Texas Gulf Coast Roundup Enters 7th Year

Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.texas.gov

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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking to coastal anglers to help gather specimens for use in hatchery production, research projects and for educational purposes during upcoming Gulf Coast Roundup events.

The Gulf Coast Roundup is a series of free fishing tournament-format events along the coast where participating anglers try to reel in specific saltwater fish at certain sizes to help conservation while earning points that could reel them in a lifetime fishing license.

By contributing a portion of their catch to TPWD, anglers will be supporting and encouraging fishery conservation, management, education and research in Texas

Three anglers from each event will win Shimano Curado reels and the top points winner for the event will win a Shimano Calcutta 250 on an all-star rod. At the end of the year, the angler who has the most points will win a lifetime fishing license.

Every Gulf Coast Roundup participant will receive a T-shirt or cap. Participants will also receive a door prize ticket for a drawing on a Shimano Symetre spinning reel on an all-star rod. All prizes for the events are donated by Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and the Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas.

"One of the main benefits we’ve experienced as a result of these free fishing tournaments includes receiving a wide variety of quality fish for research, brood stock and aquarium displays that we would not have had otherwise," said Robert Adami with TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division. "Because anglers donate these fish to us, we don’t have to send our people to collect the specimens; this saves the agency manpower and money. We really appreciate our angling community, and all they do to improve coastal fishing in Texas."

The first of five tournaments is set for March 27 in Port Arthur at the S.A.L.T. Club at 550 Pleasure Island Blvd. Anglers will compete in three categories to catch specific saltwater fish at certain sizes, earning points toward prizes. The categories are conservation, perfect fish and unusual fish. The remainder of the Gulf Coast Roundup schedule is as follows:

  • April 24 — South Padre, targeting Spotted Sea Trout
  • May 8 — Corpus Christi, targeting Spotted Sea Trout
  • June 5 — Port O’Connor, targeting Southern Flounder
  • Oct. 16 — Texas City, targeting Southern Flounder

All tournaments start at 6 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. The Texas Gulf Coast Roundup is sponsored in part by Anheuser-Busch. For more information about the Texas Gulf Coast Roundup, call (800) 792-1112 or visit the TPWD Web site (http://tpwd.texas.gov/fish/) and click on the Gulf Coast Roundup link.

Gulf Coast Roundup Event Calendar

  • March 27 — Port Arthur, S.A.L.T. Club, 550 Pleasure Island Blvd., (409) 735-4488
  • April 24 — South Padre Island, Sea Ranch Marina, One Padre Blvd., (956) 761-7777
  • May 8 — Corpus Christi, Marker 37, 13317 South Padre Island Drive, (under JFK Causeway), (361) 949-8037
  • June 5 — Port O’Connor, Bait Doc, Byers and Intercoastal Waterway, (361) 983-4466
  • Oct. 16 — Texas City, Boyd’s One Stop, 227 Dike Road, (409) 945-4001