Outdoors Writer It’s been an eventful year for Texas hook and bullet crowds. Among other things, we saw the opening of the first new major public reservoir in more than three decades, the introduction the first medicated feed to combat parasites in quail and an IGFA rule change that just about guarantees the much hallowed largemouth bass world record of 22 pounds, 4 ounces will never be broken.
Here is a review of some of the top outdoors stories of 2024: Bois d’ Arc Opens Texas’ newest recreational reservoir — Bois d’ Arc Lake — officially opened to boat traffic on April 17. Located northeast of Bonham, the 16,600-acre Fannin County reservoir was built primarily for water supply by the North Texas Municipal Water District. It’s the first major impoundment built in Texas since 19,000-acre Lake O.II Ivie opened in 1990.
The NTMWD broke ground on construction of the reservoir in May 2018. The dam began capturing inflow from Bois d’Arc Creek and other tributaries in April 2021, but drought conditions resulted in the lake filling up slower than originally hoped.
Inland fisheries crews with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department did their best to make the Bois d’ Arc a great fishing lake from the start. Crews gained access to several existing stock tanks within the lakebed to utilize as rearing ponds for young fish while construction was underway.
Existing fish populations were removed from the ponds before restocking with bluegills, fathead minnows, threadfin shad and more than 2,000 advanced growth (6-8 inches ) Toyota Share-Lunker offspring in 2019. The state has since stocked nearly 400,000 more Florida bass and as many channel catfish at the lake. Crews also built gravel spawning areas and dropped or built about 50 man-made fishing structures at strategic locations at the eastern half of the lake. Bass are protected by a five fish, 16 inch maximum length limit. Only those bass 16 inches long or less may be retained. Bass longer than 16 inches must be released immediately, unless upwards of 13 pounds and donated to the Toyota Sharelunker program.
Rapid growth rates witnessed among sport fish populations indicate the plan is working well. Bois d’ Arc produced three bass over eight pounds for the Toyota ShareLunker program within five months of opening, inciuding a 9.05 pound lake record. The crappie fishing as also been outstanding, according to fisheries biologist Dan Bennett.
“Like everything else, the growth rate on crappie is above average,” he said, “Oneyear old crappie are already 11 inches, and we’re seeing two-year old crappie reaching 13-14 inches.
QuailGuard Approved
In late May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put its stamp of approval on Quail-Guard, a medicated feed crumble that has proven safe and effective for controlling parasites like eye worms and cecal worms in wild quail populations. The FDA’s approval of QuailGuard comes on the heels of nine years of research and an extensive application process launched in 2015.
The feed was developed at the Wildlife Toxicology Lab at Texas Tech University under the supervision of Dr. Ron Kendall, a cattle rancher, quail hunter and scientist. The project was funded by the Dallas-based Park Cities Quail Coalition and the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation in Roby.
Researchers have learned that eyeworm and cecal worm infections occur when quail ingest insects like wood roaches, field crickets and several species of grasshoppers. Both parasites reproduce at rapid rates and are physically debilitating to quail. Kendall says the parasites rob the birds of valuable nutrition/ energy they need to flee danger, while weakening the immune system and reducing breeding success.
The feed underwent years of rigorous field testing and showed promising results on study areas. Kendeil likened the idea of treating quail for parasites to performing routine worm maintenance on dogs and livestock so the animals can live longer, healthier lives.
With parasites kept in check, researchers found they were able to sustain strong quail populations, even in drought conditions.
“If you want to sustain significant populations of huntable wild quail, you cannot ignore the parasitic equation — that’s what science has told us,” Kendall said. “We have seen significantly increased survivability in wild quail and strong covey sizes lasting into the end of hunting season, along with more carryover.”
The FDA recommends that the medicated feed not be broadcast, but offered through strategic feeding stations that keep the feed dry while offering protection from predators.
Despino first to ban FFS, starts trend
Pro angler and “Fishing For Kids” charity tournament organizer Randy Despino of Colfax, LA., gained national attention last spring when he held the first large-scale bass tournament prohibiting contestants from using forward-facing sonar.
Despino’s March event was held on Toledo Bend Reservoir. The top prize was $20,000.
