Author: Guide

AUSTIN, Texas — Lazy summer days and fishing just seem to go hand in hand, so it’s the perfect time to take advantage of the Family Fishing Celebration that allows fishing without a fishing license in Texas state parks.

The Family Fishing Celebration was launched to encourage families and others to fish at more than 70 state parks without having to purchase a fishing license and required stamps.

Houston postal workers B. E. Lewis and K. R. Colwell were found taking advantage of the Family Fishing Celebration on a recent spring morning by doing some bank fishing at Fort Boggy State Park near Centerville. They said they appreciate not having to have a fishing license and stamps to try their luck at reeling in some bluegills from the park’s 15-acre lake.

“We like having the lake all to ourselves this morning,” Lewis said. “On our days off, we come up here several times a year just to fish and relax.”

Academy Sports & Outdoors is the exclusive retail sponsor of this year’s promotion that runs through Labor Day. In addition to providing funding, Academy has provided state parks with bobbers and kids’ fishing starter kits that will be given away as prizes at Family Fishing Celebration events held this summer at several Texas state parks.

A number of state parks across Texas will be holding special FFC events on June 4. They are: Cooper Lake’s South Sulphur Unit (Sulphur Springs), Eisenhower (Denison), LakeArrowhead (Wichita Falls), Lake Whitney (Whitney), Martin Dies, Jr., (Jasper), McKinney Falls (Austin), Purtis Creek (Eustace), Sabine Pass Battleground (Sabine Pass) and Tyler (Tyler).

A complete list of state parks offering fishing opportunities and dates of upcoming FFC events and seminars can be found on the TPWD Web site or by calling (800) 792-1112.

The FFC’s license-free angling in Texas state parks applies only to bank and pier fishing, and to boat fishing in bodies of water totally contained within the boundaries of a state park, such as Lake Raven in Huntsville State Park and Park Lake in Buescher State Park. The fishing license waiver does not apply to anglers who launch boats from state park property to access an adjacent lake or other water body because it does not apply outside state park boundaries. – Lake Mohave

Memorial Day Weekend Game Wardens were patrolling in Devils Cove on
Lake Travis when they responded to an emergency medical call of a
female not breathing on board a vessel. The 18-year-old had been
overcome with carbon monoxide from the back of a vessel, according to
medical personnel. She had fallen off the back of the boat from the
deck without a life jacket on, unconscious. Fortunately, other boat
occupants pulled her out of the water. She responded to oxygen and was
taken to the hospital.

“People want to sit back there and drink and hang out,” said Game
Warden Capt. Robert Goodrich. “But those fumes are boiling up back
there and it’s unsafe to be back there with the engine idling.”

Carbon Monoxide is odorless but fuel is not. But by the time the
smell of fuel becomes strong, it may be too late as far as how much
carbon monoxide has been inhaled.

“Boat operators just don’t realize what’s doing on back there,” said
Goodrich, who’s responded to two other calls like this earlier in the
spring and one last year.

“This young lady was lucky, she ended up okay, but she did not have
a life jacket on. This very well could have been a fatality.”

A few years ago on a private ski lake in Ellis County, another
teenage girl was not so fortunate. She was lying on the back deck of a
ski boat and was over come with carbon monoxide and died.

Carbon monoxide can imperil boaters as well as people at home. Since
1990, carbon monoxide has killed at least 93 people while they were
boating and sickened nearly 400 others, according to federal safety
investigators quote in a Consumer Reports article. The
poisonings affected people inside and outside boats, when boats were
moored and even when under way. The poisonings can happen in the
following circumstances: when passengers hang onto the rear of the boat
and allow themselves to be pulled through the water until the boat’s
wake builds enough to allow body surfing. “Teak surfing,” as it’s
called, puts passengers close to the engine exhaust; when passengers
ride on or swim beneath a platform near the exhaust; when leaky seals
between decks, bulkheads, and the hull or a faulty or poorly maintained
exhaust system allows carbon monoxide to build up inside the cabin;
when boats are moored close together and one has an engine running; or
when the “station wagon effect” generates air currents that pull
exhaust gas into the cabin, much as auto exhaust enters through an open
rear hatch.

Preventative measures:

• Keep the boat’s exhaust system in good repair.
• Turn off engine anytime the boat is idling and there is no air to pull the fumes away.
• Have a marine-grade carbon monoxide detector on board.
• Don’t let passengers teak surf, and keep passengers off the swim platform when the engine or generator is running.

