Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Ray Scott's Trophy Bass Retreat

Bob suggested that I start a thread on Ray Scott's Trophy Bass Retreat -- Presidents Lake , Tabernacle Lake and Red Eagle Lake which we are going to electroshock tomorrow. We are meeting at Ray's tomorrow am to work some of the lakes. Will be posting some pics. There are some very neat management ideas in progress.. Maybe we can get Ray to tell the story of the Secret Service / navy divers searching the lake in scuba gear for bombs when Bush I came to a fishing event.

Somehow I think you will have more fun at the lakes than work. I can't wait to see the pics and hear about them!!!

Boy, it would be great to be a fly on the wall and hear the Ray Scott stories, and maybe even better to be a fly on the corner of the electrofishing boat to see what comes up in that sample!!!!

He sure is an entertaining fellow that loves life!

Wow that is not close to work, just fun! Would love full write up and 100's of pictures. Ill be waiting here for them.

Having shocked the lake it was pretty cool. I remember it was the first place I have ever laid eyes on a live tilapia. I stood on his dock as he pointed to where the divers inspected before Bush Sr. arrival. I can probably recall about 15 stories fromt the 1.5 days I spent there. Look forward to update.

pics by Bob Lusk

Eric - is that you in the last photo? Are you having a blast or what?

Yes back to the photo. It was very hot. Bob should be chiming in soon. I will let him have first shot.

Can't wait - thanks Eric.

I'm impatiently waiting, too.

I actually was inches away from GDub the good one when he was VP for Ronnie. He came out to Pearl to visit our best fast attack nuke sub. I was first sideboy, tall, thin, muscular and clean shaven. Man was that way back, 1980 I think. Made cover of Honolulu News and Patrol magazine, a sub rag. Secret Service were everywhere. Our topside watch was required to have a side arm. It was verified to be empty, and a guy said don't make any sudden moves towards it. Then he opened up his suit and showed a submachine gun on a swing. GDub Sr. loved the military, was a real good ol boy, great guy.

That does look like it could be fun. Chillin with Ray Scott. Just to see what comes up and hang with a legend. More like a pioneer. I am not really into management for tropies, but any and all photos and state of the art managemnet techniques would be greatly appreciated. Stories would also be cool.

I sent Bob a message. Dave that shirt worked great in the extreme heat. One lady ask me are you from SD. I just smiled.

Ewest, now you're a northern gentleman.

Guys, I'll add to the post in the morning. With the Queen at her class reunion tonight...
I've got a few more images and stories to tell. Bear with me. It was 725 miles home yesterday and met up with Otto today to inspect a new lake and then headed to Dallas for Debbie's reunion. Wanted to meet up with George this morning, but just couldn't get it done. I'll be back...promise.

Ray's right hand man, Jim Kientz, with a nice bluegill off the dock.



Hamming it up with the legend. I love that guy! He and I have become good friends. As a matter of fact, he's asked me to be in charge of his 77th birthday party in New Orleans in August. Wants me to invite 6-8 people and go celebrate.



Kientz with another nice bass from the dock. These guys stood on the dock and probably caught 20 fish while Ray and I were inside, recording a podcast for Pond Boss.



Our dear friend, Eric West, ewest on the forum, posing with one of the bass he caught off the dock. I love Eric, too. He's a true southern gentleman.

I have some stories to tell....the Queen is ready to leave this hotel and head home, so I'll post again from LL,2 and give you the details.

People keep referring to photos of Ewest. I havent seen him.....who is the slender guy with the blue fishing shirt?

Last week, headed out on a road trip, big Smith-Root electrofishing boat in tow. First stop, Tuesday in Bastrop, Louisiana for an evening of electrofishing two lakes, each about 15-17 acres. Finished the last one at 10:30, head hit the pillow at midnight. Up and gone early the next morning, I arrived at a site outside Gulfport, Mississippi and worked on a 47 acre lake. Finished around 4 pm and headed to Ray's place. Got there about 8ish and visited with Jim Kientz until 10:30 and settled in for rest. Met up with Ray, Jim Kientz and Eric for breakfast and headed out to electrofish Ray's lakes.

The water was hot. Hot-tub hot. About 92 degrees. But, we shocked up lots of fish and with an excellent live well, we were able to take good care of the fish.

As you may know, Ray has opened his ranch to anglers in a package deal. It's pretty dang cool and affordable...when you consider all you get. Stay in the Presidential Cabin, fish the President's lake and another one on the property, good food and meet Ray in person...when he's there. Oh, and the fishing is excellent. Outdoor Life, in last month's issue, rated his lake the best in the United States. I must say, it is outstanding. We shocked up lots of bass. Most of the largest ones are deep right now and with several Lake Life Pumps going at one time, there is plenty of depth for fish to segregate. Still, we shocked up more than 75 bass ranging up to just under 8 pounds. Relative weights were a little short, suggesting the lake is overcrowded. So, we removed about 45 slot bass and moved them to another lake on a different piece of property.

The forage fish population is well above average. We saw tens of thousands of threadfin shad, lots of gizzard shad just the right size for his predominant size bass, bluegill in five size classes, tilapia and a few redear sunfish.

Ray was as entertaining as ever. He is a non-stop story teller and is enchanting in the way he tells them. His vocabulary is colloquial and he knows how to sprinkle just the right descriptive words at just the right time.

