Wake up, “Bubba,” it’s time to sell your bass boat. You know that shiny new metalflake rig out in the garage? You might as well take it to the local dealer and trade it for a flat-bottom boat. While you were sitting there, someone was out killing your favorite fishing hole.

Take that fancy new Shimano reel and your high-tech CastAway rod and hang them on the wall. You’d better head to the hardware store for a ball of twine, because your next fishing trip is going to be spreading “stink bait” on a catfish trotline.

The War on Hydrilla

They call us “Bubba” because they think bass fishermen have vacuum chambers for brains. They think you’re so stupid you won't notice they are turning our great fisheries into "mud holes."

God blessed Texas with the nation’s greatest bass fishing waters. A combination of an ideal climate and the world’s best fish and game department produced prolific fisheries like Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, and Lake Fork. Aside from smart Texas Parks & Wildlife (TP&W) biologists, there is one vital factor that makes these fisheries outstanding: Hydrilla.

The "spin doctors" have put out so much negative propaganda that people have begun to believe Hydrilla is a bad word. But we know the truth. Before they killed the Hydrilla in Lake Conroe, my home, the water clarity was eight feet or more. Now, it’s a “mud hole” like Lake Livingston, Lake Houston, and Cedar Creek.

Follow the Money: Who is the AERF?

River authorities like the LCRA and the GBRA are dumping toxic herbicides into our lakes to kill Hydrilla. Why? Because wealthy waterfront developers wield political influence, and because the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation (AERF) has conducted a massive propaganda campaign.

Who is the AERF? Their "Gold Members" include:

• American Cyanamid
• Dow AgroSciences
• Monsanto Corporation
• SePro Corporation
• ...and many other chemical companies.

You decide why they are telling the public that Hydrilla is a menace.

A Logical Solution: SMART Management

Hydrilla can be managed; it doesn’t have to be annihilated. Many lake managers in the North Central U.S. use mechanical weed control. This process maintains water clarity and boating access without turning lakes into biological wastelands.

I am not alone in this fight. I stand in the company of legends like Ray Scott, Ed Parten, Roland Martin, Bill Dance, Earl Bentz, Bob Cobb, and Glen Lau. To fight back, we have formed a new organization: SMART (Sensible Management of Aquatic Resources Together). Our members aren't chemical companies; we are a coalition of the state’s largest fishing organizations, including TBBU, TABC, and the Texas B.A.S.S. State Federation.

How You Can Help

Our mission is to provide leadership in aquatic resource management and demonstrate the benefits of mechanical harvesting. Here is what you can do right now:

1. Donate: Send a tax-deductible donation to help us purchase our first mechanical harvester.
2. Attend the Fundraiser: * What: "An Evening with Ray Scott"
   • When: August 14th
   • Where: Hotel Sofitel Greenspoint, Houston
   • Guests: Roland Martin, Bob Cobb, Glen Lau, Earl Bentz, and Bill Dance.
   • Tickets: $100 (Limited to 500 tickets). Each ticket enters you in a drawing for a 1999 Dodge Quad Cab truck.

I give anywhere from twenty to eighty hours a month to this organization because I want to preserve the sport that has given so much to me. Please lend a hand.

Make your check payable to SMART and send it to:

PO Box 11729, Houston, Texas 77293.

Thanks,

Pat McCarty — Proud to be called “Bubba.”

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Analysis of the "Ancient" PageMaker Text:

Structure: I broke the "wall of text" into logical sections (The Problem, The Industry/Money, The Solution, and The Call to Action).

Encoding Fixes: I replaced all instances of “ and ” with proper quotation marks and ’ with apostrophes.

Tone Preservation: I kept the aggressive, conversational "Bubba" persona as it is central to the editorial’s impact.