This is the idiocy we have to deal with on the TP&W commision

[DRT]

They're fish. Not whitetail deer.

Gary

[manwitaplan]

Shooting fish at night with enough lumens to light a city isn't ethical.
I look at it the same way as spotlighting animals.

Thats funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mudkat]

Shooting fish at night with enough lumens to light a city isn't ethical.
I look at it the same way as spotlighting animals.

So what about shooting coyotes and hogs with lights or even better thermal ? the poor things don't know anyone is even there and ready to shoot them, OMG, so bad

[mudkat]

The Commission is supposed to be adding a draw system for Tags to allow a limited take of the big gar. At least they are putting in a way to take a few trophy gar !

[Hot4huntin]

TPWD Announces Proposed Alligator Gar Regulation Changes
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proposing changes to fishing regulations for alligator gar, the largest and longest-lived freshwater fish in the state, to be voted on at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting March 20 in Austin. The proposed changes are intended to help the Department conserve and prevent the overharvest of older, mature alligator gar; fill data gaps through mandatory harvest reporting; and allow for limited opportunity to harvest large alligator gar from the Trinity River by creating a drawing system.

The first of four components of the proposed regulation changes include instituting a 4-foot maximum length limit on the Trinity River, Texas’ top destination for anglers pursuing large alligator gar. This limit means anglers could not harvest any alligator gar over that length from the Trinity River from the I-30 bridge in Dallas downstream to the I-10 bridge in Chambers County including the East Fork of the Trinity River upstream to the dam at Lake Ray Hubbard.

“The TPW Commission has communicated to us that they would rather, out of an abundance of caution, act proactively to further limit harvest of older, mature alligator gar while populations are in relatively good shape,” said Craig Bonds, TPWD Inland Fisheries Director. “The 4-foot maximum would conserve these larger fish and redirect harvest towards younger, more abundant smaller fish. It also ensures there are plenty of large, recreationally-valuable fish remaining for anglers to catch and release, which attracts anglers from around the world.”

The second component of the proposed regulation changes would create a drawing to allow selected anglers to harvest one alligator gar over 48 inches in length per year from the Trinity River. The limited entry system would allow non-transferable harvest authorization for a set number of alligator gar. Authorizations would be selected and distributed through a limited random draw of interested applicants.

“The drawing is similar to what other states like Arkansas are doing to offer an opportunity to keep one large gar while allowing the Department to manage annual harvest to avoid a population decline and depletion of the large alligator gar,” Bonds said. “Alligator gar could be harvested by lawful means, including pole-and-line or by bow fishing equipment.”

The final two proposed rules would be in effect statewide. First, a proposed regulation change would prohibit nighttime bow fishing statewide for alligator gar 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, which includes both take and possession using lawful archery equipment including crossbows during those nighttime hours.

“The TPW commission has concerns about the rapid evolution of technology and equipment used to target large alligator gar,” Bonds said. “Prohibiting nighttime bow fishing for alligator gar is an additional proactive measure that would be taken to protect populations from overharvest.”

The last component of the proposed regulation changes would require all anglers harvesting alligator gar statewide to report their harvest within 24 hours online or through a mobile app, similar to what is currently required for eastern turkey. This system would give the Department more data on alligator gar numbers to try to ensure quality fishing for future generations of anglers.

Statewide, a one-fish-per-day bag limit would remain in effect, and at Falcon International Reservoir, the daily bag limit of five fish and possession limit of 10 fish would also remain in effect. Falcon would also be exempt from the harvest reporting requirement.

“We are proposing to exempt Falcon from mandatory harvest reporting as this lake appears to have a robust population of alligator gar so that information is not needed at this time to manage that particular fishery,” Bonds said.

All of the proposed rules will be available for review in the Texas Register on Feb. 15.

The public is encouraged to provide comment on each of the four individual components of the proposed regulation changes. Opportunities to provide comments for or against these proposals include:

Facebook Live Webinar: TPWD Inland Fisheries and Coastal Fisheries staff will present all proposed fishing regulation changes and answer questions in a Facebook Live webinar at noon Feb. 27 on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Facebook page.
Public hearings: TPWD staff will be hosting several public hearings around the state to receive input from stakeholders and constituents concerning the proposed regulation changes. The dates and locations for these meetings will be announced Feb. 15 in a press release on the TPWD news release page.
Online: Once the proposed regulations are published in the Texas Register, comments on each component of the changes can be provided on the TPWD public comment page.
Phone or Email: Ken Kurzawski (512) 389-4591, email ken.kurzawski@tpwd.texas.gov.
In person: The TPW Commission will take public comment on the proposed changes at their meeting on Wednesday, March 20 in Austin. Public testimony will normally be limited to three minutes per person.
The commission will meet March 20 to vote on all changes to fishing and hunting regulations. Dates, agendas and transcripts can be found at https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/meetings/.

