Fairfield state park sold? - TexasBowhunter.com Community Discussion Forums

SC-001 · 08-12-2022, 10:47 PM

Luminant found a buyer for the property and are under contract. Hearing rumors the park will be closed for good on Oct. 1 as the lease is up after september, can anyone verify?

Hoggslayer · 08-12-2022, 11:44 PM

Dang. We like that park and fishing is good also.

Sent from my SM-J737A using Tapatalk

Puncher51 · 08-13-2022, 12:29 AM

I saw it was under contract. Will be curious how that plays out.

RShockley · 08-13-2022, 01:06 AM

Don't they have draw hunts listed for there? Are you meaning Fairfield Lake State Park or something different?

Etxbuckman · 08-13-2022, 09:20 AM

I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to learn the Chinese government, or some other unfriendly foreign government, is the buyer.

Low Fence · 08-14-2022, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Etxbuckman

I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to learn the Chinese government, or some other unfriendly foreign government, is the buyer.

Last time I was there, there were enough Chinese with throw nets to conquer it like the Alamo

Texas Grown · 08-13-2022, 09:41 AM

It's been expected for a while. Think it was 2 years ago when I first heard about this. It's my understanding that the TP&W lease on the park is about up. The lake will become a private lake after that.

The fish are biting and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

redfishted · 08-13-2022, 10:02 AM

I read a little about this sale, there were some interesting points listed. The purchaser can choose to lease it back to the state if they choose to do so in which case the state will continue to operate the park. The purchaser will assume a fairly significant dam maintenance program to be preformed annually. Finally Luminant was going to retain the water rights to the lake. I originally though this piece would sell quickly, some developer pick it up and divide it into lake front lots, be interesting to see what happens.

SC-001 · 08-13-2022, 10:43 PM

The dam upkeep $$$ is insane. They also aren't allowed to pump water from the trinity to keep the lake level up since the power plant isn't operating any longer and that lake has a very poor watershed so buyer beware on lakefront property.

HuntForHorns · 08-14-2022, 06:18 PM

Anxious to see how this pans out because Fayette County lake probably isn't to far down the road. Only good to this is once they turn off the power plant the Tilapia will die and cast netters will be gone.

Killer · 08-14-2022, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HuntForHorns

Anxious to see how this pans out because Fayette County lake probably isn't to far down the road. Only good to this is once they turn off the power plant the Tilapia will die and cast netters will be gone.

Power plant
has been gone for sometime now

HuntForHorns · 08-14-2022, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killer

Power plant
has been gone for sometime now

Im talking about on Fayette.

Killer · 08-15-2022, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HuntForHorns

Im talking about on Fayette.

Got'cha

PecanBuck · 08-14-2022, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HuntForHorns

Anxious to see how this pans out because Fayette County lake probably isn't to far down the road. Only good to this is once they turn off the power plant the Tilapia will die and cast netters will be gone.

Just curious how turning the power plant off will impact tilapia populations.

Etxbuckman · 08-14-2022, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PecanBuck

Just curious how turning the power plant off will impact tilapia populations.

Th warm water it discharges helps them proliferate.

Jon B · 08-14-2022, 10:40 PM

Sad to see.

bossbowman · 08-14-2022, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PecanBuck

Just curious how turning the power plant off will impact tilapia populations.

They die without the warm water even on a mild winter, we drew a fairfield hunt the December after they turned off big brown and there were dead and struggling tilapia all over the banks.

bigchiefj · 08-15-2022, 12:42 AM

I bet all the redfish are gone too.

Low Fence · 08-15-2022, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigchiefj

I bet all the redfish are gone too.

They had some type of ultra mega fish kill. Can’t remember reason, but it was insane and it wiped them out.

Lake went down 3’ when all the cast chunkers stepped out of the water

Iceman89 · 08-15-2022, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PecanBuck

Just curious how turning the power plant off will impact tilapia populations.

Water temps

Texarkana · 08-15-2022, 09:45 AM

I wonder if they still have Tilapia in the lake.

Hoggslayer · 08-15-2022, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texarkana

I wonder if they still have Tilapia in the lake.

I haven't seen any. The mass exodus of the cast netters is enough to prove that. If there were any there they wouldn't have left.

Texarkana · 08-15-2022, 02:48 PM

Too bad. Only place I knew where to catch them.

Killer · 08-15-2022, 10:20 AM

Are the cattails still there?

Fairfield used to have huge cattail beds that came way out into the water. You could pitch a jig in there all day and catch fish before the water would get to hot. Now with the generator turned off I have not fished it at all.

bigchiefj · 08-15-2022, 09:08 PM

Martin Lake should still have tilapia because the plant is still operating.

EarleyBird · 08-15-2022, 09:17 PM

Grew up fishing, swimming, and taking girls there at night to do fun stuff. End of an era for sure, but it's been dead for a few years now.

bossbowman · 08-15-2022, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarleyBird

Grew up fishing, swimming, and taking girls there at night to do fun stuff. End of an era for sure, but it's been dead for a few years now.

Dead? The bass fishing was on fire there last year, the lake is chock full of grass now.

