Texas Fish & Game May 2017

VOICE OF THE TEXAS OUTDOOR NATION

Go All Out(doors)

For Dad

May 2017 | $3.95

Dead in the Water: The Vibrio Threat

Coastal Bass Strategies

Chasing Ol’ Yellow:

N. Texas Flatheads

The Lone Star

Rhino Rescue Guy Harvey

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. TEXAS FISH & GAME is the largest independent, family-owned outdoor publication in America. Owned

by Ron & Stephanie Ward and Roy & Ardia Neves.

247 AIRTEX DR. HOUSTON, TX 77090 PHONE

(800) 725-1134 ONLINE SUBSCRIBER SERVICE

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A D V E R T I S I N G

PUBLISHER

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ARDIA NEVES

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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EMAIL: ANEVES@FISHGAME.COM

JOE DOGGETT DOUG PIKE TED NUGENT LOU MARULLO MATT WILLIAMS CALIXTO GONZALES LENNY RUDOW STEVE LAMASCUS DUSTIN ELLERMANN KENDAL HEMPHILL WILL LESCHPER REAVIS WORTHAM TOM BEHRENS GREG BERLOCHER RAZOR DOBBS CAPT. MIKE HOLMES DUSTIN WARNCKE STAN SKINNER LISA MOORE

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(281) 869-5511 TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC., 247 Airtex Dr. Houston, TX 77090. ©Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Content is not to be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission.

The publication assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year $24.95; 2 years $42.95; 3 years $58.95. Address all subscription inquiries to Texas Fish & Game, 247 Airtex Dr. Houston, TX 77090. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for response. Give old and new address and enclose latest mailing address label when writing about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: TEXAS FISH & GAME, 247 Airtex Dr. Houston, TX 77090.

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Table of

MAY 2017 Volume 34 • NO. 1

Contents FEATURES

LONE STAR RHINO RESCUE With poaching at an all-time high in their native Africa, Texas offers hope for the salvation of this endangered species.

COVER STORY: S.T.A.R. Winning Flounder Tactics

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by Chester More

Kyle Whittleman and u Kaison Christopher, both of Seabrook, are pictured netting a nice flatfish, while getting ready for the annual CCA S.T.A.R tournament. Every year, the Flounder Division is one of the most hotly contested S.T.A.R. categories.

Unfortunately, summer can be a difficult time for flatfish—especially big ones. This story offers a dozen tactics, developed over many summers, for catching a flounder contender in the heat.

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Story and Cover Photo by Chester Moore

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

COASTAL BASS Texas bass anglers are blessed with a wide range of great fisheries in every geographic region. But the brackish and saltish back waters of the Sabine and Neches Rivers may be the most divers of them all.

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by Matt Williams

DEAD IN THE WATER Vibrio, commonly referred to as “flesheating bacteria,” poses a potential threat to saltwater anglers along the Texas Coast, especially those with weakened immune systems or open wounds.

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by Danielle Sonnier

GUY HARVEY AND THE MISSING SHARK

Go All-Out(doors) for Dad With Fathers Day approaching, why not consider giving the old man a real Texas outdoor adventure.

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by Chester Moore

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Renowned wildlife artist Guy Harvey is also a respected marine biologist and conservationist. Currently, his Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation is on a mission to study and perhaps reverse a 99% decline in oceanic white tip sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Inside FISH & GAME

Contents (continued) COLUMNS

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by ROY and ARDIA NEVES TF&G Owners

Editor’s Notes

by Chester Moore

TF&G Editor in Chief

Volume 34, Issue No. 1

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HIS ISSUE MARKS OUR 33RD ANNIVERSARY AND the start of our 34th year of publication (Hence, the number for this issue: Volume 34, Issue 1). It’s amazing how much change can happen in 33 years. When we started TEXAS FISH & GAME, Ronald Reagan was president. The average new car cost just over $6,000 and a movie ticket was $2.50. Garcia graphite rods cost $14.99 and you could buy a Minn Kota trolling motor for $89.99. Interestingly, gasoline was just a little cheaper than it is today.

In our business, as we’ve discussed before, the changes have been startling.

In 1984, publishing a magazine required a lot of materials and manpower just to get an issue onto the printing press. Most of our writers still mailed in their stories as typewritten manuscripts. Photographers submitted sheets of 35mm Kodachrome slides. We had to typeset the text using lumbering computer graphics terminals. And we reviewed a hundred or more photographs for every issue, using a slide projector on a whiteboard, with staff members throwing out headline and layout suggestions while one of us sketched the ideas over the projected images.

The typeset text came out in strips that had to be cut and pasted (a term that has survived into the lexicon of digital publishing) onto layout sheets after being run through a hot wax roller to apply a sticky backing that allowed us to move the “pasted” columns around as we designed our pages. We sent the slides to an outside graphics service that used a million-dollar scanning system to create highresolution four-color negative enlargements of the original images. A separate negative had to be made for each of the four process colors—Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK (CMYK—another digital-era holdover).

It all came together on a “stripping table,” a glass-topped back-lit workbench on which the photo negatives were taped onto 8-page-sized film flats containing the black and white text from the original layout sheets. Those text pages had been captured using a large bellows-fronted camera, like those from the Civil War era. Each of these taped-up 8 page negatives was then sent off to our printer, where they were used to develop their images onto offset plates that went onto the printing press.

We still use offset printing, where a final 8 page plate is used for each of the four process colors, but everything else about our production process has changed.

Writers email their stories and photographers use digital cameras that now exceed the image quality of the old industry-standard Kodak film. They either email jpegs or upload them to our DropBox account. We use Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to create our pages and the 3 day process of pre-press stripping has been reduced to about 15 minutes of exporting PDFs. While this new film-free process still relies on an offset plate being clamped into place on an ink-fueled press, even that process has been threatening to evolve into “on demand” presses that are essentially highspeed laser printers. But, for now, we’re still living with ink stains.

Meanwhile, the New-Tech revolution that allows writers to phone in their work, and for us to use keystrokes and mouse clicks instead of razor blades and film chemistry to do ours, has begun edging out another of the Old-Tech services that we’ve had to rely on: distribution through that benevolent old institution known as the U.S. Postal Service. Our digital issues are now not only more accessible, such as optimized versions for your phone, they also have more content, including videos.

So, we’ve had a busy 33 years. How have you been?

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Doggett at Large 8 LETTERS

by Joe Doggett TF&G Senior Contributing Editor 90 INDUSTRY INSIDER Pike on the Edge 91 TEXAS

by Doug Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

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Nugent in the Wild

by Ted Nugent

TF&G Editor At Large

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DEPARTMENTS

Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill

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TASTED OUTDOOR DIRECTORY TF&G PHOTOS

NEW SECTION

TF&G Political Commentator

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Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales

TF&G Saltwater Editor

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Texas Boating

by Lenny Rudow

TF&G Boating Editor

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Practical Angler

by Greg Berlocher

TF&G Contributing Editor

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Texas Guns

by Steve LaMascus

TF&G Firearms Editor

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Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams

TF&G Freshwater Editor

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Bass University

by Pete Robbins

YELLOW

44 TF&G REPORT 44 TEXAS HOT SHOTS

46 TEXAS DEPT. OF DEFENSE

Special Correspondent

48 TEXAS DEPT. OF

Bare Bones Hunting

50 TEXAS COASTAL

TF&G Hunting Editor

60 TEXAS FISHING

by Lou Marullo

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40 CHASING OL’

Open Season

by Reavis Wortham

CONSERVATION FOCUS

HOTSPOTS

72 PRIME TIMES

TF&G Humor Editor

www.FishGame.com

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LETTERS to the Editor Refuges and Conservation I AGREE WITH YOU; WE NEED MORE land preserved for wildlife. Call them Refuges, Wildlife Management Areas, Parks, National Forests, Conservation Easements, fill in the blank…. And while we are at it we should demand that the state or federal agencies allow more public access!

Thanks!

Michael Robbins THANKS FOR YOUR LAST EDITOrial which recognizes the benefit of National Wildlife Refuges to the outdoor, hunting community. I remember your support years ago for our developing Neches River National Wildlife Refuge on the Neches River between Cherokee and Anderson Counties.

Thanks for what you do for outdoors in Texas.

Chester Moore accepts the Outdoor Legacy Award from TOWA’s David Sikes.

lenges and implications for future uses.

Michael Banks

Jim Gregory

CHESTER-GREAT “TIP OF THE ICEberg” article, sort of like throwing an exploratory top water.

I hope it gets people’s minds in gear and quite frankly should have its own. I learned during my two “tours” at SFASU School of Forestry (= Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture) in Nacogdoches during the 80s that conservation was generally defined as: The wise use and management of resources.

The word “management” is key to the definition; just using resources without consideration for the impacts and mitigation of those impacts is irresponsible. Conversely, “wise use” does imply forethought in the application of use. However, I think the implication would be lost on our target audience.

And, if the best course of action is “do nothing,” such a decision is still a management decision with its own outcomes, chal8

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Editor: It is my opinion we have listened to the wrong voices on conservation at some levels and that we need to reevaluate. My “awakening” on the issue so to speak when I realized when it came to reservoir construction versus refuges the government would own the property anyway. Wise use is a must and it is something we will promote here in Texas Fish and Game.

of natural resources.

Through radio, videos, books, storytelling and youth programs, Moore has encouraged kids to explore nature. Perhaps most notably, Chester and his wife Lisa operate the Kingdom Zoo: Wildlife Center in Orange, TX a facility dedicated to children’s wildlife education.

In 2016, the facility hosted about 3,000 visitors, mostly children.

Burney Brown, Executive Director Texas Outdoor Writers Association

TOWA Honors TF&G Editor-In-Chief TEXAS FISH & GAME MAGAZINE Editor-In-Chief Chester Moore of Orange is the recipient of the first Mossy Oak Outdoor Legacy Award.

This award is given to a Texas Outdoor Writers Association member whose career has helped to recruit young people into the outdoors while promoting the conservation |

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Send Your Comments to: Texas Fish & Game 247 Airtex Drive Houston TX 77032 editor@fishgame.com PHOTO: BURNEY BROWN

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EDITOR’S Notes

by CHESTER MOORE :: TF&G Editor-in-Chief

The Texas Javelina Massacre

lems between deer enthusiasts and javelinas.

“Incidental and illegal harvest of javelinas due to their perceived nuisance of predation, agricultural damage and competition with deer has added to this decline.”(TPWD) Big, protein-fed, selectively bred whitetail bucks bring in big bucks to ranchers and javelinas are not a priority. In fact, as the TPWD document notes, illegal harvest is rampant.

If warfarin ends up killing those bucks, there will be an outcry as big as the state itself.

If it kills javelinas, you can bet more will be put out. Many will look at taking out hogs and javelinas as a two-for-one special.

Javelinas should be given their due respect, just like any other Texas native, but they are not an easy icon to get behind.

Hunters don’t care too much for them, and they are not wellknown enough for the “green” movement to support them.

At the time of this writing it looked like the warfarin-based toxin might have some legal hurdles to overcome before The javelina, unlike feral hogs, hitting the field. is a species native to Texas that doesn’t As for the javelinas, they will get the respect it deserves. benefit from any ban or delay.

The “Texas Javelina Massacre” actually began years population trends in South Texas appear to ago. It was about the time high fences started follow drought cycles, habitat management popping up south of San Antonio, and the javetreatments, and more recent emphasis on lina became an enemy instead of a respected white-tailed deer management, including high species.

And no one from any side of the conservafencing and predator control.”

They go on to say that although habitat tion aisle seems to care. improvement for white-tailed deer, such as food plots, supplemental feeding, and water development also improved habitat for javeEmail Chester Moore at linas. In many cases it also exacerbated probcmoore@fishgame.com

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EXAS AGRICULTURE COMmissioner Sid Miller’s decision to list a warfarin-based hog lure as a state-limited-use pesticide has sent shockwaves through the wildlife community.

The pesticide, Kaput Feral Hog Lure, is the first toxicant to be listed specifically for use in controlling the feral hog population. Opinions are varied, from landowner support to hunter and wildlife enthusiast outrage.

Commissioner Miller said the introduction of the first hog lure may usher in the “Hog Apocalypse.”

It could also set off the “Texas Javelina Massacre.”

The collared peccary, more commonly known as “javelina” is a denizen of the arid regions of Texas. At one time, they roamed from the Rio Grande to the Red River, but that range has been cut down to less than half that size.

There are now according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) roughly 100,000 of these animals inhabiting 62 million acres of rangeland.

One of the most feral-hog-dense regions is the javelina’s South Texas stronghold.

Although they are not pigs, they eat many things pigs also eat. They readily devour corn put out for deer, soured grain set out to bait hogs and will without any doubt devour this toxic feral hog lure.

Unlike feral hogs, the javelina is a native species that can easily coexist, but compete little with free-ranging whitetail deer, the state’s most popular game animal. They key word here is “free-ranging.”

TPWD’s “Javelina in Texas” publication notes that “Recent downturns in javelina 10

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DOGGETT at Large

by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&G Contributing Editor

Striking Out

bonefish—not so fine if the fly goes airborne, and the startled fish spooks.

Worth note, the aggressive strip-strike mantra should be tempered if a big fish is very close when it takes. The leader has virtually no shock absorber. Stripping hard on a turning 100-pound tarpon or sailfish at 20 feet can vaporize a 20-pound-class tippet. Trust me. I know first-hand.

The excitable rookie probably is better off just pulling low to the opposite angle, using the flex of the rod to cushion the contact. If the fish shakes off, at least the terminal rigging remains intact.

When fishing with natural bait on a traditional “J” hook, the age-old reaction is to lower the rod tip, reel tight, and yank back with gusto.

However, this aggressive reaction is a major mistake when you use a circle hook. Trust me again.

The violent J-hook sweep snatches the circle hook away without allowing time for the point to rotate into the jaw. If given the opportunity to function properly, the circle hook will almost always set itself against the weight of a departing fish.

The deliberate angler feeds controlled freespool line for several counts, then engages the reel and waits for the growing surge of weight before pulling back slowly to the side—Presto!

A moderate drag setting to provide adequate resistance works well.

Frankly, when you drift offshore, doing nothing can be a great tactic. Leave the rod in a holder and wait until it is bending and the reel is humming before you grab the rig.

A fly caster who wades a river and swings a downstream streamer for steelhead or Atlantic salmon is also well-advised to basically do nothing. As a fish grabs the fly, the bellying line begins to straighten, and the savvy angler allows the resistance of the current to set the small hook.

Jerking the rod against the first tug almost certainly will result in a swing and a miss. Lift the long tip only after the line is tight and the fish is “on the reel.”

Another good time to slow the response is when you grind crankbaits for bass. The fast

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ISSING THE STRIKE OF A fish doing its suicidal best to get caught is one of the most aggravating things in angling. Frantic reactions aside, the ham-handed fumble often is aided and abetted by specialized techniques and conflicting circumstances.

For example, when you’re saltwater fly fishing with a streamer, the accepted method for setting the hook is the “strip strike.” The angler points the low rod down the line during the retrieve and when a fish grabs he pulls straight back with the line-stripping hand.

The pull does not need to be long, a foot or two. The advantage of this technique is that it transmits main-line contact directly to the fish, allowing a positive hook-set against a hard or rubbery jaw.

Also, important, the straight yank keeps the line and fly in the water. Should the fish miss, the offering remains right in front for a followup grab. Conversely, lifting the rod tip high is a knee jerk (well, more correctly, a wrist jerk) reaction that, on a miss, rips the line across the surface and launches the fly into the air.

However, that same rod lift is exactly what the stream angler wants when drifting a dry fly or nymph for trout. The hard strip strike is an overload likely to snap a light tippet against a good fish.

Another advantage of the “high stick” method is that a miss propels the line up and back, much like a false cast for a quick follow-up to the same area. Maybe this works, maybe it doesn’t, but at least you are back in the zone with minimal wasted time.

A bad habit, especially in saltwater, is to combine the two techniques. I do it all the time. It drives me crazy. I give a proper strip, but lift the rod at the same time. This looks fine if the fly sticks in the jaw of a greedy redfish or

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retrieve, and the small sharp trebles combine for an almost automatic hookup. Conversely, a vicious yank (especially with a stiff rod) might tear the plug away before the bass can get a good grip.

Most plug casters agree that a topwater strike is the most exciting. And, almost always, the “fast strike” theory is a mistake. A fish— bass, speck, red, take your pick—makes a commitment when it elevates several feet and snatches a surface lure. The fish turns back down, slow to realize it’s made a mistake.

By pausing a count, you have a better chance to drive the hooks into the corner of the jaw. Conversely, hitting too fast can “burn his lip.” This especially is true on a slow and deliberate rise.

Also, keep in mind that a thrilling splash does not always mean that a fish has taken the lure. Many fish strike short, rolling under or behind the lure without making contact.

It takes a cool hand to hold firm when a fish is firing short, but suffice it to say, if you can still see the plug, the following fish does not have nine-tenths of the law in its favor. Put another way, don’t trust your eyes. Wait until you feel weight.

These are examples of specialized techniques. The angler who fishes primarily with one favored method, can get in a groove and minimize blown chances. Problems typically arise when you go from one situation to another, and what once was right, is now wrong.

Conditioned reflexes can be hard to control, and it is horrifyingly easy to get flustered on unfamiliar water. But “striking out” now and then is just part of fishing.

Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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PIKE on the Edge

by DOUG PIKE :: TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Fishing Off the Grid

and pinpoint electronic maps that can be stored to servers in the sky. And they never can be lost, not permanently.

Millennials beware, however, that in the moment, anything you see on an electronic screen can be lost temporarily. Ask a friend who’s dropped his or her phone in the bay.

Losing your phone doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish that day. It just means you have to rely on your own senses, your own decisions.

And if you’ve paid any attention at all to where and how you’ve fished the past few years, you should be able to make a go of it even without those electronic training wheels.

Back to that part about being fair to apps A few button pushes while connected to your personal fishing-research data base (your phone) can take you to and through a vast catalog not only of your own experiences, but those of friends, professionals and any other sources you trust to be accurate.

You type “trout,” for example, then click. The next page lets you add a few layers. You continue with “southeast wind, afternoon, incoming tide, June” …and in an instant, you know what lures worked best over a similarly defined chunk of the past.

A couple preferred lure choices pop onto the screen, so you tie one of them to your line. If the fish got the same memo, you should do quite well. Overwhelmingly, however, odds favor a less than favorable outcome if your prediction is based solely on the past.

I like the concepts of data collection and analytics and use both in my daily personal and professional lives. There is short- and longterm value also, however, in simply remembering what happened yesterday or the week prior. Or a year ago on the same spot under similar conditions.

Use the apps as suggestions, but don’t spend the entire day thinking that app knows better than you—if you really put your mind to it—what’s going to work on that particular hour of that specific day.

Some of you younger fishermen are allow-

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F TECHNOLOGY AND OUR FASCInation with it continue racing each other into the future, young fishermen may wind up someday spending more time pressing buttons than making casts. Apps are great, but don’t discount the value of handson experience.

Whether you want to know what’s biting, where it’s biting, when it’s biting or what it’s biting, there’s an app for that. Real-time weather and solunar tables are available and even fish identification if you’ve never before seen what’s hanging off your hook.

Tap+tap+tap=answer Apps are beneficial. I’ll concede that much, so long as the sentence ends in an asterisk that leads to an “in moderation” modifier at the bottom of the page. Like anything else we find so useful and indispensable these days. However, using them in excess can lead to dependency and a potential inability to function confidently without something.

Are we addicted to apps? Probably not, at least not by medical definition. Still, I see more and more fishermen on the docks at first light frantically tapping at their phones in search of answers to questions when they already should know the answers.

All that typing and texting and staring at screens, all that unnecessary anxiety waiting for the data to transfer—why not crank the engine, get onto the water and actually fish?

Old-school anglers are dropping out— dying, if you didn’t get the metaphor—at the same rate as everyone else. Fewer fishermen ever create hand-written journals of secret spots. (Remember having “secret spots?”)

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ing electronic devices—all of which are wholly reliant on fickle, sensitive power sources—to replace your own brains (which are far more reliable and can store an amazing amount of information).

Inside and outside of fishing circles, I routinely run into young people who don’t wear watches or carry pens and paper. Few of them even know anyone younger than their parents who carry pens, even in their vehicles. They rely on electronic devices for notetaking, for appointment setting, navigation, communication and general problem solving.

Surely as there’s an app for every life-simplifying function we want performed, there’s a video for every repair or replacement we might want to perform.

Need to replace the console wiring on your 1986 Boston Whaler? A guy from New Jersey has a 20-minute YouTube video on exactly that, and so do one guy in Texas, two in Florida and another one in South Carolina. Need to make a water pump but all you’ve got is a soda can, two pipe cleaners, a roll of duct tape and six AA batteries? The guy from New Jersey didn’t do a YouTube video on that, but his cousin did.

Electronics and computers will play increasingly vital roles in all aspects of our lives, but we’re not quite far enough down this path to dismiss the usefulness of our own brains.

I’ve challenged you previously in this space and will do so again—now.

Coordinate a fishing trip, wherever and with whomever you like, without help from any electronic device. You may check Internet forecasts during the day, for safety’s sake, and you can bring your phone for the same reason.

Otherwise, rely solely on your brain.

My bet is that you’ll catch more fish, not fewer. If you get a good one, turn on your phone and send us a picture.

Email Doug Pike at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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NUGENT in the Wild

by TED NUGENT :: TF&G Editor-at-Large

Wow! That Deer Season Sure Was FUN!

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SLEPT IN THIS MORNING. NO, really. It wasn’t storming, I wasn’t ill, not feeling particularly lazy or tired, but I simply slept in this morning, March 1, 2017 for the 1st time since September 4, 2016.

You see, I’ve got this terminal American Dream Spirit of the Wild thang goin’ on, and I am addicted to the self-evident truth of life, liberty and my pursuit of happiness.

Call me weird but that’s my personal battle cry and I’m sticking with it, thank you.

I have managed my American Dream for a very, very long time to maximize my ultimate rock-n-roll dreams and hunting dreams to the point where I literally rock every day and hunt every day. Well, maybe not every day, but darn close.

Even when I am on tour where I rockout six nights a week or more all summer long, most of the time I am hubbing either out of my Texas ranch or my Michigan swamp cabin where I am able to hunt, fish and or trap nearly every day to some degree.

I was in a Primos Double Bull ground blind last night on February 28 with my Mathews bow for the final evening of the Texas 2016/17whitetail season right up to the very last fading dusk, and like the vast majority of bowhunting excursions, I once again got skunked.

But as I sat there intensely scanning my ambush zone, I had to contain myself as my mind swirled with pulsating memories and visions of another mesmerizing long season of truly phenomenal wildlife and life experiences.

I literally giggled slightly replaying that miracle 55 yard shot on a dandy buck in my Michigan forest.

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“ The kill is but a blink of the eye, while the hunt is forever.

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ing defense radar machine that I made a lucky 35 yard heartshot on after she tortured me for hours.

My annual hunts with my wife, kids and grandkids provide a virtual tsunami of spiritual fulfillment and gratitude. Their smiles and laughter bring me life itself.

There are those sacred campfires with sick children and wounded heroes of the US Military that words cannot adequately describe

but that glow and burn forever in my mind and spirit.

I can close my eyes anytime I wish and relive every soul stirring moment, arrow, sunrise, sunset, birdsong, critter encounter and jam packed joyful intensity that every moment afield provides me.

Though I do some sort of hunting all year long, my official hunting calendar goes from March 1 to March 1 every year as I kick off the spring turkey season, fish up a storm for delicious, ultra-fun panfish for the table, keep after the hogs, exotics, furbearers, varmints, squirrels, woodchucks, pick up a few sheds, snatch some wild mushrooms, asparagus, leeks and scallions, then transition into the always thrilling spring bear season. |

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Soon it is time to plant those summer foodplots as I continue my various outdoor adventures through the summer rock-n-roll season.

Then, before you know it, I pretty much come unglued when September rolls around for the kick-off of another cherished big game season.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in all its American glory is a beautiful thang!

Without failing to fulfill my primary responsibilities to God, family and country, I am able to pack in a mighty exciting yearly agenda of ultra-FUN, SPORT, MEAT and TROPHY outdoor adventure excitement all these 68 plus outrageous years later.

Though some claim that the kill is anticlimactic, I could not disagree more, for that moment of truth surely is the ultimate nerve rattling, heart slamming climax to a lifelong dedication of being the absolute best reasoning predator we can be.

But it is true that the kill itself is no more than a fleeting moment, whereas all the prolonged necessary dedication and efforts leading up to it best define what hunting is all about.

The kill is but a blink of the eye, while the hunt is forever.

As we cook up our hard-earned venison prize each day, I literally smile like a Cheshire cat at the meat sizzling on the grill or in the pan, each sizzle bringing forth a flood of beyond joyful memories and imagery of what it takes to earn this chunk of sacred protein.

With each bite and chew, the beast enters my body and soul, culminating the circle of life and bringing that life back to me so I can celebrate liberty and pursue my happiness.

Hunt, live, kill and grill like you mean it my friends. Never lose sight of the big picture as we perform our scientific, moral, intellectual and spiritual obligation to God’s miraculous creation.

Make a note my BloodBrothers; October 1st 2017 falls on a Sunday, and November 1st and November 15 on Wednesday. Just sayin’!

Email Ted Nugent at tnugent@fishgame.com

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TF&G COMMENTARY

by KENDAL HEMPHILL :: TF&G Political Editor

T

EXAS CURRENTLY FACES A polarizing debate over the use of the anti-coagulant warfarin to try to control the skyrocketing population of wild feral hogs in the Lone Star State.

The recent presidential election seems like a sorority tea compared with the vehemence and vitriol evidenced by both sides in the argument over whether hogs should be targeted with ‘poison.’ Emotions are high, because the stakes are high.

Both factions of this debate have valid concerns, but like many questions that involve wildlife, livestock, and ethics, neither side seems to be listening to the other. I am currently on the fence concerning the use of warfarin for hog control, and therefore I don’t have a hog in the fight, I will present both arguments, as I see them, in the hope of creating peace. Although, at the moment, it might be easier to talk the Palestinians into carpooling with the Israelis.

Warfarin is not, in fact, a poison, but an anticoagulant. It is often prescribed for humans as a blood thinner, and although its use must be monitored carefully, it is safe, and even helpful, if taken properly. It reduces the formation of blood clots, which, if carried to the brain or heart, can cause strokes, heart attacks, and death. So, warfarin is not necessarily bad.

There are no toxic substances, after all, only toxic levels.

