Texas Fish & Game March 2019

Kayak Tourneys Paddling for Bass

March 2019 | $3.95

Decoys: Fake News for Turkeys

Why You Need a Spinning Rig

Mega Sharks in the Texas Surf

Adapting Drones for Fishing

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Inside FISH & GAME www.FishGame.com 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.

by ROY and ARDIA NEVES TF&G Owners

ROY AND ARDIA NEVES

Promoting from Within

PUBLISHERS

CHESTER MOORE EDITOR IN CHIEF

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ACK IN JANUARY 2013, WHILE COVERING THE SHOT SHOW OUT IN LAS Vegas, we were approached by a young man whose physical size—well over six and a half feet tall—was impressive enough. But what impressed us more was the way he carried himself while making what could have been interpreted as an intrusion into an already harried schedule on a busy trade show floor. But with an instantly engaging sincerity, he was able to quickly gain our attention and interest.

That young man, Dustin Vaughn Warncke, was eager to find an opportunity—any opportunity—to further his lifelong dream of establishing a career in outdoor media. Up to that point, while holding down a full time day job in sales in another industry, he had already built a resumé of notable accomplishments on the side, designing websites, writing and publishing articles and e-books, and producing videos and podcasts covering a wide range of outdoor topics. He was at the SHOT show on his own, after passing the strict approval process for media credentials—not an easy thing for an independent player—and at his own expense, which was not cheap.

Dustin—a fellow Texan and a subscriber—genuinely appeared to be a TF&G fan. While expressing his admiration for the magazine, he deftly worked our talk around to asking if any jobs were available.

We get approached on a regular basis with that question. There are apparently quite a few people out there, frustrated with whatever they do for a living, who think, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a job at a fishing and hunting magazine... get to fish and hunt while getting paid?”

With apologies to anyone with such notions, consider that bubble burst. Atomized, in fact.

Jobs in conventional outdoor media have always been challenging. Current economic and cultural conditions have made the challenges even more daunting. Not only is it tough to make a decent living (and virtually impossible to get rich) working full time for an outdoor publication, TV show or even in the newer forms of media, the work itself makes it just as challenging to actually get on the other side of the camera or computer to enjoy the sports we cover. So it takes a particularly imaginative and driven individual to accomplish such a dream. Turns out Mr. Warncke was, and is, in possession of such imaginative qualities and drive. He regularly balances a heavy work schedule with time devoted to his outdoor passions—bow fishing and deer hunting topping the list for him and his young son.

He impressed us so much right there on the spot at that SHOT Show that we felt like we needed to give him a... shot. At first, we assigned him to contribute Freshwater Hotspot reports. Then, as he kept pressing for more editorial assignments, we gave him freelance work doing product reviews and a few feature articles.

Along the way, his experience in sales—which became more and more evident as he continued to “sell” us on his editorial value—opened up a whole new avenue of opportunity, for him and for us. We started by turning over a few advertising accounts to him, and his professionalism and relentless work ethic, along with a natural desire to go above and beyond for his clients, produced solid results.

When fate took away his day job in the unrelated industry, it was a no-brainer to put Dustin on our masthead as a full-time sales rep. At the same time, he continued to contribute editorial content.

The scope of abilities Dustin brought to TF&G was ideal for the modern media age. In his various roles, he has demonstrated talents for creating and producing content while also commanding the persuasive skills needed to generate ad sales, the fuel of this business. In short, he is publisher material.

And so, knowing when we’ve found a good thing, we have elevated Dustin’s role here. He is now TF&G’s Associate Publisher. Dustin will take a more active role in managing client relationships in print and digital advertising, and will support Editor-In-Chief Chester Moore in planning and creating content for print as well as our digital platforms. With his experience building websites and his other digital endeavors, we’re expecting Dustin to lead us more confidently into the future of publishing.

We’re proud of this move, and lucky to have Dustin on our team.

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C O N T R I B U T O R S DUSTIN WARNCKE JOE DOGGETT DOUG PIKE TED NUGENT LOU MARULLO MATT WILLIAMS CALIXTO GONZALES LENNY RUDOW STEVE LAMASCUS DUSTIN ELLERMANN REAVIS WORTHAM KENDAL HEMPHILL TOM BEHRENS GREG BERLOCHER RAZOR DOBBS CAPT. MIKE HOLMES STAN SKINNER LISA MOORE

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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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Contents March 2019 | Vol. 35 • No. 11

FEATURE ARTICLES

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SPAWNERS IN THE DEEP While a lot of early-spawn anglers ply skinny water, deeper thoughts can yield bigger, bug-eyed bass.

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ALSO IN MARCH

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by Chester Moore

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by CHESTER MOORE

Doggett at Large

by JOE DOGGETT

Nugent in the Wild

KAYAK TOURNAMENTS As kayak tournaments explode in poplarity across the nation, are paddling contests the future of competitive bass fishing?

42 News of the Nation

Texas Freshwater

by MATT WILLIAMS

Texas Saltwater

Depolying remote control aircraft to help you catch more fish.

Hotshots 42 Texas Action Photos Focus 44 Coastal Columns 54 Texas Hotspots 62 Sportsman’s Daybook Tides & Prime Fishing Times

DEPARTMENTS

by CALIXTO GONZALES

Texas Whitetails

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by LARRY WEISHUHN

Texas Guns

by STEVE LAMASCUS

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DRONES IN THE SURF

TEXAS OUTDOOR NATION

TF&G Staff Report

by Ted Nugent

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Grab more gobblers with these decoy and calling strategies

by Lenny Rudow

COLUMNS Editor’s Notes

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TRICKING TURKEYS

by Lou Marullo

story by Matt Williams

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Hammerheads, tigers and other big sharks that swim in our surf.

by Chester Moore

COVER STORY

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MEGA SHARKS IN THE TEXAS SURF

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Letters

by TFG Readers

Texas Tasted

by BRYAN SLAVEN

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Outdoor Directory Fish & Game Photos

by TFG Readers

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LETTERS to the Editor Red Reel Fans THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR article published in the December 2018 issue of Texas Fish & Game about the “Red Reel”. It was very entertaining. My brother and I grew up with our dad using this reel every time we went fishing. It has landed several fish, lots of memories, and quite a few tales of the one that got away.

We are not sure when it was purchased, but as stated it has been in our family our entire lives. Please see the attached pictures of the leather case, reel, oil, and tool. As you can see he was very proud and protective of it.

Also, notice that the emblem on the side of the reel was attached upside down. He was particularly proud of the fact that he had purchased an unusual one.

Please know that your work Mr. Doggett and this entire publication is very much appreciated and enjoyed by this family every month. Keep up the good work.

In December, Joe Doggett paid tribute to the original Garcia “Red Reel.”

Crowell Brothers Dale & John

Fishgame.com Followers

Proper Guide Tips

I LOVE THE WORK AT FISHGAME. com. It’s nice to get the e-newsletters with all of the information that is so varied. We especially like State of the Nation and Wildlife Wednesday.

The recent story on unusual animals was particularly intriguing and reminds me of tales told around the campfire.

Keep up the great work!

I READ YOUR ARTICLE IN TEXAS Fish & Game entitled “Fishing as a Service Industry” (The January 2019 “Texas Saltwater” column by Cal Gonzalez) in which you pointed out that some customers were not generous when the tip jar came around.

My question is, on a percentage basis, what tip is considered appropriate for a guide who makes every effort to show his customers a good time? As for me personally, the most the wife will not make me feel guilty about is one inshore bay trip about every two years. The current cost of a trip is $550 and my usual tip for a well-placed effort is $50.

The guides have all been professional, so they don’t behave as if this tip is anything other than the norm. What percentage does

Don and Ella Stone Editor: Thank you very much. We work hard to keep fishgame.com updated with cutting-edge outdoors information. Be on the lookout for some investigative series coming soon on the fishing, hunting and wildlife sides of what we cover.

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a guide consider acceptable? What is the average amount that clients tip for such a trip? I do not bring the catch into the equation. I think the guide works the hardest when the fish don’t cooperate; and, in my opinion, that is when the customer learns the most assuming he has hired a good guide.

George Erchinge Gonzales: Fifteen percent is good but if he or she did an extra good job consider 20 percent.

« Email your comments to: editor@fishgame.com

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EDITOR’S Notes

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

The Chipmunk and the Conservation Calling

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VERYTHING IS BIGGER IN Texas.

At least that’s what I was taught growing up in the Lone Star State.

Driving through the steep, winding roads in the Trinity-Klamath National Forest, however, made me realize that statement must have excluded trees.

The towering firs in Northern California dwarfed anything I had seen back home and were truly a sight to behold.

Massive.

Majestic.

As I came around a particularly tricky bend, a chipmunk crossed the road.

In this grand setting the little rodent seemed miniscule, but my eyes focused on its gorgeous striped pattern. I admired the quick scurry across the gravely path, and something awakened inside of me.

This period of my life was a dark one. Things seemed fine on the surface. However inside, hope was dim as issues of family and career created a void I was starting to fill with…well… darkness.

This was a trip for me to simply get away and explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Although I had already encountered blacktail deer, black bears and found a mountain lion scratching post on an old cedar, the chipmunk left me speechless.

As a very young boy I kept a collection of old outdoors magazines that must have included 100 or more copies of Texas Parks & Wildlife.

On the back cover of one was a gray-footed chipmunk, Texas’s only variety. It’s found in the barren, arid lands of the Trans Pecos region, far from the swamps that surround my hometown of Orange.

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In this grand setting the little rodent seemed miniscule, but my eyes focused on its gorgeous striped pattern.

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This was the boy who in fourth grade was assigned to do a project on what we wanted to become as adults. He (I) wrote, “A wildlife biologist or zoo keeper” and that I wanted to “save endangered species.”

It was hard to hold back tears, but I did my best and soldiered on and continued to take in the scenery.

Fast forward 14 years, and I found myself holding a Siberian chipmunk at the Kingdom Zoo Wildlife Center, the facility founded by me and my wife Lisa.

I was showing it to a group of kids. I was sharing with them the intricacies of its life in the brutally cold northern Asian winter.

As I explained how they gather and store food, that feeling came back. It was the feeling I felt when I saw its California cousin cross the road so many years back.

Hope.

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enthusiasm.

Problems like loss of habitat, disease and poaching seem insurmountable because we look right past the simple for the complex. We ignore the obvious and seek out the grand, the politically charged and the sensational.

I knew in this moment, holding “Britanny” our chipmunk ambassador, that I was called to conserve and so were these kids I had the privilege to teach.

Conservation is a term bantered about in many circles, but rarely ever is it described as a “calling.”

I believe that’s exactly what it is.

As you take this wild journey with me, I believe you will see the same thing. Wildlife in much of the world is facing greater threats than at any point in history. We have an incredible opportunity to step up and make a real difference.

I mentioned earlier that in fourth grade I wanted to be a zookeeper or help endangered species. In seventh grade I did my science project on the role of hunting in deer management and how the modern sport hunting community are the leaders in American wildlife conservation. That kind of zeal and enthusiasm for wildlife as well as fisheries conservation is still very much alive in me and is something you will see more frequently on these pages and at fishgame.com.

You still might wonder why a chipmunk of all things had such an impact on me.

Yes, there was the magazine cover.

Sure, they are gorgeous and found only in areas of Texas I do not frequent, but there’s more.

The chipmunk represents the little things we miss in a culture obsessed with size, as we’re engaged in endless sophistry.

It also represents nature at its purest and the fact we can easily miss the greatest things and grandest opportunities if we don’t look close enough.

It represents our calling.

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Email Chester Moore at cmoore@fishgame.com

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DOGGETT at Large

by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&G Contributing Editor

Ponds

can be faced with an embarrassing and costly situation.

Many public waters, especially in urban areas, are open for bank fishing. And most of these city/county/state park ponds are stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill sunfish, and channel catfish.

Sun-heated afternoons usually are most productive during the transitional weeks of early spring. The flip to Daylight Savings Time (March 10 this year) only expands this window of opportunity for a quick after-work or afterschool session.

Worth note, this fast-draw capability is not always available on the major reservoirs. The drive time for the majority of anglers can be prohibitive.

Regardless of location, afoot or afloat, the pond rustler has a time-tested triple option of shallow water lures from which to choose.

They are the safety-pin spinnerbait, the Texasrigged soft plastic, and the floating/diving thinminnow plug.

The spinnerbait is good for the angler forced to work through shallow expanses of shoreline cover. The construction of “Y” shaped wire and upturned single hook tends to fend off hard obstructions, keeping the design virtually snag free—if the lure is moving forward.

The flapping, fluttering action excels in murky water; the blades transmit the “wounded” flash and vibration that bass key on when grumping around amid poor visibility.

Frankly, up close, the typical tandem-bladed spinnerbait fitted with a jazzy skirt is a ridiculous offering. For this reason, it may not be the best choice in clear, open water or under bright sun.

But this is not say that a revved-up fish won’t take a whack at one under sparkling swimmingpool conditions. This reflex only underscores how aggressive bass can be during early season. As a rule, larger sizes are better in murky, brushy water; go smaller (say, 1/4-ounce) with less floo-floo along a high-visibility shoreline.

The Texas-rigged soft plastic is a classic killer, and the methodical bottom-bumping approach can be most effective on big bass.

Again, the rig is virtually snagless amid hard

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HE WATER WAS MOSSY green and the shoreline was budding with the promise of new spring. The chartreuse spinnerbait landed with a flat splat just beyond a cluster of stickups. The pulsing blades stirred a faint wake, clipping the smooth surface. As the lure passed the tangle, a solid bass snatched up with a bold flash of green and gold.

This scenario will be realized thousands of times across Texas during the next few weeks—pond fishing at its finest.

Early spring is prime time for bass anglers to focus on small water. As winter fades, ponds and “tanks” warm faster than the larger, deeper reservoirs. The rising temperatures encourage pre-spawning bass to move to the banks and aggressively feed. This pattern typically occurs first in southern and coastal regions.

Texas is liberally sprinkled with small manmade lakes, and the odds are excellent that anywhere this side of the Monahans Sandhills a fishable destination awaits within a short drive.

Admittedly, some ponds are mud holes suitable only for the most desperate gars and carp; however, things may not always be as they seem. Bass can have surprising tolerance for poor water when trapped with no choice. An unlikely puddle might host a swarm of hungry fish—if for no other reason than lack of fishing pressure.

The best ponds beckon with green water and healthy vegetation, pleasing venues on which to cast. The determined angler should be able to peg at least several legitimate targets.

Of course, sites such as farm ponds, subdivision lakes, and golf course water hazards are private, with restricted access. A young poacher with an overly zealous quest for a bent rod might be excused with nothing more than a stern warning (I speak from sad experience, having been the wayward teenaged rascal on several occasions). However, the respected adult caught on the wrong side of the fence

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cover and (as with the spinnerbait) the large single hook takes a solid bite.

The downside to bottom bumping is the inability to cover water quickly. “Worming” is best when specific spots are targeted.

During early season, bulky offerings such as craw-type plastics and lizards with molded bodies and squiggly appendages seem better than traditional slim worms. (Of course, we all know that “lizard” is a misnomer; the lure replicates an amphibious salamander.)

A fairly heavy (say, 1/2-ounce) bullet weight often works well. It drops with authority through webs of weeds or branches, easy to monitor by maintaining confident contact.

If nothing else, the heavy lead helps load the rod for a smooth sidearm or underhand pitch to “feather” the payload for a soft presentation into a close-quarters pocket.

A floating/diving thin minnow plug fitted with a small lip for shallow running is a fine choice along shorelines that provide defined edges of cover. The idea is to twitch and flutter the plug in open water tight to the fish-holding cover. Most buoyant models are designed to run one to two feet deep, above submerged tangles, and a stuttered stop-and-go retrieve is most effective.

The typical four-to six-inch plug imitates a slim baitfish (or a fingerling bass) and a skilled hand can keep the lure jiving in a small area until the nearest lurking predator is goaded into firing a shot. The strike often occurs several inches below the surface, creating a swirling boil, and the dangling sets of small trebles virtually assure a good hookup.

Both solid balsa and hollow plastic thinminnow models are available. The downside to this killer bait is that the elongated, airy profile can be difficult to cast; a lighter line and a softer tip help overall performance.

If, after several hours of chunking on a balmy spring afternoon, the pond angler armed with these three lures cannot draw a strike, here is the solution: Go find a piece of water that has bass in it.

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Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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NUGENT in the Wild

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

Guide the Youth To the Spirit of the Wild

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AM FORTUNATE BEYOND WORDS to have been brought up by loving parents in the ultimate disciplinary environment of the outdoor and shooting sports lifestyle.

As I maximize my quality time with my grandkids and our Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids boys and girls, I see myself quite dramatically in their smiling faces and excitement when enjoying these positive activities.

With summertime upon us, now is the perfect time for all concerned parents and families to push harder organizing such outdoor activities for not just our own kids, but also for schoolmates and neighbor kids to get this powerful hands-on guidance for a critical True North compass setting in life.

Just this morning my two grandsons Caeden and Finnigan joined me at the Morrell 3D archery range for our daily aim small miss small mystical flight of the arrow celebration, and I am here to tell you, as always, it was spiritual poetry in motion.

There was no way that any zombie inducing video game; television garbage or hand-held apparatus nonsense could possibly compete with the all-consuming fun of archery!

Shooting proper feather fletched cedar target arrows from their ultra-lightweight recurve bows at close range, they were putting arrow after arrow into the pump stations of unsuspecting critter targets with serious archery consistency.

Guided and disciplined for absolute safety, they quickly learned over the years the proper sequence of procedures to perform masterful archery. With each repetitive arrow, they quickly discovered and honed their instinctual hand-eye coordination, the whole time imprinting a sense of individual accountability to be safe, focused and efficient.

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under the caring eyes of parents and grandparents, this disciplined procedure immediately settled powerfully in their psyche and conscience to form an overall understanding of such accountability, knowing all too well that the adults would not allow anything unsafe or untoward when shooting arrows.

The same higher level of awareness takes hold at the firing range when we discipline them in the demanding challenge of aim small miss small rifle marksmanship.

Starting off with the learned mechanics of my old Remington TargetMaster single-shot bolt-action .22 rifle shooting near silent and recoilless CB caps, the children instantly fall in love with the immediate gratification results of a good shot on a tin can.

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ing and shooting a recurve bow, the simple demands of a single-shot bolt-action .22 rifle drive home the importance of procedural detail and strike a powerful chord of individual and independent capabilities for a young person.

