Your right on about the Croker . Growing up on the coast we looked forward to the Croker run. They are very good eating fish. Now days never hardly catch one big enough to eat. I wish they would make them a game sport fish. There are more people fishing than they are fish. Hope it gets better.
@@Tea4Texas Get off the couch and go fishing my man. Now if you catch a trout over 23, 24", its best to release it so it can add to the breeding stock. Reds too. The smaller end of the slot tastes better anyway. I always release the larger ones. You seem to have a prob with catch-release. I get it. Maybe you just have a problem with fishing in general.
I'm a recreational kayak angler for 5yrs now and offshore fish for over 20yrs in TX. I always see regulations on species of fish for the recreational fisherman change and they never went back to what it once was. Does the commercial fishery receive the same imposed regulations? Probably not, because they have lobbyists. I wish recreational fisherman had lobbyists BTW, anyone that dies for not wearing a seatbelt, has a ripple effect from family members to automobile insurance premiums.
I'm 62yo, I've fished West Bay since the late 70's and yes back then I would catch full limits of fish day after day and give them away. In the early 90's I became more conservation minded especially noting the decline in quality fish. These days I rarely keep any fish. I truly love being outdoors but as you noted Mike the amount of new fishermen, Non- Conscious fishermen it just ridiculous.! No respect for others or for the waters that they fish in. I'm all for the new regs. Thanks Mike... "CPR FISH" "Tight Lines and Full Limits To Ya"
My wife and I started fishing the Texas coast in the seventies. We mostly fished from the Rockport area. Having been an avid bass fisherman for many years, it was a complete change for me. Once I caught my first redfish, I was hooked! In the seventies and eighties we could just about pick any decent shoreline and find redfish and trout. We used Tony Aceta (spelling?) and Johnson gold spoons. Back then you could keep 10-15 redfish and many times we did. We would locate massive schools of redfish and catch fish until your arms hurt. Since we lived in San Antonio, we kelp most of what we caught. We kept far too many fish. Many would go to waste sitting in a freezer too long. After retiring, we moved to Rockport and enjoy fishing whenever possible. Over the years, we have seen the fish population steadily decline. There are many reasons for it but the reality is, we must be better stewards of our wonderful sport. I’m not judging anyone for keeping what they legally can but we keep very few fish any longer. We keep a few to eat and release the rest. I was actually surprised at how good it felt to watch a beautiful trout to redfish swim away. My wife and I joke about them growing more and catch in them again.
Really enjoyed your presentation on the upcoming changes to the TX Trout Regulations. It's unfortunate that the Trout population has suffer such a major decline due to the recent extreme weather events AND the rapid increase in fishing pressure. Hopefully, these new regulation will allow the Trout population to recover in the next few years.
1st im not for or against the new regs. I have been practicing CPR for 20 years. Trout fishing was only tough the first 3 months after the major freeze. I've had one of the best trout years in 2023. More trout over 5 pounds then I could ever count, but nothing over 9lbs. I have been fishing the ulm for over 30 years. The only people I've heard saying it's rough is your weekend warriors who just got a covid boat / kayaker. Tight lines and good luck out there!
I’m not strictly a trout fisherman. In fact most of the time I’m chasing reds. I know prefishing has been much more difficult the last two years and just a lot more boat traffic.
Spot on - agree with everything you said. You can't continue to just take, take, take. Also need stiffer penalties for any and all violators. Guide's limit (needs to go away or fine heavily). Guide's license needs to be $12,000 per year since they are living off a public resource, should pay for a restitution and revitalization of a public resource. Same with Shrimpers. Recreational fishing is based on use of a publicly owned natural resource. Recreational fishing brings in far more revenue to state economy than commercial activities. Increase penalties for violations. Undersized fish, take all gear and minimum $1000 fines. No license, $1000 fines. Remove the fish oil (snake oil) and fish meal industry from all Texas waters. No oyster harvest in Texas waters for 5 years (all bays). Atlantic Croaker become gamefish. Shrimping only in designated areas (stop grinding up oyster beds and give them a chance to recover). No burning boats through sea grass. Build a healthy habit for five years, then ease restrictions in a balanced manner. Impound and fine all Mexican fishing boats fishing in Texas waters and either sell them at market value, scrap them or sink them offshore as artificial reefs. Use funds to fund habitat improvements. Increase fines on polluters as well. Give greater rewards for reporting and conviction of violators as well. The politicians and LE and TP&W have NOT taken the needed steps and our coast - IS - in crisis, especially with hotter summers and colder winters.
I really think you're spot on. I've come around on the idea on reduced bag limits and a smaller slot. I like you hate government intervention of any kind especially in regards to my favorite endeavor. Unfortunately there are those around us who needlessly deplete the resource without regard for others and future generations. My eyes were really opened after the freeze. For the first time in a long time fishing became difficult. I'm ok with going a while in between bites but when I was doing things I knew worked and wasn't getting bit I knew something was wrong. I do have a couple of concerns. I've fished in Alabama and seen what kinds of regulations there are in Florida. There are seasons on fish and there are some species that are illegal to fish for like sharks. I worry that the creeping government intervention will eventually make fishing illegal, or that we may only have very small windows in which to fish. That really scares me. I did like the fact that TPWD did allow the 3 trout/17-23" was allowed to sunset and that we were able to go back to 5 at 15-25" if only for the fact that it showed that things weren't only going in one direction. Hopefully we can find a limit that works for a long time that allows people to both keep fish and allows the fish population to continue to grow. In regards to croaker I mostly agree with you, but my only exception is in regards to kids. I think a special exception should be allowed for children to use croaker so they can catch more fish easier allowing them to develop a passion for fishing. If a 7 year old catches a 28" trout and they eventually turn into a lifetime fisherman/conservationist I think that's a win long-term. Now I don't think the 50 year old meat hauler should be out there gut hooking trophy trout. They can soak mullet or throw topwaters. But I think we should give some leeway to children. As a kid I was fortunate to do a lot of deer hunting. My first buck was a small 7 point with an inside spread of about 11". Today that buck would be illegal, but it also helped me to develop a love for deer hunting. Without that deer maybe I'm not as interested in hunting and I turn elsewhere for entertainment. This may or may not relate to trout fishing. I enjoy your work and appreciate the thoughtful content. Tight lines brother.
