# TP&W acts on Speckled Trout for Laguna Madre



## Pudldux (Mar 3, 2016)

Better than nothing. Glad to see some action being taken.


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## skinnydip (Mar 27, 2016)

all cpr would have been better but every bit helps. hopefully guys wont hammer the reds, we need some big pumpkin up and comers


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Guides will push half day trips. 
Go out. 
Get everyone in the boat a limit. 
Come back. 
Repeat.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Sublime said:


> Guides will push half day trips.
> Go out.
> Get everyone in the boat a limit.
> Come back.
> Repeat.


I hope not. Game Wardens will be wise to this - they patrol the same ramps.

If they don't have some type of season for trout it would only put more pressure on other fish.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

coconutgroves said:


> I hope not. Game Wardens will be wise to this - they patrol the same ramps.
> 
> If they don't have some type of season for trout it would only put more pressure on other fish.



Not the same clients. Clients in the morning , different clients in the afternoon.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Should be brownsville to Freeport


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

Sublime said:


> Guides will push half day trips.
> Go out.
> Get everyone in the boat a limit.
> Come back.
> Repeat.


I “Liked” this but it’s more of a dislike..


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Should be brownsville to Freeport


It’s for sure going to push people farther up the coast. I feel bad for y’all down around matty.


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Hopefully I'll see a lot less of the go fast, 6 waders to the boat crowd in Mansfield now.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

There’s no reason to hate on any specific type of fishermen other than greedy freezer burn meat haulers. I wade too.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

coconutgroves said:


> I hope not. Game Wardens will be wise to this - they patrol the same ramps.
> 
> If they don't have some type of season for trout it would only put more pressure on other fish.


Hell, they did that already with the 5 trout limit. Run out their sports hammer out a few limits. Sports brag about throwing 500-700 dollars away before 0830. Guide laughs his ass off and does the same things with his 1400 trip. Game wardens don't do anything about it. In the end it's legal, what can they do....not a whole lot.


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> There’s no reason to hate on any specific type of fishermen other than greedy freezer burn meat haulers. I wade too.


I’m the only one of the people I fish with with a poling skiff. If I’m not on my boat...we wade.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

AZ_squid said:


> Hell, they did that already with the 5 trout limit. Run out their sports hammer out a few limits. Sports brag about throwing 500-700 dollars away before 0830. Guide laughs his ass off and does the same things with his 1400 trip. Game wardens don't do anything about it. In the end it's legal, what can they do....not a whole lot.


Shouldn’t be legal.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

@Smackdaddy53 yeah well, it is. Wish it wasn't.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

AZ_squid said:


> @Smackdaddy53 yeah well, it is. Wish it wasn't.


I know it is, I’ve been bitching about it for years.


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## Slacker (Oct 7, 2016)

Uhm, ima hate on the burn-a-grid-across-a-flat-never-climb-down-from-the-tower-until-I’m-back-at-the-
boat-ramp-buyin-another-suitcase crowd.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

I’m glad to see TPWD taking action. I rarely keep fish anyway. When I do, it’s one meal only. I’m guessing a lot of the meat haulers will be less anxious to pay a guide for a trip with reduced limits.


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## Caddis (Feb 2, 2020)

At least they got rid of the over slot option. I'd still rather see all C&R during the recovery.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Hopefully this will reduce all the freezer burned trout that gets thrown away a year later.


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> There’s no reason to hate on any specific type of fishermen other than greedy freezer burn meat haulers. I wade too.


I’m not hating on them. It would be nice to not have to dodge a 6-8 guy string every 200 yards though. And I’m pretty sure they aren’t dragging stringers behind them for looks either.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

RJTaylor said:


> I’m not hating on them. It would be nice to not have to dodge a 6-8 guy string every 200 yards though. And I’m pretty sure they aren’t dragging stringers behind them for looks either.


Yeah it’s gone on too long and the time to change restrictions is not following a fish kill, it’s before it ever happens. Same old story...proactive not reactive.
Chew on this...if there was a two year catch and release only fishery on the entire Texas coast all the dead gamefish would be just about replaced.


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

I’d be fine with that. I’ve been on a 1-2 fish every now and then kick for years. If I don’t want to eat fish that evening, or the next day, C&R is the rule.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Before I knew better I was no better but these guys should know better. Just some prime examples from over the years. This is just the tip of the iceberg.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

Texas is experiencing what Florida went through with hard winter freeze and then red tide. Most of SW Florida has been C&R for the last two years and may be extended another year. It was the best thing the Commission could have done.


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Yeah Mac, those are the exact type of groups I’m hoping to see less of now.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

These are the same kind of guys that buy the big tables at all of the CCA banquets


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## TX_Salt (Nov 13, 2018)

The STAR Tournament is not going to do the coast any favors either.


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## Surffshr (Dec 28, 2017)

The first promotions I saw for recovery where donation $s for the hatcheries. A well conserved fishery doesn’t need hatcheries In the first place.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

TX_Salt said:


> The STAR Tournament is not going to do the coast any favors either.


The STAR tourney for 2021 is a CPR redfish only tourney. Trout, flounder, sheepy and gafftop have been removed as tournament fish.
Texas STAR Tournament

The changes to the speckled trout limits are only for 4 months or less. There is an option to extend and I hope they do so for the entire year. I would also like to see it covering all of the Texas coast. If the meat haulers can't slay them down South, I'm worried they will move up the coast and hammer the fish we have up here in Galveston and Sabine.