Of course they will still need adult supervision for many years to come, but teaching and guiding them to perform all the detailed tasks of the shooting procedures makes them feel good about themselves and they quickly learn how discipline and focused function produces a very positive overall happiness.

As we conduct our 29th year of the amazing Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids charity events in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and South Dakota, where all the shooting sports and outdoor activities are the core, the army of volunteers celebrate this incredible positive impact and upgrade on the youth of America that fortifies and strengthens thousands of boys and girls to not just aim small miss small at the range, but to put that same effort and focus on everything they do in life.

Some of the parents of our TNKFK kids were themselves just kids at our Kamp way back in 1989, and now bring their own children to experience this critical upgrade in quality of life that all began with a crazy clean and sober MotorCity guitar player rejoicing the happiness and joys of a hunting lifestyle.

Summertime is here ya’ all and it is now that we can get the kids’ attention, and there is nothing available in life that will impact them more powerfully or positively than the shooting sports and outdoor fun that they all crave.

Get them off the damn couch, away from the worthless video and phone-games, and get them outside where the Spirit of the Wild will cleanse their soul and stimulate their spirit!

Now that’s a real down to earth recipe to make America great again!

All donations to Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids are tax deductible and literally save the lives of America’s youth!

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Email Ted Nugent at tnugent@fishgame.com

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ASS FISHING’S version of March Madness may not be in full swing just yet, but it won’t be long.

It’s a bewitching phase of the game that beckons armies of bass toward the shallows where they’ll choose partners, build spawning beds and ultimately create another generation of lunkers for us anglers to catch.

I don’t know what your game plan might be to cope with all the mad-

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ness. However, it’s a safe bet that most anglers will be running a full court press in skinny water. They have high hopes of tempting a bug-eyed bass with a serious weight problem into playing some defense.

words from the wise offered up years ago by the late Ken Cook.

“For every bass you catch along the bank during springtime, there are probably 12 to 15 in a little deeper water behind you,” he said. “Often times,

It’s never a bad strategy to probe around in water shallow enough to wade in during spring. However, next time you’re up there knocking around in thigh deep water, keep in mind these

that’s where the big ones will be.”

Cook passed away in January 2016.

He was a former Oklahoma fisheries biologist turned bass pro who won the sport’s biggest show—the Bassmaster Classic—in 1991.

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Ray Hanselman

there is plenty of cover around to make it feel secure “Other than that, I think a lot of the really big fish in a lake such as Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn will spawn out in there in four to eight feet of water where they are less pressured—possibly even deeper. I know they spawn deeper in really clear water such as Lake Amistad, because I’ve seen them.”

Cook believed that a high percentage of bigger bass spawn at mid-range depths that are often neglected by springtime fishing crowds. This belief is shared by scores of other savvy anglers.

“I think it goes on way more than a lot fishermen realize,” said Tommy Martin, a veteran Toledo Bend guide and 1974 Classic champ. “A big bass might spawn shallow if

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Bassmaster Elite Series pro and fishing guide Ray Hanselman of Del Rio says it is not uncommon to see largemouths locked on beds at Amistad in 22 to 24 feet of water during calm, sunny conditions. He’s found them as deep as 30 feet with the aid of a “Flogger,” an underwater viewing device that looks similar to one of plastic orange cones used by road and traffic crews.

“Available cover and water clarity are always important, but I think a lot of it depends on where the fish live, too,” Hanselman said. “At Amistad, there are a lot of fish on the main lake that will bed out there on top of those big flats and ledges.

They were born out there. It’s where they live. They aren’t going to pack up and head up a creek to spawn.”

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Todd Driscoll of Brookeland says it is impossible know how deep largemouths might spawn in the more off-colored waters of Sam Rayburn to Toledo Bend.

However, he feels certain some activity goes on at depths where the fish can’t be seen with a good pair of Costas.

“Are they spawning 8 to 10 feet deep on Rayburn?” Driscoll said. “Its strictly educated speculation, but I’d bet the farm on it.

You hear it a lot that big fish tend to spawn deeper because they’re just smarter, but I’m not aware of any scientific studies that speak to that. However, I definitely think they’ll use deeper water as a sanctuary, especially during a low water year that takes willows, buck brush and other woody shore cover out of the picture.”

Another factor that might make deeper water more attractive to a big bass is boat or

PHOTOS: LEFT, TPWD; RIGHT, B.A.S.S.

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fishing pressure, the biologist said.

“Big bass are a lot like big bucks—pressure definitely affects them,” Driscoll said.

“If you have bunch of boats zipping down the banks sight fishing, it could definitely force the fish out to deeper water. I expect they would behave differently on a completely unpressured lake. I think far more bigger fish would be up there in one to two feet of water.”

Driscoll has reeled in his share of big bass over the years. One of the largest confirms the notion some of the biggest fish in the lake will spawn in water that’s way over your head.

His bass was caught off a deep spawning bed the biologist found on Lake Pinkston in February 2015. Driscoll said the bed was in about 10 feet of water. He could barely see it with the aid of high quality polarized sunglasses.

“It had been one of those rare springs when we were in a drought and the water was really gin clear,” he recalled. “The surface was slick as glass that day with blue bird sun.

“All I could see was a light spot about three feet in diameter. Every once in a while

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I’d see a shadow pass across it. I never would have been able to see that bed if the conditions hadn’t been just right.”

Driscoll said he fished the bed four different times over the course of the day before he finally made the pitch that got the fish to fire. It was just shy of 12 pounds.

Martin will turn 79 next November.

Admittedly, the Nitro pro can’t see bedding fish near as well as he used to, but he can recall days when it wasn’t uncommon to spot active spawning nests in water a deep as eight to nine feet on Toledo Bend.

“That was back when we had a lot of grass in the lake, and the water was really clear,” he said. “You can’t see spawning fish that deep on Toledo Bend now, but they are still out there. You just have to get the right mind set and fish for them differently to catch them.”

One of the most important pieces of advice Martin offered for targeting spawning bass in deep or shallow water involves bait choice. Fast-moving baits are out. Lures that can be crawled at a turtle’s pace are in.

“Spawning bass aren’t very likely to chase, so you’ll need to lay down the spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits and Rat-L-Traps and pick up

the Carolina rig, Texas rig or jig. A soft jerkbait such as a Zoom Fluke or Senko works pretty good too.”

When targeting spawning bass away from the bank, Martin likes to probe long, sloping points and expansive flats that run way out into the lake with lots of four to eight foot water on top.

Shorelines also will hold spawning fish, but you’ll need to position the boat in about 12 feet of water and cast toward the bank.

The idea is to cast to water about three feet deep and work the bait through 4-10 feet of water.

“It’s hard to beat a Carolina rig in that situation,” Martin said. “You’ll basically just be blind casting and working areas that aren’t getting a lot of pressure when most guys are up there beating the banks. That’s how a lot of big fish are caught this time of year.

Anglers may not realize it when they catch one, but a bunch of those fish are probably on or around spawning beds too deep to see.”

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Robstown angler Poco Cedillo and his partners caught a nearly 900 pound hammerhead in the Texas surf.

He and his team typically tag and release sharks, but this big one was exhausted and ended up dying.

They harvested the meat and donated it to the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission.

This catch ignited conversation about big sharks on the Texas Coast and what anglers might possibly catch in the surf.

So we decided to put together a list of Texas’s biggest and baddest surf dwellers.

Tiger sharks like this one can reach 15 feet and 1,000 pounds.

PHOTO: CANSTOCK

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Poco Cedillo’s team with their 14-foot South Padre Island hammerhead.

are, these sharks can turn quickly with the help of their broad, flat heads. Hammerheads’ eyes and nostrils are at the outer ends of their odd-looking heads, making them better to see and smell food with.

LEMON SHARK: Lemon sharks often swim around docks and piers or cruise near the surface of offshore waters according to TPWD officials. Like other sharks, lemon sharks have no bones in their bodies. Instead, their skeletons are made from cartilage, the PHOTO: CANSTOCK

GREATER HAMMERHEAD: Great hammerheads are large, even by shark standards, growing to more than 15 feet long according to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) officials. Large as they

Eight-foot lemon sharks are not uncommon in Texas waters.

same tough, flexible material that forms the tip of your nose. Every year eight-foot-plus lemon sharks are caught on Texas beaches.

BULL SHARK: Bull sharks are common off the coast of Texas. They live in most of the subtropical and tropical oceans of the 20

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Bull sharks can live in fresh as well as salt water.

world according to TPWD. Unlike most sharks, bull sharks can live in fresh as well as salt water. Here in Texas, they’ve been found many miles upriver from the Gulf.

In 2019, a bull shark measuring 9 feet, two inches was caught on the Padre Island National Seashore. It was longer than the state record caught in Aransas Bay (515

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pounds) in 2007. The four-man team who brought the beast in refused to kill it. It was never weighed on certified scales and was probably a record.

Kudos to them.

TIGER SHARK: This is probably the most intimidating shark anglers might catch in the surf in Texas. They are fairly rare

visitors, attaining lengths over 15 feet and weighing easily over 1,000 pounds. They are true giants. Also, they are high on the maneater list. In the past, large tigers have been caught on Galveston Island and on the Padre Island National Seashore, which may very well be Texas’s ultimate big shark hot spot.

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PINNING TACKLE IS THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD KIND OF FISHING equipment that is easily accessible to anglers.

Most anglers own spinning gear, but perhaps not many understand all of the benefits of using it. That’s a shame because there are huge rewards for those who understand using spinning gear for specific purposes.

Finesse Fishing: Finesse fishing can simply be defined as using smaller gear (lures, line) to catch fish when the pressure is high.

Daiwa pro Brent Ehrler said finesse fishing can be simplified by having a couple of quality spinning setups for important strategies like drop-shotting or using tiny spinners. In a Bassmaster blog, he wrote that some of his marshals think he is going to take out this huge arsenal of finesse fishing gear, but that he keeps it simple. He also notes spinning gear is not an extra.

The author has caught flounder exclusively with spinning gear since 1996.

“Spinning tackle is a must for any serious bass fisherman,” Ehrler said.

Casting gear will give anglers better accuracy with ¼- to 1-ounce lures but for anything under that, spinners are vital. You can throw them farther with little fear of the dreaded backlash.

Anglers who fish in smaller streams for species such as Guadalupe bass in the Texas Hill Country know of the need for spinning rigs and small spinnerbaits. A 1/32-ounce teardrop bladed spinner won’t do much projected from the spool of a casting reel.

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PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

The author field tested the Daiwa Ballistic 2500 in one of his favorite bank fishing bass locations and got hooked up on a big one.

Defying Wind: Speaking of backlash, perhaps the most advantageous reason to fish spinning reels across the board is they rarely backlash.

Even when you cast into or across the wind (sometimes you have to) they almost never fail. This alone makes them invaluable when brutal winds are bearing down on the Texas Coast.

Taking a heavy lipless crankbait and throwing it down the jetty wall or casting a spoon into an emerging slick on the bay can be a difference maker.

Without question the single most effective way to catch speckled trout and redfish in Texas is either a live shrimp or imitation shrimp under a popping cork. Spinning gear lets you throw it without fear of backlash retaliation and make super long costs-even in wind. That’s why most guides on the Texas coast have spinning gear as part of their arsenal.

No Pendulum Effect: For vertical fishing there is no comparison. Spinners win hands down.

There is somewhat of a “pendulum effect”

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Going Ballistic The Ballistic LT series of spinning reels were designed lighter and stronger in a more compact package.

The strength of the Zaion housing is an example of the LT design concept of Light but Tough. At the heart of the reel is a machined Aluminum Alloy DIGIGEAR designed for smoothness, strength and durability. The main shaft utilizes the Magseal, which prevents water and debris intrusion.

The reel is extremely smooth, employing a seven bearing system. With models ranging from 1000- to 6000-size, the Ballistic LT line of spinning reels is designed

when a lure encounters resistance from pulling against the round, rotating spool. The line on spinning reels falls freely and has much less resistance. This can make a difference on spooky fish who want lures to fall straight down, or when fishing down certain kinds of cover.

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for a wide range of gamefish and incorporates many different techniques. The Ballistic LT series of reels is a prime example of Daiwa’s commitment to the LT Concept of modern spinning reel design, smaller, lighter yet stronger.

Daiwa’s first spinning reel rolled off the assembly line in 1955, and they are still innovating today.

Anglers can best fish rock walls, pilings and jetties with spinning gear as it keeps the lure in line with the rod tip and allows the

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angler more control. If your fish finder shows bass on one particular rock you want to the lure to fall on that rock, not the one next to it.

In these situations, having a strong but lightweight reel can be the difference maker.

The Daiwa Ballistic 2500 Spinning Reel is a

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PHOTO: JOHN N. FELSHER

prime example.

Made from Zaion which is harder than a carbon body reel, it is more rigid than standard reels but lightweight. So, when the reel is more rigid you will have less flex and less wear because of less flexing of the frame so the gears stay in alignment. The reel is also Magsealed so the water cannot get into the body of the reel where it can sit and cause corrosion.

This is crucial for the angler at the front of the boat who is pounded by waves trying to get that jigging spoon just over the right spot.

Big Water Adventures star Mark Davis used spinning gear to land this red.

Adjusting Drag and Hands: Sometimes an angler realizes the fish they have on is not in sync with their drag setting. With casting reels, it is extremely challenging to adjust during a fight.

I’ll never forget hooking into a giant redfish while bass fishing. It wasn’t my target, but I was sure not going to turn it down. I had to adjust the drag or I would not have landed the huge fish, so I was glad I was using a spinning reel. It made my life a whole lot easier during that 15 minutes of tug-of-war.

In addition, most spinning reels are

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Skipping: Sometimes you cannot accurately flip under cover. In fact, pitching doesn’t get that job done on certain occasions.

Skipping is a necessary skill for anglers fishing around docks and trees that hang just over the water’s surface. Anyone can pick up the ability to skip a lure in pretty short order.

It can be done with casting gear, but it’s not easy. Spinning tackle is tailor-made for this overlooked aspect of angling.

At the end of the day, fishing equipment is the tools that help us catch fish. Anglers who understand the various tasks spinning rods and reels can execute will catch more and bigger fish.

Isn’t that everyone’s goal?

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PHOTO: JOHN N. FELSHER

adjustable to switch for right or left-handed anglers. I love that about spinning reels.

However, I am in the minority. I am right handed, but I fish best with my handle on the left side.

On the fresh side, spinning tackle is a must for any serious bass fisherman.

2/11/19 7:09 PM

Texas FRESHWATER

by MATT WILLIAMS :: TF&G Freshwater Editor

Alligator Gar Regs

ing to Dave Terre, TPWD Chief of Inland Fisheries Management and Research.

Apparently, commissioners don’t put much stock in the department’s existing research data.

Nor does it appear they are comfortable with the idea that the current limit provides sufficient protection. Otherwise, discussions about more restrictive regulations probably wouldn’t be on the table.

But they are.

Here’s a little background: Last March, commissioners ordered inland fisheries staff to fashion a regulation aimed at stopping the take of big alligator gar on the Trinity. In November, biologists presented a preview of possible changes with plans to make a formal proposal at the most recent Commission meeting held January 24, in Austin.

It’s entirely possible we could be looking at something entirely different than what was being talked about back in November. However, if the formal proposal is similar to the one previewed to the commission last fall, the stretch of Trinity River from the I-30 bridge in Dallas to the I-10 bridge in Chambers County could soon be off limits to bow fishers looking to take a trophy class fish.

“The commission expressed their concern to us about alligator gar on the Trinity River and directed us to propose regulations to eliminate taking large alligator gar,” said Terre. “We looked at a variety of options, but the potential changes we landed on aim to protect the sustainability of Texas’s worldclass population of alligator gar while still allowing the harvest of some smaller gar.”

The preview proposal was tailored after several months of deliberation and review of public feedback from an online alligator gar survey conducted last summer. It initially called for a one-fish, five-foot maximum length limit on alligator gar.

Biologists reduced the length limit to four feet after commissioners said they didn’t think five feet was restrictive enough.

A four-foot limit would mean anglers could not retain or kill an alligator gar longer than four feet. On average, a four-foot alligator gar will weigh about 26 pounds, Terre said. The biologist added that a high percentage of survey respondents supported the idea of a maximum length limit.

However, no specific size limit was advertised in the survey.

Rod and reel fishermen could work around a

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UST IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T heard, more restrictive regulations for the Trinity River alligator gar fishery and possibly others may soon come down the pike if the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has its way.

Alligator gar are already protected by a statewide restriction put in place in 2009, which limits anglers and bow fishers to one fish per day on all Texas waters except Lake Falcon. The current limit on this Texas/Mexico border lake is five per day.

Once considered rough fish with no real value, alligator gar can grow beyond 300 pounds and live longer than 50 years. They have become increasingly popular with rod and reel anglers and bow fishers from all over the world in recent times.

The one-fish-daily limit was put in place to protect the long-lived predators with fierce looking choppers from the possibility of over-fishing.

Scientists feared this might happen under a no-limit regulation that afforded them no protection at all.

The alligator gar’s sporadic reproductive cycles also spur some concern. Biologists say alligator gar may not reach sexual maturity for 10 years, and they require specific spawning conditions that don’t exist every year.

Texas has one of the last strongholds of alligator gar in the nation, and the Trinity River ranks among the best spots around to connect with a big one. Accordingly, TPWD fisheries biologists have spent a considerable amount of time and resources learning about the river’s alligator gar population.

The department’s most current data goes back to 2010. It shows the annual take is somewhere between two to four percent, and that the population is a healthy one.

Biologists say the population could sustain itself and continue offering opportunities to catch large fish at this rate under the current regulation.

However, should annual exploitation exceed five percent for an extended period, it could lead to depletion that could take years to reverse, accord-

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four-foot maximum length limit by catching and releasing large fish. Bow fishermen, meanwhile, could not.

In fact, a bowfisher could easily find himself on the other side the law should he misjudge the length of a fish by an inch or two.

In addition to a four-foot maximum limit, TPWD staff suggested the implementation of online mandatory reporting of every alligator gar taken statewide, excluding Lake Falcon. Terre said mandatory reporting potentially could be a useful tool to help biologists gather data to further refine management strategies of alligator gar populations.

Eliminating the take of large fish might sound like a fitting approach to provide some relief to an alligator gar population that’s hurting or on the brink of a downward spiral. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case on the Trinity River.

If it were, it seems likely that state fisheries biologists would have sounded some sort of alarm long before now—and that alarm would have been based on solid data.

That’s typically how daily bag limits for fish and wildlife come about, as they should be.

