TWRA programs

[Orangebynature]

I was reading the thread liveliner started about the creel limit on crappie starting this year and it got me thinking about the TWRA. I hear alot about the programs other states have through there fish and game agencies like the (share a lunker) program in Texas and I saw one state that came to larger tournaments and gave each angler so many 3" to 5" largemouth to drop off in the lake somewhere during that day. I know that the TWRA has some progams like the christmas tree tie-offs but I'm not sure they have a lot of programs that try to make Tennessee lakes and rivers top notch fisheries. By no means am I trying to bash the TWRA (I'm sure thay stay busy) but I wonder if anyone else would like to see them do more?

Orangebynature (Danny)

 

[Liveliner]

Compared to some other states here in the south, I think that they do much more already than some of the others. You can log onto their web site and link into their different pages and you can see that they have a hand in many aspects of bettering our game and fish habitats, education and so much more.

I do like that Idea of stocking you mentioned. I just do not think that you could get the majority of the TX anglers to want to take the time to properly stock their fish. I would get around the corner and dump them so I could get to catching some winning fish.

 

[Orangebynature]

Dumping them around the corner would be fine I just thought it showed effort to making whatever state it was a better place to fish. Like I said before I'm not trying to bash and it may take more of an effort on my part but in the last three years I have seen the TWRA three times once, checking for my licenes once, at the boat show and another time at the bait shop. I will try to look up some of their programs and get myself involved.

 

[Guest]

Share-a-lunker program in Texas is underwritten by Busch Beer. Lots of positive press but results are generally thought to be low (especially if "free" funding was not availble).

Stocking is not a very cost effective option in TN:
Read Executive Summary point 8:
The cost per bass (age-1) was estimated to be several hundard dollars per fish.
http://www.tntech.edu/fish/PDF/lmb.pdf

 

[Carl Guffey]

Stocking is not the answer, period. No matter how many fish are stocked without the habitat to protect them all that is accomplished is feeding the fish. Habitat is the answer, with the right cover, mother nature can produce some astounding numbers of game fish.....If you want a better fishery increase the aquatic habitat, especially the nursery habitat.

 

[Ronnie Garrison]

Very true that stocking bass almost never helps the fishery. The only two exceptions here in Georgia - on the Flint River below the Blackshear dam they are stocking Shoal bass because the water level varies so much day to day from power generation that almost no natural reproduction takes place. It really affects the river for about 40 miles below the dam.

The other place is one of the north Georgia lakes that is very infertile and has little cover for the fry. Then someone stocked blueback herring. Not only do the herring eat the food the largemouth fry need, they eat the fry, too. So the DNR stocks largemouth there.

With the right environment a very few bass can reproduce all the fry needed every year.

Two years ago I did some research on this and wrote an article at http://fishing.about.com/od/bassfishing/a/aa091804a.htm if anyone is interested.

 

[Liveliner]

Thanks Ronnie. I am very impressed with that artical. Great job and thanks for sharing.
Liveliner