2019-02-07

[txwhitetail]

If they really cared about preserving the population, they wouldn't have changed the rules on Falcon. Falcon is slap full of gator gar, but the uproar from bass fishermen caused them to allow a 5 per person per day limit, the only place in Texas that isn't one a day. I don't understand how they can shut down the Trinity to protect "the greatest gar fishery in the state" when Falcon is arguably just as good or better, and they expanded the harvest there.

Because of the quantity shot on each.

All the gar guides at an uproar here should move to falcon where all the gar are!

[bossbowman]

They're making it a quasi-game fish, I mean you can't bow fish for game fish like bass. I really have no problem with the reg change. I saw where they are trying to make it legal to bow fish for catfish again next year too, I would be against that.

[Tx_Wader]

I'd be willing to bet that if less large gar were caught/shot and left on the bank to rot, this wouldn't even be a conversation.

Yup. People have been doing that for years and the result is people getting pizzed off about it and then you get what's happening now.

Sometimes hunters and fishermen are their own worst enemy. Well the stupid ones anyway, not all of us.

[justicetx]

So what about shooting coyotes and hogs with lights or even better thermal ? the poor things don't know anyone is even there and ready to shoot them, OMG, so bad

[mudkat]

They're making it a quasi-game fish, I mean you can't bow fish for game fish like bass. I really have no problem with the reg change. I saw where they are trying to make it legal to bow fish for catfish again next year too, I would be against that.

Can I ask what the reasons are you don't approve of taking catfish with a bow is ?

[BuckSmasher]

If you ever think you might want to bowfish for alligator gar in Texas, I urge you to contact dave.terre@tpwd.texas.gov and oppose these new regs. They are rapidly moving toward stopping all bowfishing for alligator gar. I realize that these regs don't completely shut it down, but it does severely curtail it, and this comes on the heals of other recent restrictions. They don't like bowfishing, period, and they will continue to move down this path unless they are stopped soon.

Saw an Alligator on the trinity with an arrow sticking out of it someone thought was a gar and shot. Would someone like you do that? Doubtful. But there are tons of idiots out there and regulations have to take them into account. Just like some 16 year olds could safely handle the responsibility of alcohol and lots of 40 year olds can not. Have to draw the line somewhere.

[GarGuy]

Saw an Alligator on the trinity with an arrow sticking out of it someone thought was a gar and shot. Would someone like you do that? Doubtful. But there are tons of idiots out there and regulations have to take them into account. Just like some 16 year olds could safely handle the responsibility of alcohol and lots of 40 year olds can not. Have to draw the line somewhere.

That gator could have been legally shot and broke off.

[Philip-TX]

Saw an Alligator on the trinity with an arrow sticking out of it someone thought was a gar and shot. Would someone like you do that? Doubtful. But there are tons of idiots out there and regulations have to take them into account. Just like some 16 year olds could safely handle the responsibility of alcohol and lots of 40 year olds can not. Have to draw the line somewhere.

I saw a deer with an arrow sticking out of its neck...….so....?

[bossbowman]

Can I ask what the reasons are you don't approve of taking catfish with a bow is ?

Catfish are a game fish, they legalize bowfishing for one gamefish what's to stop them going after others like red drum or largemouth?

[mudkat]

Carfish are a game fish, they legalize bowfishing for one gamefish what's to stop them going after others like red drum or largemouth?

well they allow grabbing, trotlines, and jugline for catfish along with a 25 per day limit but they don't allow that for bass which are almost to the point of catch and release only ,people get a ton of grief when they take a few bass to eat from a lot of bass fishermen.
I don't get where bowfishing is not as sporting as these other styles of fishing, It takes a lot of skill to bowfish!
We (THEM!) get a lot of flack for not utilizing our take but guess what we are only allowed to shoot the so called trash fish that everyone has determined are not good to eat ( for good reason)
What is wrong with being allowed to take some fish home to cook up that are good eating ?
You Being a bowhunter should realize that shooting things with a bow takes skill and is very sporting!