I’m all about protecting our resources and doing what is best to keep them healthy. But I’m also a proponent of letting biologists do their jobs and making fisheries management decisions based on sound science—not gut feelings.

Clearly, sound science has not been the motivating factor in the way this issue has been handled.

Judging from facts made available at deadline, inland fisheries staff were pushed into a corner by their bosses and ordered to fashion a regulation for which they had no solid research data to support.

From the outside looking in, that seems like very spooky precedent to set.

Editors Note: TF&G learned after deadline for this issue that TPWD inland fisheries managers expanded their list of proposed regulation changes on alligator gar to include a statewide ban on bowfishing for the fish at night. Online public comments should be directed to Ken Kurzawski, ken.kurzawski@tpwd.texas.gov or Dave Terre, dave.terre@tpwd.texas.gov.

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Texas SALTWATER

by CALIXTO GONZALES :: TF&G Saltwater Editor

You Can Take It with You

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ANY AN ANGLER HAS A dream boat.

Whether it is the tournament ready 22-foot bass boat with the Batmobile cockpit and free racing helmet, the shallow-running bay/flats hybrid with modified tunnel-vee hull, or the go-fast offshore boat with the cigarette hull and trio 350 outboards, there is a vision of THE boat.

Fishermen kill entire afternoons at boat shows, leave pamphlets on coffee tables and bathroom counters for spouses to examine (and ultimately reject). They’ll squirrel away extra cash every month in the hopes of making a dream a reality, only to learn that the only time the transmission breaks, or the air conditioner needs a very expensive part is when you have the money to pay for it.

Life has a habit of throwing deadfalls in the way between the angler and the boat of boats, whether it is financial or practical. The big boat sometimes remains a pipe dream.

Don’t lose hope, however, because you can opt for a more cost-effective, and often more versatile, option than that metal and fiberglass windmill you tilt at.

By definition, any boat that fits on a trailer is a portable boat. Some boats are more portable than others, however. A small johnboat, kayak, canoe, or belly boat is easy to pack up and portage to your favorite local fishing hole. These setups are also easy to unload, launch, and take out by one or two persons.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, Texas has 3,700 named waterways 15 major rivers and 212 reservoirs in Texas. The vast majority of these are accessible with a johnboat.

This venerable green aluminum watercraft is as much a part of Texana as a Guadalupe bass or red-eared sunfish. It also seems to play a big part

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own,” he said. “I guess I’m gonna have to give it some thought.”

Both the kayak and its cousin, the canoe, provide countless Texas anglers with the independence of fishing mysterious waters by themselves. Kayaks have sprung up on every navigable waterway in Texas, and many boys and girls have learned how to use a paddle by sculling a canoe at summer camp.

“Kayaks are as versatile as any other boat, and sometimes even more,” said longtime kayak aficionado Bobby Soto. “I can take my ’yak anywhere and still fish.

“I can fish the deep holes in a river, or I can fish the shallow runs. If the water gets too shallow, I don’t drag a boat. I can pick up my yak and walk.”

Kayaks and canoes not only offer maximum portability for the walkabout angler, but they also provided the added dimension of stealth. A fisherman can quietly scull to overhangs and rocks and sneak up on fish that might otherwise be spooky.

The lower profile on the water’s surface also means no shadows or reflections to tip a fish off to your presence.

“It’s ninja fishing,” said Soto. “The fish don’t even know you’re there.”

The kayak is a staple for many saltwater anglers. Its shallow water capability and stealthy nature allows you to reach fish that otherwise only wade fishermen can reach.

A kayak can cruise along mangrove trees for snook and redifish, patrol flats, or even slow troll along jetties for kingfish and nearshore pelagics.

I’ve seen some taken offshore for more adventurous quarry. Kayaks are among the most versatile of the low-cost watercraft.

It doesn’t get any easier than that for the walkabout angler.

in many families’ stories.

Recent versions of the johnboat are big, roomy numbers with center consoles and large, injected outboards. The 12- to 14-foot “duck boat” is a classic watercraft. So many anglers have drifted in one, down the Frio, Blanco, or San Marcos Rivers.

Dozens of the roomy, stable hulls dot lakes such as Falcon, and Choke Canyon.

These boats are also sturdy and seaworthy enough to make it out onto the briny. I see more and more of these boats dotting the bay after a decade-long wane. On more than one occasion, I’ve even seen them puttering around the Brazos Santiago Jetties on calm days.

Drive down to the waters edge with the boat sticking out of the bed of your truck, clamp on a little 9.9 horsepower outboard to the transom, prime the fuel bulb, pull the ripcord, and you’re away. You’ll move at a decent enough clip to get you to a far-off hole in relatively little time—nothing to it.

“I have a banged-up johnboat rigged with an old Evinrude my Grandfather left me,” said All Valley Boat Show attendee Robert Loiselle.

“I’ve soldered that hull plenty of times, rebuilt the engine twice, and it’s still a great boat. Every spring break, my boy and I portage that boat up to Choke Canyon and catch crappie and catfish for a week.

“The week after Spring Break, when everyone has gone back to school, I’ll take it down to the coast every day for a week and catch the daylights out of sheepshead in it. That old boat looks like junk, but it does what I want.”

Johnboats are versatile enough that you can use them in even the shallow runs of smaller waterways. They are ideal in drifting trips because the motor provides you with the means to run back upriver to a campsite.

Unlike other portables, johnboats require titles and registration with TPW to be used on state waterways. The same holds true with the small outboards that many use to push the boats.

Still, it’s a very small price to pay for the versatility they provide.

Loiselle looked at a display of kayaks at the Boat Show. “My son is getting older, and he’s bugging me to get him a kayak that he can load into the old truck I gave him and take off on his F I S H

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EXAS IS HOME TO THE LARGEST POPULATION OF wild turkeys in America. This is due to an enormous population of Rio Grandes (500,000) along with scattered easterns and a handful of Merriam’s out in the remote Trans Pecos.

Turkeys are one of the most challenging animals to hunt and also one of the most exciting.

Much of that challenges is because of their incredible vision and hearing which is why hunter sometimes need to try some unusual techniques.

According to the Scientific American, wild turkeys have “the most complex retina of any vertebrate”.

“The retinas of turkeys have seven different types of photoreceptors including one rod and six different types of cones, two of which are actually ‘double cones.’ Human retinas have only four different types of photoreceptors consisting of one rod and three single cones. One of a tom’s single cone photoreceptors has a spectral sensitivity to wavelengths near 400 nm which is in the UVA light range.”

This allows turkeys to see into the ultra violet spectrum.

Many modern laundry detergents contain chemicals that essentially make us glow to a turkey.

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So, before you hit the field head to toe in camo or go ninja-style, use one of the detergents that counteract the UV issue.

The turkey’s vision, in particular their ability to see into this spectrum, can be a disadvantage for them if you use the latest in hunting technology.

The MAD Smoky Baby turkey decoy is a smoke white/gray color, which at first might seem strange. The fact is there are turkeys this color (a recessive genetic anomaly) and that the color will draw in wild turkeys.

Ranchers with domestic turkey stock are familiar with wild birds coming in to breed their white hens. This color can also be picked out at greater distances, helping to lure in those birds that are on the outer edge.

On top of that the decoy has a realistic shape and pattern and is coated with Uvision paint to give it a natural UV signature. Birds can learn a threat response if decoys do not have a proper signature. Uvision replicates the reflection of live turkey plumage so incoming birds can no longer tell the difference between colors on the Smoky Baby or the real thing.

One big mistake that turkey hunters make

Marullo has taken eastern, Rio Grande and Merriam’s birds.

is that they call too often and much too loud.

I would recommend you listen to the pros call on YouTube or on a turkey hunting

DVD. You will learn the many different calls the birds use. Better yet, go hide in the woods and just listen. The vocalization of a turkey is soft except for the gobble.

The yelp is the most used call during this time of year. It’s super easy to do on a box call. You cannot miss with this call. It may be the only one you can master, but it will be all you need.

The cluck is the sound of a relaxed turkey.

You must be careful, however, so you do not sound like a put, which, as I said earlier, is their warning call. The cackle is the sound of an excited hen. Sometimes they use this call when the birds fly down from the tree in the early morning hours.

The purr is followed by a soft cluck. It lets the tom know that the hen is ready—come find me! The kee-kee run or lost turkey call is not usually used in the spring.

There are many different artificial calls to try—the box call, push button calls, wing bone calls and also diaphragm calls with different configurations. Some have two or three latex pieces. Some have split latex and some have the latex cut in a v shape. They all sound different. You can sound like a young hen or a raspy old boss hen. These calls can be a little difficult to use and require some practice (away from the wife).

Here is a little trick to remember. If the tom turkey is already with a group of hens, you will not be able to call him into your

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PHOTO: FLAMBEAU OUTDOORS

No matter what type call you use, don’t overdo it.

set-up. However, you may be able to call the hens to you, and the tom will follow.

Most of the time, when you try to call the hens in, the boss hen will purposely lead the flock away from you, and they will follow her.

She will be the call that sounds raspy and will be easily distinguishable from the other turkeys. When you hear her call, interrupt her with a call of your own and make it sound raspy and that you mean business.

She will probably call over and over, and you should interrupt her every time. Nine times out of 10 she will seek out this intruder to give her a piece of her mind!

The important thing is that she will also

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Flambeau’s MAD Smoky Baby decoy.

drag that tom along with her—game over.

If everyone in the area is doing the same kinds of calls or using the exact same decoy strategies simply changing things up as we have noted here can make a big difference. I have taken turkeys in Texas, New York and the Dakotas and can honestly say they are

not only a challenge, but a genuinely exciting animal to hunt.

Are you up for the challenge? If so give these off-the-wall strategies a try.

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2/11/19 4:33 PM

TEXAS WHITETAILS

by LARRY WEISHUHN :: TF&G Contributing Editor

I’m Making a List

sons and I built an eight-foot diameter, circular blind, setting posts side by side. I wanted it big and wide enough to comfortably accommodate a hunter and cameraman for our DSC’s Trailing the Hunter’s Moon television series.

Once the walls were completed, and windows cut, we put old tin roofing on it as well.

We built it tall enough so even my six-foot, five grandson can stand up without bumping his head. The height and width allows those inside to stand up comfortably and to move around a bit during all day sits without being detected.

Stand established, we cut four shooting lanes. Rather than make them straight, we cut

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RE YOU COMING THIS weekend?” I asked my grandson Jake.

“Got a list of things we need to get done before we get too far into spring,” I told him. “Want to build a new ground blind close to the pond where we keep seeing all those young bucks.

“Plus, want to cut shooting lanes at the creek stand. Then if we have time we’ll see about calling a coyote.

“Gotta love working for Work, work, work, it’s never over. whitetails.”

Gotta love working for whitetails!”

Laughing Jake responded, “I can be there after work on Friday. We should have time to mount those new Trijcion AccuPoint scopes on your Ruger Number Ones, sight-in with Hornady ammo, then work on other things throughout the weekend.”

Sounded like a good plan.

I then called one of my other grandsons, Josh. “Jake’s coming this weekend to help to start getting ready for next season, help with habitat work, mount some scopes, do some shooting…if you’ve got time…”

“I’ll be there!”

Even before the 2018 whitetail hunting paths so they were more like meandering trails. season closed I had been making a list of things We made each about six feet wide and about I hoped to accomplish during late winter/early fifty yards long. spring on my small place (The Buck Scrape) Once cleared, we fertilized each of the about 80 miles west of Houston. Years ago I shooting lanes with Triple-13 fertilizer. We learned it is never too early to start and com- would fertilize those same strips again in early plete such projects.

September.

I love hunting from ground blinds and The new blind was established so the deer wanted to build a blind using cedar posts would have plenty of time to get used to the cut on my property, one that looked like it structure before we hunt it months later. We “belonged there.” also re-opened and fertilized shooting lanes at During our work weekend, my two grand- two other blinds.

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Fertilized native browse draws deer and improves the nutritional content of plants as well as the production of forage. During February, I had fertilized the drip-lines of selected oaks and persimmons.

Before finishing our day, we also cast fertilizer around selected individual yaupon bushes, stands of smilax (greenbriar) and small patches of Japanese honeysuckle. These three primary browse species in our area respond quite well to fertilization. Doing so creates natural and highly productive food plots.

As the sun started sinking on an extremely busy and successful day, we grabbed our

Ruger Number Ones, now all wearing Trijicon AccuPoint scopes. Then we each grabbed a box of the appropriate Hornady ammo and headed back to do a bit of predator control.

Tomorrow we would continue working on my list…

« Email Larry Weishuhn at ContactUs@fishgame.com PHOTO: LARRY WEISHUHN

2/11/19 4:27 PM

Texas GUNS

by STEVE LAMASCUS | TF&G Shooting Editor

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ANY YEARS AGO I WAS hunting deer in some rugged hills west of Uvalde. We had seen one particularly large buck in a rugged, brushy canyon that ran west from a small, clear creek.

On this day we hunted the canyon on foot, but found nothing that interested us, so we piled into my pickup and started around to another location. We crossed the creek and were driving parallel to a rocky ridge when I spotted a big buck just below the ridgeline.

Grabbing my .270 I jumped out and took a rest over the hood. The deer was standing still at about 150 yards. I put the crosshairs on its chest and squeezed off the shot, expecting a dead deer.

At the shot, the deer took off at a trot across the face of the ridge, obviously none the worse for the shot. I jacked another round into the rifle, shot again, and heard the bullet hit meat. This time the buck hit the ground.

My brother and I got out and walked up to the deer. When we got there we found only one bullet hole in its chest. Wondering where the first shot hit, I started looking further, and to my surprise and consternation, found a perfectly expanded 130-grain bullet stuck to the hair on the buck’s flank, on the side at which I was shooting.

When we skinned the deer we found only the one hole in its chest. No other marks were on the deer anywhere. What happened?

I still don’t know.

In hunting stories in the 1960s, you would sometimes read about a bullet passing through an animal so fast that the bullet did

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You sometimes read about a bullet passing through an animal so fast the bullet did not have time to expand.

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Odd Bullet Performance

I kept calling and the deer kept coming.

He finally stopped about 10 yards from me. I counted his points and he had ten long tines.

Deer season was open. so I shot him carefully behind the shoulder with that explosive little 87-grain pill. At the shot the deer dropped.

When we began to skin the deer back at our house, I expected to find bloodshot meat for several inches around the entrance hole, but I was surprised. It looked like I had shot him with a solid bullet.

There was very little bloodshot meat, and the bullet had made small holes in both the entrance and exit points. The bullet, which would blow up on a jackrabbit at 100 yards, had opened hardly at all on a deer at 10 yards.

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My only conclusion was that the old stories had been true. At the extremely high velocity—3,500 fps—the bullet had simply not had time to expand. It had penetrated the deer so quickly that any expansion had taken place after the bullet was out of the animal.

Strange but, apparently, true.

Another time I was again hunting bobcats.

I was armed with a Remington M700 BDL in .17 Remington, firing a 25-grain hollow point bullet at 4,000 feet per second.

I had shot a number of coyotes, bobcats, and gray foxes with this load and it had proven to be amazingly deadly. I was sitting on top of a slag heap from an old asphalt quarry using a mouth call that sounded like a cottontail rabbit.

One second there was nothing in sight.

The next second there was a big, juicy bobcat sitting on his haunches looking at me from about 75 yards. I put the crosshairs on his chest, squarely between his front legs, and squeezed off the shot.

The next thing I knew the bobcat was jumping all over the place, making leaps six feet in the air and squalling like a banshee. In a few seconds it calmed down and sat there licking its chest.

This time I shot it carefully behind the left shoulder, and it collapsed in a heap.

When I went to pick it up I saw that the first bullet had hit it squarely in the brisket and exploded, making a crater about two inches across and an inch or so deep. It was hurt, but not fatally wounded.

The second shot hit it behind the shoulder and exited the far side—two shots, same load, two very different results.

I have had other bullets do some strange things, but nothing as strange as these.

Hunting bullets today are so accurate and so well made that the failures of the early days are almost unheard of. However, sometimes there are happenings that are just plain hard to explain.

not have time to expand. I never believed such stories, as they were contrary to my own experience.

In those days I used a .25-06 a lot for both deer and predators. For the predators I shot explosive 87-grain bullets, and for deer I used 100-grain bullets.

One day my brother and I were calling for bobcats on a brushy flat near the east end of the Anacacho Mountains. I had called a couple of times with a distressed rabbit call when I saw a nice buck come out of a small canyon in the end of the mountains and head toward us.

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DRONES ARE BEING USED BY anglers more and more as they become more and more common.

Today, using one to boost your catch rate at the beach is a smart—and fun—tactic.

A drone can give you a leg up in two ways: scouting the beach for good spots, and deploying your bait. As far as scouting goes, with that eye in the sky you can spot breaks, sloughs, and other fish-attracting features that may not be obvious from the beach.

The best part is that you can quickly scout a stretch of beach in both directions while standing in one spot, as opposed to taking a long walk in one direction and then the other.

When it comes to deploying the bait, your longest cast just became a whole lot longer. With some high-end drones; you’ll be measuring distances by the mile instead of by the foot.

Drone choice is important, if you plan to get a drone specifically for this

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purpose. Obviously you’ll need one that can carry a payload of several ounces, as well as meet the range requirements you’re looking for.

Just about any drone can be equipped with a downrigger clip that drops the bait with a tug. There are also a few models with automatic release mechanisms made specifically for fishing or carrying and dropping a payload.

One of the most important aspects of drone fishing from the surf has nothing to do with the drone, and everything to do with your fishing tackle—line capacity. Hitch a bait rigged on your usual surf rod to a drone and let it fly. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you run out of line— probably long before you come anywhere near maxing-out the drone’s range. However, you can maximize the distance you can deploy your bait by shifting to an up-sized reel with a larger spool, then load it with rela-

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tively light, thin braid, Say for example, you usually surf cast with a Penn Fathom 15H, loaded with 270 yards of 50-pound braid.

That’s a great rig for casting, but by the time you account for height and wind bow you’ll be lucky to get your bait 200 yards past the breakers.

However, if you up-size to a Fathom 30 and load 30-pound braid, you can pack on over 1,000 yards of line, which still has plenty of beef to fight in big fish if you finesse it a bit. That’ll get your bait way farther out there than anyone without aerial assistance can hope for. So get that drone, prep your gear, and let it fly.

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PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

2/16/19 2:33 PM

HEN YOU THINK ABOUT BASS TOURnaments, images of high performance bass boats come to mind, as they speed across a lake to get to that remote hot spot. Those high performance boats need a huge amount of money for basic boat repair just to survive in a competitive environment.

