Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association:
A Brief History
By George Schwend

Now in its ninth year, The Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association was founded in 1999 in an effort to protect a Texas treasure at a time when many believed the lake needed a guardian for the first time in its brief twenty-one year history.

But first a brief description of Lake Fork’s history and what happened in 1999 that motivated a group of concerned individuals to organize to protect what was considered by most at the time to be not only the finest bass lake in Texas, but possible the country. By 1999 and much to the credit of Texas Parks and Wildlife, Lake Fork had more then proven itself to be a bass fishery of legendary proportions. Having already set the state record twice and having contributed a significantly disproportionate number of the top 50 largest bass caught in Texas waters, it brought fishermen from across the country and around world looking to break their personal best and harboring a deep rooted hope for a new record. With the level of interest that lake Fork had created in the bass fishing world, it also opened up lots of opportunity for business to grow and prosper and it continued to draw new business all through the 1990’s until the Lake Fork area offered more marinas, rooms, eateries, tackle stores and so on, then any other lake in the state. The commercial competition for the fishing dollar grew, became more intense, but still most businesses survived in spite of it.

Almost like a perfect storm, we had a lake that was handling the ever increasing fishing pressure it was under because of the successful and careful management by TP&W and their effective use of our slot restriction; thus Lake Fork continued to produce big bass and draw hoards of fishermen. We had an over abundance of businesses that were barely handling the intense competition for the fishing dollar when in 1999 the unexpected happened and Lake Fork was hit by a bass virus (as were some other lakes in Texas and cross the south). Reports spread quickly of fish dying off in large numbers and what was once the place to go bass fishing was now unfortunately becoming the place to avoid. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back and the impact on business around the lake was dramatic and many businesses were suddenly facing very real financial jeopardy. Merchants organized in an effort to find ways to help promote more fishing tourism and called upon TP&W as well as politicians for economic help.

What made Lake Fork great was what some felt stood in the way of their business survival and that was the slot limit imposed by TP&W. Because of the slot limit major professional bass tournaments had always passed on Lake Fork and many merchants felt that by bringing the likes of B.A.S.S. and other pro tournaments to Lake Fork it would not only generate immediate business, but also the images of professional bass fishermen catching large bass that would be broadcast coast to coast would renew interest in Lake Fork and bring back the fishing tourism that was now staying away. However, to bring the pros here would require changing the one thing that practically everyone credited Lake Fork’s success with and that would mean waving the slot restrictions. Sure Lake Fork couldn’t have gotten to be the fishery that it was without the injection of some 7,236,000 Florida bass fingerlings over the twenty years since it opened for fishing. But large quantities of Florida fingerlings have been introduced in to many lakes around Texas and the southwest without results approaching anything close to those of Lake Fork, so it was the carefully managed slot restriction that were in place at Lake Fork that received the credit for the lake’s great success.

Battle lines were quickly drawn, but only the merchants’ side was organized while the other side of this issue amounted to little more then public opinion, individuals grumbling amongst themselves about what was being proposed and how the idea of waving the slot would be at the dire risk to the future of this great fishery. Many individuals called TP&W on their own to voice their opposition to what was being proposed, but it quickly became apparent that TP&W’s hands were tied by those very same politicians who approved their budget and thus their very existence and who were responding to the requests of the businesses and putting pressure on TP&W to change the rules. It also became obvious that without some measurable mass, individuals voicing their objections to the proposed waving of the slot limit were simply isolated voices falling on deaf ears at both the TP&W and at all political levels of government.

Momentum was clearly indicating that the slot would be waved and thus in the opinion of many, the lake would now be put in dire jeopardy. All this was happening at a time when Lake Fork was suffering from a bass virus that was killing fish at a rate that was shocking to everyone who loved this fishery. Reports of large slot fish and even over the slot fish, floating dead were the talk of the day and fear of the demise of Lake Fork was literally on many lake loyalists lips.

Almost in total disbelief a few of us realized that if something wasn’t done and done quickly, the slot would be waved and in our belief the lake could suffer significant ramifications. Disbelief that at a time the lake was suffering so severely from the devastating impact of the bass virus and a regional drought, that increasing the pressure on this fishery by considering removing the slot restriction was even under consideration at all. Tensions were building between those pushing for the removal of the slot so tournaments would come to Lake Fork and those who felt that was the worse thing that could happen to the lake.

