News

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 Havasu

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 Havasu

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 Havasu

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 Havasu

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 Havasu

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 Havasu

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 Havasu

The Sunshine Kids held their fishing tournament on Saturday, August 6, at Stow-Away Marina. The Sunshine Kids is a national non-profit organization for children with cancer. They offer a variety of activities to the children, their siblings and parents because they feel that all members of the family are affected by the disease and they all need the opportunities for diversion from reminders of the horrors of the disease.

Jennifer Knerr, the Activities Coordinator of the Houston chapter, says, “through the Sunshine Kids’ activities, parents, siblings and the Sunshine Kids themselves are able to find the support and encouragement they need to continue their fight against cancer from those who truly understand.”

There are over 200 active Sunshine Kids in the Houston area. The numbers change daily with the high mortality rate of the group and new members. Nationwide, the organization boasts over 1000 members.

“All the activities we provide are totally free of charge to the Sunshine Kids and their families,” Knerr says.

One of the activities is an annual fishing tournament and the first place winner in each division is awarded a cash prize.

This year, the Sunshine Kids were fishing for bass and bream. A Junior Division and Senior Division were selected for each type of fish. Fifteen Sunshine Kids competed in this year’s tournament and each participant received a “goody bag” full of special items to remember this day.

The Sunshine Kids and their families are not ordinarily typical anglers or boaters. It was necessary to provide boats for the kids to fish from, and several area guides and other fishing individuals were kind enough to donate their boats for the tournament. The organization wishes to extend a hearty “thanks” to Wayne Vinton, Tom O’Connor, Jeff Goetzman, Steve Smith, Billy Mills, Tex Bonin, Keith Kocurek, Mike Schneider, Mitch Lowman, Dave Banta, John T. Gillis, Mickey Geisler, Marshall Brown, Jack Edwards, Bill Cannan, Gary Watts and Bob Driggers for their kind support in donating their boats to this tournament.

“Our philosophy is living life to the fullest,” Knerr says. “We try to give the families a break from hospitals and treatments by giving them the opportunity to just have fun and be a kid.”

Houston F.I.S.H. (Femmes In Search of Hawgs), a local organization of women anglers, sponsored this program. This group was formed in 1978 and was one of the first clubs affiliated with Bass ‘n’ Gals, a national organization of fisherwomen. 1994 is the 13th year that Houston F.I.S.H. has sponsored the Sunshine Kids tournament and this is the second year it has been held at Stow-Away Marina..

The Sunshine Kids tournament was followed by a Take A Kid Fishing tournament organized by Houston F.I.S.H. Any child that wants to fish but may not have access to a fishing boat or fishing tackle can participate in this program nationwide. This portion of the day’s tournament was dedicated to Edna Mills, a Conroe resident and a former member of both the local group and Bass ‘n’ Gals who died in a boating accident recently on Lake Conroe.

B. J. Nix was the tournament director for this Take A Kid Fishing tournament. She had 40 child/adult teams. Children are paired up with parents or anglers who want to donate their boats to the event. Everyone had a great time on this beautiful, sunny day.

All the bream and catfish caught in both tournaments was donated by Houston F.I.S.H. to Conroe area charities. The average weight of a day’s catch of bream and catfish is 200-250 lbs. The bass catches are released after being weighed and a photo is taken.

After the tournament, Houston F.I.S.H. held an auction featuring merchandise like a custom-made gun cabinet valued at $400 and several fishing rods with $60-$70 cash value each. Fishing guide trips, both freshwater and sal*****er, and a variety of artwork and jewelry were also auctioned.

The total proceeds from the tournament and the auction came to over $5000 for Houston F.I.S.H., including a cash donation of $2000 from Budweiser.

It’s great to see this kind of participation on Lake Conroe, especially for such a worthy cause. Cheryl Boen, President of Houston F.I.S.H., wishes to thank all those involved in the tournament for making it a terrific success.

