# TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE HALTS GULF COAST FISHING DURING FREEZE



## brianBFD (Oct 25, 2017)

http://www.spectrumlocalnews.com/tx...ldlife-halts-gulf-coast-fishing-during-freeze

I've never heard of this sort of thing being done on the upper gulf coast.


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20180101a


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## brianBFD (Oct 25, 2017)

I also wonder if there is concern for the snook populations in FL?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

I’m glad they have this act to protect our fishery. We could have been better off after the freezes in the 80’s with this in effect.


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## JBonorden (Jun 27, 2015)

The might close barge traffic in the ICW south of Corpus Christi all the way to Port Isabel. Tugs churning up the water will destroy any warm water layers in the land cut. Some big trout will be saved by doing this.


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## JBonorden (Jun 27, 2015)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I’m glad they have this act to protect our fishery. We could have been better off after the freezes in the 80’s with this in effect.


Saw plenty of stunned fish snagged in the freeze of '83. Guys loaded their trucks with big trout and reds. They were too cold to bite a bait, but some might have survived. Water in Conn Brown harbor was slushy with ice after the first week of the freeze.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

JBonorden said:


> Saw plenty of stunned fish snagged in the freeze of '83. Guys loaded their trucks with big trout and reds. They were too cold to bite a bait, but some might have survived. Water in Conn Brown harbor was slushy with ice after the first week of the freeze.


In 1989 the bays had ice about 1” thick from the shorelines out about 100’ or more. My dad took me to the Lavaca River and watched fish floating by under the ice. The whole river froze over. 
Many people don’t realize those fish are not all dead, some come to the surface and are in a “coma” and are trying to soak up some heat from the sun if it comes out and some survive.


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## brianBFD (Oct 25, 2017)

JBonorden said:


> The might close barge traffic in the ICW south of Corpus Christi all the way to Port Isabel. Tugs churning up the water will destroy any warm water layers in the land cut. Some big trout will be saved by doing this.


I hadn't thought about this. I fish a lot of water adjacent to the ICW here.


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## brianBFD (Oct 25, 2017)

The Alabama Marine Resources has received two calls to investigate fish kills today. The kills have included white mullet, silver perch, sheepshead, and specks.


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## Whiskey Angler (Mar 20, 2015)

Good on TPWD. This was a proactive and decisive move that hopefully has big results. Fine example of walking the walk above talk talk talk.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

brianBFD said:


> http://www.spectrumlocalnews.com/tx...ldlife-halts-gulf-coast-fishing-during-freeze
> 
> I've never heard of this sort of thing being done on the upper gulf coast.


Yep, they've done it before many times when the temps stay that cold for that long. Happened a few years ago too when we didn't leave the 20s for 3 days and Corpus got snow. The fish pile up in the channel like cord wood - way too easy for people to take advantage of that.


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## Cam (Apr 5, 2017)

I am surprised. I fully expected some "government overreach" outrage in here.


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## JBonorden (Jun 27, 2015)

Made a couple of trips down to Conn Brown and Hampton's landing today. Didn't see any fish kills. Might be too early. Tide is very low and the only fish I saw was an Angel fish at the Navigation district ramp at the end of Ransom rd. Hopefully we dodged a bullet.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

I’ve heard from a few reliable sources in Port O’Connor that they saw zero dead fish and two dead sea turtles and they were in the back lakes where the dead fish usually die when they get caught too far from deep water in events like this.
A couple of weeks ago it got cold super quick and the next day I saw thousands of dead gafftop and hardheads so I think the fish had time to move deep before it was too late. Super low tides due to the full moon are likely a saving grace as well because the fish moved deep anyway. 
I will be fishing tomorrow and will report back with what we saw out there.


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

Sad thing is all those fish are still stacked up and will be until we get some water back in the bays and the water temps come up.


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## brianBFD (Oct 25, 2017)

I read somewhere that when you catch fish in these conditions that you should plan to keep them since the sress of being caught while being stressed by low temps is certain death for the fish.


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## Roninrus1 (Mar 9, 2016)

For those who didn't read the article, it is only for certain areas. Good move after the behavior of people in the '80's freezes.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

brianBFD said:


> I also wonder if there is concern for the snook populations in FL?


I'm pretty worried. We don't want a repeat of 2010.


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## brianBFD (Oct 25, 2017)

Roninrus1 said:


> For those who didn't read the article, it is only for certain areas. Good move after the behavior of people in the '80's freezes.


I'm guessing that people went out and filled coolers.?.?.?


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

coconutgroves said:


> Yep, they've done it before many times when the temps stay that cold for that long. Happened a few years ago too when we didn't leave the 20s for 3 days and Corpus got snow. The fish pile up in the channel like cord wood - way too easy for people to take advantage of that.


This.

Pretty much SOP these days. I just looked at the list and they did close off the usual area in Offats Bayou in Galveston east of marker 22.


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## Roninrus1 (Mar 9, 2016)

brianBFD said:


> I'm guessing that people went out and filled coolers.?.?.?


Dip-netted them and filled coolers. Took them in and came back for more. And a lot of the boats in the POC area were snowbirds with out of state ID's. 
It's hard for people to believe but we went duck hunting during this time in early 80's. We were in the Trinity bay area and when the sun came up the bay was ice as far as the eye could see, from east bank west toward Seabrook.


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