You were spot on. I agree with you 100%. All i have to say is with these changes for the great good to our fisheries. We need to uses this momentum and push the state to make croacker a game fish. If we did so we wouldnt have to wait 7 yrs. We would see an increase in 2 to 3yrs. This is just my opinion.
As someone who fishes recreationally , I don’t mind any kind of decrease in regulation. With the increase in the amount of people fishing now also means lots of over fishing and people keeping undersized fish.Especially keeping the bigger female fish. I’m all for catch and release 100% . If I keep a fish it tends to be on the lower side and usually just one. I don’t see how people keep 10+fish every weekend. Agree with everything you said 👍
I think there are more fisherman now fishing our favorite spots. I’m still catching the same amount of not more cause nobody know my secret spots. They need to limit guide license just like they limit shrimping license. I agree croaker should be game fish
@@TexasFishingForce We'll if saving our resource is the goal. We have plenty of guides already. They need their limit for their clients. As a weekend warrior I've maybe kept fish 3 times in the past 2 years.
You make some good points but my personal opinion is TPWD additionally should dramatically steepen fines and penalties for people bringing in over their daily bag or size limits. Need to have game wardens just checking coolers only at ramps. Also steepen penalties for fishing without a license… what do you think?
I don't know what income bracket you are in but keeping an over sized red w/o tag cost 281 bucks in fines. Does not make any difference if it was just an oversight on your part. Guilty is guilty. An under size trout even by a small amount cost 281 bucks plus civil restitution of 112 bucks. Glad you are making the big bucks but if you are living pay day to pay day hurts
Per the Texas Parks & Wildlife reports, the 2021 freeze killed 3.1 million fish, 90% were non game fish. This leaves 310,000 fish that were killed, according to TP&W- of which they claim 51% were trout, approximately 160,000 fish. This was not a massive trout kill. Yes, Trout were killed during the freeze, but just look at the statistics. TP&W had already reduced the limit from 10 to 5 in 2014, even though they claimed the population was not in trouble. This is not my opinion, this is statements that TP&W have made.
All I can say is it's at least a good thing that States and the Feds are trying to conserve our fish so that future generations can enjoy fishing and eating fish. I've only fished for trout two times in Texas back in 1967 and 1968. My Dad was career military and twice we were permitted to go down with some other military men and sons and fish for trout on Navy property in Corpus Christi, at a place that was called The Admirals Pier. Actually it was just a low dock with pole lighting. We would use live shrimp under corks for bait. I was 13-14 yrs old at the time. I believe everyone would have obeyed the regulations back then, but if there were any on Sea Trout it was news to us as there appeared to be no catch limit or size limit. We filled coolers chock full (this at a time when grocery stores didn't have all the fresh fish counters like they do today), took them home and ate them for months. The action was at night...better in the wee hours as the shrimp came in attracted by the lights and the trout followed. Dad's cooler ( a huge low boy)would have 100 or so trout in it when we headed home. I admit it was hoggish...but ya know what? Back then we didn't realize the fish were a finite resource...I mean there were tons of them. Among the 100 trout would be at least 15 trout between 4 to 6 lbs apiece............and bigger ones were caught up to around 7 lbs. Most were around 15-17 inches long. None of us think we are capable of wiping out a species from over harvesting, and from what I've read, people a long time ago never thought the buffalo would be wiped out as they were. When Dad retired to Georgia in 1970 we started deer hunting. Back then there were about 130,000 deer in the State, up from almost zero in 1950. Today there are a million or so...even got up close to 2 million before they increased doe days and bag limits. Kudos to out State's DNR. One thing to remember though is that most States DNR departments operate on the cheap. I'm sure these limit changes are the result of population studies over time. If the trout population responds accordingly it may take only 4 or 5 yrs for the trout population to dramatically increase to the point where fishermen will be disgusted by the low harvest limit. But remember expensive studies will have to be done before the success of the program bears fruit, and maybe then limits in certain areas will increase.
I think guided trips are not the problem. Although when you say commercial fishing that's what everyone thinks about. But "commercial" fishermen the boats going out catching for restaurants and stores, what are thier limits? I don't live on the coast, but I think those commercial boats are doing the most damage to all the fish population.
The guides need to understand that many of us don’t have to fill the cooler. When I get a guide I tell them I want catch, photo, and release. There are some instances we want to have a cookout I will keep some. I think the guides should have that discussion with clients instead of assume and throw every keeper in the cooler. They would be surprised at how many ppl would be good with CPR. All businesses carry a level of risk. Market risk, environmental risk, regulatory risk.. guides are not immune. The best thing for guides is a healthy resource. If the population is mismanaged then guides will suffer much worse in the long run. This is a good thing and honestly not a big deal at all in my opinion. Hell they could go to 2
The argument that “no one’s going to pay a guide that much for 3 fish” doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not 100% sure but I think most folks pay $200 a head to get on a boat? Broke down to 5 fish a piece as the limit sits now that’s $40 a fish you keep. Plus fuel to get there etc. That’s the cost of one tomahawk steak. You could buy 5 of those and eat fantastic for the whole week! I think it kind of proves it’s not about the fish in the box as much as it is that you’re paying for the experience. Watching the sun rise on the water, the thumps, Hookset, and the fight but for some reason they can’t see that.
