Under Pressure
Recent Exchange With TPWD Biologist Sheds Light on Texas Fishing Today
It’s no secret. I am on a search for answers. At times it looks like shooting arrows straight up and just standing there to see where they come down. Did you ever do that when you were a kid? I did. But what was the point of doing that? At least I survived.
Of course you read through my long multi-part series on TPWD fish stocking in North Central Texas, also known as the “Piney Woods Region,” and the “Prairies and Lakes Region” on the TPWD’s maps. While there wasn’t a single comment on the longest series ever written here (in writing or in person), I never considered this topic “CLOSED” for more discussion, research and enlightenment. Some of those arrows are starting to land.
Why Beat a Dead Horse?
My reason for continuing the research mission is one you will certainly understand; more of the tug drug. In a brief North Central Texas fly season, this year will go down in history as a Debbie downer locally. And I am no final authority by saying that. I just report my experiences, the conversations of other fly fishers, and I observe what is happening publicly – in social media, on the shorelines and on glitter boats off in the distance on any given day.
So in my information gathering, I reached out to this biologist, by title position and education, an authority on the topic of Texas freshwater fish supplies. And demands.
Demand For Texas Fish Has Exploded
In an email, I touched on the difficulties this year and how I am settling in on a year-over-year trend in Texas fishing. One of the things I mentioned was “pressure.” For the sake of simplifying the NUMBERS, I mentioned a timeframe of “the last ten years,” in my email whining about the increasing decrease in fish in North Central Texas lakes.
Buried in a response that, at its essence, could be summed up as – try being a better fisherman – was a number that woke me up early this morning, and set me pounding on these keys right now.
“In 2014, Texas had about 1.3 million fishing license buyers and we had 2.1 million in 2023, so along with the increasing population has come more anglers pressuring our resources.” – TPWD Biologist
Do you recall my last trip to Denison Dam? It was combat, mortal combat for the striper of any size, but true fishing combat along the riprap below Lake Texoma. And I didn’t tell them all to go there. And I didn’t tell them all to wait for the sound of the horn. This gaggle of about one-hundred already knew the deal. And they knew it well. I looked around. Things had changed. Things are changed – forever – in Texas. And it’s not stopping.
Times Like These You Learn
Pressure though, is something that is still manageable and even escapable. It’s just one piece. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out how to leave that crowded Denison Dam riprap behind. It takes creativity. And it takes BIG WATER. The limited, and unmanaged flows of Texas Rivers, unmanaged for fishing and recreation, with “human” pressure floating on top? They’re out 330 days a calendar year in Texas fishing today.
So the vogue of big water (big lakes) adventures are ahead of us. This is where solitude and convergence with Texas fish on a fly will happen in the future – by necessity. I didn’t know that when I started exploring Texas lakes, via watercraft years ago, that for me at least – big calm would be my penultimate Texas undertaking … but now we know.
Of course there will be the small places, immune from fish stocking complaints and tailored for a fix. I can’t wait to show-and-tell you about those – as they pop up on the radar. But for the most part, those are the Walden days ahead – impossible to access and privately owned. I accept the challenge of trying to get you to enjoy that ride!
Summary
Obviously I need to spend more time on my last resort – Texas lakes, the science of Texas lakes, what they have been through, how they are changing and what their futures look like. I thought that I would just throw you the number of licenses this Friday to let you know: This is another reason I don’t fish Big Calm on the weekends in Texas! Have a fantastic weekend.
Category: Backcasting, Body-Mind-Soul, Fishing Reports, Life Observed, Science and Environmental