– Lake Mohave

DALLAS – Dick Davis, a veteran conservation journalist who spent the
last five years as Director of the Texas – Oklahoma Region for the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, has been named executive
director of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, effective June 1.

Davis and a current staff of three based in Dallas, will lead
efforts to provide private support for the work of the Texas Parks
& Wildlife Department, for which the foundation is the official
non-profit partner.

“We’re delighted that Dick has come on board,” said Pat Oles,
Chairman of the TPWF board. “We’ve been very impressed with his record
over many years of conservation efforts and in non-profit work. “We
think that he’ll be a great fit for our foundation and will be a great
leader in helping us achieve our potential.”

Davis began his journalistic work on behalf of conservation when
still a high school student in Duncanville by writing articles for the
Dallas Morning News outdoor page. He later served as sports
writer-photographer for the Waco Tribune-Herald, where an article about
his personal tryout with the Dallas Cowboys was named “Best Feature
Story” by the Texas Sports Writers’ Association. In 1975 he began to
publish in such magazines as Outdoor Life, Gray’s Sporting Journal,
Southern Outdoors and Game & Fish Publications.

His award-winning series, “Outdoor Magazine,” first appeared on 150
public television stations, then later on cable. It was three times
named “Best Television Production” by the Outdoor Writers’ Association
of America. The series also won the Theodore Roosevelt Award for
Conservation from the National Outdoor-Travel Film Festival.

While living in Louisiana serving as Outdoor Editor for a major
daily newspaper, his articles won Best News Story, Feature and Column
by the Louisiana Press Association. He also helped found the Louisiana
Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. And, he was
instrumental in the establishment of the Tensas River National Wildlife
Refuge.

“Everything I’ve done in my career, from writing about natural
resource management for newspapers and magazines to producing
television programs to working for other non-profit organizations, has
prepared me for this job,” Davis said. “The people who work for the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have always been among my heroes.
Now to be able to assist them and the department in accomplishing their
conservation goals on behalf of the people of Texas is both an honor
and dream come true.”

During his five years with the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation, he helped increase the number of grants to Texas
organizations from about 8 to about 30 annually and the average federal
and private investment rose from $300,000 to $1.5 million a year. He
also established the Texas Legends Award recognizing individuals for
life-long conservation accomplishments. Recipients have been Tobin
Armstrong, Karen & Tim Hixon and Dick Bartlett, all supporters of
the TPWF.

“The Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation has a rich history, from
the outstanding conservationists who have served on its board to the
hundreds of supporters who have contributed to its many efforts and
special projects,” said Davis. “One of my short-term goals will be to
visit with as many of those folks as soon as possible to enlist their
continuing support, engage them again in our work and to invite and
incorporate their suggestions on how to make the foundation stronger in
the future.

“At the same time, we will reach out to new people who may have
never supported ours or any other conservation organization, invite
them to join our team and help ensure the permanent protection and
management of Texas’ unique natural resources.”

– Lake Mohave

Friends and Fellow Anglers, Runoff
is winding down on most area streams and fishing this summer should be
better than the past few drought plagued seasons. The Stonefly Hatch is
in progress on the Cimarron and fishing has been excellent on the lower
reaches of the river as they haven’t been releasing a significant
amount of water from the dam. The Cimarroncita has been especially good
with # 12 Stimulators. We have been fishing on the Costilla also and it
looks like the fish are in good shape there also. We have a new piece
of private water on the lower river near Amalia. The Valle Vidal opens
on July 1st and there is plenty of water in the resevoir this year so
flows should be decent. The Red and the Embudo are still running high
but are clearing and should be great by late June. The Conejos probably
won’t be fishing till late June as they usually have a more intense,
long lasting runoff (Its running 1300cfs on the lower river now). We
have access thru Conejos River Anglers to a couple of private leases
including the Hamilton Lease on the upper river and a new one down by
Broyles Bridge. Culebra Creek is starting to clear and Rita had a good
day up there yesterday with a couple of guys from Amarillo.

– Lake Mohave

11-pound, 13-ounce fish starts VanDam on road to victory

ATHENS, Texas — Professional angler Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has a new love: Texas bass fishing.

Fishing Lake Lewisville on the first day of the Bassmaster Elite 50
tournament June 1, VanDam hauled in a new lake record largemouth bass
that was also the biggest fish he’s ever caught in competition.

