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www.fishgame.com Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. TEXAS FISH & GAME is the largest independent, familyowned outdoor publication in America. Owned by Ron and Stephanie Ward and Roy and Ardia Neves.

ROY NEVES PUBLISHER

DON ZAIDLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CHESTER

MOORE

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

C O N T R I B U T O R S

MATT WILLIAMS • BOB HOOD • TED NUGENT • LOU MARULLO • REAVIS WORTHAM • JOE DOGGETT • KENDAL HEMPHILL • DOUG PIKE • CAPT. MIKE HOLMES • LENNY RUDOW • GREG BERLOCHER • STEVE LAMASCUS • PATRICK LEMIRE • PAUL BRADSHAW • HERMAN BRUNE • WAYNE C. WATSON • WALLY MARSHALL • BARRY ST. CLAIR • JIMMY D. MOORE • CALIXTO GONZALES • MARI HENRY • TOM BEHRENS •

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MICHELLE WARD ADMINISTRATOR TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. ©Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year $19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries to Texas Fish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. 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, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address all subscription inquiries to TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Email change of address to: dhruzek@fishgame.com Email new orders to: dhruzek@fishgame.com Email subscription questions to: dhruzek@fishgame.com.

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JANUARY 2008 • Volume XXIII • NO.9

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BOAT THERAPY: TF&G’S 2008 BOAT BUYER’S GUIDE Buying a new boat is like entering into a lasting relationship. There are lots of options out there, and lots of bad choices to avoid.

Hopefully this Buyer’s Guide will help prepare you for the showdown in the showroom.

by Lenny Rudow

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A FAREWELL TO SNAPS Governmental restrictions continue to tighten on what has become the most regulated open-water species other than blue-fin tuna.

Which begs the question: is red snapper fishing as we knew it gone forever?

by Capt. Mike Holmes

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MORE THAN A MOUTHFUL Largemouth feeding habits — Miss Manners may not approve, but if you’r a bass angler, you will approve whole-heartedly of the rude, buffet-busting appetites of these finetuned eating machines.

by Matt Williams

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WHAT THE HECK CAN I CATCH IN JANUARY? Believe it or not, lunker trout. With more elbow room, sluggish fish and scarce bait, the pickings can be surprisingly good for the well-prepared angler.

by Calixto Gonzales

ON THE COVER: January: the skies are gray and a steady stream of blue northers has blown Minnesota air all over Texas. When it’s too chilly to fish, it must be Boat Show Season, when you can forget the cold and dream of the better boating days soon to come. Before you brave the bitter wind chill between your pickup cab and the arena entrance, check out our annual Boat Buyer’s Guide (description above, left).

TF&G Boating Editor Lenny Rudow has put together a few tips on how to shop for that new dream boat.

PHOTO BY CHESTER MOORE

ALSO IN JANUARY:

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THE ODDEST FISHING INVENTIONS

Many new tackle inventions succeed. Many fail. And some fail so spectacularly they make their own place in angling history .

BY GREG BERLOCHER

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IT AIN’ T OVER TIL IT’S OVER: LATE SEASON DUCKS Late-season waterfowling is all about real estate—location, location, location. But if you can’t hunt the prime spots, there are still a few tactics that will get wary January birds into shotgun range.

by Bink Grimes 4

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BOATING MYTHS

Common marine myths and misconceptions, modern and old, dispelled once and for all.

BY LENNY RUDOW

JANUARY 2008 • Volume XXIII • NO.9

COLUMNS 16 Chester’s Notes

66 Special Boating

Give Me Refuges, Not Parking Lots

Johnboat To Bass Boat

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

by TOM BEHRENS Trophy Quest Coordinator

18 Doggett at Large

72 Texas Deer Hunting

Top 10 Brush Country Players

The Perfect Shot

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

by PAUL BRADSHAW TF&G Contributing Editor

32 Texas Saltwater

82 Texas Offshore

Boat Theft Nightmare

Hooking Up In Boat Show Season

by CALIXTO GONZALES TF&G Saltwater Editor

by CAPT. MIKE HOLMES TF&G Associate Offshore Editor

DEPARTMENTS 8

YOUR LETTERS

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TF&G REPORT

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BIG BAGS & CATCHES

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TROPHY QUEST

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TFG ON CAMPUS

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WINGS OVER TEXAS

46 Texas Freshwater Hatchery Project Finally Launches

by MATT WILLIAMS TF&G Freshwater Editor

54 Texas Bowhunter 86 Open Season

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Bowhunting In Texas

Armadillo Madness

by TED NUGENT TF&G Bowhunting Editor

by REAVIS WORTHAM TF&G Humor Editor

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BIOFUEL AND OTHER KUDOS First of all, thanks for some good reading.

I have read several of Chester Moore’s books, and they have all helped me learn more about our coastal waters. I am from Arkansas, but I got to Texas just as quick as I could. When I switched from freshwater fishing to saltwater, I had to start somewhere, so I went to Academy and purchased one of his books. I now can catch saltwater fish and even have a place in Port Mansfield.

Thanks, too, for Chester’s column on biofuels in the November issue. More people need to know the truth about that stuff. I know people who make their livings in the Texas oilfield who buy that stuff. I asked them why, and they said that it was cheaper for them. Maybe Chester’s column will help them see that it is not cheaper and actually even more costly.

