Angler Demographics and Participation at a Leased Fishing Access Site in Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) manages diverse fishing opportunities in Texas waters.  Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are stocked in public waters to provide a unique winter fishery for anglers, and is an excellent option for urbanites that want to fish close to home.  Such opportunities exist at a tailrace fishery in the Guadalupe River between the cities of San Antonio and Austin, Texas.  An angler access lease is paid by TPWD at Camp Huaco Springs, New Braunfels; at the scarcity of free public access to the river.  Angler zip codes, registered upon site visitation, were evaluated using ESRI Business Analyst GIS software.  Data from 2013 to 2016 revealed that the lease effectively attracted the majority of anglers from a 25-mile radius, and 90% of visitation occurred from within a 50-mile radius.  Demographic analyses revealed that while anglers were from a wide range of affluence levels, most were from middle-age or older demographic groups.  Although comparable analyses indicate it attracts a less-diverse group of anglers than other programs in these major cities, this access lease site is valued by a large and avid segment of the angling public, and is a good economic investment to connect anglers to the resource.