AUSTIN – Many Texans opt outside to reconnect with nature after a long winter, but spring break adventures aren’t limited to swimming, camping and hiking. Fishing also offers a great way for families to experience the diverse aquatic life and scenic places that Texas has to offer.
AUSTIN – In 2017, the 85th Texas Legislature provided $6.3 million to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for aquatic invasive species management in 2018-2019. With this and previous investments, the department has continued to expand prevention and control efforts against aquatic invasive species like giant salvinia, zebra mussels, giant cane and many others that cause environmental and economic harm to Texas.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is now accepting public comment on proposed changes to freshwater fishing regulations for 2019-2020. The proposed changes include modifications to the length limits and harvest regulations for largemouth bass, Alabama bass and alligator gar in certain areas. The proposed changes to alligator gar regulations also include a statewide nighttime prohibition on bow fishing, mandatory harvest reporting statewide except for Falcon Lake, and the creation of a drawing for harvest opportunity on the Trinity River.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is now accepting public comment on proposed changes to saltwater fishing regulations for 2019-2020. These changes are intended to streamline regulations for the entire Texas coast for spotted seatrout and modified regulations for certain species to be in line with federal rules to reduce confusion among anglers for sharks and cobia.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proposing changes to fishing regulations for alligator gar, the largest and longest-lived freshwater fish in the state, to be voted on at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting March 20 in Austin. The proposed changes are intended to help the Department conserve and prevent the overharvest of older, mature alligator gar; fill data gaps through mandatory harvest reporting; and allow for limited opportunity to harvest large alligator gar from the Trinity River by creating a drawing system.
AUSTIN – In February 2017, Marine Creek Lake produced the first ever confirmed Toyota ShareLunker offspring entered in the program, a major milestone in the program’s effort to create bigger, better bass in Texas. Two years later, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists confirmed that ShareLunker 577, a 14.57 pound bass caught at Marine Creek Lake Jan. 26, is a full sibling to the 2017 Marine Creek Lake fish, both stocked from the same group of selectively bred largemouth bass 13 years ago.
AUSTIN – Angler Zach Sypert of Bedford caught the first Legacy Class largemouth bass of the 2019 Toyota ShareLunker season out of Marine Creek Lake in Fort Worth Jan. 26. The 14.57 pound, 27 inch largemouth bass is the second 13 pound or larger Toyota ShareLunker to have been caught from the lake in the last two years and outweighs the previous water body record set in 2018 by almost two pounds.
ATHENS – The Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame committee announced Alan Haynes of Tyler, the former C.E.O and President of The Sportster Inc. retail sporting goods chain and lifelong sportsman, will be inducted into the hall of fame in 2019.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.