Passport to Texas

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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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas boasts a bevy of birding hot spots. And in the May issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine…you’ll meet some of the fine feathered creatures that pass through our state. Associate publisher, Charles Lohrmann…

Well, May is our birding issue and it’s always popular. It’s a useful reference because we include a comprehensive calendar of birding events throughout the year.

We have amazing articles. This one, particularly interesting to me, is an article about migration by Noreen Damude. She describes migration patterns as a complex labyrinth of trails that overlap and interweave. And to illustrate, she describes the migrations of eight different birds.

Among them are long distance migrants like the Swainson’s Hawk; and one particularly interesting example is the Evening Grosbeak, which she describes as ‘irruptive, opportunistic wanderers,’ because their arrival is completely unpredictable.

Once you read this article, you’ll never think of migration as a simple north-south line again.

Thanks Charles.

You can find the May issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine on newsstands in mid-month. Or learn how you can subscribe when you visit passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…Joel Block engineers our program in Austin at the Production Block studios…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife restoration Program

Conserving natural resources – air, land, water, plants and wildlife – is everyone’s responsibility.

Andy Sansom, Executive Director of the River Systems Institute < http://www.rivers.txstate.edu/> at Texas State University in San Marcos, and former Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife shares his thoughts on this subject.

I think right now we’re in a bit of a crisis. Because people widely accept the values of what we do, but they don’t feel the urgency that perhaps they did a generation ago, and as a result, we have some issues that we’ve got to address, like the threats of land fragmentation, and the decline in our water supplies and the lack of adequate funding — are all potentially fatal threats to the values that all of these conservation activities represent.

What can you do to protect our natural resources? Education is always the best way to start. Log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site, and click on the link for “Land & Water” to begin understanding the needs of your environment.

That’s our show for today…we get support from the Wildlife Restoration Program…which also provides funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program.

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

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