Texas hunters should be able to find plenty of dove during the upcoming season, but they might need to do some scouting beforehand. Although numbers are high this season, the amount of food and water gives birds lots of options once the shooting starts.
According to the TPWD Webless Migratory Game Bird Program Leader Owen Fitzsimmons, statewide dove population totals in terms of survey data of breeding adults for both mourning dove and whitewinged dove are looking great overall. The 2025 statewide estimate for mourning dove is 35.9 million birds. This is a 5% increase from 2024, and it is 28% above the longterm average since 2008.
The statewide population for whitewinged dove this year is estimated at 11.7 million birds. Although this is a little bit lower than last year’s estimated population
Please turn to page 6
Hot summer patterns
By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star outdoor newS
Late summer patterns for largemouth bass are prevailing across East Texas lakes this month. Anglers able to fish early and late have been catching the most fish. The majority of bass are relating to deep water structure; however, there is still an opportunity to catch some fish along the edges of the shallows before the heat of the day sets in and forces anglers to beat a hasty re-
treat.
On Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Capt. Hank Harrison said small schools of bass have been roaming around in 22 to 28 feet of water over main lake points and ledges. Drop-shot rigs, Carolina rigs, and shaky heads have been producing the most strikes for him and his anglers.
“We are catching a lot of 2- to 4-pound bass in these areas right now,” Harrison said. “A lot of the bigger fish have been holding
over stretches with hard bottoms in timber, stumps, and brush piles.”
Harrison said the larger bass have been more difficult to catch.
“They are really only biting during the major and minor feeding windows, as indicated on the solunar tables,” he explained. “These fish have been lethargic due to the late summer heat and will only feed during short time periods throughout the day.”
Harrison said the key has
Redfish schools gaining momentum
By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS
With the end of the summer upon us, the kids are back in school, and so are the redfish. Schools of redfish are providing coastal anglers with plenty of excitement, both shallow and deep. Some of the most consistent action has been taking place along the upper Texas
coast bays and marshes.
Sabine Lake area fishing guide Capt. Chris Phillips has been finding solid numbers of slot redfish along the edges of rocks and riprap in the Intracoastal Waterway. His anglers have been having the most luck using live shrimp rigged under a popping cork.
“The water in the ICW has been in really good shape lately,
especially when barge traffic is light,” Phillips said, “and as long as the tide is moving, even if the water gets churned up by a barge, it has been cleaning up fairly quickly.” Phillips said most of the redfish action has been taking place while on a rising or falling tide. When the current slacks off, the fish have been harder to catch. The majority of the reds
Dove numbers are very good this season. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Hot weather and an early morning bass bite are trademarks of summer fishing in Texas. Photos by David J. Sams and Nate Skinner, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Upper coast anglers have been finding schools of redfish in both shallow and deep water, and the hook-ups have been plentiful. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
FROM WORK TO PLAY
WHATEVER YOUR ADVENTURE IS, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED.
HUNTING
Deer corn costs Culling for cash
Prices vary across the state
By Meghan Jackson
The search for the most affordable deer corn is on as the season will be here before you know it.
Texas is filled with diverse options to feed whitetails, but which would be considered the most reliable and reason ably priced? A simple Google search showed 50-pound bags priced from $7.99 to even $15 across the state. While the market may vary, there is a solution that remains consistent.
United Agricultural Cooperative Inc. in El Campo, has an advantage they are proud of as General Manager Seth Ste phens shared their secret.
“From the ground to the bag, our High Caliber Deer Corn is only manufactured by United Ag members,” Stephens said. “Everything is done locally and because the process is smooth, we do not have to add additional markups.”
Stephens said their priority is always the customer and are known to provide phenomenal quality products. Because of their efforts, their deer corn can be found at Buc-ees in Wharton for $6.95 per 50-pound bag.
“When you mix local products, our own manufacturer, and our own elevator and bagging plant, we are able to give back into other economies,” Stephens said. “Our bags are also see-through because we want customers to know it is a good product before purchasing,”
This business aims to serve with four storefronts in three counties and servicing more than 20, including Orange, Refugio, Dewitt, and Goliad.
“Stay tuned because we have our Fill Your Feeder sale this upcoming Labor Day where we will announce the surprise price at 6 a.m. of our deer corn and cottonseed,” Stephens said. “Two pallets to purchase will be the limit and you will not find a better time to fill your feeder and enjoy this type of sale.”
By Tony Vindell or Lone Star outdoor newS
It’s no secret that wildlife is part of the Port Mansfield landscape.
White-tailed deer, turkeys, feral hogs, caracaras and other birds can be seen on any given day, some inside the perimeters of the port and some in the outskirts.
The non-native nilgai antelope, the largest of the game animals, is also a common resident.
But the presence of these animals, some of which can weigh up to 700
pounds and stand four to five feet tall, has become a concern for the town of some 200 permanent residents and for hundreds of visitors during the summertime and on weekends for most of year.
That concern led to conducting discussions on what to do with the rising numbers of nilgai and the potential health hazards, as they are known to carry the fever tick.
In light of that, the Willacy County Navigation District sought the assistance of a number of organizations to cull the nilgai population.
It involved the U.S. Border Patrol, the USDA, the Texas Health Animal Commission, TPWD, and nearby ranches.
An aerial survey using BP drones revealed something port officials suspected but were not sure about.
“We knew the nilgai population was growing and growing,” Erick Kennedy, WCND board chairman said. “But we were surprised by what we saw.”
He said the night surveys revealed herds of nilgai on both the north and south sides of the port.
“We saw black dots everywhere,” he said. “It was impressive.”
The Academy Sports + Outdoors Deer Corn is priced at $7.99 for 40-pound bags, according to their website.
By Miguel Morales tar outdoor newS
Summertime predator calling success
seasons when they can’t pursue seasonal animals.
Predator management is a crucial step of managing the population of game species. They can wreak havoc on deer, quail, and turkeys, especially in the fawning and hatching seasons. Whether it’s calling, trapping, or snaring there are various methods for predator control.
However, most managers and hunters don’t pursue varmints in the summertime. Although the temperature can make it rough, hunters could be missing out on a great opportunity of helping their game populations and getting out hunting between
Brothers Eddie and Charlie Santoya (23 and 16) are natives to Carrizo Springs, who love the outdoors. At 2 p.m. on a calm, hot summer weekend recently, the boys headed out to a private ranch in Dimmit County to check on tank levels that were being filled by water wells. In weeks past, Eddie had great success calling in coyotes and a few bobcats and decided to make a stand before pulling up to the next tank.
Eddie and Charlie parked the truck, grabbed their gun, and headed down to the tank dam shaded by mesquite and retama
tree limbs. While Charlie got the new Savage 17 HMR setup in the Bog Pod, Eddie walked his FOXPRO X24 out and placed it on the ground about 40 yards away. The boys set up just inside the brush line and sat there in silence for a few minutes before firing up the call.
“I like to use calls that most people don’t use for the most part, but during the summer they’re just not pressured; you can call them in with almost anything,” Eddie said. He fired up the call and after a couple of short minutes noticed some movement on the brush line to the right. The coyote was coming in on a string, so fast it
would make getting a shot difficult.
“Charlie I’m going to bark and stop him. Be ready as soon as he stops. It’s gonna happen quick.”
The coyote was almost on top of the call when Eddie barked. The coyote stopped, and Charlie squeezed off a round. The 17 HMR hit the coyote high in the shoulder and dropped it on the spot. The boys high-fived and headed to check out their coyote.
“Less than 3 minutes,” Charlie said. “Got to love it when they do it like that!”