The Houston F.I.S.H. organization offers women an opportunity to learn to fish and operate a boat . The group gets together on the first Monday of every month, unless that day is a holiday, in which case the meeting is
held on the first Tuesday.(September’s meeting is planned for September 6.) It also offers female anglers a support group and an opportunity to fish from a boat, even if members don’t own a boat.

About half the group owns boats and they pair up with other members who don’t own boats. Tournaments are held once a month at area lakes for members and potential members. Cheryl Boen told me that women are allowed to participate in one tournament before officially joining the group.

For more information on the Houston F.I.S.H. organization, please call Cheryl Boen at
(713) 466-1893 or Jacquetta Owens at (713) 367-4499. – Lake Havasu

Fishermen everywhere see the need for aquatic vegetation. It provides food for fish, improves water quality of fisheries and it provides cover for bass fingerlings to hide from their prey, allowing them to grow into trophy-size adults. However, most anglers and water conservationists in our state agree that aquatic weeds, particularly Hydrilla, need to be controlled. The method used for their control is the source of a great debate in Texas.

Chemical companies and government agencies have influenced the Texas River Authority and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to mandate the pouring of thousands of gallons a year of toxic chemicals into our lakes and rivers, some of which provide public drinking water.

Others want to control the aquatic vegetation through total eradication. One popular method involves the use of “grass carp.” Grass carp have been described as “the least acceptable method of non-chemical control.” The grass carp is a fish that was introduced into Lake Conroe in Conroe, Texas, to eat the unwanted aquatic vegetation. The result was they ate ALL the vegetation, leaving the lake unhealthy and unsuited for the survival of fish. The lake is now undergoing a lengthy process of reintroducing “good” aquatic vegetation in the hope that the fish will return to the lake.

S.M.A.R.T. is a non-profit organization formed by Texas anglers, conservationists and industry leaders to protect and improve our fisheries. Their name stands for Smart Management of Aquatic Resources Team The founders of S.M.A.R.T. hope to educate government agencies and the news media to the hazards of chemical treatment and total eradication
in the control of unwanted aquatic vegetation. The organization also hopes to teach the future facilitators of our freshwater resources the perils of chemical control.

With the help of TV personality and renowned cinematographer, Glenn Lau, they have developed an educational do*****entary on aquatic herbicides. Lau is the creator of the award-winning epic, “Big Mouth Forever,” which is a do*****entary on the life-cycle of the largemouth bass and sequel to the first film Lau produced in 1973 called “Big Mouth.” Lau is also host of his own TNN television show, Quest for Adventure.

The do*****entary will focus on the environmental impact of aquatic herbicides and other aquatic management techniques on lakes and other water reservoirs nationwide. It is the objective of S.M.A.R.T. to promote the film to secondary schools in Texas. They hope that schools will develop a curriculum around the lessons presented in the film to teach young outdoorsmen about the place of aquatic management today in the future of our water reservoirs.

S.M.A.R.T. management programs use several means for the control of unwanted vegetation. One method they sanction is another non-chemical control device, the “mechanical harvester.” This machine reportedly can cut one acre of Hydrilla per hour to a depth of five to six feet. The machines have a cutting width of up to 10 feet and weigh up to 14,000 lbs. The harvester 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. In fact, lakes in the north central U.S. say they have enhanced aquatic life in their lakes and the water remains clear and clean, and most report enhanced game fish populations. Mr. D. Heise of LaPorte, Tennessee, says, “The quality of fishing has improved [on City Lake since we started using the harvester], and the fishing areas are more accessible now.”

One of S.M.A.R.T.’s short-term goals is to raise enough money through contributions and fund-raisers to purchase a harvester for the TPWD, and they in turn will implement mechanical management of aquatic vegetation as the state’s method of control. To date they have raised $65,000, or 60% of the funds they will need to purchase the necessary equipment.