“I love Texas!” VanDam said at the weigh-in. “The state absolutely
has the best fishing in the country, and I just love this fishery.”

VanDam went on to win the four-day event, vaulted to the top of the Elite 50 standings and pocketed a total of $106,000.

He also took home a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department lake record
largemouth bass certificate, which was presented at the Friday weigh-in
by Inland Fisheries district biologist Rafe Brock. “It’s good to see
that the best anglers in the world have enjoyed Lake Lewisville so much
this week, and the record bass just shows what an excellent fishery we
have here,” Brock said.

Further evidence of the quality of the fishery was the total catch
for each day. On Day One, 41 of the 50 anglers brought in five-fish
limits. The 233 fish weighed 528 pounds, 7 ounces. On Day Two there
were 38 limits totaling 219 fish and 457 pounds, 1 ounce. The field was
cut to 12 anglers on Day Three, and they produced two limits and 34
fish weighing 68 pounds, 13 ounces. On the final day of competition,
VanDam brought in the only limit among the six anglers left, who
brought in a total of 12 fish weighing 22 pounds, 10 ounces.

Lake Lewisville has been largely overlooked until now, said pro
angler Alton Jones of Waco, but it has much to offer. “We have a lot of
fisheries in North Central Texas that don’t get any publicity because
of lakes like Fork, Sam Rayburn and Ray Roberts,” he said. “This lake
has lots of rock piles, and along the shoreline you’ll find some
flooded willows. It’s got a lot of targets to throw at in the form of
stumps, boat docks and rock shorelines. There’s some good cover to
fish; you’ve just got to find it.”

And thanks to VanDam, anglers know there’s at least one 11-pound, 13-ounce monster to be found out there.

– Lake Mohave

– Lake Mohave

– Lake Mohave

– Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas – Students and history buffs of all ages can follow along Jan. 4-27 via the Internet as dozens of school students from California and Texas board horse-drawn wagons to retrace the route of gold rush adventurer William P. Huff.

Huff’s 300,000-word diary shares a detailed account of his mid-1800s trip from near Houston to near Fresno, California. The students’ journey this month will retrace Huff’s route in reverse, starting near El Paso tomorrow and heading back across Texas. They will stop for a ceremony at the capitol building in Austin on Jan. 25 and end on Jan. 27 at the Houston area grave of William Huff, where they will return the borrowed diary to his descendants.

Fourteen California schoolchildren will make the entire journey. Dozens of Texas schoolchildren from the Dallas/Fort Worth, Waco, Houston, El Paso and West Texas regions will join the wagon train temporarily at various points.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will post the progress of the student adventure on its Web site, including student comments and video diaries of their journey. Other schoolchildren may email questions of the traveling students, which TPWD employees will relay on to the children during their trip.

History has paid little attention to the trials and experiences of the “southern Argonauts” as they trekked across difficult terrain to seek their fortunes in the Gold Rush of 1849. Huff did not strike it rich in the Gold Rush, but he left a rich trove for historians in the details of his diary.

California teacher Bill Coate created the school wagon train adventure to bring the historic journey of pioneers such as William Huff to life for today’s young people. His students and Texas students will learn to harness mules, sleep in tents, cook over fires and otherwise experience life during the pioneer era. Along the way, they will read Huff’s diary along the way and keep their own journals. The students will share their experiences at the end of the trail by publishing a book.

The educational project is a partnership venture of Madera Unified School District, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Texas Historical Commission.

On the Net:
· To follow the adventure online, see the TPWD Webcast home page www.tpwd.state.tx.us/expltx/eft – Lake Mohave

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great Holiday Season.

This week on Lake Fork the water temp is back up into the low 50’s and the lake is full and in great shape with the grass still green. The weather is to say the least interesting. We fished two days after Christmas and the temp. was 27 degrees to start out. This morning it was 70 degrees. This warm trend is supposed to continue for at least another week if the weathermen are right. I won’t bet on that!

The deep bite has been the stable bite. As long as the wind doesn’t blow, we have been concentrating on it. Drop shot, Carolina rigs and hardware like spoons- tailspinners and swim baits are the ticket. If it stays cloudy look for the big girls to move from the deep to points near creeks. Some will start to show in the back of creeks near bends and deep water. The last deep turn of a creek should be the best spot. A ½ ounce black and blue jig and pig should do the trick. Use a double skirt and rattle and work the timber and shore line. I have caught some hawgs in a foot of water this time of year. Suspending jerk baits wouldn’t be a bad choice either around points, grass and creek backs.