The coyote had been taken on their first and only stand, in the middle of the day, 98 degrees,
For Lone Star outdoor newS
Port Mansfield officials have allowed a private company to cull nilgai from the air. Photo by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
Some corn producers are trying to reduce costs from the ground to the bag, giving hunters some options when it comes to finding cheaper deer corn this season. Photo by Seth Stephens.
Eddie Santoya holds the coyote he took after a quick midday stand. Photo by Charlie Santoya.
$1 per acre lease
includes the management of surface leases for hunting on PSF lands.
By Nate Skinner
Texas hunters could have another option when it comes to searching out leasable hunting land.
The Texas General Land Office is responsible for the oversight and management of Permanent School Fund Land which is held and managed in a trust for state public education. Within the Texas GLO, the Leasing Operations Division is responsible for the leasing, inspection, and management of the PSF estate. Leasing activities provide revenue generation for the PSF through the prudent use and protection of the state’s natural resources. One area of emphasis the GLO Leasing Operations Division oversees
According to the Texas GLO Senior Director of Communications Kimberly Hubbard, PSF tracts for leasing consist of nearly 1 million acres spread throughout the state. The majority of this acreage lies out west, within the Trans Pecos region of the state.
Folks can explore PSF land leases by using the GLO’s Geographic Information System Land and Lease Mapping Viewer that is located at the GLO Website.
“This is a useful tool for discovering PSF lands,” Hubbard said. “It’s a great way for the public to become more familiar with the properties. Lands and leases are generated using the Upland & Coastal Easements/ Permits layer. The tutorial provided on the website can help folks navigate and enjoy the information that is available here.”
Hubbard said hunting leases through the
Most GLO leases are big tracts of land in West Texas. Photo by GLO.
Dove season
Continued from page 1
by roughly 8 percent, it is still 1-percent higher than the long-term average since 2008.
“In 2024, the estimated statewide whitewinged dove population was at an all-time high of 12.8 million birds,” Fitzsimmons said. “So even though this year’s statewide population estimate is slightly lower, there are still going to be plenty of white-wings out there for hunters. Since 2008, the whitewinged dove population estimate has been as low as 6.7 million birds.”
Fitzsimmons said dove numbers in the Hill Country region are a little lower than normal this year, which he said is most likely due to strong storms that occurred during the peak nesting season. He also indicated West Texas bird numbers decreased as well, due to significant drought conditions.
“Despite the drops in bird numbers in the Hill Country and in West Texas, the good news is that more favorable conditions have occurred since the peak nesting season in both regions,” Fitzsimmons said. “Much of the adult populations of both mourning dove and white-wings in these areas likely had some successful re-nesting efforts. Overall, dove numbers across the state are about as high as they have ever been.”
Fitzsimmons said that south Texas dove numbers are incredibly strong this year. The southern region of the state currently holds the highest population estimates for both mourning dove and white-winged dove that it has seen since 2008.
“Dove numbers in the Panhandle and Oaks and Prairies regions are also looking great,” Fitzsimmons said.
With opening day at the forefront of all dove hunters’ minds right now, Fitzsimmons said that they could likely find the dove to be somewhat scattered at the beginning of the season. His prediction is based on the fact that there is an abundance of food and water sources that are currently available across the landscape for the birds.
“The best thing that hunters can do to make the most of their time in the field, is to get out and scout prior to the season opener,” Fitzsimmons said. “With statewide dove numbers as high as they are, there are going to be plenty of birds available. Folks just have to figure out where the highest concentrations are located at.”
Fitzsimmons said that he also expects the quality of hunting to persist well into the latter portions of the fall seasons, as well as the winter seasons.
“With as many food and water sources that are available for the birds right now, I would only expect the hunting to improve as the season wears on,” Fitzsimmons said. “Don’t just plan to hunt at the beginning of the season. Plan to hunt as much as you can until it’s over.”
Nilgai cull
Continued from page 4
After that, they began working on a plan to cull the herd and implemented the first cull on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Kennedy said they hired Broken Arrow Ranch out of Kerrville to cull the antelope.
Using helicopters and rifles with suppressors, 42 nilgai were harvested over four hours of flying.
Broken Arrow staff took care of field skinning, dressing, packing and hauling the meat.
Broken Arrow has been in business since 1983, specializing in selling wild game meat to selected restaurants and people from all over the country.
Under a deal worked out between the two parties, the district was paid $1.25 per pound.
A full grown nilgai can produce about 250 pounds of meat — averaging $312.50 per animal for the district.
Nilgai are prized game animals and hunters pay anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 for a trophy bull, and about half that for a cow, depending on the place offering the hunt.
Kennedy said the goal is to harvest up to
100 of the Indian antelope but added 80 is a reasonable number.
During the last meeting of the WCND, he gave a brief report on the culling.
“This is something we are going continue doing,” he said. “We have noticed a bigger number of nilgai on the south side.”
But the culling is not about population control. Kennedy said it involves a number of agencies and organizations doing research, as blood samples are taken and local university students conduct other tests. Fever tick inspection is also performed on each nilgai harvested. So far, blood sucking critters were found in about half of the antelope.
“This is not just about conservation and protecting people and property,” Kennedy said. “It’s also about doing research. There is a lot about a nilgai we don’t know yet.”
Port Mansfield resident Michael Bowers said he knew about the culling.
Asked if it’s all right what the district is doing, he responded, saying, “If they are a problem it needs to be done.”
Summer predators
Continued from page 4
almost nonexistent wind, no camo and no chairs.
“You don’t need to hunt when everyone says so or use the fanciest gear to have success,” Eddie added. “Get out there and enjoy being in the outdoors. Even if it’s just for a quick stand while checking tanks with your little brother on the weekend.”
Summertime coyotes with pups can be especially hard on deer herds. Several studies have indicated coyotes dramatically impact fawn recruitment. One multi-university study focused on 2,000 acres where 22 coyote and 10 bobcat were removed during
fawning season. The result was a doubled deer fawn population compared to another area where no summertime predator control was performed.
Dr. John C. Kilgo at the U.S. Forest Service at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina conducted one of the largest studies concerning the effects of coyotes on whitetail deer. Sixty fawns were collared and observed. Within the first 6 weeks, 73 percent (44) of the fawns died. Approximately 80 percent (35) were killed by coyote, 13 percent (6) were killed by bobcat, and 7 percent (3) by unknown causes.
Find the food, find the birds this season. This hunter set up last season in a sunflower field – always a good bet for early season dove. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
FISHING
Here now, gone tomorrow
Jetty action hot but patterns could be changing
By Cory Byrnes
For Lone Star outdoor newS
During the heat of summer, the coastal wind typically shifts to the west and north. Couple that with the high pressure systems that usually sit over the Texas coast this time of year, and the Gulf lays
down. The blue and green water pushes up close to the beach and provides land-based anglers with a unique opportunity to target pelagic species like kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and jacks from the jetties.
The Port Aransas Jetty has been particularly good for kings this year. Last year, according to angler Taryn Hunter, “I would go out there and the water didn’t look like the right conditions.”
However, this year, the condi-
tions have been prime for kings, he noted. His most recent fish was on a spur-of-the-moment trip before a birthday party to the port Aransas Jetty.
“If I am going to go down there (for the party), I might as well bring my rod,” he said. After a 5-minute walk down the jetty, “I get down there and on the fifth cast I hook a 46-inch kingfish.”
Taryn’s preferred setup is a 9-foot medium heavy rod rated for 1-4 oz and a 5000 Diawa BG
with 40-pound test and 30 feet of 80-pound fluorocarbon.
“You will get broken off more, but you get a lot more strikes,” he said.