We were in his house and Ray asked Eric if he had ever met the very first B.A.S.S. member, Don Butler. Eric, in his soft Mississippi voice, just smiled and said, "no". Ray walked over to a beautiful walnut box, engraved on top, picked it up and said, "Eric, I would like you to meet Don Butler." Eric was catching on quickly. He said, "Is that his ashes?" Ray explained that it was and how Don wanted him to have his ashes. Then, Ray acted like he was about to drop the box and got some ashes on his hands. He set the box down and with a twinkle in his eyes and one side of his mouth turned up in a wry smile, he winked and said, "The box has a little leak." Then he dusted his hands and went on to the next story. Eric didn't quite know what to think.

He took us to a couple of his favorite eating haunts and we enjoyed some excellent food.

Ray was kind enough to grant an interview for the Pond Boss podcast list. As soon as I can get our audio editor to get it done, we'll get it up on the website.

Ray has one lake, about 14 acres, that's fairly new. I got to help design it several years ago and we made plans to stock it with forage fish and female bass. We've struggled to get enough females to adequately stock it, but those fish in its waters look like what Ray calls, "Alabama deputy sheriffs". They are rotund and growing exceptionally well. He calls this lake the "All Girl Lake" and expects the anglers to dress appropriately while in the presence of all those females.
The third lake is called the Tabernacle Lake. It's about 8-10 acres and hasn't been managed much over the last few years. Since Ray moved out of his big house to make it available for overflow angler groups, he's renovating the house next to Tabernacle and wants to renovate the lake, too.

It was a fantastic trip and I appreciate Ray counting on me to help be the architect to continue to grow giant bass in his lakes.

If you are interested in booking a trip, go to www.rayscottoutdoors.com and check it out.

If anyone has any specific questions about Ray's program or his lakes, post it here. I'll watch this thread for a few days.

Trust me guys, helping him celebrate his birthday, or just sitting in a Bar-B-Cue and listening to Ray hold court is the trip or evening of a lifetime. When you get Ray and Bob Lusk swapping stories it is fascinating.

Bing

Not saying that and all the fishing are not worth $2,000, but that is a little out of my price range in this economy.

I generally figure Bob is telling the truth. With Ray...........Let's just say that I would have to be around him more than I have to be sure.

Don't miss the point, boys.
It ain't about the fish. It ain't about a lake.
"It's" about being around a legend, one of the most fascinating and influential men for the outdoors world beyond our lifetimes.
That's what it's about.
The personality doesn't matter. Neither does the "truth". What matters here is a dying breed of men who paved the way for guys like us to be able to do what we do and do it well.
Ray Scott may be full of all kinds of stories, amplified or exemplified. That doesn't matter. What matters is what he did...and is doing...makes a difference in our world.
He is truly an icon of Americana, a living legend of a man who, at 77, has been here and influenced part of our way of life.
Tell me, what's that worth?

Bob:

You posted "Relative weights were a little short, suggesting the lake is overcrowded. So, we removed about 45 slot bass and moved them to another lake on a different piece of property.

The forage fish population is well above average. We saw tens of thousands of threadfin shad, lots of gizzard shad just the right size for his predominant size bass, bluegill in five size classes, tilapia and a few redear sunfish."

If the forage was above average, how could the LMB be under weight, or is there something else in the equasion that also needs to be addressed, and I'm not getting what that is?

It was a great time guys. Lots of info. Like most LMB lakes the LMB are in the process of trying to overcrowd. The forage base is good/great and the LMB are healthy and in good condition. Bob can explain but I took his comment , in the course of seeing the fishery to mean that the RW are decreasing in a certain size of LMB. Many of the small 12 inch LMB were in very good condition but some of the 16-18 inch fish were a little light for size. We did not encounter many adult TShad. I suspect that the cold winter reduced the number of 6 inch TShad. Those TShad are the optimum size for the 16 inch LMB. Its not that there is not enough food just not as much as usual for all that size LMB. There were lots of young TShad and GShiners and some big shiners and lots of GShad over 6 inches.

One thing I noticed while Bob was there was the small BG (< 4 inches) were pelagic. The great majority of that size BG were tight to/on brush piles way out in the lake near deep water. Not many shallow near shore. The large BG were near shore. That is an event often seen in big waters but not in ponds.

After Bob left I had a little time and noticed something Bob may like to know. While at the dock the feeder went off. I watched. Catfish started eating along with BG. Soon a few GShiners joined in then a couple LMB busted the party. Then the interesting thing occurred. There were still lots of pellets and the yoy GShiners had a few surrounded. But all of the sudden no catfish , LMB or BG but a hoard of GShad swarmed the pellets and ate probably 40% of all the pellets total (95%) of the remaining pellets. I watched very closely to be sure they were GShad and that they were consuming the pellets. Lots of pellets. There is plenty of plankton for the GShad and some are very big ( over 12 inches) and there are some very large LMB that can eat them.


While shocking Tabernacle lake Ray was in the boat back by Bob while the rest of us manned the nets up front. I saw a big flash but not the fish . Ray was in the back telling a story as he watched. Then a loud bang and a yell followed by a lot of heavy flopping. I turned and saw Ray bent over somewhat and blood on the floor. There on the floor was a large ( 30 lbs +) carp flopping like crazy. Ray was lucky he was not injured when that thing hit him. You guys still sure you want grass carp ?

Enjoyed the update. I too have seen tshad and gz shad at the feed station. Also had GC jump in the boat a few times. A fish that size can do some damage too funny.