Passport to Texas

Battling the Alligator Gar Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Alligator gar, virtually unchanged from prehistoric times, is attracting an enthusiastic 21st Century following.

:04—The species in recent years has become very popular amongst anglers and bow fishers.

David Buckmeier is a fisheries scientist for parks and wildlife. To fish for gar, you have to know where to find them.

:21—Most alligator gar are found in coastal rivers along the eastern part of the state; rivers like the Trinity are very, very well-known for their alligator gar populations. They’re also found in our coastal bays. They’re an interesting species in that they can go back and forth—maybe not into full salt water like in the gulf—but definitely in the bay systems. And they can go back and forth into the river and into those upper parts of those bays.

The alligator gar is the largest freshwater fish in Texas and gives anglers a good fight.

:16—Yes, they actually fight quite well. As you can imagine, any fish that weighs 150 or 200 pounds has a lot of power. So, they do fight; they actually jump quite a bit. They’ll completely clear the water. There’s some variations; some of them are more sluggish than others. But, they’re very entertaining and that’s the reason, I guess, for the popularity.

Anglers may keep one of these big fish per day. Lean more about freshwater fishing at the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration program supports our series…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Blast from the Past: Alligator Gar Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Evolution bypassed the alligator gar. Compare today’s gar to the fossil record, and the differences are insignificant.

:07—They’re often perceived as this very primitive, horrible fish that is kind of scary looking. So people, for that reason, have some fear of them.

David Buckmeier, a fisheries scientist for parks and wildlife, says this coastal river-dwelling freshwater fish is actually quite docile despite appearances.

The alligator gar is the largest freshwater fish in Texas, and can grow up to ten feet long and have the potential of tipping the scales at over three hundred pounds.

:11—They have a head shaped much like that of an alligator, hence the name. They are quite primitive; they have heavy bony scales all across their body, which are called ganoid scales. And it’s actual bone plates that protect that fish.

A behavior that some find unnerving is the gar’s tendency to linger at the water’s surface.

:21—Their gills aren’t advanced enough to get enough oxygen, especially when the water temperatures are warm. So, that’s why people will frequently see them at the top of the water; they’ll come up, gulp air then and go back down. So maybe, it’s not that their gills aren’t advanced enough, maybe they are evolving and they’re going to be crawling on the land soon. (laughs) Unlikely. They’ve been around for a long, long time, and they’ve been the same way.

Alligator gar is abundant in Texas, and is a sought after sport fish. More on that tomorrow.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration program supports our series…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Toyota Texas Bass Classic Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The Fifth annual Toyota Texas Bass Classic Tournament returns to the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center in Conroe, October 28th through the 30th. Lenny Francoeur (Fran-Koor) is tournament director.

31—First and foremost, the Toyota Texas bass Classic raises funding and awareness for the Texas Parks and Wildlife.

So, you can come out with as many friends and family as you want to bring. Get your tickets in advance, and come out at the end of October and see some world class fishing and world class country music artists.

Francoeur says listeners may be able to obtain a pair of free tickets by going to the Bass Classic website and signing up for their newsletter …

08— …Until we have distributed the full quantity of tickets we have allotted.

Once the free tickets have been distributed, others will be available, says Francoeur, at a nominal charge.

06—We allow kids seventeen and under to get in free as long as they’re with a ticket adult. And we’re looking forward to seeing everyone in October.

Find a link to more information at passporttotexas.org.

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

ShareLunker: Breeding Better Bass Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

One of inland fisheries’ management goals includes creating world class angling opportunities in Texas. One way that’s happening is through the Toyota Texas ShareLunker program.

A lunker is a largemouth bass caught between October first and April 30th that weighs 13 pounds or more.

David Campbell oversees the program and says anglers loan these bass to Parks and Wildlife for spawning and research purposes.

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center here in Athens is where we pick up the fish, and we spawn ‘em. We do some of the genetic identification and stuff like that here. Also, Lorraine Fries and her staff at A.E. Wood is doing the actual genetic research on it – on the muscle tissue and the blood samples and the stuff that we send them. And we have a geneticist on staff down there that is actually directing the program. You need that. I’ve raised fish for the last 38 years or so, and when you start looking into the genetic side of things it takes people who have special training.

Hatcheries staff conducts research on bass loaned or donated to the program to produce potentially trophy-sized fish for stocking in Texas public waters.

Learn about the program by logging onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife Website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series and works to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

History of a Fish Story Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Anglers help keep bass fishing interesting in Texas by donating their lunkers to the Toyota Texas ShareLunker Program where they’re used for spawning and genetic research.

07—A ShareLunker is a largemouth bass that weighs 13 pounds or more and is caught between October the first through April the 30th.

David Campbell’s oversees the Toyota ShareLunker Program. He admits in the beginning he wasn’t convinced anglers would participate.

07—I was reluctant for the fact that I didn’t think the anglers would be willing to loan us the biggest fish they ever caught in their life.

When the first lunker came to the program in 1986, not only did Campbell’s concerns disappear, but the fish caused quite a splash.

08—We made national news and it was just like from there on, people call you, and they want to loan you their ten pounders…their eight pounders (laughter)

Thousands of visitors traveled to the Tyler fish hatchery where TPW kept the lunker, just to get a peek.

13—Sometimes they were lined up all the way up to the house, which I lived on the hatchery there, around the office, they’d be lined up down the road, and I’d go out there and open up the door
and let them see the fish…and we had over ten thousand visitors that signed a register one year.

More about the ShareLunker program tomorrow.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series.

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