The RED rattle trap is about to earn its keep. The trap is one of the most effective reaction baits there is. Fish it around grass and use a rip and stop retrieve. If this isn’t effective try different speed retrieves until the fish tell you what speed they prefer. I also use a deep retrieve with a trap. Fish it in 8-10 feet of water and kinda slow roll it. Fish a spinnerbait the same way. Fish either slow for a feeding bite or fast and deflect for a reaction strike. Either way Fork is the place. Expect big fish, not numbers. See you on the lake!

We are entering our peak season for bookings. Please book as early as possible as Guides and Motel rooms are filling our spring schedules fast. We don’t want you to get left out!

If you would like to book a trip call 903-765-2155 or email me at jeffgunn@direcway.com

Please purchase our sponsors and associates fine products and services:
Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Castaway Rods, Shimano Reels, Triple-Fish Line, Precision Marine, Costa Del Mar Polarized Sunglasses, Lake Fork Tackle, Service Marine, Owner Hooks, Bass Assassin, Weedless Lures, Pradco, Tanglefree, Superlube, Ron Kelly’s Taxidermy, Yellow Magic, Bass Pro Shops and Schumacher battery chargers.

Gunns Guide Service

Jeff & Joanie Gunn

611 Rains County Road 2610

Alba, Texas 75410

903-765-2155

mailto:jeffgunn@direcway.com

http://www.gunnsguideservice.com – Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas — A couple of isolated and relatively minor active fish kills on Lake Granbury have been traced to elevated levels of golden alga toxins, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials.

“We could be seeing the beginning stages of an outbreak or it could be some isolated incidents that just go away, there’s no way to tell at this time,” said Joan Glass, an investigator with TPWD’s Kills and Spills Team. “The good news is because of all the recent rains the creeks are all running and there are places for fish to hide and get away from the toxins.”

TPWD and Brazos River Authority staff are continuing to monitor the 8,700-acre impoundment located 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth. According to Glass, water samples pulled from the Ports O’ Call homeowner canal near the dam and from the Bentwater Shores canal near Highway 377 revealed elevated golden alga cell counts. Most of the fish kill has occurred in shallow water near those areas.

At present, Granbury is the only lake in Texas experiencing an active fish kill related to golden alga. “Things are looking good at Possum Kingdom and Lake Texoma and Lake Whitney is also in pretty good shape,” Glass noted. “We’re hoping this event follows the same course as the one we saw on Whitney last November where it just went away.”

First discovered in Texas in 1985, golden alga (Prymnesium parvum) was identified in a fish kill in the Pecos River and has since been responsible for fish kills in the Colorado, Canadian, Wichita, Red and Brazos river systems as well.

This alga releases a toxin that kills gill-breathing organisms such as fish and clams. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, anecdotal evidence has shown no human health risks associated with golden alga.

Since 2001, golden alga fish kills have occurred on two dozen reservoirs in Texas. Since 1985, nearly 18 million fish have been killed. Although significant numbers of game fish were affected in several areas, most of the fish killed were either forage or rough fish species. – Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas – Walter Cronkite has narrated a one-hour video program about Texas water resources, which will air Feb. 3 on all Texas public television stations. “Texas: the State of Water—Finding a Balance” explores what’s at stake in the struggle to provide enough clean water for wildlife and the environment, cities, industry and agriculture.

“I’m afraid that many Texans presume that there will always be plenty of water for all of our needs, but it’s important for all of us to take a closer look now,” said Robert L. Cook, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which is producing the program.

“Even if you’re not an angler or boater or have no connection with water resource development, this issue affects every single Texan,” Cook said. “There is still time to plan for a future with enough water for people and fish and wildlife. But we need to act responsibly now.”

For the second time, the Emmy Award-winning television series “Texas Parks & Wildlife” is teaming with the state’s 13 PBS affiliates to broadcast original programming in prime-time on one night. The series’ first one-hour program about water resources, a partnership venture with KERA-TV in Dallas, aired May 29, 2003.

“The greatness of Texas, its future, its well-being and its prosperity depend on its people understanding the vital role played by the wise and equitable distribution of its water supply,” said Cronkite, who donated his services to the program project.

Cronkite, 88, was born in Missouri but moved to Texas as a boy and grew up in the Houston area. He still has family in the Austin area and returns to visit frequently.

