Sportsman’s group celebrating 25 years

A familiar site on Lake Fork during bass tournaments is the live-release-boat (LRB) provided by Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association (LFSA). The survival rate of fish brought to LFSA’s LRB after weigh-in is about 99%. The LRB is provided by the organization at no charge to bass tournaments and manned by volunteer members.

This high survival rate is a far cry from the high mortality rate seen at a tournament on the lake 25 years ago.  Born of adversity, LFSA was formed to counter a call to remove the slot limit for tournaments in 1999.

An event to recognize LFSA 25th anniversary will be held Saturday, Aug. 10 from 3-5 p.m. at Rose Community Center in Emory. It is open to the public. It will be an opportunity to hear speakers discuss Lake Fork, reminisce about the organization’s perseverance, learn about current projects and recruit new members.  

Since its inception, Lake Fork Reservoir has had restrictive harvest regulations in effect for large-mouth bass. This has contributed to the lake becoming a premier trophy bass lake, producing numerous fish over 13 pounds dominating the Texas Top 50 Large-mouth Bass List.

Why should someone who pays $250 to fish in a tournament not have to adhere to the slot limit (14-23” at the time) while anglers fishing the same lake must play by different rules?

There were concerns about mortality rates, especially after Lake Fork had seen a die-off of about 4,500 large bass a few months earlier in 1999, blamed on an iridovirus strain similar to the large-mouth bass virus (LMBV). Area merchants wanted a way to attract more visitors and fishermen to Lake Fork to protect their interests.

Lobbyists were hired and legislators in Austin went along with the idea, instructing Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. (TPWD) to lift the slot limit for 6 “experimental study” tournaments. When this plan was announced, it was met with strong opposition from fishermen around the country.

LFSA quickly formed and filed a lawsuit for a restraining order, but a judge in Austin denied it.

Public opinion quickly soured. Signs in businesses all around the lake and bumper stickers pushed the “no slot waiver” theme. In part, the study was to determine the impact of catch-and-release tournaments on slot-limit bass lakes.

Tournament fish, divided into four categories, were put in large nets and held for six days. LFSA members stood watch 24/6 in their boats at the four nets. The result?

Of the bass that came through the tournament weigh-in, 39.1% had died within six days, by far the worst mortality rate seen. Had the slot limit been adhered to, all those slot fish would have seen a 1.25% mortality rate with catch and release, the lowest rate in the study. 

“The 39.1% mark puts credence in what we have been trying to say,” according to George Schwend, LFSA’s first president. “It sent shock waves through Austin.”  The study was abandoned and never completed.

LFSA stands ready 25 years later to protect and preserve the legend of Lake Fork.  The LRB monitors temperature and oxygen levels of fish after weigh-in. Volunteer members on board are trained on how to fizz any fish in distress. The LRB has also been used to help TPWD in the stocking of hundreds of thousands of fingerling bass into the lake. 

The organization has since worked closely with TPWD and the Sabine River Authority on projects to enhance Lake Fork. Through a TPWD grant, LFSA teams with local schools’ ag departments to build fish attractors and floating planters.  The floating planters are filled with aquatic grasses that the schools have grown, and other vegetation is also planted.

The organization supports area high school fishing teams, donating rods, reels and tackle to students in need. Members have volunteered and supported numerous kids’ fishing events.

In 2018, LFSA was inducted into the Texas Freshwater Hall of Fame. LFSA is a 501c3 non-profit organization staffed entirely by volunteers. It is dependent on donations and spring and fall raffle ticket sales to support its projects.