How the Texas Freeze Affected Fish
Last week was a rough one for the people of Texas. I have lived in Austin for more than 10 years, and I’ve never experienced anything like this. Our winters are mild – they rarely dip below freezing. Last week, we set a record for five consecutive days with at least one inch of snow on the ground. The previous record was three days, set in 1985. We were in uncharted waters. Today, the temperatures are in the mid-sixties (Fahrenheit), electricity is restored, and tap water is drinkable again. For most in Texas, life will be normal again shortly. However, that’s not true for all.
In the middle of our week of record winter weather, I heard about how the fish population at the Texas coast was hit hard. I’ve heard the word “devastated” used by multiple folks. I can’t begin to tell you how good the fishing was before this storm. It’s heartbreaking to have the conversations that I’ve had. As you may expect, dead fish line the shorelines and float in the bays. Speckled trout, redfish, black drum, snook, tarpon, as well as all of the baitfish have been found. Those populations will take years to get back to the levels they were at just a couple of weeks ago. We won’t know the true impact of this storm until March.
With this reality at hand, fishing conservation needs to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds for at least the rest of the year, longer if you fish the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana.
I recently wrote an article about the “Release over 20” movement. For the foreseeable future, catch and release needs to be standard practice if we hope to recover fish populations, especially the speckled trout. If you have plans to visit Texas and do some fishing, be aware of the fish population crisis. And postpone any upcoming gulf coast fishing trip plans for a few weeks. The surviving fish likely are still stressed from the once-in-a-lifetime freezing temperatures.
I don’t want this to come across as if no fish remain. There are still schools of fish that have survived and they have been spotted sunning themselves in the shallow water again. It’s these fish that will lead the recovery effort moving forward. Unfortunately, it’s also these fish the majority of people will be attempting to catch. I won’t allow anyone to keep a speckled trout on my boat the rest of this year. That may seem drastic, but I have to do my part because I know trout will be harvested this year.
As far as freshwater fishing in the Austin area and hill country of Texas, I think the population of largemouth and Guadalupe bass will not be impacted at the same level as the gulf coast fish. Fish populations in the San Marcos River took a double-hit: not only were they hit with the freeze, but in a face-palm moment, one million gallons of raw sewage was dumped into the river.
Texas Parks and Wildlife has not issued any official updates on fish populations, so what I am sharing is based on observation and conversations with local fishers in Central Texas and the gulf coast region. The TPWD issues regular reports on fishing conditions, and includes details on water temperatures and whether fishing areas are open or closed. Some contain information related to the recent freeze, and you’ll notice the fish populations have definitely been impacted. We will share more details on fish populations in Texas as they become available.
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.