@@gregbaker-gs4jd I don’t know if that’s an accurate price point to be honest. I just assumed guides cost $600 min typically most trips have 3 friends that split the cost. I haven’t been on a guided trip in forever so I could be waaaay off base. 🤷🏼♂️
So is the state going to lower the cost of our fishing licenses since they're going to lower our limits? Why the limits? Don't a huge percentage of our license fees go toward hatcheries for re-stocking? What is the state doing with our fee $$ ?
This state does use some of that for conservation. However, none of that accounts for fish kills due to weather and people over fishing the resource which is why regulations change.
I have good friend that use to be a fishing guide he would tell me that when he found the trout he would stay on them ever day . I can see how guides catch lots of trout.
I think they should limit guides to 3 days a week.The problem is just like offshore commercial fisherman that lobby tpwd and the government to limit the recreational fisherman also once they lower the limit it will never come back.
No outdoor sport is ever about the protein you take home . Hunting or fishing. Ever figute out how many pounds of Jimmy Dean sausage you can buy after you pay for a deer lease kill a deer and have it processed? These activitie are escapes from what you do most days. This is all aimed at catch and release . I have been fishing for 60 yrs. and i have never seen a TP&W proposal not be approved or limits increase once they have been lowered. Having said that, my realm is Sabine lake and my experience has been fewer trout sice hurricane Harvey. We were not significantly affected by the freeze. Lowering limits on Sabine does no do much good because you can drive 1 mile further and launch in Louisiana and keep a La. limit.
The real question is, why are singular fishers being limited and no regulations towards commercial fishing?? And catch and release makes no sense. Now you’re just potentially putting the fish’s life at risk for no reason..
I personally don't keep many fish I think croaker whitening and white trout should also be a game fish I have seen people keep them by the hundreds on cedar point pier in dauphin island Alabama keeping every fish they catch some of the fish I see them keep are so small they are only getting one bite per fish I mean you're gonna cook a bunch of four inch fish that's pitiful
First off, long time sub here and have always enjoyed your content all the way back to your kayak days which inspired me to buy a nice Hobie and make trips to the coast from Austin. With that said I’m going to disagree though, I love how you folks that “hate”regulation all the sudden like it if it aligns with your beliefs. You don’t keep fish and that’s your choice. I do like to however and enjoy preparing my catch and sharing a meal with family and friends. How many guides are out there along the coast every spring (and daily) destroying the flats with 3 person limits twice a day fishing with Croaker? TPW had an opportunity to change that with a new regulation that could have benefited two species of fish but instead they followed an easier path that kept the guides happy. Yet “John T Weekender” gets all the blame and has to smile and take it so the resource is managed. BS!
when they force these regulations on recreational fishing what are they doing to the commercial fishing industry do they get changed as well? would only be fair and right if it’s across the board !
I work construction and only fish weekends and some times in the weekdays, but i don’t fish for food. It’s a hobby and a way to decompress from my job!! It’s ones and a bule moon that I take a fish limit home or one fish. I see salt water fishing as if it was bass fishing 🎣 catch pic release. If people treated salt water fishing like bass fishing we be in a better place. Catch pic release catch pic release catch pic release.!! If you say it three times you remember.
So one of the tournament fisherman who pound the schools of redfish is going to tell everyone else they should not be able to fish a certain way and lower their limit. Maybe there should be a law of hom many tower boats Can fish a school of reds. I get so tired of counting 25 plus boats in a 300 yard stretch of Rocky Slough beating the reds to death. Yeah that’s sporty!
You seem upset, lol. So these redfish tournaments we fish… how many redfish are we killing? How many do you think I’ve killed? 0. That’s the answer. Most tournament anglers actually respect our fishery and release them. And I’m telling anyone how to fish. Fish how you want, but let’s all keep a little conservation in mind instead of killing everything we can. You are clearly “one of those outfitters”
Thanks for the vid, it's food for thought. Imo if fish are a resource then regulation should be a given not begrudgingly accepted. If there's a house on the block with a lush green lawn during a drought when everyone else has fried yellow grass then that owner should be disincentivized. We're talking about human nature here.
Good, trout don't freeze well and it's cheaper to buy enough fish for dinner from a fish market than the cost of running a boat and especially hiring a charter. I've lived in Florida since 1966, back in those days the population of Florida was small relative to today and you could harvest a cooler full day after day but Florida's population as exploded along with the number of fishermen. I've heard the same about Texas. Fish for fun and save some for your grandchildren. I said all this before listening to this video so listen to seasoned fishermen we know some things.
@@SSHitMan For me Speckled Trout get mushy when frozen but I'm not much of a frozen fish fan since I live about one mile from the Gulf of Mexico and 1/4 mile from a bayou.
@@timallaire1 Any fish is better fresh but some freeze well and some don't. But in my experience specks are one of the fish that freezes well. Just take care how you do it, don't throw a bunch of filets in a baggie and toss it in the freezer. Keep the filets flat and separated from each other and get as much air out of the bag as possible before you seal it shut.