Rat poison has contained warfarin since about 1950, since it causes internal bleeding when enough is taken. All animals and humans are susceptible to its effects, but as it turns out swine are more susceptible than almost all other creatures. Scavenging birds, ferrets, alligators, ducks and quail have been subjected to five to ten times the amount of warfarin necessary to cause the demise of an adult hog, and no ill effects have been found.

“ I will present both arguments, as I see them, in the hope of creating peace.

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A Bloody Hog Battle

cides, and Kaput falls into that category.

The restrictions put in place by the Texas Ag Commissioner, according to spokeswoman Jessica Escobar, required that a licensed dealer or applicator administer the bait, and special feeders must be used, which cost about $1,500 each. The feeders have lids that weigh ten pounds, which should keep most animals from gaining access to the bait. The feeders must be either anchored or attached to a tree, and must be inaccessible to livestock. In fact, no livestock can have access to the baited area for 90 days after the product is removed.

The bodies of deceased hogs, according to Miller’s restrictions, must be suitably disposed of, either by burying or burning. There T E X A S

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are also rules about how often the baited area must be checked for afflicted pigs. The Ag Commissioner, it seems, left little to chance.

Even so, according to the Austin American Statesman, Travis County Judge Jan Soifer was petitioned by Wild Boar Meats, which processes and sells hog meat, to block the use of Kaput until more information becomes available.

Despite the low dosage of warfarin in any wild hog exposed to the bait, its presence would necessarily be bad for business. Certainly, few would knowingly ingest questionable pork, for obvious reasons.

There is, however, the possibility that any wild animal taken for its meat might have recently been subject to illegal baiting, since some ranchers, desperate to curb feral hog predations, have been known to use rat poison to try to thin the herd by thinning their blood.

There is also the question of ethics.

According to Dave Rosberg, DVM, owner of Hill Country Veterinary Clinic in Mason, Texas, warfarin causes the afflicted animal to bleed to death, but it can take up to 72 hours.

When asked if the animal experiences pain during the process, Rosberg had no definite answer. If so, the use of Kaput will obviously be repulsive to those of us who believe we have an obligation to treat animals in a humane manner.

Almost everyone agrees that something must be done to curtail the devastating feral hog depredations in Texas, so it’s easy to see why some have hailed Kaput as the answer to prayers. And it may be. But I think we owe it to ourselves, and to the future of wildlife in the Lone Star State, to be optimistically cautious.

Texas can probably survive a little longer, just to be sure.

Every cloud, it is said, has a silver lining, and the feral hog problem in Texas can definitely be described as a cloud. Kaput Feral Hog Bait may be our silver lining, or it may cost more silver than we’re willing to pay.

Kaput Feral Hog Bait, which is the product in question, has been in development since 2000, and was approved by the EPA in January, 2017 for hog control. The amount of warfarin in the bait is supposedly low enough to be safe if consumed by most wildlife, but high enough to kill pigs. Even if the hogs eat the poison and then are consumed by carrion birds or other carnivores, the risk of harm is evidently slight.

The same is true for aquatic critters, should a hog die in a water source.

Since it seems Kaput will soon be available for purchase (though it isn’t yet on the market at the time of this writing), the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller, issued some restrictions on its use. The Texas Department of Agriculture registers all pesti-

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I

T IS THE MOST VALUABLE WILDLIFE commodity in the world.

Fetching up to $60,000 a pound on the black market, rhinoceros horn is coveted greatly by millionaires in Asia who use it as a status symbol or grind it into traditional elixirs as an aphrodisiac.

By comparison ivory from poached elephant tusks

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are going for about $1,500 a pound. That’s chump change compared to rhino horn.

Large-scale poaching of the now critically endangered black rhino resulted in a dramatic 96 percent decline from 70,000 individuals in 1970 to just 2,410 in 1995 according to Save the Rhino, a strictly rhinocerosbased conservation organization.

“Thanks to the persistent efforts of conservation &

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4/13/17 5:08 PM

Texas Offers Hope for the Salvation of an Endagered Species story by Chester Moore

programs across Africa, black rhino numbers have risen since then to a current population of between 5,042 and 5,458 individuals.”

“The overwhelming rhino conservation success story is that of the Southern white rhino.

From numbers as low as 50 to 100 in the wild in the early 1900s, this sub-species of rhino has PHOTOS: INSET, CANSTOCK; MAIN, PUBLIC DOMAIN

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now increased to between 19,666 and 21,085.”

But poaching has increased dramatically.

In 2007, 13 rhinos were poached in South Above: Africa. That number skyrocketed to 83 the Texas based next year; and by 2015, 1,175 rhinos had been YO Headquarters is working to poached. That means one out of every five rhibecome a nos was killed, driven by the aforementioned rhinoceros sanctuary.

Asian market.

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Rhinos in the Wild

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ILD RHINOS CAN STILL BE found in parts of Asia and Africa, but they live in small fragmented populations which may not be viable (due to lack of breeding opportunities and risk of random events or disease).

Sumatran rhinos have decreased by 50 percent in the past 18 years leaving fewer than 200 surviving, primarily in Indonesia and Malaysia. Before 1900, black rhinos occurred

There is no end in sight to the killing, despite the use of surveillance drones, shootto-kill policies on poachers in some areas and increased awareness. Today, poachers are hitting rhinos and they are hitting them hard.

Some believe the solution to saving the species involves bringing them to Texas.

Hundreds of orphaned baby rhinos could be moved into Texas where they could be kept far away from poachers on highly managed private ranches. The thought is that the gene pool could be preserved while con-

throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, but between 1970 and 1992, rhino populations declined 96 percent. Black rhinos went extinct in many range states, and by 1992, only 2,300 individuals survived in seven countries.

But while rhinos continue to be killed for their horns, increased security and greater anti-poaching efforts have led to increases in some populations over the past decade.

Recovery of Africa’s white rhino demonstrates the benefits of strong law enforcement and conservation management. Decimated by hunting, white rhinos nearly became extinct with only about 100 surviving in the wild.

Now, with good protection and successful

management, the subspecies has increased to more than 20,000 and is the most abundant of all rhinos.

And in Chitwan, Nepal, rhino poaching has dropped to zero for the past year, and the population of rhinos has risen in Assam, India, over the past decade. However, it is important for the world community to remain vigilant as the threats to rhinos from poaching and illegal trade are still significant and increasing in some places such as southern Africa.

servationists figure out what to do with the problems in Africa.

Byron and Sandra Sadler, owners of YO Headquarters near Mountain Home have spoken to officials about offering their large ranch as a safe haven for rhinos.

“It’s a tragedy what is happening to the

rhinoceros and we want to be involved in any way we can to help out this iconic species,” Sadler said.

Byron was the first USA bowhunter to receive SCI’s World Conservation and Hunting Award.

In 2008 the Houston Safari Club introduced a new award titled the Byron G.

All About Rhino Horn ACCORDING TO US FISH AND Wildlife Service officials, these animals face extinction in part because of the world’s longstanding lust for their horn, which has been valued for centuries as a carving material and medicinal.

daggers that are presented to adolescent boys as a sign of manhood and devotion to Islam.

• The ornamental application of rhino horn was a “high society” decorative “fad” in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through the 1920s, items made from horn ranged from walking sticks and door handles to pistol grips and limousine interiors.

• The medicinal use of rhino horn also dates back centuries.

Medical practitioners in such Asian countries as Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, India and

• Rhino horn is made up primarily of keratin – a protein found in hair, fingernails, and animal hooves. When carved and polished, horn takes on a translucence and luster that increase as the object ages.

• In ancient Greece, rhino horn was believed to have the ability to purify water.

• Persians in the 5th century B.C. thought that rhino horn vessels could be used to detect poisoned liquids, which would bubble when poured into such cups.

• In Yemen, rhino horn was long used for making the handles of special curved 20

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China used it as a treatment for many different symptoms and illnesses. In traditional Chinese medicine, ground rhino horn was prescribed for lowering fever and ameliorating such disorders as rheumatism and gout.

• Scientists have little evidence to support belief in the medical efficacy of rhino horn, and many practitioners of traditional medicine have stopped using it in light of the species’ plight. Yet such belief persists and is fueled by “urban legends” old or new about its powers as an aphrodisiac or cure for cancer.

Medicinal use continues to create demand for rhino horn. This is a demand that poses a threat to the continued survival of rhino species in the wild.

—U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

★ PHOTOS: USFW

4/12/17 10:31 AM

If landowners with at least 1,500 acres of prairie dog town on their property step up, there is a chance the black-footed ferret could return to Texas. Rhinos are not the only species that can benefit from the vast land of Texas.

Sadler Bow Hunting Achievement Award, and Byron was the first recipient.

“This is a species we might have an opportunity to save and I know the hunting conservationists of Texas will certainly get behind it,” he said.

The Texas-based Exotic Wildlife Association (EWA) is in the process of working out the details of an arrangement with

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South African ranchers, which may lead to the relocation of white rhinos to the U.S. where the rhinos would find safe haven in the wild through their Second Ark Foundation.

In 2015 they held a rhinoceros summit dedicated to their “Rhino 1,000” project.

They are currently working on the massive red tape and fundraising it will take to bring these orphaned rhinos to Texas. Other indi-

viduals and organizations such as Dallas Safari Club, Houston Safari Club and Safari Club International are working on different aspects of saving the rhino.

4/13/17 10:57 AM

T

EXAS BASS ANGLERS ARE blessed with a wide range of great fisheries in just about every geographic region of the state.

To hear David Burman of Orange tell it, the brackish and saltish back waters that are the Sabine and Neches river complexes of

deep southeast Texas may be the most diverse of them all.

No doubt these waters are certainly among the most unique. It’s one bayou, creek, canal, slough, marsh and oxbow after another down there. It’s all laid out in a winding, twisting, skinny water setting where the banks are lined with hydrilla, milfoil, tules, lay downs, blow downs, stumps, bushes, cypress trees and knees.

Translation: It’s one of those places where the feel of remoteness is the norm, and just about everything looks fishy.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the next cast or pushing farther back into a good-looking area. Even a veteran river rat can get turned around pretty quick on a cloudy day with no GPS to guide the way. For a newcomer, the Sabine can be a downright intimidating place.

“A guy can get lost out there if he isn’t careful, because it’s one little nook and cranny after another,” said Burman, an Orange native who typically fishes the river no less than a dozen times a month. “The fishing can be really good, but it also can be pretty challenging at times because there are so many variables 22

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4/13/17 11:34 AM

involved that can affect it from one day to the next. It’s always changing.”

That’s because these are fresh waters that become increasingly brackish as the flow creeps southward before ultimately mixing with the saltwater bays that flank the Gulf of Mexico. Burman says tides and water clarity are always factors to contend with in this part of the world.

The fishing tends to be best when the water is moving in or out with the tide. It can be especially good you get a 18-24-inch rise after the tide has been out for a couple of days.

“You can really crush them when that happens,” he said.

When it comes to water clarity, Burman says it is always best to look for the clearest you can find.

The problem there is clear water can turn to chocolate overnight, which can add to the challenge of locating fish consistently and figuring out the best way to exploit them.

Burman says a handful of areas consistently hold the clearest water and he advised looking to the marshes to find it.

“The main thing to remember here is to stay away from the chocolate-colored water,” he said. “The marshes are almost always clear and that’s usually where you’ll find most of the bigger fish. The farther off the main bayous you can get the clearer it gets. The farther off a main lake back in the swamp around the cypress and tules the clearer it gets.”

Because of the erratic conditions, Burman says it can be tough to nail down any sort of pattern that will hold up for consecutive days.

Targeting Bass in Brackish Waters story by Matt Williams T E X A S

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4/12/17 10:33 AM

“You might go out the day before a tournament and absolutely whack them flipping a creature bait around grass or brush. The next day they may not touch anything except a buzz bait,” he said. “It’s difficult at times to get these fish dialed in on a solid pattern for more than 1 1/2 days. There are a lot of fish here to catch and it’s a great platform to learn because it forces you to be versatile.”

Another factor that can have an impact the fishing quality is the availability of forage. During late spring, especially during May, there is almost always an abundance of it— namely threadfin shad.

“There will be literally thousands of 1 1/2 to 2-inch shad out there and the bass will be gorging on them,” Burman said. “It can be difficult to match the hatch when that is going on.”

As abundant as the forage can be in late spring, the smorgasbord is typically short-lived. By June, Burman says the bass will have wiped out most of the shad and will be feeding more on perch and crawfish.

“From about June through August is when the fishing gets really good,” Burman said.

Good for the Sabine, that is. Five-fish, 30 pound sacks are nothing more than a pipe dream around here. In fact, tournament limits weighing upwards of 15 pounds are exceptional.

That’s because the bass in these waters just don’t get very big. They never have. And they never will. The harsh environment in which they live just won’t let them.

That’s the word from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Todd Driscoll of Brookeland.

Driscoll and his staff carried out a lengthy research study a couple of years ago aimed at learning more about the population dynamics of the bass that live there. In addition to assessing the size and age structures, they wanted to gather information on annual mortality rates.

The results from the study—which involved using electrofishing gear to collect 600 bass in waters from the lower Sabine and Neches rivers as well as Taylor, Big Hill and Hillebrandt bayous.

This eventually led to a decision to lower the minimum size limit from 14 to 12 inches on bass on the Sabine River in Newton and Orange counties, and in Chambers, Galveston, and Jefferson counties. The new limit went in effect Sept. 1, 2016.

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Costa pro Steve Phillips unhooks a bass along a grassy shoreline.

esting findings during the study.

“One thing we learned is the population down there suffers from very high annual mortality,” said Driscoll. “The annual mortality (70-75 percent) is double what we see on some of our larger reservoirs such as Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend.

“Although we don’t know for certain, we highly suspect that very little of the annual mortality is driven by the anglers,” Driscoll added. “Instead, we believe it is attributed to the harsh conditions in which fish live down there, mainly as the result of the variable salinity influence. Another big stressor is the lack of availability of high quality forage.”

Driscoll says the bass population in the study area is unique when compared to those of inland reservoirs, yet it is virtually identical to the bass populations found in other coastal complexes like the Atchafalaya Basin and Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

“The common threads are that all of these coastal bass populations are moderately to highly abundant, have slow growth rates and experience high annual mortality, yet the fish have great body condition.”

Driscoll said a meager seven percent of the 600 bass collected during the study were legal keepers under the statewide 14-inch limit. In contrast, the biologist said 35-40 percent of the bass electrofishing crews collect during fall surveys on Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn bump the 14-inch mark. |

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Jakob Paulson fishes from a dock, which can be productive in brackish areas.

The biologist said the study also showed a significant difference in growth rates between coastal bass and reservoir bass.

“The bass on Rayburn and Toledo Bend normally reach 14 inches at about 2 1/2 years PHOTO: TOP, MATT WILLIAMS; BOTTOM, TF&G

4/14/17 10:19 AM

David Burman’s Top 5 Brackish Baits

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f you are planning to visit the Sabine in the near future, here are five baits David Burman says you should have tied on when you get here and where you should throw them:

1 1/8 ounce white or white/chartreuse buzz bait: Throw it around grass or wood.

4 KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbait, chartreuse/black or sexy shad: Throw it around wood; attempt to deflect it off stumps and lay downs.

3 Dark brown or black Spro 65 Hollow Body Frog: Fish it around grass, wood and other shallow cover.

5 Yamamoto Senko, watermelon red or green pumpkin, weightless or with a split shot: Fish it along grass edges and around wood cover.

Dipping the tail in chartreuse Spike It produces more bites.

—Matt Williams

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2 1/4 to 3/8-ounce jig, black blue or green pumpkin: Flip and pitch it around wood or grass.

old,” he said. “Growth rates of coastal bass are much slower, about 3.9 years to reach 14 inches.”

The new limit appears to have spurred the interest numerous tournament organizations have in visiting the area.

Bass Champs, arguably the most popular team circuit in the state, held its annual cham-

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pionship on the Sabine in Oct. 2016. Last month, the Southeast Texas High School Bass Fishing Association hosted a qualifying tournament there that probably drew more than 500 teams. In June, the Bassmaster Central Open will visit Orange.

“The new limit has definitely made the

fishery more attractive for tournaments,” Burman said. “And a lot of anglers really like it. You don’t catch a lot of big fish here—a four pounder is a really good one—but it’s a fun and challenging place to fish where you can catch good numbers. It’s really a unique place.”

4/13/17 11:57 AM

If vibrio looks ominous in this microscopic photo, the reality is even more ominous.

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OU MAY remember the uproar from just last summer about the “flesh-eating bacterium” found in the coastal waters of Texas. Well, it is about that time of year again.

Vibrio.

That’s what we’re talking about. Found in brackish and salty waters, this bacterium poses a potential threat to many fishermen and their families.

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Vibrio, the world’s leading culprit of contamination in shellfish, naturally live in certain coastal waters and are more densely populous between May and October when water temperatures are warmer. It’s during these months that about 80 percent of infections occur.

“Vibrio infections can occur in two ways,” Texas Dept. of State Health Services’ Chris Van Deusen said. “Eating raw or undercooked fish—usually shellfish, though it can be an issue with finfish— and contact with an open wound in water where the bacteria are present.” |

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Eating raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters, and exposing open wounds to brackish or salt water can increase a person’s chance for getting vibriosis. Vibrio consumption results in the most commonly reported illnesses and claims about 45,000 cases each year in the United States.

“Gastrointestinal symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain,” Van Deusen said. “Per the CDC, treatment is not necessary in mild cases, but patients should drink plenty of liquids to replace fluids lost through diarrhea.”

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Even those not consuming potentially affected seafood should be cautious when in close proximity to warm, salty water, especially if there is any chance of having an open wound.

“In susceptible people, those with an underlying health condition, infection can lead to a life-threatening bloodstream infection,” Van Deusen said.

The infection becomes life-threatening when the bacteria reaches the bloodstream, causing symptoms such as high fever, sepsis, chills and perhaps the destruction of skin tissue, hence the term “flesh-eating.”

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CDC Tips for Avoiding Vibrio on any boat.

• If your wound starts to swell and turn bright red, go immediately to the closest emergency room. Inform the attending physician about the injury and that it was exposed

• Flush out wound with sterile water. Use bottled water if you are on a boat. Do not use seawater.

• Wash the wound with soap and water.

• Flush and clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide. Disinfect with a generous application of Betadine. Hydrogen peroxide and Betadine are available at all drug stores and should be included as part of your first aid kit “We recommend staying out of coastal water with any kind of wound,” Van Deusen said. “If you cut yourself while in the water, get out of the water immediately, clean the wound promptly with soap and fresh water, and avoid going back in the water.”

Most immune systems fight off the bacteria, but having a compromised immune system, HIV, chronic liver disease, diabetes, or cancer increases the risk associated with vibriosis.

“Wound infection symptoms include blistering and ulceration, swelling and reddening, fluid build-up, fever, sepsis, and shock,” Van Deusen said.

Vibrio becomes active and deadly once it enters the bloodstream, and according to a CDC-conducted study from 1990 to 2010, a total of 602 (about 7.5 percent of the total 8,056 records) patients with a Vibrio illness were recorded as deceased.

“Illness onset can occur between 16 hours to 7 days after the consumption of contaminated food or exposure of a wound to contaminated water,” Van Deusen said.

Illnesses caused by vibrio have an endurance of two to seven days once the bacteria becomes active in the body.

Over the last five years, 2011 to 2015, the average number of Vibrio vulnificus infec-

to saltwater. Tell the ER physician you suspect a Vibrio infection.

—Danielle Sonnier

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Vibrio under an electron microscope and colored in to highlight.

tions reported in Texas has been 21 cases per year (ranging from 15 to 35). Of the 35 cases reported in 2015, 77 percent reported contact with water, 11 percent reported consumption of shellfish, mainly raw oysters, and for 11 percent, an exposure type could not be determined. Infections also appear to be seasonal in nature, with most (91 percent in 2015) occurring between May and October.

To reduce your chance of getting vibriosis, do not eat raw or undercooked shellfish, such as oysters, and if you have a wound (including cuts and scrapes), avoid contact with brackish or salt water or cover the wound with a waterproof bandage if there

is even a slight chance you will be around or come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood, or even raw seafood juices.

The CDC also reported that the median age of all the patients during that twenty-year time frame was 47 years, and the majority of patients were men—but hey, no pressure.

The cases are rare enough that you do not need to cancel your plans for a day at the beach, nor do you need to reconsider your weekend fishing trip with the guys. Having knowledge of the bacteria and using the precautions suggested in this article will put you ahead of the game.

Welcome Relief for Oyster Eaters NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN

ented process whereby live oysters are placed in warm water for a certain period of time and then immediately moved to cold water to halt the cooking process.

introduced to maintain freshness, eliminate possible bacteria spoilage and reduce Vibrio levels according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Three new FDA-approved technologies are being used: 1. Individual quick-freezing (IQF) involves rapid freezing of half-shell oysters on trays, then adding a thin glaze of ice to seal in the natural juices before storing them frozen.

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3. High hydrostatic pressure is also a patented process that subjects oysters to high pressures (roughly 45,000 pounds per square inch) for 3 to 5 minutes and sends them to market.

These are not guaranteed to eliminate vibrio but they are believed to greatly reduce exposure.

—Danielle Sonnier

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4/12/17 10:35 AM

Tips for Taking the Big Flatfish Prize in CCA’s Annual Tourney

T’S TIME FOR THE CCA STAR TOURNAMENT. Each year the Flounder Division is one of the most hotly contested categories on both the adult and youth (scholarship) side. The irony is summer can be a difficult time to catch flatfish, especially big ones.

Here are a dozen tactics I have developed over the years for catching big fish during summer months. Some of them seem unorthodox, but sometimes that is what it takes to catch elusive trophy-sized southern flounder.

1. CURRENT LINES: The Intracoastal Canal and the river systems connecting to bays will have pronounced current lines where baitfish congregate. They are usually clear on one side and murkier on the other. If you find a current line with shad or shrimp, work it from the murky to clear side. Many times, big flounders will be on the edge of the murk.

2. START LATE: Dissolved oxygen levels are at the lowest level at daybreak. I believe this is why flounder fishing particularly in the summer tends to be slow early in the morning. By starting an hour or so after daylight, anglers can avoid the super slow early bite and focus the best efforts at a key time. Summer is the time of fish kills on the Gulf Coast, and the bulk of it has to do with low dissolved oxygen levels.

This also has an impact on fish metabolism and I believe since flounder are relegated to the lower portion of the water column they are more impacted by oxygen levels.

3. FOLLOW THE SHAD: The river systems on the Upper Coast are inundated with large populations of shad (menhaden), and flounders in these systems will follow the menhaden. Fish that bite at point X one day, may be a half-mile away at point Y if the shad have moved.

Very few anglers target these flounders so you have a chance at catching big specimens.

4. DEPTH: The last big flounder I caught, I used a dropshot rig, which is popular with bass anglers fishing deeper water. Baitfish were holding on a ledge in 14 feet of water, and I lowered down the drop shot to see what I might be able to catch there. It ended up being a flounder, and it was not the only one we caught in the same area in two days of fishing. Flounders will feed in deep water,but tend to concentrate around depth changes, so look for drop-offs and try the drop-shot rig.

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5. SUMMER HIGHS: When tides are running extra high in the summer, I seek flounders along the main shorelines of bay systems. Attacking vast shorelines would be a waste of time and end up in frustration, so you need a strategy.

Instead of looking over eight miles of shoreline, narrow your search down to an eighth of a mile. You must eliminate water to successfully bag flounders. The first step I take while eliminating shoreline, is to once again look for stands of Roseau cane.

Roseau cane has an intricate system that is somewhat like a smaller version of mangrove.

It gives menhaden a place to linger, hide and dodge larger predators.

6. LIVE CROAKER: Croaker are available at many bait camps during the summer months. This is a phenomenal live bait for flounders especially when fished on a Carolina rig. Pick out the smallest croakers in the tank and avoid the extra big ones anglers often use for big trout.

7. ALLIGATOR CONNECTION: When you see alligators with their heads positioned

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toward the bank a few feet away (several at a time) fish there. They are typically feeding on shad pushed against the bank, and often flounders are feeding with them. This can work anywhere, but you are most likely to encounter this in the Intracoastal Canal or a river system.

10. SUNKEN BARGES: During summer months, flounders will stack up around sunken barges in the ship channel and along the Intracoastal Canal. Precision casts into tiny pockets stacked with baitfish using a live bait with a popping cork, anglers can score on big flounder.

8. CHROME SINKERS: Flatfish fans in California use bright chrome sinkers to key in on flounders. They say the bright chrome draws fish in. And since flounders are visual, I believe this can offer an advantage in Gulf Coast waters.

11. LIVE SHRIMP. Shrimp! Last year I watched a man absolutely smoke me using large live shrimp on a modified free-line rig.

He had a wide gap hook with an 1/8- ounce. split shot rigged above it. He pitched into the current toward a point, allowing the current to push it into the key bite zone. The flounders hammered it!

Since then, I have used live shrimp several times (including jumbo shrimp) and caught many flounders including big ones. The key to this seems to be the rig. The flounder does not seem to want the shrimp if it is on a heavy Carolina rig, but cannot resist the freeswimming action of this setup.

9. SURF JETTIES: There are small jetty systems in the surf at various points along the coast. Notable spots include the stretch between Cameron, Louisiana and the Texas state line on Hwy. 82 and the Galveston Seawall area. There are strong numbers of flounders in the surf, and they stack up at any kind of structure. Seek out these spots using live bait on popping corks or by fishing live bait rigged on football head jigs. Move along the edges of the rocks to score on big surf flatfish.

12. DEEP SHORELINES: Looking back over the last few years of flounder fishing, my biggest fish in the bays have come from

4/12/17 10:35 AM

PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

often in the “S-turns” of the cuts where heavy currents rushing against the sudden change in topography creates a washout.

I have found these spots hold a lot of fish, and usually more big ones than surrounding areas. These areas receive very little angling pressure, and therefore, the fish do not get caught and thrown into an ice chest. Also, these spots often coincide with eddies or small ditches feeding into the main cut, giving flounders serious bang for their buck in exchange for lying there.

Having been involved in early flounder tagging studies, I do believe they are territorial and primarily stay around the same drainage once they enter in the spring. You will probably be the only angler targeting these kinds of cuts in your area, and will have real hotspots to yourself which is always a plus.

Live finger mullet on a wide-gapped hook and a Carolina (fish finder) rig is hard to beat for big flounder.

stands of Roseau cane and the deep shorelines in the interior of marshy cuts.