However, a new breed of bass tournament anglers have arrived, and they are scaling things down a bit in the boat department. Instead of bass boats with 250-horsepower motors, they are fishing from kayaks.

Bass kayak tournaments are popping up virtually everywhere bass dwell, but one organization has taken things to a new level. It is Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF).

KBF’s highly organized structure open for anyone willing to take a chance, presents a different side of professional bass fishing opportunities.

REPORT: NEWS 42 u TF&G OF THE NATION Reported by TF&G Staff

HOT 42 u TEXAS SHOTS Trophy Photos from TF&G Readers

44 u TEXAS COASTAL FORECAST

KBF Trail Series

by Capt. Eddie Hernandez, Capt. Mike Holmes, Mike Price, Capt. Chris Martin, Capt. Mac Gable, Tom Behrens, Capt. Sally Black and Calixto Gonzales

Forty-one meet-up tournaments across America are hosted by KBF Partner clubs, circuits, and organizations. With $75 entry fees, opportunities to collect KBF Angler of the Year points, and KBF National Championship qualifying slots, plus a 10 percent of field payout with a minimum $1,000 to first place, this is a regional favorite among KBF Members.

54 u TEXAS FISHING HOTSPOTS

by Tom Behrens, Dustin Warncke and Dean Heffner

Opens

62 u SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK

Across the US, KBF Members and guests will have a choice of five large-scale, open-registration tournaments. These tournaments offer $150 entry fees, opportunities for KBF Members to collect KBF Angler of the Year points, and KBF National Championship qualifying slots, plus a 10 percent of field payout.

Tides and SoLunar Data

Member Only Events KBF’s The TEN, Bienville Bassin, KBF Young Guns, KBF Collegiate Team Challenge Series, and other meet-up tournaments where KBF Membership is required are presented each year.

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PHOTOS: KAYAK BASS FISHING.COM

The Kayak Bass Fishing Trail has kayak tournaments all over the country.

This brings kayak bass fishermen from all over North America to compete for the grand prize. Last year’s champion was Texan Dwayne Taff.

This year’s championship will take place March 28-30, 2019 in not just a single lake but an entire system of river and lakes centered around Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana. Eligible water will include the following five lakes and the Red River within a 25-mile radius of the Event HQ: Caddo Lake (in both Texas and Louisiana, including area outside of the 25-mile radius); Black Cypress Bayou; Cross Lake; Lake Bistineau; and Wallace Lake.

Novices and veterans, both, find plenty to enjoy in these get-togethers.

Camaraderie within the kayak fishing community, even more than competition, is what brings us together time and time again.

KBF’s Angler of the Year year-long race is fiercely contested. The winner not only claims hot-stick status, but a prize package valued at between $10,000-$20,000.

National Championship The granddaddy of all kayak fishing competition, offers the top prize money ($100,000 minimum for first place in 2018), the deepest pay-out (projected to pay 87 places this year) and the most KBF and Sponsor bonuses.

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The NATIONAL

CWD Containment Expands, Includes Sika and Red Deer

News of TEXAS

taken in the Trans-Pecos CWD Containment Zone. Each of the new confirmations occurred in a county where CWD had previously been detected.

TPWD emphasizes that the discoveries underscore the importance of aggressive detection, sampling and herd management to control the spread of CWD. In 2018, 49 cases of CWD were confirmed in permitted breeder facilities, and eight cases were confirmed in animals taken outside a breeder facility or related release site. Thus far, with two exceptions, cases of CWD in the South-Central Containment Zone have been limited to deer breeding facilities and attached release sites where the owner breeds white-tailed deer pursuant to permits issued

by TPWD. The permitted facilities in Medina County where CWD was confirmed are each operating under herd plans that require ante-mor-

THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Department (TPWD) has confirmed chronic wasting disease (CWD) in three white-tailed deer in Medina, Dallam, and Hartley Counties, and in three mule deer in Hudspeth, Hartley, and El Paso Counties.

The affected white-tailed deer in Medina County was taken by a hunter on a private ranch. The ranch is in the current SouthCentral CWD Containment Zone, in the vicinity of captive deer breeding facilities where CWD had earlier been confirmed.

Two CWD-infected whitetails and one mule deer were also killed by hunters in the Panhandle CWD Containment Zone, and two CWD-infected mule deer were

tem testing. This testing is designed to detect and remove positive and exposed animals to attempt to reduce the chance of the disease escaping those facilities.

In the Trans-Pecos, the affected animals were taken close to the border with New Mexico, a state where CWD had previously been discovered. In the Panhandle, CWD has been confirmed in several mule deer and white-tailed deer; as well as some elk, which are not considered game animals in Texas.

Hunters are reminded that not only whitetail, mule deer and elk can harbor the disease.

Hunters who also take red deer or sika deer within the Trans-Pecos, Panhandle, and South-Central Texas CWD Containment and Surveillance Zones are REQUIRED to bring their animals to a TPWD check station within 48 hours of the kill.

Hunters are also encouraged to report any “sick looking” mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, red deer,

BASS

WHITETAIL

Robson Ranch

Panola County

Nine-year-old Jack Revering caught this bass at Robson Ranch, Texas. He was visiting his grandparents and caught this awesome bass from their backyard. Now he wants to try ice fishing in Minnesota!

Nine-year-old Cassandra Colbey of Nacogdoches took down this beautiful 8-point buck with her proud dad, Chris Colbey, in Panola County. This was her first buck and she made a perfect 100-yard shot.

Visit FishGame.com to upload your own TEXAS HOT SHOTS and Vote for our next Winners 42

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or sika deer while hunting in any CWD zone to TPWD. To report a “sick looking” animal, simply contact a TPWD wildlife biologist or Texas game warden. Additional information about CWD, including carcass movement restrictions, and check station locations, can be found online at https://tpwd.texas.gov/ huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/.

The department also urges hunters who take a deer outside of a CWD containment or surveillance zone to help out by providing voluntary samples. Hunters and landowners interested in providing voluntary samples can contact their local TPWD biologist or simply bring the animal to any of the department’s check stations located around the state. Those stations can be found at www.tpwd.texas.gov or in TPWD’s Outdoor Annual.

The latest CWD confirmations follow a two-day CWD Symposium that was organized and hosted by TPWD, the Texas Animal Health Commission, and the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in early December. Approximately 200 landowners, deer enthusiasts, scientists, and representatives from state fish and wildlife agencies from around the country came

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together to share data and to discuss best practices to address the spread of CWD. As a recurring theme, presenters stressed the need for states and landowners to take early action to investigate CWD, limit deer movement and to test early. “Case studies in other states which are dealing with CWD reaffirm that doing nothing is plainly not an option,” said Dr. Bob Dittmar, TPWD wildlife veterinarian.

“The outlook in those states where little or no action was taken does not look good,” Dittmar said. “In contrast, Texas has committed to a more proactive approach that moves quickly to control the disease where discovered by limiting the movement of deer exposed to infected deer, and by reducing or eliminating deer where the disease is proven to exist.

“Texas also establishes containment and surveillance zones where post mortem testing is mandated. We believe that working with landowners and hunters to implement all reasonable measures to address this disease head on is the most important factor to our success thus far. Those in CWD areas can assist by providing samples to the department and har-

vesting deer to keep densities down.”

“We are very appreciative of the effort and cooperation that has been put forth by the vast majority of landowners, hunters and local officials across the state,” said Carter Smith, TPWD Executive Director. “Our ability to control the spread of this fatal disease is directly related to the cooperation offered by many, especially landowners and hunters, and we pledge to continue to work with everyone to minimize the impacts of this disease.”

“The Texas Animal Health Commission is committed to working cooperatively with TPWD, USDA, industry and the private sector to limit the spread of this serious disease,” said Dr. Andy Schwartz, State Veterinarian and TAHC Executive Director. “TAHC urges landowners and hunters to support required surveillance efforts in the Surveillance and Containment Zones by testing all hunter harvested exotic CWD susceptible species. Land owners in all other areas of the state must test up to three harvested exotic CWD susceptible species per premises each year.”

—TF&G Staff Report

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2/16/19 2:34 PM

Coastal Focus: SABINE :: by Capt.

EDDIE HERNANDEZ

March Brings Happiness

there should be plenty of mild, spring like days for you to take advantage of while you pursue your favorite outdoor pastime.

My happiness stems from coastal fishing, and that’s why you should have little problem

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Most days will be pleasant, so you should be able to enjoy God’s great outdoors...

ARCH IS HERE AND I could not be happier. It is one of the most exciting months of the year for me, hands down.

When it comes to spending time outdoors it is hard to beat the month that kick starts a warming trend. This trend will carry us deep into hurricane season on Texas’s upper coast.

Most days will be pleasant and breezy, so you should be able to enjoy God’s great outdoors comfortably without having to worry too much about off the chart temperatures, hot or cold. Granted, Old Man Winter may still have a few tricks up his sleeve, especially during the first half of the month. However,

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finding me inhaling the salt air somewhere on Sabine Lake. As much as I love catching fish,

even that takes a back seat to just being out there in March, bonding with nature.

To me, there is no better time to do this, because with the month of March comes an abundance of newness, from flowers to trees, to butterflies to baitfish. New life begins to blossom all around us as the early stages of a brand new season gradually warms the earth.

The fishing can actually be pretty good too.

That is, if those breezy days don’t get too carried away.

Some of the finest flounder fishing of the year gets cranked off this month. The Louisiana shoreline, from Blue Buck Point to Coffee Ground Cove has the potential to explode this month, especially if we can string a few mild days together.

Water temperatures continuing to climb, coupled with big, strong March tides should bode well for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Curl-tailed grubs such as Gulp Swimming Mullet in limetreuse or white and, of course, mud minnows and finger mullet are very hard to beat.

Trout and redfish will also cruise the shoreline as they feed aggressively on mullet, shad and shrimp. They should be more than willing to accept any offering you have for them. Topwaters, soft plastics and jerk baits should all get the job done on the protected shoreline with a good, strong incoming tide.

As always your odds go way up if you concentrate your effort on areas that are holding bait. Come join us here on Sabine Lake this month and find your happiness.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Logan Park Marina (Pleasure Island) SPECIES: Flounder, Reds, Black Drum BAITS/LURES: Glow or Chartreuse Curl-Tail Grubs, Mud Minnows BEST TIMES: Moving Tides

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Coastal Focus: GALVESTON :: by Capt.

MIKE HOLMES

Good Things On The Near Horizon

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ARCH IS STILL A TRANSItion time on the upper Texas coast, with water temperatures just beginning to warm enough to encourage fish feeding activity.

Inshore fishing will be slow, for the most part, for popular species such as speckled trout and flounder, while redfish are probably more likely to be encountered. Generally, deeper spots in bays, passes, and coastal streams will be best, and the most productive fishing will be done SLOWLY. This means using bait that attracts mostly by scent, and soft plastic artificials crawled slowly over a soft bottom, where fish can seek some shelter and relative warmth compared to open water temperatures.

One activity that can generally be worth pursuing in March will be what remains of the black drum spawn, which normally begins in February. Boaters can try for big drums along the inside of the Galveston jetties, and sometimes in parts of the ICW as it crosses the bay. Although they’re not “flashy fighters,” black drum can be large—sometimes over 50 pounds. These fish require fairly heavy tackle for consistent catches.

Of course, a lot of exciting “sport” can be had trying to wrestle a big drum on light tackle.

They are seldom kept for food, so “losing” a few because of tackle limitations is not a big worry.

Drums are also taken from beachfront piers, in the passes, and sometimes in coastal river outlets. I have occasionally caught drum and even sheepshead around nearshore oil production platforms in winter. This is also an area worth trying.

Cooler weather is usually a good time to look for sand trout and other coastal species in nearshore Gulf waters. Snappers will be mixed with the sandies—sometimes of legal size. An occasional grouper will be mixed in, too.

Deeper waters faurther from shore can be very good for red snappers and groupers—and even a surprise ling at times. Bluefish can be abundant in cool Gulf waters; and they do come to the Texas Gulf to spawn in winter.

Blues are very aggressive in cold water and will hit artificials eagerly. They will also savage snapper baits to the point of being annoying at times.

Personally, I like bluefish. They fight hard for their size class, aren’t shy about taking baits

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of various types, and are not bad eating when freshly cleaned. Blues will congregate around oil rigs, offshore buoys and channel markers.

You’ll find them as well at jetties and rock groins in the surf.

At times, bluefish will also school in the surf. Because they are so aggressive and strong, they are great sport on light tackle. They’re a very popular species among sportsmen on the Atlantic coast, but Texas anglers mostly seem to overlook bluefish—or consider them a “trash” species.

I doubt they could ever be as important a sport species here as they are on the East Coast. However, they are one fish that can make the “winter-time blues” a much more pleasant time period!

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Coastal Focus: MATAGORDA :: by Contributing Editor MIKE PRICE

Overcoming Challenges

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ARCH IS A CHALLENGING month to fish, and in 2019 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is predicting a wetter than normal March for the bays of Texas.

This will add to the usual challenges, but that is the fun of fishing, trying to figure out where to find hungry trout, redfish, and flounders despite challenges such as an overabundance of fresh water flowing into the bays.

When you plan your fishing trip, think about how long it has been since rain pushed fresh water into the bays and how intense the rain was.

For example let’s say on Wednesday six inches of rain fell north of, and directly on East and West Matagorda Bays, and you are going fishing on Saturday.

Caney Creek flows into the east side of East Matagorda Bay near Sargent, mixing an abundance of fresh water with bay water. However,

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by Saturday, even though the water in East Matagorda Bay will be brown and fresh on top, the lower layer will be saltwater because it’s heavier than fresh water. Therefore East Matagorda Bay will be worth fishing.

West Matagorda Bay is another story. If a great deal of rain falls into the Colorado River Basin causing LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) to open dams, a huge amount of mud and log-laden water flows past the locks in Matagorda, through the Diversion Channel and into the east end of West Matagorda Bay—and it continues to flow for many days.

To check on this flow of fresh water into West Matagorda Bay go to https://lcra.hydromat.org.

Look at stream flow values. Very low stream flow such as 350 cfs means very little fresh water going into West Matagorda Bay. On the other hand, If it rained six inches on Wednesday, and you look at the LCRA website on Friday evening when you are going fishing Saturday and see that the

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stream flow value is 27,000 cfs, don’t go near the Diversion Channel or the east end of West Matagorda Bay. However, you can still fish West Matagorda Bay, if the winds are light enough, by launching at Palacios instead of Matagorda.

Palacios has three launch sites, one on East Bayshore Drive on Tres Palacios Bay, another on 7th Street, and a third at the shrimp boat harbor.

However, if the wind is strong out of the east, south or southeast, it is difficult to go to the south shore out of Palacios because of the 7.5-mile expanse of bay between Palacios and the barrier islands bordering the Gulf of Mexico.

The waves generated by strong south, southeast or east winds over this 7.5 miles expanse of bay can get up to four feet and be haphazard. You can go to the south shore of West Matagorda Bay from Palacios and fish the west end of Matagorda Peninsula on a wind that is under 10 mph, or ideally, a light northeast wind in the morning when you go south, followed by a southeast wind when you come home in the afternoon.

In the winter, cold water causes algae to fall to the bottom, making the water very clear.

In March, the combination of clear water and warming temperatures creates algae blooms.

Sometimes there is so much algae that you can’t run a lure through it. However, if you get next to a leeward shoreline you will have algae-free fishing as the wind will push the irritating algae away from shore.

Strong winds from the northeast are common in March. A strong northeast wind will push water into the backwaters of the bays and predator fish follow baitfish and shrimp into these backwaters. If you like to wade or kayak fish, you will find redfish and flounders in the bayous and lakes of the marsh. I have found that a northeast wind that is 10 to 15 mph is manageable in my 19-foot, flat-bottomed, Carolina skiff, but more than 15 mph from the northeast is more than I or my passengers want to deal with.

Water temperatures should be considered in March. Early in the month, typical water temperatures are close to 60°F and late in the month you will find water temperatures close to 70°F. When the water is cooler, slow your lure movement down and fish near a hole that is four feet deep

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or so. When it is close to 70°F, try running a gold spoon over flats in search of a marauding redfish.

Tidal movement is always a factor because water movement stimulates fish to look for food.

However, if you go out on a day with very little tidal movement, but you have a wind over 10 mph, the movement created by wind will stimulate fish to bite.

Because of all these challenges, fresh water input, algae, strong winds, water temperatures, and tidal movement you might say, “I’m not going.” Still, for serious anglers, the greatest reward is not actually catching the fish, it is finding them. When you do that in March, and then you catch them, you finish the day with a feeling of satisfaction.

THE BANK BITE THE DRUM RUN AT THE JETTIES In March, black drums gather near the jetties to spawn. To fish for them from the Matagorda Jetties, use a medium to heavy action rod, a slip sinker from ¼ ounce to ½ ounce so the bait bounces just over the bottom with the current. Tie on a Kahle-type circle hook (size 4 or 5) with cut fish or shrimp for bait. When using a circle hook, wait until you feel the fish

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THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Shallow bay waters will tend to still be cool, so deeper spots will hold more fish.

Beachfront piers extend just far enough into the Gulf to serve this endeavor, as do the relatively protected waters between jetties. Other favorable spots include inside passes to the Gulf—natural or man-made—and the outlets of streams and rivers to the Gulf. Reef areas will be promising on days of warmer temperatures and good sunshine.

Deep stretches of coastal bayous and rivers are sometimes very good.

SPECIES: Trout and redfish, along with croaker, will be the most sought this month, except for swimming, then slowly raise your rod and start reeling. The circle hook catches in the side of the fish’s mouth, and it is easy to remove once the fish has been landed. You can keep five black drum between

when the big black drum are in late winter spawn.

BAIT: Live bait will be hard to come by, even if you catch your own. Mud minnows may be more easily located, and will work well on most species. Fresh dead bait in the form of shrimp, squid, and baitfish such as finger mullet can be good.

Artificial lures, especially soft plastics, are worth a try, and there are scents available to make them seem more “life-like.”

BEST TIME: Air temperature is not as much a factor, and water temps will be cool. Night fishing under lights can be good for attracted bait species—sometimes VERY good.

« Email Mike Holmes at ContactUs@fishgame.com 14 and 30 inches.

«

Email Mike Price at ContactUs@fishgame.com

2/16/19 2:34 PM

Coastal Focus: MID COAST :: by Capt.

CHRIS MARTIN

Deep Secrets for Specks

produce some rather chilly conditions.

