Lone Star Outdoor News 022324

Big wahoo when seas settle

By Nate Skinner

For Lone Star outdoor newS

Calm seas along the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico seem to be few and far between recently, but offshore anglers have taken advantage of a few weather windows. Most have been targeting wahoo, while others have been locating red snapper within state waters.

Joey Schiller has been running offshore out of Surfside during ideal conditions, and has mainly been targeting wahoo. He’s been dragging baits around the Flower Gardens, about 120 miles out in 130-220 feet of water.

“There’s been a ton of wahoo in areas

Quail numbers flighty

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Bill Hagen, of Bayview, hunts quail with his dogs in South Texas, and said this season has been a little bit better than average. “I spend most of my time off of Highway 281 south of Encino,” he said. “On my personal lease, we don’t do feed lanes and we hunt a different area each time to not harass

the same birds. When the weather is conducive, we’ll see 15 coveys in the mornings. If there was a nice day with cloud cover and we could run dogs all day, I think we would see more.”

Hagen said covey sizes have remained big, with more than 8-10 birds per group.

“There are some young birds, too,” he said. With good conditions last spring followed by a scorch-

ing, dry summer, Hagen said the pastures look great for February. “It looks like Ireland out here it’s so green,” he said.

John Austin, owner of Cochina Hunting Club, said their best success has been coming out of Dimmit County on 15,000 acres west of Carrizo Springs.

“Our hunters are getting 15 to 20 coveys per day, and they are still seeing that many,” he

Setting floating lines for catfish

By Robert Sloan For Lone Star outdoor newS

said. “We don’t hunt them real hard, but after deer season we have had several groups of around six hunters.”

Other areas in South Texas don’t have the numbers to hunt, Austin said.

“Around Cotulla they are pretty slim and even the King Ranch area is slower this year,” he said.

David J. Jones said he has been having good hunts near Encino, and positive reports

The other noodling

type doesn’t involve grabbing catfish with your hands.

He has invented a way of catching catfish, lots of them, with a rig that’s easy to use, fun to fish with and about as laid back as catfishing gets.

There are many ways to catch a mess of catfish, but it’s downright tough to beat setting out noodle lines. That’s one way guide Chris Bullock likes to put his customers on a cooler full of catfish.

Bullock has been noodling for catfish for over 20 years. But this

Here’s his noodle assembly plan. It starts with a length of PVC pipe.

“The pipe is 28 to 30 inches long,” Bullock said. “The diameter of the pipe is 3/4 to 1 inch. Next you take two tees and glue them

to each end of the pipe. That’s after you push the pipe through a pool noodle that you can get from Dollar General. After that you take about 13 feet of mason line and tie one end to the PVC tee on one end of the pipe. At the end of the line tie on a swivel to a leader. That leader is 2 feet of 30-pound test monofilament line. You don’t want to use a leader that can get hung up on logs and brush. If a big catfish gets hung up it’ll be able to break the leader and the hook and

Carson Deer caught this 91.3-pound wahoo while fishing offshore out of Tiki Island in about 200 feet of water. Photo from Carson Deer.

Dimmit County hunters are seeing fair to good numbers of quail coveys, while other areas in South Texas are spotty. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

A swimming pool noodle and a piece of PVC pipe can help bring catfish in the boat. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

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Javelina hunt for mothers and daughters

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

At 10 years old, Callie Kellner made her first harvest as a hunter on a mother-daughter weekend javelina hunting trip put on by the Texas Youth Hunting Program on a ranch outside of Eagle Pass. Soon after taking the collared peccary, a second one presented her with a shot opportunity, and she was able to fill her javelina bag limit for the year.

Kellner said the weekend hunting trip began with practice at the shooting range. The next morning, she set out to hunt javelina with her mother and her guide, Kayla Krueger.

The first morning hunt was slow, but things changed in the afternoon.

“We were sitting in a blind, overlooking a feeder, and about 20 javelina came out of the brush,” Kellner said. “They were moving around a lot, and I started to get nervous because I didn’t want to make a bad shot and miss, and then they would run off. I took my time, as they kept walking around until one finally gave me a good shot opportunity.”

The peccary fell where it was standing after she fired her rifle chambered in 6.5 Grendel.

“After I saw the javelina drop, I was excited and became a lot more confident,” Kellner said. “A little bit later, about 15 javelina showed back up, and this time I was pumped up and ready to shoot.”

A few moments later, she harvested her second javelina of the trip.

Kellner said her favorite part of the trip was skinning the javelina she harvested and learning about the cuts of meat and parts of the animal that were good to cook and eat.

“We had venison or javelina meat with every meal on the trip,” she said.

The “huntmaster” for the hunt was Kristin Parma. According to Parma there were four mother-daughter pairs, and all of the girls who hunted were from 9 to 12 years old.

“This was the sixth year that I have been able to head up this all girls’ hunt, and it’s an event that has become very special to me,” Parma said. “I’ve always felt like the bond between a mother and a daughter could be strengthened through outdoor experiences, and I think it’s important for young women to see other women thriving in the outdoors. I want them to feel like hunting is a passion that they can pursue for the rest of their lives.”

All of the mentors and guides on the trip were women as well. The trip also included activities such as painting, interacting with game wardens, charades, and introductions into eating and preparing wild game.

“It’s always incredible to see the girls and their moms embrace the idea of creating meals for their family using javelina or wild game meat,” Parma said.

Muy Grande Deer Contest’s 59th year

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

The Muy Grande Deer Contest, considered the very first deer contest, began in 1965 in Freer, Duval County. Founder Leonel R. Garza was the manager of the Center Circle Gas Station at the time. Now, the contest has almost 1,900 registered lifetime members and almost 1,000 registered entries each year. In the contest’s first year, the only category was Widest Spread. Now, the contest is known worldwide and is dubbed “The Grand Daddy of All Deer Hunting Competitions.”

The coveted All-Around category has its own scoring system, called Muy Grande Points, which in addition to typical scoring, includes the animal’s weight (x1) and magnifies the buck’s spread (x5), total points (x5) and mass (x5).

All-Around:

Men

Julian Garcia

Webb

La Muralla 4 Ranch

Women

Shelly Newman

La Salle Retamosa Ranch

First deer after 5-year quest

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Sometimes the search for your first deer takes longer than you think, even when your hunts are on Managed Lands Deer Permit program ranches. And on some hunts, the deer you hope and almost expect to come out just don’t.

For Kamille Martin, the quest began in 2018 when she hunted with the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation. Martin, who then worked for Dallas Safari Club, expressed the desire to go on her first hunt with another employee.

“It was fun and I learned a lot, but we didn’t see much,” she said. “There was never any opportunity to shoot. It

seemed like we saw more deer away from the blind than when we were in it.”

She returned to the ranch, trying for a Rio Grande turkey.

“We never saw any gobblers,” she said.

This February, she made her third trip to the Stonewall County ranch.

“We saw a good number of deer, but they were mostly too young,” she said. “There was finally one I could shoot but he kept moving each time I was about ready. The last time he moved, he didn’t come back.”

Still, many of the deer weren’t interested in the feeders.

“There was plenty of green weeds and a wheat field,

Boys Rush Henderson Webb

Junco Ranch

Girls

Hunter Hurt La Salle

HR Ranch

Now, the total number of categories are lengthy, and include Youth, Pope & Young, Mexico, Macho Grande, Open, Heaviest, Longest, Kids Korner, and the 170+, 180+, 190+, 200+ and 300+ clubs, and each include Most Points, Widest Spread, Longest Drop Tine, Mr. Heavy (mass), Best 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 pointer and

Low Fence

Typical

Men

Aaron Wooten, of San Angelo

Webb 186 5/8 Gross

Women

Kinsley Emshoff, of Alice Webb

166 4/8

Boys

Luke Alexander, of Friendswood

Webb 147 1/8

Girls

Brooklyn Bowling, of San Antonio La Salle

Callie Kellner, left, shows two javelina she harvested alongside her mom, Rachel Kellner, on an all-girls hunt.

Photo from Rachel Kellner.

Aaron Wooten topped the Low Fence Men’s category at the 59th Annual Muy Grande Deer Contest. Photo from Muy Grande Deer Contest.