The next fundraising event is scheduled for June 19th in Arlington, Texas, at the Arlington Convention Center. It will be called “An Evening with Ray Scott,” and Ray Scott, the founder of B.A.S.S., will be on hand along with several other celebrities of the fishing industry. This is the second fund-raiser Scott has sponsored, his first being in Houston at the Hotel Sofitel Greenspoint on August 14, 1998. Scott’s guest speakers in Houston were such pioneers of the bass fishing industry as Roland Martin, a legendary angler and TV superstar, Bob Cobb, the 30-year pioneer with B.A.S.S. Bassmasters Magazine and Bassmasters TV, Glen Lau, renowned cinematographer and TV personality and Earl Bentz, founder of Triton Boats and 30-year innovator and pioneer in the quality and performance of bass boats.

Martin, Cobb, Lau and Bentz will also appear at the Arlington event. Dinner and drinks will be provided and both a live and silent auction will be held. The auction will feature a 1999 Triton Bass Boat and a Mercury Outboard. A 1999 Chevy Suburban will be raffled off to one lucky guest, and only 100 raffle tickets will be sold at $100 each, so guests will have a one in 600 chance of winning the vehicle, valued at $36,000. This event is open to the public and admission is free. Dinner tickets will be sold at the door for $15 each. A special treat at this fund-raiser will be the premiere of the new Glenn Lau film.

The long-term goal of S.M.A.R.T. is to establish similar water conservation organizations in other states so their efforts will become nationwide. They also want to ally themselves nationally with other fishing organizations, bass clubs and water conservation groups. If you would be interested in helping to organize chapters in other states, please contact S.M.A.R.T. at (713) 648-6152 or toll-free at (888) 588-8228.

The Board of Directors of S.M.A.R.T. include President David Stewart, Vice President Ed Parten, Treasurer Lindy Ellason, Secretary Bill Bales, Asst. Secretary-Treasurer Pat McCarty, Sergeant at Arms John Alexander, Parliamentarian Jerry Gold, and three Board Members-at-Large, Mike Woehst with a 3-year term, Mike Hastings with a 2-year term, and Randy Kindler with a 1-year term.

The Members of the Board are all giants in the bass-fishing industry. They include, Ray Scott, Earl Bentz, Ray Murski, a fishing industry leader, Harold Sharp, a past B.A.S.S. tournament director, Jerry Dean, editor/publisher of Honey Hole Magazine, Duane “Sparky” Anderson of Clean Water Action, Johnnie Davis of Anglers Choice, Terry Oldham of Oldham Lures, Jack Allen, President of Southeast Texas Oilmen’s Bass Classic, Neil Carman of the Sierra Club of Texas, Ed Churchman and Bruce Shuler of T.A.B.C., Bruce Goss, Bob Hood , a sportswriter for the “Fort Worth Star Telegram,” Sue Pittman of the Chemical Connection, Robin Richardson of H.A.W.K., Bob Sealy of “Sealy Outdoors,” and Ron Werner of April Plaza Marine in Conroe, Texas..

The list of S.M.A.R.T. Member Organizations reads like a list of all of Texas’ fishing groups. It includes Anglers Choice, Inc., B.A.I.T. (Better Aquatics in Texas), Bastrop Environmental Association, Catfish and Crappie Association, the Central Texas Association of Bass Clubs, Clean Water Action, Consumers Union, H.A.W.K. (Health Awareness and Water Knowledge), the Henry, Lowerre, Johnson, Boss & Frederick Law Firm, F.I.S.H. (Fishermen Involved in Saving Habitat), Honey Hole Magazine, L.C.M.A. (Lake Conroe Marina Association), the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Clubs of Texas, Metro Leagues of Bass Clubs, Pro Team Tournament Trail, Inc., Rayburn Bass Classic, S.C.O.T. (Sportsmen Conservationists of Texas), Sealy Outdoors, Southeast Texas Oilmen’s Bass Classic, T.A.B.C. (Texas Association of Bass Clubs), T.B.B.U. (Texas Black Bass Unlimited), Texas B.A.S.S. Federation, Texas Center for Policy Studies, The Chemical Connection, Texas Oilmen’s Bass Invitational and the Texas Sportsguide.
– Lake Havasu

Scientists in freshwater regions throughout Texas have been wrestling with the problem posed by an exotic, invading weed called Hydrilla. This plant is not native to Texas, but, according to biologists of the Louisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility (LAERF), was probably brought here by compassionate aquarium-fish owners who wanted to set their pets free by dumping the whole aquarium into the lake.