Anglers fishing during these March cold snaps need to remember that the fish will tend to go a bit deeper in order to escape the cold. Knowing how to fish with positive results in deep water will still be advantageous this month.

A common and effective method for catching cold-water trout is what many might refer to as “cold water jigging.” Some anglers may reserve this method of fishing for the coldest, most miserable days out on the water, but it’s a method that can be effective year round when fishing for speckled trout in deeper water.

Cold water jigging requires a little bit of skill and you’ll definitely get to be better at it as you practice. However, it can often be quite effective on cold water trout, so keep that in mind.

A number of different variables surround jigging for trout, and different schools of thought exist regarding the best way to do it.

We all have our own way of doing things, but one method has produced some really nice trout over the years in deeper water. That’s the slow, pop-pop-pop, reel retrieve of your plastic tail baits (or any other of the many bottom-hugging lures).

This method entails two or three consecutive pops of your fishing rod, then you reel in the extra slack you just created by lifting your rod tip twice. You’ll find that the majority of strikes will come on that downward fall following the last pop of the rod.

Because of this, it’s crucial for you to pay close attention to how you perform the “reel” portion (following the two or three rod pops) of your retrieve.

A common mistake many make is that they tend to keep the rod tip in the “up” position after performing the last pop of the rod and as they reel in the extra slack. This, however, keeps your line taut and forces your bait to fall at somewhat of an angle.

This makes your lure swing as if on a pendulum. Instead, begin lowering your rod tip slowly after the last pop as your lure falls back to the bay floor, always allowing a slight

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ANY FOLKS ASSOCIATE the month of March as being the time when things begin warming back up after several months of bitter cold.

Although it’s true that the spring solstice takes place near the middle of this month, March can typically still be counted on to

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“bow” in your line. This motion allows your lure to fall in a more straight line. It also gives it a much more natural appearance.

Reel the slack out of your line after you have already lowered your rod tip and your lure has hit the bay floor. Then repeat the entire process—pop, pop, pop, lower the rod tip, reel slack—pop, pop, pop, lower the rod tip, reel slack, etc.

In extremely cold water, each of these separate motions will need to be performed at what can sometimes be a painfully slow speed, requiring a certain level of patience on the part of the angler. In warmer months, However, the speed can be increased and experimented with until you find what’s working.

March will definitely present us with a few very nice spring-like days. This will certainly place baitfish and trout atop shallow mud/ grass flats whenever the sun has a chance to raise water temperatures a bit.

Rest assured you’ll probably find deeper water adjacent nearby, as the fish will drop off into that deep water the moment the sun goes down or the weather turns bad.

Some of the prime deep-water trout targets in March won’t differ from those you would look to in the middle of winter.

Along our portion of the mid-Texas coast in the Port O’Connor and Seadrift areas, March anglers often experience some very handsome deep-water trout catches in places such as the Army Hole, the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), and the Victoria Barge Canal.

This can happen in particularly deep cuts and bayous passing through islands and back lakes in Port O’Connor, out on Matagorda Island, and in some of the smaller bays and rivers located up in the head of San Antonio Bay. Good luck to you all, and keep grindin’!

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

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2/16/19 2:34 PM

Coastal Focus: ROCKPORT :: by Capt.

MAC GABLE

Dangerous Water

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NE OF MY FAVORITE FISHing tactics is wade fishing, especially when I am by myself.

However, as a fishing guide I pretty much discourage wade fishing for my clients for two major reasons: 1) Putting an angler in the water ups the chances for something going wrong; 2) We normally catch plenty of fish from the boat.

The waters around Rockport are prime for wading but they also present many challenges for inexperienced waders. I have been told by past clients they were expert waders.

In two cases this proved to be a misrepresentation of the truth, which almost cost these anglers their lives.

What hazards do wade fishermen face?

The foremost is tide currents and the force they can put on a wader. There are areas in Rockport where the current can rip over three knots. This can cause a life-threating situation if a person caught in these fastmoving waters loses his/her balance.

Debris or underwater hazards are another problem, compounded in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey. It’s not entanglement that is the nemesis, but injuries from sharp objects that cut through even the finest and thickest waders.

Most waders worry more about predators—sharks, ’gators, snakes or alligator gasr and Dasyatis sabina (the Atlantic stingray).

Of these the stingray is by far the biggest perpetrator. Their barbs are seldom fatal, but pose a high risk for infection. To stay safe, I recommend a few things:

of waders, a heavy neoprene pair for cold water and a light pair for warm water. Take both with you when you go wade fishing.

3) If a wader leaks, fix it or throw it away.

These are not garments that need to be used beyond their normal life span.

4) Do NOT wade in shorts, blue jeans, or long nylon pants, for even jellyfish can penetrate these garments.

5) Watch out for heat exhaustion. Rule of thumb as you start your wade go about 50 yards: if you are hot or cold change into your other pair of waders on your wade back to where you started.

6) Try on a lot of pairs of waders and don’t buy through the Internet unless you know for sure exactly the pair you want. Next month we will talk about wading techniques.

fails it seems to work.

COPANO BAY: Trout frequent the area just off Rattlesnake Point. Fish out about 100 yards where the deep edge transitions are. On warmer days, live shrimp under a silent cork works well. The black drum action is still decent at the mouth of Mission Bay. Use small moves to locate the drum. Peeled shrimp on a light Carolina rig works well.

ST. CHARLES BAY: Wades just off Hail Point using new penny Jerk Shad works well for trout and reds. Slow retrieves often produce some nice flounders. On high tide, Bird Point is a good place for reds using free-lined finger mullet.

ARANSAS BAY: The spoil area at the mouth of Dunham is a good spot for sheepsheads using small pieces of squid free-lined with small Kahle hooks. Grass Island Reef is a good spot for black drum using peeled shrimp under a silent cork. The deeper edges of Spalding Reef are a good spot for trout. On a rising tide here, sand eels in morning glory

• • • SOFT PLASTICS WORK WELL THIS time of year, especially darker colors such as morning glory or blue pepper neon. Bring nuclear chicken as backup. When all else

1) Stay away from major inlets/outlets you are not intimately familiar with as these are highway systems for tidal currents. Any jetty system should be given a wide berth.

2) Purchase and maintain two good pair T E X A S

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Forecast: ROCKPORT MESQUITE BAY: The mouth of Cedar Bayou is a good spot for trout using mud minnows free-lined. On warmer days fish shallow. On cooler days target the deep edges. The shoreline just off Ballou Island is a good wade for reds using finger mullet. This area can be boggy in the shallow water close to the bank, so move slowly.

and silver mud are the ticket.

CARLOS BAY: Wades down Shell Reef are good for reds and trout using a popping cork and shrimp. Move slow and wade out far enough to cast into the edges of the reef.

Some sheepsheads and black drums work the area as well.

AYERS BAY: Drifts down Second Chain using a bubble cork and Berkley Gulp shrimp is a good tactic for trout and keeper reds.

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THE BANK BITE THE BAYSIDE SHORELINE on Copano Bay is a good spot to wade for reds and trout. Be careful of debris. Soft plastics work well here in new penny and nuclear chicken colors.

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

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2/16/19 2:34 PM

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

Now is a Good Time to Catch a Big Nasty

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OOKING TO HOOK UP WITH A big fish in one of the Texas coastal bays? How about Old Nasty, or as I have heard anglers call them, “Old Rubber Lips.” Of course, I’m referring to big black drum, fish that will easily go 20, 30 pounds, or more.

It’s been reported that large black drum can eat more than two commercial-sized oysters per kilogram of body weight each day. Doing the math, a 20-pound drum can eat approximately 44 oysters a day. That’s a lot of oysters.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says that a black drum will reach a length of six inches in their first year, 12 inches the second and 16 inches the third. Increases of about two inches per year occur after that. The largest black drum on record weighed 146 pounds. The Texas record taken by a sport angler is 78 pounds.

The black drum can adapt to a wider range of habitats than any other important Texas food fish. Drums are found in the clearest water of sand flats and in the muddiest waters of a flooding slough. They thrive in water so shallow that their backs are exposed, and also in the Gulf waters more than 100 feet deep.

They are found in extremely warm shallow flats of the Laguna Madre during summer and survive better than many other fish in freezing weather. They are attracted to freshwater runoff from creeks and rivers, yet can live in waters twice as salty as the Gulf of Mexico. This adaptability makes the black drum available to more anglers than any other bay fish.

Large black drums are not considered a “food fish” by Texas anglers. The smaller drum in the one to four-pound range are good to eat.

Most drum feeding is done by feel and

smell. Cut fish, squid and shrimp are used, with peeled shrimp tails (preferably ripe and smelly) the most popular.

Since feeding is done on the bottom, the basic technique is simple - put a baited hook on the bottom and wait for the drum to swallow it. For the popular smaller fish light tackle is more sporting, but for 40-pounders, a heavy rod with plenty of backbone is needed. Use a strong single hook with line and leader of appropriate strength. For more sport, try light tackle using a single drop with no sinker, allowing the bait to move along the bottom with the current. If the bait will not sink, a few split shot on the leader will help.

A conventional bottom rig with sinker and one or more drops with single hooks is most common for bank, surf fishing or fishing from an anchored boat. The absence of weight increases the fight of the fish.

Capt. Jack McPartland says the anglers who go with him in search of the big-’uns are going for the sport. “We use our typical bay gear; it’s a 20-30 minute fight, dead shrimp or sea lice for bait.

Big Black Drum will be in the Aransas, Redfish, Corpus Christi and our other bays until at least mid-March.” McPartland said to look for deep channels and fish on the bottom.

“Carolina-style rigged, length of leader is not important,” says McPartland. He uses an eight- to sixteen-inch leader with a 6/0 Circle hook. “Leader material is the same as the line spooled on my reels. Ninety-nine percent of the times it’s a lip catch.”

Fish along channel slopes. “I fish on the edge of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel,” shares McPartland.

A word of caution: “Don’t fish in the middle because of the ship channel usage,” says Capt. Jack. “Every year I see fisherman, T E X A S

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fishing from boats, get into serious trouble when the wake from a tanker passing by does its best to flip their boat. One year, I saw a boat located between two ships—not a smart move.” Even when wading the shoreline, be careful with a passing tanker. An angler out too far can be buried and sucked under by the wash from a super tanker.

Other locations that have been historically good places to seek out both small and large drums in the Rockport-Fulton area are: Mack Reef, Long Reef, Big Island and the Jay Bird area. Other good black drum fishing spots are Yucca Cut, California Hole, Hog Island and the Morris & Cummings Cut. Drum will often “mouth” the bait for some time before swallowing it. Be patient; wait until the fish moves off with the bait, then jerk the rod tip up to set the hook.

Then be prepared for a 20-30 minute fight.

It makes for a great fish story to tell your angler friends. Don’t forget the camera.

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THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Wisconsin Cut GPS: N 27 42.011, W 97 11.203 SPECIES: Speckled Trout, Redfish TIPS: Freeline live bait, preferrably croaker; start in 3-inch water and work deeper, looking for pockets.

« Email Tom Behrens at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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2/16/19 2:34 PM

Coastal Focus: BAFFIN BAY :: by Capt.

SALLY BLACK

Springtime on Baffin Bay

When you only have a day or two to fish, it’s so much better spending your time fishing productive areas than searching dead water.

2019 is finally showing some promise. We have caught some good fish, but not many of the type we have come to expect on Baffin.

We are a bit spoiled down here because a trout must be over 28 inches before it will even raise an eyebrow.

With a long, hard hunting season behind all of us, our time has been spent exclusively on fishing and the results are starting to show. We have zeroed in on the areas hold-

E

VEN THOUGH ANY DAY spent fishing on this bay system can be an exciting adventure, no time of year seems to excite the seekers of trophy trout more than early spring.

March, April and May have historically been the most consistent months to pick up that personal best trout. It’s a time when creatures of the bay just seem to explode with action. Food sources are once again abundant, and our quarry makes their move to shallow water.

It’s the time of the spawn for Cynoscion Nebulosus, AKA, spotted sea trout. If you have followed us for any time here at Baffin Bay Rod and Gun, you know that we become obsessed with these speckled fish at this time of year.

We know that they begin their spawn when water temps reach the 75 to 80-degree mark and stay there. We also know that they prefer shallow areas with cover such as grass, rocks or other structure.

So now, we must put all this knowledge together with the latest and greatest lures on the market, add a dash of sensitive rods and a big dose of confidence, and we have the recipe for success. But is it really that simple?

It can be that simple, but we have discovered over the years that time spent on the water is the greatest teacher. We have spent just as much time discovering where the fish aren’t as we have figuring out where they are. That’s one reason to hire an experienced guide who is in tune with the area.

This is not just a plug for our business, but a way for you to take a small shortcut in the learning process of your favorite bay system. |

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March, April and May have historically been the most consistent months to pick up that personal best trout.

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ing good fish, and our clients are reaping the rewards.

Soft plastics have been a top producer so far. Our tried and true Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad and Die Dapper are working quite well.

Light colors such as alewife, sugar and spice, snowstorm, fried chicken and grey ghost are at the very top of our go-to list. Kelly Wiggler Willowtails in bone diamond and Down South Lures in magic grass and bone diamond have also been great this spring.

Our topwater bite has been sporadic, but on the days that they are aggressively |

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thrashing our topwaters, Yozurri 3DB’s and Heddon One Knocker Spooks have been the lures of choice. Color really doesn’t seem to make any difference to the fish so throw the color you have the most confidence in.

The relatively new kid on the block for us has been the Barboleta Lele. Its erratic subsurface action is irresistible. You can work it like the Corky or other suspending type lures. We are still experimenting with this lure right now, but all of our guides are impressed with the action and especially the results so far. They come in a variety of colors and your choice will depend on your confidence in your favorite color. But of course, if you know us, we kind of like the lighter colors.

We are very excited about the trophy trout season this year at BBR&G and we look forward to helping our clients realize their dreams of a true trophy trout. It’s time to give it a try on the best bay system to catch those Big Girls with the best group of guides on the bay.

Experience five-star service and accommodations on Baffin Bay, and we promise to make your trip memorable.

Baffin Bay Rod and Gun is the only dual Orvis endorsed lodge in Texas for both wing shooting and fly-fishing. We are proud to announce our partnership with Yeti premium coolers to become Texas’s first Yeti Lodge.

We hope to see many of you soon here at The Last Best Place on the Texas Coast.

«

Contact Capt. Sally Black at 361-205-0624 Email: Sally@CaptainSally.com Web: www.BaffinBayRodandGun.com Facebook: Baffin Bay Rod and Gun Twitter: @CaptainSally Instagram: baffin_bay_rod_and_gun

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

Decisions, Decisions

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KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKing—Winter is not the time for Joe Angler.

All the fishing is specialized and directed at trophy trout, “the fish of a thousand hours.” The typical weekend angler doesn’t have the time, ambition, or resources to be successful in March.

“Besides,” you tell me, pointing an accusing finger at your humble writer, aren’t you the one who says that winter means cold fronts rolling in Friday night and killing the whole weekend?”

Granted, fishing can get iffy in March. Some weekends when the vast majority of us do our fishing (yes, even me) are completely shot. The weekends of mild weather are absolutely golden, and Lower Laguna Madre anglers are not without a myriad of options. The big caveat is trying to decide what to fish for. Here are a few options to mull over while sitting at breakfast at White Sands Marina in Port Isabel or Sweet Gregory P’s in Mansfield.

Sheepshead Galore The great part of the winter sheepshead run is the easy-access nature of the fishery. In March, sheepshead surrender to their ardor, and the spawning run is in full swing. Every piece of structure up and down the coast holds numbers of these toothy convict fish.

On days when the weather permits, all a fisherman needs to do is head to the Brazos Santiago Jetties. Bring some live or fresh shrimp and a reasonably stout spinning or conventional outfit with 15-pound line to catch a quick limit of five sheepies over 15 inches long.

The easiest rig involves a #2 long-shank hook three feet under a popping cork, with a #3 splitshot sinker six inches above the hook to hold everything down. Toss the rig up against the rocks and wait. The float holds the bait above the rocks and also indicates when a sheep is grazing

Winter Drum It isn’t difficult to find an area that produces good numbers of black drum. Just a little north and west of the Causeway is a broad flat near the current Pirate’s Fishing Pier (a long cast from the pier can easily reach the area).

The best times to fish the area are the calm days after a cold front, and at night during the full moon. Large shrimp on a Carolina rig works well for these bruisers.

Most of the fish will be over the maximum 30-inch slot, but the best bait for large black drum are crab chunks with the carapace removed. Pass a 5/0 circle hook through a leg socket and out the top of the crab, chuck the whole rig out, and set the rod in a holder to wait.

Another good area to prospect for black drum is the mouth of the Arroyo Colorado.

These blacks move up and down the drop-off of the Arroyo in tight schools all the way through March.

In fact, many fishermen pull up to fish for these noisy buggers when the wind roughs up the bay too much. The same live shrimp/popping cork rig that you use for trout and redfish will work just fine for these drums.

Fishing Lower Laguna Madre in winter isn’t similar to fishing the same waters in summer, but they aren’t dead waters. There are fish out there in the same variety as in warmer seasons. Just bundle up, keep warm, and have at it.

Long Bar Trout “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sheepshead everywhere!

Big whoop!“ you grumble. “What about trout?”

One excellent choice for fishermen looking for chillin’ trout is Long Bar. Though it is generally considered a springtime/early summer fishing spot, Long Bar is also a good wintertime trout spot. After a series of mild days, speckled trout will take advantage of a high tide and come up on the bar both to forage and to absorb some of the warmth from the winter sun.

Petty recommends a noisy topwater such as Normark’s Skitterwalk or the Super Spook, Jr. Contrary to the super-slow retrieves that are recommended for wintertime topwaters, a fast retrieve is ideal to draw reaction strikes.

As cold-blooded trout warm up, they become more active. A ¼ ounce gold spoon, an underrated trout lure, fluttered along is another good choice. Moreover, the lure might prove effective if trout are short-striking the topwaters.

Should a north wind drive a cold front down from Canada, trout will back off of Long Bar and into the deeper water that braces it. In that case, you can fish the edge of the drop-off with a Mansfield Mauler/jig combo. Gulp! Shrimp in New Penny or Ivory are the go-to baits for postfrontal trout.

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The Mauler allows you to slow down your retrieve, and keeps the lure in one spot for a longer time. The klick-klack of the Mauler provides the sound factor that trout find so attractive, and the length of the leader between it and the lure keeps the latter in the strike zone.