When moving into a marsh, use a side-

viewing depth-finder to scope out deep shorelines with major drop-offs. As Captain Skip James taught me years ago, they are

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and the missing

GulfShark story by Chester Moore 34

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PHOTOS: GUY HARVEY

4/12/17 10:36 AM

A long time ago in the far, far reaches of the Gulf of Mexico...

THE CONTRASTING BARS OF THE PILOT fish create a striking image in the cobalt blue waters just beyond the continental shelf. Swimming in unison they dart, twist and turn in natural aquatic harmony.

Suddenly, from amongst the motion a strong form emerges.

Swimming with focus and purpose, the white bars on its fins reveal the ocean’s wanderer: the ocean whitetip shark.

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It continues its trajectory at a slow but determined pace. Cruising just beneath the surface, it is set to prey on anything it might encounter.

What Protections?

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ccording to the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conservation and management action are urgently required for this species; the only known conservation measure at present is a broad, multi-species pelagic shark quota for U.S. Atlantic waters.

“Specifically, fishing pressure on this species must be considerably decreased through reduction in fishing effort, catch limits, measures to enhance chances of survival after capture and possibly also through the implementation of large-scale oceanic non-fishing areas. Effective conservation of this species will require international cooperation”.

“The oceanic whitetip is listed as a highly migratory species under the 1995 UN Agreement on the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UNFSA). The Agreement specifically requires coastal States and fishing States to cooperate and adopt measures to ensure the conservation of these listed species.

To date, there is little progress in this regard.”

Also of relevance is the FAO International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks) which specifically recommends that Regional Fisheries Organisations (RFO) carry out regular shark population assessments and that member States cooperate on joint and regional shark management plans. This is of particular importance for pelagic sharks such as the whitetip whose stocks are exploited by more than one State on the high seas.”

The oceanic whitetip is a true creature of the open ocean and have been the victim of relentless long lining for their large fins which are popular in markets in Asia.

Pickings can be slim in this desolate environment.

Once considered the world’s most common large animal (over 100 pounds) they are now deemed critically endangered. This is especially true for the Gulf of Mexico.

In a 2004 study, researchers Baum and Myers noted a 99 percent decline of oceanic whitetips in the Gulf since the 1950s.

“Scientists there once considered this species a nuisance because of the prevalence around vessels. Nowadays it is rarely seen,” they noted.

In hundreds of trips in the Gulf out of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi this writer has never seen one. And neither have dozens of veteran Gulf anglers I have interviewed.

And that concerns marine art icon and conservationist Guy Harvey.

“The oceanic whitetip is a truly remarkable shark and due to the high demand of fins from large shark species they have declined dramatically,” Harvey said.

Currently the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) and its partners are engaged in a study to track and analyze whitetip populations. They are studying the stock structure of oceanic whitetip sharks on a global scale by using genetic techniques, and migration patterns of this species in the western Atlantic with the aid of satellite tracking technologies.

Information gained on the whitetip’s movements can help create better management strategies to save the species.

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When Harvey called the species “remarkable” that is not a generalized statement. He has firsthand knowledge having spent time in the water with the species and producing a documentary about their plight.

“They are bold and have no problems approaching a diver which makes for great interaction and observation,” Harvey said.

Harvey’s works with whitetips has allowed him to create stunning works of art showing the declining species in all of its glory.

Art captures the mood and feel of a natural scene better that photography and Harvey’s instantly recognizable style has resonated with an ocean-loving public in a way that connects them to wildlife.

“Things happen so fast down there and you have limited time. Painting allows to create a way to raise awareness to species that otherwise might not get much attention,” Harvey said.

The oceanic whitetip is one such creature.

If they disappeared tomorrow few anglers would notice. Most in the modern era have never seen one.

Beachcombers never see these open water dwellers anyway so that only leaves wildlife journalists like myself, researchers like Harvey and his crew and a handful of shark fanatics who would even notice their demise.

But to the ocean it does matter.

An intricately woven food chain has already been disrupted and if they were to vanish forever, the balance would be upset.

And the world would lose a beautiful, cunPHOTO: GUY HARVEY

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G

Guy Harvey, Conservationist

uy Harvey is a unique blend of artist, scientist, diver, angler, conservationist and explorer, fiercely devoted to his family and his love of the sea. His childhood passion for the ocean and its living creatures not only inspired him to draw, but fueled a burning interest that prompted a formal education in marine science.

Having graduated with honors in Marine Biology from Aberdeen University in Scotland in 1977, Guy returned home to Jamaica to resume his education, earning his Ph.D. from the University of the West Indies in 1984. Though he gave up a budding career as a marine biologist for that of a highly acclaimed artist, Guy has continued his relentless pursuit to unravel the mysteries of the sea, traveling the world to better understand the habits and habitats of the marine wildlife he paints.

Along the way, Guy became an ardent conservationist, supporting “catch-and- release” fishing ethics, collaborating with Nova Southeastern University in Dania Beach, FL,

ning predator.

We should do our best to support research like GHOF are doing and all efforts to ensure

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to form the Guy Harvey Research Institute, and working with many organizations to help manage and protect fishery resources around the world.

Guy is an avid scuba diver and over the years has become a skilled underwater photographer and cinematographer, even pioneering the techniques used to photograph and film free swimming billfish. From Central and South America to Mexico’s Magdalena Bay, to such far-reaching locales as the Portuguese island of Madeira and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Guy’s personal observations from his diving expeditions have helped him capture, with his brush, the kind of detail his paintings are famous for.

In addition, Guy’s talent as a cinematographer has allowed him to share his observations through the production of educational documentaries, plus his hit television series “Guy Harvey’s Portraits From The Deep.”

—Courtesy GuyHarvey.com

shark populations not only survive but perhaps one day thrive like they did so long ago in the Gulf and beyond.

★

For more information go to the website, guyharvey.com

4/12/17 10:36 AM

Texas SALTWATER

by CALIXTO GONZALES :: TF&G Saltwater Editor

Pretty in Pink

on a typical jetty excursion. A little out-of-thebox thinking and some “Why didn’t I think of that?” ideas can go a long way towards keeping your tackle box filled while filling the ice box.

Most anglers will not dispute the effectiveness of natural baits in general, and around the jetties in particular. Live shrimp fished around the rocks is a foolproof way of getting bites, albeit some of those bites will be from ubiquitous bait stealers such as pinfish and grunts. redfish, big mangrove snappers, and the occasional tarpon. The problem is that the most popular ways to rig a live bait setup—the fish finder rig and the split-shot rig—are rock magnets. Sinkers get stuck in crevices and under rock lips (hooks actually don’t snag up as much as you may think because they drift above the sinker). More often than not, you break off, cuss, and re-tie.

Some anglers work their way around snags by suspending their baits underneath popping corks or other floats. These rigs can become ungainly, however, if you need to rig your baits deep. If you choose to eschew a float, you can mitigate breakoffs, however, with a simple modification of both the Carolina and split shot rig.

The sliding leger is a slip-weight rig that was I first encountered while fishing for smallmouth bass on the Big Manistee River in Michigan.

It allows you to fish with some weight along a rocky bottom without snagging, or minimizing the loss of tackle when snagged. Fold a two-inch length of line over your main line above the hook (or if you are using a leader of any kind, above the swivel). Clamp a selection of #3 or #4 split shot onto the doubled line. The number depends on the amount of weight you want or need. Allow enough of a loop for the weights to slide up and down the main line. If you don’t have a swivel splicing leader to line, a split shot will serve the same purpose.

If any of the split shot should snag while you’re using this rig, a steady pull will allow the trapped sinkers to slip off the doubled line and release the remainder of the rig. Reel in and replace the lost split shot.

Cutting down on snags with artificial lures is a different story. With the exception of topwaters, almost every lure fished around the jetties

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HERE IS NO DISPUTING THAT jetty systems hold fish. The combination of solid, multi-leveled structure, tidal flow, access to deeper water, and variety of forage make them natural magnets for speckled trout, redfish, flounder, snook, mangrove snapper, sheepshead, assorted panfish, tarpon, and even goliath grouper and blue-water species.

It isn’t uncommon for the lucky angler to pound the pink Central Texas granite that protects Gulf passes up and down the Texas Coast and head home at the end of the day with five or more different species of fish in the cooler.

A good day on the rocks is fun. A great day is memorable.

Still, jetty fishing is not without its issues.

There are algae-slicked, knee-shredding rocks waiting to reach up and trip the unsuspecting rock-hopper. Sharp edges can scrape and cut knees and calves with surprising ease.

Even the thickest-soled shoes can’t prevent the spine of a long-dead and shriveled hardhead from finding the soft and tender flesh of your foot. Even if you don’t bleed, you can still get hurt. I have a crowsfoot fracture of my right kneecap as proof.

These concerns are but minor inconveniences, however. After all, what’s a little bit of spilled blood and lost skin in the face of a wide-open bite?

The gravest issue for anglers, especially when the current is running strong, is not losing a tackle box full of lures, hooks, sinkers, and leaders to the rock gods. Slipping on a wet rock might leave you with a dislocated knee cap or a bird-foot fracture of same, but losing your last red/white Catch 2000 to a snag when that’s all the trout are hitting can be downright crippling!

Over the years, some sharpies have developed a variety of techniques that can minimize how much tackle you lose to breakoffs you suffer 38

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is prone to snagging, especially soft plastics on leadhead jigs. That is not to say that you can’t reduce the frustration of losing money, time, and fish by losing one lure after another to the jetties.

With jigs, most snags occur on the jighead.

The bullet-shape of most swim heads lends itself to wedging just so in a crevice. The more you pull, the more it wedges into its new home. The end result is a breakoff.

Next time you are using a soft plastic on the jetties, try rigging it onto a straight-shanked flutter hook, such as the ones designed by H&H lures or an Owner swimbait hook. These hooks have the weight fixed to the shank of the hooks, and are usually used with jerkbaits and eel-type plastics.

The straight-shanked flutter hook can also be rigged on a swimbait with the hook inside the body. You have the same weight and action as with a standard jighead, but no forward weight to get wedged on the rocks.

Another good option is a lima bean-shaped jighead, also known as an Upperman head. The flat shape of these heads helps the bait glide over rocks. The only drawback is that the flat shape can allow the jig to wedge into rocks if they are fished too slowly.

If you prefer using hard baits, try a largebilled diving crankbait. Bass fishermen will tell you that a diving crankbaits best snag guard is the diving bill. The bill of the crankbait bounces off rocks and other obstructions and prevents the bait from snagging. Not only that, the sudden, jolting change in action can initiate a reaction strike from any nearby predators.

Moreover, most crankbaits float. If the lure actually snags onto a rock, give it some slack line to allow it to float upward and away from the obstruction. Once it clears the snag, resume your retrieve (that is, if a fish hasn’t busted the durn thing).

You will snag up while fishing the jetties.

That is a given. Using some of these techniques, however, will determine whether most of those snags are rocks or fish.

Email Cal Gonzales at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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HE FLATHEAD CATFISH, ALSO KNOWN AS the “yellow cat”, is a good example of a humble fish that can grow to gigantic sizes and put up a fight that can wear you out but leave you smiling from ear to ear with excitement from the battle. This time of year marks an excellent opportunity to catch some monster “flatties” in North Texas lakes. Fishing with live bait using conventional rod and reel or even using juglines or trotlines are very effective ways to land some giant yellow cats. The good news for anglers seeking some North Texas river monster action is that just about every major lake in North Texas has a decent population of flatheads and we will explore some of the best lakes to venture out on for these monumental trophy catfish. The skill and patience required in catching one of these elusive yellow cats drives some anglers to extremes. There is hope for all of us to land a fish of a lifetime, however, if we approach pursing this wary fish in the right manner and take into account and numerous wonderful lakes they thrive in season after season.

While many big time catfish enthusiasts go after trophy-sized blue cats because they offer for the faster fishing action and larger fish quantities, fishing for flatheads requires a whole different mindset and is many times a far slower pace. Fishing prospects are better during the warmer months and in Texas that is usually between March and October. Typically, the best time to go after flatheads is the evening, night or early morning hours when they are most likely to be feeding. As a general rule, fish at the bottom of damns and in slow moving rivers and river arms which is usually where these big boys hang out in search of an easy meal. In many regards, it is a waiting game if rod and reel fishing but I always recommend throwing out a few jug lines while on your fishing adventure if you happen to be fishing out of a boat of some kind. This can be a productive tactic to cover more water than rod and reel fishing alone.

REPORT: NEWS 44 u TF&G OF THE NATION Reported by TF&G Staff

HOT 44 u TEXAS SHOTS Trophy Photos from TF&G Readers

DEPT. OF 46 u TEXAS DEFENSE

by Steve LaMasus and Dustin Ellermann

48 u TEXAS DEPT. OF CONSERVATION

by Will Leschper and Andi Cooper

50 u TEXAS COASTAL FORECAST

by Eddie Hernandez, Mike Holmes, Mike Price, Chris Martin, Mac Gable and Cal Gonzales

60 u TEXAS FISHING HOTSPOTS

by Tom Behrens, Dustin Warncke and Dean Heffner

72u SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK Tides and SoLunar Data

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE u

PHOTO: MATT WILLIAMS

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Pat Stewart of Montgomery caught this Opelousas catfish on live perch.

As a rule, yellow cats prefer live baits and are the cleanest of foragers compared with other species of catfish. While I will frequently use cut shad for channel and blue cats when rod and reel or jug fishing, it is vitally important to stick with hardy live baits for flatheads. Chad Ferguson of Catfish Edge guide service, which is based in North Texas, recommends a good sized bream which are fairly easy to catch and usually stay livelier on hook than other live baits.

Chad’s favorite North Texas area lakes for flatheads include Lake Grapevine, Lake Lewisville, Lake Bob Sandlin and Lake Ray Roberts. These are just a few lakes in North Texas that harbor big flatties. “This time of year is always interesting because the fishing we do all depends on what the weather is doing. As a general rule, we look for fish in known spawning areas and migration points where fish are moving,” said Ferguson. “I 42

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use the sonar on my boat to find catfish runs which intersect since many times runs will cross each other in a pattern. This time of year we fish as shallow as 2-3 feet and as deep 10 feet,” he continued.

Big flathead catfish might be one of Lake Texoma’s best kept secrets. Bill Carey, owner of Striper Express guide service, says that trophy yellow cats are found in good numbers on this Texas-Oklahoma border lake and many striped bass and white bass fishing enthusiasts usually don’t consider this lake for its great catfish prospects. Jug fishing is especially productive on this lake. Since there is an abundance of threadfin and gizzard shad in this Red River gem of a reservoir, large live shad are a great bait to use in your search for these big fish on Texoma.

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by some catfish anglers as the best lake in the northern part of the state for all species of catfish. Like Texoma, live shad are in great numbers in Tawakoni and make great baits.

Just remember, go big or go home when it comes to your bait size selection. Use the larger shad in your search for that trophy fish of a lifetime for the best chances of fishing success here.

We briefly mentioned Lake Lewisville as a favorite lake of catfish guide Chad Ferguson earlier in this article. Lewisville happens to be a fantastic lake for flatheads as conditions are ideal for spawning activity as well as foraging for food and, in turn, growing big fish. To find a shallower lake that has an ample food source for both large and small catfish alike is not an easy prospect sometimes but, thankfully, Lewisville has both. That makes this lake a contender as one of the best flathead lakes in our great state.

Further north, Lake Bob Sandlin boasts some great flathead prospects but don’t be surprised if you reel in a big blue cat while you are fishing this reservoir as many times the blues and yellows intermingle. Look for fish to spawn in deep tree lay downs and sunken structure as well as deep holes in this lake. As a rule, this is a good consideration to find many spawning yellows on other lakes as well.

As a general consideration when approaching the subject of catching trophy catfish, I recommend practicing catch and release with flatheads over 20 pounds in weight. Fish this large are, of course, the matriarchs and patriarchs of our rivers and lake’s trophy fish population. Keep the smaller fish for eating. They taste better anyway.

Let the big fish go forth and make more trophy fish. This also insures great prospects for big fishing action for generations yet to come and a dream fish for a future angler someday.

In doing this, after a hard-fought battle, you will still net an enjoyable experience on the water that you won’t soon forget. In addition, you’ll have photos and a great story to share about landing a monster slob of a catfish. Be safe, fish hard, and have fun out there on the water!

PHOTO COURTESY PAT STEWART

4/20/17 10:06 AM

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4/20/17 10:06 AM

The NATIONAL

Free-Ranging Axis Thriving in the Texas Hill Country

News of TEXAS

geous spotted deer.

“The management we do for our birds has greatly enhanced the property, and it allows us to hold lots of axis deer year-round,” said Joshua Creek’s Kevin Wellborn.

Welborn said at any given time the property holds 300-400 axis and they are all freeranging.

“We hunt them from blinds and only shoot 30-plus as trophy axis. It’s amazing that we can shoot lots of big bucks every year, and it doesn’t seem to impact our numbers.

People love to hunt axis and there is something special about shooting free-ranging ones,” Welborn said.

He noted the peak time to hunt axis is May through early July with bucks in hard antler, some in velvet and many of them beginning to rut.

A rutting axis screams out with a bugle-

THE AXIS DEER MAY BE THE MOST beautiful deer species on the planet.

Known as “chital” in its native India, axis are the number one prey species of the Bengal tiger, and they are the number one free-ranging exotic in the Texas Hill Country.

Brought over decades ago to hunt behind game-proof fences, they have expanded their numbers far beyond any type of containment and are abundant all over the Edwards Plateau.

One of the strongest concentrations is near Boerne, and that is where Joshua Creek Ranch is located.

Their 1,300-acre ranch known for its wing-shooting opportunities for pheasant, chukar and quail is a magnet for these gor-

like sound akin to an elk, and they fight brutally over does and territory. It is quite a sight to witness.

There are numerous exotics in the Hill Country and not every free-ranging specimen is an axis. There are also fallow and sika deer, which both have some levels of spotting.

According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, axis deer are generally rufous fawn in color, with white spots covering both their summer and winter coats.

“Their throat, stomach, and under-tail areas are white and a dark dorsal stripe runs from the back of the head to the tip of the tail.

An axis male will stand about 36 inches high at the shoulder and weigh up to 200 pounds.

The antlers of the adult male are reddish brown in color and the beam, which curves backwards and outwards in a lyre-shaped formation, is usually about 30 to 36 inches long.

There are normally three tines on each side.”

Perhaps the greatest attribute of the axis is the delicious taste of its meat. It is sold in

ALLIGATOR GAR

SHARK

Trinity River

Galveston

Zach Morris with the five-foot, four-inch River Monster he caught on rod and reel while fishing on the Trinity River with his grandfather and Chris Moody of Gar Fishing Addiction Guide Service.

Six-year-old Jackson Polk, with a little help from his Papaw, Wes Pyfer, shows off the shark that he caught while fishing with his family at the San Luis Bridge near Galveston.

Visit FishGame.com to upload your own TEXAS HOT SHOTS and Vote for our next Winners 44

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extensive two-year investigation, Texas game wardens believe the illegal network has been ongoing since at least 2013 and could be the largest of its kind in Texas history.

The illegal catches were made by a web of about a dozen unlicensed commercial fishermen and sold to the restaurants.

Their catches consisted primarily of highlyregulated red snapper, along with other protected game fish species, including tuna, amberjack, grouper and red drum.

Texas game wardens allege that Bruce Molzan, 59, of Houston, purchased and then sold the illegal finfish off the menus at restaurant businesses he is associated with, Ruggles Black, and formerly associated with, Ruggles Green. In addition, another restaurant illegally sold shrimp to Molzan for use in his restaurants in violation of commercial fish wholesale regulations. Game wardens have issued more than 200 Class C misdemeanor citations related to the investigation.

Additional cases are anticipated.

National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) special agents and the U.S. Coast Guard provided assistance in the investigation. NOAA also filed felony charges against two recreational anglers in Freeport in connection with the case.

The scope of the investigation expanded significantly last April after U.S. Coast Guard crews stopped an unlicensed commercial fishing boat in coastal waters near Freeport with 488 red snapper weighing approximately 1,900 pounds. Texas game wardens and the National Marine Fisheries Service seized the fish, which were illegally caught in the Gulf of Mexico off Freeport and Galveston, and investigators were able to link the subjects with the illegal seafood operation.

“This is a big deal and exemplifies the critically important work our Texas game wardens do to protect the state’s natural resources,” said Col. Craig Hunter, TPWD law enforcement director. “Not only did these unscrupulous actors violate recreational fishing regulations at an extreme level for personal profit, but they also circumvented restrictions and rules governing the possession, safe handling and sale of commercial aquatic products intended for human consumption. That is not something we in law enforcement will tolerate.”

Native to India, axis deer run free in the Texas Hill Country.

gourmet restaurants around the country and makes today’s high beef prices pale in comparison.

“On our hunts we allow the hunter to take a

big buck and also a doe because the meat is so popular. There really is nothing like axis meat,” Welborn said.

This author would have to agree. The only wild game in my opinion that is comparable is nilgai. Even elk can’t compare.

And in terms of an off-season hunting opportunity nothing compares to hunting free-ranging axis in the gorgeous Texas Hill Country. Whether you run into some on your deer lease or book a hunt on a wellmanaged ranch they are a truly beautiful species worthy of our greatest respect.

For more information online, go to joshuacreek.com.

Illegal Seafood Network Shut Down in Houston WHITETAIL Jasper County Charlie Hennigan took this ten-point East Texas buck while hunting on the Boyd Lake Hunding Club in Jasper County.

A HOUSTON RESTAURATEUR AND two local restaurant companies stand accused of operating an illegal seafood network that funneled nearly 28,000 pounds of unlawfully-caught finfish through their establishments at a profit estimated at more than $400,000.

Based on evidence gathered during an T E X A S

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TEXAS Dept. of

:: Self Defense :: Tactical :: Training Tips

by DUSTIN ELLERMANN and STAN SKINNER

:: Gear

The Buffalo Slayer

tridges of the time, most notably the Sharps “Big Fifty” (.50-90 Sharps or .50- 2 ½ inch).

This was the cartridge used by buffalo hunter, Billy Dixon, who became famous for his remarkable marksmanship. His most wellknown feat occurred at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874—more about that later.

In a lesser known event, Dixon was credited with 116 buffaloes killed from one “stand.”

This was considered a record that apparently was never equaled.

Dixon was a member of a party of hunters and skinners hired by a leader, or boss, who organized and led the group. Each day the hunters would ride out in various directions to find shootable numbers of buffalo. Accounts say that Dixon’s shots were heard in the hunters’ camp. When the shots continued at regular intervals for a long period of time, the boss rode out to see what was happening.

When he found Dixon, he saw dozens of buffalo down and Dixon still shooting at the herd, which hadn’t moved or stampeded

MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT the side-hammer Sharps buffalo rifle is an icon of the Old West.

There is no doubt that over a decade, buffalo hunters used the side-hammer Sharps and other rifles to kill buffaloes in the tens of thousands—heck, the number is undoubtedly in the millions.

The side-hammer Sharps was patented in 1848, and it used paper cartridges with percussion cap ignition. In 1851, an improved model was produced for the military and was issued to numerous Union Army units during the Civil War, most notably the famed Berdan’s Sharpshooters.

Following the war, the Sharps rifle was redesigned to fire metallic cartridges and the models 1869 and 1874 were produced in the thousands for frontiersmen and commercial buffalo hunters. These models were chambered for several of the most powerful car-

away. Seeing that Dixon was almost out of ammo, the boss dipped into his own ammo to keep Dixon shooting.

When it was over, 116 buffaloes had fallen to Dixon’s Sharps Big Fifty.

Because of this and other feats of marksmanship, Dixon became well-known among buffalo hunters as one of the finest shots on the plains. Then came Dixon’s legendary shot

When engaging a long distance target with your pistol, a stable rest will help eliminate the natural arc of motion.

Taking a Long Shot Visit

WE KNOW THAT MOST DEFENSIVE uses with handguns occur at close range within a short distance of 3-7 yards. And in most instances if there is a threat further than that hopefully you are able to escape the danger and not be forced to violently engage a fight with the attacker. But of course there are always exceptions.

Most shooters will probably tell you the maximum effective range with a pistol is somewhere from 25-50 yards. However handguns can still be

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effective past this range and it’s only our skill that limits us.

Of course a rifle is definitely more efficient at stopping a violent threat than a pistol, especially at greater distances, but with a little practice and a strong fundamental foundation of basic marksmanship you will find you can hit targets at 100 yards and even beyond.

Back in 2012, at an RV park in Early, Texas,

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Vic Stacy assistfor long shot ed an officer videos who was pinned down by a suspect when Vic dropped the suspect at an estimated 165 yards with his magnum revolver. Then in 2014 Austin mounted officer Sgt. Adam Johnson hit an active CONTINUED ON PAGE

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at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, which began on June 27, 1874.

During this battle, 28 men, including Dixon and Bat Masterson who later became famous as a gun fighter and lawman, held off a combined force of Comanche, Kiowa and Arapaho warriors led by Comanche Chief Quanah Parker. This force was estimated to exceed 700 mounted warriors, and they laid siege to the Adobe Walls trading post for three days.

During those three days the buffalo hunters displayed formidable marksmanship, but nothing as remarkable as the shot Billy Dixon made on the third day.

By this time the Indians had gained great respect for the buffalo hunters and the Sharps Big Fifty. So, when three chiefs decided to reconnoiter for their next attack, they rode onto a low hill that they believed was well beyond the range of the Sharps buffalo rifle.

When the defenders of Adobe Walls saw the three mounted Indians, several of them urged Dixon to try a shot. Finally agreeing, Dixon took a solid rest and sighted carefully at the trio of hostiles. He fired and several seconds elapsed. Just as he was about to declare a miss, one of the Indians fell off his horse. The other two immediately wheeled their mounts and rode away.

That evidently broke the siege, and the Indians departed. A couple of weeks later, an Army surveying party arrived at Adobe Walls where some of the remaining defenders told them about Dixon’s remarkable shot and showed them where the Indian fell.

The Army team surveyed the distance at 1,538 yards, which is about seven-eighths of a mile.

Original side-hammer Sharps rifles in good condition are priced at a number well beyond what this poor gun nut can afford.

Fortunately, Lyman markets a superb reproduction of the Sharps side-hammer in the Lyman “Model of 1878” single-shot rifle, precision crafted by Pedersoli.

Chambered for .45-70, the Lyman 1878 is not as powerful as the Big Fifty, but .45-70 ammo is much easier to find, and cheaper, too. Besides that, the .45-70 has plenty of oomph to take down any North American big game animal.