Most of his luck has come from subsurface lures like 3-ounce silver spoons, Rapala X-Rap Long Cast and the Halco Slidog.
“I like throwing the purple and white with the red heads,” he said.
Taryn hasn’t had much luck or seen many having luck with a topwater setup.
“I am looking for the birds and a lot of action, you know. Birds diving real close to me, bait jumping at the top. When I see something like that then I’ll definitely throw a popper,” he said. “Right now, it has been an early morning bite.” An incoming tide has been the best as it pushes that high-salinity water close to the jetties. The pattern should remain for the foreseeable future until the weather pattern shifts for fall or a hurricane hits.
Growing the community Dog Days
Catfish bite slow, water temps high
By Cory Byrnes For Lone Star outdoor newS
The dog days of summer are here and on Lake Conroe water temps are high.
“I just came off the water and out there on the main lake the surface temp is 94.2,” said Bradley Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. “So right now pretty much all the fish are struggling.”
that they don’t give the other ones a chance to get to it,” he said. It bodes well for the lake. Small ones eventually become big ones.
He and his clients are still having 20 to 40 fish days despite the heat. They are having to weed through quite a bit of younger fish to get to the eating-sized keepers.
“There are a lot of baby fish out there. There’s so many baby fish
Bradley and his clients target those fish with salt-cured chicken livers and Catfish Bubblegum. He said to target structure that provides shade.
“I found fish in 8 feet of water, and I found fish in 25 feet. They seem to be holding close to structure and, you know, get any shade they can get,” he said. “Any kind of windblown areas that has bait, they will be around there.”
On the drift for trophy blue cats, he has been using cut bait. Either shad or bream have produced the biggest fish for his clients.
On Eagle Mountain Lake, the
Captain getting female anglers
By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS
more involved
Capt. Michelle Frazier has been a schoolteacher for 30 years. She said her love for teaching is what helped motivate her to obtain her captain’s license and become a fishing guide. She has been a licensed guide for more than two years, and currently focuses on passing on her passion and knowledge about wade fishing with artificial lures to other lady anglers while running trips out of Port Mansfield.
Frazier grew up in Edinburg, where her affinity for fishing and the outdoors began at a young age.
“I started fishing with my dad when I was about 5 years old on stock ponds and cattle tanks on different properties where both sides of my family raised cattle,” Frazier said. “My younger sister joined us often, and we also grew up dove hunting quite a bit, as well. We were the only girls in the family, so we grew up doing everything the boys did.”
Frazier said she didn’t start saltwater fishing until she married her husband, Mike.
“My first wade fishing experience was with my husband, Mike, and Capt. Wayne Davis over 15 years ago,” Frazier said. “At first, I was pretty hesitant to get out of the boat and into the water. They both encouraged me to give it a try, and shortly after I stepped into the water, I fell in love with it.”
Frazier had been fishing in the salt from a boat for a little while, but she said the wading aspect brought
on a new level of peacefulness and an opportunity to really experience nature.
“I loved how wade fishing allowed us to spread out, and I just sort of got to enjoy the peace and quiet of
Good summer conditions have pushed kingfish and Spanish mackerel closer to shore this month, and anglers have been taking advantage.
Photo by Conor Harrison, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Capt Michelle Frazier holds a nice trout caught in a recent tournament. Photo from Michelle Frazier.
Record crowd
Ladies Kingfish Tournament sets angler participation records
By Tony Vindell
For Lone Star outdoor newS
A record number of female anglers participated in the latest Ladies Kingfish Tournament.
And for the organizers of the annual event held along the Texas gulf coast, it was something to brag about, since it began 44 years ago.
“We had 198 bay and 68 offshore anglers,” Jeanette Greider, the director of South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce, and tournament host, said. “That’s great.”
The latest numbers surpassed any recent LKT statistics and they brought a lot of excitement for the organizers and volunteers as well.
On Thursday, Aug. 7, registration day was one of the busiest they have ever seen because more people were showing up to sign up in person rather than going online.
Anglers brought in plenty of fish for weigh-in for the bay and offshore divisions, with prizes going to the top three in each of the seven species allowed.
For the bay, it’s redfish, flounder and speckled trout. And for offshore, it was kingfish, dorado, tuna and bonito.
Rebecca Seales took first place for catching the heaviest fish that the tournament is named for — the fighting kingfish. Seales’ fish weighed 27.24 pounds.
“I have fished this tournament a number of years,” she said. “This is my first time that I won first place. Its’s good to win.”
Seales, fishing aboard the boat Poco Mas, used ribbonfish for bait and caught the fish north of
Port Mansfield.
Daniel Bryant, the boat captain, said the trip north took them 130 miles into gulf waters.
Although anglers can fish anywhere they choose in bay or gulf waters, a good number went north of the Queen Isabella Causeway, to the spoil island, past the Cullen House and north and south of Port Mansfield.
Some anglers came back with redfish, flounder and trout and others said they caught tons of hardheads.
Port Mansfield resident Ashley Nelson fished with Kari Stussy aboard the boat Breaking the Claw
She said fishing was good closer to home.
“We used croaker and artificial lures,” she said. “We started early Saturday and stopped fishing about 12:30 p.m.”
After that, they went to the harbor, put the fish in an ice chest and drove to the Port Isabel Marina Port for the weigh-in.
Mark Stussy, the boat captain, said going by land was faster than taking the boat all the way down.
The distance by land from Port Mansfield to Padre Island is about 80 miles and their participation in the LKT paid off. Nelson said she took first place in the trout division and second place in the Calcutta.
In the offshore division, anglers on the Red Rocket took the offshore grand prize, catching kingfish, bonito and dorado during the 250mile round trip.
Greider said the LFT is the chamber’s second annual fundraiser.
“This a family-oriented event,” she said. “But most of all, this is like a girls go-out-fishing tournament.”
Lady anglers display their fish from the Ladies Kingfish Tournament. Photos by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT
ALAN HENRY: 87 degrees; 1.41’ low. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.
AMISTAD: Water very stained 82 degrees; 60.74’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics.
ARLINGTON: Water slightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.66’ low. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters, crankbaits, worms, creature baits, and jigs.
ARROWHEAD: Water stained; 76 degrees; 0.97’ low. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair on fresh cut shad.
ATHENS: Water stained; 84 degrees; 0.16’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, wackyrigged senkos, and crankbaits. Crappie are slow.
AUSTIN: Water stained; 79 degrees; 0.66’ low. Largemouth bass are good on flukes, Texasrigged plastics, and swimbaits.
B A STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics.
BASTROP: Water stained; 82 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on frogs, wake baits, topwaters, swimbaits, and Carolina-rigged soft plastics.
BELTON: 82 degrees; 1.59’ high. White bass are good on pet spoons. Catfish are good on fresh cut bait and punch bait.
BENBROOK: Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.28’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. Hybrid striped bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.
BOB SANDLIN: Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.44’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on topwaters and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are good on stink bait, minnows, and cut bait.
BOIS D’ARC: Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on frogs, flukes, wacky rigs, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.
BRAUNIG: Water stained; 92 degrees; Redfish are fair on spoons and soft plastics. Catfish are slow.
BRIDGEPORT: Water is clear; 88 degrees; 0.98’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs, crankbaits, and wacky-rigged soft plastics. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass bite are good on slabs. Hybrids are fair on slabs and live shad. Catfish are good on cut bait and live minnows.
BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 85-88 degrees; 0.19’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on trick worms and square-bill crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are slow. Catfish are good on cut shad.
BRYAN: Water stained; 85 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on shaky heads and jigs.
