BIG CATCH: Massive Blue Catfish Caught at Falcon Lake

Recently, Ricardo Garza was on a guided fish on January 15 at Falcon Lake in South Texas. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife reports, Garza caught a record-breaking blue catfish on January 15th.  The blue catfish weighed in at 62 pounds and measured 45.5 inches long! This catch earned Ricardo a Water Body Record, Big Fish Award, Water Body Catch and Release Record, and an Outstanding Angler Award, according to the report.  Read more below...

Over 2500 Pounds of Illegally Caught Fish Seized in Gulf of Mexico

Illegal fishing is going on off the coast near South Padre Island.  The Coast Guard and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department interdicted five lancha crews and seized approximately 2,640 pounds of illegally caught red snapper in waters subject to U.S. law enforcement off southern Texas, Saturday.

Boat crews from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island and Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo, in coordination with Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews, located and stopped a total of 16 Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing aboard four lanchas north of the Maritime Boundary Line.

After interdicting the lanchas, Coast Guard personnel seized 2,090 pounds of red snapper in addition to fishing gear and high flyers on board the vessels. Coast Guard crews detained the Mexican fishermen, brought them ashore, and transferred the detainees to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for further processing. Read the full press release by clicking here.

Additionally, an Air Station Corpus Christi crew alerted a TPWD boat crew to the presence of another lancha crew engaged in illegal fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line. The TPWD crew interdicted the lancha with four Mexican fishermen aboard and seized 550 pounds of illegally caught red snapper.

“Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing depletes our precious natural resources, disrupts our economy and threatens the marine environment,” said Coast Guard Capt. Hans Govertsen, commanding officer, Air Station Corpus Christi. “We are blessed to work alongside our local, state, federal, and international partners and are fiercely committed to stopping these illegal operations.”

WHAT IS A LANCHA?

A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen that is approximately 20-30 feet long with a slender profile, having one outboard motor, and is capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 30 mph. Lanchas are frequently used to transport illegal narcotics to the U.S. and illegally fish in the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S./Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.

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