Passport to Texas

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

The Guadalupe Bass – our state fish — is only found in the Guadalupe River…and it’s in trouble. This month the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series highlights its plight, and efforts to keep this native pure and strong. Series producer Abe Moore.

The Guadalupe Bass is having a problem with the smallmouth bass, because they inhabit the same streams and they’re cross breeding.

Small mouth bass were brought into Texas by Texas Parks and Wildlife in the mid 70s to provide an additional sport fish for anglers. Having no idea that they might hybridize with our native Hill Country Guadalupe Bass.

So, our pure strain of Guadalupe Bass is disappearing. So Texas Parks and Wildlife with the folks at the Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center is working to save the fish species by basically raising thousands and thousands of baby Guadalupe Bass and then restocking them back into the Guadalupe River and Johnson Creek in the Hill Country. I was impressed with the hatchery guys at the Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center. I mean, this was a yearlong process of them capturing – actually going out and fishing and catching Guadalupe Bass.

I got him. He’s a Guadalupe Bass. He’s a nice fish.

And they would use those to spawn and to have the babies basically and do the whole process. It’s a yearlong thing that they’re working hard on trying to save the fish.

Check local listings to see when the show airs in your town.

That’s our show…supported by 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

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