LeanMachine · 08-16-2022, 09:03 AM

TPWD website says tilapia are no longer present in the lake. I talked to a friend of mine who used to work for TPWD fisheries about how they would establish that, and it is a pretty dang conclusive and thorough process. I'm sure the snowpocalypse nuked any that were left after the power plant shut down years ago. A real shame because we used to wear them out bowfishing there.

SC-001 · 08-18-2022, 05:09 PM

The lease actually runs to December butttt... get out there while you can. Whoever bought it is not obligated to continue the lease to the state once the sale is closed. Since states lease is with the previous owner that lease should be null and void once ownership changes hands. I'm guessing we won't be getting back our app fee or preference points for the deer draw hunt out there either.

08-12-2022, 10:47 PM	#1
SC-001 Eight Point Join Date: Sep 2020	Fairfield state park sold? Luminant found a buyer for the property and are under contract. Hearing rumors the park will be closed for good on Oct. 1 as the lease is up after september, can anyone verify?

08-13-2022, 10:02 AM	#8
redfishted Ten Point Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Madisonville, Texas Hunt In: Earth	Lake I read a little about this sale, there were some interesting points listed. The purchaser can choose to lease it back to the state if they choose to do so in which case the state will continue to operate the park. The purchaser will assume a fairly significant dam maintenance program to be preformed annually. Finally Luminant was going to retain the water rights to the lake. I originally though this piece would sell quickly, some developer pick it up and divide it into lake front lots, be interesting to see what happens.

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08-12-2022, 11:44 PM	#2
Hoggslayer Pope & Young Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Manvel, TX mostly in the Doghouse Hunt In: My Truck at night.	Dang. We like that park and fishing is good also. Sent from my SM-J737A using Tapatalk

08-13-2022, 12:29 AM	#3
Puncher51 Ten Point Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Merkel, Tx Hunt In: Mason, Callahan, and Stonewall Counties	I saw it was under contract. Will be curious how that plays out.

08-13-2022, 01:06 AM	#4
RShockley Eight Point Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Fort Worth Hunt In: Public Lands	Don't they have draw hunts listed for there? Are you meaning Fairfield Lake State Park or something different?

08-13-2022, 09:20 AM	#5
Etxbuckman Pope & Young Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Spring	I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to learn the Chinese government, or some other unfriendly foreign government, is the buyer.

08-13-2022, 09:41 AM	#7
Texas Grown Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burleson, Texas	It's been expected for a while. Think it was 2 years ago when I first heard about this. It's my understanding that the TP&W lease on the park is about up. The lake will become a private lake after that. The fish are biting and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

08-13-2022, 10:43 PM	#9
SC-001 Eight Point Join Date: Sep 2020	The dam upkeep $$$ is insane. They also aren't allowed to pump water from the trinity to keep the lake level up since the power plant isn't operating any longer and that lake has a very poor watershed so buyer beware on lakefront property.

08-14-2022, 06:18 PM	#10
HuntForHorns Ten Point Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Katy, TX Hunt In: Kentucky, Africa, Fayette County	Anxious to see how this pans out because Fayette County lake probably isn't to far down the road. Only good to this is once they turn off the power plant the Tilapia will die and cast netters will be gone.

08-14-2022, 10:40 PM	#16
Jon B Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Central Tx. Hunt In: Central Tx and the Western States	Sad to see.

08-15-2022, 12:42 AM	#18
bigchiefj Eight Point Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Tyler, TX	I bet all the redfish are gone too.

08-15-2022, 09:45 AM	#21
Texarkana Spike Join Date: Mar 2017	I wonder if they still have Tilapia in the lake.

08-15-2022, 02:48 PM	#23
Texarkana Spike Join Date: Mar 2017	Too bad. Only place I knew where to catch them.

08-15-2022, 10:20 AM	#24
Killer Pope & Young Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Powderly, TX Hunt In: God's green earth	Are the cattails still there? Fairfield used to have huge cattail beds that came way out into the water. You could pitch a jig in there all day and catch fish before the water would get to hot. Now with the generator turned off I have not fished it at all.

08-15-2022, 09:08 PM	#25
bigchiefj Eight Point Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Tyler, TX	Martin Lake should still have tilapia because the plant is still operating.

08-15-2022, 09:17 PM	#26
EarleyBird Pope & Young Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Leon County Hunt In: Home	Grew up fishing, swimming, and taking girls there at night to do fun stuff. End of an era for sure, but it's been dead for a few years now.

08-16-2022, 09:03 AM	#28
LeanMachine Ten Point Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Canton, tx Hunt In: east texas	TPWD website says tilapia are no longer present in the lake. I talked to a friend of mine who used to work for TPWD fisheries about how they would establish that, and it is a pretty dang conclusive and thorough process. I'm sure the snowpocalypse nuked any that were left after the power plant shut down years ago. A real shame because we used to wear them out bowfishing there.

08-18-2022, 05:09 PM	#29
SC-001 Eight Point Join Date: Sep 2020	The lease actually runs to December butttt... get out there while you can. Whoever bought it is not obligated to continue the lease to the state once the sale is closed. Since states lease is with the previous owner that lease should be null and void once ownership changes hands. I'm guessing we won't be getting back our app fee or preference points for the deer draw hunt out there either.