There is exactly ZERO real science behind these limits sizes. Truth is MOST fishermen catch less that $40 worth of fish and they spend hundreds of dollars in bait every season and the fishing license is $40. Regulation just makes it where at some point people with money can go out often and ignore the cost. A lot of other people essentially get priced out of the sport. If a guy drive 30 minutes or more to fish and at best he can keep 3 small fish to provide a family meal then it does not make sense. This is much like going red snapper fishing on a boat for 8 hours after paying a hefty fee plus tip then only be able to catch 2 red snapper caught in 15 minutes. Hum. Yippee! Seems like they continue to suck all the fun out of the sport. I guess these laws favor someone who lives close and can fish a couple of hours often instead of all day every 2-3 weeks. Oh and BTW fish expand populations exponentially based on quality habitat and food. This happens rapidly.
Respectfully disagree 2 fish will not change the eco system off the Texas Coast. It will definetly hurt the sport fishing and charter companies. No one is going to pay high dollar to get three trout. Guys like you catch but dont eat, which is not good tobegin with. Too much government regulation based on Austin opinon is wrong.Thwy will not move the limit back which sucks. Respectfully disagree.
I also see a decline in fisherman I enjoy all aspects of fishing but I also like to fill the box cause I enjoy catching my food ,....but ppl will not pay 4-600.00 for the enjoyment so in turn you will also see decline in guides
TPW has caused more fish problem than they have helped. Their record is exactly horrid. AND the fact that they are WRONG almost ALL the time they should have no authority as experts. Nobody holds all the blah blah blah blah blah feet to their fire.
You show your ignorance in thinking populations most have to do with recreational fishing. Fish populate by overpopulation via laying eggs. ALSO fish are EXTREMELY easy to raise. It is NOT like a human or cow-calf operation, lol. Some countries BAN catch and release. You are just being cruel to the fish play a game. Please understand the math before you act like you know what you are talking about. You obviously do not. Fish populations typically grow to the adequate habitat they are provided. This is why freezes kill so many fish. Their HABIT was destroyed when they could no longer live in the frigid water.
@@TexasFishingForce just trying to clear up the ignorance for those that failed math. Let the fish live until the next freeze when many die. You be silly, really silly.
@@Tea4Texas What you find stupid may not be stupid to others. We all find your comments stupid but nobody complaining about it. Go buy your fish from wal-mart and have most of the others follow and problem will be solved.
So you FORCE people to use COMERCIAL fishing for fish where a state can essentially sell the fish. It is all money. Shit on the little guy. Oh you don't care because you rarely even clean and cook fish. Got it. THAT is your view. I for one hate that view. Why not get yourself a video game, lol? Quit being cruel to the fish just to throw them back, lol.
That’s just ridiculous. Lol. I’m sure the fish would prefer to live after being hooked. Wanna keep fish, cool. But people like you that want to keep everything is why this regulation was put in place. If you could’ve regulregulated yourself, we wouldn’t be here so I’m glad the regs are in place.
They prefer you quit playing with their life in such a way. Studies show that MANY fish release actually just die soon after. Google it! Do you do it to neighborhood cats and dogs? Do you also play this game with seagulls? Yeah I thought so. If you are NOT going to eat them then quit the treatment.
Most do not die shortly after being caught unless you mishandle them. Regardless, they have 100% more potential to live than you throwing them In a cooler. That comparison is absurd.
Take good pictures and length and girth measurements , release the fish get a replica mount… they don’t rot or fall apart ..
Your right on about the Croker . Growing up on the coast we looked forward to the Croker run. They are very good eating fish. Now days never hardly catch one big enough to eat. I wish they would make them a game sport fish. There are more people fishing than they are fish. Hope it gets better.
Lower limits equal more fish and fewer freezer fillers..Good!
Agreed! Thank you!
So what? You can drag another fish to your boat just to throw it back. Don’t you have anything better to do? Go play with something else 🤏🏻
@@Tea4Texas Please give some examples of "better to do" activities, since you started this line of dialogue. Back it up bud.
@@majorrev8690 I’m sure you can figure it out buster. Stop playing with fish for your ego bud.
@@Tea4Texas Get off the couch and go fishing my man. Now if you catch a trout over 23, 24", its best to release it so it can add to the breeding stock. Reds too. The smaller end of the slot tastes better anyway. I always release the larger ones. You seem to have a prob with catch-release. I get it. Maybe you just have a problem with fishing in general.
I'm a recreational kayak angler for 5yrs now and offshore fish for over 20yrs in TX. I always see regulations on species of fish for the recreational fisherman change and they never went back to what it once was. Does the commercial fishery receive the same imposed regulations? Probably not, because they have lobbyists. I wish recreational fisherman had lobbyists BTW, anyone that dies for not wearing a seatbelt, has a ripple effect from family members to automobile insurance premiums.
I could do a whole hour on commercial fishing as well. Much bigger of a problem than most know.
I'm 62yo, I've fished West Bay since the late 70's and yes back then I would catch full limits of fish day after day and give them away. In the early 90's I became more conservation minded especially noting the decline in quality fish. These days I rarely keep any fish. I truly love being outdoors but as you noted Mike the amount of new fishermen, Non- Conscious fishermen it just ridiculous.! No respect for others or for the waters that they fish in. I'm all for the new regs. Thanks Mike... "CPR FISH"
"Tight Lines and Full Limits To Ya"
I appreciate hearing from people who have fished these waters much longer than I have and confirming the info I know to be true. Thank you!
