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Reconnect with family, outdoors this new year
By Jim Blassingame
Contributor
Published January 7, 2010
From the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site:
BASTROP — When considering a New Year’s resolution, try setting a goal to spend more time reconnecting with what matters most — your family and the natural beauty of Texas.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to help by inviting you and your family to a Texas state park to enjoy one of America’s favorite pastimes, camping. The Texas Outdoor Family program returns this spring season and with an offering of 28 new camping workshops throughout the state. Toyota continues to be a proud sponsor of the program.
Are you interested in camping but not sure if your family will enjoy it enough for it to be worth the investment of purchasing the gear? Here is a chance to give it a try with no strings attached.
During the overnight TOF program, participants revisit or learn for the first time the skills that lead to a successful camping experience. To make it even easier, TPWD staff provide all of the camping essentials and lead a day’s worth of family-friendly activities.
Each program’s activities reflect each park’s unique amenities and natural resources. Events may include all or some of the following: kayaking, fishing, crafts, evening programs, nature photography and more. Also included in each TOF weekend is an introduction to the increasingly popular sport of geocaching.
“Geocaching is basically a high-tech scavenger hunt that anyone can be a part of,” said Robert Owen, a ranger with the TOF program. “Something called a cache is hidden in the park, frequently in a scenic area. Then, participants are provided with a set of coordinates and a GPS unit to lead them to the treasure. Both kids and parents alike love the adventure.”
The workshops cost $55 per family (up to six people), with the cost covering park entry, campsite rental, quality restrooms, professional park ranger-led programs and instruction, a family friendly environment, a specially designed curriculum tailored to each state park, a state park Junior Ranger certification program, and most importantly, all of the quality camping equipment needed for the night! All campers need to bring are sleeping bags or bedding, and food and drinks.
For each two-day workshop, participants receive in advance a checklist of what they need to bring, along with a suggested shopping and packing list for meals and personal items. Tents, lanterns and other camping items are provided. For further details visit the TOF website at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/bof/ or search for the “Texas Outdoor Family” on Facebook to see what other families are saying, and view the pictures from past events.
“We don’t limit the program to just nuclear families,” Owen noted. “As a result, the diversity that we’ve seen among our participants has been amazing. Camping is an experience that should be and can be enjoyed by anyone. ‘Family’ can be a relative word so we encourage groups of all sorts to join us. Extended families, groups of friends, scout groups, adults without children, and more are all welcomed.”
The spring 2010 TOF workshop schedule includes several specially themed weekends centered around such activities as an introduction to fly-fishing, a two-night campout at Big Bend Ranch State Park and an introduction to Dutch oven cooking. Check the TOF Web site for more details.
Families can register by calling (512) 389-8903 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and speaking to a Texas Outdoor Family representative or by sending an e-mail to: tofsp(at)tpwd.state.tx.us. After registration, a confirmation packet with details will be sent.
Kids Trout Day at Sulphur Springs
Do you want to go fishing? While you are catching great Rainbow trout, how would you like to win prizes and have a free lunch, too? Well, you can if you go fishing with me on Saturday, Feb. 6, at Sulphur Springs City Park Pond. This pond is located behind the Civic Center and is sponsored by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Inland Fisheries Division, the City of Sulphur Springs, local merchants and myself. The event begins at noon and ends at 3 p.m.
Soft drinks and hot dogs are provided, and drawings for prizes for participating young anglers are scheduled.
Because this event is sponsored by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, special exemptions are to be in effect during the event. Adults who are actively helping kids fish for trout are exempt from the normal license requirements during the event hours only. All other anglers are required to have a freshwater fishing license. There is no minimum size limit on these rainbow trout, but there is a daily bag limit of five (5) fish per person.
For more information, call TP&W at 903-593-5077, or contact me at The Paris News.
FISHING REPORTS
Pat Mayse: Water level is still slightly above normal and, yes, it is running out the overflow drain. Some areas of the lake have clear water, while other areas will have slightly stained water. With water temps in the lower 40s, I highly recommend staying in the clear water. Can you catch fish in these conditions? Yes, you can, if you slow down and keep your bait in or over some type of structure. That is what I did at 6:50 a.m. Jan. 1. It was dark, but with a full moon, you could see your target areas. After about 10 casts in the same spot and lot of “hand blowing” to warm my hands, I caught my first bass of 2010. This was my goal and with the 24 degree temperature, I loaded up and went to the heater. What I try to do in these conditions is a little different than you read in books. The books say that fish go deep in the winter and they do, for the most part, but if you stay shallow, the fish there are usually more aggressive than the deep fish. Or dumber — I don’t know which, for sure. Anyway, I go after the dumb fish because they are easier to catch.
Most area lakes are stained to clear and very little traffic on the water because of the weather. If it’s warm water you are looking for, get to Monticello. This lake has water temps ranging from 52 degrees to 88 degrees and is clear. Bass are good on traps, split-shot flukes, Texas and Carolina rigs. Folks, if you have never fished here, I highly recommend getting over there during the winter. You will notice that while you are still in the boat, the boat is sitting in the “hot” water and you do not feel the cold. I promise you this lake can offer you some very good bass fishing.
Be safe, fish smart and slow — and I’ll see you on the lake.
Jim Blassingame is a Paris resident and an avid angler.
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