stow-A-Way on August 6th this year. This tournament benefits the Sunshine Kids, providing sports-related activities for children with cancer, and other conservation projects like the Lake Conroe Restocking Program.

This tournament is also a team tournament requiring one adult to pair off with one child and all the prizes are awarded to the child. The entry fee is $20.00 per team.

In addition to the fishing tournament, other activities offered include the casting contest, instructional seminars, a Texas-sized auction, awards presentations and door prizes.

It’s safe to say Stow-A-Way Marina has quite an exciting summer planned. I hope to see you there! – Lake Mohave

Rinker’s Boat World demonstrated its ‘95 line on February 25-26 at Del Lago Marina. The show was open to the public and boaters came from Houston, Dallas and New Orleans to see what the boat dealer is offering this year.

Twelve of Rinker’s boats were shown from the 14’ 7” Rinker Rocket to the 28’ Cruiser. J.C. Pontoons from 20’-30’ were demo’d as was the Rinker Bullet, the bass boat.

The Rinker Bullet is available in a 20’ boat and a 21’ 10” boat. The latter sells for $21,995 with a Bass 150 Suzuki and is the most popular size.

New to the line this year is the Rinker 212 Bow-Rider and the Rinker Rocket. Also shown was the Rinker Flotilla, the J.C. 203 Fishing Pontoon, the 22 Tri-Toon with a 150 fuel-injected Suzuki and the 20’ Bullet Bass Boat with a 150 fuel-injected Suzuki.

Expected at the show were 28-30 clients from the Gulf Coast area. Most were follow-ups from Houston’s January ‘95 Boat Show who wanted to see the boats perform.

Jerry Rinker of Rinker’s Boat World said he hoped “to show the quality and performance of the Rinker line” while the company celebrates its 50th year of building boats. The Rinker line of boats is built in Syracuse, Indiana, by Rinker Boat Company, a company started by Jerry’s father, Lossie Rinker, in 1945.

Bobby Schields, Jerry Rinker’s future son-in-law, was on hand to show the boats to clients. He said he wanted “to show the versatility of the J.C. Pontoons and the high performance J.C. Tri-Toons powered by up to 250 HP. I want to show everyone the great performance and handling of Rinker boats and that they are the best value on the market.”

This is apparently an opinion shared by Rinker’s clients as well. Rick Hague is a pilot for United Airlines and the owner of a Rinker 212 21’ Open-bow. He found working with Jerry Rinker in the purchase of his boat to be a very rewarding experience. “You are working with a gentleman who is personally involved with his product.” He has been so pleased with Rinker’s Boat World that he has purchased a total of four boats from Jerry.

“He didn’t try to gouge me,” Hague went on to say. “The reason I deal with Jerry is he’s as straight as an arrow. If he misquotes a price, he’ll stick with it. He’s got an awful lot of character. He wants repeat business – and he’ll get it, too.”

One Rinker boat you’re sure to see on the lake was purchased by Constable Don Chumley’s Office for its Lake Patrol on Feb. 17. Sgt. Greg Gibson operates a crane or davit from the vessel for lifting injured persons, boat parts or underwater debris from the water. – Lake Mohave

The Lake Conroe Restocking Association, the Lake Conroe Marina Association, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department are continuing their efforts to improve fisheries habitat at Lake Conroe. Working together, these organizations hope to once again make Lake Conroe one of the best fishing lakes in the country.

In the early 1980’s, hydrilla (an exotic aquatic plant originally from South America) covered a large part of Lake Conroe restricting access for anglers and other boaters.

Under the direction of the Texas Legislature, Texas A&M University stocked grass carp to eradicate the hydrilla. Although the loss of vegetation certainly increased access, it also greatly decreased fish production by eliminating the main source of food and shelter for juvenile largemouth bass and sunfish. (Aquatic insects feed on vegetation. Small sunfish and bass eat the insects and use the vegetation for shelter from predators.) As the grass carp have gradually died out, vegetation has begun to return. To help prevent a re-infestation of the uncontrollable hydrilla, and to increase the coverage of certain types of native vegetation (those species that grow only in shallow water) the Lake Conroe Re-vegetation Project was begun.