Kamille Martin, right, and Mimi Meyer head back from the blind after a hunt with the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Public land hunting for small game

By Cory Byrnes For Lone Star outdoor newS

This time of year in Texas is what some call a great lull. Most other hunting seasons are over, and spring turkey hunting has yet to begin. Coming off the hunting season high can be rough. There is good news, though. Texas allows hunting for small game in many counties, providing year-round opportunities.

For many hunters, small-game hunting can be nostalgic.

“I hunted rabbits for my grandmother when I was a teenager,” said hunter John Adams. “She loved to stew rabbit.”

Adams has hunted for squirrel, rabbits, raccoons, dove and quail at one point or another in his life, and rabbit is still one of his favorites.

For seasoned hunters, small game hunting helps keep their skills sharp for bigger game.

“Small game is a different challenge than large game,” Adams said. “It is an opportunity to scout new locations for the next season, where a shot opportunity can lead to a harvest for the table. It is an opportunity for one generation to pass down knowledge to the next.”

For new hunters, it’s an opportunity to learn the basics and begin developing essential skills like tracking, sign reading, firearm safety and shot placement.

“Small game is relatively easy to find, whereas hunting large game can be an exercise in waiting,” Adams said.

New hunters will have more opportunities to harvest an animal, and that will keep them interested in hunting.

Hunters don’t need to be fixated on one type of small game like squirrel. Checking the Annual Public Hunting book or App, most places that allow you to harvest squirrel will also allow you to harvest other small game, like rabbits.

“Even when going squirrel hunting you might not see any,” Jonah Byrnes said of his hunt near Nails Creek State Park. “But I had fun, and we did get a rabbit.”

Most hunters are little more than an hour away from their nearest public hunting land, where small game provides another opportunity to be in the woods. Even if all you see is a single rabbit.

Small game hunting after most hunting seasons end can help develop shooting and hunting skills. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Son’s first buck, through his father’s eyes

A person never forgets his or her first deer or their first buck. And this season I was fortunate enough to share those special moments with my oldest son, Waylon, during his first deer season as hunter instead of observer.

In November, Waylon harvested his first deer, a doe, on our family farm at age 5. He made seven sits in a blind during the week of Thanksgiving before getting a shot at a doe. During one particular evening hunt, he made a great shot at a raccoon, right at dark at about 80 yards. Though I was disappointed he hadn’t gotten a shot at a doe, the youngster couldn’t have been more elated and pumped up about his coon. You can imagine how excited he was, and how excited I was, when he made a great shot on his doe later that week.

My son’s reaction to harvesting a coon was the first of many lessons I learned throughout the season together. I realized that from a child’s point of view, every time we went to the blind was an adventure, at least to him. Something I had done who knows how many times, that I somehow managed to take for granted, he cherished. And it didn’t matter how many deer we saw.

Every time Waylon told me, “Thanks for taking me hunting, dad, I had a lot of fun,” at the end of a hunt, I was reminded just how special every minute was in the blind with him.

Several weeks later, Waylon was in pursuit of a buck. He was now 6 years old, as his birthday is during the middle of deer season. We played cat and mouse with a few bucks, but in the midst of the chase, he was able to harvest his first hog. Again, his excitement and enthusiasm was through the roof, and

I realized just how excited I would get each

Over the last few weeks, there had been some bucks patterning at one of the feeders at our family farm. There was one buck in particular that I just felt like would make a great first buck, so we made plans to go after him.

We got set up in the blind one afternoon for an evening sit, and I was confident this was going to be the time when he would harvest his first buck, probably because the buck we were after had been coming to that feeder every evening for the past week and a half.

As we sat there and the evening wore on, I began to get frustrated, because we hadn’t seen a single deer, and we were running out of daylight. I realized that taking him hunting was as much about me as it was about him. I wanted to see him excited. I wanted to see him succeed. I wanted to see him wrap his hands around the antlers of his first buck.

We were down to the last 20 minutes or so of legal shooting light, and I had just about given up hope, when the buck we were after walked out. All of a sudden, Waylon was breathing heavily, and so was I. It wasn’t long before Waylon told me, “Dad, I’m ready to shoot.”

He took the safety off, and after what seemed like an eternity, he took the shot. The buck’s reaction immediately signaled that Waylon had made an excellent shot. The celebration began.

I’m not sure words can describe the emotions that overcame me that evening as we admired Waylon’s first buck. All I know is that my hunting experience was now forever changed. Hunting was no longer about me, but at the same time, it was about me — just in a different way.

Deer contest winners

Continued from page 4

Girls

Kinley Knezek, of Yoakum 173 7/8

High Fence

Typical Men

Dennis McClure

Webb

190 5/8

Women

Kenlee Polk, of Corpus Christi

Duval

165

Boys

Easton Starr, of League City

Webb

162 5/8

Girls

Julissa Aparicio, of Corpus Christi

Starr

177 6/8

Nontypical

Men

Steve Robinson, of College Station

Jim Wells

232 6/8

Women Taylor Crull, of San Antonio

Frio 204 1/8

Boys Graves Peeler, of Corpus Christi Jim Wells

189 2/8

Girls

Caroline Orsak, of Bulverde La Salle 179 2/8

Photos of all winning entries may be viewed at muygrandevillage.com. The contest’s annual award ceremony takes place in June.

Waylon Skinner, 6, took his first buck while hunting with his dad on their family ranch.

Photo from Nate Skinner.

Getting on birds

Continued from page 1

are coming from some of the areas near Hebbronville, while other areas are struggling.

“We put the first dogs on the ground around 8 a.m. and picked the last ones up at 1 p.m.,” Jones said. “In that time we found 15 or 16 coveys, and some of them were very big for this time of the year.”

Rolling Plains and Panhandle hunters have had better success than last year, but the birds are still scarce in some areas.

“We have flat wore ourselves and our dogs out looking for birds in eastern Hemphill County, but have come up empty,” John Thomas said.

A nearby hunter had a different experience.

“We’ve actually had a good season farther west of there,” the hunter posted. “We’re moving 10 to 13 coveys a day.”

At the Matador Wildlife Management Area, near Paducah, officials said the WMA’s hunts ended at the end of January, and the area received 6 inches of snow before Valentine’s Day.

“The numbers were better than in several years,” the WMA reported. “We had 421 hunter check-ins who spent 792 days in the field and harvested 835 quail. Even at the end of our season, many hunters were bumping several coveys a day with some coveys having 15-plus birds.”

Statewide quail season ends Feb. 25.

Goal achieved

Continued from page 4

maybe they were more interested in that,” Martin said.

She was invited to return to the ranch the next week, but she already had another invitation to the Sombrerito Ranch in Webb County.

“I felt kind of bad, we had tried so hard,” she said. “But they encouraged me to go and experience something different.”

The ranch, owned by the Carter family of Carter’s Country, is known both for numbers and size of deer. Martin was there to hopefully take a management deer.

“We saw some massive deer, though,” she said.

Watching the different deer come out, she finally got the green light on a buck from her guide, and made the 100-yard shot with a 6.5

Creedmoor.

“I used the tips Mimi Meyer taught me on the other hunts,” Martin said. “After I shot, the buck ran into the thick brush and I kept asking the guide if he was sure I got it,” Martin said. “He kept saying yes but I was anxious.”

After a wait and a short search, they were dragging her first buck out of the brush.

“I did help skin it,” Martin said. “They thought it was funny when one of my fake nails popped off. They said that was a first.”

Hopefully the hunts, including the successful finale, will lead to many more.

“I spent almost 5 years after that first buck,” she said. “I was glad to finally get it done.”

Quail hunters are optimistic in increasing numbers of birds in many areas and improved conditions for the upcoming breeding season. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

After several attempts over five years, Kamille Martin took her first buck in February at the Sombrerito Ranch. Photo from Kamille Martin.

By Tony Vindell

For Lone Star outdoor newS

A new floating cabin north of what is known as the Land Cut in the Upper Laguna Madre serves multiple purposes.

One is to enforce hunting and fishing regulations. Other uses include border operations and training cadets.

As many as two such cabins had been placed on both the north and south sides of the cut but were destroyed by storms and/or strange circumstances.

Although a game warden has jurisdiction all over the Lone Star State, game wardens assigned to cover sparsely populated Kenedy and Kleberg counties used the cabin on the north end while their counterparts from Willacy County handled part of their operations on the south end.

A reason behind that is the distance.

It usually takes more than an hour to get from Port Mansfield harbor to the Land Cut by water. And for game wardens working north of the cut, having a floating cabin has been long overdue.