Bill Killian McAllen, TX

STINK EDITORIAL SMELLS GOOD A long time subscriber and lover of Texas Fish & Game here. I just got my November 2007 issue and loved Don Zaidle’s Editor’s Notes, “A Stink over Stink.” The last sentence say’s it all: “I wish everybody would learn to just get along and play nice.” Until the judicial system imposes stiff penalties for frivolous lawsuits, they will continue.

Unfortunately, lawyers and politicians walk hand in hand. Still, we can dream.

Dennis Stephens Via email

STINK EDITORIAL STINKS Once again, Don Zaidle disappoints me with the lack of knowledge he displays about certain subjects.

First, I would like to reveal an observa8

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tion I have made over my lifetime: People who say, “I wish everyone would just learn to get along and play nice” really mean that as long as you play by their rules, everything will be fine; just a simple, unscientific observation of human nature on my part.

But more to the point, Zaidle argues that the complaint cites no independent testing that disproves the manufacturer’s claim.

Complaints can have specifics, but more often than not, a complaint will be general (as well as the answer to the complaint). For instance, a divorce petition could mention infidelity as the basis for the request for divorce, but rarely would one find names or details in the petition itself. The facts in support of the general claims are usually presented in evidence at the trial. In this particular instance, it would be normal to leave out the “proofs,” which would later be submitted at trial (or in pre-trial discovery).

In the event the petition states, “hunters are being deceived,” it is my understanding that you would be offended because you would be “included by inference.” Talk about political correctness gone amuck! You would have no reason to be offended other than to be offended that some lawyer wrote vague language in a lawsuit and—holy crap!—did not come to you for language approval! God forbid! Even if this lawsuit is a class action, you can still opt out. You are never included unless you want to be.

Zaidle wrote that ALS could have filed a lawsuit for defamation. Yes, they could have, and still can—but, if the plaintiffs’ claims are correct, the defamation lawsuit would automatically lose, since truth is a defense in defamation cases (except in certain cases involving intentional infliction of emotional stress, etc).

Zaidle’s basic premise is incorrect. He wrote that one can simply quit buying the product. This argument simply means that I can make a product that does not work, advertise the crap out of it (knowing that the claims are lies and knowing that I am defrauding people), and make illicit gains off of hunters, fishermen, car buyers, purchasers of medicines, or stocks (I suppose you support the actions of Enron). Why, you can F i s h

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even lie about a war resulting in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands in injuries and get away with it. Amazing philosophy. Too bad it’s not original.

To belittle the claimants by saying, “that suing someone simply because they do not like your product” makes you both judge and jury. Now you are the sole decider as to the viability of their claim. You, sir, have made a misstatement of fact here. Whether the plaintiffs prevail is unknown to me, but I do know that the basis of their claim is not “we don’t like the product.” Their claim is the product does not work as advertised, an actionable offense.

Whether or not the 12 jurors are hunters or not is not material. What will be in front of the jury is whether the product works as advertised. If you don’t like the jury system in this country, perhaps you might enjoy it more in, say, China? Russia? Iran?

Certainly, the system does not work all the time, but it is what America has, and to attack that system, one should have an alternative system in mind first.

This is the second time I have written to you. Both times, I felt that you not only took an untenable position, but, moreover, presented information in such a way that readers are deceived. Last time, you wrote to me expressing surprise that I was moved to respond to your article. Why the surprise?

Obviously, you write these articles expecting to cause some response in the reader, otherwise, why the hell would you spend time writing editorials. I know that one subscriber means little, but I, for one, will no longer subscribe to this magazine if this happens again. It is one thing to have an opinion. It is quite another to mislead people using a forum that does not provide opportunity for dissent.

John Keedy Via email

Texas Man Campaigns To End Budweiser-ShareLunker Sponsorship TEXAS MAN WHO DISAPPROVES OF THE CONnection between the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and Budweiser beer has launched a campaign to persuade TPWD to dissolve the relationship.

Jim Haire of Tyler, Texas, told Texas Fish & Game that he considers the AnheuserBusch (parent company of Budweiser) sponsorship of TPWD’s popular ShareLunker program inappropriate because it is de facto endorsement by the state agency of alcohol consumption during outdoor activities.

“I have fished and hunted in Texas all my life, and next to my family, that is where my heart is,” Haire said. “I understood that boating registration fees went into a fund for boating and water safety efforts, and read where that was in amounts of millions of dollars. Then I turn around and see the agency in charge of promoting boating safety is promoting alcohol to boaters and other Texans.

That is just plain wrong.”

Haire has pressed his campaign on a number of fronts, including writing to magazines, newspapers, TPWD, and legislators, and with an email message.

In his emails, Haire makes a number of allegations, some factual, others questionable.

In an email received by TF&G, Haire asserts:

• Bass donated to ShareLunker have been used to advertise beer among youths at TPWD’s Expo, against TPWD policy.

• TPWD restricts ShareLunker to beer advertising, allowing no competing sponsorship bids.

• TPWD uses the ShareLunker program to extensively advertise beer among boaters while suppressing bad news about 10

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM HAIRE

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drunk boating.

