Saltwater Fishing Report

SABINE LAKE: 73 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on 1/4-ounce jig head with glow chartreuse plastics, gold spoons and 1-ounce silver spoons on the bottom.

BOLIVAR: 75 degrees. Redfish, including bull reds are good on live finger mullet, fresh cut bait and squid.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 74 degrees. Speckled trout are good but small under birds on soft plastics. Redfish are good along shorelines and in marshes on live bait.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 74 degrees. Black drum and redfish, along with the occasional small speckled trout are fair on shrimp and soft plastics.

TEXAS CITY: 74 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics.

FREEPORT: 80 degrees. Redfish are schooling and good under birds on scented plastics under a popping cork.

PORT O’CONNOR: 81 degrees. Redfish and black drum are good at the jetties on dead shrimp and sardines.

ROCKPORT: 77 degrees. Redfish are good in the flooded grass on finger mullet and live shrimp. Redfish and scattered trout have been caught along the jetties and surf on free-lined mullet.

PORT ARANSAS: 84 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are good in the shallows of the bay system on cut bait.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 78 degrees. Redfish are good at the jetties on live shrimp. Speckled trout are fair at the gas wells on live shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: 75 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and live shrimp. Redfish and black drum are good on shrimp.

PORT MANSFIELD: 81 degrees. Redfish are fair near the East Cut and outside the jetty on shrimp and soft plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: 81 degrees. Speckled trout are fair in the gas well flats. Redfish are fair in North Bay and South Bay on shrimp.

PORT ISABEL: 81 degrees. Speckled trout are fair in the Intracoastal Highway on shrimp and soft plastics. Redfish are fair at the jetties on shrimp.

—TPWD

Jones fishes the worms on a 2/0 hook with a 3/8-ounce weight. His reels are spooled with 20-pound test monofilament line.

Chad Foraker was fishing in that same tournament and won the big bass division with a 10.89-pounder. His style of fishing is to target big bass in shallow water.

“I love to fish shallow water, especially up in the creeks,” he said. “I caught that big bass in 3 1/2 feet of water. My partner and I motored up to the creek and saw about 10 to 15 boats come out of it. That wasn’t a very good sign. But we went on into the creek and didn’t catch a thing at first. Then we started seeing big gizzard shad getting thumped by bass.”

Foraker said in shallow water, he gets to the back of creeks and looks for hydrilla, stumps and shad, especially big gizzard shad.

“It’s a pattern I’ve been using here for years,” he said. “When I caught that big bass I was fishing a plum-colored 10inch power worm. It was Texas rigged with a 1/4-ounce weight and a 5/0 long shank hook. I had pitched the worm to a stump. The line sort of came tight and I knew I had a bass. I just didn’t realize how big she was. She didn’t do anything crazy, and once I wore her down, we got her in the boat.”

Foraker lives in East Texas and fishes a lot of lakes, but said Fork is among the best.

“The shallow-water pattern I’m on now is perfect for this time of year,” he said. “Fishing that shallow water with the big worms does not draw big hard bites. Most are soft, with a slight bit of pressure when a bass picks up the worm. Over the years, I’ve hooked bass up shallow that were in the 10-to 13-pound class.”

delineated the 10-fish limit in the Upper Coast.

The proposed rule would maintain the restrictions set in the emergency rule and expand the boundary of the area to include the East Matagorda Bay system. The new rule would expire Aug. 31, 2023 and revert to previous rules regarding limits.

April is the beginning of spotted seatrout spawning and regulation change would intend to reduce harvest of mature female fish and preserve reproductive potential.

Convergent Hunting Solutions offers predator hunters the ultimate package in the Bullet HP Complete Bluetooth Game Calling System. Featuring the Bullet HP electronic game call, Picatinny phone mount, full sound library, and camo carry bag, the complete system is sure to help predator hunters call in more critters.

YOUR BIG COUNTRY DRIVE-THROUGH FEED AND HUNTING SUPPLY STORE Feeders • Deer corn • Protein • Feed bulk & bag • Mineral blocks • Milo • Wheat Hog traps • Trapping supplies • Feed pen panels • Water troughs • Hay • Clothing & Accessories • Snacks • Yard Accessories • Small Furniture • Home & Garden Farm, cattle and horse supplies

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RECRUITING HUNTERS AND ANGLERS FOR A LIFETIME

C O R P O R A T E S P O N S O R S

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Florida’s recreational red snapper quota in Gulf state and federal waters was met during the June 4 through July 28 open season.