“We have been waiting for this for a long time,” Brad Meloni, a veteran game warden from Kingsville, said. “We are all happy we have it now.”

The $82,000 cabin was acquired with funds from a grant from Coastal Conservation Association (CCA Texas) and it’s already being used by the wardens.

It can easily accommodate up to eight people at a time plus additional ones who don’t mind sleeping on its floor.

Meloni said having a floating cabin in the Upper Laguna Madre area allows them to stay longer on the water and to patrol more often.

To get to the north end of the Land Cut takes time and 30 gallons of fuel to go back and forth. The cabin cuts the time and fuel consumption by at least half.

Previously, two cabins were stationed in the area several years ago but were destroyed either by tropical storms or by people who, for one reason or another, did not like what they saw. Some believe the cabins were burned by those who don’t like the

George H.W. Bush’s boat sold

Lone Star outdoor newS

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Tides have been low up and down the coast, causing black drum and redfish to stack up in schools in specific areas that hold a little deeper water. Many anglers are catching good numbers of both species of drum.

Brandon Molina has been targeting black drum along the Texas City Dike, where he has had the most success while fishing from the rocks near the end of the dike. Cracked crab has been producing the most bites.

“The action from black drum has been pretty consistent and steady, as long as you are able to get blue crab to use for bait,” Molina said. “You’ve got to have fresh crab to catch them right now. I’ve

been breaking them in half and getting two baits out of each crab.”

Molina said the black drum have been coming through in schools and multiple anglers will hook up at the same time when the fish are feeding. Most of the drum Molina measured have been from 30-40 inches. The biggest black drum he has seen measured 44 inches and was caught by another angler.

“The drum seem to be more active when the tide is moving,” he said.

Coastal Bend guide Capt. Tim Meyer said both red drum and black drum have been feeding aggressively from Rockport down to Baffin.

“Redfish and black drum have been stacking up in deeper guts, adjacent to shallow flats, during periods of lower-than-normal

Donning Please turn to page 11

By Robert Sloan For Lone Star outdoor newS

Former President George H.W. Bush’s speed boat, the Fidelity V, was sold Feb. 15 at auction for $435,000.

The 38-foot boat was sold at the 2024 Presidential Salute auction, held by the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, in Houston. Proceeds will be used to expand offerings at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum and The Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Bush purchased the 2011-model Fountain 38CC after both he and his son, former President George W. Bush, had left office.

The watercraft is emblazoned with a presidential seal and boasts three Mercury outboard engines that can propel the vessel to 75 mph. The boat was used in the North Atlantic waters off Kennebunkport, where the family has a summer retreat on the Maine coast.

Probably the best way to catch wintertime trophy class trout along the Texas coast is to wade. It’s the way many anglers in the know go after career trout, and some of the best water is on the lower Texas coast.

Guide Eric Gonsoulin specializes in putting his customers on big winter trout. While doing this, he covers a lot of water. For example, he might be in Rockport one day, and wading the flats of the Lower Laguna Madre the next.

“Right now, I’m looking for trout that are feed-

ing over sand and grass,” Gonsoulin said. “The water temperature is warmer than usual for this time of year. One thing is for sure, trout will be feeding heavily on mullet for the next couple of months.”

That’s why his go-to lure is a Corky, and one the top color combinations is white and dark watermelon. He’ll also use a Soft Dine in pearl and chartreuse or white. Both lures are mullet imitations, which is why they have caught so many big trout.

“Another one of my goto lures is a Coastal Brew Dart,” Gonsoulin said. The lure is built with a long, thin and whippy tail.

Anglers are finding both red and black drum schooling together.

Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News. Below, Jeffrey and Tina Hollingsworth landed this pair of slot redfish on cut mullet while fishing out of Port Aransas. Photo by Capt. Alex Cruz.

It performs best with erratic pop, pop, pop and fall retrieve. The Brew comes in two lengths — 5 and 6 inches.

“I’m fishing in knee- to waist-deep water,” Gonsoulin said. “During February and March I’ll be fishing a lot on Baffin. That’s where the Corky, soft Dine and Coastal Brew lures are favored by the heavier trout.”

His reel is spooled with 30-pound test braid. And his leader is about 5-6 feet long. He prefers a mono leader because it will stretch. The fluorocarbon leader will not.

“When I’m on the water I’m always looking for

big

Eric Gonsoulin travels the lower coast to wade-fish for big speckled trout. Photo from Eric Gonsoulin.

Lusk to enter freshwater HOF

Lone Star outdoor newS

The Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame announced Bob Lusk, of Granbury, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024.

Lusk helped build the private fisheries industry in Texas and throughout the United States and is widely considered the top pond management expert in the country, generously sharing knowledge and advice through the Pond Boss magazine, website, Facebook page and online forum.

“Bob is a great credit to the state of Texas and has contributed immensely to the world of freshwater fishing and fisheries management,” said Kelly Jordon, Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame selection committee chairman.

Bob Lusk

Lusk was born in Fort Worth and at the age of 14, his family acquired land on the Brazos River between Granbury and Glen Rose. He found his passion for water and the aquatic species that lived there on this property and from then on knew he wanted to make a liv ing working with fish. Lusk graduated from Texas A&M University in 1979 with a degree in aquaculture and fisheries management. Shortly after graduation, he leased a fish farm in Wichita Falls and started his business.

In 1981, Lusk began supplying fish to private pond owners through the Soil Conservation Service Districts, led by SCS (now NRCS) State biologist Gary Valentine. The program and business growth enabled Lusk and several others to increase fish availability statewide.

Lusk proceeded to transform numerous water bodies from livestock ponds to trophy fisheries. His innovations led to the development of fish foods with Purina Mills, giving pond owners options to feed multiple sizes of fish and species beyond channel catfish.

Lusk’s Texas based business conducts consulting projects for private fisheries owners from New York to California. He employed dozens of biologists, with some going on to establish their own lake management ventures.

Houston Fishing Show turns 49

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

More than 200 exhibitors were present at the 49th annual Houston Fishing Show, which took place Feb. 14-18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Anglers from across the state were in attendance to take advantage of exclusive discounted prices on the latest rods, reels, lures and other fishing and outdoor gear. Others came to chat with fishing guides and outfitters, and to book guided fishing trips or other outdoor adventures.

“We were just one of many companies exhibiting and selling lures at the Houston Fishing Show,” said Jacob Sumney, owner of KDEN Lures. “Just about any popular lure company or manufacturer in the inshore fishing industry that you could think of had a presence. There were also some freshwater lure companies and manufacturers exhibiting.”

Many anglers who went to the show seemed to notice that there weren’t as many fishing rod companies with booths

in attendance as there had been in previous years. The folks at Waterloo Rod Company said that several people shopping for rods made mention about the smaller amount of fishing rod exhibitors.

Mikael Lerma, the founder of an apparel company called Truchador & Co., said there seemed to be fewer exhibitors selling apparel than in years past.

“Sure, a lot of booths had T- shirts and hats, but there weren’t as many true apparel companies or brands exhibiting as there used to be a few years ago,” Lerma said.

“Apparel is not an easy business to get into. We have been lucky enough to partner with some great folks in the industry, and we appreciate all of the support from our customers. It’s been great to meet so many of them at the Houston Fishing Show over the past few years, and it’s become an event that we always look forward to.”

The expo included a good number of fishing guides, charter captains and outfitters, many who had special, discounted prices for those that booked trips while at the show.

Classic returning to Ray Roberts

The Bassmaster Classic will return to Lake Ray Roberts and Fort Worth on March 21-23, 2025 for fishing’s biggest event of the year. Competition will take place at Lake Ray Roberts, near Denton, and weigh-ins, along with tournament festivities and the Classic Expo. will be held in Fort Worth at Dickies Arena and the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Fort Worth and Lake Ray Roberts hosted the event in 2021, drawing 147,197 fans. At the time, it was the second-largest crowd ever for a Bassmaster Classic.

—B.A.S.S.

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

ALAN HENRY: Water clear; 46 degrees; 3.90’ low. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

AMISTAD: Water stained; 59 degrees; 61.40’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Ned rigs, finesse worms and shaky heads. White bass and stripers are fair on spoons and crankbaits.

ARLINGTON: Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.86’ high. Largemouth bass are slow.

ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 47-50 degrees; 8.04’ low. Catfish are fair on cut bait and live bait.

ATHENS: Water clear; 50-55 degrees; 0.54’ high. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits, jerk baits and shaky-head worms.

AUSTIN: Water stained; 58-62 degrees; 0.60’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs and soft plastics and drop shots.

B A STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.31’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared bait.

BASTROP: Water stained; 58-65 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on senkos, weightless swimbaits, flukes and craws.

BELTON: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 13.23’ low. White bass and hybrid stripers are good on slabs. Catfish are slow.

BENBROOK: Water stained; 46 degrees; 0.17’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and stink bait.

BRAUNIG: Water stained, 57-60 degrees. Red drum are fair on cut bait and scented baits. Catfish are fair on cheese bait, liver and frozen shrimp.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 50 degrees; 15.36’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs and soft plastics. White bass and hybrids are fair dead-sticking baits. Crappie are slow. Catfish are good on cut bait.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 53 degrees; 8.72’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jerkbaits and Alabama rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are good on crankbaits and Alabama rigs. Catfish are slow.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 50-52 degrees; 25.58 ‘ low. White bass are good dead-sticking soft plastics and vertical jigging slab spoons.

CADDO: Water stained; 61 degrees; 1.81’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on wacky worms, flukes and chatter baits

CALAVERAS: Water lightly stained, 57 degrees. Red drum are fair on frozen shrimp, cut bait and crawfish scented baits. Catfish are fair on cheese bait, frozen shrimp and liver.

CANYON: Water clear to lightly stained; 58 degrees; 21.22’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on drop shots and Texas-rigged soft plastics. Stripers are good on swimbaits.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 51-53 degrees; 0.17’ high. White bass are good dead-sticking baits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 54 degrees; 27.92’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows or jigs. Catfish are fair on stink bait and cut shad.

CONROE: Water stained; 57 degrees; 0.46’ high. Hybrid striped bass are good on jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait.

COOPER: Water stained; 50 degrees: 1.00’ low. Catfish are good on cut shad.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Water stained 52 degrees; 7.83’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are slow. Catfish are good on cut bait and cheese bait.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN: Water stained; 53 degrees; 5.99’ low. White bass are fair on slabs and minnows. Crappie are fair on jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure.

FALCON: Water stained; 63-67 degrees; 36.70’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weedless swimbaits, chatter baits and spinner baits. Catfish are good on shad under a cork.

FT PHANTOM HILL: Water stained; 50 degrees; 6.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jigs, Texas-rigged worms and crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are slow.

GRANBURY: Water lightly stained; 50-55 degrees; 0.14’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs and soft plastics. White bass are fair on slabs. Striped bass are fair on swimbaits and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad.

GRANGER: Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 1.84’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. White bass are good on roadrunners. Catfish are good on shad and cut bait.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 50 degrees; 1.22’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on jigs.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water clear; 55 degrees; 0.73’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on shaky heads, wacky worms and jerk baits. Crappie are good on minnows.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water stained; 50 degrees; 11.82’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on football jigs, spinner baits and deep-diving crankbaits. Crappie are good on roadrunners. Catfish are good on cut shad and stink bait.

JACKSONVILLE: Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.43’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits, swimbaits and chatter baits.

JOE POOL: Water stained; 50 degrees; 1.36’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 58 degrees; 2.31’ high. Crappie are fair on jigs. White bass are good on tail spinners and Mister Twisters. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

FAYETTE: Water stained; 57 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigs and finesse worms.

FORK: Water stained; 52-58 degrees; 0.08’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatter baits and spinner baits. Crappie are good on small jigs.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 0.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on swimbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics. White bass are good on small jigs, rooster tails and minnows. Catfish are fair on cut shad.

LBJ: Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.29’ low. Crappie are fair on jigs. White bass are fair on jigging spoons. Catfish are good on cut shad.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 47-52 degrees; 0.05’ low. White bass are fair on slabs, jigs and live bait. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and chicken breasts.

LIMESTONE: Water stained; 52-57 degrees; 0.44’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatter baits, spinner baits and Texas rigs. White bass are fair on jigging spoons and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 50 degrees; 1.12’ high. White bass are good in creeks on jigs and roadrunners. Catfish are fair on shad.

MARTIN CREEK: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 0.01’ high. Largemouth bass are good on swimbaits, jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are slow. Catfish are good on live and cut bait.

MEREDITH: Water stained; 42 degrees; 45.23’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on minnows and artificials. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on minnows, slabs and vertical presentations. Walleye are fair on minnows, grubs and artificials.

OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 15.90’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Alabama rigs and deep-diving crankbaits.

PALESTINE: Water stained; 54-58 degrees; 0.50’ high. Largemouth bass are are good on creature baits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on bladed jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared stink baits.

POSSUM KINGDOM:

Water clear; 50-55 degrees; 0.50’ low. Striped bass are fair on swimbaits. White bass are fair on small slabs and small jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad.

RAVEN: Water stained; 58 degrees. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are slow.

RAY HUBBARD: Water stained; 48-52 degrees; 0.00’ low. White bass are good on slab/jig combinations. Crappie are slow. Catfish are good on cut bait and shad.

RAY ROBERTS:

Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 0.43’ low. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are good on cut shad.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS:

NACOGDOCHES: Water stained; 55-59 degrees; 1.79’ high. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits and square-billed crankbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

NACONICHE: Water stained; 47 degrees; 1.00’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Alabama rigs, deepdiving crankbaits and shad imitations. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfish are slow.

NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained; 54 degrees. 0.39’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait and stink bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 50-53 degrees; 2.43’ high. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on cut bait and punch bait.

O H IVIE: Water stained; 57 degrees; 30.69’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on swimbaits. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on live bait or jigs.

Water clear; 50-54 degrees; 0.58’ high. White bass and hybrids are fair on slabs and jigs. Catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait. SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 55 degrees; 1.32’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics, Alabama rigs, lipless crankbaits and crankbaits. Crappie and white bass are good on bladed jigs in the river and creeks. Catfish are fair on cut bait and punch bait.

SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 54 degrees; 0.24’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and jerkbaits. Crappie are slow. White bass are good on pet spoons and jigs. Catfish are fair on shad and cut bait.

SPENCE: Water stained; 50 degrees. 47.03’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Catfish are good on cut bait.

STILLHOUSE: Water stained; 50 degrees; 16.95’ low. White bass are good on slabs and jigs.

TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 0.80’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid

n Saltwater reports Page 18

striped bass are slow. Catfish are fair on cut shad.

TEXANA: Water stained; 57 degrees. Catfish are fair on cut shad and prepared baits.

TEXOMA: Water stained; 38-41 degrees; 0.06’ low. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are fair on swimbaits. Striped bass are fair on flukes and swimbaits. Catfish are slow.

TOLEDO BEND: Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.59’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits, chatter baits, Carolina rigs and crankbaits. Crappie are slow.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 53 degrees; 49.17’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinner baits.

WACO: Water stained; 48 degrees; 2.65’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass and hybrid stripers are fair staging up the river for the spawn. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on live shad and cut bait.

WALTER E LONG: Water stained; 55 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on glide baits, swimbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on jigs.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 2.02’ high. Hybrid stripers are fair on live bait and trolling swimbaits and umbrella rigs.

WORTH: Water stained; 53 degrees; 2.72’ low. White bass are fair on slabs and minnows. Crappie are fair on jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water stained; 48-53 degrees; 6.54’ high. Largemouth bass are good on jigs, Carolina rigs, Alabama rigs and Texas rigs. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows.

—TPWD

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Fusion’s Vision of Heat

Fusion Thermal’s new optics make the complex seem simple. The new Avenger 55XR and Avenger 40 utilize the company’s T3 Three Button Control System, along with the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) menu.

“It’s super easy to use,” said Ryan Warner, who is with Owens Outdoor Sales and also an avid hog hunter. “The owner of the company helped design it after being frustrated with having to look down to focus or operate the thermal. The Avenger has a dark, raised middle button — you don’t have to look down and you always know where your fingers are.”

Warner said the lens type and quality also make the Avenger models stand out.

“They are incredibly clear, thanks to the use of the higher quality Germanium lens and a larger lens size with more curvature to maximize the amount of heat it picks up.”

Warner has been using thermal optics for years while hog hunting.

