Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Although Valentine’s Day is typically for couples, why not make it a family affair? Grab your sweetheart and the kids and get outside to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities.

Fishing is a simple and economical activity everyone can enjoy, and when you take your family to a Texas state park, you’ll fish for free. In addition, many state park lakes are stocked with rainbow trout this winter—an easy-to-catch, and tasty fish.

If you live in the Houston area, head over to Sea Center Texas, in Lake Jackson, where your family can learn about conserving coastal wetlands. The center also provides a “touch tank” so the kids can get up-close and personal with marine critters.

If you live in the Dallas area, check out Cedar Hills State Park for a family retreat. Spend time on Joe Pool Lake relaxing in a boat, or on shore. We have more suggestions for outdoor family fun at passporttotexas.org.

Family is love and sharing your love for the great outdoors can bring you closer together.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… 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

Every winter Inland Fisheries stocks thousands of rainbow trout to provide unique angling opportunities statewide.

Rainbow trout are widely considered to be very good sport fish, and fun to catch, but they’re generally fairly easy to catch as well, and will take a variety of bait: corn or lures, or worms.

Carl Kittel coordinates the trout-stocking program for Parks and Wildlife. One hundred twenty sites will receive the trout.

The vendor that supplies us trout, supplies them to four of our hatcheries around the state. And we stock quickly from the hatcheries to the sites. So, we don’t grow them much beyond the size they come in. Most of the fish we stock are an average size of nine inches; there are a few fish that go into the urban fishing program that we get to a larger size, or grow to a larger size to an eleven-inch average.

Rainbow trout are great fish to get the kids started on.

Generally, in the urban fishing lakes we think we have pretty good fishing pretty much all the time because they’re frequently stocked. In other lakes, we stock less frequently and the fishing probably is best within a few days after that stocking. And you can find out when stocking will be done in your area on our web page.

Find a link to fishing regulations and the rainbow trout stocking schedule on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…which also provides funding for winter trout stocking in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Trout Stocking: Easy-to-catch Sport Fish Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Looking to catch some waves this winter?

The rule of thumb in Texas is, the farther South you go, the nicer the water is and the bigger the waves are.

Rick Thomsen is the chapter chair of the Central Texas Chapter of Surfrider, an environmental organization that raises awareness about ocean related issues through its members’ passion for surfing. We caught up with him in October at Texas Parks and Wildlife EXPO.

We’re always concerned about clean water, so we’re interested in our watersheds. But one of the bigger issues in Texas is access to our beaches because we have some of the highest erosion rates in the United States. So what happens, if there’s irresponsible development and houses are too close to the beach and then the beaches erode – a lot of house s end up actually on the beach and then we have an access issue.

Access is a major concern for Surfrider’s surfer and non-surfer members alike. Luckily…

Texas has one of the strongest beach access laws on the books. It’s the Texas Open Beaches Act. Everybody has access from the low tide line to the mean high tide line and then we actually have an easement up into the grass line.

For more information on beach access and on the SurfRider organization, visit passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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SurfRider, http://www.surfrider.org/default.aspx

SurfRider: Surfers Making A Differece Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

If you’re looking for a great winter angling opportunity, look no further than nearby lakes that have received a delivery of rainbow trout.

We’ll be stocking a hundred and twenty different sites this season. That may change by one or two, because the program can change during the year, but our schedule is for one hundred and twenty locations.

Carl Kittel coordinates the trout-stocking program for Parks and Wildlife. Winter trout stocking takes place December through March. District fisheries biologists make the decisions about which lakes receive trout, and how many they receive.

And they each are familiar with the lakes in their area, and generally work with cities and counties to develop a program that’s most effective for each area.

Kittel says Inland fisheries plans to stock just under 275-thousand rainbow trout in Texas waters.

A large number of the fish we stock, in fact over 100-thousand, are purchased by our partners; usually the cities or counties we’re working with. So, we work in combination with local governments to determine the right amount, and to cooperatively fund buying them as well.

Find a link to the rainbow trout stocking schedule on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…which also provides funding for winter trout stocking in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Trout Stocking Schedule

Free Fishing in State Parks

Trout Stocking: Where & How Many Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

If you’re looking for a great winter angling opportunity, look no further than nearby lakes that have received a delivery of rainbow trout.

We’ll be stocking a hundred and twenty different sites this season. That may change by one or two, because the program can change during the year, but our schedule is for one hundred and twenty locations.

Carl Kittel coordinates the trout-stocking program for Parks and Wildlife. Winter trout stocking takes place December through March. District fisheries biologists make the decisions about which lakes receive trout, and how many they receive.

And they each are familiar with the lakes in their area, and generally work with cities and counties to develop a program that’s most effective for each area.

Kittel says Inland fisheries plans to stock just under 275-thousand rainbow trout in Texas waters.

A large number of the fish we stock, in fact over 100-thousand, are purchased by our partners; usually the cities or counties we’re working with. So, we work in combination with local governments to determine the right amount, and to cooperatively fund buying them as well.

Find a link to the rainbow trout stocking schedule on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…which also provides funding for winter trout stocking in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
________________________________________________________________________

Trout Stocking Schedule

Free Fishing in State Parks

Trout Stocking: Where & How Many Play Now | Play in Popup | Download