One solution to the problems posed by this plant is total elimination. Attempts at eradication have included biological methods.

One such method involves the import of species to eat the Hydrilla. The problem with this method is that all the aquatic plantlife will be eaten, creating another serious problem. Fish need some sort of aquatic vegetation to survive. White amur, or grass carp, are commonly used at power plant lakes, but these vegetation-eating fish should be used with caution because, while solving the problem of overgrown Hydrilla, they have the potential to eliminate all plantlife in the lake.

According to Remmie Scarborough, the Manager of the Lake Conroe Division of the San Jacinto River Authority and a member of the Aquatic Management Society of Texas, Sonar was used early on in the eradication of Hydrilla from Lake Conroe. He is unaware of the effects of this particular chemical because shortly afterwards the Lake Conroe Marine Association and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department decided to import a large number of white amur, or grass carp, to Lake Conroe to eat the Hydrilla.

The decision to use so many carp was for total eradication purposes and was the decision of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Scarborough says. He believes that only four or five carp per acre would not have eaten all the vegetation. If a lake is considering using grass carp to control Hydrilla and not totally eliminate all vegetation, Scarborough recommends using only four or five carp per acre.

Grass carp are not considered a true biological control because they are not “host-species specific”, said the scientists at LAERF, meaning that they feed on other plants besides the problem plants. An example of a true biological control is the insect, hydrellia, that feeds on Hydrilla alone. Turtles are being studied at LAERF to see what types of plants they will feed on. Mt is a fungus that attacks Hydrilla. It is being studied for its use as a controlling agent.

All of these biological controls are still in the research stage and, according to Dr. Michael Smart of LAERF, “operational biological control of Hydrilla is still a decade away.”

Mechanical harvesting is another method of Hydrilla control that has been used on Lake Conroe, says Scarborough. It involves cutting Hydrilla much like a lawnmower and with the same results – it is only a temporary control. He thinks it makes the Hydrilla grow back thicker because in the process of harvesting it, “tubers” and “turions”
of the Hydrilla are scattered onto nearby areas where they root and grow new plants.

One interesting note about biological control: grass carp will not eat Eurasian watermilfoil, another problem exotic weed found mostly in the northern United States. They had no effect on the waterhyacinth or pond lilies of Lake Conroe either, says Blake Kellum, the Water Quality Supervisor of the San Jacinto River Authority. Waterhyacinth is another problem plant that scientists are looking to eradicate.

Other methods involve importing species to eat the Hydrilla. The problem with this method is that all the aquatic plantlife will be eaten, creating another serious problem. Fish need some sort of aquatic vegetation to survive. White amur, or grass carp, are commonly used at power plant lakes, but these vegetation-eating fish should be used with caution because, while solving the problem of overgrown Hydrilla, they have the potential to eliminate all plantlife in the lake.

The decision to use so many carp was for total eradication purposes and was the decision of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Scarborough says. He believes that only four or five carp per acre would not have eaten all the vegetation. If a lake is considering using grass carp to control Hydrilla and not totally eliminate all vegetation, Scarborough recommends using only four or five carp per acre.

Grass carp are not considered a true biological control because they are not “host-species specific”, said the scientists at LAERF, meaning that they feed on other plants besides the problem plants. An example of a true biological control is the insect, hydrellia, that feeds on Hydrilla alone. Turtles are being studied at LAERF to see what types of plants they will feed on. Mt is a fungus that attacks Hydrilla. It is being studied for its use as a controlling agent.

All of these biological controls are still in the research stage and, according to Dr. Michael Smart of LAERF, “operational biological control of Hydrilla is still a decade away.”

Mechanical harvesting is another method of Hydrilla control used on Lake Conroe, says Scarborough. It involves cutting Hydrilla much like a lawnmower and with the same results – it is only a temporary control. He thinks it makes the Hydrilla grow back thicker because in the process of harvesting it, “tubers” and “turions” of the Hydrilla are scattered onto nearby areas where they root and grow new plants.