When my test rifle arrived, I was impressed by its nicely figured walnut stock, well-fitted steel “shotgun” style buttplate, sculptured pistol grip and slender fore-end with an ebony end cap. Fine laser-cut checkering in a point

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pattern provides a secure grip and is pleasing to the eye.

The receiver and butt plate have a bright, satin finish, and the 30-inch barrel is blued. An adjustable double set trigger, Lyman tang rear sight and globe front sight round out the rifle’s custom features.

When I uncased the rifle at the local shooting range, it created a bit of a stir among shooters accustomed to seeing ARs, AKs, hand guns and bolt action rifles. I was surprised to discover that several shooters had never heard of the Sharps and its role in the wholesale slaughter of the American bison.

With the rifle not yet sighted-in, I set up a target at 25 yards. My first three shots were all touching, but a bit right of center. I figure it could have been even better, but my aging, presbyopic eyes could not quite adjust to the aperture front and rear sights. At 100 yards, my eye problem resulted in a three-shot group slightly larger than four inches, still slightly right of center.

I believe a better set of eyes could have cut that group down by 50 percent or more. For any shooter with aging eyes, there is a simple remedy for this problem—a pinhole.

Viewing your sights through a pinhole (believe it or not) will make your entire field of view sharper by a considerable margin.

This can be as simple as a pinhole through a piece of plastic electrical tape stuck to the lens of your shooting glasses. Trust me—THIS WORKS! A more versatile solution is made by Merit Corp. of Schenectady, NY, (518) 346-1420.

Their little device attaches to your glasses lens with a suction cup.

The suction cup is connected to a short arm that positions an iris-adjustable pinhole so you can look through the aperture at your target. I have one. I just didn’t think I’d need it and left it at home.

I won’t forget next time—maybe.

Of course there will be a next time. A fine rifle such as this one deserves to be blooded on game. Permits for bison hunting are scarce and pricey, but maybe deer or elk might be in this rifle’s future.

—by STAN SKINNER

4/20/17 10:06 AM

TEXAS Dept. of :: Edited by WILL LESCHPER

Passing the Torch

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TTRACTING YOUTHS AND novice hunters to outdoor and sporting traditions is vital to the passing of the torch to those who will be the next stewards of our wild places.

One way the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department caters to those user groups is through small game public hunting options and walk-in and standby hunts, specifically on the state’s Wildlife Management Areas.

One of those areas is 10,000-acre Gus Engeling WMA, which sits just north of the unincorporated community of Tennessee Colony – less than two hours from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – and is among the most diverse land holdings overseen by TPWD. Among the notable research projects con-

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shooter from 104 yards with his S&W M&P 40.

While long distance defensive pistol engagements is not an every day occurrence, it has happened in the past and it might be something you wish to practice. If nothing else it can just be for fun and a personal challenge.

Of course before moving on to further distances you should master your trigger discipline.

If you are hitting the telltale “low left” every shot at 7 yards and have an 8” group it will translate unto an 80” group at 70 yards so keep practicing. Once you do begin to move back, don’t worry about bullet drop until after 50 yards.

Even the fat and slow .45 ACP will only

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ducted at Engeling are white-tailed deer aging techniques, factors affecting white-tailed deer fawn survival, comparisons of feeding habits between white-tailed deer and cattle, and sitespecific competition between feral hogs and white-tailed deer.

In addition to valuable research, the WMA also features a variety of good hunting opportunities, with some small game hunts open to those who possess an Annual Public Hunting permit. Engeling also offers a variety of good deer hunting options through the public drawing system. The WMA also doesn’t have as much competition for those hunts, with hundreds of applicants typically, rather than thousands as with other hot spots.

Engeling has drawn permits for archery buck hunts, as well as gun hunts for bucks, spikes and does. It also features youth-only buck hunts, in addition to spike and antlerless hunts, which all are free for youngsters who are drawn.

Jeff Gunnels, area manager for Engeling, said many of the hunting opportunities are designed with youth hunters in mind, espe-

cially when discussing introducing them to successful outings.

“We start out with dove season in September, planting dove fields, and then move right into squirrel hunting, which has become a big pursuit,” he said. “There’s some of the best squirrel hunting around in this part of the state. Then after that, I move right into my deer hunting. We start with kids first, giving those youths the first crack at the deer.

All our big WMAs try to have a big hunt on that first statewide youth-only weekend. And then this year we moved our youth either sex deer hunts to the rut, hoping that we can give those kids an opportunity to kill a pretty good deer, which they did. We had a 137 (Boone & Crockett) and change clean 8 (point), and a 136 and change clean 8 that were the two best deer our youth hunters killed this year.”

Gunnels said that in terms of deer hunting and small game hunting, Engeling is an ongoing case study in recruitment of hunters, something that’s important to the pursuit in a state such as Texas.

“Our objectives through hunting at all our

drop about 3 inches at 50 yards, so just hold your sights dead on and see what you can do. Make sure you are practicing this in front of a large backstop for safety. A good dirt berm also helps by showing your bullet’s impact if you are off. I prefer to shoot at freshly painted AR500 steel targets in order to have instant feedback.

Once moving onto 75 and 100 yards you can begin to compensate for drop. A 124 grain 9mm+P defensive round only drops about 11” at 100 yards, so if you are practicing on a silhouette target simply aim for the neck and your rounds should find center mass. This is where having a

red dot sight like the Trijicon RMR really shines.

I’ve been able to knock down 8” plate racks at 100 yards with just a little hold over. With iron sights, instead of keeping the sights level and covering up the target, practice raising the front sight to where it sits higher than flush in the rear sight yet still remains centered. Then you can still place the tip of the front sight on the target as you press the trigger smoothly.

Learning to engage in distances at long range might not ever be something we might use in a defensive situation, but it sure gives you confidence to know you are able to do such, and then shorter shots are a piece of cake.

—by DUSTIN ELLERMANN

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WMAs is to introduce the pursuit to new and inexperienced hunters, which is one reason why we focus on so many youth’s hunts,” he

noted. “We actually get a lot of hunters on our drawn deer hunts that are inexperienced, so that provides a good way to teach those

Pronghorn Efforts Succeed THE TRANS-PECOS Pronghorn Restoration Project continues to show the power of concerted conservation and wildlife restoration efforts, with the successful relocation recently of 109 pronghorn antelopes.

This marks the fifth year that pronghorn have been transplanted from healthy populations around Pampa in the Texas Panhandle to an area northeast of Marfa to supplement severely depleted pronghorn populations in the Trans-Pecos region, according to TPWD. The relocation process was coordinated among TPWD, the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University, Trans-Pecos

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Pronghorn Working Group Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation and USDA-Wildlife Services. The project is a five-year, $1.4 million publicprivate partnership with TPWF. To date, more than $900,000 has been secured.

At least 17,000 pronghorns historically roamed the West Texas region, but by 2012 there were estimated to be less than 3,000, according to TPWD. As of last summer, pronghorn numbers had doubled, based on a TPWD aerial census survey.

Information: www.tpwf.org.

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folks about everything from field dressing to showing them proper deer management.

The goal is that hopefully those hunters have a positive experience and then carry on with hunting and recruit family and friends to take part in the future. It’s important to continue that hunting tradition.”

In addition to attractive small game and deer hunting options, Engeling also faces the growing menace that is the feral hog.

Engeling offers E-postcard hunts for hogs, with 200 permits for the invasive species last season. It should be noted that all drawn deer hunts also feature unlimited feral hogs, which is a bonus should the deer hunting prove tough.

“We’re also like every other landowner in Texas, trying to control feral hogs,” Gunnels said. “That’s a constant problem and pretty much a statewide issue.”

Information: tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/ hunt/public.

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Email Will Leschper at WillLeschperOutdoors@gmail.com

4/20/17 10:06 AM

Coastal Focus: SABINE :: by Capt.

EDDIE HERNANDEZ

The Magic Month of May

of the lake, or do we want to give the ship channel and jetties a try?

All of these are viable options this month, and there really is no bad one. Each one of these scenarios should put you on the fish, so it’s just a matter of deciding what you want to do. The allure of the rocks has always been hard for me to resist. This is especially true, when like now, the first good trout bite of the year is taking place. So it’s off to the jetties we go.

During this month anglers ice nice limits of trout and reds on both the Texas and Louisiana Jetties. You’ll want to fish the west (Texas) jetty if the wind is predominantly east. Naturally, if it’s got a lot of west in it, fish the more protected east side.

The channel and Gulf sides are both productive, but the outside usually tends to be a little more consistent. If you go to the east jetty, make sure you have your Louisiana license whether you’re fishing in the channel or the Gulf.

Pick a spot that’s not too crowded and troll down the jetty until you locate the fish.

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HE MAGICAL MONTH OF MAY has arrived and the entire Sabine Ecosystem should begin to open itself up to anglers seeking plenty of rod bending options.

We now find ourselves in a period of transition from the newness of spring to the wide open, full-speed fishing of summer. From the marsh and bayous to Sabine Lake itself and the Gulf of Mexico, the bite is on.

The hard part is trying to figure out where we want to go catch them. Do we want to target flounders and reds in the bayous or would we rather chase trout and reds around the lake? Do we want to troll the eastern bank

The trout will be scattered along the wall, with more concentrated around the washouts. Most of the reds will be hanging around the rock piles.

Moving water is very important so check the tides and plan accordingly. Incoming and outgoing tides are equally productive.

The channel and gulf sides are both good on either tide. Work both sides using soft plastics until you find the fish.

Glow and chartreuse colors work well. Rig them on a ¼-ounce jig head and work it off the bottom. If there’s a strong current, you may want to switch to a 3/8-ounce lead head.

Great bait choices to start with are the durable H&H Cocahoe Minnow or Saltwater Assassins. Tie a D.O.A. Shrimp under a popping cork to fool some nice trout and reds.

Most of the fish should be holding pretty tight to the wall, and deep, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be suspended, or near the surface. Speed up your retrieve or try other baits like Rat-L-Traps and Mirr-O Lures to help locate them. There’s no doubt the fish are there. You’ve just got to figure them out.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: North Revetment (Pleasure Island) SPECIES: Trout, redfish, flounder BAITS/LURES: Soft plastics, topwaters, mud minnows BEST TIMES: Moving Tides

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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Coastal Focus: GALVESTON :: by Capt.

MIKE HOLMES

May is Indeed Magical

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HE CHANGING OF THE SEAsons demonstrates as much as anything else the wonders of the natural world—even on the upper Texas coast where those changes can sometimes be difficult to actually pin down.

There is no better place to observe these changes, I think, than as close to the Gulf as you can get. That would be on the beach, preferably the west beach of Galveston Island.

The sand of the beach itself changes very little from month to month, other than sometimes moving around a bit. However, the color and clarity of the water definitely shows the transformation from the gray, dingy and often white-capped look of winter to a more transparent and green beginning in early spring.

The aquatic inhabitants of the beach world also transform from hard head catfish and a scattering of small pan fish to the much more glamorous inshore sportfish of warmer waters.

The first bull red I ever saw caught in the surf was in May. The sight of such a large and beautiful fish emerging from the gently foaming surf was an amazing sight that I have never forgotten.

My largest bull red was also caught in early May, and for several seasons my first bull red catch followed the same time pattern. There has always been a “feeling” among many who fish the surf that the big bulls came to the surf to spawn. However, my own observations were that they come to feed, mostly following the schools of mullets that warmer water brings to the shoreline.

I have caught big reds on chunks of bonito belly, seen them caught on big shad, and heard of them being caught on crabs, squid, or even shrimp. However, a mullet has always

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tides can be more of a gradual change, but it will change. Personally, I enjoy the quiet of a cold, windy beach—especially when observed from the warm cab of a pickup truck—but spring sunshine improves the outlook and opportunity for recreational enjoyment.

been my go-to bait. Small finger mullet have caught some big reds for me, and so have larger “horse” mullet. Live is best, but fresh dead are almost as good most times. Either cut it in half, or with just the tail water. My old beach fishing partner, Dave, preferred cutting the heads off live mullet, but I found the tail section produced best if I couldn’t use live bait.

The big reds are usually the first of the “spot” species to show in the surf, with speckled trout and flounders coming later (but not much later) if the weather cooperates. whiting, “Gulf” trout and croakers will be numerous enough to spend time on, and occasionally a pompano will make an appearance.

I have even seen decent sharks caught from the beach at this time of year, on warm tides, and my logs record sightings of tarpon in pretty much every month of the year. It can still be cool enough to require waders and perhaps a jacket, especially after dark and in the wind, but not so cold as to be really uncomfortable for most of us.

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THE BANK BITE LOCATION: The surf always issues a siren call in early spring, but deeper areas in bays and shallow bay reefs as well as natural and man-made passes will harbor fish.

SPECIES: Reds usually show up first, followed later by speckled trout and flounders, then other warm water denizens.

BAIT: Mullet might be the top choice, in various sizes, but mud minnows and shad or menhaden will produce, and are easier to find than live shrimp right now. Artificial lures will need to be worked slowly and carefully if they are to produce.

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Coastal Focus: MATAGORDA :: by Contributing Editor MIKE PRICE

Rafts of Mullet

wind switched from the west to the northwest and pushed water into the bayou. This increased the movement of water over an oyster reef that I was running soft plastic lures over.

Trout were feeding on the reef. On this day, there was a foot of water over the reef, it was loaded with bait, and moving. I have fished this reef on other days when the water was only a few inches above the reef, and trout were not there.

To keep from snagging my lure in the oysters, I used a light, 1/16 ounce jig head and a small light lure, a yellow Sparkle Beetle from H&H Lures. The first fish was a 16-inch trout, soon after a 22-inch trout, then an 18-inch trout. Finally I laid into the fish of the day, a head-shaking, hard charging, 24-inch speckled trout.

On May 25 last year, the wind was from the south at 10 to 20 mph, a strong tide was incoming, and the barometric pressure was 29.98 and rising. I went to East Matagorda Bay and took advantage of the high water to paddle my kayak far into the back lakes and

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HEN THE WIND COMES from the west, southwest, or northwest, it turns the water brown in East and West Matagorda Bays. This makes for challenging fishing.

It is possible to find a spot with fairly clear water, and you can even use a northwest wind to your advantage. Last May I went to West Matagorda Bay when the wind was from the west at 13 mph. I selected a bayou on the south side that had a peninsula projecting well into the bay, and I fished on the leeward side of this peninsula.

I found 18 inches of water visibility, which is about what I like. It was clear enough for the fish to see the lure, but not so clear that the lure scares the fish. After I arrived, the

bayous.

I found bait fish that were getting busted, and got a couple of strikes on an Egret Baits five-inch Wedge Tail Minnow, but did not get a hookset because I was using too small of a hook for that soft plastic. I switched to a yellow Sparkle Beetle and started working my way out of the bayou when I glanced over at a little clump of grass in the shallow water.

Adjacent to it I saw what I thought was a redfish back. I lobbed my Sparkle Beetle in the vicinity, no hit. I tried again, no hit.

I tried a third time. Something took it and started swimming toward me. I waited and then set the hook. At first I thought it was a big redfish, but soon I saw that it was a very big trout.

The fish fought well, and I netted it.

Unfortunately the lure was buried in the gullet of the fish, so rather than return it to the water I kept the 26-inch trout.

To find out what happened in West Matagorda Bay under these conditions, back at the harbor I talked to Charlie Paradoski, a Matagorda guide, and some other fishermen who had gone west. They all did very well.

They said that there were rafts of mullet in West Matagorda Bay, and the reds and trout were really hitting.

Offshore Fishing is Good, But First You Have to Get Through the Jetties OFFSHORE FISHING IN MAY can be awesome. Warming water brings ling and king mackerel into waters less than 100 feet deep or about 30 miles offshore from the Matagorda jetties.

If you venture beyond 100 feet, you may catch amberjack, tuna, dorado, or wahoo, but first you have to go through the jetties.

According to the Bay City Tribune, on June 16 last year, Ouinton Edwards and Kristy Van Orden went through the jetties in a 29-foot Panga fishing boat at a high rate of speed, jumping as the boat hit the waves.

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Matagorda County Game Warden, David Janssen said. “They decided to turn around because it was too rough, and once they turned around the vessel capsized.” Neither passenger was wearing a lifejacket. Edwards swam to the jetty and Van Orden drowned.

On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend last year, Brian Tulloch took some friends offshore in his 27-foot catamaran. A south wind was pushing water in, and a strong outgoing tide was pushing water out.

These forces collided where the jetties meet the Gulf of Mexico. “With a strong ebb tide (outgoing) and river flow from the recent floods,” Brian said, “there were three sets of four foot breakers at the river mouth. “ I used full power and ran straight into the waves and got out with no problem.”

He was concerned about getting back in through the jetties because the south wind had increased to 15 knots, he had lost one of this two engines, and he had to go through the turbulence at the jetty entrance.

“I realized that if the tide was flowing out against the incoming seas,” he said. “We would have three rows of breakers to face. I planned to anchor in the lee of the west jetty

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BEST TIME: During a moving tide is best.

Although the best spot might vary a few feet either way, there won’t be that much difference between a a rising or falling tide. More noticeable will be the difference in success between a large tidal

until it turned to flood (incoming) again.

Fortunately we made the last of the flood and although rough, there were no breakers.”

Outdoor adventures come with risks, so each of us should evaluate the situation and our limitations, and base our decisions on the safety of ourselves and our passengers.

THE BANK BITE THE COLORADO RIVER PIERS: FM 2031 from the village of Matagorda to the end of the road at Matagorda Jetty Park is seven miles. The road runs parallel to the Colorado River.

change and a slight one. Days with multiple tide changes are always the best.

Email Mike Holmes at ContactUs@fishgame.com

There are two piers available for public fishing off FM 2031. The pier near the LCRA RV Park is lighted and has a cleaning table. The second pier is about a mile north, it has easy access, but it is not lighted.

You might want to use a fairly heavy weight or a weight with prongs when you fish from these piers, so your bait goes to the bottom and stays in one place. The tidal movement and, at times, fresh water outflow can create formidable currents, and you don’t want your bait to be hanging high in the water column.

Email Mike Price at ContactUs@fishgame.com

4/20/17 10:06 AM

Coastal Focus: MID COAST :: by Capt.

CHRIS MARTIN

May Trout Waders Need to Make Their Own Luck

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HEN YOU WADE-FISH the coastal regions of Texas, speckled trout are available to those who put forth the effort to locate such prizes.

In doing so, however, it is important for you to know where to go, when will be the best time to be there, and what it is you need to do instead of hoping it pans out for you.

As common as it is to say that fishing is a matter of luck, there are certain things you can

do to help your chances of success. If you hope to bag a large, trophy speckled trout, certain things like water temperature, salinity levels, wind direction, tidal movement, physical location, and fish activity are important.

If you consider all of those variables, you have a much better chance to achieve rewarding results than those who just show up at the boat ramp and then hope for the best.

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It is important to know where, when and what to do instead of hoping it pans out for you.

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One key is to know where the fish gather.

So, think back on previous trips, or refer to your historical fishing logs to see where you’ve located a good number of trout in the past.

Fish gather in a certain location for a reason. If you know why, you have a much better chance at success. Some common reasons are water temperature, food, and a sense of security or protection from other predators.

Ideally, speckled trout like to hang out in water where the temperature ranges between 70 to 80 degrees. They will travel bay shorelines and flats areas until they find conditions as close to this as possible.

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day. When this happens, the water atop the flats becomes too warm for the trout, and they will head for deeper water.

So, when you look for big trout this month, it might be wise to search in areas that offer structure adjacent to deeper water. Look for jetty areas, mid-bay oyster reefs, shell pads located at the base of oil or gas rigs, and spoil bank areas like that of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Food for trout, naturally, is made up of an array of different marine life such as mullet, shrimp, croakers, piggy perch, shad, sand eels, crabs, and a handful of others. The most common, however, is probably small baitfish such as mullet.

As temperatures and the tides start to rise this month, the small baitfish will constantly be looking to the skinniest of water for protection. These little guys will swim way back into the marsh of saltwater lakes and tributaries in search of water that may be only a couple inches deep because they know they’ll be safe.

In spite of this, the tides continue to rise and fall, which means these small baitfish relocate continually based upon the movement of the tide. They enter shallow water as the tide rises, and come out of the shallows as the tide falls.

Consequently, speckled trout sit in choice locations on the down-current side of guts and bayous that lead into and out of the lakes and tributaries. There, they wait for the small baitfish and other prime morsels of food to be swept by because of the falling of the tide.

So, understanding the rise and fall of tides is important, if you wish to be successful in locating speckled trout this month.

Time has proved there are many ways to catch speckled trout. These were but a few words that might help you to hook your next speckled trout.

Be safe, be courteous, and have fun!

Contact Capt. Chris Martin at bayflatslodge@gmail.com or visit bayflatslodge.com

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4/20/17 10:06 AM

Coastal Focus: ROCKPORT :: by Capt.

MAC GABLE

Instead of Gratitude, All I Got Was an Attitude

T

HE CALL CAME AT 6 PM, Thanksgiving Day. It was a desperate plea for help.

Their boat had run aground and they were stranded in Carlos Bay. The wind was picking up from the north, and the temperature was dropping.

Fortunately it was what we call a “dry front,” but as is the case here in the Rockport area, a stiff north wind makes for the roughest bay. This phenomenon is caused by the way our bay system is laid.

To add insult to injury, returning to most boat ramps in the area meant facing the teeth of the wind, which makes for a long trip back, if you get caught out.

“No one is answering their phone,” the message continued. “ My wife and I are in a bad way!”

I could hear what I believed to be crying in the background. It was true most tow guides were out of town, and the thought had fleetingly crossed my mind to claim the same status. The truth was I was at home with a tummy full of turkey and dressing. I had to call even though my body wanted to settle down to some much-deserved TV. They answered their phone before I heard a ring. The immediate words were “Whoever you are please come get us!”

“Captain Mac here,” I said.

“We are taking on water, my lower unit is ruined and the bilges have stopped working!” the caller exclaimed.

“Okay first things first, before your cell phone goes dead. Where are you?”

“Carlos Bay, and I think it’s Cedar Reef.”

“Ahh, you tried to cut across.”

“Yes”, he said.

“I will come get you, so please calm down.

You will think more clearly.”

“We are freezing and wet from bailing

water!”

“What do you have to put on in the way of clothes?”

“Nothing, just some waders.”

“Neoprene?” I asked.

“Yes, but they are damp and wet inside.”

“You can be wet and warm at the same time,” I said.

“Put them on. It will cut the wind and help you warm up.”

“Okay.”

“Do you know where the water is coming in at?” I asked.

“No, but the hull or transom doesn’t seem to be cracked.”

“Can you get to your bilges or aerators?”

“I think so” he said.

I hear noise, rumbling, wind, then in

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a panicked voice he says “It’s pouring in around my aerator pump!”

“Sir, is your boat on the reef?”

“Yes, that’s what I hit!” he responded in a frustrated voice.

“Then you are not gonna sink! Further, the water there is no more than three feet deep, unless you are in the channel—are you close to the channel?”

“Hmm, no, that’s how we came in—it’s a quarter mile away.”

“Can you reach the intake hole that feeds your aerator?”

“I think so, but wouldn’t it be better to wrap the rag from inside?” he asked.

“No, you want the pressure of the water working for you, not against you. Unscrew the screen if it has one and stuff a rag in the hole. That will stop the leak for the most part.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

I waited. A few minutes later he was back.

“I had to get in the water, but it’s stopped now.”

“Waders ARE warm!” he said.

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4/20/17 10:07 AM

Forecast: ROCKPORT “About 20 or so feet.”

Good, I thought. “Is it a deep V?” “No, it’s a catamaran boat.”

Even better, I thought. “You have my cell phone number right?” I asked.

“Yes, my wife wants to talk to you.”

“Okay.”

“Please don’t leave us out here!” she begged.

“I am walking out the door now ma’am.

See you in just a little bit.”

“It’s getting dark” she said. “Can you find us in the dark?”

“Get a flashlight, and when you hear my boat shine it at me.”

“I don’t have a flashlight!” The man was back on the phone.

“No problem, when you see or hear my boat, point the phone and take a picture in my direction with the flash on, I will see it.”

“Can you do that?” he queried.

The ride over was easy enough as I was going with the wind most of the way, but the bad news was it was now gale force.

Fortunately they were about where I had envisioned and from the cheering and hand waving it appeared I was welcome.

The boat, for this area, was enormous. I estimated 28 to 30 feet, with twin outboards.

The only thing he got right was the catamaran hull. It was a World Cat boat. Dry, it weighed more than my boat could safely handle in these winds. Its high profile would catch a lot of the wind.

Add the two motors to its weight and displacement, and I knew it was not a boat I could pull with my 175hp without breaking something.

The question I wanted to ask was “What in the @#$$% were they doing in these waters out of the channel with that type boat!!??”

I refrained.

By now the answer was all too obvious.

The man was not happy I could not tow his boat—or more acturately—that I WOULD NOT tow his boat. His wife on the other hand, was ready to get the hell out of Dodge and get back to dry land.

I made my position clear. My priority was to get them both back to safety. They could deal with recovering their boat when the conditions improved.

I took a scolding from the man, even

“How’s your wife?” I asked.

“She is in waders, hiding behind the console, out of the wind.” “Good. I will be there in about an hour.”

“An HOUR?!”

“Yes sir, thirty minutes to get my boat in the water and about thirty minutes via the water. How big is your boat?”

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though I reminded him of the 45+ mph winds and that I was not equipped to tow that type of boat.

“Then why did you come to get us!?”

His wife quickly responded. “He came to get us because no one else called us back!

We also begged him to, and I for one deeply appreciate that. He’s not the one who ran our boat up on the reef, you did, Capt.

Marvelous!”

“Folks please!” I interceded. “I left a turkey dinner and a warm easy chair with a good football game, all of which I seldom get to enjoy. Let’s get your boat secured to the reef and get going.”

After securing the boat with two anchors and a stout push pole hammered into the reef, we headed back.

My Haynie takes rough water well but the swells in Aransas Bay were close to five feet and looked even bigger in the dark, so we were all glad to get back to the boat ramp where they had launched. I gave them some warm coffee and phone numbers for someone that would assist them in recovering their boat, as well as the GPS coordinates.

The lady ran to their truck, and the man simply said thank you and turned and walked away. “Happy Thanksgiving,” I called out.

With his back to me. He just raised his hand and never looked back. I headed back out into Aransas Bay in the dark a little worn, a little poorer, but all the wiser for the 10 miles that would thankfully take me home.

Draw your own moral conclusions.

••• THE CROAKERS ARE CROAKING, the shrimp are flipping and the cut bait is smelling. So use all three this month until you find the right bait. This need not cost a fortune either. Get small amounts until you figure out what works.