He was anchorman and managing editor of the CBS Evening News for 19 years, until 1981. He is still a special correspondent for CBS News, but now also co-owns the Cronkite Ward Company in New York, which produces programs for The Discovery Channel, PBS and other outlets.

Cronkite recorded narration for the program at the “Texas Parks & Wildlife” TV series production studio while in Austin in November. The weekly half-hour series runs on PBS stations in Texas and some other states.

Topics explored in the program include the controversial “rule of capture,” an overview of agencies and laws that regulate surface water and groundwater, river instream flows, water lawsuits, controversies involving environmental river flow permits, how water use affects endangered species and other aquatic life, water rights permitting, proposed reservoirs, water as a commodity, interbasin water transfers from one river basin to another, and how river inflows affect the ecological health of bays and estuaries.

The program concludes with what people can do to help, including ways to conserve water, enhance groundwater recharge and retention, improve housing developments, and get involved as volunteers.

The program is part of a broader TPWD public information initiative that began in July 2002 with the first of an annual series of special issues of the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine devoted to water issues. The July 2005 special issue will focus on groundwater, in which some of the best writers in the state along with TPWD experts, will help explain what groundwater is, how it works, and why readers should care. The overall communications initiative also includes using the TPWD radio series, Web site and other media to get messages out there.

The “Texas: the State of Water” 2005 communications initiative is funded in part by underwriting sponsor The Boone Pickens Foundation, A Communities Foundation of Texas Fund, patron sponsor Brazos Mutual Funds and supporting sponsors San Antonio River Authority, Brazos River Authority and Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.

The following stations (and cities they cover) will broadcast “Texas: the State of Water—Finding a Balance” in the listed cities on Feb. 3. Unless otherwise indicated below, stations will air the program from 8-9 p.m. Central Standard Time.

* KERA: Abilene, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Longview, Lufkin, Marshall, Nacogdoches, Paris, San Angelo, Sherman, Texarkana, Tyler, Wichita Falls.
* KUHT: Beaumont, Galveston, Houston, Port Arthur, Texas City, Victoria.
* KLRN: Kerrville, Laredo, San Antonio.

* KMBH: Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen, Mission.
* KWBU: Waco.
* KOCV: Midland, Odessa.
* KNCT: Killeen, Temple.
* KCOS: El Paso (8 p.m. Mountain Time).
* KTXT: Lubbock
* KACV: Amarillo
* KLRU: Austin
* KEDT: Corpus Christi
* KAMU: Bryan, College Station
– Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas — Free trout fishing access is available on the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake until March 17 at two sites leased by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The cliffs access site is located just past the third bridge crossing on River Road. This access site offers parking and wade-fishing access via a marked path to the river. There is no bank fishing access at this site. Wade fishing is advised only at river flows below 500 cubic feet per second.

The second access site, Camp Huaco Springs, is located just below the first bridge crossing on river road. This site offers approximately a mile of bank access, as well as good wade fishing opportunities. In order for the daily access fee to be waived at this site, anglers must park in the designated parking area and walk to the river.

TPWD stocks trout at both these sites as part of its annual winter trout stocking program, which provides economical access to fishing at more than 100 water bodies around the state. Camp Huaco Springs receives about 25 percent of all the trout stocked by the department on the Guadalupe River. River road runs along the Guadalupe River from New Braunfels to Sattler.

Trout stockings on the Guadalupe River are slated for Jan. 21 and Feb. 11. Additional Guadalupe River trout stocking sites include the fishing pier directly below Canyon Dam (free access), Whitewater Sports on Highway 306 (fee charged) and the bridge crossing in Sattler (fee charged by Rio Raft company). Anglers should consult the 2004-05 TPWD Outdoor Annual for specific trout fishing regulations on the Guadalupe River.

For the first time in many years, Texas anglers do not need a special trout fishing stamp in order to fish, however a freshwater fishing package is required. Youth ages 16 and younger and anyone fishing from the bank in state parks are exempt from the fishing package requirement.

TPWD has been stocking rainbow trout in small urban lakes, state park lakes and popular river tailraces each winter since the 1970s, providing Texans a simple and economical opportunity to go fishing. – Lake Mohave

ATHENS, Texas – Each year the public has a chance to nominate a favorite fishing icon for consideration as an inductee to the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. Nominations will be accepted until Feb. 28.