Several methods have been studied for the elimination of Hydrilla, but only a few have considered the positive aspects of this plant, particularly to fishing. Most fishermen like to fish where Hydrilla is abundant. Over a period of time, however, Hydrilla can do more harm than good to a lake. If it is allowed to grow unrestrained, it can choke the lake of oxygen and other vital nutrients, killing other aquatic vegetation and fish.

But the fact remains that Hydrilla provides good fishing because it offers refuge and food for fish while it’s still in its youth. Other plants can provide this service and do not monopolize the waters. These plants are native to Texas and can grow in Texas lakes if they are not threatened by a dominating plant like Hydrilla.

These plants are duckweed, muskgrass, horned pondweed and American pondweed. These plants can provide all the benefits of Hydrilla without the problems. The biologists at LAERF are currently studying ways to introduce these preferable plants so they can be given a fighting chance over colonizing plants like Hydrilla.

Lake Conroe currently has a problem with basically no aquatic vegetation at all. Steps should be taken to introduce the right kinds of aquatic vegetation and in such a way as to ensure they will thrive in our lake. Let’s work together to give Lake Conroe a fighting chance. – Lake Havasu

Lake Conroe is a popular lake for boating, fishing, camping and just relaxing. Eric Howard, a Game Warden of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department assigned to Montgomery County, calls the lake “Houston’s Playground” because it is located just an hour’s drive north of the city.

The popularity of Lake Conroe has created a need for the Montgomery County Marine Division, a law enforcement unit made up of two full-time deputy sheriffs. The sole responsibility of the Marine Division is the preservation of safety on the lake.

Officers Cullen Thomas and Jim Ford enforce the Texas Water Safety Act and the Rules and Regulations of the Lake Conroe Reservoir as mandated by the San Jacinto River Authority in the performance of this duty.

The Precinct 1 Constable’s Office also has a full-time officer assigned to the lake, Deputy Constable Greg Gibson, who works closely with Thomas and Ford.

The Marine Division spends a majority of their time on the south end of Lake Conroe. This is where the heavier boating traffic and boating novices are found on the lake. Thomas and Ford generally patrol as far north as the Walker County line, which crosses the lake just south of State Highway 1375.

The north end of the lake, Ford explains, is a minefield of stumps and a boater really has to know where he’s going. Mostly fishermen are attracted to the north end of Lake Conroe and, Ford adds, “we don’t have much of a problem with fishermen as a whole”.

In the enforcement of the Texas Water Safety Act, the deputy sheriff’s are very strict. Thomas explains that every boater is required by state law to know these regulations and the Marine Division will not hesitate to write a citation for a violation of this Act. A copy of the Texas Water Safety can be picked up at the Montgomery County Commissioner’s Office or at some marinas on Lake Conroe.

In addition to the state laws on boating, a boater on Lake Conroe should be familiar with the local rules and regulations of the lake. The Marine Division wants these rules adhered to, but they are more lenient when it comes to these regulations.

Several of the regulations deal with personal watercraft, including jet skis, water bikes and aqua planes. “No person shall operate …a personal watercraft…at a greater than ‘No Wake’ speed, within 50 feet of another vessel, personal watercraft or water skier.” Another regulation makes it unlawful for a person to operate any water vessel at a speed greater than ‘No Wake’ speed within 100 feet of a boat dock or an inlet being used for swimming. Banana Bay has been nicknamed “torpedo alley” by the sheriffs of Montgomery County because, as Deputy Sheriff Cullen Thomas contends, personal watercraft disturbances are very common there.

Another unique aspect of the local Lake Conroe regulations is the “Skier Down Flag Rule”. This rule requires a rear observer to be in the ski boat “who must hold up an orange flag…high enough to alert other traffic when the skier is in the water and no longer being towed.” Provisions are made in this rule so that operators without a separate observer may raise the necessary flag. Deputy Sheriff Thomas feels that this rule prevents many skiers from becoming victims of boating accidents and “mutilated in a boat’s propellers”.
The Texas Water Safety Act provides strict guidelines pertaining to the Boating While Intoxicated law. The Marine Division is quick to point out that Banana Bay is where most of these citations are written. The penalties for violation of the BWI law range from a fine of $100 to a sentence of five years in prison.

