Last update:  April 26, 2008

Food for Thought:    

"Each year more than 43,000 children under age six are exposed to concentrations of pesticides high enough to cause cancer respiratory illness, and central nervous system damage."

   From Sierra: September/October Edition, "Apples, Pears and Pesticides," p 34-35.

Perhaps my favorite part of being a full-time professional bass fisherman is that I get to travel around the country and enjoy a variety of habitats ranging from natural lakes to developed reservoirs.  Tournaments are frequently held when fishing and wildlife-watching are at their best.  Highlights for me include the vast miles of vegetation at Lake Okeechobee, FL, and the blooming dogwoods in the Ozark Mountains surrounding the clear waters of Beaver Lake, AR.

Every year, however, fishkills are being reported in some of the nation's most productive waters.  In just the last six years we've seen major fishkills at Santee-Cooper Lakes, SC, Sam Rayburn Reservoir, TX, Lake Gaston, VA/NC, the Harris Chain of Lakes, FL, Lake Murray, SC, Kentucky Lake, KY, Lake Guntersville, AL, and Lake Seminole, FL/GA, to mention just a few.  The Santee-Cooper Lakes and Sam Rayburn Reservoir both held B.A.S.S. All-Time records but currently are no longer as productive as they once were.

Despite the fact that these lakes and reservoirs are spread through the country, they all have one thing in common.  Aquatic herbicides were applied to all of them.

In hopes of educating people on the dangers of herbicides I now have the following message embroidered on the back of my tournament shirt:

"The greatest threat to the future of bass fishing is the abuse of aquatic herbicides"

This point was recently driven "home" to me when an herbicide was put into the lake behind my house.  The fishkill shortly thereafter simply devastated the neighborhood's 45-acre lake.  I was not able to catch a bass out of the lake for two years.  What's most frustrating is that the herbicide was applied on my property without my consent and appears to have been applied LEGALLY.  This event has made me realize that legislation is required to protect the future of our lakes.

If you know of a lake that has been targeted for herbicide application, please feel free to notify me in advance, via email.  It would also be beneficial to notify your state's fish and game department as well as your state's B.A.S.S. Federation, if they are not already aware.  The best method to reduce the possibility of an herbicide-related fishkill is to keep everyone informed of the dangers.

If we make the effort to protect our natural resources we'll have something to proudly share with future generations.