Rick Loomis, a full time guide on Lake Fork, sat in my kitchen one morning and said if we don’t do something quickly this lake is going to suffer more damage that it may be able to ever recover from (expletives deleted). So Rick and I sat there and made a list of who we could approach to form a group to start to organize all this disparate public opinion that alone wasn’t having any effect on stemming the tide towards wavier of the slot limit. A series of meetings were called quickly and attendance and support grew rapidly as the word spread. Many people were so passionate about this issue that collections were taken up on almost on impromptu basis, but it didn’t take long to realize that any kind of serious legal fight was going to require significant funding. Many people gave what they could, fund raising activities helped, but when CB Hudson opened his checkbook and made what was a more then generous donation to support our efforts to protect the lake, did things get into high gear. Legal council in Austin was engaged and we quickly filed a lawsuit to stop TP&W from proceeding any further until scientific evidence could be attained to assure that waving the current slot limit restriction would not damage or hurt the lake. I’d like to add that it was very clear to most of us who lead the charge that TP&W was not in favor of what was being proposed, why would they be, Lake Fork was the jewel in their crown and they would never have opted to put it at risk if it wasn’t for the political pressure that was being placed on them at the time. However, to stop what was about to happen we had no alternative other then to file a lawsuit against TP&W; so that’s what we did.

Around the time the lawsuit was filed it became very apparent that the need to establish an association that would stand up and protect Lake Fork as it’s number one priority made sense to those of us who had already organized in opposition to waving the slot limit restrictions, and thus the Lake Fork Sportsman Association was founded and thrives to this day.

Numerous trips to meet with our attorney’s in Austin took place, the media picked up on the debate and temperatures soared within the community. Long time friends found themselves on different sides of the debate and our heretofore small closely knit friendly community was now straining under the vast difference of opinion on the future of Lake Fork. The interest in the future of Lake Fork was not confined to the immediate area since the lake’s future was also high in many bass fishermen’s minds from around the state as well as the country. Aided by the internet the debate soon took on national proportions and chat sites were a blaze with heated on-line discussions.

In an effort to find some sort of solution to ease the tension and hopefully help the healing process begin, an invitation was extended to the newly formed LFSA to come to Austin and meet face to face with the powers that be at TP&W. Richard McCarty and I went to Austin and met with the powers that be at TP&W. After all the niceties were dispensed with the discussion quickly got heated and down to brass tacks. Both sides tried to find some common ground from which a reasonable path forward, outside of court, might be possible. The debate really revolved around no one really knowing what the impact to the lake might be if those slot fish that have always been protected by being immediately returned to the water would be if their protection was removed and they were dragged back to the scales of a tournament to be weighed in and later released. Conjecture on what the mortality rate would be ran the spectrum of speculation and there were many ‘experts’ weighing in the question in support of each side. But it became clear that real scientific data did not exist and thus a study done at Lake Fork was agreed to and under taken. The results of the extended seven day mortality rate study on fish caught and brought to tournament scales and then released, was higher then anyone anticipated. It was also all TP&W felt they needed to end the debate and controversy once and for all. TP&W now had solid scientific evidence that such a move would have far reaching effects on what many considered not only the greatest bass lake in Texas, but just possibly the country.

The Lake Fork Sportsmen’s Associated also realized the need to sponsor a ‘Live Release Boat’; which has been serving fishing tournaments for many years since the study and undoubtedly has spared many under and over the slot fish.

Last year Lake Fork hosted the largest professional bass tournament that Lake Fork has ever seen; ‘The Toyota Texas Classic’. The tournament rules that were implemented for this major event had never been attempted before in a professional tournament anywhere and were acknowledged as being a direct result of those early efforts of the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association to protect this great fishery and the most extensive study on fish mortality caused by tournaments. The tournament was a huge success, has already been scheduled for this coming year again at Lake Fork utilizing the same fish protective rules and proves tournament fishing and smart fish conservation are compatible with the implementation of a few ‘Fish Friendly’ accommodations.

The Lake Fork Sportsmen’s Association may have been born out of adversity, but survives today as an organization of dedicated sportsman whose mission is to promote this great fishery and to stand ready to protect it when the need arises.