In some areas of the country, according to Deputy Sheriff Ford, peace officers are equipped with “portable intoxilizers” that give the officer at least a good idea of how much the boater has had to drink. Montgomery County is not equipped with this new technology, so it becomes necessary to keep the suspected boater in custody on land for fifteen minutes before the effect of “sea legs” is sure to have worn off and a sobriety test can be given. Deputy Sheriff Jim
Ford elucidates, “if you want to enforce BWI, you have to ignore everything else. It’s something you really have to target.”

Montgomery County is also favored with “a cracker-jack dive team” boasts Ford. The team is made up of a group of volunteers who leave their various jobs when they are needed on Lake Conroe. They have also been called to Walker County and Lake Somerville for their expertise. The group includes some reserve peace officers and they are very talented and well known for their diving skill, according to Officer Ford. The divers provide their own equipment and transportation and Montgomery County is very proud and lucky to have them.

The Marine Division was preparing for the Labor Day weekend when I spoke with them. Labor Day, says Officer Thomas, is less busy than the July Fourth and Memorial Day weekends. Though still busier than other weekends of the summer, the impending hunting season diverts interest away from the lake and “lightens the load on the lake”. Labor Day does attract its share of out-of-towners, however, just like every big weekend. On big weekends, the Marine Division spends a great deal of time “getting out-of-towners in compliance with local regulations”.

The Marine Division is an important part of law enforcement on Lake Conroe. Officers Thomas and Ford seem very fair and interested in keeping the lake a safe lake for everyone. This lake lover feels comfortable in knowing the Marine Division is on Lake Conroe. – Lake Havasu

Our supply of drinking water in Texas is under a serious threat of contamination by pollution from our cities and rural areas. Farmers use chemicals on their farmland that run off into nearby rivers and lakes and eventually contaminate drinking water.

Environmentalist Dr. Richard Walker elucidates the problem: “Toxic waste from industry, sewage from human settlements and excess fertilizers from agriculture are polluting rivers and lakes and poisoning water supplies; more worryingly, pollutants are seeping down into aquifers causing long-term and possibly irreversible damage to the water supplies of future generations.”

Pesticides, sewage, toxic waste, industrial gases, heat pollution, radioactive waste, oil seepage from refineries, oil spills and acid rain are all pollution threats to Texas’ rivers and lakes. The pollution created by chemical runoff from farm land accounts for 64% of pollution in the state’s fresh water supplies. These chemicals contain nitrates that have been blamed for several adult cancers and blood poisoning in babies. It can also cause eutrophication, the creation of an environment that is More suitable to plant than animal life. Raw sewage contaminating the water supply can reduce the oxygen level sufficiently to cause extinction of most forms of life. Not only does it destroy life, but it can get into the food chain threatening larger animals including man.

Another source of pollution in Texas’ rivers and lakes can be attributed to fisherpersons themselves. Some of these thoughtless sportspersons toss their monofilament fishing lines, allowing them to float downstream where they attach themselves to other debris. They then become a real hazard to Texas wildlife in the area such as otters, beavers, and other mammals and birds, according to Jess Ramsey, superintendent of Texas’ Purtis Creek State Park.

Several measures have already been taken to protect Texas, rivers and lakes. Toxic waste dumping has been banned near water supplies. Sewage treatment plants are treating sewage before release into rivers and lakes and waste water is now treated on site before it is released back into the environment. Stringent controls have also been enacted on industrial pollutants.

To assist in the efforts to protect Texas’ rivers and lakes, please contact:
Jerry Eller
Heart O’ Texas Bassmasters
808 S. 2nd
Killeen, TX 76541

Our groundwater supply is diminishing statewide, and the protection of our supply of safe drinking water in Texas needs to be a priority in future government legislation. – Lake Havasu