These fish are in a neutral mood because of the weather change, and the longer you can keep a lure in their faces, the better your chances at drawing a strike.

on your bait.

Boaters also have an easy time of it when they search for sheep. The Queen Isabella Causeway is loaded with them. Anchor up underneath the Causeway and allow your boat to drift within 10 feet of the pilings.

Free-lining a live shrimp up against the pilings is all it takes. Again, you will want to use stout tackle for this application, because there are some big fish down there, and you want to force them away from the pilings and into open water as soon as you can.

A free-shrimping setup is different from the rig you use around jetties. A 1/0 short-shanked hook such as the Lazer Sharp 7226 Red Octopus hook replaces the long-shanked hook, and a split shot is the only other terminal tackle you’ll need on your leader. Keep a finger on your line, because these guys are hellacious bait thieves.

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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

SALTWATER Speck Action on East Matagorda

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.

by Tom Behrens

nmosely79@gmail.com www.saltwateraddictionguideservice.com TIPS: Capt. Mosley uses a 3/8 oz. Norton GFX jig head, along with soft plastic tails, working mud or scattered shell over sand.

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: East End Reef GPS: N 28 44.145, W 95 42.444 (28.7358, -95.7074)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Norton Sand Eels, in Chicken-on-theChain and Black Magic colors CONTACT: Capt. Nick Mosley 979-943-7497 nmosely79@gmail.com www.saltwateraddictionguideservice.com TIPS: Capt. Mosley will fish West Matagorda Bay, but normally not. “Won’t start fishing West Bay until late Spring or Summer.”

LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Willies Head Island GPS: N 29 32.155, W 94 48.524 (29.5359, -94.8087)

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cleveland Reef GPS: N 28 39.983, W 95 51.982 (28.6664, -95.8664)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Norton Sand Eels, in Chicken-on-theChain and Black Magic colors CONTACT: Capt. Nick Mosley 979-943-7497 nmosely79@gmail.com www.saltwateraddictionguideservice.com TIPS: “I do a lot drifting in March,” said Capt.

Mosely. “The fish are just starting to spawn, and they will pull off the shorelines and get out in the middle.”

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Norton Sand Eels, in Chicken-on-theChain and Black Magic colors CONTACT: Capt. Nick Mosley 979-943-7497 nmosely79@gmail.com www.saltwateraddictionguideservice.com TIPS: “I typically throw the bigger Norton Sand Eels.

My go-to color in clean water is Chicken-on-a-Chain.

In off-color water I will use a Black Magic.” Capt.

Mosley

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Tripod GPS: N 28 40.147, W 95 54.813 (28.6691, -95.9136)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics, Corky and Catch 2000 CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com gofishglaveston.com TIPS: “Pretty much wading, not much action in the middle of the bay in March.” Capt. Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Smith Point Flats GPS: N 29 31.258, W 94 45.095 (29.5210, -94.7516)

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Brown Cedar Flats GPS: N 28 44.406, W 95 42.09 (28.7401, -95.7015) SPECIES: Redfish & Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics, Corky and Catch 2000 CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com gofishglaveston.com TIPS: “Fish shorelines, both north and south shore-

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Norton Sand Eels, in Chicken-on-theChain and Black Magic colors CONTACT: Capt. Nick Mosley 979-943-7497

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FISHING HOTSPOTS lines of East Bay…weather permitting Trinity Bay. It depends on outflow of fresh water from the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers.” Capt. Marcaccio

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

BEST BAITS: Egret Vudu under a Popping Cork CONTACT: Capt. Adam Jaynes 409-998--3901 amjaynes@gmail.com www.justfishsabine.com TIPS: Capt. Jaynes likes the Vudu soft plastic tail because of its durability, and the tail gives off a natural swimming motion on the retrieve.

LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Siever’s Cut GPS: N 29 26.074, W 94 42.692 (29.4346, -94.7115)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics, Corky and Catch 2000 CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com gofishglaveston.com TIPS: “Wade the shoreline on falling tides, looking ambush points at all drains and bayous.” Capt.

Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston West Bay HOTSPOT: North Shoreline GPS: N 29 14.315, W 95 0.677 (29.2386, -95.0113)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics, Corky and Catch 2000 CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com gofishglaveston.com TIPS: Soft Plastic colors: bright colors on clear days…limetreuse, pearl, Slamming Chicken and “Chicken-on-a-Chain. On cloudy days, or off color water,plum, Red Shad, black or purple.

Aransas Reds Like to Play Blackjack

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics, Corky and Catch 2000 CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com gofishglaveston.com TIPS: “On a clear day trout pick up the reflections, how they see the bait. When they see an opaque bait is because the of the shadow it cast in the water.” Capt.

Marcaccio

by Tom Behrens

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Blackjack Point GPS: N 28 7.308, W 96 57.951 (28.1218, -96.9659)

LOCATION: Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Colorado River GPS: N 28 40.542, W 95 58.08 (28.6757, -95.9680)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Cut Mullet, Soft Plastics, Spoons CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: “Any of the shallow water flats, 3 feet of water and less should be great.” Capt. McPartland

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Norton Sand Eels, in Chicken-on-theChain and Black Magic colors CONTACT: Capt. Nick Mosley 979-943-7497 nmosely79@gmail.com www.saltwateraddictionguideservice.com TIPS: “In the winter, depending on how much rain we have had, I will typically fish the rivers if still salty.”

Capt. Mosley

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Blackjack Shoreline GPS: N 28 7.308, W 96 57.951 (28.1218, -96.9659)

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: East Pass Rig GPS: N 29 58.524, W 93 47.379 (29.9754, -93.7897)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Cut Mullet, Soft Plastics, Spoons CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com

SPECIES: Speckled Trout T E X A S

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FISHING HOTSPOTS www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: “The redfish will be in just about any channel with warming water temps, using just about any of the old standby baits ….soft plastic tails, spoons, live and dead bait.” Capt. McPartland

361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: Capt. McPartland said the big black drum should be around Ingleside area, deep. Weights could range from 1/2 oz. to 2 oz, depending on tides, ship traffic and wind. He uses a 6/0 Circle Hook tied on the end of 16 inch leader, rigged Carolina style.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Live Oak Point GPS: N 28 6.207, W 97 1.105 (28.1035, -97.0184)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: “Normally we pursue the redfish in March, but when the water temps reach the 60s the trout will become more active.” Capt. McPartland

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: “Wade fishing should produce more action than staying in the boat.” Capt. McPartland

LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Corpus Christi Ship Channel GPS: N 27 50.229, W 97 5.584 (27.8372, -97.0931)

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Paul’s Mott GPS: N 28 2.719, W 96 57.003 (28.0453, -96.9501)

SPECIES: Black Drum BEST BAITS: Cut baits CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland

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Specks, Reds and Flounder at Arroyo

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by Tom Behrens

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Three Islands GPS: N 26 16.834, W 97 17.366 (26.2806, -97.2894)

SPECIES: Flounder & Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Bait or Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. George Strader 956-434-9971 gfcsfishing@yahoo.com www.spicharterfishing.com TIPS: “If you find yourself fishing on a calm day you can fish the intercoastal up by Three Islands, along the houses.

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: ICW between 3 Islands and Arroyo GPS: N 26 19.599, W 97 18.591 (26.3267, -97.3099)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish BEST BAITS: Cut Mullet or Cut Ballyhoo CONTACT: Capt. George Strader 956-434-9971

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FISHING HOTSPOTS gfcsfishing@yahoo.com www.spicharterfishing.com TIPS: Another favorite bait is the New Penney Gulp fished under a popping cork on a 3/4 ounce jig head.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Stover Point GPS: N 26 12.138, W 97 17.849 (26.2023, -97.2975)

FRESHWATER Bass Get Bogged Down on Rayburn

CONTACT: Caddo Lake Guide Service/Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net www.caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish this area of the Texas side (upper end) and stay in the trees that sit in 3-4 ft of water. Work theses lures around the base of the cypress trees. March and April are our 2 biggest months for catching trophy sized bass and most all come from around the base of the cypress trees. This is where the bass spawn in the Spring on Caddo Lake. Stick with dark colored soft plastics like black/blue, junebug, and black/ red flake.

Once the water gets up to 58 degrees the bass begin the spawning process.

by Dustin Warncke

LOCATION: Lake Sam Rayburn HOTSPOT: Boggy Creek GPS: N 31 21.558, W 94 19.7939 (31.3593, -94.3299) SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish BEST BAITS: Cut Mullet or Cut Ballyhoo CONTACT: Capt. George Strader 956-434-9971 gfcsfishing@yahoo.com www.spicharterfishing.com TIPS: For the speckled trout in this area, Capt. Strader likes using cut mullet, or cut ballyhoo fished on the bottom with a one oz. drop weight LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Color Change GPS: N 26 10.428, W 97 12.762 (26.1738, -97.2127)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. George Strader 956-434-9971 gfcsfishing@yahoo.com www.spicharterfishing.com TIPS: Capt. Strader said you will find good numbers of trout and redfish using soft red/white soft plastic tails.

••

LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 24.522, W 95 34.8179 (30.4087, -95.5803)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-traps in red, spinnerbaits, soft plastics CONTACT: Mike Knight 936-635-2427 notechmike@hotmail.com www.easttxfishingguide.com TIPS: The water level is at or above full pool right now and will likely be that way still in March. The bass spawn will be on fire all month long. Lots of fish are shallow and this is the easiest month of all to catch a bunch of fish with some real big ones thrown in. Bed fishing will be great, but the bass will be way back in the flooded stuff. Throw Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits the 1st two weeks of this month and plastics the last half. The whole lake will be hot fishing. If there are any bad places to bass fish on Rayburn in March, I just don’t know where they are.

SPECIES: Hybrid Stripers BEST BAITS: Live shad, Storm Swim Shad CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-661-7920 admin@fishdudetx.com www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: The hybrid stripers are doing great now, and this is the time to catch trophy fish. They will be all around the lake on main lake points and humps. The use of electronics is a necessity! Find the schools of shad and you will find the hybrids. This time of year they will range in the water column from 15 to 40 feet.

Find the depth the bait are in and you will find the fish.

One mistake a lot of people make in doing this is they don’t constantly watch what depth the fish are in. These fish move up and down in the water column hour to hour and if you don’t follow them you will stop catching fish. Live shad will be the bait of choice, but the swim shad will work if you can control the depth. Good luck and good fishing! Bank Access: Stowaway Marina

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Clinton Lake GPS: N 32 45.03, W 94 6.5159 (32.7505, -94.1086)

••• SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Black/blue chatterbaits, wacky rigged Senkos in dark colors, 6” lizards in dark colors

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FISHING HOTSPOTS this rig into shallow water around stumps, grass and laydown logs. Fish with a twitch, pause, retrieve.

Second technique is a Texas rig. I’ll use this rig when the wind is blowing, or the fish are deeper. I still use the Grandebass Rattlesnake for the most part, however, mixing it up is always fun. Here’s the third technique to cover water. I have two ways to do it when the sun is out, and wind is blowing. I’ll use a Grandebass Hammer Jammer swimbait Texas rigged with a 4/0 hook and 1/8 tungsten weight. When the wind is blowing, or the weather is nasty I turn to the Finch Nasty Elite Hunter Thumper swimjig. This jig shakes big ones into biting when nothing else will.

Fish these two techniques in areas leading into spawning areas, covering standing timber, lay down logs, grass and hard bottom points . Good fishin’ all!

LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Glade Creek GPS: N 32 53.502, W 95 31.8659 (32.8917, -95.5311)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Zoom Magnum black finesse worm CONTACT: Doug Shampine 940-902-3855 doug@lakeforktrophybass.com www.lakeforktrophybass.com TIPS: March is the month the big female bass are looking for places to spawn and feeding up as they look for the right spot. Look at the protected flats from a north wind and that has a creek channel close by.

Having vegetation is a plus. My best bait year in and out will be a magnum black finesse worm rigged with a split shot about 10 inches above the worm. This is a killer for the big female bass, and I work it very slow.

Most bites come when just lying there. I also use a chartreuse ring fry rigged the same way. Check the water that is 4-7 feet and fish the warmest water you can find. I also like to use a white swim bait to locate bass in those areas. Check out Little Caney, Glade, Burch and Running Creeks for pre-spawn action.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Harmon Creek GPS: N 30 51.492, W 95 26.8079 (30.8582, -95.4468)

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad, Blue Fox, Rat-L-Traps, Tsunami Cocktail spinners, Road Runners, CONTACT: David S. Cox, Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: March 15th is the peak of the incredible white bass spawn on Lake Livingston. Harmon Creek is often referred to as the “white bass capital of the world”.

Now, sows or “pigs” will be full of eggs and ready to spawn out. Spring White Bass fishing is met with a fanatical following here. Whites will move into upper Lake Livingston creeks in huge numbers to spawn.

Harmon Creek is famous for white bass fishing in March. However, many factors need to come together to get in on the great fishing here in March. Current conditions can dictate the fishing as one day can be feast and famine the next day. Water conditions, temperature and fluctuating levels can dictate success or failure. Typically, the best time to go is with a warming trend bringing a southeast wind following a recent local rain. The moving water from run off will pull the fish up stream and stack them up in deep holes far up Harmon Creek. Here the whites will stack up under the right conditions. Launch at Harmon Creek Marina and go far up stream, looking for clearing or “tea” colored water.

Key in on the downstream side of sandbars in deep holes. Make a long cast and work the baits slowly. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is fishing the

LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Dale Creek GPS: N 32 48.918, W 95 36.474 (32.8153, -95.6079)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Grandebass 6.5-in. Rattlesnake, Finch Nasty Elite Hunter Thumper swim jig CONTACT: Lance Vick 903-312-0609 lance@lakeforkbass.com www.guideonlakefork.com TIPS: March is spawn time on Lake Fork. Bass are moving shallow to take care of spawning actives.

What does this mean? More bass are shallow and more accessible to bass fisherman. There are three main techniques that I employ during this time. First is a Grandebass 6.5”” Rattlesnake, rigged weightless on 17 lb. fluorocarbon line with a 5/0 hook. Casting

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baits too fast. With lower water temperatures in March the white’s metabolism is lowered, making for a less aggressive bite. Lake Livingston consists of 90,000 surface acres of water and 450 miles of shoreline.

BANK ACCESS: Harmon Creek Marina “ LOCATION: Toledo Bend Lake HOTSPOT: Indian Mounds Area GPS: N 31 18.378, W 93 41.7779 (31.3063, -93.6963)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-traps, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, bass jigs CONTACT: Mike Knight 936-635-2427 notechmike@hotmail.com www.easttxfishingguide.com TIPS: It’s all about the spawn. Toledo is so long from North to South that bass will be in all stages. On the north end the fish will be on beds and some nests will be hatched with males guarding fry while on the south end it could be pre-spawn with staging fish feeding like crazy. There will be fish at all depths hitting just about everything so just fish your favorite spots and lures and enjoy.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend North HOTSPOT: Anderson Island Area (Car Body Hole) GPS: N 31 42.54, W 93 46.3019 (31.7090, -93.7717)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, soft plastics, frogs, tubes, jigs, spinnerbaits, top water baits, stick baits, shallow diving crank baits, just about anything in your tackle box CONTACT: Greg Crafts, Toledo Bend Guide Service and Lake Cottages 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com www.toledobendguide.com TIPS: The bass are in shallow water moving in and out of the spawning flats. If a cold front moves in, the fish will stay in the same area but will move out to the

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FISHING HOTSPOTS closest drop-off into deep water. Start off with a fast moving bait like a Rat-L-Trap or spinnerbait to cover a lot of water to locate the fish. If you catch one, slow down because there will usually be more fish in the same area. With the increase in boat traffic, please be courteous to your fellow fishermen! Statistics show that more “lunker bass”” weighing 10 lbs. or more are caught in March than any other month of the year.

If you are lucky enough to land a “lunker” and have it weighed and certified at a registered Toledo Bend Lake Association station.

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SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Little Georges, Tail Hummers, chrome Rat-L-Traps, chartreuse slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Have your binoculars handy, birds are still working, and the Whites are gorging and spawning

around Snake Island. Cast above lures along windblown points for spawning whites. Triplet Point is also producing a lot of whites. Little Georges, chrome Rat-L-Traps and chartreuse slabs are producing great catches early and late.

LOCATION: Bachman Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 32 51.564, W 96 51.3839

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Major Bass Action on Cedar

by Dustin Warncke & Dean Heffner

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Major Creek Arms GPS: N 32 14.5319, W 96 1.656 (32.2422, -96.0276)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, bass jigs, soft plastics CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: This time of year we are “power fishing” for bass. Fish the back of all the major creek arms and coves with spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, as well as jigs and soft plastics. Target bass in 1 to 4ft of water as bass are moving shallow for the spawn.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Snake Island GPS: N 31 55.038, W 97 12.726 (31.9173, -97.2121)

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FISHING HOTSPOTS (32.8594, -96.8564)

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Intake Corner GPS: N 29 55.2779, W 96 44.8379 (29.9213, -96.7473)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass & Crappie BEST BAITS: Bass: spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps | Crappie: minnows and crappie 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 lines. Bass fishing is especially good at the dam, by the banks and near the timber under the bridge. Crappie are under the bridge at night this time of year. Minnows and jigs are your best bet right now.

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Stink bait, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Fish are eating algae and bait fish along the rocks and also spawning here. Fish rocks and cattails along the intake. Dawn to mid-morning seem to be the best times to fish.

LOCATION: Eagle Mountain Lake HOTSPOT: Mud Flats East of Church Point GPS: N 32 55.492, W 97 30.051 (32.9249, -97.5009)

CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Now is probably the most popular time for most people to fish. The weather is warming up and the white bass spawn is in full swing. The most popular place to fish is at Dickerson’s River Bottom (The Steps) up from the lake near Circleville. Willis Creek can also be very good and maybe be less crowded. The time of day can sometimes be very important when fishing for white bass. Sometimes they will make a run just before dark and you can limit out very quickly at that time.

That is an important tip I will give. Using river minnows instead of bought ones can also improve your catch. I hope this helps. Good luck and good fishing.

LOCATION: Lake Granbury HOTSPOT: Tin Top GPS: N 32 34.559, W 97 49.295 (32.5760, -97.8216)

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Lone Tree East of Hog Point GPS: N 30 37.878, W 96 3.78 (30.6313, -96.0630)

SPECIES: White bass BEST BAITS: Slab with a fly 12 in. above; spinnerbaits with shiny blades CONTACT: Johnny Stevens 817-597-6598 johnnystevens@1scom.net johnnysguideservice.com TIPS: This area is composed of many slopes and humps. Water depth is normally 12 to 24 feet deep.

