Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

They have names like Pharaoh, sugar, and fire. And now we have another name for one of their kind: crazy.

Crazy ants are very erratic and fast moving. So, they act like they’re crazy, essentially.

Mike Quinn, an invertebrate biologist, says the Rasberry crazy ant, named after the Texas exterminator who identified it in 2002, has covered a lot of ground.

It’s already spread to the Louisiana border, and may already be beyond. Crazy ants are tropical ants that need temperatures and high high humidity. So, the conditions are favorable from Houston, back to Florida. And it could easily spread through that whole region in somewhat short order.

We know very little about this alien species.

We do not know how it got here. We do not know where it came from. We do not know much of its biology. We are truly at the beginning stages of understanding this ant.

What we do know is the species has multiple queens, and produces super colonies of millions of ants. Typical of ants, they’re drawn to electrical devices…with potentially devastating results.

They can shut down chemical facilities. They can potentially shut down an airport. They can shut down NASA. This ant is something to be reckoned with.

More about crazy ants tomorrow.

That’s out show…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Don’t wait for the summer sun to get your fishing gear out again, you can make some great catches this winter!

Texas has year-round saltwater fishing and it’s very productive, even in the worst of weather.

While you can find the usual Texas fare of redfish, flounder and speckled trout, professional fishing guide and outdoor writer, Danno Wise suggests casting your line to make some other great catches.

Down here in the Rio Grande Valley is the only place in the continental United States outside of South Florida there’s a fishable population of snook year round. They’re sensitive to cold so they’re going to go into the deeper portions of our bay systems, but because the fish will be concentrated, we have excellent snook fishing during the winter time.

We also have a substantial amount of beachfront fishing which is kind of overlooked. Whiting, which is a simple kind of fish, and the pompano. Very tropical looking species; in Florida, they’re targeted very heavily. Fish such as those are plentiful and good eating, and if you want to target going out just to get out of the house, relax, and catch a few to take home to eat, those are excellent choices.

Winter fishing season usually lasts between early December through March. Just remember some warm clothes and a waterproof jacket for that ocean spray!

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Sarah Loden… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Start off January right by spending time with the Texas Parks and Wildlife television show. Producer, Abe Moore.

Some of the stories we’re covering in January include the Guadalupe Bass, and efforts to save our state fish. We’re also profiling some fun fishing stories, like on where to go fishing on both fresh water and saltwater, and some casting tips. And then, a story I did that’s going to air towards the end of January is on Buescher State Park, which is Southeast of Bastrop, near Smithville. It’s a nice little quiet park, kind of off the beaten path a little bit, and it’s really got a nice hiking trail down there.

Buescher SP has an 8-mile hiking trail that starts out in the Post oak woodland, which is an area that consists mostly of hardwood trees [bird call], and it makes a big loop and goes up into the Lost Pines ecosystem.

Now, there’s a park Road 1C that connects Bastrop SP with Buescher SP, and it’s a really cool little bike ride if you want to do some bike riding.

[bike gear sound] It’s about 12-miles long between the two parks. Therefore, if you make a round trip, you’ve got 24-miles that you’ve cycled. So it’s a very good workout—very intense.

So whether it’s hiking or biking, those are just some of the things you can do in at this hidden gem of a State park here in Texas.

Thanks Abe.

Find out where the show airs at passporttotexas.org.

That’s out show…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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

For an inexpensive, entry-level fishing experience the entire family can enjoy, it doesn’t get much easier than winter rainbow trout fishing in Texas.

In fact that’s one of the fish we use at the Expo each year to allow kids to catch their first fish.

Carl Kittle oversees the Texas Parks and Wildlife trout-stocking program. The agency will distribute up to 275-thousand fish to 120 sites—including additional urban locations—between December and March.

We’re excited about having a number of new ponds on line for our neighborhood fishing program. We actually stock slightly larger trout and we stock frequently—every other week—at specific sites that are set up near urban centers to provide opportunities for urban anglers.

If you prefer to get away from the city for your rainbow connection, then state parks provide the perfect escape.

A number of our state park ponds will get stocked with trout. For those ponds and lakes that are located completely within a state park, the license will not be required. The limits will still apply: five fish per day, and there is no size limit on trout.

Anglers fishing in locations other than state parks must have a valid license.

Find the trout-stocking schedule at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program… helping to fund fish hatchery management and operations in Texas.

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

Winter Trout Stocking, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

The annual arrival of colorful, fun-to-catch rainbow trout gets underway this month and continues through March.

They’re a good fish to catch and a good fish to eat.

Carl Kittle oversees the Texas Parks and Wildlife trout-stocking program.

Each winter we try to create an opportunity for fishermen. Right now we’re doing over a hundred and twenty sites, with about two hundred seventy to two hundred and seventy five thousand rainbow trout being stocked almost all over the state.

It gets too hot in Texas to support a natural population of rainbow trout, so anglers have to get ’em while it’s cold.

You can catch them with live bait. You can catch them with corn or some other bait; and certainly, they’re great on spinners and even fly-fishing.

What about a cane pole?

A cane pole and a worm is one of the best ways to catch trout.

Kittle says although relatively easy to catch, rainbow trout can offer a challenge to anglers.

In that they are aware of people above the water, and they can see out of the water if the water is clear. So, sometimes you have to be a little bit cautious about letting the fish see you from above while you’re fishing.

Having to hide from prying fish eyes below the water’s surface is just plain creepy. [Water bubble sound]

They’re nice eyes. They’re nice little fish—no reason to worry about them.

Find the trout-stocking schedule at passporttotexas.org. That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program… helping to fund fish hatchery management and operations in Texas.

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

Winter Trout Stocking, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download