TPWD Communications Director, Lydia Saldaña, acknowledged that it is against policy to allow alcohol and tobacco advertising and products at the annual TPWD Wildlife Expo, but that the instances at last year’s Expo of the “Budweiser: King of Beers” logo appearing on ShareLunker displays was an aberration, not the norm.

“Both Inland Fisheries Director Phil Durocher and I noticed that the ShareLunker display [in 2007] at Expo contained an unauthorized Budweiser logo,” Saldaña said. “That situation has been rectified and that signage will not be used again. The name of the program is the ‘Budweiser ShareLunker’ program, and that is the only authorized use of the word ‘Budweiser’ on F i s h

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any signage related to the program.”

As for TPWD “restricting” ShareLunker sponsorship to beer manufacturers, Saldaña said that is not actually the case.

“Anheuser-Busch (A-B) is a long-time sponsor of Texas Parks & Wildlife programs,” Saldaña said via email. “A-B is one of many corporate sponsors that support our conservation work. Toyota, DOW [Chemical], and Academy are examples of other corporate sponsors, and we appreciate them all. One benefit we provide long-time sponsors is the ‘right of first refusal’ on programs they support. A-B has supported the ShareLunker program since the early 90s and has chosen to re-up the title sponsorship each year.”

Saldaña also said TPWD does not “suppress bad news” about boating while intoxi-

cated (BWI) violations: “We have reported on alcohol related incidents in our news releases on many, many occasions,” she said. “I did a quick scan through headlines of our news releases for the last two years and found a number of [BWI] references.

Just about every one of our popular ‘Game Warden Field Notes’ releases contains at least one story related to alcohol. What is not reflected here are the scores of news media articles and interviews over the years that contain quotes from our folks talking about the effects of alcohol as it relates to boating safety, etc.”

Meanwhile, Haire remains adamant in his opposition to the Anheuser-Busch sponsorship.

“Innocent Texans are being injured,” Haire said. “These drunk boaters are killing and maiming innocent people, and you look back at the safety issue, and we

have a state agency being influenced by the world’s largest alcohol manufacturer. This is a flagrant abuse of the public trust. They appear to be under control of the world’s largest alcohol company. This past summer, they [TPWD] adopted a safe boating program from Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and added a ‘designated driver’ plan for boating, which might sound good, but studies from other states show that in boating, it actually contributes to more injuries. Then they pick a spokesman [Kevin Fowler] who is famous for singing a song about getting drunk before you go fishing.”

The boating safety campaign Haire referenced is the “Nobody’s Waterproof ” program featured at the 2007 Expo. A poster promoting the campaign depicts Fowler kneeling with a guitar in front of a body of water and the wording: “This wild man

knows how to play it safe. Wear your lifejacket - Designate a driver for your boat and a safe ride home - Boat with class—take a boater education class.”

The song Haire mentioned is “Beer, Bait, And Ammo,” which contains the lyrics: Well now early one day I was a-on my way To my favorite fishin’ hole I’s a thinking I could sure use Another bottle of booze My baits a-runnin’ a little low Yeah and a box of twelve gauge would be all the rage When I’m all liquored up and I’m feelin good “Kevin Fowler is an avid outdoorsman, and directly appeals to and reaches the same

BIG BAGS & CATCHES

BUCK—Peach Point

TROUT—Port Aransas

CATFISH—Hunt County

Matthew Hromadka, age 11, of Lake Jackson, Texas, shot this 10-point buck at Peach Point Wildlife Management Area on a Texas Parks and Wildlife youth drawn hunt. The 5year-old buck had a 16-inch inside spread.

When finally being coaxed out of the boat after several stingray sightings, Johanna Pacheco of Houston caught her very first fish, a 26-inch trout, while wade fishing in the East Flats in Port Aransas.

Bailey Barrett of Lone Oak, Texas, caught this nice blue catfish in a private farm tank in Hunt County, Texas.

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target demographic we are trying to reach (the 18- to 34-year-old “party crowd”),” Saldaña wrote. “When he came on board with the Nobody’s Waterproof campaign in 2007, he was in full agreement that tobacco and alcohol should not be associated with the campaign, and agreed to keep any sponsors related to those products out from his participation with the campaign. He generously donated his time to create PSA’s, the production efforts to re-record his “100% Texan” song for the campaign, and his image and appeal to help increase awareness of boating safety with his fans. He is an avid fan of TPWD and outdoor activities, and we are proud to have his help in saving lives and encouraging safe and enjoyable play outdoors.”

Haire, a self-described “lifelong hunter, fisherman, and outdoorsman,” said he has received “overwhelmingly good response” to his efforts, and that he is not anti-alcohol.

“I have had my share [of alcohol] during my lifetime,” he said.

Nonetheless, he is convinced TPWD should dissolve its relationship with

Anheuser-Busch.

“We live in a state with a vastly growing population, but with limited public land and fixed number of lakes,” Haire said. “We shouldn’t be silent while our state government, as far as TPWD goes, is being influenced by the world’s largest alcohol company. They should represent the public instead of Anheuser-Busch.”

When contacted about Haire’s campaign, Carol Clark, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for AnheuserBusch Companies, Inc., said in a statement: “Many adults 21 and older enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle that includes pastimes such as hunting and fishing. Many of these adults also enjoy drinking a cold beer, and we hope that when they choose to do so after their outdoor activities, they choose to drink Anheuser-Busch products.