Rule of thumb: if the cold hangs on through April into May use shrimp and cut bait, but if the warmer weather sets in croakers are the golden ticket.

COPANO BAY: Port Bay is a good spot for red fish using free-lined mud minnows or finger mullet. I’ve found the east shoreline to CONTINUED ON PAGE

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4/20/17 10:07 AM

Coastal Focus: ARANSAS/CORPUS :: by Contributing Editor TOM BEHRENS

‘Tide Runners’ Move Back into the Bays

Aransas Bay flats Captain Jack McPartland, who guides in Aransas and Corpus Christi waters, predicts that the “tide runners” will be coming into the bays, looking for a place to increase the fish populations.

In Aransas Bay, McPartland drifts the Estes Flats throwing soft plastic tails or a gold spoon for redfish. “If not drifting,” he said.

“I park and throw live mullet on a weighted leader, or dead bait in a pothole.”

He describes a weighted leader as a weight above the swivel, about an 18-inch leader, and then the hook. “That way the mullet can swim around, but he can’t swim away,” he explained. “If I’m using cut mullet, I don’t put any weight on it. Just throw it in the sand pockets. Let it sit until they eat it, and they will eat it.”

Captain Garrett Frazier won’t leave home without a bait bucket of live shrimp and/or croakers if they are available. Drifting live shrimp under a popping cork is his primary go-to tactic.

Popping corks come in a variety of models; he prefers the H&H cork. “It has a titanium wire in the middle,” he said. “Connect your line off your reel to the one end of the wire; the other side to your leader. The titanium wire does not keep memory. You can use it a lot longer without out it getting bent out of shape.”

When fishing the different flats in Aransas,

he uses a 16-inch leader. “I like regular monofilament for leader, 30-pound test, and 4/0 croaker offset hooks.”

“

Frazier won’t leave home without a bait bucket of live shrimp.

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Y THE END OF MAY, WE ARE moving into early summer fishing and hot temperatures.

Plug in the GPS settings for Estes Flats, North Mud Island, Hog Island, and Dagger Island or other locations for May action, especially when the croaker becomes available in Aransas Bay.

Popping depends on the bait activity and how aggressive the bite is. “Pop it once and wait for four or five seconds,” he said. “If the water is real clear, calm, too much popping might actually scare them off. If the water is choppy, you might have to pop it more often.”

Corpus Christi Wells McPartland casts to the wells, instead of anchoring next to them. It’s too easy to lose an anchor in the trash and well structure on the bottom.

He uses 30-pound braid on his reels.

“Twenty pound would be fine, but 20 pound is so thin the knots can undo themselves.

“I tell people if you are at the wells, especially if you’re throwing braid, make sure you have monofilament leader,” he advised.

“If you snag on something, you’re not going to break that braid, and you end up cutting a bunch of line off your reel. Where with the monofilament leader, you just pop the leader, tie another hook on the leader, and keep going.”

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McPartland uses a leader that is over twofeet long. “If you snag and break off the hook I still have 20 inches of leader to tie to. I can keep tying hooks on it until I finally run out of leader.

“I don’t use swivels; I tie line to line,” McPartland said. “It doesn’t take long to tie a new leader on, but it’s not like twist-twist and you’re finished. It has to be a certain knot.”

The Modified Double Uni Knot is one knot that works. (www.saltstrong.com/articles/ strongest-braid-to-braid-fishing-knot/) For live bait, he uses a 4/0 to 5/0 Kahle hook; for dead bait a 6/0 circle hook. “Circle hooks are thicker than the Kahle hooks, and that’s why I don’t like them on live bait,” he said. “The live bait sits there jittering on that thicker hook, wears a hole in itself, and gets off the hook. Circle hooks are self-setting. By the time that rod tip cranks down the drag is ripping.”

For Captain Don Miller, anchors are expendable. “If I lose them, I haven’t lost much. You will lose anchors when fishing the wells.”

Generally, I’ll work my way around the rig,” he said. “If I don’t find them, I move on to another well. If you fish them often enough you find out which ones to fish off of and where around the well to fish.

“I’ll use a golden croaker or piggy perch if they are available. Hook the bait through the tail, using straight hooks, no trebles, number 4. I just throw them out and allow them to swim freely, let them find their own level.”

His catches are mostly trout around the wells. “Every once in a while you will catch a redfish,” he said.

The Upper Laguna Madre certainly produces fish during May, but doesn’t come into being a prime location until June,” said Capt.

McPartland. “In May the fish are going to be mostly shallow. The Upper Laguna Madre water depths are too deep for May.”

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Coastal Focus: LOWER COAST :: by Saltwater Editor CALIXTO GONZALES

Getting Snookered

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N ASSET THAT MAKES Lower Laguna Madre such a remarkable place to fish is the wide variety of fish available to anglers. There literally is something for every fishing preference. Besides the usual suspects, speckled trout and flounder roaming the bay, there are also mangrove snapper and sheepshead milling around structure and waiting to go knuckle-and-skull with anyone who dares flip a live shrimp into the shadows of theier dens (or frozen one; they’re aren’t very picky). Tarpon patrol along the BrazosSantiago Jetties and in the surf, or sometimes school up and go on wilding parties in the bay itself to terrorize unsuspecting fishermen who may by looking for smaller more cooperative prey. There are Spanish and king mackerel within casting distance of surf and jetty bound anglers (the latter of which are partial to large chrome/blue lipless crankbaits).nd then there is the snook.

The robalo of Lower Laguna Madre has developed quite a following among Texas anglers in recent years. I have run into fishermen from as far away as the Texas Panhandle and just south of the Canadian River who have made trips to Port Isabel and South Padre Island for the sole purpose of latching into Ol’ Linesides. The fish has an exotic mystique to it that bespeaks of the tropical and wild, but still possesses an defiant contrariness that is equally appealing. They get big, too. My personal best was just a tad over 40 inchers. They’re refined, but brutish.

The snook is the tycoon in faded blue jeans, the debutant in pearls and cowboy boots.

The snook is caviar washed down with a Longneck. In short, the snook is pure Texan.

Snook have become more plentiful over the last decade and a liable to pop up any58

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Snook have gotten more plentiful in Lower Coast waters.

where as far north as the Land Cut; however, if you are looking to pick a fight with a Lower Laguna Madre snook, your best shot is to look to South Bay, 26.017606, -97.183685.

South Bay holds a stable population of snook that take up residence from mid-Spring until the first major cold front in Fall (which could be as late as early December). The mangroves that line shoreline, the grassy flats, and deeper channels and boat guts offer ideal habitat for the linesiders. When the tide is up or incoming, snook will gravitate to the the cover and forage provided by the mangrove trees and strafe mullet, pilchard, and small pinfish. When the tide starts moving out, they’ll vall back into deeper water and water and wait for the current to flush bait off the flats and to them.

While fishing around the mangroves, your best bet is to move stealthily into postion with by either poling or using a trolling motor. Watch for fish holding in the shadows and under roots and overhangs. When you spot one, cast a soft plastic such as a ¼ ounce DOA Shrimp, a chartreuse or pearl Gulp!

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clear/glitter. Do not cast directly ini front of the fish or you may spook it. Work the bait past the hidey hole. Use a 20 pound fluorocarbon leader tied to your line with a uni-touni knot or blood knot to prevent a breakoff if your quarry drags you across a limb.

Early on calm mornings, you might spot snook chasing bait along the surface near the mangroves. When these fish are actively feeding like that, your favorite topwater can really prove effective. Try a Spook, Jr. or a River2Sea Wide Glide in bone or white. If the fish are missing the plug on the strike, switch to a sub-surface bait such as a Catch 2000 or Bomber Saltwater Grade Badonk-adonk SS, also in bone or white for better hookups. Soft plastics such as the afore-mentioned Bass Assassins and Logics work well, too.

I have also begun playing around with a River2Sea Wideglide (river2seausa.com), which is a subsurface plug with a very unique action. The weight is mostly forward in the head of the plug, which gives it a very wide “walk” when worked on a twitch-slack line retrieve. The end result is that the bait doesn’t so much walk the way traditional plugs do. It glides two feet in each direction. Whether it is a more natural presentation or simply different from what snook (and trout and redfish, for that matter) have seen, the Wide Glide has gotten some promising results.

Of course, natural baits are also very effective for treed snook. The first choice is a live finger mullet, with large shrimp a very close second. Hook the mullet just above the anal fin, use the smallest weight possible for casting distance, and lob it towards the mangrove. Popping corks are more a liability than an asset in this application beaise of the risk of them getting snared in the limbs of a tree.

Moreover, the water averages 2 feet or less, so a cork is not necessarily effective.

If you are using a soft plastic or live bait, do not be surprised if you latch into a big flounder. Flatties hide in ambush along the mangroves sometimes, and aren’t averse to taking a shot at a finger mullet or a soft plastic that should meander by. In June of 2011, I

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be best in the morning and the west shoreline in the late evening. The deeper water off on Lonetree Point is good for trout using shrimp under a rattle cork or a free-lined croaker.

ARANSAS BAY: Some trout are off of Traylor Island close to Big Cut and Little Cut. Drifts work well here if the wind allows.

Lap Reef is holding some keeper trout. use free-lined croakers or free lined live shrimp.

Some black drum and gafftop may be found just off the north bank at the mouth of Mission Bay. Fresh dead shrimp works well here.

ST. CHARLES BAY: Reefs just off the old Boy Scout hole have some reds and trout had a 4-pounder hammer a Spook, Jr. while I was walking it back after missing a big snook that was cruising the tree-line. It was my larg-

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in the early morning. Mud minnows and croakers work well here. In the back of St. Charles Bay, the northwest shoreline is a good spot for keeper reds using finger mullet on a medium heavy Carolina rig.

Carlos Bay: The point off Pelican Reef is a good spot for black drum and reds with freelined live shrimp the best choice. The north edge of Spalding Reef is good for trout using a croaker on a light Carolina rig or free-lined.

MESQUITE BAY: The reefs at the mouth of Brays Cove are good for trout early morning and reds later in the day. For the trout, use croakers free-lined and finger mullet for the reds. The mouth of Cedar Bayou is a good wade for trout using a popping cork and shrimp or soft plastics in watermelon and mullet colors.

est flounder of the year.

Even when you are looking a specific target, you can end up with a little variety.

AYERS BAY: Ayers Reef has some reds in the late evening. Free-lined is best here if the wind allows; use mud minnows or cut menhaden. The Second Chain Islands are a good spot for black drum and gafftop using fresh dead shrimp on a light Carolina rig.

THE BANK BITE PORT BAY BRIDGE: The area around the bridge off Highway 188 on Port Bay is a good spot for those who are less mobile. The water is close to the highway so be careful with high speed traffic. Early morning use finger mullet that drift with the tide. Late evening use live shrimp under a rattle cork for trout and black drum.

Contact Capt. Mac Gable at Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601 captmac@macattackguideservice.com

Email Cal Gonzales at ContactUs@fishgame.com

4/20/17 10:07 AM

FISHING HOTSPOTS Saltwater: n Upper Coast n Mid Coast n Lower Coast Freshwater: n Piney Woods

Freshwater: n Prairies & Lakes n Panhandle n Big Bend n Hill Country n South Texas

UPPER COAST

Ladies First for East Bay Trout

by TOM BEHRENS

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Ladies Pass GPS: N 29 28.471, W 94 43.251 (29.4745, -94.7209)

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Garrett Frazier 409-354-3865 TIPS: “The main thing we look for is bait activity along the shoreline. Don’t jump out of the boat unless you can see bait activity.” Capt. Frazier

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Down South soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Kevin Roberts 281-796-4647 kmr668@yahoo.com TIPS: Focus on the bait, not the spot where you have caught fish before.

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Bird Island GPS: N 28 43.86, W 95 45.617 (28.7310, -95.7603)

LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Hanna’s Reef GPS: N 29 28.471, W 94 43.251 (29.4745, -94.7209)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Down South soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Kevin Roberts 281-796-4647 kmr668@yahoo.com TIPS: “You’ve got to locate bait activity to catch fish in the springtime,” says Capt. Roberts. “If you see no bait activity you are working dead water.”

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LOCATION: Upper Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Burnett Bay GPS: N 29 46.11, W 95 3.048 (29.7685, -95.0508)

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Down South soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Kevin Roberts 281-796-4647 kmr668@yahoo.com TIPS: Capt. Roberts’ favorite colors in the soft plastics are plum/chartreuse, chicken-of-the-sea, and chartreuse/glitter. “It really depends on what the water conditions are as to what color works best.” Capt.

Roberts LOCATION: Galveston West Bay HOTSPOT: Snake Island GPS: N 29 9.565, W 95 2.215 (29.1594, -95.0369)

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LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Hanna’s Reef GPS: N 29 28.703, W 94 45.703 (29.4784, -94.7617)

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Mitchells Cut GPS: N 28 45.123, W 95 39.453 (28.7521, -95.6576)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Down South soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Kevin Roberts 281-796-4647 kmr668@yahoo.com TIPS: “At times I have been drifting East Bay and have seen a huge pod of shad come by, and right behind them I’ll see a cloud under the water. Throw into it and everybody catches fish. The trout are chasing the pods of shad.” Capt. Roberts

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Garrett Frazier 409-354-3865 TIPS: “In May we should have consistent winds out of the southeast which puts the south shoreline in a protected area.” Capt. Garrett Frazier

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GPS COORDINATES are provided in two formats: “Decimal Degrees” (degrees.degrees) and “Degrees and Minutes” sometimes called “GPS Format” (degrees minutes.minutes).

Examples (for Downtown Austin): Decimal Degrees: N30.2777, W97.7379; Degrees and Minutes: N30 16.6662, W97 44.2739. Consult your manual for information specific to your GPS device.

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics |

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FISHING HOTSPOTS CONTACT: Capt. Kevin Roberts 281-796-4647 kmr668@yahoo.com TIPS: Fishing mid bay reefs: “Don’t cut the reef in half; go from one end of the reef to the other end of the reef, then idle back around the reef and set up to drift the reef again.” Capt. Roberts LOCATION: Galveston West Bay HOTSPOT: Campbell Reef GPS: N 29 21, W 94 52.325 (29.3500, -94.8721)

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Bayou GPS: N 28 29.738, W 96 13.565 (28.4956, -96.2261)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblecharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: “There may be 20-30 wells in Corpus Christi Bay. Some may be no larger than a pickup truck bed that you won’t see until you are 200 yards from them.”

Capt. McPartland

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Croakers CONTACT: Capt. Kevin Roberts 281-796-4647 kmr668@yahoo.com TIPS: “I will fish croakers when the water heats up, probably by the end of May, free lined with a split shot.

Drag them on the bottom and wait for a bite.” Capt.

Roberts LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: South Causeway Reef GPS: N 29 47.221, W 93 55.919 (29.7870, -93.9320)

409-354-3865 TIPS: In May Capt. Frazier will be wade fishing, focusing on the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay, focusing on drains. “Cottons and Greens…a lot of flats and grass beds, with drains that run between the grass beds.” Capt. Frazier

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Garrett Frazier 409-354-3865 TIPS: “I’ll be using small topwaters. A lot of the baitfish at this time of the year are small.” Capt. Frazier

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Corpus Christi Bay Front GPS: N 27 44.957, W 97 22.511 (27.7493, -97.3752)

MIDDLE COAST

Spirited Reds on Contee Lake

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblecharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: Fishing well structure: “I prefer to throw at it. If you are dropping the bait straight down without casting, and you anchor close, then you end up hanging your anchor and never get it back.” Capt. McPartland

by TOM BEHRENS

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez 409-721-5467 www.goldenhookguide.com TIPS: Drift the channel cut with live shrimp under a popping cork.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cottons Bayou GPS: N 28 30.552, W 96 12.453 (28.5092, -96.2076)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Garrett Frazier

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LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Contee Lake GPS: N 28 17.779, W 96 33.157 (28.2963, -96.5526)

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LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Potholes/grass GPS: N 27 49.721, W 97 14.338 (27.8287, -97.2390)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Popping Cork with live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Billy Freudensprung 979-997-2264 Billyfreudensprung@gmail.com TIPS: Leader under the cork: “It’s probably 2, 2 1/2 feet long which puts the shrimp right on the bottom, right near the bottom edge.” Capt. Freudensprung

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SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Gold Spoons, live and cut mullet, perch CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblecharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: Weight or not weight: “I don’t weight down anything unless the winds are blowing hard, or I’m throwing live mullet for redfish.” Capt. McPartland

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Corpus Christi Wells GPS: N 27 44.764, W 97 11.141 (27.7461, -97.1857)

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FISHING HOTSPOTS LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Indian Point/Portland Shoreline GPS: N 27 51, W 97 20.927 (27.8500, -97.3488)

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Matagorda Island Shoreline GPS: N 28 20.569, W 96 26.733 (28.3428, -96.4456)

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SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Shad CONTACT: Capt. Don Miller 361-790-3799 TIPS: One of Capt. Miller’s favorite places to fish in Corpus Christi Bay are the wells. “The wells have a shell base which attracts small bait fish, which in turn attract trout.”

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Donner Reef GPS: N 27 50.891, W 97 15.12 (27.8482, -97.2520)

LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Traylor Island GPS: N 27 55.995, W 97 4.494 (27.9333, -97.0749)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblecharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: “The end of April, and by mid May, our trout action is going to start picking up with what we call ‘tide runners’ coming in. They come in for spawning and the beginning of summer.” Capt. McPartland LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Upper Estes Flats GPS: N 27 57.058, W 97 5.331 (27.9510, -97.0889)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Popping Cork with live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Billy Freudensprung 979-997-2264 Billyfreudensprung@gmail.com TIPS: Capt. Freudensprung recommends the Nexus4 Mid Coast cork…”very durable. It does not have a rattle inside, but some plastic beads on it…concentrate efforts around grass and open sand pockets.”

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Popping Cork with live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Billy Freudensprung 979-997-2264 Billyfreudensprung@gmail.com TIPS: Popping the cork: “Every day is kind of different. Some days you want to pop it really hard, and some days you just pop it a few times and let it sit for about 10 seconds, then repeat.” Capt. Freudensprung

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Shad CONTACT: Capt. Don Miller 361-790-3799 TIPS: Rigging for May: “I’ll use a golden croaker or piggy perch if they are available. Hook the bait through the tail using a straight hook, no trebles, number four. I just throw them out and allow them to swim freely, find their own level.” Capt. Miller LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Pringle Lake GPS: N 28 18.925, W 96 31.151 (28.3154, -96.5192)

TIPS: Drift the flats throwing soft plastics or a spoon.

Anchor and throw live mullet on a weighted leader, or dead bait in a pothole.

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SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Gold Spoons, live and cut mullet, perch CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblecharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com |

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LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Outside Dagger GPS: N 27 50.644, W 97 9.149 (27.8441, -97.1525)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblecharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: Weighted leader: “That way the mullet can swim around, but he can’t swim away. If I’m not using live bait, but cut mullet, I don’t put any weight on it and throw it in the sand pockets.” Capt. McPartland LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Inside Dagger GPS: N 27 51.104, W 97 9.352 (27.8517, -97.1559)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblecharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: In May when the croaker make their appearance, they will be about 2 1/2 inches long. Fishing at this time with croaker will be a crowded time on the bay…”like a zoo out there”. Capt. McPartland LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Dagger Flats GPS: N 27 49.754, W 97 10.61 (27.8292, -97.1768)

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SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Shad CONTACT: Capt. Don Miller

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FISHING HOTSPOTS 361-790-3799 TIPS: “I use a sliding cork when fishing for redfish.

You are fishing pot holes.” Capt. Miller.

LOCATION: Port O’Connor HOTSPOT: Bayucos Shoreline GPS: N 28 23.647, W 96 26.619 (28.3941, -96.4437)

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GPS: N 26 0.405, W 97 16.465 (26.0068, -97.2744)

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SPECIES: Mangrove Snapper BEST BAITS: Live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Grady Deaton 956-455-2503 www.dosgringosfishing.com TIPS: “Find structure, a place with rip-rap coming down into the water. Use a very small slip shot weight, or a torpedo weight at line end, then 18 inches to two feet of 25-30 lb. leader line with a circle hook.” Capt.

Deaton

SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redfish BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Brandon Kendrick 936-671-3477 rufflingfeathers@yahoo.com www.rfguideservice.com TIPS: “We are looking for trout slicks at first light and throughout the day…also shell pads and current.”

Capt. Kendrick LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Shell Reef GPS: N 28 12.932, W 96 47.155 (28.2155, -96.7859)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Brandon Kendrick 936-671-3477 rufflingfeathers@yahoo.com www.rfguideservice.com TIPS: “Vary the retrieve when using topwaters. If I notice I’m missing a lot of fish, I’ll start slowing the retrieve, pause. In working a topwater you have to let the fish dictate what they want.” Capt. Kendrick

LOWER COAST

Snap Up Channel Mangroves

by CALIXTO GONZALES and TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Brownsville Ship Channel

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LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Three Islands GPS: N 26 16.282, W 97 17.702 (26.2714, -97.2950)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Grady Deaton 956-455-2503 www.dosgringosfishing.com TIPS: Capt. Deaton prefers to fish water that has a little “bit of dirt.”

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: East of Three Islands GPS: N 26 17.076, W 97 17.016 (26.2846, -97.2836)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Grady Deaton 956-455-2503 www.dosgringosfishing.com TIPS: When wade fishing, Capt. Deatron prefers Kelly Wigglers or Bass Assassins. Favorite colors are bone/diamond, 10W40, root beer/chartreuse or a red/ chartreuse tail LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: ICW between Three Islands GPS: N 26 19.599, W 97 18.591 (26.3267, -97.3099)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Grady Deaton 956-455-2503 www.dosgringosfishing.com TIPS: Capt. Deaton says he will be drifting using live shrimp under a poppi9ng cork. A Mansfield Mauler is his choice of popping cork. “I use the typical Styrofoam cork that is weighted and designed to rattle.”

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: North Jetty GPS: N 26 33.893, W 97 16.498 (26.5649, -97.2750)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Grady Deaton 956-455-2503 www.dosgringosfishing.com TIPS: Capt. Deaton does not use a separate leader, but relies on his line, Fire Line braided, in either an 8 or 10 pound test, tied directly to the hook.

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Catch Wind for Fork Bass

by DUSTIN WARNCKE

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Grady Deaton 956-455-2503 www.dosgringosfishing.com TIPS: The deeper water of the ICW can be fished with live shrimp under a popping cork, and is a good place to get out of the wind if need be.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Marker 2 GPS: N 27 5.898, W 97 26.604 (27.0983, -97.4434)

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HOTSPOT: Main Lake Windy Points GPS: N 32 51.6641, W 95 35.7419 (32.8611, -95.5957)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Crankbaits, swimbaits, top water and &

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FISHING HOTSPOTS weightless soft plastics like the Grandebass Airtail Flash, Carolina rigged Grandebass Airtail Rattlesnakes and shakey heads rigged with Airtail Wigglers CONTACT: Lance Vick 903-312-0609 lance@lakeforkbass.com www.guideonlakefork.com TIPS: “Bass are very active on Lake Fork in May and there are many ways to pattern big bass. Bigger numbers of fish caught per a day are best during May. First, pattern is the shad spawn early on windy points with crankbaits and swimbaits that will get the blood pumping early. Pattern #2 is catching fry guarders with Topwater and weightless soft plastics like the Grandebass Airtail Flash on grass lines and standing timber in water 1 to 4 foot deep. Third pattern is to catch fish feeding up after the spawn on deep-water points in water 15 to 25 foot deep with Carolina rigged Grandebass Airtail Rattlesnakes and shakey heads rigged with Airtail Wigglers. So get out in May and catch in 1 foot of water and 20 feet of water in the same day! Good fishing to all!”

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Bird Island and Sand Island Areas GPS: N 32 41.9423, W 94 5.118 (32.6990, -94.0853)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Plastic top water frogs, flukes and swimbaits CONTACT: Caddo Lake Guide Service/Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net www.caddolakefishing.com TIPS: “May is the time of the year where the bass are transitioning from spring to summer patterns. Most of my fishing will be grass and lily pad related this month. Throw your hollow body and rubber styled frogs over the pad/grass mixture. I like to keep a weightless watermelon colored fluke ready for any bass short striking the frog. Lightly weighted Texas rigged swimbaits are also a great way to cover a lot of water fast on Caddo Lake. May is a good month to catch a trophy bass, like the 15.70-pounder recently caught here.”

LOCATION: Lake Conroe

HOTSPOT: Lewis Creek Area GPS: N 30 25.848, W 95 33.7199 (30.4308, -95.5620)

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SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows and crappie jigs CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-661-7920 admin@fishdudetx.com www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: “The crappie will be finished spawning and move out to the brush piles this time of year. I like to focus on brush in 12 to 14 foot of water early in the mornings and, as the day wears on, move out to the 16 to 20 foot brush piles. I like using minnows rigged up on a slip bobber with a bobber stop tied to my line so I can adjust the depth so my minnow swims just above the brush. This method has proven itself over several years and helps you avoid snagging in the brush. When I use a jig I always know the shallowest point of brush and use the count down method (1001,1002 and so

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FISHING HOTSPOTS on). This keeps my bait where I want it without hanging up. The kicker to the whole thing is if you get distracted you will probably hang it up. For jig fishing I like using a 6-8 pound line so there is not much room for error.

Good luck and good fishing!

LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Major Creeks GPS: N 32 50.0039, W 95 33.57 (32.8334, -95.5595)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Top water lures like frogs, Yellow Magic Plugs and Pop’Rs with a shad colored belly, Wacky Worm in Watermelon Red and Texas rigged Baby Brush Hog CONTACT: Doug Shampine 940-902-3855 doug@lakeforktrophybass.com www.lakeforktrophybass.com TIPS: May fishing on Lake Fork is outstanding for top water bass fishing action. This is the month that if you can cast a rod and reel you should catch a big bass.

The females have now spawned and are hungry and will eat about anything that comes by. They stay in the shallow water 2-5 feet and feed to get their strength back from the spawning period when they do not eat.

Find vegetation in the form of lily pads or hydrilla and get out your frog. Throw as far as you can and hop the frog back towards you and hang on!! The bass will explode on that bait but you’d better have heavy line or braid to be able to get them out of the vegetation. In the deeper water, close to the spawning areas, a Yellow Magic top water bait, or Pop’r will also catch big bass.