My wife and I started fishing the Texas coast in the seventies. We mostly fished from the Rockport area. Having been an avid bass fisherman for many years, it was a complete change for me. Once I caught my first redfish, I was hooked! In the seventies and eighties we could just about pick any decent shoreline and find redfish and trout. We used Tony Aceta (spelling?) and Johnson gold spoons. Back then you could keep 10-15 redfish and many times we did. We would locate massive schools of redfish and catch fish until your arms hurt. Since we lived in San Antonio, we kelp most of what we caught. We kept far too many fish. Many would go to waste sitting in a freezer too long. After retiring, we moved to Rockport and enjoy fishing whenever possible.
Over the years, we have seen the fish population steadily decline. There are many reasons for it but the reality is, we must be better stewards of our wonderful sport. I’m not judging anyone for keeping what they legally can but we keep very few fish any longer. We keep a few to eat and release the rest. I was actually surprised at how good it felt to watch a beautiful trout to redfish swim away. My wife and I joke about them growing more and catch in them again.
Thank you!🙏
Really enjoyed your presentation on the upcoming changes to the TX Trout Regulations. It's unfortunate that the Trout population has suffer such a major decline due to the recent extreme weather events AND the rapid increase in fishing pressure. Hopefully, these new regulation will allow the Trout population to recover in the next few years.
I sure hope so. Thanks for watching!
Very interesting points amigo! I'm glad I caught this episode. Thank you for posting. Pomex!
Glad you enjoyed it
1st im not for or against the new regs. I have been practicing CPR for 20 years. Trout fishing was only tough the first 3 months after the major freeze. I've had one of the best trout years in 2023. More trout over 5 pounds then I could ever count, but nothing over 9lbs. I have been fishing the ulm for over 30 years. The only people I've heard saying it's rough is your weekend warriors who just got a covid boat / kayaker. Tight lines and good luck out there!
I’m not strictly a trout fisherman. In fact most of the time I’m chasing reds. I know prefishing has been much more difficult the last two years and just a lot more boat traffic.
Spot on - agree with everything you said. You can't continue to just take, take, take. Also need stiffer penalties for any and all violators. Guide's limit (needs to go away or fine heavily). Guide's license needs to be $12,000 per year since they are living off a public resource, should pay for a restitution and revitalization of a public resource. Same with Shrimpers. Recreational fishing is based on use of a publicly owned natural resource. Recreational fishing brings in far more revenue to state economy than commercial activities. Increase penalties for violations. Undersized fish, take all gear and minimum $1000 fines. No license, $1000 fines. Remove the fish oil (snake oil) and fish meal industry from all Texas waters. No oyster harvest in Texas waters for 5 years (all bays). Atlantic Croaker become gamefish. Shrimping only in designated areas (stop grinding up oyster beds and give them a chance to recover). No burning boats through sea grass. Build a healthy habit for five years, then ease restrictions in a balanced manner. Impound and fine all Mexican fishing boats fishing in Texas waters and either sell them at market value, scrap them or sink them offshore as artificial reefs. Use funds to fund habitat improvements. Increase fines on polluters as well. Give greater rewards for reporting and conviction of violators as well. The politicians and LE and TP&W have NOT taken the needed steps and our coast - IS - in crisis, especially with hotter summers and colder winters.
How do they expect to change the regulations mid-season when the printed regulations are stated till August 31st 2024?
Fishing guides have been meat hauling for years. I believe that they are a big part of the regulation changes, especially for Flounder.
I think so too. Some are starting to come around though.
Al, appreciate you making it clear who is ignorant, here.
Regulate yourselves or it will end up getting regulated for you.. this was said out loud after the last big freeze….
I really think you're spot on. I've come around on the idea on reduced bag limits and a smaller slot. I like you hate government intervention of any kind especially in regards to my favorite endeavor. Unfortunately there are those around us who needlessly deplete the resource without regard for others and future generations. My eyes were really opened after the freeze. For the first time in a long time fishing became difficult. I'm ok with going a while in between bites but when I was doing things I knew worked and wasn't getting bit I knew something was wrong.
I do have a couple of concerns. I've fished in Alabama and seen what kinds of regulations there are in Florida. There are seasons on fish and there are some species that are illegal to fish for like sharks. I worry that the creeping government intervention will eventually make fishing illegal, or that we may only have very small windows in which to fish. That really scares me. I did like the fact that TPWD did allow the 3 trout/17-23" was allowed to sunset and that we were able to go back to 5 at 15-25" if only for the fact that it showed that things weren't only going in one direction. Hopefully we can find a limit that works for a long time that allows people to both keep fish and allows the fish population to continue to grow.
In regards to croaker I mostly agree with you, but my only exception is in regards to kids. I think a special exception should be allowed for children to use croaker so they can catch more fish easier allowing them to develop a passion for fishing. If a 7 year old catches a 28" trout and they eventually turn into a lifetime fisherman/conservationist I think that's a win long-term. Now I don't think the 50 year old meat hauler should be out there gut hooking trophy trout. They can soak mullet or throw topwaters. But I think we should give some leeway to children.
As a kid I was fortunate to do a lot of deer hunting. My first buck was a small 7 point with an inside spread of about 11". Today that buck would be illegal, but it also helped me to develop a love for deer hunting. Without that deer maybe I'm not as interested in hunting and I turn elsewhere for entertainment. This may or may not relate to trout fishing.
I enjoy your work and appreciate the thoughtful content. Tight lines brother.
Thank you very much!
DITTO, ESPECIALLY CROAKER
You were spot on. I agree with you 100%. All i have to say is with these changes for the great good to our fisheries. We need to uses this momentum and push the state to make croacker a game fish. If we did so we wouldnt have to wait 7 yrs. We would see an increase in 2 to 3yrs. This is just my opinion.
