Did you know that you do not need a fishing license to fish waters in a Texas State Park's boundaries? Did you know that during the late fall and most of winter, that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stocks almost 1,000,000 trout throughout Texas' state parks? Did you know the stocking is done cost-free to the public? So, what is a fair price to pay to get to fish in a state park where they have stocked trout for the public to catch and keep, limited to five per day? Would you believe me if I told you $2.00? I think that is a ridiculously unfair price--unfair for TPWD, that is.
On Monday 31 January, I headed to Fort Parker State Park, because about a week prior, TPWD stocked a 1,000 trout in Springfield Lake. The park's boundaries encompass the historic town of Springfield; only the ghost town's cemetery and 4 acre lake exist, today, and what a fine fishing lake Springfield is. I did not have my float tube with me, so I waded in to the waters, but the heavily silted bottom keeps the wading pretty close to shore. Not catching anything this day, I left after a two-hour foray, but I vowed I would be back Tuesday with float tube in hand. The winter storms came, and so, the waders stayed in my car. My vinyl lunchbag rested near my waders. What a valuable lesson I learned, when I retrived my lunch bag . There were these strange brown things all over it. Upon further inspection, they were brown scuds, or from the fishes' perspective, dinner!
With a numb backside, hands, and legs, I decided to call it quits. Eight fish/four species (with a new one to add to the list) in less than two hours is waaayyy better than the $2.00 entry fee. I built my 2# rod; I chose my fly, carefully matching a food source; I fished from a float tube. Yes, I really increased the odds that I should catch fish, but I feel that TPWD is getting an unfair deal, and I have no idea how to get them back on the right side of fairness; it would take a lot, considering the day I had at their place. A good work day had turned really rotten, and then a $2.00 deal made everything good. One of my favorite columnists is Regina Brett, and so I shall end with one of her 50 Life Lessons..."Life isn't fair, but it's still good." Ohhhh, yeahhh!
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