Passport to Texas

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

Biologists at the Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center in Kerrville for the past thirteen years have worked to reestablish the Guadalupe Bass, which had experienced a significant population decline.

It has two different problems it’s facing throughout its range. One is just habitat loss – which a lot of animals face. Here, and in most of the places it occurs, that’s not nearly as much of a problem as hybridization with the smallmouth bass.

Dr. Gary Garrett is a fisheries biologist at Heart of the Hills. The Guadalupe bass occurs only in the Texas Hill Country, in the headwaters of the streams that drain the Edwards Plateau. Smallmouth bass, introduced to these waters in the mid-1970s to provide additional sport fish for anglers, hybridized with the native species.

So, they’re not as well adapted for their environment. They may do well in the short run, but in the long haul they’re really not going to be as good a species.

Efforts to restore the Guadalupe bass population began with a study of Johnson Creek.

Here in Johnson Creek where we began the study, we started with about thirty percent of the fish were hybrids –and that wasn’t stable – it was still increasing when we started.

The prognosis for the state fish of Texas is excellent. And we’ll tell you about it tomorrow.

That’s our show for today…supported by the Sport Fish Restoration program, which funds research at the Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center…

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

The month of May brings fish stories and park stories to the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series. Writer/producer, Alan Fisher, gives us a rundown.

The first week of May, we’re featuring a recent inductee to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame – Richard Hart.

About every other Monday I get a call from Dick, and I hear this voice say, ‘Wait until you hear what we caught this weekend.’ And it’s usually not so much what he caught, as it is what the other person caught.

Dick Hart, not only holds a couple of world fishing records for fly fishing, he’s done great things for the sport in terms of education and mentoring. And, he’s been a benefactor for the Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. And the week of May sixth, we have another inductee into the Fishing Hall of Fame – Buddy Bradley – who’s an excellent bass fisherman. And he’s actually done a lot in the science of bass fishing.

But I found out also, that you could work on the condition response of the fish and make the fish – trigger the fish – to strike when in reality he’s not hungry at all.

The week of May thirteenth, we take a visit to the Pineywoods, both at Tyler State Park and at a Lone Star Land Steward winner. The week of May twentieth, we visit Palmetto State Park in Central Texas, and the last week of may, we’ll pay a visit to Mother Neff State Park, which is often considered the first official state park in Texas.

Check your local listings.

That’s our show…the Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series, and provides funding for the Texas Freshwater Fisheries center…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

Careful fisheries management by Texas Parks and Wildlife has created a healthy, abundant, and enviable largemouth bass population in Lake Fork in east Texas.

I’ll tell you what. The Texas State [largemouth] record is 18 pounds point 18 ounces. And I was with Dave Terry – an expert at Texas Parks and Wildlife who knows that lake very well… and asked him, Dave, is the Texas state record out there swimming in Lake Fork? And he said, Gene, there’s over a hundred bass in that lake that would smash that world record.

Gene Ellison is Executive Director of the Professional Anglers Association. April 13 through 14, 160 professional bass anglers will take part in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic at Lake Fork.

These anglers are coming to not only to fish this lake, they’re also fishing for a million dollar prize purse. So, there’s a lot of money at stake here. In addition, if we set a brand new state record during this event it means an additional hundred thousand dollars cash to that angler, plus a fully rigged top of the line bass boat.

But big money and big bass aren’t the only reasons to be at Lake Fork April 13 through 15.

There will be fun things going on all three days. We have six country western live acts, including Clay Walker and Tracy Lawrence, including four other well known country musicians. And this is free admission. So, there’ll be things to do all day long with the kids. There will be wonderful entertainment until dusk, and we want everybody to come out and have a great time with us.

Find more information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…supported by the Sport Fish Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuel.

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

Bass anglers nationwide are anxiously awaiting the start of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic at Lake Fork in east Texas.

Boy, I’ll tell ya…as an avid tournament angler, we’re all drooling to go fish Lake Fork.

Gene Ellison is Executive Director of the Professional Angler’s Association. The tournament will take place April 13-15.

There are one hundred sixty of us coming down that have qualified to fish this event. And the population of bass in this lake is remarkable. Both in size and in volume.

Many of the lunkers – largemouth bass 13 pounds and over donated to the Sharelunker Program – came from this lake, and have been used as brood stock.

And these giant fish are going to be showcased by these 160 top anglers. The quality of the fish that they catch is going to be remarkable.

This tournament is unique for a couple of reasons: it’s the first time a tournament’s happened at Lake Fork, and anglers will have to work in four man teams…

We’re going to have two guys going out on the water, interpret the water they receive from the two men coming off of the water, and determine how they can best help their team. Also, every fish that’s caught during this tournament that’s less than 24-inches long, will be measured lengthwise, their weight will be recorded, and they will be immediately released. This has never happened in professional bass fishing before.

More on the Bass Classic tomorrow.

That’s our show for today…supported by the Sport Fish Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuel.

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

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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