Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

In less than a month, tens of thousands of visitors will converge on Texas Parks and Wildlife Headquarters in Austin for a weekend of outdoor enjoyment at the annual Expo. Ron Smith invites everyone to the Fishing FUNdamentals area.

Fishing fundamentals is a little bit of everything fishing.

Smith, with Inland Fisheries, is managing this area for Expo.

So, whether they haven’t fished before, or whether they’re going to try a new specialty type of fishing, or they want to just know where to go, or where the fish are biting, or about conservation, or safety—we’re going to have a little bit of everything at this booth. Hopefully, to provide them with the next step that they can take in enjoying fishing in Texas.

Visitors who come from urban areas may be surprised by what they learn at Fishing Fundamentals.

Many of the ones that live in urban areas have never been fishing and they don’t realize they may have a fishing hole right close to their home that they can get to very easily, and they don’t have to go many miles to get to a fishing spot. So, that’s one of the things that we’re trying to do—inform folks that they don’t have to go far to fish.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo is October 4 and 5 from 9-5 both days, and it’s free.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

 Expo: Fishing FUNdamentals, 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas form Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

Diane de la Garza used to be a competitive gymnast. But now she’s turned her attention to professional bass angling.

This compared to competitive gymnastics is very different. There are some similarities, with your determination and giving it your 100-percent. With fishing, there are so many factors out there: the weather, the fish…there’s little bit of luck to it, but there’s also figuring out what the pattern is, and knowing what depth to fish, and what they want. Whether it be top water, or a worm, or what have you. And so, putting all the pieces together is like a puzzle. And that, to me, is so intriguing and it is such a challenge.

De la Garza and her husband Hector, another professional bass angler, are taking part in this year’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo at the Fishing Fundamentals area.

And this is where we’re going to tell you how to do it, where to fish, what you need, and we’re also going to have some biologists in the area with us. And, I’m going to be demonstrating some techniques with the visitors, and we’ll be open for questions.

Learn about professional angling…or where to find the best fishing hole near you…when you come to Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo, October 4 and 5. The festival is free, and open from 9 to 5 both days.

That’s our show….with support from the Sport Fish Restoration program… funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuels For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

 Diane de la Garza, Professional Bass Angler, 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

The seed for her career as a professional bass angler took root when Diane de la Garza was a child.

When I was a little girl, my father and my mother took me fishing, and my parents always made the time to take us out and to introduce us to the outdoors. And for that, I will always be grateful.

De la Garza and her husband Hector, both professional bass anglers, are part of this year’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo October 4 & 5, in the Fishing Fundamentals area.

So, we’ll be sharing stories….sharing techniques…sharing ideas…answering questions….it’ll be a blast.

De la Garza says Expo is a tremendous opportunity to introduce children to the diverse outdoor recreational opportunities available to them, such as fishing.

It is so important for parents to take the time to take their kids out fishing. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you catch any fish or not; what you’re doing is you’re creating memories. And, the lives that we have today—we get so busy. And I know for me, looking back, some of the best memories that I have of my family is when they took me out fishing and getting to experience the outdoors.

Professional bass anglers, Diane and Hector de la Garza, will be at Expo on October 4th & 5th, in the Fishing Fundamentals area. We have information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show….with support from the Sport Fish Restoration program… funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuels For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

 Expo--Diane de la Garza, Professional Bass Angler, 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Relive the agony and ecstasy of the First Toyota Texas Bass Classic this month on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV show. Series producer, Abe Moore.

So on the last week of August, we’re profiling the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. It just wrapped up its second year at Lake Fork, but we’re going to profile the very first year. And we followed two characters: one was the tournament favorite, Alton Jones whose from Waco, Texas. I

t’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been fishing professionally now since 1990. I never dreamed that when I was starting out that some day I would earn more than a million dollars bass fishing. Now we just travel around, all over the United States and fish bass tournaments. It’s pretty fun.

So, he’s kind of established, and he’s doing pretty well in this bass fishing thing. And the other character is Darrin Schwenkbeck, and he’s only won a couple of tournaments and he’s barely making enough money to pay for gas to get himself from lake to lake.

It’s a tough road. And it’s where I stand. And then I’m going to have to get my act together and start catching them in the next few to, uh, keep on going.

So, what’s interesting about this story is that we follow the characters of professional bass fishing. So, maybe when the next Toyota Texas Bass Classic happens next year, folks can go down there and look at these anglers with a different perspective.

Thanks, Abe.

Find a list of stations that air the series at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

 TP&W TV: Bass Classic: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2008-2009 seasons go on sale statewide this month.

Well, the licenses go on sale for the new year, August 15th, And I would advise folks to buy early. The new season—the dove season—will be right around the corner.

Tom Newton, who manages licensing at Texas Parks and Wildlife, says there’s good news for license buyers.

For the first time in quite a few years we haven’t changed things up much, and it’s pretty much the same as it was last year.

The most recent changes to licenses happened last year.

We had a license called the special resident hunting license that encompassed seniors and youth. We split that license into two, so that each group has its own separate license. The other is that we have consolidated all of our temporary fishing licenses into just a one-day license that you can buy multiples of. So, we simplified that, and we’ve had a very good response form our constituents.

Buy licenses online at 17-hundred retailers statewide, at state parks, game warden offices and TPWD HQ.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

 

 Licenses: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download