In spring of 1995 over 75 test plots were planted at 15 sites around the upper end of the lake. Species planted included musk grass, water star grass, American pond weed, wild celery, American lotus, arrowhead, and spikerush. These test plots were planted in either black silt fence cages (in very shallow areas) or orange construction fence. The purpose of the fencing was to protect the vegetation from the remaining grass carp as well as turtles and other herbivores. On March 19th and 20th of this year, fences were placed across the mouths of six of the coves containing last years plots. Additional plants were added within the fenced areas, the goal being to keep predators out of the coves until the plants are well established and can expand even with some predation. Even if the vegetation cannot expand beyond the fenced coves, the areas behind the fences are large enough to allow some juvenile fish habitat. Additional plantings will be added to Lake Conroe as money permits with at least 4 more fenced coves planned for this year.

This project is only possible through the financial and physical support of the Lake Conroe Restocking Association, Texas Black Bass Unlimited and the Lake Conroe Marina Association. The majority of the financial support (over $40,000 so far) has come from the fund raising efforts of the KILT tournament. For more information on the project contact Everett Massey of the Lake Conroe Restocking Association at (409) 856-4222 or Texas Parks and Wildlife Inland Fisheries at (409) 822-5067.
– Lake Mohave

Wesley Russell was born a fisherman. His father, Don, gave him a rod-and-reel when he was born and destiny was fulfilled when Wesley recently became the Texas State Champion of Bassmaster Casting Kids at the age of six.

The tournament trail began on Lake Conroe in August at the annual Lake Conroe Take-A-Kid-Fishing Tournament, held in conjunction with Bassmaster. Don says the family had participated, had fun, and then came home only to get a call from Bassmaster saying that Wesley had won first place in the Big Bass and Biggest Stringer competitions and Wesley’s sister, Angela, had won second place. Valuable prizes were awarded to both the children.

Wesley was then eligible to compete in Bassmasters Regional Finals in Tomball, held at an Academy store, where he won first place again and Angela again won second place. Both of the Russell children earned the opportunity to compete in the Texas State Champion Bassmasters Casting Kids Finals in Dallas, where Wesley again won first place.

Wesley competes in the same class as his sister, who is eight. He competes in the seven to ten year age group, against children with much better motor skills, but Wesley still shines brightly. Don attributes this to his upbringing. “Wesley always liked to fish, always liked to cast,” his father says. Don’s parenting methods are clear and simple. “If you spend more time with your kids and teach ‘em to fish,” he says, “they’re more likely to hold a fishing rod in their hands in their later years than a gun.”

The state competition for the best “Casting Kid” in Texas .was held in Dallas at the Dallas Convention Center and contestants were judged in three categories: flipping from 10 feet, pitching from 20 feet, and casting from 30 feet. Wesley placed #1 in all three categories.

The next stop for Wesley will be the semi-finals to be held in Shreveport, Louisiana, on
May 2-4. If Wesley again scores as he’s expected to, he will go to the national competition at the Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, August 7-9.

The same three categories of flipping, pitching, and casting will be judged in the semi-finals and the nationals and Wesley is ready for all three trials. He uses a paper mark to aim at when casting, and he is practicing, although he never saw the paper mark when he started his glory trail on Lake Conroe. The contestants get two practice throws in each category and two point throws. The best of the two point throws is taken as the child’s score. For never having laid eyes on the target before and not being able to practice, Wesley and Angela both did very well.

Don’t worry that all the fishing honors are going to Wesley’s head, either. Wesley is in the first grade at Mel Parmley Elementary and a straight “A” student, just as his sister, a 3rd-grader, is a straight “A” student.

We’ll be waiting to hear more from Wesley and we wish him all the best in Louisiana and Alabama in the coming months. – Lake Mohave

Going from Winter to Summer without having much of a Spring seems to be a common subject among fishermen. The intricate patterns of Springtime fishing were blurred by the prevailing twenty to thirty-five mile per hour winds that blew from the end of February through May. As of this writing(late May) I have counted only four days that the wind did not blow over fifteen or so.

Many portions of the lake have been totally unfishable because of the wind, areas that are in open water like some of the mainlake humps and ridges. Some of the mainlake brushpiles have been untouched due to the swells rolling over the top of them.

Water temperatures were on a quick rise through April, I was already recording temperatures in the eighties the first week of May. The fish have been responding to the warming water as if we were deep into the summer. I have been taking customers out to fourteen to eighteen foot brushpiles and dragging Carolina Rigs for black bass this month and pretending that its summer time. The early morning bite has been on, rocks and breakwaters have been giving up good fish on crankbaits and Texas rigged worms. Even the Caronlina rig has been producing early fish on the rocks and breakwaters. Later in the morning those deeper brushpiles are holding good numbers of bass in and around fifteen feet. Pumpkinseed, smoke/blue, chartreuse pepper, and watermelon colored french fries have been my number one Carolina rigged baits.