BUCHANAN: Water slight stain; 89 degrees; 0.11’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on frogs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics. Striper are fair on live shad.
CADDO: Water stained; 85 degrees; Largemouth bass are
fair on frogs, flukes, swim jigs buzzbaits, drop shots, Texas rigs, and topwaters.
CALAVERAS: Water stained; 95 degrees; Redfish are good on spoons and soft plastics. Catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and cut tilapia.
CANYON LAKE: Water stained; 87 degrees; 16.30’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics.
CEDAR CREEK: Water slightly stained; 85-88 degrees; 0.63’ low. White bass and hybrid stripers are good on slabs, spinners, and pet spoons trolled. Catfish are good on shad and cut bait.
CISCO: Water stained; 83 degrees; 14.11’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on topwater lures. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on live bait, cut bait, and stink bait.
COLEMAN: Water stained; 87 degrees; 1.14’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows. Hybrids are good on squarebill crankbaits. Catfish are slow.
COLETO CREEK: Water slightly stained; 93 degrees; 0.43’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics.
CONROE: Water stained; 89.6 degrees; 0.22’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits, jigs, and soft plastics. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Hybrid stripers are good on slabs, spoons, and live shad. Catfish are slow.
COOPER: Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.48’ low. Crappie are good on minnows.
CORPUS CHRISTI LAKE: Water stained; 88 degrees; 14.57’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Alligator gar are fair on cut bait.
CYPRESS SPRINGS: Water stained; 89 degrees; 0.30’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on topwaters and soft plastics. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are far on slabs. Catfish are good on cut bait.
EAGLE MOUNTAIN: Water stained; 85 degrees; 1.06’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on topwater baits. Sand bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Perch are good on nightcrawlers. Catfish are good on stink bait and cut bait.
FALCON: Water stained; 86 degrees; 45.79’ low. Alligator gar are good on cut carp, tilapia, and gizzard shad. Catfish are good on live bait and fresh cut bait.
on minnows and jigs.
GEORGETOWN: Stained; 82 degrees; 0.60’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on shaky heads and soft plastics.
GRAHAM: Water stained; 89 degrees; 0.81’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass and hybrids are good on slabs and shad. Catfish are good on cut shad.
GRANBURY: Water good clarity; 90 degrees; 0.17’ low. Largemouth bass are good on topwater baits, lipless crankbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics. White bass are good on pet spoons trolled behind a crankbait and slabs. Striped bass are fair on live bait and trolled jigs. Crappie action are good on jigs and minnows.
GRANGER: Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.45’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slab spoons. Catfish are fair on shad.
GRAPEVINE: Water clear to slightly stained; 84 degrees; 0.14’ low. White bass are fair on jigging spoons.
GREENBELT: Water stained; 82 degrees; 48.37’ low. White bass are good on minnows. Crappie are slow.
HAWKINS: slightly stained; 85 degrees. Largemouth bass and bream are fair on small poppers.
HOUSTON: Water Clear; 84 degrees; 0.20’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and hand-tied jigs. White bass are good on pet spoons. Catfish are fair on shad.
HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.13’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.
HUBBARD CREEK: Water Stained; 80 degrees; 11.72’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.
INKS: Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.79’ low. Largemouth bass are good on swimbaits, spinnerbaits, Texas-rigged senkos, Carolina rigs, and football jigs.
JACKSONVILLE: Water clear; 90 degrees; at full pool. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs, shaky heads, and dropshots.
FAYETTE: Water slightly stained; 90 degrees; full pool. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, shaky heads, and Carolina rigs. Perch are fair on nightcrawlers.
FORK: Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.10’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chatterbaits, crankbaits, flukes, Carolina rigs, and Texas rigs.
FT PHANTOM HILL: Water stained; 3.38’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair
LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 86 degrees; 1.38’ high. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits, topwaters, and square bill crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.
LAVON: Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.83’ low. Crappie are fair on minnows. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and soft plastics. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait.
LBJ: Water stained; 92 degrees; 0.22’ low. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.
LEWISVILLE: Water stained;
84 degrees; 0.51’ low. White bass are slow. Hybrid stripers are fair on slabs and live bait. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on cut shad.
LIMESTONE: Water clear; 89 degrees; 0.85’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are good on cut bait.
LIVINGSTON: Stained; 88 degrees; 0.12’ high. Largemouth bass are good on swim jigs and crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair on shad.
MARBLE FALLS: Stained; 87 degrees; 0.57’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics and jigs.
MARTIN CREEK: Water slightly stained; 94 degrees; 0.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs and wackyrigged worms. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.
MEREDITH: Water stained; 83 degrees; 43.32’ low. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are good on jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, and minnows. White bass are good on jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Perch and bluegill are good on worms and corn. Walleye are good on soft plastics, crankbaits, and bladed baits. Trout are slow. Catfish are good on shrimp, frozen shad, and cut bait.
and hybrids are fair on slabs. Catfish are good on punch bait.
PALO PINTO: Water murky; 89 degrees; 0.42’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are slow. Hybrids are good on spoons. Catfish are good on cut bait, carp and drum.
PINKSTON: Water clear; 84 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on topwater baits and Carolina rigs. Crappie are fair on jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and live shiners.
POSSUM KINGDOM: Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.08’ low. Stripers are slow. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on cut shad.
PROCTOR: Water stained; 87 degrees; 0.11’ high. White bass are fair on slabs and crankbaits. Catfish are good on cut bait and live bait.
RAVEN: Water slightly stained; 89 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. Bluegill are good on hotdogs and worms.
RAY HUBBARD: Water stained; 89 degrees; full pool. White bass are fair on swimbaits, tail spinners, and rattle traps. Crappie are slow. Catfish are slow.
MILLERS CREEK: Water stained; 85 degrees; 1.67’ low. Largemouth bass are good on creature baits and plastic worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair slabs. Catfish are slow.
NACOGDOCHES: Water stained; 93 degrees; 0.62’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigs and dropshots. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are slow.
NACONICHE: Water clearing; 93 degrees; full pool. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigs and crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfish are good on live shiners and cut bait.
NASWORTHY: Water slightly stained; 86 degrees; 1.00’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. Crappie are fair on jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait and stink bait.
NAVARRO MILLS: 83 degrees; 0.14’ high. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are fair on spoons. Catfish are good on perch, goldfish, and shad.
O H IVIE: Water stained; 85 degrees; 16.34’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on a chatterbaits, topwaters, and soft plastics. Crappie are slow. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait.
PALESTINE: Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.20’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass
RAY ROBERTS: Water slightly stained; 82 degrees; 0.34’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut bait. White bass are fair on slabs.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water good clarity; 87 degrees; 0.09’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on topwaters, shaky heads, and swimbaits. White bass are fair on slabs. Hybrid stripers are fair on live bait. Catfish are good on punch bait.
SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 83 degrees; 6.35’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigs and topwaters. Bluegill are good on worms. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good cut bait and punch bait.
SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.25’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on spoons. Hybrids are good on jigs and cut bait. Catfish are fair on cut shad and punch bait.
SPENCE: Water stained; 86 degrees; 48.29’ low. Catfish are good on punch bait and fresh cut bait.
STAMFORD: Water stained; 87 degrees; 0.50’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics.
STILLHOUSE: Water stained; 81 degrees; 2.13’ high. Largemouth bass are good on frogs, walking baits, wake baits, and creature baits. White bass are good on downriggers.
TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.18’ low. Largemouth bass are good on frogs, crankbaits, and soft plastics. Crappie are fair on minnows. Hybrid striper, stripers, and white bass are good on
slab spoons, downriggers, and swimbaits. Catfish are good on punch bait.