Completely agree!
As someone who fishes recreationally , I don’t mind any kind of decrease in regulation. With the increase in the amount of people fishing now also means lots of over fishing and people keeping undersized fish.Especially keeping the bigger female fish. I’m all for catch and release 100% . If I keep a fish it tends to be on the lower side and usually just one. I don’t see how people keep 10+fish every weekend. Agree with everything you said 👍
Thank you! Thankfully so many people see it the way we do.
You like playing with your food? Do you like paint-balling deer too.l?
Good stuff Mike.
Thank you
Spot on!
Thanks for the info brother!
No problem 👍
I think there are more fisherman now fishing our favorite spots. I’m still catching the same amount of not more cause nobody know my secret spots. They need to limit guide license just like they limit shrimping license. I agree croaker should be game fish
I agree! However limiting guide licenses might end up causing a lot of problems politically.
@@TexasFishingForce We'll if saving our resource is the goal. We have plenty of guides already. They need their limit for their clients. As a weekend warrior I've maybe kept fish 3 times in the past 2 years.
Good stuff brother
Appreciate it
You make some good points but my personal opinion is TPWD additionally should dramatically steepen fines and penalties for people bringing in over their daily bag or size limits. Need to have game wardens just checking coolers only at ramps. Also steepen penalties for fishing without a license… what do you think?
Yeah, I agree. It’s not enough to keep people from fishing illegally
I don't know what income bracket you are in but keeping an over sized red w/o tag cost 281 bucks in fines. Does not make any difference if it was just an oversight on your part. Guilty is guilty. An under size trout even by a small amount cost 281 bucks plus civil restitution of 112 bucks. Glad you are making the big bucks but if you are living pay day to pay day hurts
Per the Texas Parks & Wildlife reports, the 2021 freeze killed 3.1 million fish, 90% were non game fish. This leaves 310,000 fish that were killed, according to TP&W- of which they claim 51% were trout, approximately 160,000 fish. This was not a massive trout kill. Yes, Trout were killed during the freeze, but just look at the statistics. TP&W had already reduced the limit from 10 to 5 in 2014, even though they claimed the population was not in trouble. This is not my opinion, this is statements that TP&W have made.
I think it has to do with the salinity in the bay. Just like what happened with Tarpon.
All I can say is it's at least a good thing that States and the Feds are trying to conserve our fish so that future generations can enjoy fishing and eating fish. I've only fished for trout two times in Texas back in 1967 and 1968. My Dad was career military and twice we were permitted to go down with some other military men and sons and fish for trout on Navy property in Corpus Christi, at a place that was called The Admirals Pier. Actually it was just a low dock with pole lighting. We would use live shrimp under corks for bait. I was 13-14 yrs old at the time. I believe everyone would have obeyed the regulations back then, but if there were any on Sea Trout it was news to us as there appeared to be no catch limit or size limit. We filled coolers chock full (this at a time when grocery stores didn't have all the fresh fish counters like they do today), took them home and ate them for months. The action was at night...better in the wee hours as the shrimp came in attracted by the lights and the trout followed. Dad's cooler ( a huge low boy)would have 100 or so trout in it when we headed home. I admit it was hoggish...but ya know what? Back then we didn't realize the fish were a finite resource...I mean there were tons of them. Among the 100 trout would be at least 15 trout between 4 to 6 lbs apiece............and bigger ones were caught up to around 7 lbs. Most were around 15-17 inches long. None of us think we are capable of wiping out a species from over harvesting, and from what I've read, people a long time ago never thought the buffalo would be wiped out as they were. When Dad retired to Georgia in 1970 we started deer hunting. Back then there were about 130,000 deer in the State, up from almost zero in 1950. Today there are a million or so...even got up close to 2 million before they increased doe days and bag limits. Kudos to out State's DNR. One thing to remember though is that most States DNR departments operate on the cheap. I'm sure these limit changes are the result of population studies over time. If the trout population responds accordingly it may take only 4 or 5 yrs for the trout population to dramatically increase to the point where fishermen will be disgusted by the low harvest limit. But remember expensive studies will have to be done before the success of the program bears fruit, and maybe then limits in certain areas will increase.
I think guided trips are not the problem. Although when you say commercial fishing that's what everyone thinks about. But "commercial" fishermen the boats going out catching for restaurants and stores, what are thier limits? I don't live on the coast, but I think those commercial boats are doing the most damage to all the fish population.
The guides need to understand that many of us don’t have to fill the cooler. When I get a guide I tell them I want catch, photo, and release. There are some instances we want to have a cookout I will keep some.
I think the guides should have that discussion with clients instead of assume and throw every keeper in the cooler. They would be surprised at how many ppl would be good with CPR.
All businesses carry a level of risk. Market risk, environmental risk, regulatory risk.. guides are not immune. The best thing for guides is a healthy resource. If the population is mismanaged then guides will suffer much worse in the long run.
This is a good thing and honestly not a big deal at all in my opinion. Hell they could go to 2
I completely agree! Thank you for watching!
The argument that “no one’s going to pay a guide that much for 3 fish” doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not 100% sure but I think most folks pay $200 a head to get on a boat? Broke down to 5 fish a piece as the limit sits now that’s $40 a fish you keep. Plus fuel to get there etc. That’s the cost of one tomahawk steak. You could buy 5 of those and eat fantastic for the whole week! I think it kind of proves it’s not about the fish in the box as much as it is that you’re paying for the experience. Watching the sun rise on the water, the thumps, Hookset, and the fight but for some reason they can’t see that.