“Anheuser-Busch brews its beers to be enjoyed responsibly by adults. Since 1982, the company and its family of wholesalers nationwide, including the 38 in Texas, have invested more than $675 million in community-based programs and national advertis-

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ing campaigns to promote responsibility and discourage all forms of alcohol abuse, including drunk driving and drunk boating.

In fact, every year during the summer season, we promote water safety through our ‘Play It Safe on the Water’ campaign that encourages adults who will be boating to always be responsible and designate a skipper.

“Anheuser-Busch, in conjunction with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, developed the Sportsman’s Guide to Firearm Safety and Hunter Ethics. This brochure provides tips to help make hunting a safe experience. It discusses proper firearm use, the importance of hunter education, and how to make the right choices about when and where to drink alcohol beverages. It also recommends avoiding drinking beer or other alcohol beverages until the hunt is over for the day. This brochure is distributed both by the Foundation and through hunting retailers across the country.” —Don Zaidle

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Give Me Refuges, Not Parking Lots OR YEARS, I HAVE BEEN AGAINST FEDERAL acquisition of land for wildlife refuges.

The reason is that, although a good portion of the money used for such purchases comes from hunting-related sources, such as duck stamp sales, hunting is restricted and made extremely difficult at the majority of national wildlife refuges.

However, there are forces aligned against wildlife habitat—and, in turn, hunters—that have forced me to reconsider my position.

One is the water plan detailed by Senate Bill 3 last year that designates 21 reservoir projects, many of which fall into water-rich East Texas. This region has lost some 70 percent of its hardwood bottomlands, and if all of these reservoirs make it to the construction phase, the remaining bottoms will be fractionalized into an almost relic state.

One particular reservoir project planned for the Neches River collides with plans for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to create a refuge on the northern tier of the Neches that would conserve more than 25,000 acres.

The feds got the green light on the project a couple of years ago, and they faced strong opposition from various state government agencies that filed a lawsuit to undo the refuge. It even received condemnation from Governor Rick Perry in his State of the State address.

“We are tired of environmental extremists entrenched in the federal bureaucracy undermining our water planning process,” Perry said. “We support wildlife refuges, but please stop declaring them on land local officials have identified as viable for water reservoirs...Our message to Washington is this:

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Let Texans run Texas.”

In an article written by Christine S. Diamond in the Lufkin Daily News, Janice Bezanson, director of the Texas Conservation Alliance, said the reservoir designation does not really mean anything as long as the refuge stays in place: “One thing that is confusing is that, as part of the lawsuit negotiations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed not to add any more land to the refuge until a certain date. But the one-acre conservation easement donation [made last year] will remain in place unless the judge specifically overrules it. Given the history of other suits that have been filed, we are fairly confident that the judge will uphold the refuge. Then the Fish and Wildlife Service may proceed to add land as rapidly as federal funding or private land donations come available.”

In other words, there is a good chance dozens of square miles of pristine bottomlands will not disappear forever because of federal acquisition.

Hmm...

The next major concern is the recent sale of 1.55 million acres of timberland in East Texas from Temple-Inland to the Campbell Group. Both Temple and Campbell have said the properties will continue to operate under a high level of conservation, and that will hopefully be the case. However, large timber acquisitions by investment firms are happening all over the country, and with real estate more valuable than ever, it is easy to see how a firm could buy up land, harvest the timber, sell it off as real estate for a quick profit, and move on.

When a family-based company like Temple Inland owns something, they have more than a financial investment and usually have legitimate concerns about land use and conservation. When a bunch of people whose only concerns are how much “green” winds up in the pockets of stockholders get hold of properties, it is flat-out scary.

This recent trend toward corporate timber buy-offs combined with plans for reservoirs create a dire scenario for East Texas.

This is an extremely important region for hunters of deer, waterfowl, hogs, and the F i s h

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recently restored eastern turkey. It also houses several endangered animal and plant species. Seeing the Pineywoods turned into the “land of lakes and parking lots” is a frightening proposition.

That is why I am in full support of the Neches Refuge and will from now on give support to any federal acquisitions in the region destined for refuge or preserve land. I might not like the government owning these wild lands, but it’s better than Wall Street owning it—or seeing it disappear under 50 feet of water.

There is another factor: Last summer, President George W. Bush issued an Executive Order to expand hunting opportunities on all federally controlled lands. The purpose of this order is to, “...direct Federal agencies that have programs and activities that have a measurable effect on public land management, outdoor recreation, and wildlife management, including the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of hunting opportunities and the management of game species and their habitat.”

This includes evaluating the effects of agency actions on trends in hunting participation, to expand and enhance hunting opportunities for the public, and managed wildlife and wildlife habitats on public lands in a manner that “expands and enhances hunting opportunities, including the use of hunting in wildlife management planning.”

Times are changing, and this might require a change of attitude for those of us interested in our children growing up in a Texas that still has hardwood bottomlands and dense forests filled with whitetails, wood ducks, and a host of other wonderful creatures.

I now support refuge acquisitions in these threatened areas, and the President’s order gives me faith that they will be fully accessible to hunters—as they damn well should be.