TEXANA: Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.71’ low. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait.
TEXOMA: Water stained; 79 degrees; 1.42’ high. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are fair on topwaters and soft plastics. Crappie are fair on jigs, minnows, and small shad. Stripers are good on topwaters, swimbaits, and slabs. Catfish are good on punch bait and cut shad.
TOLEDO BEND: 89 degrees; 1.85’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on topwaters, Texas-rigged worms, and crankbaits. Crappie are slow.
TRAVIS: Water stained; 82 degrees; 5.76’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jigs, worms, and creature baits.
TWIN BUTTES: Water stained; 86-87 degrees; 31.72’ low. Catfish are good on punch bait.
TYLER: Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.11’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and topwaters. Bream are fair on red worms. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on liver and cut bait.
WACO: Water stained; 90 degrees; 1.71’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs..
WALTER E LONG: Water slightly stained; 86 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and chatterbaits.
WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 87 degrees; 3.75’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and shad. Catfish are fair on cut bait and shad.
WELSH: Water stained. 94 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and Carolina rigs.
WHITE RIVER: Water stained; 78 degrees; 16.47’ low. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on live bait.
WHITNEY: Water clear; 87 degrees; 0.16; low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. Striped bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on cut bait.
WORTH: Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.97’ low. Carp are fair on bait balls. Catfish are fair on punch bait.
WRIGHT PATMAN: Water stained; 80 degrees; 5.88’ high. Crappie are good on minnows.
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Beach battle
the fish and took some pictures.
“It was awesome,” he said. “But the best thing was to let it go free.”
Sarah Stewart, the new county extension marine agent in Cameron County, said it was unusual to have such a large fish so close to the beach right now.
East Texas lakes
Continued from page 1
been covering water, and really pick ing apart areas with deep water struc ture in order to stay hooked up with numbers of bass.
“When you find them, you can catch 10, 15 or more really quickly,” Harrison said. “You just have to be in the right spot at the right time and get your bait down there to them.”
Toledo Bend Reservoir fishing guide Ryan Pinkston said he’s been focusing on main lake ridges in 14 to 22 feet of water and using deep-div ing crankbaits, football head jigs, and Texas-rigged worms to catch bass up to 7.5 pounds recently.
“The bite has been pretty good early in the morning for about the first hour of daylight or so,” Pinkston said. “Once the early morning activ ity slows down, you have to switch to a more finesse-like approach in order to keep catching fish. Drop-shot rigs, spoons, and Senko rigs have been working the best after the sun rises, from about 8 a.m. to noon.”
Pinkston said he and his anglers have been catching the larger bass first thing in the morning. Smaller fish have been feeding more aggressively later in the morning and throughout the day.
“Timing is everything right now,” Pinkston said. “It’s all about finding yourself where the fish are at and putting a bait in front of them when they are ready to feed.”
Pinkston said the afternoon bite has also been decent.
“From 2 p.m. on, the fishing just keeps getting better until dark,” he said. “When the bite picks back up as the afternoon wears on into the evening, you can go back to the larger crankbaits, jigs, and Texas-rigged soft plastics.”
Pinkston said he and his anglers have been catching bass anywhere from 1 to 7.5 pounds. The largest fish have been striking football head jigs and deep-diving crankbaits.
On Lake O’ the Pines, fishing guide Brian Vickery said bass are staging at the edge of shallow flats, adjacent to drop-offs into deeper water.
“The fish are up shallow early in the mornings and late in the evenings, and they retreat to the depths during the heat of the day,” Vickery said.
Vickery said that top-water baits have been producing fish during the early morning and late evening hours. Crankbaits and soft plastics have been drawing strikes as the fish move out deeper.
This monster hammerhead shark was caught from South Padre Island this month. Photo by Joe Gonzales.
Jeff Davis (left) and Bobby Gilbert landed these nice bass while fishing in 18 feet of water near the end of a main lake ridge on Toledo Bend Reservoir with fishing guide, Ryan Pinkston. Photo by Ryan Pinkston.
Bailey Pasak was fishing near Palacios when she hooked this trout.
Bill Minyard of Boerne, took this tom near Helotes this spring.
While on a tahr hunt in New Zealand, Nick Kohleffel, took a morning to hunt this stag with Southern Mountain Adventures.
Timothy Fournier of Jourdanton was fishing with Capt Alan Skrobarcek near Rockport when he caught this nice trout.
Redfish roundup
his anglers have been catching have been in the 22- to 26.5-inch range.
Other Sabine area anglers have reported a consistent bite from red drum along the ICW and ship channel near the edges of rocks and riprap while throwing crankbaits. Some have even been able to sight cast to reds that are feeding on crabs over shallow stretches of rocks. The fish have been easy to spot during the mid-morning to mid-afternoon hours while the sun is overhead.
Gary McElduff has been finding schools of slot redfish feeding on shad and finger mullet along grassy banks on the north side of Sabine Lake. Most of the fish that he’s been catching have been concentrating over small shell reefs. Top-water and soft plastics rigged under a popping cork have been the ticket.
Tim Young said that banks with rock and riprap along the western portion of Trinity Bay have been holding small schools of slot redfish, as well as oversized reds.
“The best bite has been early in the morning on top-waters,” Young said. “Most of these fish seem to be a little spooky, so you have to be able to make long casts in order to catch them. When the conditions are calm, they have been biting pretty good. Once the wind picks up, the bite tends to shut down.”
Many Trinity Bay and upper Galveston Bay anglers have been finding pods of redfish along the edges of the Houston Ship Channel. The fish have been moving around quite a bit while feeding over structure. Both slot reds and bull reds have been caught on live shrimp and soft plastics.
The Galveston Redfish Series held its 2025 Championship Event called the All Out Shoot Out recently, where the top 10 teams from the series competed to try to catch as many fish as they could between 4 and 8 pounds. The tournament format was catch, video, release, so anglers entered their fish via video on their smart phones, in hopes of racking up as much weight as possible.
Two teams were able weigh in over 100 pounds of redfish during the event, while chasing schools of fish. Jared Esley and Terrell Maguire took first place in the event and weighed in 19 redfish for a total of 120.32 pounds. D.J. Rouse and Jason Finley came in second place in the event and weighed in 16 redfish for a total of 109.64 pounds. Both teams were able to follow schools of reds all day long in back lakes and marshes from lower Galveston Bay to Freeport.
Jetty action
Up the coast, the Galveston Fishing Pier has seen a strong run of Spanish mackerel over the last couple of weeks.
“It really turned on about a week ago,” said Jay Garcia with Galveston Fishing Pier. “Around 5 or 6 days ago, everyone was catching them left and right.”
Anglers lining the pier are finding most of their success on silver spoons when the water is calm. “8 a.m. to 6 p.m. is when they’ve been hitting,” Jay said. “Night fishing has been dead.”
He predicts the Spanish mackerel will change patterns soon and you won’t be able to find them.
“Yeah, get out there now to be honest,” he said.
Jacks will usually hang around the pier throughout the next few months, providing jetty anglers with consistent action when the mackerel depart.
Crankbaits have been producing good numbers of reds for those fishing over rocks and riprap. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
TEXAS SUN, MOON AND TIDES
TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT
REDFISH BAY: 87 degrees. Redfish are good on cut mullet. Speckled trout are fair on piggies. Black drum are fair on shrimp.
SAN ANTONIO BAY: 87 degrees. Speckled trout are good on soft plastics and live croakers. Redfish are fair on cut mullet and shrimp.
