GREGG COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) – As Spring arrives in East Texas, the weather warms, and the waterways begin to see more activity, particularly with fishermen.
Texas game wardens expect that each spring, the lakes and rivers will be jammed with them. Working to ensure that they’re all following the rules will take up a lot of a game warden’s time.
Beautiful sunny skies over Lake Gladewater showed all the signs of spring. Fishermen were everywhere.
“As always, we will have a presence out on the lakes. We see a lot of people out there with different skill sets, skill level, experience levels,” said Gregg County Game Warden Todd Long.
In 2019, freshwater fishing attracted approximately 39 million participants, nearly twice as many as saltwater and fly-fishing combined.
That number is still growing.
With so many fishermen hitting the waterways now, what takes up most of a game wardens’ time is checking licenses and catch limits.
“Game wardens are typically spread pretty thin. A lot of us cover multiple counties. It can make for a long day,” Long said.
Bag and length limits and gear restrictions are set for a good reason.
Breaking current fishing regulations could create an imbalance in the ecosystem.
“You can over harvest. Conservation is key. This is not an infinite resource,” Long said.
Licenses are important. The money from the purchase of a state fishing license goes toward lake and river surveys, fish stocking and hatchery programs, stream habitat improvements, educational programs, conservation officer budgets, infrastructure, and outreach programs.
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