The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, which is housed at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center here, honors legendary anglers, fisheries professionals and organizations that have made a contribution to freshwater fishing in Texas. One nominee will be chosen by an independent selection committee and formally inducted during the annual Hall of Fame Banquet in May. The honoree will join a legendary group of fishing Hall of Famers including Floyd Mabry, Jackie Hewlett, R.D. Hull, Bob Kemp, Nick Creme, Charlie Inman, Sugar Ferris, Leonard Ranne, Earl Golding, Kathy Magers, the Sabine River Authority, Skeeter Boats and Michael (“Shorty”) Powers.

The rules are simple. The nominee must be a Texan or Texas organization that made a lasting, beneficial impact on freshwater fishing or freshwater fisheries management in Texas. Individuals may be either living or deceased. The nomination form must be completed and postmarked by Feb. 28.

To submit a nomination:

* Obtain an official nomination form available from http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish or from the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center by calling (903) 676-2277.
* Complete the nomination form and mail it to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, c/o Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 5550 FM 2495, Athens, Texas 75752, or fax to (903) 676-3474 by the deadline.
* Include copies of supporting do*****entation (testimonials, videos, photos, samples, etc.)
* Nomination forms and all materials submitted with them become the property of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and will not be returned. – Lake Mohave

The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Texas Chapter in Houston is hosting the first stop on the 2005 PVA Bass Tour on Lake Conroe on April 1-3, 2005. We are looking for assistance in obtaining about 70 boaters to register and compete alongside the diabled angler…also for about 15 non-boaters to fish with a disabled angler who brings their own boat to fish. The Texas BASS Federation is helping with getting the word out to many of its bass clubs. Please consider joining us and fishing. Registration information is available on our web site at www.pvabasstour.com or by contacting the event organizer (me). Anglers, Sponsors, Donors…help make this event a success!

Thanks

Greg Joyce
Texas PVA Bass tour Coordinator
GJ10SPEED@AOL.COM
Cell – 281-639-3952 – Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas – Active golden alga blooms are causing fish kills in nearly a dozen water bodies in north-central Texas, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Most of the fish kills are relatively small and involve shad, an abundant forage fish, but some game fish species are also being lost, say investigators with TPWD’s Kills and Spills Team.

“We’re seeing more ongoing activity,” said David Sager, Ecosystem/Habitat Assessment branch chief at TPWD. “We’re monitoring and taking water samples, studying the water chemistry and a lot of other parameters of the lakes during the blooms to see if there’s anything we can attribute to the cause.”

TPWD is currently monitoring golden alga activity on Lake Whitney, where cell counts had been rising during the last two weeks and a fish kill occurred on Sunday, Jan. 30 in the upper end of the lake.

“Unfortunately, it is happening, but we expected it because cell counts (the density of the alga) were going up and the water was turning yellow and foamy,” said Joan Glass, a Kills and Spills Team investigator.

Golden alga activity has been ongoing along the Brazos River watershed for several weeks, impacting fisheries at Possum Kingdom Reservoir and Lake Granbury. Because of recent rainfall, dams at both impoundments have been releasing water, which Glass said may be contributing to activity at Lake Whitney.

TPWD is also monitoring for golden alga on the following: Lake Kemp, Lake Diversion, Lake Sweetwater, Lake Colorado City, Moss Creek Lake, Wadley-Barron Park pond in Midland and Red Bluff Reservoir in New Mexico. E. V. Spence Reservoir is not experiencing a kill and the Colorado River between Spence and O.H. Ivie Reservoir is stable. There have been no reports of any dead or stressed fishes in O.H. Ivie Reservoir.

Biologists at the Dundee State Fish Hatchery in Wichita Falls are also experiencing golden alga in several hatchery ponds and are experimenting with various techniques to control the alga. “They’re looking at various treatment options including barley straw in containers to see if it helps control the toxins,” said Sager. “Straw has been used to control algae in other lakes and areas, but it’s never been tried on golden alga.”

While golden alga is present on several lakes, biologists say the good news is that the blooms have not returned to Lake Texoma. Texas and Oklahoma fisheries biologists have not found any high concentrations of the toxin producing alga in samples taken throughout the lake.

Glass also reported that golden alga activity on Lake Granbury appears to be subsiding. “We’re not losing any more fish and a fishing tournament was held there over the weekend and they were catching fish so that’s a good sign,” she noted.

