- ANNOUNCER: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota -- Let's Go Places.

- NARRATOR: Coming up on Texas Parks & Wildlife... - It's bigger than just having more bobwhite quail out here.

It was having better land.

- It's really important to me that people understand that when they purchase a license, that is helping us fund all of this conservation.

- People ride around this, run around it, row in this lake all the time and never have any idea that there's something that big under there.

[theme music] ♪ ♪ - NARRATOR: Texas Parks and Wildlife, a television series for all outdoors.

[dramatic music] ♪ ♪ [gentle music] - As a kid my dad bought me a new shotgun and maybe it goes back to that, this story I'm going to tell you.

I remember walking out across my dad's ranch and a bird, a large bird flew over me and I shot it and it fell, and I went and picked that bird up and it was, people are gonna hate me for hearing this, but it was a large read-headed woodpecker.

I looked at that bird and I said, "You know, one day I'm going to make up for this."

I was an agriculturalist trying to get all I could from the land, but since that time, I've realized that this land is not just a resource to be used and abused, it's something that we have to take care of, you know, and look at all of it.

We have to go back to the way it was if we're going to save these precious natural resources we've been given to enjoy.

The messages that Mother Nature sends us -- yes, I do believe that happens more often than man wants to admit.

[gentle music] ♪ ♪ My objective in buying this place was largely a selfish one, having more quail I could hunt.

I was going to have more quail on my land than anybody had ever seen, show the world it could be done.

Needless to say, it's not an easy chore to try to bring back this bird.

The numbers have gone down since 1970, like 90%.

Perhaps it goes back to my childhood, but something kept telling me it was bigger than that.

Bigger than just having quail.

I've realized that what you're trying to save is not above it always, but below the surface.

- My name is Jim Giocomo.

I'm the coordinator of the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture, and we manage the Grassland Restoration Incentive Program.

Over the past 60 years, we've seen over a 90% decline in grassland habitat.

With massive loss of grasslands, we've lost wildlife populations, including many bird species.

The recent calculations, three billion birds since 1970, a quarter of those birds were grassland birds, 720 million birds.

At the scale that the bird populations are changing, it also indicates that the health of our land is changing and may eventually affect us as people.

[birds chirping softly] - Going back to my childhood, when water would hit the native grasses on my dad's place and surrounding area where I grew up, it would go in the ground.

These native grasses were tall stature, and when a drop of rain would hit those, it would shatter and run down into the roots.

Today, because we planted all these exotic grasses, water would hit the ground and run off the top, over the top, and carry with it all the toxic chemicals, as well as the commercial fertilizers, and all the stuff that we have on land now into the streams.

So maybe that's what caused me to realize that it's bigger than just having more bobwhite quail out here.

It was having better land, better natural resources.

Restoration is not an easy process.

Just because I wanted to do it, just because I understood the need for doing it didn't mean that I knew how to do it.

[gentle music] - The Grassland Restoration Incentive Program or GRIP gives our partners and landowners a tool to address grassland loss.

Right now, we're out here counting birds, looking at the habitats that they're in.

Most of what we do is listen for calls, and sometimes we see them, sometimes we don't, but we can identify most of the birds by calls.

Bottom line is the birds are telling us about the land condition and whether it's good enough for them.

If they're there and if their populations are growing, then the habitat is in pretty good condition.

- I'm a person of action, I suppose, and GRIP allowed me to be that person I wanted to be with respect to conservation.

By being a part of GRIP.

one of the things we do is try to remove invasive grasses.

We have to go in and not overgraze.

So we have to take cattle off for awhile, and so we let that land rest and grow up so that we have fuel to do a prescribed burn, then we burn it.

Following that, we put in cover crops, following that, we sometimes use herbicides as necessary and plant native grasses in that same winter cover crop.

- We can tell right now by the birds that we're hearing, that GRIP is working for Mr. Willis' property.

When we get out here and hear the morning calls of all these birds, that's the magic hour, the exciting part of the morning, and to know that the quail are here because of the type of management that we're doing through GRIP, that gives us a great feeling of satisfaction in a job well done.

[gentle music] - When I look out over this land we own here, before, I saw a wildlife desert.

I saw grass grazed down to the ground.

I saw a lot of dirt.

Today, I see a land that's covered with something beneficial.