When water temp approaches 60 degrees many sand bass will spawn on these humps and slopes. Look on each slope and hump with your electronics until you see a series of small humps on the bottom. Throw out a marker buoy and anchor over them and jig up and down.

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, CJ’s punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: This is a great area when south winds blow into the bank here. Fish tight line or with cork set shallow.

Cast close to shore. The bite can be fast so be ready!

LOCATION: Granger Lake HOTSPOT: San Gabriel River and Willis Creek GPS: N 30 39.06, W 97 25.6259 (30.6510, -97.4271)

SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Small jigs with soft plastics in Electric Chicken and Chartreuse colors worked near structure near banks/docks CONTACT: Michael W. Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters 817-578-0023 TIPS: Work the bends in the river and look for fish either in the deeper holes and when active on top of flats adjacent to the deeper water. Crappie will be spawning most creeks and sloughs all over the lake and in the river. Granbury water temperatures are in the 60’s. Spring patterns are in full force. Stripers are active and are moving back and forth from the river to deeper water on the main lake. Wintering Birds are still in place and are pointing anglers to active feeding fish from the dam to the river above Granbury. Passing cool fronts/storm fronts continue to dominate the weather pattern.

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: River minnows

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FISHING HOTSPOTS LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 33 2.124, W 96 29.0459 (33.0354, -96.4841)

chests full of “”eater size”” blues and channels and an occasional big blue that may be the fish of a lifetime.

Stick with the Richland Creek arm of the lake and fish on or near the edge of the creek channel in depths of 30’-35’ feet of water. Danny Kings Punch Bait on a # 4 Treble Hook fished near the bottom is normally deadly.

LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Sand Branch Point GPS: N 33 23.729, W 97 0.78 (33.3955, -97.0130)

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Snake Island GPS: N 30 18.75, W 96 35.634 (30.3125, -96.5939) SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Crappie jigs, minnows CONTACT: Carey Thorn 469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: Crappie are spawning shallow in 1-10 feet of water this time of year. Look for them on wood, gravel, sand, and rocks. If the lake is up at full, look in the submerged willows and standing timber. You can also try fishing a jig and bobber the rocks.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Chimney Cove GPS: N 32 4.986, W 95 25.002 (32.0831, -95.4167)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Big Eye spinnerbaits, Shimmy Shakers , Big Eye buzzbaits, Big Eye jigs, medium running crankbaits CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: The best fishing will be on your main lake points and back in the main lake creek pockets. There are several lures that are good to use this time of year.

The hotspot given is Chimney Cove and is a good starting place for bass this time of year.

SPECIES: Crappie, white bass BEST BAITS: Minnows, White/chartreuse spinners, white/shad colored crankbaits CONTACT: Justin Wilson 214-538-2780 TIPS: March is one of my favorite times of the year to catch white bass on this lake. The fish are loading up getting ready for spawn and are feeding heavy. Look for schools of fish stacking up on points and humps close to creek channels in 20-30 foot of water. Keep an eye out for gulls working .Slabs and just about anything bright colored will catch them, but I like tying on a bigger deep diving crank bait and catch good quality fish. Hold onto your rod too because there could be a largemouth or two feeding beneath the whites . The crappie bite is getting better and starting to see more keepers. Crappie have been on brush piles and bridge pillars in 15-25 foot of water. Jigs are working well but the quality of fish seem to be better on minnows.

LOCATION: Lake Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Main Lake Flats GPS: N 32 51.064, W 95 54.934 (32.8510, -95.9155)

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: Richland Creek Arm GPS: N 31 57.2819, W 96 18.8159 (31.9547, -96.3136)

SPECIES: Catfish & White Bass BEST BAITS: Cut and live shad CONTACT: Andrew Taylor, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service 903-269-6587 etxbass@gmail.com TIPS: As we move out of the winter season and start to transition into a tad bit warmer weather, we will start to see more and more fish pull up shallow. I typically start to wrap up my catfish season around the end of February and start to move into the eater sized cats as well as white bass and hybrid- striper. I change my gear over from 8’ PRO Angler rods back to 7’ MH Cherry wood rods for a better feel. I like to focus large flats for eater size catfish along with the bass. Typically I’ll run a Carolina Rig (1 oz. weight and 24”” leader) tipped with a piece of cut threadfin shad. The reason

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Danny Kings punch bait CONTACT: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com www.gonefishin.biz TIPS: March can be an awesome or very tough month on RC, and it all depends on Mother Nature! The crappie can be on their spawn and easy to catch in the shallows. Or the White Bass may have already finished their spawn way up creek channels and made their way back to the main lake. However, if we have a late winter or cold and wet early spring, you may not be able to find and catch either species. That’s why we normally stick with catfish in March and continue to catch ice T E X A S

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SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Fish the south side of this island with wind blowing into the shore. Shad should be gathering shallow now. Use tight line and cast close to the shore here.

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FISHING HOTSPOTS these small eater cats are staged up on top of these flats are because of the shad. Once the shad feel the water temperature warming up, they go to it, making catching the cats easy work. As for the white bass what I typically find is schools of them on the side of humps 14’-22’ feet of water. These fish are getting ready for their spawn and are HUNGRY. I run a Carolina rig with live bait, using 3”” threadfin shad.”

TIPS: Early in the morning we are using Wild Eyed Shad swimbaits and casting out on the hump and retrieving back with a medium to fast retrieve and catching the stripers as they are moving up on the hump gorging on the spawning shad. After the sun comes up, I like backing off the hump and anchoring in 30’ of water and fishing live shad suspended off the bottom. Also, make long casts up on the hump with live shad and free line them on a Carolina rig. The stripers will pick them up and make a long run. Long distance fight and provide a lot of fun. For white bass, check out Nolan River at the Brazos (N32 05.242’, W97 28.152’) for spawning whites but they can also be caught the main lake. Spawning whites on the main lake are in Whitney Creek and along Whitney Point.

Use a small swim bait (Sassy Shad) and tie a Fle-Fly about 10” above it and make long casts up on points and bounce up and down along edge of point back to boat. Catch them two at a time!

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Paw Paw Creek and Mill Creek Cut GPS: N 33 49.7339, W 96 45.3059 (33.8289, -96.7551)

••

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Road Runner jigs, Sassy Shad jigs CONTACT: Bill Carey 903-786-4477 bigfishlaketexoma@gmail.com www.striperexpress.com TIPS: In March the white bass have already spawned, and the stripers are staging up the main tributaries.

Structure like main lake points, ditches and creeks will hold stripers. Using 1oz. RoadRunner and Sassy Shad jigs in white or chartreuse will work best. Fish the creeks in 12’ to 20’ of water with a slow retrieve for fish up to 20 pounds. Pay attention to the seagulls.

They can be your best fish finder. When you are fishing under the birds keep your lure in the top 15’ of water.

Most activity will be west of the Willis bridge and north of the railroad bridge on the Washita arm of the lake.

Bank Access: Slickem Slough and Paw Paw Creek

•••

Henry Bass on the Move in March

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Whitney Hump GPS: N 31 54.672, W 97 20.868 (31.9112, -97.3478)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Shaky heads with blue worms, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits CONTACT: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220 nclayton42@sbcglobal.net www.lakealanhenry.com/fishing-guides.html TIPS: “March will find the bass moving up the creeks looking for a spawning place and chasing shad. Any creek on the lake will be holding bass. I will be using shaky head jigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits which will all work well. Some bass will also be on the steep banks where a jerkbait will be

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LOCATION: Hubbard Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Lower Creek Arm GPS: N 32 45.468, W 99 0.6751 (32.7578, -99.0113)

SPECIES: White Crappie BEST BAITS: jigs, small spinnerbaits CONTACT: Michael D. Homer Jr., Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 325-692-0921 michael.homer@tpwd.texas.gov TIPS: Historically, anglers have reported catching great numbers of crappie in the lower creek arm in the southern end of the reservoir. Fishing the submersed brush and vegetation with curly-tailed jigs and small spinners may yield a bite.

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Peanut Patch GPS: N 32 53.627, W 98 30.998 (32.8938, -98.5166)

by Dustin Warncke & Dean Heffner

LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry HOTSPOT: Main Lake Creeks GPS: N 33 2.634, W 101 3.732 (33.0439, -101.0622)

SPECIES: Striped Bass & White Bass BEST BAITS: Chartreuse Wild Eyed Shad, Sassy Shad, Fle-Fly, live gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com www.teamredneck.net

a good choice.”

&

SPECIES: Striped, white bass, hybrids BEST BAITS: Jigs, slabs, live shad CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: March is the beginning of spring, so if the rain comes hard and water is flowing in then disregard most of this and head to where the water is flowing in—the fish will too! We like cloudy days on the Peanut Patch, as that is how the fish also like it. We are still jiggin’ & slabbin’ but when we can find them, we fish fresh live shad. Colors depend on the water clarity. The clearer, the brighter light chrome. More stained the more we go to chartreuse and bold colors. When you catch a fish look at the graph and take note of the water depth.

Usually they will run that depth down a bank line like a natural highway. If I catch a fish and its 20 feet deep, the rest of the day I will catch fish at 20 feet. Also, you still have birds, so watch them—they will put you on fish.

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2/16/19 2:35 PM

FISHING HOTSPOTS Amistad Bass Rough it in March

by Dustin Warncke

LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Rough Canyon Area GPS: N29 34.20456, W100 58.4892 (29.570076, -100.974820)

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, crankbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits CONTACT: Stan Gerzsenyl 830-768-3648 stan@amistadbass.com amistadbass.com TIPS: Fish the shallow pockets in the various arms off the river channel. Start at the mouths of the coves and work your way to the back of them slowly. On bright days, make long casts with soft plastic jerkbaits and Carolina-rigged worms.

••

•••

Mixed Bag of Good Eatin’ on Canyon

Pencil Poppers, Zara Spooks or any kind of topwater lure. Chrome w/ blue back as well as chrome w/ black back, along with chartreuse are great colors for this time of the year. White bass will be on the upper end of the lake around Shaw & Garret island areas as well as Silver Creek using live shad.

BEST BAITS: Luhr-Jensen Radar 10 in chrome blue or chartreuse CONTACT: Capt. Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230 capt.steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com www.sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Troll the Luhr-Jensen Radar 10 in the main river channel from the rapids of the river to the mouth of the lake until you locate the fish. Then, fish the area of the river you find them in. This is one of my favorite times of year on Canyon. On any cast you may catch a white bass, striped bass, largemouth, crappie or even catfish!

LOCATION: Lake LBJ HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 34.404, W 98 21.6719 (30.5734, -98.3612)

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Upper Main Lake GPS: N 30 51.6299, W 98 25.5239 (30.8605, -98.4254)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass and Crappie BEST BAITS: Hard plastic jerk baits, soft plastic jerk baits, slow rolling spinnerbaits CONTACT: Teach ‘Em to Fish Guide Service-Barry Dodd 210-771-0123 barry@teachemtofish.net www.teachemtofish.net TIPS: Water temperature is in the 50’s but the bass and crappie are looking to begin their search for spawning grounds. Most fish are still deeper during the cold nights and days; however, bass seem to never leave the comforts of oxygen rich vegetation and move into shallower water as the sun heats it up. The best fishing occurs just before frontal passage and then a couple days after when the winds return from the south.

Generally, the best fishing is in the afternoons on north banks protected from the north winds and areas that receive lots of sunshine. Try throwing hard plastic jerk baits over grass with longer pauses on the retrieve. Soft plastic jerk baits and slow rolling spinnerbaits in the same areas are also good producers.

SPECIES: Striped Bass & White Bass BEST BAITS: Live shad, chartreuse slabs CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasfishing@gmail.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: White bass and stripers on the move towards the river. Fishing is good drifting or anchored with live shad. Concentrate on the upper half of lake, near humps and ridges. Fish in the 5-30 foot range. When you hit a school of fish, anchor and jig white or chartreuse slabs just off the bottom.

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Garret Island GPS: N 30 50.5139, W 98 24.978 (30.8419, -98.4163)

LOCATION: Lake LBJ HOTSPOT: Elm Creek Area GPS: N 30 34.7039, W 98 21.7739 (30.5784, -98.3629)

by Dustin Warncke

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Guadalupe River GPS: N 29 54.468, W 98 17.3759 (29.9078, -98.2896)

SPECIES: Striped Bass, White Bass & Crappie

SPECIES: Striped Bass and White Bass BEST BAITS: Top water lures, live shad CONTACT: Ken Milam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: Stripers will be on the windy points early morning chasing shad. This time of year should be good top water but, then again, it’s just getting started. Throw T E X A S

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Hard plastic jerk baits, soft plastic jerk baits, slow rolling spinnerbaits CONTACT: Teach ‘Em to Fish Guide Service-Barry Dodd |

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FISHING HOTSPOTS 210-771-0123 barry@teachemtofish.net www.teachemtofish.net TIPS: The Elm Creek area is a good location this time of year. There is lots of vegetation, ditches, and deeper water nearby and fairly protected from the north wind.

Head Up River for Falcon Bass

LOCATION: Travis HOTSPOT: Arkansas Bend GPS: N30 23.70522, W97 56.9988 (30.395087, -97.949980)

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Upper Rio Grande Tributaries GPS: N27 0.06276 W99 23.61198 (27.001046, -99.393533)

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Deep crankbaits and C-rigs with Watermelon Finesse worms and Baby Brush Hogs in Watermelon Candy color.

CONTACT: Bryan Cotter - Texas Hawgs Bass Fishing Guide Service 512-762-0190 texashawgs@gmail.com www.texashawgs.com TIPS: Work the Arkansas Bend area using deep crankbaits and Carolina rigs with Watermelon Finesse worms and Baby Brush Hogs in Watermelon Candy in 15-30 feet.

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, lizards, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robertsfishntackle@gmail.com robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the numerous coves on the Texas side of the Rio Grande with spinnerbaits early and then switch to jigs and soft plastic worms and target the brush along the rocky banks in three to four feet of water.

Fish slowly.

LOCATION: Travis HOTSPOT: Sandy Creek GPS: N30 28.16778, W97 54.56292 (30.469463, -97.909382)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: “War eagle spinnerbaits - Screaming Eagle in Gold Shiner color.

CONTACT: Jim Behnken 210-414-8048 jimbehnken@hotmail.com www.fishlakefalcon.com TIPS: Place your boat in the creek channel and vary your casts from the center of the channel up onto the edges of the creek channel. Slow roll the spinner making as much contact with underwater bushes and trees as possible. Occasionally flutter the bait to attract bites.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Shad colored lures CONTACT: Rocky’s Guide Service 361-960-0566 TIPS: March means winter is coming to an end as a rule in South Texas. This month seems to kick off bass fishing in most areas. Further south the spawn is already at its peak time or most likely in post-spawn.

Here at Coleto it’s usually pre-spawn. Use bigger baits and take advantage of warmer days. Big females

•••

M A R C H

LOCATION: Lake Falcon HOTSPOT: Little Tiger Creek GPS: N 26 53.112, W 99 15.5099 (26.8852, -99.2585)

«

LOCATION: Coleto Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Turkey Creek GPS: N 28 44.91, W 97 10.158 (28.7485, -97.1693)

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Shallow to medium diving crankbaits and Shaky Heads with craw worms.

CONTACT: Bryan Cotter - Texas Hawgs Bass Fishing Guide Service 512-762-0190 texashawgs@gmail.com www.texashawgs.com TIPS: The Sandy Creek area is producing nice bass in the backs of pockets but be sure to fish this area earlier in the day for the best results.

••

by Dustin Warncke

will be moving toward creek mouths, then moving up shallower during the day, waiting on a male to come guide her toward his little bed he has made for her. If she likes it, she will leave her eggs with him to guard.

If she doesn’t like what she sees, she will wait for another male. Shad, perch and crawfish will be on the menu. Females are pregnant and grouchy so hang on for a fight!

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GET I T NOW!

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Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MARCH 2019

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 Overhead

Fishing Score Graph

Moon Underfoot

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 66

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MARCH 2019

Tides and Prime Times MONDAY

25

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: FEET

2:46a 10:39a 3:17p 7:47p

-0.22ft.

0.87ft.

0.74ft.

0.83ft.

TUESDAY

26

Low Tide: 3:56a High Tide: 12:47p

-0.29ft.

0.95ft.

WEDNESDAY

27

Low Tide: 5:07a High Tide: 2:27p

-0.34ft.

1.04ft.

THURSDAY

28

Low Tide: 6:13a High Tide: 3:18p

-0.37ft.

1.08ft.

FRIDAY

Mar 1 Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

7:09a 3:50p 9:27p 11:27p

-0.37ft.

1.08ft.

0.89ft.

0.91ft.

SATURDAY

2

Low Tide: 7:57a High Tide: 4:11p Low Tide: 9:24p

SUNDAY

3

-0.36ft.

1.05ft.

0.88ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

12:35a 8:37a 4:26p 9:19p

0.96ft.

-0.33ft.

1.02ft.

0.84ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0

0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

4:30 — 6:30 AM Sunrise: 6:48a Sunset: 6:15p Moonrise: None Moon Set: 11:07a

AM Minor: 10:29a AM Major: 4:17a PM Minor: 10:54p PM Major: 4:42p

12p

6p

BEST TIME

5:00 — 7:00 AM Sunrise: 6:47a Sunset: 6:15p Moonrise: 12:53a Moon Set: 11:49a

AM Minor: 11:20a AM Major: 5:08a PM Minor: 11:45p PM Major: 5:33p

Moon Overhead: 5:33a Moon Underfoot: 5:58p

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Moon Overhead: 6:23a Moon Underfoot: 6:48p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

12:00 — 2:00 AM Sunrise: 6:46a Sunset: 6:16p Moonrise: 1:50a Moon Set: 12:34p

AM Minor: ----AM Major: 5:57a PM Minor: 12:09p PM Major: 6:22p

Moon Overhead: 7:13a Moon Underfoot: 7:38p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

1:00 — 3:00 AM Sunrise: 6:45a Sunset: 6:17p Moonrise: 2:43a Moon Set: 1:21p

AM Minor: 12:31a AM Major: 6:43a PM Minor: 12:56p PM Major: 7:08p Moon Overhead: 8:02a Moon Underfoot: 8:27p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

2:00 — 4:00 AM Sunrise: 6:44a Sunset: 6:18p Moonrise: 3:34a Moon Set: 2:11p

AM Minor: 1:16a AM Major: 7:28a PM Minor: 1:41p PM Major: 7:53p

Moon Overhead: 8:52a Moon Underfoot: 9:16p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

11:00A — 1:00P Sunrise: 6:43a Sunset: 6:18p Moonrise: 4:21a Moon Set: 3:02p

AM Minor: 2:00a AM Major: 8:12a PM Minor: 2:24p PM Major: 8:36p

Moon Overhead: 9:41a Moon Underfoot: 10:05p

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

11:30A — 1:30A Sunrise: 6:42a Sunset: 6:19p Moonrise: 5:04a Moon Set: 3:55p

AM Minor: 2:43a AM Major: 8:55a PM Minor: 3:07p PM Major: 9:19p

Moon Overhead: 10:28a Moon Underfoot: 10:52p

2/16/19 2:35 PM

Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MONDAY

4« FEET

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

1:30a 9:11a 4:39p 9:22p

TUESDAY

5«

1.01ft.