The ongoing algal blooms also are providing researchers with an active event to study, according to Sager. “We’ve begun an intensive monitoring program at Lake Whitney and will be taking samples of all the different plankton communities. We’ll share that information with the universities so they can use it in conjunction with their research.”

Scientists from several universities in Texas are working in laboratories and with net enclosures at Possum Kingdom Reservoir studying the affects of water quality on algal bloom toxicity. Researchers are also looking at algae genetics. Another study is focusing on the economic impacts of fish kills; specifically at the 2001 golden alga fish kill events at Possum Kingdom Reservoir.

“We’re also working in cooperation with river authorities and local governments to obtain water samples from around the state to see where golden alga might be present,” added Sager. “That could be helpful if we find it in locations that aren’t experiencing kills. We could try to identify what controls are present at those sites that aren’t present at sites experiencing fish kills.”

First discovered in Texas in 1985, golden alga (Prymnesium parvum) was identified in a fish kill in the Pecos River and has since been responsible for fish kills in the Colorado, Canadian, Wichita, Red and Brazos river systems as well.

This alga releases a toxin that kills gill-breathing organisms such as fish and clams. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, anecdotal evidence has shown no human health risks associated with golden alga.

Since 2001, golden alga fish kills have occurred on two dozen reservoirs in Texas. Since 1985, nearly 18 million fish have been killed, most of which were either forage or rough fish species. – Lake Mohave

ATHENS, Texas — The sixth annual Fly Fish Texas is scheduled for March 5 at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center here. TFFC has hosted the event each year since 2001.

Expert fly fishers from all over Texas will converge to share tips and techniques during seminars and hands-on demonstrations. Participants can tie flies, practice casting and fish for bass, sunfish and rainbow trout in TFFC’s ponds and streams.

Seminars will cover fly fishing for bass and carp, fly fishing the Texas coast, kayak fishing, urban fly fishing and fishing small streams in Texas and Colorado. Dutch oven cooks will serve up breads and desserts hot off the coals.

Many of the speakers are well known in Texas fly fishing circles. Colby (“Pops”) Sorrells will speak about “Bass Buggin”Texas Style.” Mark Marmon will reveal the secrets to “Urban Fly Fishing,” while Steve Rawls, Marty Cecil and Ronnie Ray will tell how and where to fish streams in Texas and Colorado. Steve Robbins’ session about “Bream Bustin’ with a Fly Rod” spotlights a fishing opportunity that offers fast-paced action on almost any body of water.

Young people make up a large part of the thousand attendees each year, and basic and intermediate fly-fishing classes are the reason. Kids ages 12 and older learn what makes good fish habitat and get to collect and identify bugs from TFFC streams and ponds. Then they learn how to tie flies that mimic those bugs and use them to catch fish using fly-fishing gear provided on-site.

Admission to the day-long event is included with regular admission to TFFC: $5.50 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and $3.50 for children ages 4-12. TFFC is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at 5550 F.M. 2495, three miles east of Athens. Athens is 75 miles southeast of Dallas.

Sponsors and vendors for the event include the Sabine River Authority, Orvis, Texas Department of Agriculture, Dwight Cooley Foods, Post Oak Master Naturalists, Jimmie’s Fishing Jewelry, Boy Scout Troop 1299, Temple Fork Outfitters, Steve Robbins Backcountry Fly Shop, Steve Rawls Fly Fishing Guide Service, Marty Cecil Elk Trout Lodge, Deborah Wade Dame Julia Fly Tying, Chris Dukeminier Mariner Sails, Jim Partin ArkAnglers and Brooke’s Seasonings.

For more information and a schedule of events and seminars call (903) 676-2277 or (903) 670-2222. – Lake Mohave

SAN ANTONIO — The recent acquisition of 421 acres of significant endangered-species land increases the total acreage of the Government Canyon State Natural Area in San Antonio to 8,622 acres.

The acquisition, announced Feb. 3 by The Trust for Public Land, is part of a 12-year effort by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, local agencies, residents and conservation groups to protect land located over the Edwards Aquifer, which is the primary source of drinking water for the City of San Antonio. Government Canyon provides a remarkable recreation destination for area-residents and is scheduled to open on June 4.

The property, known as Canyon Ranch, is crucial to the completion of the state natural area because it is situated between two properties previously acquired by TPL. The property is also extremely important for the protection of nine federally-listed endangered invertebrate species, including three small eyeless beetles, a small eyeless harvestman, and five other small spiders, including the Madla’s cave spider.

