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» Start Of Trout Season Published 04/7/2008
On Saturday, April 5, tens of thousands of anglers will wake by the crack of dawn and head out to their favorite trout water. More than 181,000 trout from the Pequest Trout Hatchery have been stocked in nearly 200 ponds, lakes, and streams statewide. This pre-season stocking of trout, which occurs over a three-week period has gone according to plan, and by Saturday all waters will have been stocked with their allotted number of trout.

If you haven't already bought a fishing license and checked over your equipment, now is the time. Morning showers are in the forecast so be sure to pack rain gear along with your fishing tackle. Rain seldom affects conditions in ponds and lakes, but it's a good idea to have some alternate locations in mind if you fish the big rivers in case the water is high and turbid. The nine Bonus Broodstock ponds and lakes are always good bets, and these big fish like to strike shiny, artificial lures such as spinners and spoons.

Trout stocking will continue throughout the seven weeks following opening day. Nearly 390,000 more trout will be stocked during this period, so there's plenty of opportunities to catch freshly stocked trout after this weekend. The full stocking schedule is available online and also through the Trout Hotline: 609-633-6765. Visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtinfo_spr08.htm for the schedule and additional information about the spring trout season.

Fishing is fun and a wonderful way to reconnect with family and friends. So go out there and have a great time fishing this weekend!
» Toyota Texas Bass Classic Only One Month Away Published 04/7/2008

HOUSTON, Texas — The Toyota Texas Bass Classic, a Professional Anglers Association sanctioned event, is only one month away from its return to Lake Fork. The April 18-20 team competition benefits Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) efforts to introduce young people and urban families to fishing and the outdoors.

Title sponsor for the event is Toyota. Tournament partners include Bass Pro Shops, Nitro, 96.3 KSCS and 96.7 the Texas Twister. 

Lake Fork is one of the most prolific fishing spots in the United States for largemouth bass. TPWD manages the lake with rules designed to protect fish of certain sizes and maintain a healthy fishery. Fish in a length "slot" between 16 and 24 inches must be returned to the lake immediately when they are caught. The tournament’s rules have been designed to obey the slot limits without inhibiting the anglers’ competitive zeal. Independent observers on each boat use Boga-Grip scales to weigh each fish and live scoring keeps the fans up-to-date throughout the day. Fish are released immediately after weighing.

The family-friendly event will feature the biggest names in professional angling for three days of tournament fishing and Trace Adkins headlining an all-star country music line-up.

The second-year event consists of 26 four-man teams captained by some of the top anglers in the world, including: 2008 Bassmaster Classic winner Alton Jones, four-time Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam and 2007 winning captain Terry "Big Show" Scroggins. Teams split into groups of two and fish in morning and afternoon flights. Only the top five teams by cumulative weight advance to Sunday’s final round. The team with the largest total weight after three days will win the winner’s share of the $750,000 purse.

Country music star Trace Adkins will be the headline entertainer for the event, performing on Saturday, April 19 at 5:30 p.m. Local favorite Kacey Musgraves will perform earlier on Saturday. Robert Earl Keen will be the featured entertainer on Sunday, April 20, with Roger Creager also performing. In addition, there will be recreational and educational activities for kids and families during the tournament.

CBS Sports will broadcast a one-hour special reprising the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Sunday, May 11. It will feature highlights from the three tournament days, with a focus on the final teams and the awards ceremony.

A three-day Ticket Book valid for all the events at Lake Fork, April 18, 19 and 20 is $20 in advance and $25 on-site. One-day tickets are also available for $10. Kids 17 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Tickets are now on sale at www.toyotatexasbassclassic.com or (866) 907-0143 and at participating Bass Pro Shops locations and Brookshire’s grocery stores.

Proceeds from the event go towards a donation to benefit Texas Parks and Wildlife Department programs.  Last year’s $250,000 donation is helping fund TPWD outreach efforts like the Neighborhood Fishing Program, Texas State-Fish Art Contest, the Take Me Fishing mobile angler education trailer, and "How To Fish" video clips on the TPWD Web site.

 
» Budweiser ShareLunker: Lake Casa Blanca Fish Repeats Published 04/7/2008

ATHENS, Texas — A Lake Casa Blanca largemouth bass has made its second trip to Athens as a Budweiser ShareLunker.

Cesar Gomez of Laredo caught the 13.33-pound bass April 1. When Texas Parks and Wildlife Department personnel wanded the fish to see if it contained a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag, the display lit up. All ShareLunkers are tagged, and a check of the number revealed this fish had been caught February 14, 2006, by Abilene angler Jay Stevens. At that time the fish became Budweiser ShareLunker 397.

Returned to the lake and caught again, the fish is now also ShareLunker 451.

Gomez was fishing in four feet of water with a Senko plastic worm.

The fish has grown since it was caught in 2006. At that time it was 26 inches long, 20 inches in girth, and weighed 13.2 pounds. The fish is now 28.25 inches long and 21.5 inches in girth.

Only two ShareLunkers have been longer than Gomez’s fish, one from Lake Fork and one from Lake Amistad. One of those fish weighed 14.5 pounds, the other 15.68.

Apparently the fish is fond of shallow water and special days. In 2006 it was caught in less than three feet of water on Valentine’s Day. This time it chose to bite on April Fools’ Day. That fact caused TPWD employees to be suspicious at first, especially since Budweiser ShareLunker program manager David Campbell did get a prank call about a 14-pound fish from another lake. However, this lunker was for real.

Lake Casa Blanca has now produced five ShareLunkers. The 1,680-acre lake on the outskirts of Laredo was stocked with northern largemouth bass in 1966 and Florida largemouth bass since 1978.

The lake record is Budweiser ShareLunker 355, a 14.64-pounder caught January 31, 2004, by Richard Mims of Laredo. Mims pulled off a rare feat that year, catching two ShareLunkers in three days-both from Lake Casa Blanca.

The Budweiser ShareLunker program is made possible through support from Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Since 1991, Anheuser-Busch, in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, has contributed millions of dollars in funding to support conservation causes and fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation programs in Texas.