Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

One fish…two fish…red fish…blue fish is a children’s book by Dr. Seuss. It might also be what you’ll see during the State Fish Art contest—a nationwide art competition sponsored by Wildlife Forever…that has an ulterior motive.

05—The idea is to get the students involved in art and science and the out of doors.

Zoeann Stinchcomb, with the Texas Freshwater Fisheries center in Athens, says fourth through twelfth graders may compete by submitting a drawing or painting of a state fish.

11—Our state fish in Texas is the Guadalupe Bass. However, Texas students are not limited to drawing just the Guadalupe Bass. They can draw any recognized state fish from around the country.

Students from across the nation compete for prizes and a chance to have their artwork reprinted on a conservation stamp.

22—The competition in Texas is stiff; we have more entries generally every year than any other state, and sometimes more than all the other states combined.

For one thing, we promote it quite a lot, and also we give good prizes, and we have a big state, and you know, I just think that for some reason the people in Texas have realized the value of the contest.

Deadline to submit an entry is March 31. Find contest details at www.statefishart.com.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration program…providing funding for management of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Winter may not be the time when most folks think about fishing, but it is the only time in Texas to reel in rainbow trout. Our State park Guide, Bryan Frazier, says parks are an ideal place to cast for this stocked species.

56—They’re a nice fish to catch for kids because they’re pretty easy to catch when they stock them. And we have about 15 State Parks where you don’t need the freshwater stamp, you don’t need the freshwater fishing license—so you can just come out to fish at your leisure and have a good fishing experience during a time of year when maybe you’re not doing anything else; it’s a great outdoor activity for the winter.

And I know you’re an angler. What kind of bait would you use to reel in one of these rainbows?

You know, these rainbow trout will fall prey to lots of different things: little spinners, little jigs, little power bait. Corn. Table corn is something they’ll go after, too. I’ve even heard of marshmallows and things like that. I would throw a little spinner, or corn, or a little power bait if I was out there.

And we still have the bag limits, and they’re good table fare as well.

They’re actually delicious to eat, and all the bag limits and length limits will apply, so check those rules and regulations in your outdoor annual, or online on our website to find out more.

Find other trout stocking locations on the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more
than 90 years.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Texas parks and Wildlife TV producer, Ron Kabele, recently completed work on a show set to air this month,
that’s filled with mystery and intrigue.

55—I started off spending a few days with a class at Sea Camp in Galveston, run by Texas A&M University, and it’s a forensics class. There were 12 students in it—all teenage girls.

So, when it comes to solving a real world mystery, what better mystery is there than why aren’t there any males in this population?

To find out if they solved the mystery, you’ll have to tune into the show. Check your local listings.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…providing funding habitat conservation and fisheries management in Texas.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

February always brings with it the promise of spring and… fishing…Louie Bond is Editor of TPW magazine, and she says the February issue celebrates freshwater fishing.

53—We’re going to have an entire issue that focuses on freshwater fishing. And, we’ll take you on a trip fishing for trout in the Guadalupe. We stock lots of trout and it makes for some very exciting fishing. We’ll take a look at ShareLunkers and what might be the hotspot this year for ShareLunkers. Can’t make any promises when it comes to fishing, but Larry Hodge always seems to know where the big fish are lurking and he’s predicting O.H. Ivy is ready for a good run of ShareLunkers this year. And then, we’ll also take a look at what might be a lot of our readers first fishing experience—fishing for crappie—with Paul Cañada. And we’ll take a special look with Kat Hunter at Toledo Bend reservoir, from a granddaughter’s perspective—interviewing her grandmother and her grandmother’s friends about the beginnings of that lake and the impact it’s had on their lives. So, Cecilia, you get a line, I’ll get a pole and I’ll meet you down at the fishing hole.

Thanks Louie.

You can read recent articles from the magazine online, and even subscribe, at www.tpwmagazine.com.

We record our series at the Production Block Studios in Austin, Texas. Joel Block engineers our program.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Biologists have found Rio Grande silvery minnow eggs in Texas for the first time in over fifty years.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started a restocking program two years ago. Those fish have now successfully spawned in the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Jason Remshardt says the minnow is important because it tells biologists a lot about the environment it lives in.

The silvery minnow is just sort of an indicator of the river’s health itself. By showing that this fish can survive, it also documents that the river ecosystem itself is healthy, that the habitat for lots of birds and lots of fish is available.

Unfortunately, the minnow’s habitat has shrunk considerably from what it used to be.

Historically the minnow was found in the Rio Grande and the Pecos rivers in New Mexico and Texas all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. And they hadn’t been found in Texas or Big Bend since the 1950s.

Until now that is. Remshardt says finding the eggs is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t guarantee success.

The next step is to find young fish and have those fish reproduce on their own. We have to document not just the fish that we stocked, but we have to document the survival and reproduction of several generations.

Rest assured, biologists will be checking up on those baby minnows frequently to make sure they’re doing Okay.

That’s our show… the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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