“I’ve used every thermal out there,” he said. “I used the Fusion product before I was a sales rep. It held up to everything I threw its way.”

With any thermal product, heat is an issue. The Avenger series utilizes aircraft-grade aluminum housing, while most other brands use plastic.

“Once you heat up a thermal, the performance goes down,” Warner said. “The aluminum housing allows it to escape, whereas plastic holds in the heat.”

Thermal sensors require lots of power, and the Avenger Series has ample power with the 18650 battery design, run in parallel, providing an impressive eight-hour run time.

Hunters like to record their nighttime hog hunts, and the Avenger series includes a full media package, including photo, video and audio capabilities, along with Fusion Thermal’s HeatSync App, where you can download files through the App without having to get out your computer, and even includes livestreaming of what your scope is viewing.

“The Avenger is by far the best bang for your buck,” Warner said. “It’s easy to figure out, because all of the menu options are in plain and simple English. I have a unit that was almost twice the price, and the Fusion outperforms it. It’s a great value.”

The Avenger 55XR costs just over $6,000 and the Avenger 40 lists at $4,199. Both come with incredible customer support and a 5-year transferable warranty.

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Fusion Thermal Exclusive Features

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ARCLIGHT Ultra HD Germanium Lens

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The single most expensive component of a well-crafted thermal is its germanium lens. If you skimp here, you’re not even in the game. Our high purity ArcLight Ultra HD Germanium Lens is the crowning jewel of our technology package. It perfects the task of collecting and funneling infrared energy into the thermal sensor unhindered by distortion. This clean transition results in an infrared energy dump that unleashes the full potential of our WAVE thermal sensor delivering a user experience well beyond expectations.

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T3 Control System

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Our highly intuitive three button control system with center tower makes using your scope simple and easy. Every command is at your fingertips, and the Center Tower evenly splits the control panel, so you’ll never be confused about what button you’re going to press. We thought this a particularly good idea since you’ll be using it in the dark most of the time.

WAVE Thermal Sensor

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Is it possible for one thermal scope to dramatically outperform everything else in its class? Yes, so don’t make the mistake of shopping by specifications alone or you just might get burned. Our WAVE thermal sensors push the limit of what is technically possible and set the standard for image quality, ruggedness, and long life. So, before you plop down your hard-earned cash make sure you do a side-by-side to any similarly priced competitive alternative. We think you’ll find the difference to be clearly obvious.

XGEN Alloy Housing

Plastic is for toys. Metal is for tools.

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Winter’s favorite — predator contests

It’s predator contest season, and events dot the calendar throughout February and March. Many of the contests are smaller events, often put on by local volunteer fire departments, local chambers of commerce, like Junction, where the sixth annual contest takes place March 16-17, and even by local baseball teams and church youth groups.

Most contests are weekend events, with teams of hunters out for a 24-hour period. Some, though, last longer, like the monthlong Wise County Hog Contest, billed as the largest hog hunting contest in the world, which runs the entire month of February each year. The current leader, team River Bottom Killers, has the heaviest hog weighing 349.3 pounds as of Feb. 15.

a format that provided everyone a shot at winning the grand prize.

The first of three scheduled competitions took place Jan. 13, with 521 teams competing for $119,330 in prize money. During the event, contest officials weighed 25 qualified bobcats, with first place and $36,370 going to the team of Dustin Dubose, Buckshot Dubose, Hunter Phillips and Nick Homfeld for their 28-pound, 11-ounce bobcat. The contest permits each team to have a maximum of four hunters. Teams are required to kill either five grey fox or five coyotes to qualify their heaviest bobcat in the contest.

ESP APEX: HEARING PROTECTION AND ‘HEARABILITY’

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The top-of-the-line model, the APEX, offers hunters and shooters optimal sound protection with all-day comfort and the ability to hear your surroundings with on-the-fly controllable volume. Now you can “tune in” to natural sounds that give you a tactical advantage.

The largest contest may be the annual West Texas Big Bobcat Competition, one of the highest-paying hunting contests in the country, started in 2008 by a group of San Angelo friends with a goal to create

The second event was held Feb. 10, with 660 teams competing for $151,300 in prize money. Teams brought in 45 qualified bobcats, with the winning team’s 32-pound cat brought in by the team of Cody Francis, Ross Smith and Brice Daniels, resulting in a $46,100 payout.

The WTBBC’s final event will be held March 9.

What sets the APEX apart is technology that has overcome the issue of “wind noise” that plagues other electronic hearing devices. ESP’s patented wind noise management system continuously monitors the environment, automatically stifling unwanted sounds.

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OWN THE DARK WITH THE RATTLERV2

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AGM took its best selling thermal scope and made it better. The RattlerV2 is available in 19mm, 25mm, 35mm and 50mm lens systems and with resolution options of 256x192, 384x288 or 640x512.

All RattlerV2 models have a few new gamechanging features such as an upgraded scope body design, shot activation recording, and a simplified menu layout. The upgraded battery compartment accommodates a rechargeable battery, extending runtime up to 11 hours depending on the model, and a new 12 micron thermal sensor that has the highest sensitivity rating (sub-20 mk) on the market.

The RattlerV2 has 10 reticle options with multiple zeroing profiles for various calibers and rifles. The scope also comes with a custom ADM QD mount for easy removal and reattachment, WiFi hotspot connectivity through the AGM app, a userfriendly, raised 5-button layout for easy navigation, even with gloves, and much more.

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Prime time for coyotes

Remember Valentine’s Day and Tax Day

By Mike Bodenchuk tar outdoor newS

Coyotes are, at the same time, a predator of game animals and a favorite target for predator hunters. Predator callers and trappers pursue coyotes for their fur value and for the outdoor recreation afforded year-long seasons. But big game managers worry about the impact of coyotes on deer and pronghorn populations — and biologists and managers are split between the impacts of predators on other wildlife.

There’s no doubt that coyotes kill and eat deer fawns. Research over decades has shown that predation, mostly by coyotes, is the leading cause of mortality in deer fawns. When to manage predators is an important consideration for hunters.

Coyote biology is key when deciding when to hunt the predators. Coyotes have a single breeding season annually, with the peak of breeding occurring now, right at Valentine’s Day. Pups are born 60 to 63 days later, or right around everyone’s favorite, Tax Day.

Breeding coyotes, those 2 years or older, may represent only 25 percent of the total population, but they kill some 80 percent of the fawns, as they have to provision these fast-growing pups when deer fawns hit the ground.

The maximum number of coyotes which will respond to a predator call is in early fall, when pups begin to hunt on their own. If you want to maximize the chances of calling a coyote, October through December is the best time to call as pups disperse. These pups, which by this time of year are full-sized coyotes, often hunt together as littermates and will respond to a call thinking

that one of their own has a rabbit to share.

However, the best time to remove coyotes for the protection of this years’ fawn crop occurs after the breeding territories have been established (after January) and before pups are born (midApril). Removing coyotes this time of year maximizes the protection offered for deer by reducing the need to provision those pups.

Standard techniques may not work the best for hunters during this period. Coyotes are territorial and howling to locate a pair will allow you to target territorial coyotes at their lowest density. Hunters try to set up undetected as close as possible to the pair and “challenge howl” or otherwise try to sound like another coyote. Coyotes will likely slink in to investigate, so waiting 30 minutes may be necessary.

As denning approaches, pup yelps may often elicit a different, aggressive response. A pair of coyotes that believe there is a fight going on will run straight to the fight to assert their dominance. At times like this, try to sort out the female coyote, often the less aggressive one or the last one of the pair to show up. Removing the female will provide the maximum benefit to fawns.

Unfortunately, the removal of an adult pair will likely only last for one or two months before another pair takes their place. The good news is that these late commers won’t be able to breed during the current year as the seasonal heat cycle has passed. The new pair may eat a few fawns, but because they aren’t provisioning pups, their impact isn’t as great.

Timing coyote removal is important for game management if your deer herd isn’t at your property’s carrying capacity. Hunting coyotes in the early spring isn’t nearly as productive as hunting young-of-the-year in the fall, but it’s best for your deer.

