Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
November 10, 2017
Volume 14, Issue 6
Deer movement slowed by heat, moon William Flournoy landed this 8-pound largemouth on a swim jig while fishing at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Photo by Robert Sloan.
Bass on drop shots, swim jigs By Robert Sloan
For Lone Star Outdoor News As the day on Lake Fork was winding down, guide Dennis Canada set the hook on a 3-pound bass. In a cove a few miles south of Lake Fork Marina, it was the first of many. “I knew they had to feed at some point today,” Canada said. “But I didn’t think it would be at last light with a ton of mosquitoes buzzing over my head.” The bite had been slow all day and the wind was howling. “You never know on this lake,” Canada said. “People come here and automatically think they are going to connect with big bass all day, every day. But with cold fronts moving through, the lake level falling and temperatures going from the 30s to the 80s, bass can be downright tough to figure out.” Canada has been guiding on Fork for years. His best bass to
Some great bucks still taken By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News It wasn’t exactly the perfect prescription for the opening day of the deer rifle season. A full moon lit up the nighttime sky. Temperatures were way above normal, more than 20 degrees hotter in much of the state. The acorn crop was great, although acorns were small in many areas. Social media photographs showed hunters coming out of the deer blind in shorts and crocs. Comments included references to fighting mosquitoes, sweating and abandoning the hunt to work on other projects on the leases. Not all hunters were plagued by little deer movement. For Steve Schiele, known for his fishing guide business on Lewisville Lake, opening day was perfect. With a friend, Schiele obtained hunting rights on a 100-acre property in Somervell County. Last year, I saw this deer and decided to let him go as we were new on the ranch and I wanted to see what else was out there,” he said. “Then I regretted it, he was the coolest deer I had ever seen. The next week when I saw him again, he had broken off one entire side of his rack.” Schiele waited for a year, hoping for another crack at the buck. “On opening day, he was chasing does and I got Please turn to page 23
Some great deer were taken during the opening weekend of rifle season, despite undesirable conditions. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Stellar duck opener Good along coast, coastal prairies
Please turn to page 13
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
By Robert Sloan
South zone duck hunters saw good numbers of ducks and white-fronted geese. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Start Outoor News.
The day before the duck season opener in the South Zone, angler Rich Robins was fishing on West Matagorda Bay when he heard the flutter of wings, looked up and saw hundreds of ducks dropping into the marsh along the nearby shoreline. “I’ve been hunting ducks in Texas for years along the middle coast and I’ve never seen that many birds coming in prior to the season opener,” he said. “We fished for about three
Please turn to page 29 Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10
HUNTING
Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12
North Zone deer season could expand (P. 4) Black drum day (P. 8)
Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 20 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 28 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 30
INSIDE
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For Lone Star Outdoor News
hours and caught two limits of trout but mainly kept looking up in the sky at all the new birds moving in. Typically, we don’t get that movement of birds until the second split opener in the first week of December.” All those ducks were being pushed down the Central Flyway by two solid cold fronts and the full moon just prior to the Nov. 4 opener. Some of the best opening weekend hunts were at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area near Port Arthur. This WMA was loaded with lots of ducks, mostly gadwall, teal and shovelers. The best hunts were in the Salt Bayou Unit on Keith Lake and the Big Hill Unit. During the last week of October,
FISHING
Changes under consideration.
Cool front brings fish in.
Big deer poached (P. 5)
Strike King sold (P. 9)
Matagorda deer taken with rifle before season.
Lew’s Holdings Corp. buys lure company.