Anglers had a 55-day summer Gulf red snapper season this year, the longest summer season for Florida since FWC was delegated the ability to set the season for private recreational anglers in Gulf federal waters off Florida by the federal government.

Since the quota has been reached, Gulf red snapper harvest will not reopen this fall for Florida anglers fishing from private recreational vessels in Gulf state and federal waters, or for for-hire operations that are licensed to fish in state waters but are not federally-permitted.

—FWC

Instead of pitching old, shot or faded duck decoys into the trash, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will rehome them and spark some interest in the next generation of waterfowl enthusiasts.

The decoy adoption program will use the decoys to help youth and other budding outdoors enthusiasts learn more about waterfowl and waterfowl hunting.

It doesn’t matter if the decoy has holes in it and paint flaking off, the AGFC will fix them up before presenting them to the class. Damaged decoys are patched and painted with primer to give students a blank canvas to work with.

—AGFC

In September, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stocked 150,000 white catfish in several southeastern North Carolina streams. White catfish are the largest catfish species native to coastal North Carolina rivers, and this year marked the first time they were widely stocked.

White catfish have been absent from rivers in southeastern North Carolina for several decades due to predation by nonnative flathead catfish. First stocked in 1965, flathead catfish were observed to readily consume native catfish species, including white catfish.

White catfish commonly reach 3 to 5 pounds, and the state record is 13 pounds.

—NCWRC

At the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers Expo in Columbus, the winners for the NASGW Appreciation Awards were: Firearm Manufacturer of the Year: Glock Optics Manufacturer of the Year: Leupold & Stevens, Inc. Ammunition Manufacturer of the Year: Hornady Accessory Manufacturer of the Year: Magpul Industries Importer of the Year: Aguila Innovator of the Year: Hornady

Also, NASGW chose the top products in six categories, called the Caliber Awards. The finalists were: Best New Accessory: Mantis - Blackbeard Best New Optic: SIG SAUER - RomeoZero Best New Ammunition: Federal Ammunition - Force X2 Best New Handgun: Springfield Armory - Hellcat OSP Best New Rifle: Bergara - Mountain Rifle 2.0 Best New Shotgun: Mossberg - 940 JM Pro Best New Overall Product: Ruger - Ruger-57

The Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reached an agreement to provide continued funding until 2024 for three federal fish hatcheries that have stocked waters in Georgia and Tennessee with millions of trout. The partnership includes the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Since 2013, TVA has provided funding for trout production at three national fish hatcheries: Dale Hollow and Erwin in Tennessee, and Chattahoochee Forest in Georgia. The trout are then provided to the following tailwaters and reservoirs: Apalachia (Hiwassee River), Blue Ridge, Boone, Cherokee, Fort Patrick Henry, Normandy, Norris, South Holston, Tims Ford and Wilbur. Trout-stocked reservoirs in the plan include Fort Patrick Henry, South Holston, Parksville, Watauga and Wilbur reservoirs.

Because of increased public interest in elk hunting — and to avoid overloading its permit sales system — the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is proposing to add general-season elk permits to the big game drawing for one year. In past years, these permits have been sold online and over the counter.

In 2019, all 15,000 elk permits sold out in 11 days. In 2020, the 15,000 permits sold out in eight hours; and this year, the 17,500 permits sold out in 10 hours, causing overloads to the license sales system.

Next season, the DWR is recommending to include the general-season any bull elk and spike elk permits in the big game drawing for a 1-year trial period.

Beginning on November 1 and lasting through April 30, boaters are required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or on any kayak, canoe, or paddleboard. The requirement applies to all Pennsylvania waters.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, water temperatures are cold enough to put boaters at risk for sudden cold-water immersion, or cold-water shock, when a person is unexpectedly plunged into cold water resulting in an involuntary gasp where water is often inhaled. This uncontrollable reaction causes panic, hyperventilation, inhalation of water, and inhibits the ability of a person to swim.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game published preliminary harvest and value figures for the 2021 Alaska Commercial Salmon Fishery.