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## skinnydip (Mar 27, 2016)

thanks for posting those guys pics, maybe a little pressure will make them wake up. Ran south last friday still found few slot reds poling some usual haunts. few drum zero trout!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

jay.bush1434 said:


> The STAR tourney for 2021 is a CPR redfish only tourney. Trout, flounder, sheepy and gafftop have been removed as tournament fish.
> Texas STAR Tournament
> 
> The changes to the speckled trout limits are only for 4 months or less. There is an option to extend and I hope they do so for the entire year. I would also like to see it covering all of the Texas coast. If the meat haulers can't slay them down South, I'm worried they will move up the coast and hammer the fish we have up here in Galveston and Sabine.


My thoughts as well.


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## TX_maverick (Oct 26, 2020)

Quickest remedy is make croaker a game fish.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

TX_maverick said:


> Quickest remedy is make croaker a game fish.


It would definitely help!


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## Surffshr (Dec 28, 2017)

Has giving croaker a gamefish designation ever been floated by TPWD?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Surffshr said:


> Has giving croaker a gamefish designation ever been floated by TPWD?


Not that I recall. I’m sure it’s come up but not been taken seriously. Lots of guys and gals down here couldn’t catch a fish if they didn’t have live shrimp or croaker to fall back on. Most of these lazy asses will go home if they can’t get live bait from the stand.


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## CKEAT (Aug 26, 2015)

Ron White said it best, “you can’t fix stupid”


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## skinnydip (Mar 27, 2016)

I was discussing this issue at the gym with the manager of a large fishing forum down here recently. I told him I was all for it and was told I was a rich elitist fuck so from now on that is what i will go by REF. These are the dumbasses you are dealing with that can't put self gratification on hold for a little while to get us back to the great fishery we were prefreeze. F' em.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

skinnydip said:


> I was discussing this issue at the gym with the manager of a large fishing forum down here recently. I told him I was all for it and was told I was a rich elitist fuck so from now on that is what i will go by REF. These are the dumbasses you are dealing with that can't put self gratification on hold for a little while to get us back to the great fishery we were prefreeze. F' em.


Greedy, ignorant pieces of shit. Tell him to call me.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

I was on another forum here in Texas where some dude was spouting off and asking if temporary bag reduction measures worked after the freezes in the 80s. I said well there are 10 billion more people fishing the bays now. Then some other knucklehead comes up with a stat that there aren't significant increases in license sales since then. And that is why I stopped posting over there. You can't just look at numbers of licenses sold. You would have to know how often people go fishing, where they fish, how they fish etc....... @Smackdaddy53 has seen the explosion of people of the water here in Texas along with all the coastal development. You can't tell me that the bays aren't twice as crowded now because license sales don't support it. Just get out and look around. East Matagorda bay where I fish looks like a boat parking lot on a nice summer weekend morning.


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Sublime said:


> I was on another forum here in Texas where some dude was spouting off and asking if temporary bag reduction measures worked after the freezes in the 80s. I said well there are 10 billion more people fishing the bays now. Then some other knucklehead comes up with a stat that there aren't significant increases in license sales since then. And that is why I stopped posting over there. You can't just look at numbers of licenses sold. You would have to know how often people go fishing, where they fish, how they fish etc....... @Smackdaddy53 has seen the explosion of people of the water here in Texas along with all the coastal development. You can't tell me that the bays aren't twice as crowded now because license sales don't support it. Just get out and look around. East Matagorda bay where I fish looks like a boat parking lot on a nice summer weekend morning.


The explosion of new anglers over the last 10 - 15 years is painfully obvious. I can't even fathom the stupidity level one has to have, to not see it.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Sublime said:


> I was on another forum here in Texas where some dude was spouting off and asking if temporary bag reduction measures worked after the freezes in the 80s. I said well there are 10 billion more people fishing the bays now. Then some other knucklehead comes up with a stat that there aren't significant increases in license sales since then. And that is why I stopped posting over there. You can't just look at numbers of licenses sold. You would have to know how often people go fishing, where they fish, how they fish etc....... @Smackdaddy53 has seen the explosion of people of the water here in Texas along with all the coastal development. You can't tell me that the bays aren't twice as crowded now because license sales don't support it. Just get out and look around. East Matagorda bay where I fish looks like a boat parking lot on a nice summer weekend morning.


Exactly. I don’t know where they are coming from or if they even buy licenses but ask any boat builder about sales...there’s a damn parking lot full of empty trailers just about any day of the week at any ramp.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

RJTaylor said:


> The explosion of new anglers over the last 10 - 15 years is painfully obvious. I can't even fathom the stupidity level one has to have, to not see it.


The level of ignorance that we have today is setting records. That is why we are where we are right now. Bunch of dumbasses for the most part. People can’t function without being led around by their smart phones.


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## Surffshr (Dec 28, 2017)

skinnydip said:


> I was discussing this issue at the gym with the manager of a large fishing forum down here recently. I told him I was all for it and was told I was a rich elitist fuck so from now on that is what i will go by REF. These are the dumbasses you are dealing with that can't put self gratification on hold for a little while to get us back to the great fishery we were prefreeze. F' em.


I‘ll join you but only EF here...I suppose I could roll GDEF!


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## Pudldux (Mar 3, 2016)

THIS SUMS IT UP


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Pudldux said:


> View attachment 171575
> THIS SUMS IT UP


I sent Ed that image years ago! Haha


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## Pudldux (Mar 3, 2016)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I sent Ed that image years ago! Haha


Yup!! Oldie but a goodie


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