Be sure it has a shad colored belly. Other baits I will be throwing will be a Wacky Worm in Watermelon Red and a Texas rigged baby brush hog in Watermelon Red. Places to throw these baits will be Burch Creek, Big Mustang, Dale, Little Caney and Running Creek.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: The Lump GPS: N 30 41.172, W 95 5.658 (30.6862, -95.0943)

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SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: White slabs, trolled Pet Spoons on downrigger and Tsunami Zombie Eye Jigs (1 oz. pink/ silver glow) CONTACT: David S. Cox, Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602

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dave@palmettoguideservice.com www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: “Fish the slope of the drop off. Jig the slabs and Tsunami Zombie Eyes right off the bottom. Feel for strikes on the falling jig. BANK ACCESS: Beacon Bay Marina” LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Bayou Seipe GPS: N 31 44.1299, W 93 50.5379 u TAP FOR (31.7355, -93.8423)

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SPECIES: Bream BEST BAITS: Crickets, earthworms and meal worms CONTACT: Greg Crafts, Toledo Bend Guide Service and Lake Cottages 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com www.toledobendguide.com TIPS: May is the month to take a kid fishing and the best way to get a kid hooked on fishing is to take him or her bream fishing. In May the bream will be on the beds in shallow water. Cruise the shoreline and look for honeycomb circles along sandy banks. Once you find a bed, pick off the fish from outside to inside so you don’t spook the fish. The White Bass will also be ganging up on the north end sand bars.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Brush Up on Roberts Crappie

TIPS: In my opinion, May is the overall best month of the year for fishing. Most of the largemouth bass, crappie and white bass have completed their spawning and are ready to eat. There will be a lot of fish still in shallow water and they will readily hit a wide variety of lures. I really enjoy, as do most crappie fisherman, catching them on a slip bobber and minnow rig when they are in shallow water spawning. However, I find the action more consistent when they have completed the spawn and moved out to deeper brush piles. If you like watching a bobber don’t be afraid to use one in any depth water, I have used one in 30 feet of water with success. Set your depth so the minnow or jig can drift just above the depth of the brush.

LOCATION: Bachman Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 32 51.1859, W 96 52.014 (32.8531, -96.8669)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass and Crappie BEST BAITS: Bass: spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps | Crappie: minnows and jigs CONTACT: Carey Thorn 469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: For bass, throw spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps along the weed line. Crappie are under the bridge this time of year. Minnows and jigs are your best bet now.

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake Humps and Points GPS: N 32 18.714, W 96 10.0319 (32.3119, -96.1672)

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by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Brush pile GPS: N 33 23.552, W 97 1.223 (33.3925, -97.0204)

SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows and small jigs CONTACT: Jim Walling 940-391-5534 jimwwalling@icloud.com

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SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Slabs CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish humps and points, 8-16 feet deep and look for fish on the graph. Bounce the lure along the bottom with short lifts, keeping contact with the bottom.

LOCATION: Eagle Mountain Lake HOTSPOT: Twin Points Humps GPS: N 32 53.16, W 97 29.672 (32.8860, -97.4945)

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SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Slabs with a fly 12” above, Mepps spinner or Tail spinner CONTACT: Johnny Stevens 817-597-6598 johnnystevens@1scom.net johnnysguideservice.com TIPS: This area has two very large humps of 22 to 28 feet of water surrounded by 30 to 38 feet of water.

During the early summer shad congregate around these humps and the shad follow. I find shad and fish on electronics and jig straight up and down with a slab and fly and many times you will get a double. You can also fan cast over these humps with Mepps spinner or a tail spinner worked very slowly over the bottom.

(29.9374, -96.7148)

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SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: CJs punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Tie up to a stump. Use a slip cork in the 6’-8’ of water. Fishing over chum helps. Chumming close to the boat is ideal for best results.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek HOTSPOT: Hot Water Discharge Area GPS: N 30 38.3459, W 96 2.2799 (30.6391, -96.0380)

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SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Cut shad and CJ’s punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Tie to stumps next to discharge and throw out chum. Cast outward into discharge flow.

LOCATION: Granger Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake Brush Piles and Timber GPS: N 30 42.2099, W 97 20.9519 (30.7035, -97.3492)

LOCATION: Fayette County HOTSPOT: North Trees GPS: N 29 56.244, W 96 42.8879

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SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Danny Matthews 1/16 oz. or 1/32 oz.

Marabou jigs and Berkley Crappie Nibbles CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: May and September are the best times for crappie at Granger. The crappie are biting in every brush pile on the lake and up river in standing timber.

There is no need to use minnows this time of year. It is just a waste of time. Jigs in either 1/16 oz. or 1/32 oz. will work every day. Color or style doesn’t seem to matter much but I normally use Marabou jigs with the setup I use. They can catch more fish before tearing up compared to plastic jigs. I like those with a shiny tinsel finish like those made by Danny Matthews. I also use Berkley Crappie Nibbles on the jigs. They give just the extra smell to make the crappie hold on a little longer.

Position your boat just over the cover and lower the jig down keeping it still. Most bites will come about a foot to two feet off the bottom. Keep moving until you find the larger fish. Many times the big crappie are in the shallower piles or timber in the 4 to 7 foot deep range.

A final tip is to use a loop knot on your jigs.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass and White Bass BEST BAITS: Black and blue jig, white and chartreuse spinnerbaits and 12 foot diving crank baits CONTACT: Carey Thorn 469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: “May is when everything pulls out of the shallows. Black bass are hanging on the rocks and white bass are in the bottoms with timber. They should be off the beds by the end of May. Concentrate on fishing timber and rocks with spinnerbaits, bass jigs, and 12 foot diving crankbaits.”

LOCATION: Lake Granbury HOTSPOT: Near Decordova Subdivision GPS: N 32 25.269, W 97 41.402 (32.4212, -97.6900)

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Mepps 1/8-oz. inline spinner in white CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: “The water is stained to muddy up on the north end of the lake at the time of this report and the fishing is very good. Concentrate in the Cades Lake and Indian Creek areas. The white bass run is in full swing right now and a Mepps 1/8-oz. inline spinner in white is hard to beat.”

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Cades Lake and Indian Creek GPS: N 32 16.9979, W 95 27 (32.2833, -95.4500)

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SPECIES: Channel Catfish BEST BAITS: Cut shad and hot dogs CONTACT: Michael W. Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters 817-578-0023 TIPS: Jug lines fished just off the channel or Rod and Reel fished off of deeper docks. Night action can be good in the backs of creeks.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Rock Pile and Old Pond GPS: N 33 2.5799, W 96 30.0659 (33.0430, -96.5011)

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Deer Island Trees GPS: N 30 17.82, W 96 41.304 (30.2970, -96.6884)

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SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows and jigs in grey or blue CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com

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www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Tie to a tree at this location. Look for brush on your fish finder here and fish outer edge of brush. Fish 6-8 foot down.

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: North End & Washita Point GPS: N 33 52.068, W 96 41.67 (33.8678, -96.6945)

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SPECIES: Striped Bass and White Bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad jigs, top water plugs, live shad CONTACT: Bill Carey 903-786-4477 bigfish@striperexpress.com www.striperexpress.com TIPS: “May is most fishermen’s favorite month of the year on Lake Texoma. Most of the Stripers are finished with the spawn and are roaming the lake. Large schools of post spawn fish are hungry and will strike on artificial lures and live bait. Cast Pencil Poppers and Big Chug Bugs on the shallow banks early in the mornings. After the top water bite, switch to 1oz. White Glo Sassy Shad jigs or live shad. Work the jigs on main lake ledges to 30’ depths. Drift or anchor with live shad on the same ledges. Limits of fish are common and May is an exciting month on Lake Texoma. Bank Access: Platter Flats and Washita Point” LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Whitney Hump and 22 Road Bed GPS: N 31 54.612, W 97 20.754 u TAP FOR (31.9102, -97.3459)

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SPECIES: White Bass and Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Live threadfin shad for stripers and flutter jigs for white bass CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com www.teamredneck.net TIPS: “It’s official: Lake Whitney has more fish than at any time in its history! I’ve been spouting this on the Texas Fishing and Outdoors radio show I do every Saturday and Sunday with Brian Hughes. I took the time and looked on the TPWD website and it’s official, Lake Whitney does have more fish than any historical record, not only stripers but all other species as well with the exception of smallmouth bass and bream. They have reached maturity and after coming off the spawn are

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FISHING HOTSPOTS gorging and making for some awesome action. Live bait (threadfin shad) is working best. Rig up on a Carolina rig and fishing straight down around 18’ just off ledges and edges at Whitney hump and other main lake points and humps. Watch your graph along these edges and humps and if your screen lights up with big balls of bait, the stripers aren’t far behind. You should be in for some fast paced action.”

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Lake HOTSPOT: 309 Flats and Coves at Fisherman’s Point Marina GPS: N 31 59.0279, W 96 8.4119 u TAP FOR (31.9838, -96.1402) ONLINE MAP

SPECIES: Crappie and White Bass BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs, Rat-L-Traps and 1oz. silver slabs CONTACT: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com www.gonefishin.biz TIPS: “May can be an AWESOME month on RC as the last of the Crappie spawn will still be occurring in the creeks and coves in early May and the Hybrid Stripers and White Bass will be going great guns in the main lake area all month long. Crappie will be in the shallow water on the far Southeast end of the lake and bank fishermen will be able to catch them in the coves around Fisherman’s Point Marina. Small minnows or jigs below a slip cork work well. Rat-L-Traps and 1oz.

Silver Slabs fished in 20’-30’ water off the 309 Flats will result in lots of White Bass action and the occasional LARGE Hybrid Striper. Look for the gulls to help locate the baitfish that the whites are feeding on.”

PANHANDLE

Coleman’s New Watering Holes

stripers and hybrids on Broadway. You can see a long way here and the fish will be migrating on their way eventually to the dam. Live bait is best but you can troll shad matching baits anywhere here. White bass will be stacked in front of Bee Creek also. The magic number in 40 feet of water is 24 feet deep. Any points, treetops or sandbars will be magnets.

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BIG BEND

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: spinnerbaits, Senkos, worms CONTACT: Michael D. Homer Jr. 325-692-0921 michael.homer@tpwd.texas.gov TIPS: Lake Coleman has caught substantial water over the last two years, which has flooded a bunch of brush. With the increase in habitat and productivity, bass should be producing great fishing opportunities at the reservoir. Fishing with spinner baits, Senkos, whacky worms, and trick worms should produce a bite. Consider going with weedless hooks to avoid hang-ups.

Storm Amistad’s Bass Castle

by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Castle Canyon GPS: N29 31.60608, W100 58.8906 (29.526768, -100.981510)

LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry HOTSPOT: Dam Area and Mouths of Major Creeks GPS: N 33 3.828, W 101 3.036 u TAP FOR (33.0638, -101.0506)

ONLINE MAP

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms plastic jerkbaits, topwaters, swimbaits, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Stan Gerzsenyl 830-768-3648 stan@amistadbass.com amistadbass.com TIPS: This is the time of the year when just about any lure will catch bass. I prefer topwaters because of the explosive bites. Texas-rigged worms are a guarantee.

All major creek channels will hold fish.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Shaky heads, swim jigs, Senkos and Texas rigged worms CONTACT: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220 nclayton42@sbcglobal.net www.lakealanhenry.com/norman_clayton.htm TIPS: The fish are hitting topwater lures and they will still be on beds. Bass will be hitting mostly in the dam area, and in the mouths of creeks. Look in the mouth of Rocky, Gobbler, Little Grape, and Big Grape.”

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N 32 52.427, W 98 31.809 (32.8738, -98.5302)

HILL COUNTRY

White Bass Turn to Silver

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER LOCATION: Lake Coleman HOTSPOT: Cove at Lakeview Dr. GPS: N 32 2.4779, W 99 29.058 (32.0413, -99.4843)

by DUSTIN WARNCKE SPECIES: Striped bass, hybrids BEST BAITS: Live shad CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: May is one of my favorite months. Look for T E X A S

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LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Upper Lake to Silver Creek Area GPS: N 30 51.174, W 98 25.662 (30.8529, -98.4277)

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FISHING HOTSPOTS TIPS: Stripers will be on main lake points in the early morning. Watch for threadfin shad running the banks as it is a good indication stripers are nearby. There should be ample top water action then also. White bass will be around Garret Island as well as Shaw Island. Fish of the river channel humps with slabs.

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

LOCATION: Lake Austin HOTSPOT: Lake Austin Flats and Docks GPS: N 30 20.922, W 97 48.5159 (30.3487, -97.8086)

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Small shad-style lures & Torpedoes CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasfishing@gmail.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: “Concentrate from mid-lake up to Silver Creek area. White Bass are good trolling small shad lures in 20 to 30 feet of water. Watch for birds working and have some small top waters lures/rods set up because they may be in very shallow water. Torpedoes are a lure of choice this time of year.”

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Canyon Park Point GPS: N 29 53.2559, W 98 13.638 (29.8876, -98.2273)

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Siesta Shores GPS: N26 50.80794, W99 15.45618 (26.846799, -99.257603) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: V&M Delta Bug, V&M Trickster, Picasso Tungsten, Picasso Inviz Wire Spinnerbait, Picasso Double Barrel Underspin CONTACT: Brian Parker - Lake Austin Fishing 817-808-2227 lakeaustinfishing@yahoo.com www.LakeAustinFishing.com TIPS: This will be post spawn feeding time on Lake Austin and other Lower Colorado River lakes. I start my mornings with a Picasso Inviz Wire Spinnerbait and work the sandy flats right by depth changes. As the sun comes up, I switch to a Picasso Double Barrel Underspin with a V&M Thunder Shad (usually in white or hitch color) and work the 8-12 feet of water column with a yo-yo action. When the sun gets high, I switch to a Carolina rigged V&M Trickster in 15+ feet of water or start skipping docks with a V&M Delta Bug.

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Hogies 4” Super Shad Pearl / Black Back CONTACT: Capt. Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230 steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com http://www.sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Look for the striped bass to be shallow (20-40 feet). They will be suspending over the river channel and feeding on the point in this area. Fishing the Super Shad close to the bottom produces nice catches in this area. Tight lines and Fish-On!!!

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N 30 51.174, W 98 25.068 (30.8529, -98.4178)

SOUTH TEXAS

Early Birds Catch Coleto Bass

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SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters, spinnerbaits, plastic worms, jigs CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robertsfishntackle@gmail.com robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the pockets around the stickups with topwaters and spinnerbaits early, then fish the bushes and laydowns tight with Texas-rigged plastic worms and jigs once the sun gets up. Keep a lookout for bass occasionally chasing shad in the shallows.

LOCATION: Choke Canyon Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake Shallow Areas GPS: N 28 29.2919, W 98 20.994 (28.4882, -98.3499)

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

by DUSTIN WARNCKE u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

LOCATION: Coleto Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 28 44.466, W 97 10.812 (28.7411, -97.1802)

SPECIES: Striped Bass and White Bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, live shad and top water lures CONTACT: Ken Milam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com

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u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

worm or lizard in Watermelon Red with tail dipped 1-1/2 inch in chartreuse. Use 3/8-ounce bullet weight CONTACT: Rocky’s Guide Service 361-960-0566 TIPS: As usual, the early bird catches the worm! Early morning and late evenings seem to always be the best times. In late morning I like moving a little deeper.

Carolina rigs moving slowly will trigger big bites or Rat-L-Traps can catch a lot of numbers. Also, consider the Zoom worm or lizard listed above. Till next time, may your bites be big and your fish be healthy!

u TAP FOR ONLINE MAP

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Stink bait, cheese bait, or worms.

CONTACT: Charlie Brown 830-780-2162 TIPS: Expect to find catfish in shallow water this time of year since May is usually a spawning month. Use a float rigged to 3 feet and move to another spot if you don’t get a bite within 10-15 minutes.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, Carolina rigs, 10” Zoom |

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Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MAY 2017

Tides and Prime Times

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W).

T12

T4

T11

T10 T9

TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the upper white boxes on the Calendar Pages. Use the Correction Table below, which is keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times.

T8 T17

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower color boxes of the Calendar pages. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE below to adjust times for points East and West of Galveston Channel.

T15 T16

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below.

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.

T13 T6

T7

T3 T2 T1

T5

T14

AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.

T18

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

T19

T20

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month.

PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.

T21

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for GALVESTON CHANNEL in the calendars.

KEY T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

PLACE Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass Jetty Sabine Pass Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass Galveston Bay, S. Jetty Port Bolivar

HIGH -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14

LOW -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06

KEY PLACE HIGH Galveston Channel/Bays T7 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +3:54 T8 Eagle Point +6:05 T9 Clear Lake +10:21 T10 Morgans Point T11 Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39

LOW +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15

KEY T12 T13 T14 T15 T16 T17

PLACE Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, W. Bay Alligator Point, W. Bay Christmas Pt Galveston Pleasure Pier

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

KEY T18 T19 T20 T21 T22 T23

PLACE HIGH San Luis Pass -0.09 Freeport Harbor -0:44 Pass Cavallo 0:00 Aransas Pass -0:03 Padre Island (So. End) -0:24 Port Isabel +1:02

LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

READING THE GRAPH

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Moon l Moon Overhead l Underfoot

Fishing Score Graph

Day’s Best Day’s 2nd Score Best Score

n

Best Day Overall

MOON PHASES

l = New Moon l = Full Moon = First Quarter º » = Last Quarter «= Good Day by Moon Phase 72

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MAY 2017

Tides and Prime Times MONDAY

May 1

Low Tide: 2:29AM -0.18 ft.

High Tide: 11:07AM 1.62 ft.

FEET

TUESDAY

2

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

3:38AM 12:09PM 7:45PM 8:35PM

-0.04 ft.

1.56 ft.

1.15 ft.

1.15 ft.

WEDNESDAY

3º Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

4:53AM 12:58PM 7:47PM 11:00PM

0.12 ft.

1.49 ft.

1.01 ft.

1.11 ft.

THURSDAY

4

Low Tide: 6:11AM High Tide: 1:36PM Low Tide: 8:10PM

0.28 ft.

1.41 ft.

0.85 ft.

FRIDAY

5

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

12:43AM 7:24AM 2:05PM 8:36PM

1.14 ft.

0.43 ft.

1.34 ft.

0.68 ft.

SATURDAY

6

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

2:05AM 8:27AM 2:28PM 9:02PM

SUNDAY

7

1.22 ft.

0.59 ft.

1.29 ft.

0.52 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

3:14AM 9:23AM 2:48PM 9:26PM

1.31 ft.

0.74 ft.

1.25 ft.

0.37 ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

5:00 — 7:00 AM

11:00P — 1:00A

12:00 — 2:00 AM

1:00 — 3:00 AM

10:00A — 12:00P

5:00 — 7:00 AM

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 7:54p Moonrise: 11:36a Set: 12:36a AM Minor: 10:59a AM Major: 4:45a PM Minor: 11:28p PM Major: 5:14p Moon Overhead: 6:34p Moon Underfoot: 6:06a

Sunrise: 6:36a Set: 7:55p Moonrise: 12:38p Set: 1:30a AM Minor: 11:59a AM Major: 5:45a PM Minor: ----PM Major: 6:13p Moon Overhead: 7:29p Moon Underfoot: 7:02a

Sunrise: 6:35a Set: 7:55p Moonrise: 1:38p Set: 2:18a AM Minor: 12:27a AM Major: 6:40a PM Minor: 12:53p PM Major: 7:06p Moon Overhead: 8:22p Moon Underfoot: 7:56a

Sunrise: 6:34a Set: 7:56p Moonrise: 2:36p Set: 3:01a AM Minor: 1:17a AM Major: 7:29a PM Minor: 1:41p PM Major: 7:54p Moon Overhead: 9:11p Moon Underfoot: 8:46a

Sunrise: 6:33a Set: 7:57p Moonrise: 3:32p Set: 3:40a AM Minor: 2:02a AM Major: 8:13a PM Minor: 2:25p PM Major: 8:37p Moon Overhead: 9:57p Moon Underfoot: 9:34a

Sunrise: 6:33a Set: 7:57p Moonrise: 4:27p Set: 4:17a AM Minor: 2:43a AM Major: 8:54a PM Minor: 3:05p PM Major: 9:17p Moon Overhead: 10:42p Moon Underfoot: 10:20a

Sunrise: 6:32a Set: 7:58p Moonrise: 5:21p Set: 4:52a AM Minor: 3:22a AM Major: 9:33a PM Minor: 3:44p PM Major: 9:55p Moon Overhead: 11:25p Moon Underfoot: 11:04a

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Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MONDAY

8 FEET

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

4:12AM 10:11AM 3:06PM 9:51PM

TUESDAY

9«

1.39 ft.

0.87 ft.

1.23 ft.

0.25 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

5:03AM 10:55AM 3:22PM 10:17PM

WEDNESDAY

10«

1.46 ft.

0.99 ft.

1.23 ft.

0.16 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

5:50AM 11:34AM 3:36PM 10:45PM

THURSDAY

11 ¡

1.51 ft.

1.09 ft.

1.24 ft.

0.09 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

6:36AM 12:11PM 3:46PM 11:16PM

1.53 ft.

1.17 ft.

1.25 ft.

0.06 ft.

FRIDAY

12« High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

7:22AM 12:49PM 3:43PM 11:49PM

SATURDAY

13«

1.54 ft.

1.23 ft.

1.26 ft.

0.07 ft.

High Tide: 8:09AM Low Tide: 1:38PM High Tide: 3:02PM

1.54 ft.

1.28 ft.

1.28 ft.

SUNDAY

14

Low Tide: 12:25AM 0.09 ft.

High Tide: 8:59AM 1.52 ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

10:30A — 12:30P

11:00A — 1:00P

12:00 — 2:00 PM

5:00 — 7:00 PM

5:30 — 7:30 PM

6:00 — 8:00 PM

9:00 — 11:00 PM

Sunrise: 6:31a Set: 7:59p Moonrise: 6:13p Set: 5:26a AM Minor: 4:01a AM Major: 10:12a PM Minor: 4:23p PM Major: 10:34p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 11:47a

Sunrise: 6:30a Set: 7:59p Moonrise: 7:06p Set: 6:00a AM Minor: 4:41a AM Major: 10:52a PM Minor: 5:03p PM Major: 11:14p Moon Overhead: 12:09a Moon Underfoot: 12:31p

Sunrise: 6:30a Set: 8:00p Moonrise: 7:58p Set: 6:36a AM Minor: 5:23a AM Major: 11:34a PM Minor: 5:45p PM Major: 11:56p Moon Overhead: 12:53a Moon Underfoot: 1:15p

Sunrise: 6:29a Set: 8:01p Moonrise: 8:50p Set: 7:13a AM Minor: 6:08a AM Major: ----PM Minor: 6:31p PM Major: 12:19p Moon Overhead: 1:38a Moon Underfoot: 2:00p

Sunrise: 6:28a Set: 8:01p Moonrise: 9:42p Set: 7:53a AM Minor: 6:56a AM Major: 12:44a PM Minor: 7:19p PM Major: 1:07p Moon Overhead: 2:23a Moon Underfoot: 2:46p

Sunrise: 6:28a Set: 8:02p Moonrise: 10:32p Set: 8:36a AM Minor: 7:46a AM Major: 1:34a PM Minor: 8:10p PM Major: 1:58p Moon Overhead: 3:10a Moon Underfoot: 3:33p

Sunrise: 6:27a Set: 8:02p Moonrise: 11:20p Set: 9:22a AM Minor: 8:38a AM Major: 2:26a PM Minor: 9:02p PM Major: 2:50p Moon Overhead: 3:57a Moon Underfoot: 4:21p

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS Fishing Score Moon l Overhead l Moon Graph Underfoot

READING THE GRAPH

MONDAY

15

Low Tide: 1:04AM High Tide: 9:52AM

TUESDAY

0.13 ft.

1.51 ft.

MOON PHASES

Day’s Best Score

WEDNESDAY

16

17

Low Tide: 1:46AM 0.19 ft.

High Tide: 10:44AM 1.49 ft.

Low Tide: 2:33AM 0.26 ft.

High Tide: 11:30AM 1.47 ft.

12a

PRIME TIME

n

Day’s 2nd Best Score

THURSDAY

18»

Low Tide: 3:25AM 0.34 ft.

High Tide: 12:07PM 1.45 ft.

FEET

l = New Moon l = Full Moon = First Quarter º » = Last Quarter « = Good Day by Moon Phase

Best Day Overall

FRIDAY

19

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

4:25AM 12:37PM 7:32PM 11:33PM

0.43 ft.

1.41 ft.

0.94 ft.

1.04 ft.

SATURDAY

20

Low Tide: 5:31AM High Tide: 1:02PM Low Tide: 7:24PM

0.54 ft.

1.37 ft.

0.75 ft.

SUNDAY

21

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

1:11AM 6:39AM 1:23PM 7:49PM

1.14 ft.

0.67 ft.

1.34 ft.

0.50 ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

9:30 — 11:30 PM

10:00P — 12:00A

5:30 — 7:30 AM

11:30P — 1:30 A

12:00 — 2:00 AM

7:30 — 9:30 AM

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Sunrise: 6:27a Set: 8:03p Moonrise: None Set: 10:10a AM Minor: 9:31a AM Major: 3:19a PM Minor: 9:55p PM Major: 3:43p Moon Overhead: 4:45a Moon Underfoot: 5:08p

Sunrise: 6:26a Set: 8:04p Moonrise: 12:05a Set: 11:01a AM Minor: 10:24a AM Major: 4:12a PM Minor: 10:48p PM Major: 4:36p Moon Overhead: 5:33a Moon Underfoot: 5:57p

Sunrise: 6:25a Set: 8:04p Moonrise: 12:49a Set: 11:55a AM Minor: 11:16a AM Major: 5:04a PM Minor: 11:40p PM Major: 5:28p Moon Overhead: 6:21a Moon Underfoot: 6:45p

Sunrise: 6:25a Set: 8:05p Moonrise: 1:31a Set: 12:50p AM Minor: ----AM Major: 5:54a PM Minor: 12:06p PM Major: 6:18p Moon Overhead: 7:09a Moon Underfoot: 7:33p

Sunrise: 6:24a Set: 8:06p Moonrise: 2:12a Set: 1:47p AM Minor: 12:31a AM Major: 6:43a PM Minor: 12:55p PM Major: 7:07p Moon Overhead: 7:57a Moon Underfoot: 8:22p

Sunrise: 6:24a Set: 8:06p Moonrise: 2:51a Set: 2:46p AM Minor: 1:17a AM Major: 7:29a PM Minor: 1:42p PM Major: 7:54p Moon Overhead: 8:46a Moon Underfoot: 9:11p

Sunrise: 6:23a Set: 8:07p Moonrise: 3:31a Set: 3:47p AM Minor: 2:02a AM Major: 8:15a PM Minor: 2:27p PM Major: 8:40p Moon Overhead: 9:36a Moon Underfoot: 10:02p

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Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MONDAY

22 FEET

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

2:29AM 7:47AM 1:44PM 8:24PM

TUESDAY

23

1.29 ft.

