Passport to Texas

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

The Coastal Fisheries Bay Team Tournament is looking for a few good anglers.

We are getting together with the community, and we’re collecting fish for our hatchery program. So, these guys are out there catching fish, and they are vying for prizes.

Robert Adami coordinates the tournaments, which take On April 5, at Sea ranch Marina on South Padre Island, and on April 12, at the north boat ramp at Port Mansfield.

We do this so that we can continuously be bringing in new fish for our hatchery program. One of the reasons we do that is so that we can get some genetic diversity into our spawning biomass of fish that we have on hand. And we always want to mix up the genetics within our hatchery program.

Sixty people, on a first come first serve basis, will get to participate in the tournament to reel in spotted sea trout. I asked Adami why the hatchery wants only sea trout in spring.

One of the reasons is they have peak spawning in springtime. So, we want to try and collect as many new trout as we can and hopefully put them into the spawning biomass that we currently have—and they’re ready to get going.

You must be 21 or older to participate. Find a link to more information about the tournaments and prizes at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…supporting genetics research at Texas hatcheries…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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For more information, call Robert Adami, Robert Adami, (361) 939-8745

South Padre Island
April 5, 2008
Sea Ranch Marina

Port Mansfield
April 12, 2008
North Boat Ramp

 

 Coastal Fisheries Bay Team Tournament, 1 of 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Looking to catch some waves this winter?

The rule of thumb in Texas is, the farther South you go, the nicer the water is and the bigger the waves are.

Rick Thomsen is the chapter chair of the Central Texas Chapter of Surfrider, an environmental organization that raises awareness about ocean related issues through its members’ passion for surfing. We caught up with him in October at Texas Parks and Wildlife EXPO.

We’re always concerned about clean water, so we’re interested in our watersheds. But one of the bigger issues in Texas is access to our beaches because we have some of the highest erosion rates in the United States. So what happens, if there’s irresponsible development and houses are too close to the beach and then the beaches erode – a lot of house s end up actually on the beach and then we have an access issue.

Access is a major concern for Surfrider’s surfer and non-surfer members alike. Luckily…

Texas has one of the strongest beach access laws on the books. It’s the Texas Open Beaches Act. Everybody has access from the low tide line to the mean high tide line and then we actually have an easement up into the grass line.

For more information on beach access and on the SurfRider organization, visit passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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SurfRider, http://www.surfrider.org/default.aspx

 

 SurfRider: Surfers Making A Differece: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

It took ten years and four million dollars, but the Texas Clipper is finally at the bottom of the gulf as an artificial reef.

Sinking the ship is just the beginning to me.

Dale Shively coordinates the artificial reef program at Parks and Wildlife. The Clipper is part of the Ships to Reefs program.

I think that once we start our biological monitoring, which will start immediately, we will have an underwater environment where we’ll be studying artificial reefs for many years to come.

On November 17, after several delays, contractors towed the ship from Brownsville where it had been cleaned up, 17 nautical miles off the coast of South Padre Island, where it was sunk.

I like to look at it as the ship of four lives. We’ve always talked about the three lives: as the USS Queens, the Excambion, and the Texas Clipper. But now it has the opportunity to live on in its fourth life, as an artificial reef for the state of Texas.

Artificial reefs are oases for marine life in the gulf, and improve fisheries where they exist. Learn more about the sinking of the Texas Clipper at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration program…working to increase hunting, fishing, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas Parks & Wildlife

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

 

 The Texas Clipper: That Sinking Feeling: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The population of southern flounder in the gulf is…well… floundering.

The populations are down in the bay systems across the board for the southern flounder.

Robert Adami coordinates Coastal Bay Team fishing events, where two-person teams of experienced anglers, catch specific species for the hatchery program. In spring, teams reel in spotted sea trout, and in fall, southern flounder.

Sometimes the more experienced anglers can go out to the spots they know are good gathering spots for southern flounder. Usually those guys can get the fish and bring them to us rather quickly. They also know how to handle the fish in terms of care, transportation and trying to get them to us in the best possible health.

Participation is free. Adami says almost as soon as anglers catch them – the flounder start their new lives.

Immediately we’re going to be putting them right into spawning tanks in Sea Center Texas and in Corpus Christi to be used, hopefully, for next year’s spawning program.

Saturday morning Froggy’s Bait Doc in Port O’Conner is the staging area for the event, and next Saturday, Boyd’s One-Stop in Texas City closes this year’s Coastal Bay Team opportunities.

Find full details – including the prizes for participating anglers — at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…which provides funding for Sea Center Texas… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Coastal Fisheries Bay Team Fishing Tournament — Experienced anglers are invited to help us collect southern flounder for our hatcheries. Tournament is open to 30 two-person teams, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

All entrants must be 21 or older.

Participants may turn in up to three fish. Anglers turning in fish will be entered in three different drawings for fishing gear. Participants not turning in fish will be entered in a separate drawing for fishing prizes.

All participants will receive a shirt and cap.

The prizes, equipment and program are made possible through support from Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Held at Froggies Bait Doc in Port O’Conner on November 3rd, and at Boyd’s One- Stop in Texas City on November 10th; register at the tournament.

For more information, or if you want to become a member of the Coastal Fisheries Bay Team, send an e-mail to Robert Adami at robert.adami at tpwd.state.tx.us with your name, address and daytime phone number and which tournament you can fish or call him at (361) 939-8745.

 

 Coastal Bay Team Fishing Event: Southern Flounder: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Texas anglers look forward to the annual running of the bulls — bull redfish, that is.

It’s large schools of mature red drum – male and female – aggregating near gulf passes to spawn.

Bill Balboa is ecosystem leader for the Matagorda Bay system. The bull red run begins in late August, crescendos about now, and continues through the fall. And these fish, most over 28-inches long, give anglers a good fight.

They call them bulls for a reason, and it’s because they’re very strong fish; they don’t give up easily. And, so generally most anglers are going to fish for bull reds in the surf using what I would consider typical surf tackle — which is a little bit heavier rod and reel, because what they can expect is a lot of long runs from this fish. They pull very hard. Much like a bull would pull if you had it on a rope.

Although anglers can reel in bull reds all along the gulf coast, their best opportunities lie north of Matagorda Bay.

A lot of bull red fishing occurs in Sergeant up off of Freeport; Crystal Beach and Bolivar, in that area, and off of Sabine Pass.

Learn more about the annual bull red run when you visit passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…made possible by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

 

 Texas' Red Bull Run: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download