“TPL is pleased to be a partner in the effort to preserve Canyon Ranch,” said Amy Wanamaker, TPL project manager. “It is a treasure-trove of native plants and wildlife.”

Approximately 70 percent of the property will be owned by TPWD. The City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Water System will each own 15 percent of the property. TPWD will manage the 421-acre site.

“This is an example of how working together we can do great conservation projects for the people of Texas that we could not have achieved alone,” said Walt Dabney, TPWD’s director of state parks. “It is one more component of a longstanding partnership between TPWD and TPL in the conservation of urban-fringe landscapes and high-value habitat in San Antonio.”

TPWD applied for and secured a $3.5 million U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grant that included a funding match from the City of San Antonio and SAWS. The local funding came through the City of San Antonio’s Proposition 3 Program that authorized a 1/8 cent sales tax increment to locate and purchase undeveloped land in the Edwards Aquifer’s recharge and contributing zones as a means of protecting the aquifer from pollution.

“We are appreciative to all of the folks that have worked so hard to make this happen,” said Bob Pine, administrator for the Austin Ecological Services Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Preserving Canyon Ranch will not only safeguard the Edwards Aquifer, but also will help a number of endangered species.”

U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn and U.S. Representatives Henry Bonilla and Pete Sessions were extremely supportive of the federal grant.

This acquisition is also part of the Edwards Aquifer Land Acquisition and Park Expansion Program for permanent protection of the city’s drinking water. TPL has pursued projects associated within the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone since 1990, protecting more than 11,500 acres over the Aquifer.

“We are so delighted to have acquired this property to protect the Edwards Aquifer,” said former San Antonio City Council member Bonnie Conner, who represents District 4 as a member of the Edwards Aquifer Authority Board of Directors. “This is a significant accomplishment made possible by the citizens of San Antonio through their vote in 2000.” – Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department surveys confirm what most saltwater anglers already know: the fishing along the Texas coast is getting better and more anglers are taking advantage of it.

About 2,000 new anglers per month on average are discovering Texas coastal fishing, based on saltwater fishing license sales during the last seven years. The economic impact of saltwater angling in Texas exceeds $1.3 billion dollars annually and provides more than 13,000 jobs, according to TPWD research.

“There are indications that this trend will continue,” stated Larry McKinney, Ph.D. and TPWD coastal fisheries director. “The popularity of center-console bay boats continues to increase as does the use of kayaks and the continued increase in the sale of saltwater tackle.”

The amount of time anglers spend plying Texas coastal waters is staggering. In the 2003-04 season, according to TPWD creel surveys, anglers spent 5.27 million hours fishing on the Texas coast.

Not only are there more anglers but they are catching more fish. Landings of the two most popular gamefish, spotted seatrout and red drum, increased coastwide in 2003-04 by 11 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Galveston Bay (24 percent) and the Lower Laguna Madre (33 percent) showed the greatest increases while Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays declined slightly. However, Aransas Bay saw a spectacular increase in red drum landings with an increase of 76 percent. Other bays showed significant increases as well: Upper Laguna Madre (57 percent), Lower Laguna Madre (40 percent) and San Antonio Bay (45 percent). Only Galveston Bay showed a decrease in red drum landings.

“These year-to-year fluctuations show the power of having good monitoring programs that can track annual changes down to the bay system level,” said Robin Riechers, science and policy director for TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division. “But the real value is when you start to link up the data to look at long-term trends.”

The long-term trend in the recreational catch data along with the TPWD resource monitoring data allows TPWD to monitor and track fish populations along the entire coast as well as in each bay system.

Texas anglers have also become more efficient as well. Catch rates (the number of fish caught per hour of effort) for all species combined increased by four percent from .27 fish per hour in 2002-03 to .28 fish per hour in 2003-04. When the statistics for gamefish are examined separately, spotted seatrout saw an increase in catch rate of nine percent and red drum a spectacular increase of 33 percent.

“Even with the increased numbers and pressure, our populations of gamefish, especially red drum and spotted seatrout, remain strong and healthy,” concluded McKinney. “We face challenges in two areas to continue this success. One is assuring that the quality of the fishing experience continues in the face of issues like access and allocation of resources among users. The second is assuring the water quality of our estuarine waters and that freshwater inflows into them are adequate to maintain their health and productivity.” – Lake Mohave