SABINE LAKE: 87 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics. Tripletail are fair outside of the jetties on live shrimp. Black drum and sheepshead are good on live shrimp rigged with Carolina rigs and popping corks. Redfish are good on live shrimp, topwaters, and soft plastics.
BOLIVAR: Redfish, gafftop, and black drum are good on live shrimp. Speckled trout are good on live croakers and soft plastics. Sheepshead are fair on live shrimp.
TRINITY BAY: 87 degrees. Speckled trout are good on live croakers and soft plastics. Redfish are good on live shrimp.
EAST GALVESTON BAY: 88 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good on soft plastics, topwaters, and live shrimp. Black drum are good on live shrimp. Sheepshead are fair on live shrimp.
GALVESTON BAY: 88 degrees. Speckled trout are good on live shrimp and soft plastics. Black drum are good on live shrimp. Sheepshead and redfish are fair on live shrimp.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: 88 degrees. Speckled trout are good on live shrimp and soft plastics. Black drum are good on live shrimp. Sheepshead and redfish are fair on live shrimp.
TEXAS CITY: Speckled trout and redfish are good on live croakers, finger mullet and soft plastics. Black drum are good on live shrimp. Sand trout, gafftop, flounder, and large croakers are fair on live shrimp. Sheepshead are good on live shrimp.
FREEPORT: 88 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good on live shrimp. Flounder are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics. Sheepshead and mangrove snapper are fair on live shrimp.
EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 87 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good on soft plastics, live shrimp, and live croakers. Flounder are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics.
WEST MATAORDA BAY: 87 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good on soft plastics, live shrimp, and live croakers. Flounder are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics.
PORT O’CONNOR: 85 degrees. Speckled trout are good on live croakers. Bull redfish are fair on live croakers and Spanish sardines. Slot redfish are good on Spanish sardines and live shrimp. Sharks and tarpon are fair on live croakers.
ROCKPORT: 85 degrees. Speckled trout are good on live shrimp, piggy perch, and croaker. Redfish are fair on shrimp, mullet, and piggy perch. Black drum are good on shrimp and Fishbites.
PORT ARANSAS: 85 degrees. Redfish are good on live shrimp and finger mullet. Oversized redfish are good on cut crab and mullet. Speckled trout are good on live croaker and live shrimp. Kingfish and Spanish mackerel are good on ribbon fish and trolling shiny lures.
CORPUS CHRISTI: 87 degrees. Redfish are good on cut mullet. Speckled trout are fair on piggies. Black drum are good on shrimp.
BAFFIN BAY: 88 degrees. Speckled trout are good on soft plastics, live croakers, and topwaters. Redfish are fair on soft plastics and spoons.
PORT MANSFIELD: 85 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are good on soft plastics and topwaters. Flounder are fair on soft plastics.
SOUTH PADRE: 88 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics. Black drum are fair on shrimp and Fishbites. Redfish are fair on live shrimp, soft plastics, and spoons.
PORT ISABEL: 88 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics. Black drum are fair on shrimp and Fishbites. Redfish are fair on live shrimp, soft plastics, and spoons. —TPWD
Clay Shooters Supply
One of the main reasons people love their favorite restaurants is because the owners and managers know their business and how to meet and exceed their customer’s expectations. On top of fine food, they foster friendships, deliver consummate service and make people feel appreciated. When it comes to gun stores, the standards for success are no different, just harder to find.
If you are reading this, you are most likely a shooter. So, what can possibly make a gun store truly a deliberate, first-choice destination as compelling as a favorite restaurant or bar? How can one stand out from the crowd? John Colandro IV, owner, and manager Chris Watson, of Clay Shooters Supply have the answer and make it look easy at the same time. By providing a customer friendly and convenient place to buy quality firearms, ammunition and accessories without sacrificing value, they truly resonate with their loyal customer base. Located just off Preston Road at 6065 Sherry Lane near Northwest Hwy in Dallas, they can speak to both amateur and professional clay shooters, bird hunters, hand-gunners and the shooting public.
“Clay Shooters Supply is a family business that has been operating since 2009,” Colandro said. “We started small and are continuing to grow every year. As fellow avid shooters we want you to shoot your best, that is why we take pride in the quality equipment we sell. When you buy through us you are also buying a guarantee that you will be satisfied with the product and will receive nothing less than exceptional customer service.”
Along with the guns, they carry a complete line of brand-name accessories like eyewear, a full spectrum of ammunition, knives and much more. When you combine a passion for superior products and firsthand knowledge of all aspects of the shooting sports, you end up with Clay Shooters Supply.
“We get to know our customers and carry the products they want at the prices they can afford,” Watson said. “From select sporting and field shotguns like Browning, Beretta, Blaser, Caesar Guerini to handguns and rifles including Cabot, Nighthawk, Alchemy, Korth, Volquartsen, Blaser, Cooper and more.”
Stop by, relax, enjoy the products and browse as long as you would like. We hope to develop your love for shooting sports just as ours has and continues to grow more each year,” Colandro concluded.
LONE STAR OUTDOOR PUZZLER
Solution on Page 26
ACROSS
2. TX fishing destination
8. Famous TX bass lake
9. Common dove
12. Type of catfish
13. Small Texas cat
14. Turkey type
16. Has a pre and a post
17. Bass Pro Shops founder
18. Fast flying game bird
22. South Texas lake
23. Spiral-horned antelope
25. Premier TX deer area
27. Texas mule deer WMA
29. “Is he down?” singer/hunter
31. New B&C animal
32. Texas mountain range
36. Type of bow
37. Gigged fish
38. Big shark
39. Native ram
40. Commonly fried fish
1. San Angelo County
Game camera manufacturer
Texas deer hunting legend
Common Texas shrub 6. Top-water bait type
Trans-Pecos County
Speedgoat name
Early season duck
Gun maker
Highest hunting award
Common deer supplement 19. Type of mountain grouse 20. Exotic ram 21. Texas dove with no limit 23. Type of panfish 24. Popular ammo company
26. Exotic from India
28. Plastic worm color
30. Billfish species
33. Popular camo company
34. Texas coastal bay
35. Panhandle city
Crappie on the half shell
4 large crappie filets
(skin and scales attached)
1 stick of melted butter
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. Louisiana style hot sauce
2 tbs. Cajun seasoning
Primary Arms adds Samantha-Anne Horwitch Nadolny
Primary Arms announced the addition of Horwitch Nadolny as Vice President of Legal & Compliance. In this role, she will oversee all legal and compliance functions across the company.
Safariland releases new products
Safariland announced the expansion of its Impulse hearing protection solutions. The new additions to the line include both in-ear and Bluetooth over-the-ear options, offering a combination of protection and connectivity.
BANISH Suppressors now available through Midway USA
BANISH Suppressors announced that its suppressors are now available for purchase through MidwayUSA. MidwayUSA will be offering the entire line of BANISH suppressors, from the modular BANISH 30-V2 to the new BANISH 12 shotguns suppressor, for sale on its website.
Julie Golob joins Springfield Armory
Springfield Armory announced world champion shooter, author and military veteran Golob has joined the company as a brand ambassador and professional shooter.
Mission Archery debuts youth bow
Mission Archery introduced a new addition to its lineup– the all-new 2026 Menace XR. Weighing in at just 2.81 pounds, this ultralightweight platform features a broad draw weight range of 10 to 50 pounds and draw lengths ranging from 17 to 28 inches.
Thunder Ridge Outdoors joins Whitetails Unlimited
Thunder Ridge Outdoors has joined as a Whitetails Unlimited national sponsor, announced WTU President Jeff Schinkten.
