Passport to Texas

Blue Crawdad

Nature: Crawdads -- the Gateway Species Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It all starts with the first catch…

08—Kids don’t start with large mouth bass, they start with crawdads. This is what I call a gateway species; it leads to greater nature appreciation in adults.

…but first, you have to go out to get one. Nathan Johnson is coauthor of the field guide, Texas Crawdads. He’s worried kids today spend too much time indoors and are missing out on the fun of nature. A lifetime creek adventurer himself, catching crawdads seems the perfect way to open kids’ doors to the outside.

16—It’s more than just catching crawdads. They’re going out there and their adventuring. It’s discovery. When I was a kid, the geography of my life was defined by which creeks and woods were within bicycling distance of my house. We’d considered those creeks our creeks and our woods and we’d explore.

And taking that sense of ownership a step further; he’s encouraged young folks to contribute to conservation efforts as well.

17—I talk to cub scouts and I tell them: you can make a difference, you can begin to record the crawfish of your state so that you can increase the awareness and the knowledge and the biodiversity. The work you do is just as important as the work that state biologist does with their inventories. All we gotta do is put it in their hands and say go.

Leave a comment with your crawdad catching adventures at passporttotexas.org.

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

Trout stocking in Texas

Angling: Neighborhood Fishing for Rainbow Trout Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re an angler who likes to eat what you catch, then now’s the time to reel in a rainbow trout.

14— We stock them at a catchable and eatable size. They are good fighting fish; they’re relatively easy to catch. We usually stock them in smaller bodies of water, so they’re a good fishing, catching opportunity and good eating opportunity as well.

Carl Kittle (kitl) is a program director for Inland Fisheries, and oversees winter trout stocking in Texas. Distribution began this month and continues through February 2014. Purchase of the trout is funded in part by city and local governments through the trout partner program.

17 – We’ve been stocking [rainbow] trout around Texas for almost 40 years. One interesting note about trout is that we often say there are no established populations of trout in Texas, but actually, way out west in the Davis Mountains there’s a small, tiny stream at high enough elevation that there is a reproducing population of rainbow trout.

In the rest for the state, however, it’s just too hot to sustain rainbow trout populations year round, and that’s why we will stock 289-thousand or so of the trout in 120-130 locations this year…including urban areas.

11 – And we have a special program; we actually stock somewhat larger trout in urban areas in our Neighborhood Fishin’ Program. And that’s something that you can specifically look for on our web page.

Find the stocking schedule and locations at the TPW website. The Wildlife and sport fish restoration program supports our series and funds rainbow trout stocking in Texas…

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

Rainbow Trout

Angling: Trout Stocking in Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We’re headlong into the holiday season; what better way to celebrate than with rainbows – rainbow trout, that is.

13— We do winter stockings when the water temperatures permit it, to provide an opportunity for anglers to catch trout in Texas. It’s a species of fish that anglers wouldn’t catch otherwise, so we stock them, and we intend them all to be caught out during the season.

Purchase of the trout is funded by anglers, through their purchase of the Texas freshwater fishing stamp. Carl Kittle (kitl) is a program director for Inland Fisheries. Drought had an impact on lake levels statewide over the past two years, but things are looking up in 2013.

13 – This year, things are pretty well back to normal. It’s very dry out west, but it looks like our normal level of stocking in over 120 sites will happen. In fact, we’re looking to stock about 130 sites this year.

Texas Parks and Wildlife plans to distribute approximately 289,000 rainbow trout amongst the various locations, including urban neighborhood fishin’ holes.

07 – We publish a schedule on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department webpage. Look for the winter trout stocking link.

Carl Kittle says we stock rainbows in winter because these fish cannot survive our hot summers. So, when you reel one in this winter, take it home and eat it.

The Wildlife and sport fish restoration program supports our series and helps to fund rainbow trout stocking in Texas.

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

Fall foliage along the Blanco River

Tech/Wildlife: Saving the Guadalupe Bass Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Unmanned aerial systems – or drones – in the hands of a trained biologist can improve the future a species…as it did with…

01— Guadalupe bass.

Tim Birdsong is chief of habitat conservation for Inland fisheries. Guadalupe bass – the state fish –once thrived in the Blanco River. In the 1970s TPW stocked smallmouth bass in it, but over time, the species bred creating a hybrid that outcompeted the Guadalupe.

12—That led to complete loss of Guadalupe Bass in that system. And we really didn’t see an opportunity to restore the Guadalupe bass populations in the Blanco River.

The 2011 drought caused the river’s flow to cease, leaving some enduring pools that concentrated the fish. Birdsong said they used a drone to map the location of the pools.

18—We used electro-fishing and nets to remove the remaining small mouth bass. Then flows improved in the Blanco in the spring of 2012 and we stocked roughly 150-thousand Guadalupe bass fingerlings; followed by a similar number in the spring of 2013.

Provided flows in the Blanco continue, Birdsong says he expects in 4 or 5 years we’ll have fishable populations of Guadalupe Bass in the river.

10—That’s a major success story, and it wouldn’t have been possible without this unmanned aerial system, or it would have required our staff to hike up and down miles and miles of riverbed to identify these pools.

The WSFR program supports our series and funds conservation projects in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Toyota Texas Bass Classic at Lake Conroe

Event: Toyota Texas Bass Classic (Oct. 4-6) Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This weekend – October 4th through the 6th – 50 world class bass anglers will converge on Lake Conroe for the seventh annual Toyota Texas Bass Classic.

06 — This is a great opportunity for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to promote the great fishing we have in our state.

Dave Terre is with Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Inland Fisheries Division. Texas is known worldwide for its great bass fishing, and Lake Conroe is recognized as one of the best bass lakes in the state.

04—Anybody coming to the event will likely see some pretty good sized fish.

The bass classic raises money for youth fishing programs throughout Texas. In addition to the fishing and philanthropy, attendees can also expect fun.

33—The Bass Classic is not only a world class professional bass tournament; it’s also a huge outdoor expo and concert series. There is something to do for all families there. Lots of activities for kids to enjoy and become involved in the outdoors. For instance, this year, we’ll feature a much broadly expanded outdoor zone. There’s going to be lots of hands on activities for the kids. Bring your whole family. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the good work of Texas Parks and Wildlife and the great fishing we have in our state.

Find times, ticket, and band information for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, this weekend—October 4 through 6—at toyotatexasbassclassic.com.

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