Passport to Texas

Largemouth bass for the Sharelunker program

Fishing: Finding a New Place to Fish Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If your favorite lake is short on water, and reaching the fish is nearly impossible, Larry Hodge is here to help.

09— We are trying to encourage people with this fishing forecast to take a look at other fishing locations in their area.

Hodge, with the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, compiled a 2014 freshwater fishing forecast. Find it in Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine’s digital fishing issue this month. In his article, you’ll discover where Texas’ most popular sport fish—largemouth bass – is plentiful and ready to take your bait.

48— There are a number of lakes across the state that are going to offer good largemouth bass fishing this year. Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo is a constant level lake, so it’s a place you can always go to catch fish. Lake Fork is hot right now. It has just produced its third Toyota Sharelunker of the season. Lake Palestine is another east Texas lake that has plenty of water and lots of bass. Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Kurth, Nacogdoches – all those east Texas lakes are in good shape. And one that I’d really like to mention is Lake Naconiche; it’s a new lake near Nacogdoches. It was built specifically for recreation by the county, and has some really good bass fishing coming on.

Tomorrow, we tell you about Texas lakes with fish you’ll want to take home for dinner.

The WSFR Program supports our series…For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Lionfish, photo by CHASE FOUNTAIN TPWD 2013

TPW Magazine/Invasives: Eating Lionfish Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popular among saltwater aquarium enthusiasts, the beautiful and venomous Lionfish – native to reefs in the South Pacific –ended up in South Atlantic waters where no predators exist.

06—Mainly nothing eats them because their coloring and their appearance says ‘danger’ to other animals.

Melissa Gaskill is a science and travel writer living in Austin. Considered invasive, Lionfish – known as voracious eaters and prolific breeders—outcompete and eat native gulf species. Gaskill says it’s time humans make short work – and dinner—of Lionfish.

08—This is one of the few fish where authorities encourage you to catch and eat as many as you can. There’s no limit; the more the better.

Florida holds Lionfish derbies where people remove the fish in bulk from gulf waters. Gaskill says if you bring one to shore, steer clear of the venomous fin tips. She says if you want to eat lionfish without the risk…

21— Well, the easiest way is to get a commercial fishery going and order it in a restaurant. And I think that will eventually happen – and it’s delicious, so that will be a good thing. In the meantime, certainly most of the derbies people spearfish; and actually lionfish are really easy to spearfish because they don’t dart away. You know, they’re top of the food chain type behavior and they just sort of sit there looking at you saying like, ‘Yeah. Bring it on.’

Melissa Gaskill’s article on lionfish appears in the December issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

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

Clemente Guzman working on cover art for Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine

TPW Magazine: A Brush with Nature Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas Parks and Wildlife has a diverse workforce that includes who you’d expect, like biologists and game wardens. And then there are the surprises, like Wildlife artist Clemente Guzman.

09— I walk by Clemente’s desk every morning on my way into my job, and I look over and he usually has some incredible painting that he’s working on.

Louie Bond, editor of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, wrote a poignant story about Clemente for the December issue, on newsstands now.

38— So, I stop in and take a look and see what he’s up to and we inevitably get into some great discussion on wildlife, and preserving wildlife, and planting native habitat. It’s totally spiritual for Clemente. When you talk to Clemente, his eyes light up and you feel his inspiration. He doesn’t just sit and paint. He’s creating. He’s creating something with a purpose in mind. He wants to inspire other people to see nature the way he does. And to respect nature, and then to foster it and nurture it so that future generations can have the same experience.

See a time lapse video of Clemente working on a stunning piece of artwork at passporttotexas.org.

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

Wildfire in Bastrop, Image Jay Jenner Austin American Statesman

This is Passport to Texas

Low hanging tree branches that hug the roof line of your home may provide shade, but they could put you and your property in danger during a wildfire.

11— The roof is the most vulnerable spot on your house; and plants that grow their branches down very close to or even touching the ground, and continue up to your roof, are really plants you want to avoid.

Mark Klym coordinates the Wildscapes program for Parks and Wildlife. He says homeowners living near wildlands are encouraged to use firewise landscaping techniques to reduce their home’s vulnerability to wildfires.

33— Firefighters prefer to see 30 feet of cleared ground around your home if possible; if you can’t give them 30 feet, give them as much as you can. That doesn’t mean no plants – it simply means being very selective with the plants that you have. Some of our wildflowers are very good at retaining their moisture; those are the plants that you want up close to your home. But anything that’s got an oily resin in it… anything that’s going to ignite very easily – dried grasses – you’ll want to avoid that. You also want to try and clean up the leaf litter around your home if you can. Because that will carry the fire to your door.

Find Mark Klym’s article on firewise landscaping in the October issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

Pine burning in wildland fire

Firewise Landscaping Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Homeowners in close proximity to wildlands are at greatest risk of property damage from wildfires. A firewise landscape won’t stop flames, but it could slow them long enough to allow families to escape safely.

13— That means selecting our plants and landscaping materials, as well as some of our outbuildings and structures associated with our home, in a way that will help reduce the probability of a wildfire having catastrophic results for us.

Mark Klym coordinates the Wildscapes program for Parks and Wildlife. He says what you plant on your property, and where you plant it, makes all the difference during a wildfire.

25— You definitely don’t want anything that’s highly explosive or that ignites very easily close to your home. Some examples would be cedar, or any of our holly plants – which a lot of people want right up against their house. And the firefighter’s nickname for holly is “green gas” – it’s very explosive. So, you want to avoid that type of plant around your home. You also want to avoid anything that might ignite at ground level and carry the fire to your roof.

Mark Klym’s wrote an article about firewise landscaping for the October issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

Funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

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