-0.27ft.

0.99ft.

0.77ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

2:21a 9:41a 4:55p 9:39p

WEDNESDAY

6l

1.04ft.

-0.19ft.

0.98ft.

0.68ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

3:08a 10:09a 5:12p 10:05p

THURSDAY

7«

1.05ft.

-0.09ft.

0.97ft.

0.58ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

3:56a 10:36a 5:29p 10:36p

1.05ft.

0.03ft.

0.95ft.

0.48ft.

FRIDAY

8« High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

4:46a 11:05a 5:45p 11:10p

SATURDAY

9

1.03ft.

0.17ft.

0.94ft.

0.37ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

5:41a 11:34a 5:57p 11:46p

1.01ft.

0.33ft.

0.92ft.

0.27ft.

SUNDAY

10 Beg. DST High Tide: 7:44a Low Tide: 1:06p High Tide: 7:00p

0.99ft.

0.51ft.

0.91ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

4:30 — 6:30 AM

12p

6p

5:30 — 7:30 AM

12

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

2:15a 10:34a 2:21p 6:23p

Moon Overhead: 12:43p Moon Underfoot: 12:21a

13 º Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

3:12a 12:21p 3:15p 5:59p

6p

12a

6a

-0.06ft.

1.11ft.

1.06ft.

1.09ft.

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

1:00 — 3:00 PM

6p

12a

6a

2:00 — 4:00 PM

AM Minor: 7:06a AM Major: 12:56a PM Minor: 7:28p PM Major: 1:17p

Moon Overhead: 2:07p Moon Underfoot: 1:46a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 6:35a Sunset: 6:23p Moonrise: 8:31a Moon Set: 9:14p

AM Minor: 6:20a AM Major: 12:09a PM Minor: 6:41p PM Major: 12:30p

Moon Overhead: 1:25p Moon Underfoot: 1:04a

12p

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 6:37a Sunset: 6:22p Moonrise: 7:59a Moon Set: 8:20p

AM Minor: 5:35a AM Major: 11:20a PM Minor: 5:56p PM Major: -----

2:30 — 4:30 PM Sunrise: 7:34a Sunset: 7:23p Moonrise: 10:04a Moon Set: 11:09p

AM Minor: 8:55a AM Major: 2:44a PM Minor: 9:17p PM Major: 3:06p

Moon Overhead: 2:50p Moon Underfoot: 2:28a

Moon Overhead: 4:34p Moon Underfoot: 4:11a

MOON PHASES

Day’s Best Score

WEDNESDAY

0.04ft.

1.03ft.

0.89ft.

1.00ft.

12p

Sunrise: 6:38a Sunset: 6:21p Moonrise: 7:28a Moon Set: 7:28p

AM Minor: 4:51a AM Major: 11:02a PM Minor: 5:13p PM Major: 11:24p

TUESDAY

0.15ft.

0.99ft.

0.70ft.

0.93ft.

6a

12:30 — 2:30 PM

Sunrise: 6:39a Sunset: 6:21p Moonrise: 6:55a Moon Set: 6:35p

Moon Overhead: 11:59a Moon Underfoot: None

MONDAY

12a

BEST TIME

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS Fishing Score Moon Moon Graph Overhead Underfoot

READING THE GRAPH

FEET

6a

BEST TIME

AM Minor: 4:08a AM Major: 10:19a PM Minor: 4:31p PM Major: 10:42p

Moon Overhead: 11:15a Moon Underfoot: 11:37p

1:27a 9:01a 1:41p 6:49p

12a

Sunrise: 6:40a Sunset: 6:20p Moonrise: 6:21a Moon Set: 5:42p

AM Minor: 3:26a AM Major: 9:37a PM Minor: 3:49p PM Major: 10:00p

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

6p

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Sunrise: 6:41a Sunset: 6:20p Moonrise: 5:44a Moon Set: 4:48p

11

12p

BEST TIME

n

Day’s 2nd Best Score

THURSDAY

14

Low Tide: 4:20a High Tide: 1:57p

-0.17ft.

1.21ft.

l = New Moon l = Full Moon = First Quarter º » = Last Quarter « = Good Day by Moon Phase

Best Day Overall

FRIDAY

15

Low Tide: 5:33a High Tide: 2:57p

-0.27ft.

1.30ft.

SATURDAY

16

Low Tide: 6:45a High Tide: 3:36p

-0.37ft.

1.34ft.

SUNDAY

17

Low Tide: 7:51a High Tide: 4:06p Low Tide: 9:08p

-0.42ft.

1.33ft.

1.06ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

9:00 — 11:00 PM Sunrise: 7:33a Sunset: 7:24p Moonrise: 10:39a Moon Set: None

AM Minor: 9:45a AM Major: 3:33a PM Minor: 10:08p PM Major: 3:57p

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6p

12a

10:00P — 12:00A Sunrise: 7:32a Sunset: 7:25p Moonrise: 11:18a Moon Set: 12:06a

AM Minor: 10:37a AM Major: 4:25a PM Minor: 11:02p PM Major: 4:50p

Moon Overhead: 5:20p Moon Underfoot: 4:56a

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12p

BEST TIME

Moon Overhead: 6:09p Moon Underfoot: 5:44a

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6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

AM Minor: 11:32a AM Major: 5:19a PM Minor: 11:58p PM Major: 5:45p

6p

12a

6:30 — 8:30 AM

AM Minor: 12:04a AM Major: 6:14a PM Minor: 12:28p PM Major: 6:42p

T E X A S

Moon Overhead: 7:58p Moon Underfoot: 7:30a

F I S H

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 7:30a Sunset: 7:26p Moonrise: 12:52p Moon Set: 2:05a

Moon Overhead: 7:02p Moon Underfoot: 6:35a

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12p

BEST TIME

11:00P — 1:00A Sunrise: 7:31a Sunset: 7:25p Moonrise: 12:02p Moon Set: 1:05a

6a

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12:00 — 2:00 AM Sunrise: 7:28a Sunset: 7:26p Moonrise: 1:49p Moon Set: 3:06a

AM Minor: 12:54a AM Major: 7:09a PM Minor: 1:24p PM Major: 7:39p Moon Overhead: 8:57p Moon Underfoot: 8:28a

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

1:00 — 3:00 AM Sunrise: 7:27a Sunset: 7:27p Moonrise: 2:52p Moon Set: 4:05a

AM Minor: 1:50a AM Major: 8:05a PM Minor: 2:20p PM Major: 8:35p

Moon Overhead: 9:58p Moon Underfoot: 9:28a

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

2:00 — 4:00 AM Sunrise: 7:26a Sunset: 7:27p Moonrise: 3:59p Moon Set: 5:01a

AM Minor: 2:44a AM Major: 8:59a PM Minor: 3:14p PM Major: 9:30p

Moon Overhead: 10:58p Moon Underfoot: 10:28a

G A M E ®

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2/16/19 2:35 PM

Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MONDAY

18 FEET

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

12:59a 8:51a 4:33p 9:29p

TUESDAY

19 «

1.18ft.

-0.42ft.

1.28ft.

0.90ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

2:26a 9:45a 4:58p 10:04p

WEDNESDAY

20 «

1.25ft.

-0.33ft.

1.22ft.

0.68ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

3:42a 10:37a 5:22p 10:44p

THURSDAY

21 l

1.31ft.

-0.17ft.

1.15ft.

0.45ft.

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

4:53a 11:26a 5:45p 11:28p

1.34ft.

0.06ft.

1.10ft.

0.23ft.

FRIDAY

22 «

High Tide: 6:03a Low Tide: 12:15p High Tide: 6:06p

1.34ft.

0.32ft.

1.07ft.

SATURDAY

23 « Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

12:14a 7:15a 1:05p 6:27p

0.05ft.

1.32ft.

0.58ft.

1.06ft.

SUNDAY

24

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

1:03a 8:32a 1:58p 6:43p

-0.07ft.

1.29ft.

0.82ft.

1.06ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

12:00 — 2:00 PM Sunrise: 7:25a Sunset: 7:28p Moonrise: 5:08p Moon Set: 5:53a

AM Minor: 3:38a AM Major: 9:53a PM Minor: 4:08p PM Major: 10:22p

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

5:00 — 7:00 AM Sunrise: 7:24a Sunset: 7:29p Moonrise: 6:17p Moon Set: 6:40a

AM Minor: 4:31a AM Major: 10:45a PM Minor: 4:59p PM Major: 11:14p

Moon Overhead: 11:57p Moon Underfoot: 11:28a

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Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 12:26p

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

12:00 — 2:00 AM Sunrise: 7:23a Sunset: 7:29p Moonrise: 7:25p Moon Set: 7:23a

AM Minor: 5:24a AM Major: 11:37a PM Minor: 5:51p PM Major: ----Moon Overhead: 12:53a Moon Underfoot: 1:21p

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

12:30 — 2:30 AM Sunrise: 7:21a Sunset: 7:30p Moonrise: 8:30p Moon Set: 8:03a

AM Minor: 6:17a AM Major: 12:04a PM Minor: 6:44p PM Major: 12:31p Moon Overhead: 1:47a Moon Underfoot: 2:14p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

1:30 — 3:30 AM Sunrise: 7:20a Sunset: 7:30p Moonrise: 9:35p Moon Set: 8:42a

AM Minor: 7:12a AM Major: 1:00a PM Minor: 7:38p PM Major: 1:25p

Moon Overhead: 2:40a Moon Underfoot: 3:05p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

2:30 — 4:30 AM Sunrise: 7:19a Sunset: 7:31p Moonrise: 10:38p Moon Set: 9:21a

AM Minor: 8:09a AM Major: 1:56a PM Minor: 8:35p PM Major: 2:22p

Moon Overhead: 3:31a Moon Underfoot: 3:57p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

3:30 — 5:30 AM Sunrise: 7:18a Sunset: 7:31p Moonrise: 11:40p Moon Set: 10:01a

AM Minor: 9:06a AM Major: 2:54a PM Minor: 9:32p PM Major: 3:19p

Moon Overhead: 4:22a Moon Underfoot: 4:48p

2/16/19 2:35 PM

MARCH 2019

Tides and Prime Times MONDAY

25 FEET

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

1:55a 9:57a 3:14p 6:47p

-0.13ft.

1.26ft.

1.01ft.

1.06ft.

TUESDAY

26

Low Tide: 2:53a High Tide: 11:35a

-0.12ft.

1.26ft.

WEDNESDAY

27

Low Tide: 4:00a High Tide: 1:22p

-0.08ft.

1.28ft.

THURSDAY

28 »

Low Tide: 5:16a High Tide: 2:40p

-0.02ft.

1.30ft.

FRIDAY

29

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

6:32a 3:21p 10:03p 10:53p

0.02ft.

1.29ft.

1.04ft.

1.04ft.

SATURDAY

30

Low Tide: 7:37a High Tide: 3:45p Low Tide: 9:40p

0.06ft.

1.25ft.

1.02ft.

SUNDAY

31

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

12:37a 8:28a 4:00p 9:36p

1.09ft.

0.11ft.

1.22ft.

0.96ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

5:00 — 7:00 AM Sunrise: 7:17a Sunset: 7:32p Moonrise: None Moon Set: 10:43a

AM Minor: 10:04a AM Major: 3:51a PM Minor: 10:29p PM Major: 4:16p

12p

6p

BEST TIME

5:30 — 7:30 AM Sunrise: 7:16a Sunset: 7:33p Moonrise: 12:40a Moon Set: 11:28a

AM Minor: 11:00a AM Major: 4:47a PM Minor: 11:25p PM Major: 5:12p

Moon Overhead: 5:14a Moon Underfoot: 5:39p

TexasOutdoorNationDIG-1903.indd 71

Moon Overhead: 6:05a Moon Underfoot: 6:31p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

11:00P — 1:00A Sunrise: 7:14a Sunset: 7:33p Moonrise: 1:36a Moon Set: 12:15p

AM Minor: 11:53a AM Major: 5:41a PM Minor: ----PM Major: 6:06p

Moon Overhead: 6:56a Moon Underfoot: 7:22p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

12:00 — 2:00 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 7:34p Moonrise: 2:29a Moon Set: 1:05p

AM Minor: 12:19a AM Major: 6:32a PM Minor: 12:44p PM Major: 6:57p Moon Overhead: 7:47a Moon Underfoot: 8:12p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

1:00 — 3:00 AM Sunrise: 7:12a Sunset: 7:34p Moonrise: 3:18a Moon Set: 1:56p

AM Minor: 1:08a AM Major: 7:20a PM Minor: 1:32p PM Major: 7:44p

Moon Overhead: 8:36a Moon Underfoot: 9:01p

12a

6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

2:00 — 4:00 AM Sunrise: 7:11a Sunset: 7:35p Moonrise: 4:02a Moon Set: 2:49p

AM Minor: 1:53a AM Major: 8:05a PM Minor: 2:17p PM Major: 8:29p

Moon Overhead: 9:25a Moon Underfoot: 9:48p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

11:30A — 1:30P Sunrise: 7:10a Sunset: 7:35p Moonrise: 4:44a Moon Set: 3:42p

AM Minor: 2:36a AM Major: 8:47a PM Minor: 2:59p PM Major: 9:10p

Moon Overhead: 10:11a Moon Underfoot: 10:34p

2/16/19 2:35 PM

Texas TASTED

by BRYAN SLAVEN :: The Texas Gourmet

Baked or Grilled Stuffed Flounder

F

LOUNDER! No, we are not talking about that pudgy fraternity pledge in the movie “Animal House.” We are speaking of that flat, spotted, strange, bottom-hugging fish known as the southern flounder. For most of the year, the elusive flounder avoids the efforts of a large number of coastal rod and reel fishermen.

However, every fall, the urge to migrate out and into the open Gulf of Mexico, brings this homely critter into areas where those very same anglers can more easily target them. Flounder may not be glamorous, but, one thing is for sure, to quote a well-known TV Chef “Flounders are good eats.”

Here’s a recipe that proves that adage.

1 Tbsp. Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice

Instructions Heat 2 T olive oil and the butter in a sauté pan, add the onions, celery, peppers and cook on medium high for 2 to 3

the flounder, brown side up on a cutting board in front of you. Using a sharp boning knife cut along the center bone to peel open the fish, folding the flesh back to work your way around the bones, removing the entire skeleton of bones leaving you with one piece of fish, all opened up.

Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a foil boat made with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil, then add the flounder.

Spoon the cooked stuffing into the cavity and fold the flaps over the stuffing. Place the tomato wedges and mushrooms around the flounder in the foil.

Delicious Stuffed Flounder

— Loy Moe

Ingredients Heavy-duty foil ½ lb. Bay Scallops ½ lb. Lump Crabmeat 1/3 Cup Chopped onion 1/2 Cup Chopped celery 3 Tbsp. chopped red bell pepper 2 Tbsp. Minced garlic 1-cup Fresh breadcrumbs 3 Tbsp. Freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup White wine ½ Fresh Lemon - (juiced) 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil 1 Stick Butter 1 large (2 lbs.) flounder - gutted, remove head and scales 2 Roma Tomatoes (cut in half) 1 Yellow squash - sliced thin 2 to 4 fresh mushrooms - sliced 68

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minutes or until softened.

Add the garlic and cook for one minute then add the bay scallops, then drizzle mixture with some fresh squeezed lemon juice and cook for a couple of minutes or until scallops are opaque.

Remove from the heat; add the breadcrumbs and enough wine to moisten the stuffing then gently add the lump crabmeat and Parmesan cheese.

Season with the Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice. Set aside to cool.

Preheat grill or oven to 400 degrees. Place |

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Place on the grill or in the oven and cook for 20 to 24 minutes with the lid closed.

Remove from grill or oven when the meat is opaque, cover with a loose piece of foil and rest for 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

« Email Bryan Slaven at bryan@thetexasgourmet.com

PHOTO: BRYAN SLAVEN

2/11/19 4:31 PM

Outdoor DIRECTORY Guides & Outfitters

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REDFISH Port O’Connor

BASS

Nine-year-old Fourdam Matey of Victoria caught this big redfish while wade fishing with his dad in Port O’Connor.

Jewett Brody Pullen caught his first bass while fishing at Jewett in Leon County.

BASS Anderson County Four generations of the Hortman family returned to fish on the lake at the old homeplace in rural Anderson County.

From Left to Right: Son Darell; Father Marion (93 years old, still fishing) Great grandson, Luke holding first catch of the day; Grandson Joseph.

FERAL HOG Gonzales County Remi Emmott shot this Monster pig in Gonzalez County with her 243 at 120 yards.

WHITETAIL LaSalle County Ten-year-old Kyle McCarthy of Tomball killed his first deer while hunting with his grandpa, Richard Wendt, in Lasalle County. It was Kyle’s first deer, and “Po-Po” got to share the blind with him.

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2/11/19 4:30 PM

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/HotShots No guarantee can be made as to when, or if, a submitted photo will be published.

REDFISH Baffin Bay Blain, Christian, and Lizzie Garcia of Bishop struggled for 45 minutes before landing and releasing this bull redfish on Baffin Bay.

WHITETAIL Irion County

BLUEGILL

Nine-year-old Anna McConaughey with a mature buck she took with her crossbow. The buck was taken on her family’s land, LP Ranch, in Irion County.

Spring Alex Hummer caught this bluegill at a pond in Spring, while fishing with his grandpa.

WHITETAIL Junction William Paul Slobojan bagged his best and heaviest whitetail, this 162-pounder, while hunting south of Junction. The nontypical was taken with a 150 yard heart shot

REDFISH Galveston Russell Polk of Allen caught this nice red drum while fishing along the Galveston North Jetty. The fish was 27-3/4 inches long and weighed 7.34 pounds.

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2/12/19 8:38 AM