With barbless hooks and careful releasing techniques, the fish find the catching to be more of a simple morning workout than a life threat. Aside from the shame-faced circumstances, the tough fight of a red that size does indeed give you a dose of appreciation for what this fine species means to the sporting world. The big guy represents a culmination of good management, including a superb hatchery program. There's just no good reason why Florida can't match or even exceed Texas in stocking our waters with fingerling gamefish. We soaked up the enthusiasm officials there have for increasing fish populations in the wild and for operating outreach programs for youngsters.
Education is a driving force behind all phases.
Over the past decade and a half, a Texas coalition of government, conservationists and industry has stocked more than 300 million redfish fingerlings, along with other species. Study after study indicates the fish thrive. From 20 to 30 percent of the overall population of redfish out there resulted from the hatcheries. That makes an easy transition to the wild. The downside of using phase ones, in the view of some Florida biologists, is that they are difficult to tag and track.