Exactly! You get it!
Eat. More. Steak.
Where can you pay 200 for a guide wow so out of the times
@@gregbaker-gs4jd I don’t know if that’s an accurate price point to be honest. I just assumed guides cost $600 min typically most trips have 3 friends that split the cost. I haven’t been on a guided trip in forever so I could be waaaay off base. 🤷🏼♂️
@@jeremydcompton definitely easier way to feed a family that doesn’t involve maintenance cost and needing tow boat sometimes 😂
So is the state going to lower the cost of our fishing licenses since they're going to lower our limits? Why the limits? Don't a huge percentage of our license fees go toward hatcheries for re-stocking? What is the state doing with our fee $$ ?
This state does use some of that for conservation. However, none of that accounts for fish kills due to weather and people over fishing the resource which is why regulations change.
I have good friend that use to be a fishing guide he would tell me that when he found the trout he would stay on them ever day . I can see how guides catch lots of trout.
12:00 tell that all the people in Third World countries who fish for a living, using hand lines and gill nets
I think they should limit guides to 3 days a week.The problem is just like offshore commercial fisherman that lobby tpwd and the government to limit the recreational fisherman also once they lower the limit it will never come back.
No outdoor sport is ever about the protein you take home . Hunting or fishing. Ever figute out how many pounds of Jimmy Dean sausage you can buy after you pay for a deer lease kill a deer and have it processed? These activitie are escapes from what you do most days. This is all aimed at catch and release . I have been fishing for 60 yrs. and i have never seen a TP&W proposal not be approved or limits increase once they have been lowered. Having said that, my realm is Sabine lake and my experience has been fewer trout sice hurricane Harvey. We were not significantly affected by the freeze. Lowering limits on Sabine does no do much good because you can drive 1 mile further and launch in Louisiana and keep a La. limit.
The real question is, why are singular fishers being limited and no regulations towards commercial fishing??
And catch and release makes no sense. Now you’re just potentially putting the fish’s life at risk for no reason..
And I forgot to mention all the grass beds you guys prop right through knowing it’s against the law , but you do it anyway.
I don’t fish anywhere near grass beds so I’m not sure who you are talking to.
I think social media is a big factor in the number of people fishing maybe more than Covid
That is very possible
I personally don't keep many fish I think croaker whitening and white trout should also be a game fish I have seen people keep them by the hundreds on cedar point pier in dauphin island Alabama keeping every fish they catch some of the fish I see them keep are so small they are only getting one bite per fish I mean you're gonna cook a bunch of four inch fish that's pitiful
I completely agree
First off, long time sub here and have always enjoyed your content all the way back to your kayak days which inspired me to buy a nice Hobie and make trips to the coast from Austin. With that said I’m going to disagree though, I love how you folks that “hate”regulation all the sudden like it if it aligns with your beliefs. You don’t keep fish and that’s your choice. I do like to however and enjoy preparing my catch and sharing a meal with family and friends. How many guides are out there along the coast every spring (and daily) destroying the flats with 3 person limits twice a day fishing with Croaker? TPW had an opportunity to change that with a new regulation that could have benefited two species of fish but instead they followed an easier path that kept the guides happy. Yet “John T Weekender” gets all the blame and has to smile and take it so the resource is managed. BS!
I wish the fishing community could manage this resource without regulations but collectively that hasn’t happened.
when they force these regulations on recreational fishing what are they doing to the commercial fishing industry do they get changed as well? would only be fair and right if it’s across the board !
I agree, commercial fishing is a huge issue for other species. I’d love to see some changes in commercial fishing.
So, you're talking about the commercial speckled trout fishing? That massive industry, a total of zero boats.
I work construction and only fish weekends and some times in the weekdays, but i don’t fish for food. It’s a hobby and a way to decompress from my job!! It’s ones and a bule moon that I take a fish limit home or one fish. I see salt water fishing as if it was bass fishing 🎣 catch pic release. If people treated salt water fishing like bass fishing we be in a better place. Catch pic release catch pic release catch pic release.!! If you say it three times you remember.
Was really hoping for more hate mail on here. Dang. Lol😂
CZcams auto filtered quite a few. I’ve just kept them hidden.
So one of the tournament fisherman who pound the schools of redfish is going to tell everyone else they should not be able to fish a certain way and lower their limit. Maybe there should be a law of hom many tower boats Can fish a school of reds. I get so tired of counting 25 plus boats in a 300 yard stretch of Rocky Slough beating the reds to death. Yeah that’s sporty!
You seem upset, lol. So these redfish tournaments we fish… how many redfish are we killing? How many do you think I’ve killed? 0. That’s the answer. Most tournament anglers actually respect our fishery and release them. And I’m telling anyone how to fish. Fish how you want, but let’s all keep a little conservation in mind instead of killing everything we can. You are clearly “one of those outfitters”
Thanks for the vid, it's food for thought. Imo if fish are a resource then regulation should be a given not begrudgingly accepted. If there's a house on the block with a lush green lawn during a drought when everyone else has fried yellow grass then that owner should be disincentivized. We're talking about human nature here.
Good point. It’s a topic everyone has opinions about. I just want to see fishing get better for everyone.
This only applies to harassing law abiding people. Others do not care and often do not even keep a valid permit.
Good, trout don't freeze well and it's cheaper to buy enough fish for dinner from a fish market than the cost of running a boat and especially hiring a charter. I've lived in Florida since 1966, back in those days the population of Florida was small relative to today and you could harvest a cooler full day after day but Florida's population as exploded along with the number of fishermen. I've heard the same about Texas. Fish for fun and save some for your grandchildren. I said all this before listening to this video so listen to seasoned fishermen we know some things.
