Facility Closure Alert
Due to Hurricane Beryl, some parks on the Texas coast are closed. See the State Parks map for updates.
ATHENS – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens has partnered with Fishing’s Future and the George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar Education Fund to provide convenient fishing education opportunities for families throughout Texas.
AUSTIN— Throughout the month of April, Whole Earth Provision Co. will hold a fund drive at all six store locations across the state in support of Texas State Parks. The Texas-based travel, adventure and nature store will give all funds gathered during the effort to help fund state parks’ day-to-day operational expenses, including enhanced visitor programs, park trail maps and facilities maintenance. This State Parks Month marks 10 years of partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Whole Earth Provision Co.
ATHENS – Anglers delivered three more Legacy Lunkers last Tuesday followed by a fourth Sunday during the final weekend of the 2021 Toyota ShareLunker season. Tuesday marked the second triple Lunker day of the season, with O.H. Ivie producing the first two Lunkers of the day, extending an incredible run that has bumped the season total for that lake to 12.
AUSTIN – Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been discovered in deer breeding facilities in both Hunt and Uvalde counties. This marks the first positive detection of the disease in Hunt County.
AUSTIN- Winter weather the week of Feb. 14, 2021 led to fish kill events along the entire Texas coast. Freezing events along the Texas Coast are rare, but extreme cold temperatures can be a natural cause of fish kills. If fish do not make it to refuge in deeper, more temperature stable water in cold weather, they may die when water temperatures reach a certain threshold. After the first fish kill was reported in the Lower Laguna Madre, Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) biologists began the process of assessing fish kills across multiple bay systems over the course of two weeks.
AUSTIN – On March 25, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission discussed changes to saltwater fishing regulations for 2021-2022 that included allowing the recreational-only use of crab traps in areas of Aransas County and clarifying red snapper bag limits.
AUSTIN — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted multiple changes to the freshwater fishing regulations for the upcoming 2021-2022 season at the meeting held virtually March 25. Changes to length and bag limits for blue and channel catfish statewide and at specific locations highlight this year’s list of freshwater fishing regulation changes. The changes also include minor modifications to passive gear float dimensions.
AUSTIN — Hunting regulations for the 2021-22 season were approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission at its public meeting held online March 25. Hunters will see some changes this fall, including the elimination of the experimental pronghorn season in the northern Panhandle and extension of the general pronghorn season from 9 to 16 days statewide, and the addition of two days of hunting opportunity in the Special White-winged Dove Days within the South Dove Zone.
AUSTIN- On March 24, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission took emergency action to change the bag and size limits on spotted seatrout in the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre due to the coastal freeze and subsequent fish kill in Feb. 2021. The new regulations for spotted seatrout in the bays and beachfronts of the Laguna Madre include:
ATHENS – Anglers added two more Legacy Lunkers to the 2021 Toyota ShareLunker season totals over the weekend. The run at O.H. Ivie powered on, reaching double digits with 10 Legacy Lunkers this year courtesy of ShareLunker 603 Friday. On Saturday, Lake Tyler made a huge splash with ShareLunker 604, recording the first ever entry for the lake in the ShareLunker program.