0.81 ft.

1.32 ft.

0.23 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

3:38AM 8:52AM 2:06PM 9:04PM

WEDNESDAY

24«

1.45 ft.

0.95 ft.

1.33 ft.

-0.04 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

4:41AM 9:55AM 2:29PM 9:49PM

THURSDAY

25 l

1.59 ft.

1.09 ft.

1.35 ft.

-0.27 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

5:42AM 10:55AM 2:55PM 10:36PM

FRIDAY

26«

1.70 ft.

1.21 ft.

1.38 ft.

-0.43 ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

6:42AM 11:57AM 3:24PM 11:26PM

SATURDAY

1.76 ft.

1.30 ft.

1.40 ft.

-0.51 ft.

27«

High Tide: 7:42AM Low Tide: 1:03PM High Tide: 3:57PM

1.76 ft.

1.34 ft.

1.40 ft.

SUNDAY

28« Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

12:19AM 8:41AM 2:26PM 4:34PM

-0.49 ft.

1.72 ft.

1.33 ft.

1.35 ft. FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

9:00 — 11:00 AM

10:00A — 12:00P

11:00A — 1:00P

12:00 — 2:00 PM

1:00 — 3:00 PM

5:00 — 7:00 PM

8:00 — 10:00 PM

Sunrise: 6:23a Set: 8:08p Moonrise: 4:53a Set: 5:56p AM Minor: 3:33a AM Major: 9:47a PM Minor: 4:00p PM Major: 10:14p Moon Overhead: 11:22a Moon Underfoot: 11:49p

Sunrise: 6:22a Set: 8:09p Moonrise: 5:38a Set: 7:04p AM Minor: 4:23a AM Major: 10:37a PM Minor: 4:51p PM Major: 11:06p Moon Overhead: 12:18p Moon Underfoot: None

Sunrise: 6:22a Set: 8:09p Moonrise: 6:27a Set: 8:12p AM Minor: 5:18a AM Major: 11:33a PM Minor: 5:48p PM Major: 12:03p Moon Overhead: 1:17p Moon Underfoot: 12:47a

Sunrise: 6:21a Set: 8:10p Moonrise: 7:20a Set: 9:19p AM Minor: 6:18a AM Major: 12:03a PM Minor: 6:49p PM Major: 12:34p Moon Overhead: 2:18p Moon Underfoot: 1:48a

Sunrise: 6:21a Set: 8:10p Moonrise: 8:19a Set: 10:22p AM Minor: 7:24a AM Major: 1:08a PM Minor: 7:55p PM Major: 1:39p Moon Overhead: 3:21p Moon Underfoot: 2:50a

Sunrise: 6:21a Set: 8:11p Moonrise: 9:21a Set: 11:20p AM Minor: 8:31a AM Major: 2:16a PM Minor: 9:01p PM Major: 2:46p Moon Overhead: 4:22p Moon Underfoot: 3:51a

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS Fishing Score Moon l Overhead l Moon Graph Underfoot

MONDAY

29

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

1:13AM 9:38AM 4:22PM 5:21PM

TUESDAY

-0.39 ft.

1.64 ft.

1.25 ft.

1.25 ft.

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Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

2:11AM 10:31AM 5:37PM 7:12PM

-0.22 ft.

1.56 ft.

1.11 ft.

1.12 ft.

MOON PHASES

Day’s Best Score

WEDNESDAY

31

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

3:12AM 11:17AM 6:18PM 9:22PM

-0.01 ft.

1.46 ft.

0.93 ft.

1.01 ft.

12a

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 6:23a Set: 8:07p Moonrise: 4:11a Set: 4:51p AM Minor: 2:47a AM Major: 9:00a PM Minor: 3:13p PM Major: 9:26p Moon Overhead: 10:28a Moon Underfoot: 10:54p

READING THE GRAPH

FEET

12p

PRIME TIME

Day’s 2nd Best Score

THURSDAY

Jun 1 º Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

n

4:19AM 11:56AM 6:56PM 11:20PM

0.23 ft.

1.37 ft.

0.74 ft.

0.98 ft.

l = New Moon l = Full Moon = First Quarter º » = Last Quarter « = Good Day by Moon Phase

Best Day Overall

FRIDAY

2

Low Tide: 5:32AM 0.46 ft.

High Tide: 12:28PM 1.29 ft.

Low Tide: 7:30PM 0.55 ft.

SATURDAY

3

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

1:02AM 6:50AM 12:55PM 8:02PM

1.04 ft.

0.66 ft.

1.23 ft.

0.37 ft.

SUNDAY

4

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

2:28AM 8:05AM 1:17PM 8:32PM

1.14 ft.

0.83 ft.

1.20 ft.

0.21 ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

PRIME TIME

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

6a

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

PRIME TIME

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

PRIME TIME

4:00 — 6:00 AM

5:00 — 7:00 AM

5:30 — 7:30 AM

6:30 — 8:30 AM

7:00 — 9:00 AM

8:00 — 10:00 AM

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Sunrise: 6:21a Set: 8:11p Moonrise: 10:25a Set: None AM Minor: 9:37a AM Major: 3:23a PM Minor: 10:07p PM Major: 3:52p Moon Overhead: 5:20p Moon Underfoot: 4:51a

Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:12p Moonrise: 11:28a Set: 12:12a AM Minor: 10:40a AM Major: 4:27a PM Minor: 11:08p PM Major: 4:54p Moon Overhead: 6:16p Moon Underfoot: 5:48a

Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:12p Moonrise: 12:29p Set: 12:59a AM Minor: 11:38a AM Major: 5:25a PM Minor: ----PM Major: 5:51p Moon Overhead: 7:07p Moon Underfoot: 6:42a

Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:13p Moonrise: 1:27p Set: 1:41a AM Minor: 12:05a AM Major: 6:17a PM Minor: 12:29p PM Major: 6:41p Moon Overhead: 7:55p Moon Underfoot: 7:32a

Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:13p Moonrise: 2:23p Set: 2:19a AM Minor: 12:52a AM Major: 7:03a PM Minor: 1:15p PM Major: 7:26p Moon Overhead: 8:41p Moon Underfoot: 8:19a

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:14p Moonrise: 3:17p Set: 2:54a AM Minor: 1:34a AM Major: 7:45a PM Minor: 1:56p PM Major: 8:07p Moon Overhead: 9:25p Moon Underfoot: 9:03a

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:14p Moonrise: 4:10p Set: 3:28a AM Minor: 2:14a AM Major: 8:25a PM Minor: 2:35p PM Major: 8:46p Moon Overhead: 10:08p Moon Underfoot: 9:47a

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4/20/17 10:07 AM

ITH FATHER’S Day upon us, you may be pondering what to get Dad. Well, if your Dad reads this magazine he probably fishes. And since I began my career in this business at 19 years old some 25 years ago, I have found few anglers who do not enjoy offshore fishing.

Some have never been. Others might get seasick but when it comes to the sheer enjoyment of a good day offshore, every angler, whether it is diehard bass fisher-

men or those who fish the bays every weekend, loves the chance to tangle with big, hard fighting offshore fish.

You might want to consider booking Dad a trip with an offshore guide or taking the bay boat out to the nearshore oil and gas platforms and give it a go yourself. The Gulf offers amazing action and it begins right now, as Gulf waters are warming.

Red snapper are out of the picture for most of the year now

by Chester Moore

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in federal waters but there are other fish to thrill anglers in the northern Gulf of Mexico all along the Gulf Coast. There are state water snapper near some of the deeper ports but for now we will focus on species available to everyone.

King mackerel are one of those species.Any kind of cut or live bait will draw strikes from kings.

Big, lipless crankbaits are even better choices. Silver spoons are also great choices, especially those tipped with a jig or cigar minnow are great to troll behind culling shrimp boats.

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All Out(doors) for DAD If you fish the rigs for kings, bring along some chum like menhaden oil or throw out chunks of pogey to attract the big fish. I have found that canned jack mackerel makes great chum and it is very inexpensive.

All you have to do is punch holes in the can and put it in a lingerie washing bag or fish basket tied off to the boat. It will not take long to create a massive (but environmentally safe) oil slick. Spoons are also good for working around the legs of a rig to see if there are any mackerel prowling around. Simply throw out the spoon, let it flutter and float with the current around the structure of the rig.

One can hardly mention kings without talking about sharks because they

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Few anglers would turn down the chance for a big game, offshore adventure.

run together a lot, especially behind the shrimp boats. These fish fight as hard as anything out there and they are quite tasty

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as well.

Large circle hooks rigged on steel leaders are the most popular terminal tackle

PHOTO: TF&G

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4/13/17 4:31 PM

All Out(doors) for DAD for bagging sharks. Sharks cannot only cut a line with their teeth but also with their skin, which is sharp in its own right. One quick slap of the tail can cut even heavyduty line with no problem.

For targeting blacktips and spinners, my personal favorite chumming method involves bringing along a bucketful of small menhaden, grabbing a handful and squeezing. Some of them will float, others

Ling are a bonus for anglers fishing around Gulf rigs in the summer.

will sink quickly and others slowly.

This creates a feeding frenzy situation with sharks that can allow you to sight cast to them with cut bait. The ideal setup for this kind of fishing is having one bait on the bottom for species like bull sharks and Atlantic sharpnose and a couple of free lines to get the species that feed in the upper level of the water column.

This time of year, a big bonus for anglers fishing around the rigs are the ling that are starting to show up in good numbers. Locating these unusual fish is no problem. They are suckers for structure in Gulf waters and can often be found hanging around oil platforms, stand pipes, jetties and buoys.

One of the best tactics for locating ling around structure is to rev up the motors take a paddle and pound the water’s surface to get the attention of the fish. The first time I saw this done I thought the guy doing it was crazy. I had always been taught to be quiet in the boat and to avoid spooking the fish. However, when I saw a huge ling rise up to the surface I was convinced that the technique was for real.

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Crabs in particular are extremely good baits for ling. Almost every ling I have

ever cleaned or seen cleaned had a belly full of crabs. Rods loaded with artificials

the standard summer fishing protocol: a handful of cut pogeys thrown overboard, and live crab or fresh cut bait hanging from circle hooks.

PHOTO: ROBERT SLOAN

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should also be kept within reach since ling do not mind biting on plastic. Soft plastics like curl-tailed grubs or imitation ribbonfish are good baits for lings. One of my favorite baits is the big six-inch shrimp imitation in brown or chartreuse. Using chartreuse is interesting because most of the offshore guides in Florida swear by it.

A popular ling bait in Florida is an eight-inch chartreuse curl-tailed grub dressed out with a sparkled pink skirt.

Guides there claim a ling cannot resist it.

Hard plastics like shallow-running Mirrolures and Jointed Thundersticks can also be productive.

The ling themselves are fascinating creatures to study.

Their moves have baffled the scientific and angling communities but recent developments give insight that can help anglers catch more of them.

Out of several hundred tagged in the northern Gulf, 55 were recaptured the next year and 12 of them were caught in the exact same spot where they were initially caught. That means the big ling you just never could get to cooperate last sum-

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A hunting trip, for anything from squirrel to axis deer, can be a great treat for dad.

mer might bite this year.

Very few of us fish offshore as much as we used to due to strict regulations and fuel prices but there is no question the most exciting fishing in our regions is out past the jetties in the sandy-green waters of the Gulf.

If you want to bless Dad with something special consider taking Dad out there. You will create lifelong memories and perhaps catch the fish of a lifetime.

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he hasn’t been squirrel hunting in years.

Invite him to hit the woods in East Texas this spring and find smiles on both your faces.

If Dad is looking for a serious adventure then consider the myriad exotic hunting opportunities around the state.

As is noted in our Texas Outdoor

Nation news this month, the axis deer rut is beginning in the Hill Country right about now.

Joshua Creek Ranche’s Kevin Wellborn said their property is loaded with free-ranging axis and there are plenty of trophy specimens.

“We hunt them from blinds and only

The best part is it will no doubt fight hard and probably taste delicious.

Just saying.

• • •

Hunting Options ALTHOUGH THIS IS A TRADITIONal fishing time of year, the fact is hunting opportunities always abound here in Texas.

May 1-31 is the spring squirrel season for 51 squirrel heavy counties in East Texas.

There may be no better way to unwind in the woods than sitting on on a remote creek bottom and hunting squirrels.

In years past squirrel hunting was a gateway for young hunters to get into the sport. Most fathers made their children hunt squirrel and rabbit before trusting them to go into the woods to hunt squirrel.

Now, squirrel season can be a gateway to reconnecting with Dad. Maybe PHOTO: CANSTOCK

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All Out(doors) for DAD shoot 30 plus in trophy axis. It’s amazing that we can shoot lots of big bucks every year and it doesn’t seem to impact our numbers. People love to hunt axis and there is something special about shooting free-ranging ones,” Wellborn said.

He noted that now hunters can find bucks in hard antler, some in velvet and many of them beginning to spar with one another. That rut typically peaks in late June or early July.

Free-ranging exotics are considered

legal game 365 days a year if you have the consent of the landowner.

It is always illegal to hunt animals in areas where you have no permission but if the managers of your deer lease for example give you permission to shoot exotics that cross onto the property it is perfectly legal. Again, you must have permission and it is best to have written permission.

Many hunters have reported taking free-ranging axis on their Hill Country deer leases. Readers Rick Hyman and Nolan Haney both shot axis bucks this year on leases near Fredericksburg and Rocksprings respectively.

Aoudad from North Africa are also common beyond high fences but they are rarely seen. Aoudad are super elusive and are more likely to show up on a game camera than in front of a hunter or photographer. Blackbuck antelope, fallow deer and the aforementioned sika deer round out the most common free-ranging exotics.

Over the years we have ran photos on these pages however of red stag, corsican sheep and other exotics taken by hunters.

Visitors to the South Texas coast between Baffin Bay and the Rio Grande often encounter nilgai, a gigantic species of antelope that is second only behind axis in terms of numbers. Almost all nilgai are free-ranging and are hunted on the King and Kennedy Ranches.

The beautiful thing about Texas is there is always something biting in the water and available to hunt in the woods and on the prairies for Dad to enjoy.

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4/12/17 11:10 AM

Texas BOATING

by LENNY RUDOW :: TF&G Boating Editor

Age Kills

late. When a wave hit the boat broadside, it swamped and then rolled. Four people died.

Again, the toughest thing about finding deterioration in a hull-to-deck joint is the fact that it’s often difficult to inspect. You can usually get an eyeball on it by inserting your head into an anchor locker, if there’s one with a big enough opening.

Sometimes it’s visible from the bilge, looking up and to the sides. But it’s rare to have visual access to the entire joint, all the way around the boat. The only sure way to gain access to it 360-degrees around the boat is to remove the rub rail.

You can replace any suspect-looking fasteners, and seal any gaps or questionable looking seams with a sturdy adhesive-sealant such as 3M 5200. But when in doubt about a hull-todeck joint, take the boat to a pro.

O

KAY, MAYBE THAT TITLE IS a bit melodramatic, because there are a million and one very old boats out there that are complete-

ly safe.

Without question, however, as a boat’s age becomes measured by the decade instead of by the year, a few significant forms of age-related structural failure can lead to big, big problems.

What’s worse is that the long age span of fiberglass means more and more aging boats are on the water every year. What’s worse than that is that many potential failures aren’t apparent to the naked eye—at least, not until a boat sinks. So whether you own an old boat or you’re considering purchase of a used boat, be sure to look for these issues.

What if you can see an area where the stringer has actually separated from the hull?

The boat is unsafe, period, and needs to be removed from service immediately until some major-league repairs can take place.

Through-hull Fitting Failure: Though both metal and modern plastics certainly can and do fail—accidentally stepping on a seacock usually does the trick— through-hull failure is more often a problem with boats built with plastic parts in the late 80s and 90s.

Some of the plastics used through this time frame turned out to be susceptible to UV damage over the long-term. The worst cases pop up when a boat sits in the sun for very long periods, maybe on a lift or a trailer.

The plastic can deteriorate without any real visible damage except perhaps a color change, yet become extremely brittle. As long as the boat’s afloat this usually isn’t a problem, but if the through-hull smacks against a piling or drags against a trailer bunk, it can shatter or crumble to bits in a heartbeat.

Check for through-hull deterioration by looking for significant color difference between the outside and inside of the through-hull.

Cracks are obviously also a reason for concern.

When in doubt you can test the plastic by giving it a mild rap with a hammer or the handle of a screwdriver, but if there’s any question, the safest thing to do is simply have it replaced.

Hull to Deck Failure: Most modern powerboats, be they designed for bass fishing or bluewater, are constructed with a hull, a deck and/or liner.

These major components are joined around the perimeter either with mechanical fasteners like screws and bolts, chemical adhesives like 3M 5200 or Plexus, fiberglass, or a combination of the above (hence the term “screwed and glued”). Then, the joint is hidden away behind a rub rail that encircles the boat.

If the hull and deck or liner separate, the results can be completely catastrophic. Just last season, a 32-foot walkaround was in rough seas when the hull and deck separated, unbeknownst to the captain and passengers. With every wave, water poured in through the open joint. Eventually it filled the bilge. By the time anyone realized what was going on, it was too 86

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Deck Delamination and/or Rot: Any boat built with a ply-cored deck will probably need to have it cut out and replaced, at some point in time. Yes, there is pressuretreated ply with a lifetime no-rot guarantee.

I used to own a 19-foot center console built with the stuff, and after a decade or so, though it didn’t “rot” it did absorb water, flex, and delaminate from the fiberglass. That’s an extreme example, because plenty of builders get 20 or even 30 years out of a ply-cored deck.

Still, sooner or later…

There are two fortunate aspects to rotting, delaminating decks. First, they’re pretty easy to find. Just walk all over the boat. If the deck feels spongy or springy anywhere, it’s on its way to needing replacement. Second, cutting out and replacing a dead deck isn’t a massive job. Remember that 19-footer of mine? I had a fiberglass shop professionally replace the deck and it only cost around $1,500.

Bad Backing Plates: If you’re looking at a boat that was wellbuilt in the first place, it’s likely to have pretapped aluminum, phenolic (composite), or Starboard backing plates. If it was really wellbuilt, the plate was laminated right into the fiberglass. But quite commonly a faster, less expensive way to back a cleat or a rail is to use regular old wood. Again, the stuff rots.

Any hardware that’s lacking a backing in good shape should quickly become apparent.

If, for example, a cleat moves one iota when you kick or shake it, something’s obviously wrong. In most cases fixing the problem is quite easy; just pull a few nuts and bolts, add a new backing plate, and you’re good to go.

Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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4/12/17 11:26 AM

The Practical ANGLER

by GREG BERLOCHER | TF&G Contributing Editor

Getting Froggy With It!

Their weedless nature makes hollow body frogs the ideal choice for fishing in heavy cover, such as lily pads, cattails, and matted grass. Points and edges of vegetation, as well as openings, or holes, should always be thoroughly probed.

Buzzing frogs are the genetic offspring of a soft plastic jig and a buzzbait—OK, I made that up. Buzzing frogs feature a soft plastic body and twin paddletail legs that kick up a commotion when the lure is retrieved across the water’s surface. Stanley Ribbit and Gambler Game Toad are both popular brands.

Unlike hollow body frogs, which come with a factoryinstalled hook, buzzing frogs need to

S

PRING RAINS IMPART LIFEsustaining moisture to the soil and storm runoff enriches our watersheds with nutrients. The dampness encourages amphibians to reproduce once the weather warms towards the end of March and into April.

About a month later, tadpoles complete their transition into frogs and the juveniles are abundant along stock tank and reservoir shorelines. It doesn’t take long for the resident bass to become keenly aware of the new groceries. Now is the time to get “froggy” with it.

If you want to catch bass this month, tie on a frog bait. Mimicking an abundant food source is a centuries-old fishing tactic. Fly fishermen refer to it as “matching the hatch.”

In this case, you are matching the frog hatch instead of an insect hatch. Serious anglers should stock their tackle boxes with a good selection of faux amphibians.

Soft plastic frog baits can be broken into two basic types, hollow-body lures and “buzzing frogs.” Both are worked across the surface, and both draw explosive strikes.

There are a number of great hollow-body frogs on the market. The Booyah Pad Crusher, KVD Sexy Frog, and SPRO Bronze Eye are just a few that come to mind. As the name implies, the inside of these lures are hollow, just like basketball or football. The outer skin is molded into the silhouette of a frog and rubber legs trail behind the lure, rhythmically pulsing with each twitch of the rod. Hollow-body frog lures are equipped with twin hooks, with the hook points riding tight to the frog’s side. This keeps the hook points shielded from aquatic vegetation.

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be rigged with a hook. Anglers have the choice of rigging their soft plastic frog on a single or double hook. Opinions differ as to which is more effective.

Most major hook manufacturers feature at least one double hook that is specifically designed for buzzing frogs. Weighted and unweighted models are available, allowing you some versatility.

The lure body is threaded onto the hook shank and hook points are pushed through the paddletails. When properly rigged, the hook points ride directly on top of the back of the lure, making it virtually weedless. Fans of double hooks believe that the twin points increase the chance of a hookup during a violent, head shaking strike.

Double hooks are not without naysayers.

Proponents of single hooks believe that less is more when it comes to barbs. Simplicity is at the core of their argument. A single, 4/0 wide |

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gap hook with an offset shank is the hook of choice.

Buzzing frogs are intended to be retrieved at a medium to fast pace. The paddletail legs get much more attention when reeled in at a fast clip.

It should be noted that buzzing frogs, like paddle tail jigs in saltwater, aren’t effective in extremely cold water. When water temperatures drop, fish become very inactive. This includes baitfish. An artificial lure that wiggles and jiggles in cold water will be quickly judged to be an imposter. When the frogs become dormant during the winter, it’s time to put your frog lures away for several months.

I like to twitch hollow body frogs across the surface, trying a variety of retrieve speeds until I find a pattern the fish like.

On calm days, I start with a slow retrieve and adjust, if necessary. I opt for a speedier retrieve if there is chop on the water. Regardless of retrieve speed, I like to add several pauses during each retrieve. I am often greeted with a washtub boil the instant I start retrieving after allowing the lure to rest for a prolonged period.

Hollow body and buzzing frogs come in a myriad of different sizes and colors. Opinions vary on which is best and make for good campfire conversation after a good day on the lake.

I generally start by casting four-inch baits as they silhouette well against the sky. However, largemouth bass can be picky if they are selectively feeding on specific-sized frogs.

Pack an assortment of lures and don’t hesitate to change sizes if you aren’t getting any strikes. Consider downsizing your lure in case the fish are hitting, but missing your offering.

The hardest thing to master when fishing frog lures is keeping the adrenaline in check when a bass with a mouth the size of a frontend loader comes out of the water with your fake frog in its mouth. But, that’s the subject of a whole separate column.

Email Greg Berlocher at ContactUs@fishgame.com PHOTO: STRIKE KING

4/12/17 11:35 AM

Texas GUNS

by STEVE LAMASCUS | TF&G Shooting Editor

E

VER SINCE THE INVENTION of smokeless powder and even before, we have searched for higher velocity in our hunting guns. I think this search really kicked off when the .30-03 was loaded with a 150-grain spitzer bullet at 2,700 feet per second and became the .30-06.

Before that moment we were pretty happy with a 220-grain round nosed bullet at 2,300 fps. But when the U.S. military changed over to spitzer bullets to match the Germans, we found that the 150-grain sharp pointed bullets at much higher velocity gave us a much longer sure hitting range. If this were true with 150grain bullets at 2,700, the guys thought, what would that bullet at 3,000 fps, or 180-grain spitzer at 2,800 do? And the race was on!

The race really got into high gear when Winchester entered it in 1925, with the .270 Winchester although a couple of high velocity rounds preceded it such as the .250-3000, introduced in 1915 by Savage. The .270 fired a 130-grain bullet at the fantastic velocity of 3,140 feet per second.

A young journalism professor in Arizona, named Jack O’Connor, bought one of the new .270s and found that it would kill deer and desert sheep just as surely as his .30-06 and 7mm Mauser and do it at greater range. He latched onto the .270, used it, wrote about it, and it was his talisman for the rest of his life.

Next, in 1935, Winchester introduced the .220 Swift, which launched a 48-grain bullet at the unheard-of velocity of 4,100 fps. The .220 Swift was, I believe, intended as a varmint cartridge, which is where it belongs, but it was used all over the world on big game.

Sometimes it killed like lightning, but often it just blew a big, shallow crater in the animal, which then wandered off to die miserably of infection or predators. Even though the Swift produced almost mystical velocity, many of the

“ The moral is that we have reached the point where just stuffing more powder into a cartridge produces very little gain in velocity.

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High Velocity

With a .300 Weatherby Magnum the hunter could sight his rifle in to be three inches high at 100 yards and kill an Ovis poli ram at 350 yards without holding over it. It gave the hunter the advantage of not having to know the exact range of his prey.

For decades, almost every winner of the famed Weatherby Award used a .300 Weatherby, and not just to placate Roy. The big .300 Weatherby was a real advantage when hunting in strange places for strange animals before the invention of laser rangefinders. It T E X A S

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had both tremendous range and great knockdown power. It is still one of the best big game cartridges in the world for soft skinned game.

Remington hit a pair of back-to-back home runs when in the late 1960s it introduced the .22-250 and .25-06, both formerly wildcats.

The .22-250 fired a 55-grain bullet at 3,650 fps and the .25-06 was loaded with an 87-grain bullet at 3,500 fps. Then Remington upped the ante by loading the .25-06 with a 100-grain bullet at 3,300 fps and a 120- at more than 3,000.

This made the .25-06 a great long range deer cartridge. In Texas, especially, the .2506 is one of the most popular cartridges for white-tailed deer. I have used one since the early 1970s and feel that it, along with the .270 Winchester, is one of the best cartridges made for Texas deer.

Today we are still searching for higher velocity. The Winchester Super Short Magnums were a part of the search. The Remington Ultra Magnums are also a step up, but a small one, as is the 7mm STW. The colossal .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is another hot number in the search, but even with modern powders it is so over bore capacity that it only manages to beat the much older .300 Weatherby Magnum by 100 fps with 180grain bullets. And it uses 114 grains of powder rather than 80.

The moral is that we have reached the point where just stuffing more powder into a cartridge produces very little gain in velocity. To make substantial gains it is necessary to find a different type of propellant.

