At its January meeting and with formal written support from Texas BHA, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission passed temporary regulation changes for spotted seatrout, with a beginning target date of March 10 (beginning date subject to change). The new rules reduce the spotted seatrout bag limit to three fish and restrict the allowable size to 17-23 inches. The goal of this rule is to leave more spawning fish in the water for two spawning seasons to help the populations recover more quickly from the 2021 winter storm. These regulation changes affect all coastal water bodies south of FM 457 in Sargent and expire August 31, 2023. You can listen to the archived audio of the January TPWC meeting by clicking this link; fast forward to 1:46:00 to hear the speckled trout presentation and subsequent vote.
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About Shane Bonnot
Father, Husband, Angler, Hunter and lover of the outdoors. Advocacy Director for Coastal Conservation Assoication Texas and host of the Coastal Advocacy Adventures Podcast