The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Commission on Thursday in Austin approved multiple changes to the rainbow and brown trout fishery along a section of the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake.
The panel voted to establish a 12- to 18-inch slot length limit with a five-fish daily bag, with only one trout longer than 18 inches included in the limit. The commission also approved trout fishing in that area by artificial lures only.
The regulation zone would begin 800 yards downstream from the Canyon Dam release and extend downstream to the easternmost Highway 306 bridge crossing.
The commission also granted authority for the department’s executive director to impose temporary prohibition of alligator gar fishing in specified areas to provide additional protection during spawning activity. Closures would be invoked in a selected area, limited to no more than 30 days and occur only in areas having an active moderate flood event with water temperatures within an optimum range for alligator gar spawning.
In other freshwater fishing regulation changes, the commission adopted the following:
- Texas/Louisiana Border Waters (Toledo Bend Reservoir, Caddo Lake, and the Lower Sabine River in Newton and Orange Counties): regulations for blue and channel catfish changed to no minimum length limit and a 50-fish daily bag limit in any combination, of which no more than five blue or channel catfish 30 inches or longer could be retained.
- Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir: the special limits for freshwater lakes where redfish have been stocked are removed and regulations revert to statewide length limits (20-inch minimum length limit, 28-inch maximum length limit, and harvest of as many as two fish 28 inches or longer per year with trophy drum tag). Bag limit remains three.
- Lake Kyle: regulations changed to catch and release of channel and blue catfish, largemouth bass and any sunfish species.
- Canyon Lake Project No. 6: Harvest regulation for channel and blue catfish changed to no minimum length limit and a five-fish daily bag and anglers restricted to only two poles.
- North Concho River from O. C. Fisher Dam to Bell Street Dam and the South Concho River from Lone Wolf Dam to Bell Street Dam: Anglers restricted to using two poles.
- Recreational anglers who fish with jug lines will be allowed to use floats of any color except orange; commercial anglers will continue to be restricted to using orange floats.
Changes take effect Sept. 1.