E-mail Chester Moore at cmoore@fishgame.com

Top 10 Brush Country Players

ized by the kaleidoscope of feathers that you overlook the 6x6 set of gleaming antlers beyond.

SANOTHER HUNTING SEASON WINDS down, here is my “Top 10” of wildlife bit players in the South Texas brush.

These walk-ons and cameos seldom linger, but they enrich the hunting experience.

Without them, something huge and tragic would be lost.

This is personal opinion and you might not agree with all choices. But, approve or disapprove, each of these selections is a creature of distinction: 10 - Western diamondback rattlesnake. A full-blown diamondback more than six feet in length is an awesome snake, the most formidable pit viper in North America.

The big Texas diamondback is most common in the thornbrush country. It is a part of that wild region. It belongs there. Put another way, it does not belong in New York or Iowa.

The diamondback makes you step with caution in the tall grass. If you can’t handle that, hunt pen-raised birds on a putting green.

9 - Bobcat. I was tempted to list the cougar, but almost nobody ever gets to see a wild “mountain lion.” In almost 40 years of Brush Country hunting, I have glimpsed one—and that was at 100 yards during gray light.

Conversely, the bobcat is relatively common. Spend enough time in a deer stand amid proper habitat and one will show. And the contact always is thrilling. The spotted cat just appears—no noise, no motion—and it’s standing on the edge of a sendero. The wary, graceful cat is an excellent hunter with much more class than a rabble of coyotes.

8 - Green jay. Vibrant colors, alone, make this bird a banner-waver for the brush, and rare is the corn feeder in the South Texas brush that does not attract the blue-green-yellow confetti of a busy flock.

Green jays are unique to the region and fun to watch, entertaining company during a slow vigil on stand. Just don’t become so mesmer-

7 - Javelina. The bristly little “cactus pig” should be extinct. The javelina is dull and slow, half blind and half deaf, and the dark coloration provides little survival camouflage amid the gray-green shag carpet of thorn brush.

Yet, the bands of collared peccaries thrive in the arid terrain. Deer hunters and bird hunters often encounter packs, or bands, of javelinas.

They are visible and, even better, they have character. They root and snuff and butt and bristle, running with huge heads attached to tiny piggy feet, and have a grand time gobbling precious deer corn in the dusty senderos.

6 - Badger. The first badger I saw was crossing a root-plowed field under the setting sun. In the glow, the wide, flat pelt resembled a flowing, rippling silver bath mat. The sight was bizarre against the drab stubble.

To spot a badger in the open was a privilege. I suspect they spend a lot of time burrowing and hiding. They look cuddly but you—and the nearest dog—should not be fooled. Large incisors and heavy claws can rip and tear amid close quarters. Pound for pound, it may be the baddest animal in the brush.

5 - Raccoon. Yes, raccoons can be annoying pests and destructive predators (raiding ground nets, especially), but you have to give them credit.

First, raccoons are attractive and audacious, plump scoundrels with bold stripes and masks. Second, they are intelligent, demonstrating remarkable abilities to adapt. Third, they like to fish. Fourth, they have good hands.

Frankly, given this dexterity combined with reason three, I’m surprised the average raccoon cannot tie a flawless Bimini twist.

Finally, the raccoon is a survivor. It’s a wild child that can live amid civilization.

4 - Texas tortoise. The land “turtle” native to deep South Texas is another animal that seems to survive in spite of itself. The tortoise is excruciatingly slow, unable to out-run or out-maneuver any significant predator, yet nothing seems to bother them. Except maybe

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civilization.

You see one now and then, especially if you spend much time scanning the ground rather than the brush beyond. The tortoise lifts a wrinkled old man’s head and gives you an ancient stare. Then you watch it plod away and maybe wonder how amazing nature really is.

3 - Indigo snake. The big “blue indigo” of South Texas commands the respect and friendship of virtually all salty ranchers. The indigo preys on rodents and other snakes, even rattlers; a barnyard indigo is a highly effective pest control program.

More than that, it is an impressive creature, occasionally topping 7, even 8 feet in length.

Put prejudice aside and look at the smooth, glossy, blue-black scales and the flowing length and prideful head. The big indigo is protected by state and federal laws, but always vulnerable to narrow minds over eager triggers.

1 - Peregrine falcon. I am not the first to anoint this winged arrow. I merely am echoing the praise of ancient kings and emperors. The sculpted and stately peregrine has, through the ages, been acknowledged as the superior hunting falcon.

We have this royal bird. The peregrines migrate through Texas each September and October. Most pass unnoticed. People look and don’t have a clue. That is sad commentary. The peregrine falcon, with her three great gifts of speed, courage, and beauty, rules the sky.

The peregrine tops my list, although I’m not certain this bird rates as a “bit player.”

High courts of yore would take exception to such a flippant attitude. But the list is mine as a contemporary outdoorsman, not as a king’s falconer.

Uh-oh, we have an oversight: No. 2 was omitted from the ranking. Somehow against the flurry of a deadline. I forgot to pick a runner-up.

Help me. Select a winner. You have so very many from which to choose amid the wonderful South Texas brush.

