ATHENS – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Toyota ShareLunker Program is having another outstanding year in its goal to create, bigger, better bass in Texas. After obtaining two successful spawns from one of the four 13 pound or larger Legacy Class bass loaned to the selective-breeding program in 2020, the department’s hatchery staff produced more than 28,000 fingerlings to benefit Texas public waters.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Corpus Christi Inland Fisheries Management Team, with assistance from the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, have built and deployed 92 fish habitat structures this year within Coleto Creek Reservoir.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife law enforcement reports.
AUSTIN -The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is requesting feedback from the public on a new suite of potential harvest regulation options for blue and channel catfish. The goal is to obtain input from anglers on these options before proposing any changes to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission early next year.
ATHENS — The Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame committee is seeking nominations through Nov. 1, 2020 for individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to freshwater fishing in Texas for next year’s induction into the hall of fame.
AUSTIN- The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both state and federal waters will reopen 30 minutes after sunset on Wednesday, July 15, 2020. The opening date is based on an evaluation of the biological, social and economic impact to maximize the benefits to the industry and the public.
AUSTIN – Thousands of Texans headed out to lakes, rivers and coastal bays to celebrate July 4th weekend, and Texas Game Wardens were out in force to ensure everyone stayed safe on the water. Game wardens conducted safety checks on more than 11,000 vessels across the state between Friday and Sunday.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is expanding its scale loaner program for the first time since it started in 2017. This program gives local tournament organizers the ability to incorporate the catch, weigh and immediate release formats made popular through professional-level fishing events, such as the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest (TBTF) and Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour.
AUSTIN – With more people heading out to the water, recent reports have shown anglers aren’t catching bass as often despite healthy fish populations in lakes. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department launched a new study tracking the movements and behaviors of largemouth bass at Toledo Bend and Lake Fork to try and figure out why.
AUSTIN — For the first time in its 20-year history, a lucky winner has a chance to claim not one, but two one-of-a-kind experiences through the same package as part of the Big Time Texas Hunts drawing. One fortunate outdoorsman or woman and a guest can claim a guided saltwater fishing trip in tandem with a new big game hunting package at Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s newest WMA on Matagorda Bay.