EARLY TEXAS TROUT RELEASES 2009

The first Texas trout stockings begin occurring in December, 2009.

Again, here's the website and it's searchable by city, county and stocking location. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/management/stocking/trout_stocking.phtml

Here's a brief list of dates and places for those who are willing to travel for some rainbow fishing:

December 2 - Waco, Austin, College Station, Ft. Worth, Hurst, Duncanville, Houston (closer to Katy), Mesquite, San Angelo,
December 6 - Bandera
December 9 - Blue Hole Park Lake, Georgetown; Hubbard
December 11 - Blanco State Park and lots of other places (see website)

And of course, frequently in December (4-Dec-09, 11-Dec-09, 18-Dec-09, 31-Dec-09) at the Canyon Tailrace in New Braunsfels.

I've often fished Blanco State Park, for nearly 20 years now. It's almost always a good spot.

Likewise, in another life, it was a Saturday ritual for the wee Fishing Musician Jr. and I to go to the Mary Jo Peckham Park and fish from about December to May, when it started getting hot. It had gentle sloping banks and waters, so if El Fisho Jr. were to stumble into the water, he'd be easily rescued. It's a great place to take wee little kids, say 3 years old or so. There's also a putt-putt golf course there and a playground.

We'd take a wagon in the back of the SUV and I could load it up with our gear and an umbrella and some chairs and an ice chest and we were set for a morning of fun. I wasn't the only dad around there with his small kiddos either. It was a good way to introduce El Fisho Jr. to fishing and the outdoors in a safe manner that wouldn't make his mother have fits. Moms need some alone time too, particularly in those early years of intensive mommy time, and our weekly fishing ritual was and is still big fun.

We go other places now. We like going fishing with "Uncle Billy Ray" and he's always great with Andy. As his Godfather, he better be. We like fishing all kinds of places around the state for rainbows. Rivers, lakes, community ponds and State Park lakes. They all have their unique attraction.

I personally have seen trout stocked, and it's a pretty cool thing to see. It's always been early in the morning when I've seen it, and when I first saw trout actually being stocked from the stocking truck was at Meridian State Park in 1985. A cold and blustery day, the Park Ranger told me early that morning as we shared coffee that the trout bite better in the cold. As I've written before, I've found this to be true, even more so in a light cold rain. It just seems to bring the trout alive.

I arrived in Meridian early that morning, and when I arrived at the Pavilion near the lake, the Ranger was there awaiting the fishery truck. Several thousand trout came pouring out of that truck, and I found that many were hungry upon hitting the water. Many say the fish need 24 hours to adjust after stocking but I have not found that to the the case. It was sight to see.

So I'll be somewhere December 2nd, fishing for some freshly stocked rainbows. And if I can get there early enough, me and El Fisho Jr. might see the stocking truck come. It'll be a weekday, but we may have to have a dad and son day out.