maybe someone on here with a little bit of inside connection can answer this one for me. I understand that white bass, stripers, hybrids, rainbow trout, etc provide great angling opportunities for some. But, why do they not stock species that can survive and CONSISTENTLY reproduce? I.E. crappie, black & florida strain bass, catfish, and in some north texas lakes more smallmouth.

They do. Go look at the stocking reports.

All the fish you mentioned that they don't stock, they do stock and by the millions each year.

With the fishing pressure on these lakes, if they didn't stock, most lakes would be full of little "trash" fish.

Of those species you mentioned, the florida strain bass get stocked heavly each year along with hybrid striped bass. Hybrids must be stocked because they do not reproduce. Im not as familiar with the black bass side of things but I assume they are heavly stocked because TPWD wants to introduce the florida strain genetics more.

Of some of the other species, I belive you answered your question yourself. They do not have a need to constantly stock crappie and catfish each year because they reproduce each year enough to keep a sufficent population.

TPWD does surveys and studies on just about every lake in the state pretty regular. If they feel the populating is getting too low for one species, they will do the proper stocking if needed.

worded that wrong, sorry about that. I know they already stock the native species mentioned above. But why do they use our money to stock non native species that have proven to be harmful to our lakes, instead of stocking more native species?

I think they need to stock Lake Fork with Rainbows.

They are not harmful, but rather provide fishing opportunities that otherwise most people could never experience. A lot of the "harmful" fish are provide by other wildlife agencies and by commercial and private donations.

Talk about an "all you can eat" buffet!!!

What species are you talking about that they have stocked that have been harmful to our lakes?

Florida strain bass have weak genitics compared to native strain. When they inter mingle during spawning the native strain has dominant genes that produce a hybrid that slowly go back to native. North Texas is not good for survival of pure Floridas Ray Roberts is a great example of this it is too far north. Lake Frok is an exception to this to a point only pure florida genetics get accepted into share a lunker 13 lbs and over. There are fish that get refused SAL status out of Fork because they are mixed genitically.

As far as Smallies are concerned there are a few lakes in north Texas have them. Texoma is one that Gene Gilland OK biologist stocked Tenn. strain smallmouth in. Tenn. strain is a sub species of smallmouth that grow big world record 11lbs 4 oz Dale Hollow Res. They have been and continue to breed true (dominant genes) in north Texas. There are maps that show natural ranges the lines of latitude tell a story research this and learn. Anglers have illegally stocked smallies from Texoma into Ray Roberts in years to come they will be all over the lake right now prefered areas are around the dam rocky areas will pick up in years to come.

Along the same subject, have the TWPD ever stocked Carp in any lakes;
such as grass Carp to keep the weeds down?

I also think they stock Trout in Guadalupe river.

Roger

Yeah, they overstocked Lake Conroe with grass carp and ruined a great bass fishery. They stock trout below Canyon Lake because the water temp is a constant 50� year round and the trout even reproduce.

Not too sure an the accuracy of those stocking reports. Looked into the lakes the lakes around me througb the link that was posted and the reports never showed any record of hybrids bein stocked in lake wichita but back 5 to 10 years ago it was full of em.