Silencer Central recognized
Silencer Central has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for the third consecutive year. Honorees are determined based on their revenue growth during a three-year period, and must be U.S.-based, independent, privately held for-profit enterprises to qualify.
your
Preheat grill or smoker to 225 degrees. Place coals to one side to use indirect cooking method. Pat filets dry and place skin down on a non-metallic tray. Sprinkle 1/4 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning on each filet. Place filets on grill or smoker, skin side down, away from coals and cover grill for 10 minutes. While the filets are cooking, combine melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and remaining Cajun seasoning. After 10 minutes, baste each filet with the butter sauce, let cook 5 more minutes. Baste and cover again. When fish is white and flaky (about 20 to 30 minutes) pull off the grill and baste with the butter sauce one more time. Serve with rice and grilled vegetables.
2 lbs Canada goose breasts
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. lemon juice
3-6 tbs. favorite rub
12 corn tortillas
1 bag Cotija cheese
Chopped onion
Chopped cilantro
Place goose breasts in a crockpot and fill with water just to the top of the meat. Add cooking oil, lemon juice, and seasonings. Cook on high for 4 hours until the meat shreds easily. Stir the shredded meat with the stock so it absorbs the flavor. Separate meat from stock. Add meat and cheese to corn tortillas and grill in a pan with oil until crispy. Peel open, add onions and cilantro, and serve with the leftover hot stock for dipping.
— The Hunting Wire
Puzzle by Conor Harrison, Lone Star Outdoor News
Captain Frazier
the water and nature all around me,” she said. “After that first wade fishing trip, I was immediately hooked.”
Frazier and her husband, Mike, continued to pursue the sport of wade fishing and expand their knowledge and skills as the years went on. She was able to enjoy more opportunities on the water with knowledgeable guides, like Davis, that allowed her to perfect and hone her angling skills.
In 2020, Frazier and her husband got a new boat, and they both became part of the KWigglers Lure Co. Pro Team. She attended a KWigglers women anglers camp, where she was able to gain more experience with operating and navigating a boat. The following year, she became an instructor for the KWigglers women anglers camp and has played an integral role in the camp ever since.
“Most of the women that attended the camp really responded well to help and instruction from other lady anglers,” Frazier said. “And I loved teaching and helping them, because it allowed me to blend my love of teaching with my passion for fishing. That’s what ultimately motivated me to obtain my captain’s license and become a guide.”
Many of Frazier’s current fishing charter clients are women she has met from the camps.
“A lot of these ladies want more one-on-one teaching,” Frazier said. “Most of these women have admitted that it’s less intimidating to be taught by other women, rather than other men, or even their husbands. There’s something special about a group of women getting out on the water, going fishing, and successfully catching fish all on their own.”
Frazier said that a lot of her trips include plenty of instruction and really focus on teaching fellow lady anglers how to become independent when they are out on the water.
“Many of these women want to be able to fish all on their own without having to ask their husbands to change their lure or tie a knot,” Frazier said. “So, we work on those things until they get it down and feel confident in what they are doing.”
One of Frazier’s favorite things about going fishing with other women, is seeing the reactions from other men at the dock when they realize there is not a man on the boat to help them.
“Sometimes we really get some interesting looks, and it just makes my day,” she said. “It’s fun to spread the message that women can be successful anglers all on their own.” Frazier recently guided an all-women’s team for Getaway Lodge at Port Mansfield in the 50th annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament. They were the only all women angler team, guide included, in the event, and they won the Redfish and the Longest Redfish Calcutta divisions.
Frazier is still a 5th grade teacher, and teaches all subjects. One of her favorite subjects to teach is science, because she gets to incorporate her passion for coastal fishing and conservation into many of the lessons. She plans to continue to pass on her passion for the sport of wade fishing with artificial lures to as many women as possible through her guide business and hopes to continue to play an integral role of growing the community of lady anglers on the Texas coast.
Capt Michelle Frazier is used to putting clients on big fish. Photo from Michelle Frazier.
STATEWIDE QUAIL SYMPOSIUM
Featuring lead ing professiona ls and ex perts in quail research, conservation , management and hunting
MONTANA Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation appeals court’s wolf ruling
The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and its partners, Safari Club International and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, appealed a court judgement vacating the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision declining to relist gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain region to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“They asked FWS to use the wolf’s recovery against it,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “This decision seems to hold that unless a species is not recovered across its entire historical range, then it has to stay listed—regardless of thriving populations. It’s difficult to see how the wolf, or other listed species, will ever be deemed recovered under that standard.”
—SAF
Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young accepting javelina entries
The Boone and Crockett Club and Pope and Young Club announced today that they have completed scoring procedures and are now accepting entries for javelina (collared peccary) in their record books.
ment areas and some public fishing areas will need to check in through the Go Outdoors Oklahoma app beginning this fall.
—ODWCC
ARIZONA
Angler catches 16.57-pound bass
Junction, Ariz., angler Steve Jenkins was fishing on Roosevelt Lake in Central Arizona on Aug. 2 when he hooked a giant bass.
The big fish broke the lake record at 16.57 pounds. The bass was caught during a tournament and released alive after the weigh-in.
“It’s the biggest thing I’ve caught in my lifetime,” Jenkins said. “I didn’t want it to die.”
The current Arizona state inland waters record is a 16.48 pound bass caught by Randall E. White on April 22, 1997.
—Bassfan.com
FLORIDA
State to host black bear hunt in December
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously to host the first black bear hunt in Florida in almost a decade.
The FWC has estimated there are more than 4,000 bears within the state, and their population continues to expand. The range of black bears in Florida has tripled over the last 20 years to cover over 50 percent of the state. The FWC is authorizing 187 black bear tags to be distributed by lottery this December to hunters who apply in four scientifically identified bear management units.
—Staff report
NEBRASKA State considers ’26 mountain lion season
Javelina skulls will be measured in the same manner that both organizations measure bears and cats. Only the greatest length and greatest width are recorded to the nearest sixteenth of an inch. The new javelina category will be effective immediately and is retroactive, meaning any javelina skull taken prior to the establishment of the category is eligible for the records programs as long as it meets the minimum entry score of 13 14/16 for Pope and Young or 14 5/16 to qualify for Boone and Crockett.
At its regular August meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission revised an emergency rule to require that only nonresidents need to check in to public hunting and fishing areas.
Upon the governor’s approval, nonresident hunters and anglers who use wildlife manage-
Summer cats
Continued from page 8
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider recommendations for a 2026 mountain lion hunting season at its Aug. 22 meeting in McCook. Staff will recommend a mountain lion season in the Pine Ridge, Niobrara and Wildcat Hills units, with one adjustment from the 2025 season. The harvest limit in the Niobrara Unit would increase to a maximum of six mountain lions, with a sublimit of three females; the maximum harvest in the Wildcat Hills Unit would remain at three, with a sublimit of two females; and the harvest limit in the Pine Ridge Unit would remain at 12 with a sublimit of six females.
water temperatures have been more typical for this time of year.
“The warmest I have seen is 86, 87 degrees and that’s at 11:30,” Chad Ferguson with North Texas Catfish Guide Service said.
Overall, the fishing has been good for Chad and his clients.
“It was a little slow there for a couple of days with that full moon, but it is straightened out now,” he said.
He has been finding fish between 15 to 30 feet of water near structure.
“It’s always going to be some sort of structure. A contour change in the bottom or drop, something like that,” he said. Ferguson has been enticing bites using Mr. Whiskers Punch Bait to pick up their fish.
He predicts the fishing will stay steady through August and begin to pick up in September.