David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News

Mike Bodenchuk

POWERFUL THERMAL OPTICS WITH INTEGRATED LASER RANGEFINDERS

At SHOT Show in January, InfiRay Outdoor, via iRayUSA — a Texas based company, announced several exciting new products with hog and predator hunters in mind. Common in many of the new products is the inclusion of an integrated or add-on laser rangefinder. Objects viewed through thermal imagery can often appear “flat” and it can be hard to determine the range of a hog, bobcat, or coyote — especially in wide open country. The laser rangefinder is useful in handheld scanners used to find game and in firearm sights. Some of these weapon sights even interpret data from the laser rangefinder to help shooters apply the right amount of elevation hold for the target’s distance.

Hybrid 75 (HYH75W)

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M6 Vehicle-Mounted Thermal

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FINDER V2 (FH35RV2)

This handheld thermal viewer is a great option for finding, identifying, ranging, and even recording videos of predator and hogs, and comes in 640 resolution with an onboard laser rangefinder.

RICO Mk2 LRF (RH50R)

The RICO (Rugged Infrared Compact Optic) Mk1 series, one of InfiRay’s best-selling product lines, receives an update in the RICO Mk2 LRF that now includes a laser rangefinder, smooth zoom control, 60hz readout (for smooth motion) and other upgrades. Now, any application you need, from your hand to your rifle to your vehicle, is available through InfiRay, all with the best warranty in the industry.

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Out of the boat

Continued from page 8

mullet,” Gonsoulin said. “At times when the water is real clear, I can see trout and can sight cast to them. But on days with a 15 to 20 mph wind we’ll be blind casting. The key is to find bait that is over sand and grass at Baffin and Mansfield. I like to be at one of my better spots during a major feeding time. I plan my day around the top feeding times.”

Gonsoulin said he is all about wading for catch-and-release trout.

“All of my fishing is catch and release,” he said. “We don’t have enough big fish out there. As for keeping one over 30 inches, we just let them all go. This year the trout fishing is going to be great. We released a lot of 4to 6-pound trout last year. That means we’ll have some really good trout to catch, photo and release this year. Last year we caught two trout over 30 inches. This year we have already caught three.”

HQ on the water

Continued from page 8

wardens being around.

Meloni said wardens would stay at the previous cabin for two weeks at a time during the summer and spring months at the cabin.

In addition to patrolling and enforcing the state fishing regulations in that part of the Laguna Madre — wardens have been seeing an increase lately in hunting as well, particularly for white-tailed deer and nilgai on a number of spoil islands where hunters can go after game — providing they have boats to get there.

Oscar Castaneda, a game warden from Willacy County who covers Port Mansfield and other areas, said they have also used one of the old floating cabins even though it’s kind of far for them to go.

“I would say it takes close to 2 hours to get there,”

Habitat project targets tournament fish recovery

he said. “We went several times to assist our colleagues when they had boat problems.”

A fishing guide from Port Mansfield said he remembers seeing a floating cabin somewhere around the Land Cut some time back but wondered what ever happened to it.

Austin Pierce, a warden from Kleberg County, said the floating cabin puts them in a better situation to enforce the laws, particularly when it comes to poaching activities.

Pierce said people from the Corpus Christi area to as far as Houston are known to go to the Land Cut and the spoil islands to hunt. He said just from Rivera Beach to Baffin Bay is 35 miles one way.

The floating cabin has been stationed in the area since late December.

Major League Fishing pros Greg Vinson and Brent Chapman joined Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists to complete the first MLF Fisheries Management Division Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project of 2024 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The project was supported by Kubota Tractor Corporation and featured MossBack Fish Habitat.

The volunteers constructed eight 60-inch Conservation Cubes, a dozen 60-inch Safe Haven XLs and four John Godwin Crappie Towers. They were deployed in four areas to create Bass Recovery Zones. Hammer Equipment of Jasper aided the volunteers in loading the habitat onto a TPWD barge, while Lowe’s Home Improvement of Jasper provided cinder blocks to weigh each structure down.

Sam Rayburn holds more than 200 tournaments on the reservoir each year — roughly one tournament every four days. A high percentage of these tournaments take off from Umphrey Family Pavilion and boat ramps near the dam. Such tournaments result in fish being released from one of the two floating docks or just inside the island from a live release boat. These fish will likely stay within a couple of miles of their release site for a full year. The Bass Recovery Zones created during the project will provide these fish with an immediate place to recover and feed.

Throughout 2024, Minn Kota and the Major League Fishing Fisheries Management Division will use the Bass Recovery Zone model near other popular tournament destinations.

—MLF

HS angler dies after tourney

A Winnsboro High School student died after attending a weekend fishing tournament. Kale Robinson, 17, was a junior at Winnsboro High School and member of the Winnsboro Fishing Team. He was competing at a Texas High School Bass Association tournament at Lake Cypress Springs when he was rushed to a hospital after passing out during a weigh-in. School officials said he passed away after being taken to the hospital.

—Staff report

Speckled trout are hitting mullet-imitation lures, often over sand and grass. Photo by Eric Gonsoulin.

ILLEGAL NETS SO FULL WARDENS

FEARED BOAT COULD SINK

Zapata, Starr, and Jim Hogg County game wardens responded to Falcon Lake when bass fishermen reported gill netting in Tigers Cove. Wardens pulled about 3,300 feet of gill net from the lake. The nets were so full of fish that the weight became a concern for the wardens’ watercraft. The wardens unloaded their nets at Velas Fish Camp and returned to the water where they pulled an additional 1,320 feet of gill net. Wardens safely released a turtle and 10 bass back to the water. All other fish were donated to residents in Zapata and Starr counties.

MINIATURE HORSE BELONGING TO 3-YEAR-OLD SHOT

A 7-year-old miniature bay horse was shot and killed on Feb. 8 on County Road 302 near Throckmorton. The horse belonged to a 3-year-old girl. The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is offering a $500 reward for information. Call the Operation Cow Thief tip line at (817) 9161775.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

CANOE CAPSIZES, TWO RESCUED FROM ISLAND

Two women were canoeing along the Colorado River when they struck a stump and capsized. They were able to make their way to a nearby island while the canoe continued downstream. Utilizing his patrol boat, a game warden and two Lower Colorado River Authority rangers responded. They located the stranded women already feeling the effects of exposure due to the cold water and falling temperatures. Local EMS checked out both women on scene and the women were released without injuries. Later, the capsized canoe and belongings were recovered by the warden and rangers.

SIX ILLEGAL BOATS, 26 FISHERMEN

CAUGHT WITH 1,300 POUNDS OF FISH

Coast Guard boat and air crews located and stopped a total of 26 Mexican fishermen in six lanchas engaged in illegal fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line. After interdicting the lanchas, Coast Guard personnel seized 1,300 pounds of red snapper and shark, along with fishing gear and high flyers on board the vessels. Coast Guard crews detained the fishermen, brought them ashore, and

transferred the detainees to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for further processing.

WARDENS LOOKING FOR TRUCK’S OWNER/POACHER

On Saturday, Feb. 10 at approximately 2:45 p.m. at Limestone County Public Park #2 on Lake Limestone, the occupants of a white Ford pickup were witnessed shooting a white-tailed deer and loading it into the bed of the truck. A photo of the truck may

be viewed at Operation Game Thief’s Facebook page. A reward is offered for information leading to the conviction of the person(s) responsible.

TIP LEADS TO GROUPS KEEPING UNDERSIZED TROUT

On November 14, 2023, a tip via the Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline informed TPWD dispatch of a group of individuals keeping undersized speckled trout in Port Isabel. Game wardens quickly

responded to the scene, identifying two separate groups, each possessing multiple undersized spotted seatrout. A total of 22 citations were issued to various individuals for “Possession of Undersized Spotted Seatrout.” Thanks to the caller’s involvement, a reward of $350 has been paid to the caller.

COCKFIGHTING EVENT BUSTED

Amarillo area game wardens responded to an illegal cockfighting event in Potter County with other state, local and federal law enforcement officers. Potter County Sheriff’s Deputy had requested backup after discovering the event. Officers from DPS and Potter County and game wardens responded immediately and apprehended individuals leaving the event. Wardens contacted Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation to respond and ethically accept and house many of the seized roosters.

REPORT ILLEGAL HUNTING AND FISHING ACTIVITY FOR A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000. CALL OPERATION GAME THIEF AT (800) 792-4263

SHARE AN ADVENTURE

Beating the drum

Continued from page 8 tides and water levels,” Meyer said. “Live and fresh dead shrimp have been producing strikes, but live shrimp seems to be working better.”