E-mail Joe Doggett at doggett@fishgame.com

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PHOTO BY DON ZAIDLE

For the guy who really needs a boat •

by Lenny Rudow

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ou can’t buy your way out of a stale relationship, a checkered past, or a dead-end job, but contrary to popular belief, you can buy love in the form of a brand new boat. Who doesn’t fall head over heels for shiny new fiberglass, shake with anticipation the day of delivery, and feel a shot of adrenaline the first time that bow pops up on plane?

Anyone who’s ever purchased and run their own boat knows these feelings well. And, they know that everything on a boat is a trade-off. That flatter bottom means more stability but a bumpier ride; the extra power boosts speed but also boosts fuel consumption; a large console with a head inside increases comfort but eats up deck space.

You get the picture. And to make matters worse for the boat buyer, there are hundreds of different variables ranging from construction to design to performance that will affect how well any particular boat fits any particular individual. So, how in the heck are you supposed to choose the perfect boat for your purposes? How will you know which one will give you true everlasting love, and which one will fade with time? That’s why we bring you this boat Buyer’s Guide. Here, you’ll learn which boats suit which purposes and why. Hopefully, when you go to the showroom floor you’ll have a better idea of exactly what type of boat to choose. And when you sign on the dotted line, it will be the beginning of a beautiful thing.

Aluminum Skiffs

bar won’t be a problem.

So, where’s the trade-off? The biggest complaint about aluminum is that it doesn’t look as good as fiberglass. For some this is a real turn-off, though for the utilitarian among us, it’s a non-issue. There’s ride to consider, also. Glass boats do tend to take on large seas better than aluminum, mostly because of their increased mass but also because fiberglass can be formed into more complex hull shapes. And longevity is an issue, since some aluminum boats eventually leak and need serious repairs. That’s why you need to consider a new aluminum boat’s construction carefully: welded models are significantly better than riveted ones (though accordingly, they are more expensive) and the gauge of the aluminum a boat is built from is important. Be sure to compare the thickness of the hulls when you shop one boat against anther, and compare the other major construction materials. Is the deck plywood or aluminum? (Ply is less expensive but if cheap wood is used it has a limited lifetime, and it’s heavier than aluminum in any case.) Are the hullsides carpeted, to cut down on noise? What material cores the transom, and if it’s wood, is it rot-proof marine ply?

After you’ve found the answers to your questions, take that aluminum rig for a test drive. If you’re used to fiberglass boats you’ll be surprised by how agile and spry they feel.

And chances are, you’ll also discover that when it comes to boats, metal can be marvelous.

Aluminum Boat Builders: Alumacraft Boat Co., 507-9311050, 315 W. St. Julian St., St. Peter, MN 56082, or www.alumacraft.com. Whether you need a flat-bottom boat for stability, a tunnel-hull for minimum draft, or a V-bottom for sea keeping, Alumacraft has a model to fit the bill.

As a boatbuilding material, aluminum has a lot to offer: longevity, easy maintenance, rinse-and-go cleaning, and (this one’s important!) comparatively low expense. In fact, the amount of money you’d spend to get a new 16-foot fiberglass boat would get you some 20- to 22-foot aluminum rigs. Wait a sec-don’t forget that these boats are also lighter and require less power than their fiberglass brethren, saving you both initial cost and fuel costs down the line. That also makes them prime cross-over boats: folks with a tight budget can purchase a single craft, yet still are able to chase reds on the flats one day, and pull into a marsh to hunt ducks the next. You got stuck when the tide dropped? On a glass boat, you’ll be waiting for the next tide but aluminum’s light weight and tough hull mean pushing off of an oyster

Polar Kraft, 888-463-3739, 4500 Middlebury St, Elkhart, IN 46515 or www.polarkraft.com. This company strives to cover all the bases, building all different sizes and types of aluminum boats. In fact, they offer more than 80 models! Polar Kraft also has freshwater, saltwater, and speciesspecific boats.

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G3 Boats, 800-588-9787, 901 Cowan Drive, Lebannon, MO 65536, or www.g3boats.com. G3 addresses the appearance issue by crafting aluminum boats with a premium fit and finish. You want metallic eye-candy? Check these boats out.

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Sea Ark, 870-367-5317, P.O. Box 803, Monticello, AR 71657, or www.seaark.com. Remember-you’ll want to compare hull thickness when shopping aluminum. And make sure you include Sea Ark in that comparison, because their boats are built heavy-duty.

Tracker Boats, 417-873-5900, 2500 E. Kearney, Springfield, MO 65803, or www.trackerboats.com. From the same folks that bring you Bass Pro Shops and Redhead, you know these dedicated hunting and fishing machines are designed for the sportsman.

Bass Boats You want to run like a banshee at 70mph? Beat the other guys to that hot stump field? Pursue the most popular freshwater gamefish in the United States of America?

Sounds like you’re in the market for a bass boat.

No other type of boat on the market today is built with such a specific purpose in mind as the bass boat. In fact, some items—such as release wells, which are commonly found in many genres of boats today—were originally born just for bassing. Raised casting decks with pedestal seats are another example. And, let’s not forget eye-watering speed coupled with beefy construction that can take the pounding of top-end wave jumping.