The land that's not baked by the sun, not washed off by the rains, a land that's healthy again.

GRIP is not just about cost sharing.

It's the expertise you get with it.

We've gotta be wise, we've gotta work smart, we gotta save and conserve as well as produce the food and fiber this nation needs.

[gentle music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [gentle music] - The population is growing so rapidly, we've got about 29 million people in Texas now, but our fishing and license sales are not keeping up with population growth, and so we need to make sure that we are communicating and reaching these people who are now urban, who are more diverse.

[scream] - What was that?

- It was a butterfly, buddy, you're all right.

- And making sure they know what we have to offer them.

- There's probably few projects more important than R3.

It's considered key to the future success of our state agency.

The R3 plan aims to recruit, reactivate and retain, those are the three Rs, hunters, anglers, shooters, and boaters.

- Parks and Wildlife is primarily funded through our own revenue sources.

Our big revenue platform is really our recreational licenses to conserve the lands, the water, and the nature and the animals and all of the things that we do as an agency, that's where we get a lot of that money.

- It's really important to me that people understand that when they purchase a license that a portion of their license sales is helping us fund all of this conservation.

- R3 is a national movement to bring 21st century customer focused marketing research savvy to hunting and fishing license sales.

- Nobody cares more about our wild things and wild places in Texas than hunters and anglers do.

They're the ones that pay for conservation in our state and in our country.

- We call it Hug a Hunter, you know, because you gotta kinda thank hunters for conservation in Texas.

- CLERK: I've got a receipt and your hunting license, thank you very much.

- CUSTOMER: Appreciate it.

[register dings] - In order to talk about the importance of R3, it's important to talk about the importance of the R3 team.

All of the members bring diverse, special expertise to the table.

This is an inter-divisional team that represents the entire agency, every division.

So we've got fisheries biologists.

We've got statisticians.

We've got marketing experts.

We've got hunter education experts.

We've got a wide variety of people who've been around here long enough, that understand the business of the agency, but that are also forward-thinking, that can look into the future, that can think about what do we need to do to survive and thrive long-term.

- That passion and the knowledge of the people on this team kept it moving forward, without that, we probably wouldn't be here today.

- We all have other programs that we're running and projects that we work on, and we volunteered to take on this project.

[upbeat music] - And so this team, this wonderful R3 team has been laboring in the vineyards for years, this is a multi-year effort, and finally, this last year they pushed it over the goal line and completed the initial draft of the Texas R3 plan, huge accomplishment.

Someday there could be new generations of Texans who are appreciating abundant wildlife, clean water and air, open green space because of what this R3 team did.

[upbeat music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ambient road hum] - NARRATOR: Jason Johonnesson is at DFW airport to pick up some international visitors.

- JASON: The Netherlands and Germany, Denmark.

Traveling thousands of miles away to catch fish is not at all odd to them.

That's what they do.

- MIKE: Hello, Jason, how are you?

- JASON: Good.

Hello, Mike, Joanne.

Welcome to Texas.

- MIKE: Isn't it lovely out here?

A beautiful place.

- NARRATOR: Mike and Joanne have arrived from England for one reason, they've come to Texas to catch fish.

- MIKE: We would like two tickets, um, fishing permits, fishing license it would be.

- GREETER: Oh, I see, right over there at the counter.

- MIKE: At the counter.

That's me, yes.

It's a freshwater, obviously non-resident.

[typing] [license printing] - MIKE: Righty-o.

Great, thank you!

- SALES CLERK: You're looking for spinner baits?

- MIKE: Yes, sort of thing, yes.

Amazing, isn't it?

- NARRATOR: After a bit of looking around... - MIKE: Looks like one, doesn't it?

Is that a buffalo?

- JOANNE: Oh it's beautiful.

- NARRATOR: They're soon off, to the legendary Lake Fork.

- JASON: People know of Lake Fork as one of the world's premiere bass fisheries.

- MIKE: Stunning view, look at that!

- JASON: ...and rightfully so.

- NARRATOR: But Jason's clients don't come here for bass.

Mike and Joanne catch these.

- JOANNE: Lovely looking carp.

- NARRATOR: Fishing for carp is still fairly new in America, and a bit puzzling to some of the locals.

- Well, it seems a little odd to us Texans.

- I'm not from Europe.

