Passport to Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife technician stocks rainbow trout.

Fishing: Winter Trout Stocking, 2 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 [and will take nearly any bait]. 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 is a program director for Inland Fisheries, and oversees winter trout stocking in Texas. Distribution began this month and continues through February 2015.

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.

It’s just too hot in the rest of the state to sustain rainbow trout populations year round, and so we will stock approximately 290-thousand of the fish in about 140 locations this year…including urban areas. There’s even a new site in Abilene at Grover-Nelson Park Pond

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.

With the winter holidays here, it’s is a great time go fishing with the kids. Find the stocking schedule and locations at the Texas Parks and Wildlife 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 in hand.

Fishing: Winter Trout Stocking Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We’re heading 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.

Carl Kittle 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 2014.

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 with our usual yearly increase. In fact, we expect to stock over 140 sites this year.

Texas Parks and Wildlife plans to distribute approximately 290,000 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…

We record our series at The Block House in Austin, Texas and Joel Block engineers our program.

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