Tag: Texas Parks and Wildlife

Fisherman earns several awards by catching a 62-pound catfish

In addition to a variety of awards, the Texas angler earned a new responsibility by catching a lake-record 62-pound catfish at Falcon Lake.

A fisherman in Texas earned a variety of awards, along with a new responsibility, by catching a lake-record 62-pound, 45.5-inch blue catfish from Falcon Lake.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife, Ricardo Garza earned a Water Body Record, Big Fish Award, Water Body Catch and Release Record, and an Outstanding Angler Award.

In addition, Garza, who is also a fishing guide from Lone Star Fishing Guide Service, became the newest Official Weigh Station for the Angler Recognition Program in Texas.

“If you are fishing near Zapata, Texas, and think you may have a record, give Ricardo a call!” the Texas Parks and Wildlife post stated.

Incidentally, the blue catfish record for Texas is 121.5 pounds caught by Cody Mullennix on Lake Texoma on Jan. 16, 2004, nearly 20 years before Garza’s catch, which was on January 15.

According to the International Game Fish Association, the all-tackle world-record blue catfish is 143 pounds caught by Richard Nicholas Anderson on Kerr Lake, Buggs Island, Va., on June 18, 2011.

‘Rarest of rare’ animal spotted in Texas desert

The desert mule deer is a common sight in west Texas, but wildlife biologists in the area came across an extremely uncommon sight.

The desert mule deer is a common sight in the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas, but when wildlife biologists conducted surveys recently, they came across an extremely uncommon sight.

In fact, it was what they called “the rarest of rare” animals.

What the Texas Parks and Wildlife—Trans-Pecos Wildlife District spotted from a helicopter and captured in video was a melanistic (black hair) mule deer fawn, “a one-in-a-million anomaly.”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Rarely seen creature that eats porcupines captured in video

“This special deer appears all black except for quick flashes of white fur as it dashes away from the whirring helicopter,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said. “It stands in stark contrast to the older, larger mule deer running ahead of it, sporting the typical brown and white coloration.”

The video was posted on Facebook with credit to District 1 biologists J. Etchart and J. Weaver.


“Melanism is a rare, random genetic anomaly believed to be caused by mutations in the melanicortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R), which leads to an over production of the pigment melanin,” the TPWD stated on Facebook.

“It’s difficult for biologists to quantify the number of mule deer that have this condition, but it’s estimated to be around 1 in several million – making it even more rare than an albino (all white hair) or piebald (white spotted) mule deer. A one-in-a-million anomaly.”

Photo courtesy of TPWD.

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