Look for telltale trademarks of good construction like fiberglass foam- or rot-resistant ply-cored stringers, vacuum-bagged or RTM hatches, and high-density foam cored transoms. Features should match the way you fish. If casting crankbaits along a shoreline is in the future, make sure the bass boat you’re considering has a strong enough electric motor and plenty of onboard battery power to do the trick.

Bass-dedicated Fishing Machines Blazer, 850-478-2290, or www.blazerboats.com. Don’t you hate it when builders offer a teaser price for stripped-down boats, then offer lots of expensive “optional inch equipment? That won’t happen with Blazer, because they make sure every boat has gobs of standard features-important items, like multiple livewells, lots of seating, and interior lighting.

Champion Boats, 615-494-2090, 880 Butler Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37127, or www.championboats.com. These boats

look like they’re doing 70-mph when they’re tied to the dock, yet they still carry all the features serious tournament boats need.

Polar Kraft, 888-463-3739, 4500 Middlebury St, Elkhart, IN 46515 or www.partikraft.com, www.polarkraft.com.

Though Polar Kraft’s boats are aluminum, their bass boats are designed to compete with fiberglass models-casting decks, trolling motors, livewells and the like included—but at a much lower cost.

Ranger Boats, 800-373-2628, P.O. Box 179, Flippin, AR 72634, or www.rangerboats.com. If you know about bass then you already know about Ranger.

These were some of the first dedicated bass boats to hit the water, and they’re still some of the finest ones around.

Skeeter Boats, 800-SKEETER, One Skeeter Rd, Kilgore, TX 75662, or www.skeeterboats.com. For six consecutive years, Skeeter has received the “Excellence in Customer Satisfaction for Fiberglass Outboard Boats inch CSI award. No wonder they know what they’re doing, since the first Skeeter hit the water over 60 years ago.

Stratos Boats, 615-895-5190, 880 Butler Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37127, or www.stratosboats.com. Stratos is known for high performance and high quality, and they back up that reputation with a limited lifetime warranty-almost unheard of, in the industry.

Tracker Boats, 417-873-5900, 2500 E. Kearney, Springfield, MO 65803, or www.trackerboats.com. Tracker offers lower cost aluminum bass boats, but they also offer formed-aluminum boats. These have no rivets yet they also feature complex hull curves and awesome finishes not usually seen on aluminum rigs.

Triton Boats, 615-792-6767, 15 Bluegrass Drive, Ashland City, TN 37015, or www.tritonboats.com. When it comes to building with heavy-duty construction methods in mind, Triton fits the bill. Models like the new 19X2 are all-composite, have automotive-style fuses, and a polished-aluminum jack plate.

Bay Boats What style of boat allows you to fish in the most diverse number of situations? Bay boats may well hold the number one spot when it comes to flexibility. They can creep 24

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into the shallows with their 12- to 16-inch drafts, yet have enough beef to take on a bay chop when it gets nasty. On nice days, plenty of anglers can even be found outside the inlet on bay boats. With transom deadrises that commonly split the difference between deep V and flat-bottom, usually in the 10- to 14-degree range, bay boats go both ways and every way in-between.

Bay boats need to be built tough enough to take on the big-water end of the spectrum, so when you consider one, look for attributes like foam- or ply-cored stringers, foam-filled hulls, vacuum-bagged parts, and 316-grade stainless-steel. If you personally want more security in big seas and hope to exit the inlet often, look for one with a steeper deadrise angle, tall gunwales, and some flare in the bow. If, on the other hand, chasing fish in the shallows takes precedence, less deadrise, wider gunwales, and larger elevated casting decks should be priorities. Freshwater fishing is in the cards, too? Luckily, with the increasing popularity of backcountry fishing most bay boats are available with electric trolling motors. Note, however, that the majority of those on the market come prewired for the electric kicker, but do not necessarily include a factor-installed rig. Also remember that the extended range and abilities of a bay boat increase the likelihood that you’ll be fishing farther from home for longer periods of time. Accordingly, make sure you choose a ride that has plenty of fuel capacity, dry stowage compartments, and secure rod lockers. Seating should also be appropriate for the number of passengers you commonly bring along. Many nifty new models offer seats that fold down into casting decks, which make them even more versatile yet.

You want to go wherever the bite is, whenever it gets hot? Then a bay boat may be in your future.

Bay Boats You Need to Know About Bay Quest Boats, 800-749-2628, 4110 N. FM 493, Donna, TX 78537, or www.bayquestboats.com. Built in the Dargel factory, the Bay Quest lines offer both tunnel and V-hull bay skiffs with cross-over fishing abilities. Whether you’re casting to reds in a canal or chasing cobia in the inlet, a Bay Quest can handle the job.

Bell Boats, 361-983-4134, 20th & Monroe, Box 200, Port O’Connor, TX 77982, or www.bellboats.com. Modern construction techniques including all-glass stringers and injected foam are combined F i s h

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with gobs of fuel capacities, stowage compartments, and livewell capacity that make these bay boats worthy of your attention.

Blazer, 850-478-2290, or www.blazerboats.com. This family-run company builds bay boats with an eye on high-performance and unsurpassed customer service.

Blue Wave, 800-432-6768, 711 Boren Blvd, Seminole, OK 74868, or www.bluewaveboats.com. Blue Wave is run by a thirdgeneration boat builder, and their newest allcomposite fishing machines are designed on a tournament-quality level with all the features and performance you need to out-fish the competition.Their newest model, the 2200 Delux DC, utilizes a dual-console design to bring family-friendly cruising into the mix.