Huh? I've never had an issue with frozen trout, assuming you're not talking about white trout.
@@SSHitMan For me Speckled Trout get mushy when frozen but I'm not much of a frozen fish fan since I live about one mile from the Gulf of Mexico and 1/4 mile from a bayou.
@@timallaire1 Any fish is better fresh but some freeze well and some don't. But in my experience specks are one of the fish that freezes well. Just take care how you do it, don't throw a bunch of filets in a baggie and toss it in the freezer. Keep the filets flat and separated from each other and get as much air out of the bag as possible before you seal it shut.
I'm not paying a guide $200 for 3 trout! That's BS.
You’re paying for the experience and knowledge. If you pay a guide for fish only, that’s some really expensive fish.
@@TexasFishingForceit’s also really expensive fun to catch and release… go for walk instead, it’s cheaper.
It’s BS and we all know it. Not being able to keep a 20-30inch trout is just shameful.
There is exactly ZERO real science behind these limits sizes.
Truth is MOST fishermen catch less that $40 worth of fish and they spend hundreds of dollars in bait every season and the fishing license is $40.
Regulation just makes it where at some point people with money can go out often and ignore the cost. A lot of other people essentially get priced out of the sport.
If a guy drive 30 minutes or more to fish and at best he can keep 3 small fish to provide a family meal then it does not make sense.
This is much like going red snapper fishing on a boat for 8 hours after paying a hefty fee plus tip then only be able to catch 2 red snapper caught in 15 minutes. Hum. Yippee!
Seems like they continue to suck all the fun out of the sport.
I guess these laws favor someone who lives close and can fish a couple of hours often instead of all day every 2-3 weeks.
Oh and BTW fish expand populations exponentially based on quality habitat and food. This happens rapidly.
I agree, no science and arbitrary
Respectfully disagree 2 fish will not change the eco system off the Texas Coast. It will definetly hurt the sport fishing and charter companies. No one is going to pay high dollar to get three trout. Guys like you catch but dont eat, which is not good tobegin with. Too much government regulation based on Austin opinon is wrong.Thwy will not move the limit back which sucks. Respectfully disagree.
I also see a decline in fisherman I enjoy all aspects of fishing but I also like to fill the box cause I enjoy catching my food ,....but ppl will not pay 4-600.00 for the enjoyment so in turn you will also see decline in guides
No one goes out with a guide for meat. If they do, I'll show you a fool.
Non Texas Natives are ruining fishing in Texas...go home snowbirds...🎉
Recreational fishermen don’t have as much of an impact as commercial fishing.
I agree, commercial fishing needs some serious changes
TPW has caused more fish problem than they have helped. Their record is exactly horrid. AND the fact that they are WRONG almost ALL the time they should have no authority as experts. Nobody holds all the blah blah blah blah blah feet to their fire.
Man you real mad about this. Hope the crying stops soon.
Nobody fishes for 1 yr....no guides or recreational fishermen.
I don’t think I could handle that.
It would be tough for me too. I love to fish but I'd be willing to sit it out for a year to give the fish a chance to bounce back.
You kill more fish than probably 90% of the anglers. How many of those released fish do you think actually survive?
Almost all of them. I rarely ever am responsible for killing a fish. Nice try though…
You show your ignorance in thinking populations most have to do with recreational fishing. Fish populate by overpopulation via laying eggs. ALSO fish are EXTREMELY easy to raise. It is NOT like a human or cow-calf operation, lol. Some countries BAN catch and release. You are just being cruel to the fish play a game.
Please understand the math before you act like you know what you are talking about. You obviously do not.
Fish populations typically grow to the adequate habitat they are provided. This is why freezes kill so many fish. Their HABIT was destroyed when they could no longer live in the frigid water.
Ohhh. Still crying. You couldn’t put it all in one comment?
@@TexasFishingForce just trying to clear up the ignorance for those that failed math.
Let the fish live until the next freeze when many die. You be silly, really silly.
I agree, playing with fish for thrill is stupid. Go take pictures, fish are for eating.
@@Tea4Texas What you find stupid may not be stupid to others. We all find your comments stupid but nobody complaining about it. Go buy your fish from wal-mart and have most of the others follow and problem will be solved.
@@DustinD-qv9bm go kick rocks and stop harassing fish little buster.
So you FORCE people to use COMERCIAL fishing for fish where a state can essentially sell the fish. It is all money. Shit on the little guy.
Oh you don't care because you rarely even clean and cook fish. Got it. THAT is your view. I for one hate that view. Why not get yourself a video game, lol? Quit being cruel to the fish just to throw them back, lol.
That’s just ridiculous. Lol. I’m sure the fish would prefer to live after being hooked. Wanna keep fish, cool. But people like you that want to keep everything is why this regulation was put in place. If you could’ve regulregulated yourself, we wouldn’t be here so I’m glad the regs are in place.
They prefer you quit playing with their life in such a way. Studies show that MANY fish release actually just die soon after. Google it!
Do you do it to neighborhood cats and dogs? Do you also play this game with seagulls?
Yeah I thought so. If you are NOT going to eat them then quit the treatment.
Most do not die shortly after being caught unless you mishandle them. Regardless, they have 100% more potential to live than you throwing them In a cooler. That comparison is absurd.
@@TexasFishingForce They would be eaten. In the other case the died just for you playing with them. AND the death rate can be high.
@@alfredboswell2161what should be the limits for specs in tx?