[laughs] - Around here they're a trash fish, but I understand carp fishing's very big in Europe.

- NARRATOR: If Jason's new guide service is any indication... - JASON: I think you'll enjoy it.

- NARRATOR: ...some interest is beginning to cross the pond.

- MIKE: I am already I think.

[soft wind blows] - NARRATOR: Before the sun goes down, the week-long session of fishing has begun.

- JASON: All over Europe, primarily they go after carp.

- MIKE: If you're a carp fisherman you need a bit more time.

You need to relax and enjoy it, you know?

[tea kettle whistles] - JASON: Long session anglers basically set up camp and live there for awhile.

[casting] - MIKE: Right.

One more to do.

- JASON: It's fishing 24/7.

- MIKE: Ready to go.

[alarm beeps] Get your rods all set up, get your alarms set up because sometimes, obviously you could get a run at 3, 4 o'clock in the morning.

[alarm sounds] - JOANNE: It's big!

- NARRATOR: In the wee hours, Joanne's alarm signals the first significant catch.

- MIKE: Oh, it's a common.

- NARRATOR: It's a common carp, an Asian fish, found across Europe and North America.

- MIKE: Good start, isn't it?

- MIKE: Not bad at all.

- NARRATOR: Though Joanne and Mike are happy to catch it.... - MIKE: You okay?

- Yeah.

- NARRATOR: ...and they're sure to keep a few photos... - MIKE: That's it.

- NARRATOR: ...these visitors have actually come to Texas to catch a whole different animal.

- MIKE: Look at that, beautiful!

- Hopefully tonight we'll get a buffalo.

[buffalo snort] - NARRATOR: No, not that kind... ...this kind, a smallmouth buffalo, it resembles a carp but is actually a member of the sucker family.

- A lot of people think that a buffalo is a type of carp and it's actually not related.

Uh, carp were introduced in the United States in 1870 or so.

Buffalo is a native species, and they get really big here.

They've been captured over 100 pounds.

- NARRATOR: It was in Austin in 2008 that Jason caught a 70-pound buffalo.

- JASON: It's a beautiful day.

- NARRATOR: So the call of the buffalo has drawn Jason and a client from Germany back to Lake Austin's Emma Long Park.

- I saw a picture in the Internet from Jason with a 70-pound buffalo carp, and I thought, "I have to catch those fish."

- JASON: Florian is a well-known and well-respected fishing journalist in Germany.

He's been here to fish for alligator gar as well.

- FLORIAN: Nobody from Germany ever caught an alligator gar, so I put it into magazines and uh many people said, "Whoa, what is this?

What a fish!"

And now, it's the same with buffalo.

[camera clicks] Okay, just a second.

- NARRATOR: After their first full day of fishing, neighboring campers have caught buffalo, but Florian and Jason have not.

- TRACY: Any more bites or anything?

- FLORIAN: No, nothing.

Nothing.

- NARRATOR: Jason is keenly aware how far his client has traveled to catch these fish.

- JASON: Yeah, always a lot of pressure.

[laughs] - NARRATOR: They redouble their efforts to draw them in.

[casting line] - JASON: You have to have a plan B and a plan C and sometimes a plan D. Sometimes being mobile and moving quickly is the key to catching buffalo.

- NARRATOR: Eventually, Jason and Florian decide to move their whole camp yards down the bank.

- FLORIAN: New place, hopefully better luck.

- NARRATOR: Their neighbors have enjoyed much more success, using the same baits.

- JASON: Nice!

[cameras clicking] [alarm beeping] - NARRATOR: Within minutes, their new location pays off.

- JASON: That didn't take long.

Yeah, let me get the net.

- FLORIAN: Yea!

That's fishing.

You never know.

It's unbelievable.

I've been all over the world and I've caught some very, very nice and big fish.

[fish splashes into net] - When he catches one over 40 pounds, then I'll feel some relief!

- We don't have buffalos in Europe, so it is a very good experience.

[slashing] - JASON: They're magnificent fish.

- NARRATOR: Word is spreading that world-class buffalo and carp fishing can be found on Lake Austin, and in the middle of Austin on Ladybird Lake.

Just ask the Bates brothers.

- STEVEN BATES: This is one of the three best carp fishing waters in the whole of America.

- NARRATOR: They are competing with 16 other teams in an annual carp fishing tournament.

