How to Kill a Fishery Without Even Tying a Knot
By Larry Bridgeman

In a recent article I read (September 8, 2005 Zapata County News), a columnist wrote that the Falcon Lake white bass fishery's decline was the result of illegal netting. His partially true statement and the true cause need to be clarified.

It is the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) bureaucracy and their flawed decision-making process that ultimately bears the greatest responsibility for allowing this once great fishery to disappear and with it millions of dollars in Winter Texan revenues. Not once did the writer mention this fact in his article. Lack of enforcement by TPWD during the years of the drought and lack of control of over-harvesting plus TPW's refusal to restock or adjust limits to allow the species time to recover are the real cause. Even today with virtually no whites in the lake, the published 2006 TPW limit is 10" and 25 white bass per day limit with a 50 fish possession limit. The drought of the 90's also played a role in the demise as did TPW stocking of over 4 million stripers during the 90's (that probably ate more of these fish than the illegal fishermen caught) are the main reasons white bass were obliterated as a fishable species. However, the failure of enforcement and refusal to restock are the true failures and both of these are failures we place on the TPWD doorstep.

Back then, we eagerly awaited the annual white bass run up the Rio Grande, but that was not the only location this prolific species could be found. I remember the days when, after launching in Zapata, we often would see 15, 20 or more schools of whites as we worked our way down the lake. These schools were very apparent and easy to find as there were usually birds circling and diving to scoop up shad being herded by the schools of whites. As good as the lake fishing was back then, the annual river migration was awesome and beyond. Back then, as this picture of my Father with a stringer of river whites attests, 2 to 3 lb whites were common. Many fishermen will remember the early morning launches of their boats in San Ignacio followed by a chilly run up the Rio Grande a number of miles to the rapids. We sometimes stopped a little before that and fished the first island, just to see if some whites might have stopped to feed or rest. When we did finally make it to the rapids, it was rarely necessary to navigate beyond them. A lot of boats did and they were rewarded with some great fishing, but they also risk prop damage unless their motors were jet-drive equipped. It never seemed to matter how many boats or fishermen were there. It was also unimportant how many beetles you had rigged up on your line. On a good day, and most days were good, nearly every cast seemed to produce a number of fish equal to the number of beetles you had tied on. I guess there were baits other than white with red spot beetles that produced fish, but I was rarely motivated to use them.

On any given day we caught and released well over our limits using two beetles rigged in tandem. We always kept a small iced cooler for a few eaters, but I noticed many boats with multiple large ice chests that they filled with whites. Their boats were so heavy with multiple limits of fish that they would not even plane. I remember noting then how gluttonous some of these fishermen (and women) appetites were for whites and wondering how long this could last if the limit of white bass was arbitrarily raised to 500 fish a day by the large number of daily fishermen. Back then, as this picture of my Father with a stringer of river whites attests, 2 to 3 lb fish were common. I remember on several occasions having one or more of these ice chest laden boat occupants, noticing we were releasing fish, motor over and ask us if we would keep the culls and give them up for their camp cook offs. These cook offs were where a few ego deficient fishermen would feed the entire camp/RV park population. At the time we just considered these guys a little lonely rather than deviant. However, now that there are no whites, they are doing the same thing with blacks, well that is another story.

The one thing that I never saw when fishing for whites was any evidence of regulation or illegal netting enforcement. When nets began to appear, stretched clear across the river and the obliteration process started in earnest, still there was no enforcement. I guess that having morning coffee at the local restaurant was more important than enforcing limits on what then was thought to be an inexhaustible resource. Even today, with nets, traps and trot lines all over the river, catfish are being removed at an alarming rate and guess what? Still no enforcement. So thorough was the process of species obliteration that the TPW Survey Reports, of numbers of fish White Bass, Crappie, Black Bass, Blue Gil, Blues. Yellow and Channel Catfish), identified serious declines in all species before they quit publishing (or even conducting) routine annual survey results. TPWD's approach of ignoring the problem (like they did with the white bass) does not mean it is going away nor is it going to get any better. Crappie, like white bass was once a prolific and sought after species by winter Texans. Unfortunately illegal netting and over fishing decimated this species as well as the white bass. The same 10 inch 25 fish limit is in effect for crappie, which is ridiculous based on survey numbers. Since there is no TPW hatchery for either species, and TPW refuses to restock them using commercial fry available, the few fish that are here now are a result of stocking a few mature fish captured at other Reservoirs, a few possible survivors from the drought years and a couple small private stockings around some of the camp boat docks by camp owners and occupants.

We by no means have an abundant fishery for crappie and no fishery at all for white bass and they need to be protected for a couple years rather than being harvested and eaten as advocated in an earlier column. . The TPW Annual Surveys in the 90's clearly showed what was happening to both these species, but instead of taking adequate action to restock and adjust limits, TPW instead nearly doubled the cost of nonresident fishing and hunting licenses. This action, combined with loss of favorite species' fisheries, has produced low occupancies in once overflowing campgrounds. Meanwhile, the only place that effective enforcement could be found was in local coffee shops where, to the best of my knowledge, there was never a game law violated. For a number of years now in the annual O.P.E.C tournament, a 100-dollar a day prize has been offered for the largest white bass brought to the scales. Not one has been weighed in the last four years. What has been the TPW response? Like any good bureaucratic agency, they just stopped publishing results of the surveys. In fairness, TPW did provide transportation to Falcon for 174 white bass caught by 25 local anglers and Inland Fisheries staff at Choke Canyon. A minimal effort at best especially when you consider that illegal netting was and is still rampant and nothing was done in the way of improving enforcement so these fish would survive and spawn. At this time we have only one active game warden for hunting and fishing enforcement in Zapata County.

One warden to serve hunting and fishing enforcement in the County when millions of new dollars are being collected Statewide from the new fishing stamp and hundreds of millions have been collected during the period of the white bass's demise. What we need is a joint effort with Starr County to place 2 Wardens below the Dam, at least two Warden's full time on the lake, two more on the river above Falcon and two more for hunting that could also cover the lake when there is no hunting priority. As it is now, when hunting is in season, the one warden is tied up patrolling hunting and no one handles fishing enforcement. We have stopped selling licenses in protest of the lack of effective effort by TPW, lost fisheries, etc. We have written protest letter to the Governor and the Legislators. The response has been under-whelming.

About the Author: Larry Bridgeman is the owner of Falcon Lake Tackle in Zapata Texas and a former guide on Falcon with some 45 years fishing under his belt with 35 years fishing Falcon. For the last six years, he and his wife Barbara have been selling fishing tackle from their store in Zapata, Texas to local and club fishermen as well as to customers in 48 states and 8 foreign countries via their online store. They have developed their store into one of the best-stocked stores in Texas featuring over 5000 lures and tackle selections used and recommended by their customers, many of which are tournament fishing professionals. Their specially is magnum tackle and lure selections designed to withstand the bone jarring strikes of South Texas and Mexico Bass.