Passport to Texas

Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame 2017 Honoree: Gulf States Toyota.

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This is Passport to Texas

The Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame honors individuals and organizations for their contributions to the sport. Gulf States Toyota is one such inductee.

Gulf States Toyota joined with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in a private-public partnership to create the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, and also with the Toyota ShareLunker program.

Dave Terre, Texas Parks and Wildlife chief of fish management and research, says Gulf States Toyota, has been a boon to bass fishing…and not just in Texas.

The Toyota Texas bass Classic has been huge for Texas Parks and Wildlife. It’s provided us an opportunity to engage millions of people into fishing—all across Texas, and really across the United States of America.

The Guld State’s support helped double the neighborhood fishin’ lakes in Texas, thus making fishing accessible to more families in the urban core. And its long-term involvement in the ShareLunker program, is legend.

Gulf States Toyota supported the Sharelunker program since 2009. It’s really putting us on a path to create cutting edge science. It’s allowed us to be able to track these fish through DNA.

Gulf States Toyota is in the spotlight next week on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS. Check your local listings.

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

Todd Driscoll with a big bass

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This is Passport to Texas

During the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Tournament each professional angler has a judge onboard to weigh and immediately release their catch.

During a typical tournament, you know, anglers are allowed to keep five legal fish per person in a live well in the boat.

Inland fisheries district biologist, Todd Driscoll says immediately releasing them back into the lake reduces stress to the bass and the risk of livewell-related mortality.

Study after study have shown that you can pretty much average that at about five percent. So, during one of these tournaments, if there’s a hundred bass that are caught, weighed and immediately released, ninety-five of those bass are going to be plum fine and in great shape. Whereas, with a traditional tournament—bass held in live wells and taken to the scales—around 25 percent die. So, it’s five percent versus twenty five percent. And that’s what makes the catch, weigh and immediate release format so much better.

Texas Parks and Wildlife perfected the format over 10 years of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, where it was first implemented in a large, professional-level tournament—with only minor hesitation from pro anglers.

When you implement that catch, weigh and immediate release format, the entire tournament results are predicated on what that judge does. So, they’re highly trained; they absolutely know what they’re doing. And after one event, nearly all the tournament anglers were behind that process.

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series.

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

Mike Iaconelli during the 2006 season. [Image from www.bassmasters.com]

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This is Passport to Texas

When more than 100 professional bass anglers converge on one lake for a tournament, excitement runs high. And when the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest kicks off today at Lake Sam Rayburn, east of Lufkin, the excitement amps up with the possibility of reeling in a lunker.

Well, it would be just awesome for our program.

Dave Terre, with Inland Fisheries coordinates the tournament for the agency. A lunker is a largemouth bass that tips the scales at 13 or more pounds.

For a lunker to be caught as part of this nationally broadcast TV program and this benefit event for Texas Parks and Wildlife, you know, it would be huge.

The Toyota Sharelunker program works with anglers to promote the conservation and management of trophy bass fishing in Texas.

Sam Rayburn has produced numerous Toyota ShareLunkers in the past. It would be an awesome thing [to reel one in during the Bassmaster]. But, you know what? I’ve made promises about catching a lunker for the past 10 years [of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic] and it has not happened. We’ve gotten close. And so, I’ve got my fingers crossed, and I’m a positive thinker—so it might happen.

Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the bass-t. The Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest is a free event that begins today and runs through May 21st at Lake Sam Rayburn. Details at bassmaster.com.

The Sport Fish restoration Program supports our series.

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

During the Toyota Texas Bass Classic at Lake Conroe in Conroe, Texas on October 6, 2013. (Photo by Jason Miczek)

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The 10th Annual Toyota Texas Bass Classic, May 20 through 22, takes place on Lake Ray Roberts, and features family friendly activities at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.

This is a new thing for Bass Classic. The fishing portion is going to take place at Lake Ray Roberts, and then they’re going to come over and do all the awards in the stadium. So, it’s really going to be a little different than it’s been, but almost a little cooler, because usually we’re out in the country, and this time a lot of people that haven’t been able to come out to this event in the past are going to get to come out and try it.

Lacey Estus is outreach and recruitment manager at Texas Parks and Wildlife. The festivities in Frisco offers urban families an opportunity to get acquainted with the agency and the diverse outdoor recreation opportunities available to them.

A lot of times, it’s the first time they see us. They’ve heard about us, but they don’t really know who we are and what we do. A lot of people have no idea we that we even do archery; they think a lot of times we’re just fishing and camping. But, we’re a lot of things. And, it’s a great place for them to touch and feel things. It kind of goes back to when we did EXPO. The idea was ‘Hey, let’s take this on the road and give people that experience—[take it] to places that may not have seen it before or know anything about it.

Enjoy country music concerts all three days of the Toyota Texas Fest. There are plenty of family friendly activities, food, drinks and big bass. Discounted single day tickets or weekend passes are available before the event at toyotatexasfest.com.

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

Toyota Texas Bass Classic at Lake Conroe

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This is Passport to Texas

The Toyota Texas Bass Classic is a professional bass fishing tournament that for the past 10 years has attracted professional anglers from across the country.

These pros, they really love to come to Texas because Texas has great fishing.They know that Texas Parks and Wildlife wants to make Texas fishing the best in the world. And they just love to come to Texas and showcase our department. They come here and they speak real highly about the work that we do. And, of course, us being fisheries biologists, we like to be bragged on. It means a lot to us. There’s just no question about that.

Dave Terre, with Inland Fisheries. The tournament takes place May 20th through 22nd on Lake Ray Roberts.

You’ve got to be there. Get your boat up to Lake Ray Roberts State park, and you need to follow along and see your favorite pro catch that fish. And then, you need to come to the Toyota Stadium, and see tht big fish held in front of a crowd of about 20-thousand people. And while you’re there, take in a great country western concert, and go introduce your youngster to the outdoors at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Expo.

The tournament helps raise funds for youth fishing programs throughout the state.

Find complete details and ticket information for Toyota Texas Bass Classic at toyotatexasfest.com.

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