Meyer has been rigging shrimp on a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jig head and bouncing them along the bottom. The redfish and black drum have been mixed in togeth er in the same areas.

“Both species seem to be mov ing around in schools,” he said. “You might catch three or four reds in a row, and then the next four or five bites might all be from black drum. Most of the redfish have been in the lower to midslot range, and the black drum have been anywhere from 18 to 24 inches.”

Capt. Alex Cruz has been put ting his anglers on plenty of redfish and black drum around Port Aransas in 1.5 to 3 feet of water. Dead shrimp and cut mul let fished along the bottom have been the best bait presentations.

“A lot of the fish are staging in a little bit deeper water along guts near the edges of flats,” Cruz said. “They really tend to stack up in guts when the tide falls out.”

Cruz said both species have been feeding alongside each other in the same areas.

Near South Padre Island, Capt. Dave Edwards has been finding plenty of redfish and black drum along shallow grass flats.

“There’s a ton of black drum out there right now, and the redfish have been pretty consistent,” he said. “The redfish have been hitting soft plastics, and the black drum have been eating cut bait and dead shrimp. Our tides have been low, so the fish have really been stacked up in places that hold just a little bit deeper water compared to the surrounding flats.”

Briggs New harvested his first buck at age 7 in Albany at the Chisholm Ranch, making a 107-yard shot.

John Carr Carothers, 11, of Dallas, shot this buck on New Year’s Day near Sweetwater.

Sue Lewis, of Midway, took her best buck at the Apache Springs Ranch in Hunt with her .270 Remington.

Jett Cantu, 10, of Wylie, took his first deer on his greatgreat-grandfather’s land, using his great-grandfather’s rifle. The land has been in the family for more than 160 years.

Josh Ellington, of Dickinson, caught this speckled trout on a soft plastic while fishing with Capt James Sanchez

Taylor Rae Carlin, right, landed this black drum using a piece of cracked crab while fishing from the Texas City Dike. Photo from Brandon Molina.

Sheehan named CEO

FINS Braids named Mike Sheehan as the chief executive officer for FINS Braids and BBS Tech.

VP at AGM Global

AGM Global Vision named Trent Henckell as its new vice president of sales.

Companies join forces

Banshee Brands Inc., including RETAY USA and Thomas Ferney & Co., entered into a strategic partnership with Breda Italy, to form the Breda America Group.

Agency for Atwoods

Atwoods Ranch & Home retained Idea Ranch as its public relations agency of record.

Sales positions with Countrywide Sports

Countrywide Sports is seeking candidates to expand its sales team for remote or on-site positions at either the High Point or Thomasville, North Carolina facilities.

Director of brands position

Kinsey’s is seeking a full-time director of brands, responsible for overseeing daily operations and strategic direction for Kinsey’s Consumer Brands.

Powers promoted

Media Lodge promoted Katey Powers to the position of vice president of sales.

New lure company

GSM Outdoors launched an all-new brand, The Frog Factory, to deliver both proven and innovative products in the category of frogs, toads and hollow-body top-waters,

Agency for airguns

AirForce Airguns and Rapid Air Worx retained Lammert Associates Inc. to represent their brands in the western region of the United States.

Hornady manager named

Hornady appointed Tom Busch as the Heartland public shooting park manager.

of the wild sheep

30) Crankbait brand

31) Grayson County’s seat

34) Bass-fishing state

35) A Great Lake

36) Texas mountain range

37) The young tom

39) Graham’s county

40) Texarkana’s county

43) Hill Country river

Duck gumbo with venison sausage

4 ducks

3 onions

1 stalk of celery

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 lbs. smoked venison sausage

Tony’s Creole Seasoning

Combine ducks, 2 stems celery, 1 onion and boil for three hours until ducks tender enough to de-bone. Make roux by combining flour Andouille, stir until brown. Chop 2 onions, 2 stalks of celery, add into roux. Chop smoked sausage into pieces, add to roux. Take ducks from liquid and keep for stock. Add stock and de-boned duck to roux mixture. Cook over medium fire for 1 hour. Season with Tony’s Creole Seasoning to taste. Add water if needed for desired texture.

—Cajun Fishing Adventures

Catfish and spinach bake

1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed

1⁄4 tsp. each salt and pepper

1 lb. catfish filets

1 tsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning

1 large tomato, diced

4 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Squeeze thawed spinach to remove most of the liquid. Spread in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange catfish fillets over spinach. Sprinkle with seasoning. Top fish with tomatoes and green onions. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes more or until fish flakes easily.

—Mississippi State Extension

where we typically find them during this time of year,” Schiller said. “There hasn’t re ally been a specific water depth where they have been concentrated. They seem to be everywhere and hungry.”

On his last trip, Schiller found quite a few wahoo in the 40-pound range, and they were willing to bite just about any lure that he was trolling.

“Anytime I marked fish on my electronics, we hooked up,” Schiller said. “They were ag gressive.”

Carson Deer also has been chasing wahoo in the Gulf of Mexico, and recently caught one that weighed in at 91.3 pounds. On the same trip he and his buddies also landed wahoo over 50 and 60 pounds.

“We had several multiple hookups throughout the trip,” Deer said. “The action was almost nonstop. It was an incredible bite.”

Deer has been running out of Tiki Island out to the Flower Gardens, where he’s been catching most of the wahoo in about 160220 feet of water.

“We haven’t seen too many fish in the 1530-pound range,” he said. “Most of them have been larger.”

Deer has been catching the wahoo while trolling diving baits and weighted ballyhoo rigged with skirts.

“There have been quite a few boats trolling for wahoo around the gardens on calm days,” he said.

Corpus Christi guide Capt. Caleb Sumrall took advantage of several short windows of calm weather by targeting red snapper in state waters.

“These windows of opportunity have been somewhat unpredictable,” Sumrall said. “I’ve only been able to run a handful of state water snapper trips with customers, and my fishing guide buddies and I have been able to chase snapper in state waters when conditions have been calm enough for us to safely run offshore in our flats boats.”

Sumrall has been finding concentrations of snapper over wrecks and artificial reefs about 7 miles offshore in 70-80 feet of water while running northeast out of Packery Channel. He said that every time it has been calm enough to venture out, the reefs and wrecks have had plenty of traffic from other anglers.

“There have been hoards of keeper-sized red snapper out there, but we’ve also caught a bunch in the 15- to 20-pound range,” he said.

Sardines and squid fished just off the bottom have been producing plenty of bites, but the larger fish have been eating sea lice.

“You can purchase sea lice by the dozen at our local bait camps, and the big red snapper have been loving them,” Sumrall said.

swim free. You don’t want to kill a quality catfish like that.”

Once you have the line and leader on, he crimps on a 1/4-ounce weight a foot from a 5/0 circle hook. Then it’s just a matter of adding some bait.

Bullock’s technique is best on big water, and there plenty of big lakes in Texas. With this rig you’ll be catching blues, channels, and flathead catfish. He likes to use shad, but live and fresh cut bream work too.

“I’ll use my electronics to find a wad of shad, then catch them with a cast net,” Bullock said. “I’ll cut the shad up, put them in a ziplock baggie and use them just after I catch them.”

But he’s got one more bait trick.

“I like to use Pautzke Catfish Nectar,” Bullock said. “Once I get the shad in the bag, I’ll add some Nectar and it’ll be ready to

use in about 15 minutes. It’s good stuff that works really well.”

When looking for shad with his depthfinder, Bullock will be ready to toss out rigged noodles. His motto is to find the bait, then find the cats — it’s that simple. He’ll toss out a dozen or so rigs that are tagged with his information.

Then the fun starts. When a catfish takes the bait, the Styrofoam float pops up in the air letting you know a catfish is on.

“Once you get rigged up, it’s fun fishing for the whole family,” Bullock said. “It’s a good way to catch catfish in the 5- to 25-pound class.

Another tip is to rig the baits so they are not lying on bottom. Catfish will suspend near shad and also cruise just off the lake’s floor.

Capt Jerry Anderson caught this red snapper in state waters while fishing out of the Packery Channel.

Photo by Capt. Caleb Sumrall.

SABINE LAKE: 58 degrees. Most fish are in deep water on the south end of the lake due to freshwater runoff. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and Carolina-rigged live shrimp. Redfish are good on Carolina-rigged live shrimp.

BOLIVAR: 50 degrees. Speckled trout are slow. Redfish are good along the ICW on soft plastics or live shrimp under a popping cork.

