TPWD Regulation Changes and Suvey

Speckled trout: Rules were adopted to extend a 5-fish bag limit currently in effect in the Lower Laguna Madre up the coast through the Highway 457 bridge near Sargent. The possession limit will be twice the daily bag limit (10 fish in possession).

Flounder: The two flounder per day bag limit restrictions currently in effect for the month of November will be extended into the first two weeks of December. During these first two weeks of December, however, harvest will be allowed by any legal means.

A summary of fishing regulations for the 2014-2015 season will be posted in the printed Outdoor Annual late this summer and online at OutdoorAnnual.com

Red snapper: Beginning June 1, red snapper anglers (with the exception of party boats defined as larger boats where people pay per person) are asked to log their landings on the TPWD website upon return from a fishing trip. You’re asked to report the number of red snapper landed from both state and federal waters along with information such as date of fishing trip, number of anglers, and boat registration number (TX#). Only one angler per trip will need to report these numbers for the entire party.

While TPWD currently performs routine dockside creel surveys to monitor the landings and fishing effort for a variety of species along the Texas coast, this pilot program will utilize angler reported data to compliment these routing surveys allowing for better estimation of the recreational red snapper landings in the state.