With the exception of Lake Austin, Colorado River lakes in the Texas Hill Country have never produced bass weighing 13 pounds.  That changed Sunday, when Lloyd Ward of Horseshoe Bay saw a huge bass cruising near the bank in three feet of water.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to make it easier for Texans to go fishing and this year has renamed and expanded its learn-to-fish initiative to include dozens of special springtime events being held at 13 state parks throughout Texas.

Michael Banks of Jacksonville had a day off and decided to go fishing March 9. "I was just looking for a day out," he said. "It would have been a great day if I had not caught a fish."

Are you planning an outdoor family adventure during spring break? Athens and the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) are the place to start.

On Thursday, February 4, 2010, the Wood County Industrial Commission (WCIC) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be hosting a public meeting at Lake Fork. This "State of the Lake" meeting will feature presentations by TPWD Inland Fisheries biologists, local TPWD Law Enforcement, and the Sabine River Authority.

O.H. Ivie Reservoir and other West Texas lakes suffered from drought from the late 1990s until 2004, when rains came again.  The drought took two forms: low water and few big bass caught.  The fish drought ended January 16, when Ben Blaine of Merkel landed a 14.02-pound largemouth bass from O.H. Ivie. It became Toyota ShareLunker No. 475.

Another West Texas reservoir rebounding from the drought of the late 1990s is starting to pump out monster largemouth bass.

Coastal anglers are asked to be mindful of conditions during extreme cold weather, particularly the impacts a saltwater freeze event can have on game fish populations.

Hoping to add to the mountain of almost 26,000 derelict crab traps hauled from Texas bays since 2002, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials are gearing up for the 9th Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program, running this year from February 19-28, 2010.