The
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department works to make almost every aspect of your Texas
fishing experiences better! It keeps Texas waters clean (a large subject for
another blog), offers fishing lessons for kids and adults, and provides fishing without a license in Texas State
Parks!
It hosts KidFish events for children at neighborhood ponds, and will even stock
a town’s swimming pool with fish in order to provide children a fishing
opportunity when local ponds are unavailable. One of the greatest things it
does is keep Texas bodies of water stocked with healthy, quality fish! TPWD
fish hatcheries produce millions of fingerlings each year for stocking
purposes, work to produce quality largemouth bass fingerlings through its
Largemouth Bass ShareLunker Program, and manage fish research
programs.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Fish Stocking Truck TPWD Copyright
The ShareLunker program began in 1986
as a way to improve Texas’ largemouth bass population by selectively breeding
trophy fish. It is limited to largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more. Fish
must be weighted on certified or legal-for-trade scales. Possession of the live
fish must be transferred to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
representative within 12 hours after capture. Since the program’s inception,
more than 400 largemouth bass have been donated from 55 public reservoirs and
more than a dozen private lakes. As the program grew it became apparent that a
new fish hatchery that was specifically tailored to the program was needed.
Specifications called for the facility to be built within 50 miles of Lake
Fork, because the majority of big fish are caught there. In 1998, the Edwin L.
Cox, Jr., Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas was completed.
Call (903) 681-0550. 24 hour pager: 1-888-784-0600.
Falcon Reservoir - Bryan Aubin's 14.4 Pound ShareLunker Bass TPWD Copyright
Texas Fresh Water
Fisheries:
The TPWD Freshwater fisheries produce fingerlings for use in
stocking Texas’ reservoirs. Each year, the TPWD Freshwater Fisheries produce
more than 7.5 million bass fingerlings, 1.2 million catfish fingerlings, 5.8
million striped bass and hybrid bass fingerlings, and 1 million other species
of fish fingerlings. The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is Athens, Texas
houses one of the state’s five fish hatcheries. Its main focus is Largemouth
Bass fingerlings. It produces 3 to 4 million Florida largemouth bass
fingerlings annually, and produces over 70 million koi carp (goldfish) as food
for the bass. The center’s Lunker Bunker produces the fingerlings from
largemouth bass entered into the ShareLunker Program. The center also raises
channel catfish fingerlings, and has holding tanks for rainbow trout
fingerlings. The indoor and outdoor aquariums display species of native fish,
waterfowl, alligators, and amphibians. The center offers tours, and hosts many
fabulous events each year. It offers hunter education classes, fly fishing
instruction for beginner and intermediate levels, and hosts the annual Texas
State Fish Art Contest. The A.E. Wood
Fish Hatchery in San Marcos specializes in rearing fingerling sportfish for
lake stocking. Tours are available. The Dundee State Fish Hatchery is located
in Electra, Texas, just below the dam at Lake Diversion. This hatchery produces
striped bass and hybrid striped bass fingerlings. Tours are available. The John
D. Parker East Texas State Fish Hatchery, Texas’ newest hatchery, is located at
Brookland, Texas. This hatchery produces largemouth bass, catfish, sunfish, and
forage fish fingerlings. Tours are available on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Possum Kingdom Fish Hatchery is located in
Graford, Texas, immediately below the Possum Kingdom Reservoir Dam. Tours are
available on Tuesdays at 2pm, and Fridays at 10am.
Dundee State Fish Hatchery TPWD Copyright
Texas Salt Water
Fisheries:
The CCA Marine Development Center in Corpus Christi produces
juvenile red drum and spotted seatrout for release in Texas bays. The center
offers tours, Kidfish events, many special events, and angler education to the
public. Sea Center Texas is located in Lake Jackson. This center is a marine
aquarium, fish hatchery and nature center. The visitor center has interpretive
displays, a touch tank, and aquariums, and offers a variety of educational
programs, including tours. Its marine hatchery can produce up to 15 million juvenile
red drum and speckled trout each year for stocking Texas’ bays. The center’s
wetlands offer incredible birding.
Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson TPWD Copyright
Texas Research
Fisheries:
The Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Center in
Palacios, Texas studies genetic variability, and age, growth and reproductive
characteristics of marine fish. The Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center
in Mountain Home, Texas explores what is not yet known about fish. The Fish
Health and Genetics Laboratory is located in San Marcos at the A.E. Wood Fish
Hatchery.
Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Center TPWD Copyright
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