The crappie quickly recovered from their spawn and stacked up on the brushpiles. At times during the last few weeks I’ve graphed a brushpiles to mark and there will be so many crappie suspended over them that the depth will change from the bottom to the top of the school of fish. The crappie are so thick in numbers that they collectively have enough density that the sonar cannot penetrate. Unable to see the brushpile for the fish I’ll just throw a buoy upwind of the fish and start fishing. Crappie numbers are high again this year with alot of fish around the eleven inch mark. When measuring crappie or any other fish close the mouth and push it to the zero end of the measuring board and then sweep the tail for an accurate measurement. Also remember that if the fish is barely legal that it will loose a little bit of length when you throw it on ice or if it dies in the livewell.

Looks like we are in for a hot summer so be ready to fish those deeper structures in the lake.
For more information or a guide trip call (409) 594 7645.

Bill Cannan – Professional Fishing Guide – Lake Mohave

Southern Bass Tournament Association is relatively a new around here and it sure has caught on to anglers in Texas and Louisiana.

The association was introduced to the public at the Houston Summer Boat Show of 1993 and fishermen did not hesitate to join in the competitions.

Bill Miller, the owner of Southern Bass and a tournament fisherman himself, had been organizing tournaments in the Lake Conroe and Lake Houston area for four years under his own name prior to forming Southern Bass. These tournaments were just called Team Tournaments and were strictly local.

In the spring of ’93, several national companies including Skeeter Boats, Bill Lewis Lures, Storm Lures, Cast-Away Rods, Lake Systems and CCSI persuaded Miller to start an East Texas tournament series, and Southern Bass was born.

The organization began with one employee, Miller, who also works full-time for Continental Distributors of Houston, an auto parts distributing company.

Now, almost a year after its conception, Southern Bass boasts a staff of eight. Miller’s daughter, covers the phones three days a week and Miller himself uses his weekends to promote tournaments.

Unlike many other tournament associations, Southern Bass offers individual tournaments. There are nine dates scheduled this year for the Individual Tournament Circuit in Texas and first place pays $1600. The entry fee is a mere $100.

Another practice of Southern Bass’ that’s uncommon for tournaments is the 80% payback policy on all of the organization’s tournaments. Seventy per cent of all money collected is paid at the lake, says Miller, while 10% goes to the championship tournament winner at the end of the year.

And Southern Bass is the only tournament association offering a bonus money program according to Miller. It works like this:

All the late entry fees go into a pot that all contestants are eligible to win. When a contestant’s name is drawn, he wins the whole thing – as much as $400 a tournament so far this year.
Southern Bass is the exclusive distributor of Okie Lite Lures in Texas. Okie Lite is a fishing tackle manufacturer in Oklahoma. Okie Lite products include spinner baits, jigs, plastic craws and plastic trailers.

The 1994 Team Tournament competition hosted by Southern Bass in Texas has nine dates scheduled and the entry fee is $125 per team. First place on this one pays $2300.

The Louisiana Team Tournament circuit this year also has nine dates and the entry fee is $75 per team. First place is expected to pay $1400.

Miller tries to take July and August off every year “to keep the fish kill down.” He says it’s easier for fish to die out of water in these hot summer months. Out of 731 bass caught by Southern Bass tournament contestants as of early April this year, only three died.

All of the Southern Bass tournaments are officiated from a unique 8′ X 20′ stage that is transported to each tournament. Miller himself personally weighs the fish and helps the contestants get the entertainment value they expect.

Miller says, “everything we do is first-class. People want to be associated with a winner, and that’s what Southern Bass is.” the weigh-ins, mail-outs, membership lists and other information of the association is done by computer.

On June 5th, Southern Bass is planning a tournament on Lake Conroe to benefit the River Plantation Lions’ Club. This tournament has a $75 entry fee, is open to anyone, pro or amateur, and will be held at Anchorage Marina.

In ’95 Miller plans to open up more regions to tournaments in Texas, Louisiana and other states. He is looking for tournament directors in other areas of Texas (north of Lake Richland Chambers, west of Lake Palestine and south of the Houston area) and other states. He prefers that they live in the area that is to be considered.