[water splash] - This is the eighth annual Carp Anglers Group Austin Team Championship.

Total team weight takes first prize.

- K.C.

CRAWFORD: That's awesome.

Forty-three pounds, twelve ounces.

- NARRATOR: K.C.

Crawford just boosted his team's standing by catching a new state record carp.

[fish flops] - K.C.

: People ride around this, run around it, row in this lake all the time, and never have any idea that there's something that big under there.

I caught that one 10 foot off the bank, so your dog might have been swimming next to it.

Bigger than your dog!

[laughs] [smack] He slapped the [bleep] out of me.

I guess I deserve it, I did have a hook in his mouth.

- EDMEN: This is a big fella.

- NARRATOR: Edmen Flores has gone carp fishing with his dad for most of his life.

- EDMEN: Good one.

When I was, like, five, we got into a carp tournament just for the heck of it.

[straining] Today that's his second buffalo.

A beautiful 35-pound buff.

Bringing in something that big is a miracle.

My friend, he thinks a 12-pound fish is big.

We really need to take him fishing.

- STEVEN: We've got to get that one still.

Oh you take your reel off, huh?

We've been lucky today, we've caught about five right here.

The fishing was very good.

- NARRATOR: At the end of the day, the anglers meet to share dinner... - MAN: We missing anybody?

- NARRATOR: ...stories... ...and a few awards.

- CHAD: The Bates brothers with 550.69 pounds.

Congratulations on your A.T.C.

victory.

[applause] - STEVEN: We really never knew until right now.

We've had a second, a third, and a fourth in the other three years, but um, first is much nicer.

We never got one of these for coming in second.

- NARRATOR: Those who caught the biggest fish even go home with a little extra cash.

Including Edmen Flores, who wins the prize for the largest buffalo.

- Congratulations.

Go buy a Nintendo.

[laughs] - NARRATOR: In case you were wondering, Florian never did catch a 70-pound buffalo, but he did go back to Germany with plenty of stories.

- It's been absolutely brilliant.

- NARRATOR: Mike and Joanne returned to England happy as well.

- We just love to travel for the carp to different countries.

And sometimes we do more camping than catching.

[laughs] - NARRATOR: This trip, like all the best ones, had both.

- JOANNE: Yea!

- MIKE: That's it.

Perfect.

[laughs] [splashing] - JOANNE: You're always so close to nature, it's just lovely to be outside.

Gorgeous isn't it?

That's a nice picture.

[camera shutter] - MIKE: You couldn't ask for any better.

- JOANNE: It's definitely worthwhile.

- MIKE: First time in Texas.

I think we'll be coming back.

- MIKE: Beautiful!

[upbeat music] [upbeat music] - Hello everyone.

My name is Greg Akins with Texas Parks and Wildlife.

I'm with the Aquatic Education and Outreach Division.

I wanted to show you guys today about gear maintenance.

I have several different rods here.

I'm going to show you the process of despooling it, oiling it, lubing it, and then re-spooling it again.

This is actually a pad that I put together to despool the line.

All you're doing is just bringing it in All you're doing is just bringing it in and that's it.

We can cut it.

We're going to go ahead and take the reel off, and we'll start rinsing it.

The reason why we're taking the rod and reel off and putting it in soap water and fresh water is to make sure that the salt content and any sand that may be particles may be in the reel are completely rinsed out of the reel.

After we do that, then we're preparing it for oiling and lubing.

We take the lube and we're putting it and pasting it on the inside of the reel.

You just take it and dip it in there.

Okay, then you get the oil.

Spray the oil, on the spring and the inside of it.

You can put a little bit on the winder, and a little bit on the inside of that shaft section.

And that's it.

So after we've dried the reel real well, we get that knot ready.

Then you close the bail, and we start to spool the line.

And it's just that simple.

We're respooling a line now basically using another 25-pound test line.

If you were out here on this pond, you would need 10 to 12 pounds.

Even eight pounds would be sufficient.

- Booyah.

- GREG: But if you're going in the saltwater estuaries, you're going to need bigger test line for bigger species.

- MAN: All right.

- WOMAN: Mira.

[camera clicking] - Our reel is now ready to go, it is time to get out there and go fishing.

Enjoy yourself in our Texas waters.

[gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] [gentle wind blowing] This series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota -- Let's Go Places.