The 2021 commercial salmon fishery all species harvest was valued at approximately $643.9 million, a significant increase from 2020’s value of $295.2 million. A total of 233.8 million fish were harvested, a greater than 98-percent increase from the 2020 total harvest of 116.8 million fish. Of this total, sockeye salmon accounted for approximately 56 percent of the total value at $361.4 million and 24 percent of the harvest at just under 57.0 million fish. Pink salmon accounted for approximately 28 percent of the value at $178.8 million, and 69 percent of the harvest with under 161 million fish.

Recreational anglers also saw bag limit increases based on counts of salmon running upstream.

Benelli forever changed the expectations of waterfowl hunters with the introduction of the Super Black Eagle shotgun. Now, the most popular waterfowling shotgun is available in 3-inch versions in 12 and 20 gauges — a little lighter but just as effective and enjoyable to shoot.

“We’ve applied all of the Super Black Eagle 3 enhanced updates and ergonomics to 3-inch 20-gauge and 12-gauge models for 2021,” said Tim Joseph, VP of Brand Marketing for Benelli USA. “We know the 20-gauge in particular will be a welcome addition for hunters who want the feature sets of a SBE3 but prefer a lighter gauge.”

At the heart of the SBE3 is the ultra-reliable inertia-driven action, which is centered around an Easy-Locking Bolt System — an enhanced breech-closing system that eliminates the possibility for a shooter-induced stoppage when trying to softly close the bolt or when the shotgun is treated roughly in the blind. And the new SBE3 is designed for easier operation with gloved and/or cold hands. The oversized bolt handle, oversized bolt release, oversized safety and redesigned magazine cap along with the enlarged load port make for easier operation in cold conditions.

The Easy Fitting System of the SBE3 includes a shim kit that allows for up to eight different cast-and-drop configurations. The stock and forend design and rounded trigger give the SBE3 a smoother feel and make the shotgun easier to shoulder and swing on passing targets.

The design of the Super Black Eagle 3 reduces felt recoil with its third generation ComforTech 3 stock and Combtech cheek pad.

The new 3-inch SBE3 shotguns are available in Black synthetic, Realtree MAX-5, GORE OPTIFADE Timber and Mossy Oak Bottomland camo patterns in both the 12- and 20-gauge chamberings.

Gauge: 12 and 20 Chambering: 2-3/4 and 3 inch Barrel Lengths: 26 and 28 inches Overall Length: 47.50 to 49.50 inches Weight: 5.8 to 6.9 pounds Sights: Fiber-optic red-bar front sight Length of Pull: 14-3/8 inches Drop at Heel: 2-1/8 inches Drop at Comb: 1-1/2 inches MSRP: $1,699 to $1,799.

species than they did.”

One youth team participated in the event, traveling from Abilene to fish the Hill Country area. Brothers Will and Clay Knight drug their father all over the Hill Country for two days straight.

Fly-fishing guide and fly maker, Jeffrey Davis, participated in the tournament and found the format both fun and challenging.

Davis said the format proved just how diverse freshwater fishing is in Texas.

“It was interesting to see how many different species of fish could be caught on one body of water or in one area,” he said. “I spend a lot of time on the water, but I often get tunnel vision as a guide. The event opened my eyes to just how many different angling opportunities are really out there, and how many different species flies will actually fool.”

According to Davis James, part owner and operator of 25 On The Fly, the event was judged using a catch-video-release concept, which allowed anglers to submit videos in real time on a smartphone application, which were then scored remotely by a panel of judges.

“The proprietary smartphone application used for submitting species and team submission videos allowed the tournament production team to download and feature catches in real time across social media platforms and post tournament results in a re-cap highlight video,” James explained. “Using this technology and format for a fishing tournament takes an event to new levels and allows it to reach both from anglers and followers.”

James and his business partner, Blake Katchur, founded 25 On The Fly and came up with this tournament format as a means to bring the fly-fishing community together and shed some light on many underrated species of fish in Colorado where they reside.

“In a country where largemouth bass fishing seemingly rules the freshwater industry, we wanted to show the conventional tackle world that flies can fool bass, as well as other species effectively,” James said.

The idea has now evolved into a series of events across the country, put on by 25 On The Fly and partnering fly shops and organizations that host the tournaments.

Each

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