TRINITY BAY: 58 degrees. Speckled trout are slow. Redfish are fair on live shrimp under a cork. Black drum are fair on live shrimp. Flounder are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 56-58 degrees. Speckled trout are slow. Redfish are good on soft plastics.

GALVESTON BAY: 58 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on suspending twitch baits and soft plastics. Redfish are good on live shrimp. Black drum are fair on live shrimp.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 58 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and hard baits. Redfish are good on soft plastics and live shrimp under a popping cork.

TEXAS CITY: 56 degrees. Oversized black drum are fair on cracked crab. Redfish are good on cut bait and shrimp. Flounder are fair on live shrimp and live mullet.

FREEPORT: 58 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and live shrimp. Redfish are fair on spoons and live shrimp under a popping cork. Black drum are good on live and dead shrimp.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 58 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and suspending twitch baits. Redfish are good on soft plastics and live shrimp.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 58 degrees. Speckled trout are slow. Redfish are fair on soft plastics and live shrimp.

PORT O’CONNOR: 58 degrees. Oversized redfish are good near ends of jetties on Spanish sardines. Slot redfish are good halfway down jetties on dead shrimp and Spanish sardines. Large black drum are good on blue crab.

ROCKPORT: 60 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on live shrimp along the jetty rocks. Redfish are good on cut mullet and live shrimp. Black drum are good on shrimp and mullet.

PORT ARANSAS: 60 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on live shrimp along the jetty rocks. Redfish are good on cut mullet and live shrimp. Black drum are fair on shrimp and mullet.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 61 degrees. Speckled trout are slow. Redfish and black drum are fair on dead shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: 53 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and suspending twitch baits in dark colors. Redfish are fair on soft plastics and shrimp under a popping cork.

PORT MANSFIELD: 60-65 degrees. Speckled trout are good on top-waters and soft plastics. Redfish are good on spoons, top-waters and soft plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: 67 degrees. Speckled trout are good on soft plastics and live shrimp. Redfish are fair on spoons, soft plastics and shrimp. —TPWD

KANSAS

Crappie record rescinded, metal weights in fish

A 4.07-pound crappie caught by Bobby Parkhurst in April 2023 was declared a state record, but has been removed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks after steel ball bearings were found in the fish.

KDWP received a tip from an eyewitness who claimed the fish had been initially weighed in at 3.73 pounds. Game wardens met with the angler who voluntarily presented his fish for re-examination. When staff used a handheld metal detector to scan the fish, the device detected the presence of metal.

A later X-ray revealed the fish contained two steel ball bearings.

The previous state record of 4.02 pounds belonging to Frank Miller of Eureka, Kansas set in 1964, was reinstated.

—Staff report

RHODE ISLAND Record rainbow

Zachary Taylor took a day off work to ice fish at Peck Pond and hooked a state-record rainbow trout.

Fishing on just 2 inches of ice, the big trout weighed 15 pounds, 3 pounds more than the four-year-old record caught in 2020.

The next day, the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife certified Taylor’s catch as the official new state record.

—Staff report

MARYLAND

Another state-record rainbow

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recognizes Jean-Philippe Lartigue, of Bethesda, as a new state record holder for rainbow trout. Lartigue caught a 17.44-pound rainbow trout Feb. 10 in the section of Antietam Creek running through Devil’s Backbone County Park in Washington County.

Lartigue was fishing with a long, 12-foot crappie-style rod, spinning reel, 8-pound monofilament line, a small split-shot weight, and a No. 8 hook baited with a natural worm bait.

Lartigue worked as a fisheries biologist consulting with governments in Africa before he retired and settled in Maryland, where he is an avid angler.

The fish measured 32 inches long. Its weight was determined on a certified scale. DNR’s director of freshwater fisheries and hatcheries, John Mullican, confirmed the species.

The catch shatters the previous record of 14.2 pounds caught by Dave Schroyer on Oct. 21, 1987.

—MDNR

ILLINOIS

First national trap championship set

The USA College Clay Target League will hold its first Trap Shooting National Championship at the Brittany Shooting Park in Bunker Hill.

All collegiate athletes and teams that participate in the USACCTL’s Fall Season will be eligible to participate in the event, which will begin on Nov. 1 and finish with the crowning of team and individual National College Champions on Nov. 3.

“The League is thrilled to be able to host our first in-person National College Championship” said John Nelson, President of the USA Clay League. “The League’s college program has been tremendously successful, with over 75 colleges and universities having been approved to participate since it began in 2019.”

—USA Clay Target League

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Top recreational boating states

The National Marine Manufacturers Association highlighted the growing economic impact of the recreational boating industry across the United States. The 2023 NMMA study revealed recreational boating saw a 36-percent increase in annual economic activity from $170 billion in 2018 to $230 billion in 2023.

States leading the nation with the highest economic activity and job growth for the same period from recreational boating include:

• Florida: $31.3 billion, up 53 percent and 109,000 jobs

• California: $17.3 billion, up 53 percent and 48,000 jobs

• Texas: $11.8 billion, up 73 percent and 38,000 jobs.

• Michigan: $11.7 billion, up 82 percent and 45,000 jobs

• New York: $10 billion, up 41 percent and 34,000 jobs

• North Carolina: $9.1 billion, up 83 percent and 28,000 jobs

• Wisconsin: $8.4 billion, up 135 percent and 35,000 jobs

• Washington: $8.1 billion, up 35 percent and 23,000 jobs

• Georgia: $7.8 billion, up 100 percent and 27,000 jobs

• Minnesota: $6.9 billion, up 155 percent and 25,000 jobs —NMMA

FEBRUARY 24-25

TEXAS FLY FISHING & BREW FESTIVAL

Mesquite Convention Center txflyfishingfestival.org

TEXAS GUN & KNIFE SHOWS

Kerrville Expo Hall (830) 285-0575 texasgunandknifeshows.com

FEBRUARY 27-MARCH 2

RANCHING & WILDLIFE EXPO

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo NRG Center rodeohouston.com

FEBRUARY 29

SPORTSMEN’S CLUB OF FORT WORTH

Wild Game Dinner

Dickie’s Arena sportsmensclub.org

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Allen Dinner Cross Creek Ranch, Parker (469) 951-2723 ducks.org

SCI SAN ANTONIO Banquet

Aggie Park Event Center scisantonio.com

MARCH 1

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Conroe Sportman’s Dinner Montgomery County Fairgrounds ducks.org

CASA OF TARRANT COUNTY Pull for Kids Clay Shoot Defender Outdoors Clay Sports Ranch Fort Worth casaclayshoot.org

MARCH 2

MULE DEER FOUNDATION

Parker County Banquet

Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Center (432) 290-4563 muledeer.org

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION

South Texas Banquet Pedrotti’s Ranch, Helotes (907) 687-5690 rmef.org

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Kerrville Banquet

Happy State Bank Expo Hall (830) 460-0696 ducks.org

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

Cross Timbers Banquet Decatur Civic Center (940) 393-8908 nwtf.org

MARCH 5

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Northeast Tarrant Banquet Colleyville Center (817) 946-7452 ducks.org

MARCH 7

PARK CITIES QUAIL COALITION

Annual Dinner & Auction Armstrong Fieldhouse, Dallas (214) 534-4122 parkcitiesquail.org

OPERATION GAME THIEF

Clay Stoppers Shootout Defender Outdoors, Fort Worth (800) 792-4263 ogttx.org

COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

Corpus Christi Banquet

American Bank Center (361) 882-5199 ccatexas.org

MARCH 7-11

EXOTIC WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Annual Membership Meeting Embassy Suites San Marcos (830) 315-7761 myewa.org

MARCH 9

TARRANT REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT

Trinity Flyfest Acme Brick Headquarters Fort Worth trinityflyfest.com

JOURNEY RANCH MINISTRIES

Sporting Clays Shoot American Shooting Centers, Houston (832) 547-7272 journeyranchministries.com

MARCH 14

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION

Cowtown Banquet Ashton Depot (817) 709-3291 rmef.org

MARCH 15

DELTA WATERFOWL

Lamar County Banquet

Love Civic Center, Paris (903) 249-2480 deltawaterfowl.org

MARCH 16

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION Greater Hill Country Banquet Gillespie County Fairgrounds Fredericksburg (210) 240-0214 rmef.org