Some speculated the rule might hurt participation in 19th annual benefit tournament, but it didn’t. The event attracted a record 281 teams and raised $63,000 for donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
“I really think it (the ban of FFS) helped,” he said. “The ones that were doing all of the fussing about it still showed up and fished. When you start seeing guys showing up with their smaller boats and single axle trailers you know you are getting back to your grass rootsanglers. They feel like they can go out and go fishing and still be competitive.”
Depino’s decision started a trend that eventually was addressed by big league organizations Bassmaster, Major League Fishing and the National Professional Fishing League. In September, the NPFL announced that it will ban FFS in all of its 2025 events. The NPFL is a big league trail with tall entry fees and a $100,000 top prize in each event.
Bassmaster and MLF took different approaches with a diverse list of changes to rides regarding forward facing sonar usage for the upcoming season, including specific restrictions regarding transducers, screen sizes, etc.... The changes are outlined in tournament rules.
Bob Sealy passes
Bob Sealy of Brookeland passed away on July 2 following a battle with cancer. He was 75, Sealy’s name is legendary throughout the fishing world. He was a visionary and clever businessman who turned a love for little green fish into whale of a fishing tournament called the Big Bass Splash. Today, it’s widely known as the largest, richest and oldest “amateur only” big bass derby in the world.
In April, Sealy emceed what would ultimately be his last turn on the big stage at his beloved home lake. Fittingly, the 40th Anniversary event was also the richest Big Bass Splash ever.
The tournament paid out cash and prizes totaling $1.3 million, the richest payout since the $1 million 25th Anniversary event in 2009. Kary Essl of Crosby topped the 2024 field of more than 5,400 anglers and netted prizes and cash valued at $320,000.
Sealy’s tournaments awarded anglers with more than $30 million through 2024. He was inducted to the Legends of Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2014 and Bass Fisldng Hall of Fame in 2017.
New Florida bass rule In June, the International Game Fish Association announced a new rule that divides northern largemouth bass and Florida largemouth bass into separate all-tackle world record categories. The IGFA said the change comes in wake of new scientific findings that identify the Florida bass as a species unto its own. The rule also calls for mandatory genetics testing as support for any new All-Tackle record submissions for either species.
IGFA says the current northern largemouth bass world record of 22 pounds, 4 ounces shared by the late George Perry and Manuru Kurita will remain intact. Perry’s fish was caught in 1932; Kurita’s in 2009.
Both were likely Florida bass or had a high level of Florida influence, but there is no way to perform genetics testing on either fish to get definitive proof.
The ruling pretty much guarantees the hallowed world record will never be broken. Northern largemouth bass rarely grow beyond 10 pounds. Florida bass are genetically programmed to grow much larger, as are hybrid crosses between the two species.
Texas angler Kyle Hall of Granbury is the first angler to take advantage of the open window of opportunity created by the rule change.
Ilall caught a 15.82-pound bass in March 2024 while fishing at Lake O.H. Ivie near San Angelo. He loaned the fish to the Toyota Share-Lunker program run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Subsequent genetics testing performed by TPWD confirmed the big bass as a pure Florida.
In April, Hall submitted all the necessary paperwork, including genetics testing results, to the IGFA for certification as the first ever Florida bass world record. The IGFA approved the application on July 1. Interestingly, Hall’s bass ranks No. 37 among Texas’ Top 50 heaviest bass of all-time.
Clean Sweep on Alligator Gar
Kentucky big fish chaser and light line specialist Art Weston visited Choke Canyon Reservoir in South Texas in September, where he nailed down a potential “clean sweep” of all IGFA line class records on alligator gar. The list includes 12 line classes ranging from 2-pound test line to 130- pound test line, all caught while fishing with guide Kirk Kirkland. As of Dec. 18, a few of the records were still pending approval by the IGFA records committee.
In 2023, Weston also caught a new all-tackle world record alligator gar weighing 283 pounds at Sam Rayburn. That fish was caught on six-pound line.
If all of Weston’s pending records are approved, he may be first angler in IGFA history to accomplish a clean sweep of all line class records and the all-tackle world record for a particular species, according Zack Bellapigna, IGFA’s angler recognition manager.
Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by email, matt wil lwr it e4u@yahoo. com.