“September is typically better, he said. “Once the heat breaks, the bite gets a lot better, and then the quality typically gets a lot better.”
On Lake Tawakoni, Keith Parks with Messin’ with the Fish said, “The water temperature is really high, and we are catching the catfish in deep waters.”
He has been targeting them anywhere from 15 to 45 feet using punch bait and cut bait. He and his clients have had most of their success in the morning.
In the shallower water he and his clients have been targeting submerged timber. In the deep waters, Parks has found them in the thermocline.
“If the water will cool off a little bit, hopefully the fish will move in a littler shallower,” he said.
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‘Ghost Deer’ case concludes
The investigation known as “Ghost Deer” has reached a possible conclusion after two additional suspects turned themselves in on felony charges. This brings the total number of individuals implicated in the case to 24, with approximately 1,400 charges filed across 11 Texas counties.
Ken Schlaudt, 64, of San Antonio, the owner of four deer breeding facilities and one release site, along with facility manager Bill Bowers, 55, of San Angelo, surrendered to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office on charges of felony tampering with a governmental record. Both men allegedly entered false information into the Texas Wildlife Information Management System to facilitate illegal smuggling of white-tailed breeder deer. They also face more than 100 misdemeanor charges related to unlawful breeder deer activities in Tom Green County.
The “Ghost Deer” investigation has uncovered widespread, coordinated deer breeding violations including, but not limited to: smuggling captive breeder deer and free-range whitetail deer between breeder facilities and ranches, Chronic Wasting Disease testing violations, license violations and misde-
meanor and felony drug charges relating to the possession and mishandling of prescribed sedation drugs classified as controlled substances.
The suspects charged in the case include: Evan Bircher, 59, San Antonio
Vernon Carr, 55, Corpus Christi Jarrod Croaker, 47, Corpus Christi Terry Edwards, 54, Angleton Joshua Jurecek, 41, Alice Justin Leinneweber, 36, Orange Grove
James Mann, 53, Odem Gage McKinzie, 28, Normanna
Herbert “Tim” McKinzie, 47, Normanna Eric Olivares, 47, Corpus Christi Bruce Pipkin, 57, Beaumont
Dustin Reynolds, 38, Robstown Kevin Soto, 55, Hockley
A Texas hunter has been killed in South Africa by a Cape buffalo.
Asher Watkins, 52, was killed by an unprovoked attack while hunting in the Limpopo area of South Africa with Coenraad Vermaak Safaris.
According to reports, Hans “Scruff” Vermaak said: “It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts we confirm the tragic death of our client and friend Asher Watkins from the USA.
On Sunday, while on a hunting safari with us in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, Asher was fatally injured in a sudden and unprovoked attack by an unwounded buffalo. He was tracking it together with one of our professional hunters and one of our trackers. This is a devastating incident, and our hearts go out to his loved ones.
He continued, “We are doing everything we can to support the family members who are here with us and those back in the United States as they navigate this tragic loss.”
Watkins was the Managing Partner of Watkins Ranch Group based in Dallas. —Staff report
Asher Watkins
TTHA concludes successful shows
Texas Trophy Hunters Association recently hosted their annual Hunter’s Extravaganza across the state, hitting their traditional fall show stops in Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio.
The crowds were robust, and exhibitors reported good shows with attendees purchasing hunts and gear.
“We’ve had a very good show,” said South African outfitter Japie Jonker, who owns Dinkwe Safaris and had a booth in Fort Worth. “I like these shows because it gives me a chance to talk with clients. We’ve done very well here in the past and we’ve done very well here this year.”
Jonker said he had sold at least three safaris during the first two days of the show and was hoping for a few more clients to stop by and book another hunt.
The shows also provided scholarship funds to local youths.
“Celebrating 50 years of Texas Trophy Hunters Association is more than a milestone — it’s a testament to the members, attendees and partners who have built this legacy,” said Christina Pittman, president and CEO of TTHA. “This year, we proudly awarded $20,000 in scholarships to support the next generation, while raising additional funds for youth scholarships and Texas wildlife research. We were also honored to recognize incredible individuals who have helped shape TTHA into what it is today. Together, we are ensuring that our hunting heritage not only survives but thrives for generations to come.”
Texas Dove Hunters Association President Charlotte Schuster said San Antonio was a very good event.
“The San Antonio TTHA show was better than we could have expected,” she said. “The crowd on Saturday was impressive and our booth had nonstop traffic all day. It was a really fun show, and we met a lot of dove hunters excited about the season.”
—Staff report
GLO leases
Continued from page 5
GLO on PSF lands generally run in 5-year terms. They are typically renewed if the lessees prove to be good stewards of the lands and promptly pay the annual nego tiated lease fee.
“Our leases tend to follow market rates,” Hubbard said. “We also take into consid eration the amenities available, ease of access, size of the property, and base the value on a per acre basis.”
Hubbard said the range of hunting lease fees can vary. Some areas in West Texas may go for less than $1 per acre, while south Texas properties could range from $15 to 20 per acre. She said East Texas properties are usually around $10 or so per acre, but that the rate is rapidly increasing to keep up with high demand.
“The GLO does not keep a list of lands to be leased, as most lands currently stay leased,” Hubbard said. “Occasionally, properties will become available. When feasible, these lands may be open for sealed public bid. This is typically announced through information listed on the GLO website, as well as through advertisements of the bid opportunity in newspapers in the largest metropolitan areas of the state.”
If a property becomes open for bidding, Hubbard said it is generally available for public viewing for two days during the week.
“Additionally, GLO Leasing Operations will review all the interested party forms submitted that indicated interest within that specific region of the PSF lands,” Hubbard said. The interested party form for the leasing of state surface land can be found on the GLO website, along with the surface lease application form.
“All of the tracts that are subject to be leased for hunting purposes are considered PSF Lands,” Hubbard said. “The majority are sovereign lands that never left state ownership. However, the GLO has acquired properties through land trades and purchases over the years.”
Royalties from the lease of these lands contribute substantial revenues to the PSF, which helps fund public education across the state. Hubbard said the GLO generated over $16 billion for the PSF between 2013 and 2022.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said that the GLO oversees and manages around 1 million acres of surface landed dedicated to the PSF, with land tracts in over 125 counties across Texas.
“I am committed to generating new revenue for the PSF, which benefits all school districts across this great state,” Buckingham said. “One way the GLO upholds this statutory obligation is by issuing surface leases for grazing, hunting, crop production, recreation, timber management, and some commercial purposes. Whether hunters are preserving generational traditions, farmers are growing food for our families, or Texans are enjoying the great outdoors, I am always searching for innovative ways to ensure state-owned land benefits our schoolchildren and their futures.”
Deer corn price
Continued from page 4
Despite the increase in price and decrease in size, like Academy, Walmart provides 40-pound bags of Cedar Lake Premium Deer Corn marked at $7.62.
Another great source to stay up to date on costs would be through online hunting foums. A user shared Clear Fork Country in Graham is selling 50-pound bags for $6.99 as their Leader of Processing, Firearms, and Field Operation, Jose Gonzalez, confirmed.
“Our Wolfe City Grain corn is triple-washed and is one of the cleanest in our area,” Gonzalez said. “We are very competitive with our corn because we want to prioritize our customers.”
With a new facility that includes an indoor range, archery, guns, and feeders, Gonzalez said they take pride in offering great quality corn.
“Our corn bags are water repellent, and we are known to provide the cheapest pallet prices in north central Texas,” Gonzalez said. “People drive from Dallas, Lubbock, and even Amarillo just to pick up our pallets of corn.”
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham
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SOUTH TEXAS QUAIL COALITION DINNER & AUCTION
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