I agree with you Ivey. The cost of doing nothing is depleating the bass fishing in Tennessee. Problem is the ones that realize it is happening are not the ones with the say so over it. You, me and other bass fishermen and Lady Anglers see tha problem for what it real is and the elected officials with the power to fix it don't see it in the same light. The TWRA has never been controlled by anyone or Governed by any one except them selves for way to many years and now it is really hard to tell who actually is in charge of it. They do what they want to do when they get ready and no one steps up to the plate and says anything about it in Government. I spent over three years researching ways to help get a bass stocking program started in Tennessee and all I kept hitting was Chargers Outerspace Brick wall. All they had to do was say NO and there was no one I could go to for help because no one really knows who runs the TWRA. Now they eve hold secret meeting so they can do what they want to do and don't have to deal with public out cry against their ideas. All of these new size limits we not made aware to the public until after the changes were in place. Typical Governmental move. Even though the majority of the people in the state were against that Bunker being built at the Governors mansion it is going to be built anyway. I have now just learned to read the new laws and do my best to accept them and live with the decisions made by them cause it's not going to change. I think I was at least sucessful in getting a few of our hatcheries raising black bass now but who knows what they will do with the bass they raise. Probably sell them to states with stocking programs or put them in their own TWRA pay lakes. They will spend over 19 Million dollars on a Bunker but spend nothing on anything that will increase revenue for the state and then sit around and say how poor the state is and talk about things they need to cut or take away from the tax payers.

I can't disagree that there is way to much government waste spending, but I don't think TWRA had anything to do with the bunker at the gov house . What I do see is the lakes that are still controlled by TWRA with few or no private homes and loads of boat houses along the shoreline unlike the lakes controlled by TVA where anyone with a million dollars can buy property at lakeside and foul the water and scenery with their money. I believe thet the TWRA is a better friend to the regular fisherman then given credit for, and us common fishermen need as many friends as we can get even if we don't like their politics. Just My Openion and you know what they say about that.

I know what your saying Ivey and I do agree with the fact that the TWRA did not have anything to do with what goes on at the Governors mansion. I am saying that the TWRA is still part of the Government. I have two Game Wardens that are very close firnds of mine and I have their private cell phone numbers and I have called them several times and helped them catch poachers like 2 Crappie boats with over 400 Crappies in them combined father and son team on two different lay downs fishing all night and up into the morning when I just happened into the pocket they were in. I am not a Crappie fisherman but I knew they had more than their limits and many of them under the 10" size limit so I call my buddies and they came and busted them. I don't believe in poaching fish or game animals. The TWRA has no control over Corps Lakes or TVA Lakes as far as land sold around the lakes or boat docks popping up. They do have control over the laws pertaining to wild life and fish and Coast Guard regulation enforcement. Percy Priest Lake is a Corps Lake which has no private docks on it. Only about 6 commercial Marinas. It was a lake designed for Power generation and recreation and because of the way they designed the Flood plain right now private property owners don't own land close enough to have boat docks and boat houses but one politician in the wrong place can change that over night. Center Hill had no Private boat house on it, but it has one now that has been there for several years and there has been some un happy people up that way because now more folks want to put boat houses and Docks up there to. Until now they have been told no but how long can you tell everyone else that owns land and water access no when Alan Jackson has his Boat house on the lake. Does not seem quite fair does it. That is what money can do. Like you said let some one with a million dollars want something and they can get it.....

slot limits help lakes produce bigger fish and I am for that,but the only thing about them is it hurts TX fishing.I fish alot of TX but I would rather weigh in fewwer fish now to be able to catch bigger fish later. One of my favorite lakes has a slot limit on it and about 15 years ago it had a big fish kill it killed everything even the algae.now it is common to catch a 5 lber just about every trip during the spring and summer and every year there are many fish over 8lbs caught out of it.

you all are right about the enforcement when under staffed and over worked and the wasteful money spending I see it all the time. all counties and gov't does it. It's a shame that we have to be that way

I'm all for slot limits. I've seen what they can do in some Virginia lakes as well as the trout fishing in the Holston River. The bottom line here is, protect the fishery. All Tn lakes are fished to death with bass fishing becoming a mainstream sport thanks to BASS and ESPN. Without some kind of limitations, 20 years from now there'll be no fish to catch!!!

Well, the TX's are pretty much self enforcement.....its not like you can weigh in a short fish.....the TX anglers are not the ones you need to worry about in terms of enforcement....its the "meat wranglers"! Ive never seen a TX fisherman with a fillet knife in his hand at the weigh in............