April sure got here quick!

Bay waters are warming and the fish are becoming more active, feeding for longer periods when weather and tides are favorable. Hopefully we will see only a few late-season northers.

Anglers are reminded of the revision to speckled trout regulations enacted March 16, 2022 for middle and lower coast bays. The daily bag is reduced to three fish measuring 17 to 23-inches, with no fish longer than 23-inches. This action comes in response to last February’s freeze and includes East Matagorda through the Lower Laguna until August 31, 2023. Galveston and Sabine are not included.

Oysters have been grabbing lots of headlines, with more likely to come as TPWD seeks to implement permanent closures in certain areas in order to conserve critical reef habitat from continued degradation.

Oyster abundance varies year to year depending water conditions and 2021 was not favorable with prolonged fresh-water inundation in middle-coast bays. The harvest season that traditionally runs November-thru-April was closed almost entirely by mid-January, due to scarcity of market-size oysters – an action TPWD deemed necessary to conserve habitat upon which oysters grow.   

By the time you read this; TPWD commissioners will have decided whether to permanently close harvest in the Mesquite Bay Complex. Besides being a seafood delicacy, oysters serve many roles in estuarine ecology, too valuable to many commercially and recreationally important species to risk jeopardizing the benefit.

Great news for Texas anglers: The popular summer-long CCA STAR Tournament will be sporting a brand-new hybrid look for 2022, featuring the return of sheepshead and gafftop in the STAR Kids and STAR Teens divisions. A new black drum category has been added for adult anglers, while the “Clip the Tag” redfish divisions will include the release of 60 blue-tagged fish and 60 with red tags along the Texas coast, with great prizes to winners in each tagged-fish category.

Also of special importance, especially to families with youth anglers, is a restructuring of the STAR Scholarship Award Program. Originally created in 1995, when a STAR Scholarship would go a long way toward funding a four-year degree, the award structure has been updated to include accredited trade, technical, and vocational programs for winners who might not be interested in attending college or university.

STAR will again open during the Memorial Day weekend and continue until Labor Day. The way I see it, getting your family involved in fishing is one of the greatest ways to accomplish bonding and fellowship that will pay dividends for life, not to mention the possible benefit of a youth scholarship to help fund their education. Don’t miss the opportunity, get them registered today!