Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
August 24, 2018
Volume 15, Issue 1
Billfish bonanza What female deer and other game animals are called has changed over the centuries. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Why do you call me a doe? By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News Animal names can be confusing, especially with respect to big game animals. The female deer in the U.S. has always been called a doe. Its origin is unknown, although its thought to be a derivative of the Old English word dâ. The European term for a female deer is a hind. The term hind dates back to at least Biblical times, with references in the King James Version in the books of Genesis, Jeremiah and Proverbs, although more modern Biblical translations change the term to doe. Biblical references to the male deer are more common, although it is called a hart in the earliest translations. Moving to other species, the terminology can get even more
Anglers on the Rebecca had a great day of offshore fishing out of Port Aransas, landing 21 billfish including white marlin, blue marlin and sailfish. Photo by Capt. John Brennan.
Group lands 21 sails and marlin out of Port Aransas By Robert Sloan
For Lone Star Outdoor News When Capt. John Brennan left Port O’Connor, he pointed the bow of the 63-foot Rebecca toward Port Aransas looking forward to fishing the TIFT tournament. But something unbelievable happened shortly after they began to head south toward his home port. “We wanted to do a little prefishing before the TIFT tourna-
Please turn to page 24
ment,” Brennan said. “We went out about 65 miles off of Port Aransas and put out six lines. All were rigged up with natural baits, and we had teasers and a dredge running about 50-feet deep in 1,400 feet of water.” The natural baits were all ballyhoo fished on 7/0 circle hooks. The dredge is similar to an umbrella rig equipped with 35 or more plastic baitfish like squid and ballyhoo, designed to look like a school of fish that will attract game fish. It’s fished deep behind the boat via an electric reel. The combination of the natural baits and the dredge worked better
than the group had ever dreamed. “We immediately started catching white marlin and sailfish,” said Brennan, who spends a lot of his time running billfish trips in Costa Rica. “At one point we had a double hookup with white marlin, then a triple hookup. We fished a half-day, then a full day after that. The fishing was so good we decided to stay out there overnight.” When the group finally reached Port Aransas, they had 21 billfish flags flying. “It was absolutely crazy,” Brennan said. “During the half-day of fishing we caught three whites and 14 sails, and missed a lot more.
The next day we had sails, whites and a blue marlin. We lost another blue that weighed about 300 pounds. We absolutely couldn’t believe the bite. It was like fishing in Costa Rica.” The 52-year-old Brennan said the trip with his wife, some friends and the boat’s owner, was one for the memory books. “This is the peak time of year to be fishing for marlin off the lower Texas coast,” he said. “I’ve been fishing out of Port Aransas since 1987, and won’t ever forget that run.”
By Robert Sloan
Mention bass fishing in East Texas and people will start talking about Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend or Fork. You likely won’t hear anybody talk about bass fishing on Cow Creek or Village Creek, unless it’s Mike Platt. “I grew up here in East Texas and have been fishing the
backwater creeks and rivers for decades,” Platt said. “It’s some of the best bass fishing in Texas. And very few people even know about it.” It’s more like bass fishing off the grid. And more often than not, it’s tough to access, although it’s open to the public. “Just a couple of weeks back my wife, Kathie, and I paddled a 14-mile stretch of the Sabine River and never saw another
person,” Platt said. “The fishing was great. And the scenery was beautiful.” Platt is 63 years old, just about to retire from teaching, and has been fishing a place called Little Cow Creek since he was 6 years old. “Little Cow is remote to say the least,” he said. “So is Caney Creek and Quicksand Creek. These places are loaded with bass. The fish aren’t all that big, Please turn to page 25
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Mike Platt prefers fishing backwater creeks for largemouth bass, usually out of his kayak. Photo by Andrew Bolligh.
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10
HUNTING
FISHING
Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12
Dove west of Houston (P. 4)
After Harvey (P. 8)
Hunters ready after last year’s washout.
Rockport 1 year after hurricane.
Harveson honored (P. 7)
Reds in the river (P. 8)
Professor receives Regents’ Award.
Moving up river channels.
Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 23 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 26
INSIDE
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
Backwoods bass fishing at its best