Miller also plans to give away several fully rigged bass boats in ’95.

Southern Bass Tournament Association may be a newcomer to tournament circuits around these parts, but Miller says, “we’re here for the long run – not just the first or second year.”

If you look around, you’ll probably find you know at least one Southern Bass tournament angler. Randy Dearman has even picked up the team tournament circuit this year.

Miller feels very good about the future of Southern Bass. He says, “we’ve grown faster than we’ve anticipated and that’s why ~I feel positive about our future plans.” – Lake Mohave

Ed Parten, Randy Kindler, Ray Scott and several other local fishermen recently held a telephone fundraising campaign to raise money for the Tennessee Valley Authority for the rent of their Mechanical Harvester used on Lake Bastrop to demonstrate the need in Texas for this machine. The harvester was just the tool needed to rid the lake of unwanted aquatic vegetation without resorting to chemical warfare, which was previously felt to be the answer.

The chemicals used in Texas lakes included 2-4,D, Sonar, and Fluridane, all of which are herbicides that can cause very serious problems for lake dwellers, not to mention the fish that we’re supposed to be preserving!

Recently, Governor George Bush, an angler of some repute, intervened to postpone the application of chemicals to kill Hydrilla in Lake Bastrop. Bush arranged for the Lower Colorado River Authority to borrow a Hydrilla Harvester from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Ray Scott, founder of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, told the Texas B.A.S.S. Federation, “The harvester is a state-of-the-art machine and costs $150,000-but the TVA will loan it to us for the cost of transportation and the operator.”

The demonstration of this machine was held June 10-11 of this year and everyone including Gov. Bush was delighted with what they saw.

This machine reportedly can cut one acre of Hydrilla per hour to a depth of five to six feet. It has a cutting width of up to seven feet and weighs up to 14,000 lbs. It cuts the vegetation, squeezes the water from it, shreds it, then puts the shredded vegetation back in the water. The harvester does not hurt the fish population either, according to the Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota, where the harvester has been used for years.

The demonstration on Lake Bastrop has started a fervor in the fishing community that has never been seen. Pat McCarty, a tournament fisherman and editor of this magazine, says, “I’ve never seen so many different fishing organizations come together over a single issue in my 25 years in this industry.”

There has been a great deal of support for the use of non-chemical methods of Hydrilla and other nuisance aquatic vegetation. Texas Black Bass Unlimited (TBBU), Texas Association of Bass Clubs (TABC), Bass Federation of Texas, Better Aquatics in Texas (BAIT), the Clean Water Action Committee, Honey Hole Magazine, Metro Leagues of Bass Clubs, Cen-Tex Bass Associations and other concerned groups from all over the country have all united in their common interest to preserve our fishing resources in Texas and an organization was formed from the union of these interests called Sensible Management of Aquatic Resources Together (SMART).

The telephone campaign generated over $10,000 from a total of 315 donors from across the nation. A photocopy of each check along with a list of who the check is from and where they live will be sent to Gov. Bush to try to generate government support for this issue as well. A check was written to the TVA for $8000 to cover the rental of their harvester and the remainder was placed into a fund that has been earmarked for the purchase of a harvester for Texas.

The Wallop Breaux Foundation is a federal organization that a percentage of all of our cost on fishing supplies goes toward. If a community shows the united concern in a conservation project in any part of the United States, this foundation has been set up to assist in the purchase of necessary equipment, according to Parten. The foundation will match funds at a rate of 3-1.

As Parten puts it, “To be SMART and work together, we can raise, this year, $62,500, and with the three-to-one matching funds of the Wallop Breaux Foundation, this will equate to $250,000.

Once the funds have been raised, our plans are to purchase a mechanical harvester to meet the needs and specifications of the fisheries and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Also, to design a trailer to haul the harvester and to purchase a truck to pull them.”

This is the goal of all those involved in this project, he says. “Texas fishermen are united on this issue.” Parten expects to purchase and have a harvester in operation by the Spring of 1999 to use as it’s needed.

A fundraising dinner is planned on Aug. 14th at the Hotel Sofitel in north Houston for this cause. It will be called “An Evening with Ray Scott” and Ray Scott will be the keynote speaker. A 1999 Dodge Quad-Cab Duly Pickup will be raffled off at the dinner. See ya’ there! – Lake Mohave