Several species of grouper, including black, red, yellowfin, scamp, yellowmouth, rock hind and red hind will close to recreational harvest from Feb. 1 through March 31 in Gulf of Mexico state waters excluding Monroe County.

Eighteen teams featuring some of the top pros in the sport are competing in the PAA's season-opening event. The full field will compete all three days, with more than $100,000 in cash and prizes at stake, including a Nitro Z-8 with a Mercury 225 Optimax and T-H Marine Atlas jackplate, Nitro Z-7 with a Mercury Pro XS, and MinnKota Talon shallow water anchors for the big bass winners. Also at stake are points toward the PAA Angler of the Year title and qualification for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic world championship in September on Lake Conroe.

A U.S. House of Representatives vote yesterday could mean permanent easy access for hunters looking to buy their federal duck stamps online. The e-Duck Stamp program, started four years ago on a trial basis, allows hunters 16 and older to purchase temporary duck stamps online until their physical stamps arrive in the mail.

The EverStart Series is headed to Lake Amistad Feb. 2-4 when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers take to the water for the first of four stops in the Texas Division.

National Guard FLW College Fishing is headed to Lake Amistad Feb. 4 for the first of four stops in the South Conference. Forty college teams will be competing for a top award of $5,000 and a berth in the South Regional Championship tournament.

The Cabela's Outdoor Fund, with a mission to promote conservation and hunting, fishing, camping, boating and other outdoor sporting and recreational activities, has awarded a $225,000 grant to the Trailblazer Adventure Program

Dates for the highly-anticipated return of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC), the world championship of professional bass fishing and country music festival, were announced today with all of the action set to begin Friday, Sept. 28.

The field of competitors for the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series, announced by B.A.S.S. today, promises to be the strongest ever. Among the 100 professional anglers are winners of more than 200 Bassmaster tournaments, 17 Bassmaster Classic championships and 21 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler-of-the-Year titles.

This week's episode of TROPHY HUNTERS TV®, "Pay It Forward" follows Trinity Oaks on an uplifting hunt with some South Texas Youth. Followed by a trip to the Broken Spur Ranch where Matt Hughes and his son, Joey, spend their first Texas hunt of the Season.