There may be some ballistics whiz kid out there working on the next great step in high velocity, but for now we are at a wall. I will be interested to find out how we manage to kick a hole in the wall and go on to even higher velocities. Maybe the next step in hunting weapons will be phasers, but I hope not. How in the world would you reload for a phaser?

game departments in the country began, rightly I believe, to legislate against it for big game.

Famous writer, Robert Ruark, took one to Africa, tried it on wart hogs and hyenas, and found that it was terribly ineffective. He went back to his .30-06 and .470 Nitro Express for everything.

In 1944, Roy Weatherby took a .300 H&H Magnum, blew it out to hold a lot more powder, and came up with the vaunted .300 Weatherby Magnum. The .300 Weatherby could fire a 180-grain bullet at as much as 3,300 fps, although 3,150 was a more common, and safer, load. It soon became the darling of the globetrotting hunter.

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4/12/17 11:31 AM

Texas FRESHWATER

by MATT WILLIAMS :: TF&G Freshwater Editor

Adrenaline Junkies

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ANCE W. LOWERY OF MT. Vernon and Mike Williams of Sulphur Springs have wrestled with dozens of fat cats since they began noodling for the piscatorial titans several years ago. They’ve won a bunch of the battles. Not surprisingly, they have lost a few of them, too.

“Sometimes there just isn’t anything you can do,” says Lowery. “These fish get big, and they are powerful. Sometimes they blow right past you down there or they just get loose. I think of them like a NFL linebacker. If they hit you in the chest, you’re not going to stop them.

Everything has to go just right to make it happen, and even then, there are no guarantees. A lot can go wrong down there.”

Noodling is sometimes called grappling or just plain ol’ hand fishing. It’s primitive fishing in its purest form. It involves sticking your hands or feet into underwater washouts, stump cavities, beneath concrete boat ramps or any other place where a big catfish might take refuge to spawn.

Big flathead and blue catfish are extremely territorial and protective of their spawning dens, so much that they will attack anything that invades their space. That’s the idea behind noodling—to provoke the fish into clamping down on a gloved hand so you can yank it out of the spawning den and ultimately wrestle it back to the boat.

The tactic can produce fish throughout the warm weather months, but hardcore noodlers such as Lowery and Williams know late spring through early summer are the best times to find heavyweight flatheads and blues hunkered down in dark, cozy places were the sun doesn’t shine.

The two anglers were having a good time noodling on an undisclosed lake last July when their day suddenly got better. They were competing in a 24-hour Northeast Texas Noodling

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Lance Lowery of Mt. Vernon with the 81-pound flathead catfish that he and Mike Williams of Sulphur Springs pulled from an underwater stump cavity during the Northeast Texas Noodling Championship last July.

Championship, an organized competition that allows contestants to fish any Texas public lake. Teams were allowed to bring three live fish to the designated weigh-in site at Lake Fork Resort near Alba.

The anglers, who call themselves “Team Bite Me,” had already landed several big fish, including a 63 pounder, when they motored to another sweet spot marked on their GPS unit.

The spot consists of a large underwater stump away from the bank, in the mouth of a cove, in about eight feet of water. They knew the stump held some promise because they had snatched some fat cats there before.

The two men anchored the boat and descended on the stump as a team. Lowery was the first man down and placed his hand and arm into the hole where it was too dark to see.

“I didn’t feel anything—no fish, nothing,” Lowery recalled. “At first I thought the hole was empty, but we decided to check it again.” |

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On the second dive, Lowery said he placed his foot and leg inside the cavity. That’s when the big fish bit.

“She hit me hard,” Lowery recalled. “The fish swallowed my shoe and had its lips wrapped around the lower part of my calf.

It happens like that a lot with those big op (flatheads). They’ll bite and hold on, whereas a big blue cat will bite you several times and then let go.”

At that point, the teamwork and technique rehearsed dozens of times since the two men began noodling together six years ago, paid off once again.

“Mike was right there beside me, so he knew exactly what had happened,” Lowery said. “When the fish grabbed my foot, I pulled it out of the hole, and we both grabbed it. Once my foot was free we pulled its head up into my belly and I wrapped my leg around it. Then we brought it to the surface.”

PHOTO: MATT WILLIAMS

4/12/17 11:30 AM

“ Williams survived the incident by jumping 10 stories into a burning ocean.

Lowery is an insurance salesman from Mount Pleasant. Williams is a movie star of sorts who feels lucky to be alive. Williams was the chief electronics technician on the Deepwater Horizon, a massive offshore oil drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, killing 11 crewmen and resulting in the largest oil spill ever in U.S. waters.

Williams survived the incident by jumping 10 stories off the rig into a burning ocean lit-

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tered with oil, grease and diesel. The disaster inspired the creation of the blockbuster movie, “Deepwater Horizon,” which was released in theaters across America last fall.

Directed by Peter Berg, the movie was created around a $150,000,000 budget and features a long list of well-known talent. Williams’s character was portrayed by Mark Wahlberg.

Lowery said he met Williams through a mutual friend roughly 11 years ago, and they have been fishing and hunting together ever since. Both men are hardcore archers during the fall, but come spring their attention turns to the whiskered denizens of the deep.

“It’s an absolute adrenaline rush,” Lowery said. “For us it’s the same feeling we get when a 250- to 300-pound boar comes in on you at night. You can’t see him, but you can smell him, and you can hear him popping his jaws.

You feel like your heart is about to explode. We get that same feeling when we’re noodling. It’s truly amazing.”

“

The anglers hoisted the fish onto a scale, and it weighed 81 pounds. At that point, they tied the fish off to an underwater stump and continued checking different spots until it was time to head to the tournament weigh-in.

Williams said the big fish didn’t appear to doing very well when they went back to retrieve it, so they elected to release it rather than risk killing it. The angler said the cat’s color wasn’t good and it was acting somewhat fatigued.

“It’s really hard to keep these big fish alive sometimes, especially when the water temperatures get up around 90 degrees,” Williams said. “We already had three big fish, so we figured we were in pretty good shape, anyway.

It’s just not worth it to us to risk killing one if we can help it. We’d rather release them so we can catch them again.”

The anglers’ strategy played out perfectly. The combined weight of their three cats totaled 148.3 pounds and earned them the NETX championship title for the fourth consecutive year.

Lowery and Williams, both 45, make an interesting team.

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4/12/17 11:30 AM

The BASS University

by PETE ROBBINS :: for TF&G and Bass University

Lowen’s Texas-Sized Swim Jig Approach

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ASS UNIVERSITY INSTRUCtor Bill Lowen learned his trade on the fish-poor Ohio River, but when he started traveling to Texas for big events he didn’t really alter the swim jig style that had gotten him there. He might’ve turbocharged his presentation for the bigger fish, but as a general matter he brings a heavy dose of Ohio to the Lone Star State.

“A lot of people might think that you’d make the lure bigger,” he said. “But that just ends up overpowering the lure. It takes away from its natural subtleness.”

Although others may turn primarily to old school spinnerbaits, newer school Chatterbaits or new school swimbaits, Lowen said that the swim jig remains his primarily tool when he’s winding in Texas in April. He looks for bass that have recently completed the spawning ritual and are either hanging around the old beds, guarding fry or stalking the bluegill beds.

“They’re usually on the first piece of cover closer to deeper water,” he said. “It could be a laydown or a weedline, but it’s whatever is the last thing to hold on before they finally make the push offshore.”

Although some anglers just reel their swim jig straight back to the boat and others shake the rod tip violently, Lowen finds himself in between those extremes. He worked with Castaway to develop a signature series Skeleton V2 rod specifically for swim jigs. It may look like a flipping stick, and indeed the lower 80 percent of the rod resembles the one he flips with, but he’s married it to the top 20 percent of a spinnerbait rod.

“When I get marshals or co-anglers in my boat, they always say they can’t believe that I just throw it out there and reel it back,” he said.

“But that’s not the case. I used to swim my jig with a flipping stick, and I’d be worn out from shaking it by the end of the day. Now the tip of

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the rod does all of the work for me.”

He pairs the rod with a Team Lew’s Lite reel (7.5:1 gear ratio), which at 5.6 ounces also helps him avoid getting worn out. “The bites are so fast, and so violent, that if you don’t have a high speed reel it’s easy to get out of position really quick,” he said. Early in his career he used

Bill Lowen

20-pound fluorocarbon, but during his rookie season on the Elite Series, during the second event of the year, he got a rude awakening.

He ultimately finished fourth behind superstars Greg Hackney, Dean Rojas and Kevin VanDam, but he lost a fish that he estimated at between 12- and 15-pounds on the bite. “She cut my line like she was using a pair of scissors,” he said. Now he sticks exclusively with 30-pound test Hi-Seas braid.

He’s also worked with Lure Parts Online (www.lurepartsonline.com) to develop a swim jig that meets his exacting standards. It’s based on the jig that he relied upon during his ama|

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teur days, and improves upon it.

“I’m back where it all started but I’ve jazzed it up,” he said. “It has big eyes and perfect skirts, but the most important thing is to make sure that it balances. It doesn’t have a tendency to lay on one side.”

He relies mostly on the ¼ ounce model, which has a 4/0 Mustad hook, and the 3/8 ounce model, which comes with either a 4/0 or a 5/0 hook. Surprisingly, much of the time he prefers the 4/0 even when he’s around bigger fish, because he believes that “the 5/0 has a tendency to spring open because it has such a wide gap. The hookups are a lot better with the 4/0.” He will go to the larger hook if he’s using a large trailer like a Horny Toad, although he feels that he can get away with the smaller hook even with Texas-sized trailers like a Rage Craw, twin tail grub or Optimum Double Diamond swimbait.

“They all have just a little bit bigger profile,” he said. “But you still want to keep it simple.”

With his flipping jigs, he often mixes and matches color schemes, pairing a black and blue jig with a green pumpkin trailer, but with his swim jig he wants both parts to match.

Day in, day out, his preferred color schemes are simple. You’ll often see his deck lined with three swim jig rods, one black/blue, one white, and one some shade or green.

As noted above, his rod imparts a shaking action to the bait, but other than that his retrieve is simple. Eighty percent of the time he wanted to “keep the jig where I can see it or where it’s just starting to fade away.” The other 20 percent of the time, usually around milfoil or hydrilla, he brings it back out of sight where it’s just ticking the top of the grass. For an angler who has qualified for seven straight Bassmaster Classics, and nine overall, it might seem like he’s hiding the ball, but when he visits Texas in April he keeps it simple, covering water at a quick clip whether he’s looking for a limit of two-pounders or an eight-pound kicker.

Email Pete Robbins at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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4/12/17 11:25 AM

Bare Bones HUNTING

by LOU MARULLO :: TF&G Hunting Editor

SHOT 2017

A

S PROMISED, THIS MONTH’S column is dedicated to the 2017 SHOT show, which I had the pleasure of attending.

Turkey season is a memory now here in Texas, and if you are not planning on doing any hog hunting, it seems the perfect time to sit back and read all about some of the many products that are being introduced to the hunting world this year. Hey! It’s Vegas baby! Here are some of the highlights that I was impressed with at the SHOT show.

I know I mentioned this in last month’s column, but it was so cool that it bears repeating. The Spin –N- Strut turkey decoy from Flambeau might be the best decoy I have seen.

Movement is the key element that will fool any wary game. Any turkey hunter can tell you that some boss toms like to hang up just out of range. This decoy will bring them in.

Not only can you move the decoy from side to side, but you also control the fan to be in either a full strut, half strut or down all the way.

One cool thing is that the fan is a photo print of real feathers. Looks great!

Leupold had the most amazing hand-held thermal imaging unit. Priced at under $700, this thermal imaging unit had many different settings on it, depending on what you wanted to see.

I personally liked the red heat setting.

Everywhere you looked, you could see heat coming from the head and hands of people walking by. This unit was so sensitive that it even showed the heat from your shoes on the carpet after you had walked through! WOW! Wildgame Innovations had some very cool items. I own a Wildgame Innovations trail camera, and it takes fantastic pictures.

Now they have introduced one they call the Silent Crush that takes amazing shots even from a distance of 100 feet! 100 FEET! They also talked to us about a mix that they call the Reactor.

You mix this powder with water, and it gives

Catch dozens of Lou’s SHOT Show interviews at FishGame.com.

As always, Tinks products simply work, and I would not go on a deer hunt without this in my back pack.

I made a stop at the Spyderco booth and saw some amazing knives. The rep showed me how easy it was to open and close the knife blade using one hand. It seemed effortless and that is important. It frees up your other hand to feel secure while you open the knife.

I could also see how this would come in handy in an emergency. Accidents can happen.

If you get tangled up with a strap while in your stand, you will be able to free yourself with little effort.

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had a non-slip grip and also a place to rest your thumb while you use it. That was a nice safety feature. Very lightweight, and WOW, was it sharp!

Have you ever seen the nature blinds that are available? They are so cool!

They look just like tree trunks and blend into the woods so well that you might have a hard time finding it. You need either your own hunting land or a private lease to use one. and you need 5 men and a strong boy to carry them out in the field.

However once in place, it will be your favorite hunting blind. A friend of mine has one, and he lugged it in the woods using a tractor. Nice!

I hope I get to hunt out of it one day.

Once inside, you are in an air-tight blind that will not allow any of your human scent out. The dark colored windows slide up and down quietly, allowing you to open them only when you are ready to take your shot. Comfort while hunting for hours is the name of the game and believe me… these blinds are what comfort is supposed to be.

It was late in the day, but I made it a point to check out the Under Armour booth. I knew they made scent—locking garments to wear under your camo to absorb any moisture from your body.

Now UnderArmour has expanded their line from sneakers to fit wear. I thought that was it.

Was I wrong? Yes! The rep was happy to show me Under Armour camo for both colder climates and a lightweight outfit for the Texas climate. I was impressed to say the least.

There were hundreds of different booths to see, and three days just is not enough time to check them all out.

Yet, we did our best so you can see them for yourself at the Texas Fish and Game website.

Check it out and watch some of the videos we made while we were there. I am looking forward to the upcoming hunting season and also next year’s SHOT show.

an apple scent that is carried by the wind. Then it turns into a hardened mineral that deer cannot resist. It seems perfect for the preseason scouting to get a deer closer to a camera and also would bring them nice and close for that bow shot during the season.

Tinks! What can I say?

I have used Tinks products since I first started hunting, and I swear by them. Tink’s products work, and they work well. I was excited to see what new products they had and was extremely impressed by an attractant gel.

Unlike some of the other scent products that dissipate after the first rain, this gel is stored in an aerosol can, and it will last for a long time, rain or shine. It has the ability to spray out to 10 feet, which is really important if you want to keep your human scent free from the baited area.

I like this particularly because you could climb up in your stand, look at your surroundings and spray this gel to a spot where an unsuspecting deer will walk into range. Way Cool!

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4/12/17 11:33 AM

Industry INSIDER CASA of Tarrant County Hosts Pull for Kids

voice of a volunteer advocate. You can be a part of the solution! By supporting this event, you will give a voice to children in foster care. Ensure home is a safe place for every child.

Event features include:

CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF A child’s life by attending the CASA of Tarrant County Pull for Kids Clay Shoot presented

children safe! Tarrant County has the 2nd highest number of confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Texas. CASA (Court

• Two sessions to choose from • Two courses

The Pull for Kids Clay Shoot will support CASA of Tarrant County’s mission to ensure a safe home for children.

The event will be held at Alpine Shooting Range in Fort Worth.

• Complimentary golf carts • Complimentary hats and shell bags • Free parking • Complimentary lunch • Gun raffle • Awards for both sessions

Appointed Special Advocates) of Tarrant County is an organization of volunteer advocates who stand up on behalf of abused and neglected children and speak up for their best interests in court.

About 250 children in foster care in Tarrant County are currently waiting on the critical

by XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil.

Join us and Honorary Chair Mayor Betsy Price at this special inaugural event on Friday, May 19, 2017 at Alpine Shooting Range, located at 5482 Shelby Rd. in Fort Worth.

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Morning Session: 8am Registration, First Pull at 9am Lunch, Raffle & Morning Awards: 12:001:30pm Afternoon Session: 11am-1pm Registration, First Pull 2pm Afternoon Awards to follow.

Register today at www.casaclayshoot.org Learn more about CASA of Tarrant County at www.speakupforachild.org.

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4/12/17 10:56 AM

Texas TASTED

by BRYAN SLAVEN :: The Texas Gourmet

Fajitas, Slaven Style

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HIS IS AN AWESOME RECIPE that I developed back in the mid 1980s. I have won many a cookoff with this recipe in and around Houston, Texas. It took many cold Tecate’s and Lime, and sometimes a Cuervo Gold Margarita to assist in refining the recipe, but I feel it is where it should be! Take it and make it yours, just remember that you got it from me, Bryan Slaven, The Texas Gourmet.

You can increase the recipe in equal increments as necessary. If you want to cook chicken breast and use this recipe, you can.

Just be sure to keep the chicken separate from the beef when marinating and grilling until its placed on the plate at serving time.

Ingredients: 3 to 4 pounds’ skirt steak, remove skin sheath, trim away large areas of fat but don’t worry about removing all fat. Cut the meat into about 6 to 8 inch pieces. The meat will cook at a very high temperature and will use the fat to keep the meat moist and will largely melt away.

1 sweet onion sliced into 1/3″ thick rings 2 Poblano peppers, rinsed and cut into 1/2″ thick slices (remove the seeds) 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil 3 to 4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed 2 limes juiced 1/3 cup of brown sugar 1 Tablespoon med. or finely ground black pepper 1/2 cup light soy sauce 5 to 7 pounds of charcoal, preferably mesquite, or add a few chunks or bits of mesquite while cooking, killer PHOTO: BRYAN SLAVEN

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Delicious beef fajitas go great with your beverage of choice as temps increase!

flavor!(Remember this, increase your charcoal and mesquite as you increase the recipe, as you want a good hot fire when grilling the meat.

meat on directly over the fire, about 6 to 7 inches away is good. Sear the meat for a couple minutes on each side, then move them to the opposite side of the grill, cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, I like to place the onion and pepper rings on the meat as it cooks, this adds flavor to the meat, and keeps the vegetables from burning. After cooking each piece, transfer to a cutting board and slice the meat across the grain into slices approx. ½-inch thick.

Transfer the meat to large double lined foil pouches, approx. 2 lbs. to a pouch, add a tablespoon of butter to each pouch. Be sure and cover each container with foil then place on a cookie sheet in a preheated oven at about 200 degrees until ready to serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

Preparation: After you have cleaned the fajitas, rub them down with the fresh crushed garlic, then sprinkle with the black pepper .Set aside, then in a large bowl combine the olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and beer. Stir well to combine, then add the fajita meat and then add the peppers and onions.

Using your hands, work the liquid mixture into the meat and then place in increments that will fit into gallon zip locks about 3/4 full. After all meat is divided into bags, then equally distribute the liquid marinade among the bags. Seal up removing all air from the bags and place them all in a cooler with ice or in a spare refrigerator. I like to marinate them for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours but, overnight is even better.

Serving: Serve with good, warm flour tortillas, Chile con queso, and of course, with some spicy pico de gallo and some Texas Gourmet’s Fire Roasted Serrano Salsa Bon Appétit!

Grilling:

Email Bryan Slaven at bryan@thetexasgourmet.com

Make a good hot fire, if using charcoal, when the coals are grey and hot, put the T E X A S

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4/12/17 11:57 AM

Open SEASON

by REAVIS Z. WORTHAM :: TF&G Humor Editor

Faulty Memory

cramped in sympathy. “Of course I did.”

“Well, I bet you left them in the trailer.”

“Good idea. I’ll be back in a little while.”

I drove to the trailer and searched the storage compartments. I found my good hand ax, three cans of WD-40, a box of lures I’d misplaced so long ago I didn’t remember owning them, and a Ryobi bag full of shotgun shells.

The problem came when I needed to look in the bedroom closet. Space is at a premium, and our fifth-wheel was squeezed in between a ski boat and an Airstream trailer. The bedroom

I

’D ALREADY SEARCHED OUR closet, looking for my hiking boots. It didn’t take long on my side, because I only own two pairs of boots, one pair of sneakers, and a pair of flip flops. Just to be sure, I spent an hour searching through the War Department’s shoes, just in case my own had gotten mixed-up in the knee-high pyramid.

She was exercising in our bedroom when I came out. “Have you seen my hiking boots?”

I queried.

She bent and touched her toes in a way I haven’t been able to do since the age of ten. “I don’t keep up with your stuff.”

“Yes you do. You put my hat on the rack the other day, you put my boots away, and you hung up my coat the last time I wore it.”

She bent the other way. “Your hat was in my way on the counter, your boots were in the middle of the floor where Riley drug them, and come to think of it, your coat was on the island, and it was in my way, too.”

I thought for a moment. “So were my hiking boots in your way lately?”

“No. Where’d you see them last.”

“I took them with us in January when we went camping.”

“Did you check the garage?”

I’d already been through the garage. I found our missing float tubes, some fishing rods that belonged to my brother that I thought I’d returned, and the Dutch oven lid lifter (yep that’s what they’re called) that I’d misplaced two years earlier.

I also found a bag of shotgun shells and ear plugs I’d forgotten about. Probably because the bag said DeWALT on the outside and I thought it was still full of drills. It also contained a box of .243 rounds and my misplaced folding knife.

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The problem came when I needed to look in the bedroom closet.

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slide could only extend six inches, due to the storage area’s roof support posts.

It gave me enough room to check the drawers at the foot of the bed. Nothing. The closet was empty, and the remaining storage area contained nothing but a top hat.

I closed the trailer up and drove back, running down a mental list of places where my boots could be. The War Department was putting the grandkid’s puzzle pieces in Ziploc bags when I came in. She frowned at the pieces in her hand. “Everyone just throws these puzzles into the ottoman without trying to keep them separate, and then we can’t find the pieces.”

Our ottoman serves as the kid’s toy box.

“Are my boots in there?”

“No. Did you look in those hidden compartments in your truck?”

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fishing line, and a forgotten bottle of scotch.

I returned with the scotch and checked the cabinets in the bar, just in case the boots were in there.

They weren’t.

The next hour went by pretty fast while I searched the garage shelves a second time.

They weren’t in the freezer, either. The smell of supper wafted into the garage while I lowered the attic ladder and checked the coolers stored up there. My missing roadie cooler was in the biggest drybox, along with our snorkel gear in a large bag that previously held Milwaukee power tools.

The Bride was taking supper off the stove when I came through and dropped onto a stool at the island. She raised an eyebrow.

“They’re just gone.”

“They can’t be. You put them somewhere.”

I got up and checked the pantry. Nope.

“When did you have them last?”

I studied the ceiling, as if the answer was there. “We were planning to do some hiking when we went to Natchitoches, but then it rained…”

“Where’s your backpack?”

“Hanging with the daypacks in the garage.”

“Check it.”

“They’re not…”

“Check it.”

“Yes ma’am.” I left and came back inside with the boots. “You were right.”

“I bet you put them in there to save space, keeping everything together.”

I looked at the ceiling again, wondering if she’d found the answer there after all.

I decided to wait a day or so to see if the ceiling manufactured the answer to my next question about where I put all the 9mm ammo I collected to go shoot at the range. It’s driving me nuts, because I was out of power tool bags.

Email Reavis Wortham at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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4/12/17 11:32 AM

Outdoor DIRECTORY Guides & Outfitters

::

Lodging

::

Destinations

::

Real Estate :: Gear

TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

LAKE AMISTAD

CEDAR CREEK LAKE

MID TEXAS COAST

HUNTING SOUTH TEXAS

LAKE TEXOMA

NEW TF&G APPAREL IS HERE!

WWW.FISHGAME.COM

TEXAS SALTWATER UPPER TEXAS COAST

NEW 2017 EDITION MID TEXAS COAST DFW METROPLEX

NOW AVAILABLE

Happy Mother’s Day!

www.FishandGameGear.com T E X A S

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4/12/17 10:58 AM

REDFISH

WHITETAIL

Trinity Bay

Goliad County

Debbie Perry caught this red on a curly tailed Gulp! while sight casting in a narrow bayou off of Trinity Bay. Great fight in a confined space, hooked reds were charging the boat and actually running out in the marsh grass during the fight.

Bailey Shimek killed the first buck of her life and she made it count. She took this 10 point, 18-inch spread while hunting with her Dad, Jeff Shimek, at her Grandfather’s land in Goliad County.

WHITETAIL

FERAL HOG

Cisco

Caldwell County

Johnathan Lindsey shot his first deer while on a hunting trip at his father’s lease in Cisco.

Johnathan’s trophy is being mounted due to the size and the antlers growing down.

Lane Dahse with his biggest hog kill, shot at 100 yards with .223 while hunting in Caldwell County.

MIXED STRINGER

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REDFISH

Port Aransas

Upper Laguna Madre

Warren Roberson and his family and friends enjoyed the second annual “Heats at Sea” deep sea fishing tournament.

Yura Galvez caught his personal best redfish, a 36-inch beauty, on the last cast of the day. He was fishing live mullet, along the JFK Causeway.

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4/12/17 10:59 AM

SEND YOUR PHOTOS TO photos@FishGame.com For best results, send MED to HIGH quality JPEG digital files only, please.

Also Enter our PHOTO CONTEST: FishGame.com/texas-hotsots-upload No guarantee can be made as to when, or if, a submitted photo will be published.

WHITETAIL

REDFISH

Menard

Galveston

Seven-year-old Ryan Sanchez marked his second season of hunting on the Henderson Ranch in Menard last November with the harvest of this magnificent 8-pointer. After pulling the trigger, he turned to his dad and exclaimed, “How can anybody not just love this sport?”

Four-yearold angler Kaden Bumpous caught this 27 ½-inch slot red while fishing live shrimp in Galveston.

He hooked and reeled the fish in by himself.

BLACK DRUM WHITETAIL

Upper Laguna Madre James Fritts caught this oversized drum on 12-pound test line while wade fishing Packery Flats in the Upper Laguna Madre. The fish was released after a fellow fisherman used James’s cell phone to take this photo.

Clarksville Kamryn Grace killed this tenpoint buck with the first shot on her first hunt, with her daddy near Clarksville.

WHITETAIL Burnet County Isabel Barnes shot her first deer in Burnet County while hunting on the Herbert ranch in February. She was accompanied by her grandfather.

FLOUNDER Upper Coast Chad Townley limited out on flounder in 20 minutes during an amazing run experience. After fishing from dawn until 2:00 p.m. he saw a cloud of shad, followed by clouds of sand from the bottom. He started throwing Berkley Gulp! And started catching flounder every catch.

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