Carolina Skiff, 912-287-0547, 3231 Fulford Rd, Waycross, GA 31503, or www.carolinaskiff.com. Carolina Skiff offers V-bottom boats, flat-bottom boats, and everything in-between, all of which can be laid out and equipped as you like, thanks to a modular design.

Century Boats, 850-769-0311, 6725 Bayline Drive, Panama City, FL 32404, or www.centuryboats.com. Century builds allcomposite boats with a highly evolved layout that integrates fish boxes, comfortable seating, rod stowage, and livewells, in an ergonomic and eye-pleasing manner.

Champion Boats, 615-494-2090, 880 Butler Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37127, or www.championboats.com. Match up Champion’s V-Wing hull design, CAD engineering, and composite construction techniques and you get one of the toughest, best-performing bay boats on the water.

Dargel Boat Works, 800-749-2628, Rt. 1 box 124, Donna, TX 78537, or www.dargel.com. This semi-custom builder produces boats with eye-popping performance, shallow-water abilities that are second to none, and construction techniques that will hold up for decades.

Desperado Boats, 361-573-6809, Victoria, Texas, or www.desperadoboats.com.

These Texas-built catamarans utilize a tunnel with two flat planning surfaces on either side, spray-throwing reverse chines, and a rounded bow section to make sure that when you cross the bay you do it quickly, stay dry, and don’t get pounded like on some lesser boats.

Everglades Boats, 386-409-2202, 544 Air Park Rd, Edgewater, FL 32132, or www.evergladesboats.com. “Ramcap” construction means the hull and deck get pumped full of closed-cell foam under pressure, creating an unsinkable, incredibly strong boat. Match this advanced construction with excellent fit and finish work, and you have a hands-down winner.

GC Boats, 713-477-7119, 1811 Strawberry, Pasadena, TX 77502, or www.gulfcoastboats.net. These are one-of-akind bay boats, designed with a bow that cleaves open waves and a low gunwale section that makes it easy for wade-fishermen to get in and out of the boat.

Hydra-Sports Boats, 941/753-7811, 1651 Whitfield Ave, Sarasota, FL 34243, or www.hydrasports.com. The Bay Bolt series provides anglers with the touches that separate a top of the line boat from the rest of the crowd: light, fully-finished hatches on gas-assist struts, livewells that form a watertight seal, stainlesssteel rodholders, and larger than usual fishboxes and helm electronics flats all work together to bring you awesome all-around fishability.

K2 Marine, 479-885-0520, P.O. Box 488 Knoxville, AR 72845, or www.k2marine.com. No other boat looks like K2’s Blackjack, with its rounded tumblehome and strong flair. Traditionalists will like the Frontier, one of the best values on the market today.

Marshall Marine, 361-552-1870, 116 Main, Port Lavaca TX, 77979, or www.marshall-marine.com. If you like to haul big crews or just want a ton of fishing space, Marshall’s 28 foot 6 inch bay boat is the biggest craft of this genre around-yet it still drafts just a foot.

Nautic Star, 662-256-5636, 500 Waterway Drive, Amory, MS 38821, or www.nauticstarboats.com. Nautic Star offers a wide range of boats, including the new 2400 Nautic Bay, which has a strong V in the entry to take on oceanic seas, yet can still sneak into the backwaters.

New Water Boats, 210-648-7390, IH37S Donlop Rd, San Antonio, TX or www.newwaterboatworks.com. New Water’s Curlew, Ibis, and Avocet models bring shallow water boats to a new level, with striking detail levels and unusually nice aluminum pipe work.

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Pathfinder, 888-SHALLOW, 3207 Industrial 29th St, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, or www.pathfinderboats.com. If you know bay boats then you already know Pathfinder-allcomposite fishing machines that offer great features and a good bang for the buck.

Polar Boats, 888-463-3739, 4500 Middlebury St, Elkhart, IN 46515 or www.polarboats.com. These boats are designed to utilize every inch of space, and provide a dedicated spot for everything from tackle to cast nets and buckets.

Pro-Line, 800-344-1281, Box 1348, Crystal River, FL, 34423, or www.prolineboats.com. Pro-Line’s bay boats are light enough to run shallow yet have the beef to take on bigger water-just the reason you look at a bay boat, in the first place.

Ranger Boats, 800-373-2628, P.O. Box 179, Flippin, AR 72634, or www.rangerboats.com. Ranger’s Bay Rangers have earned the same high-performance, high-quality reputation as Ranger’s bass line.

Robalo Boats, 229-686-2700, 300 Industrial Park Blvd, Nashville, GA 31639, or

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www.robalo.com. Robalos feature the Hydrolift hull design, which are stable, dry, smooth, and fast. These boats are built tough, too, and can take an offshore pounding any day.

Scout Boats, 843-821-0068, 2531 Hwy 78 West, Summerville, SC 29483, or www.scoutboats.com. The first thing you’ll notice about a Scout is its unique, retrostyle, rounded lines. The second thing you’ll notice is good performance and fishability at a smaller than expected sticker price.

Sea Chaser, 912-287-0547, 3231 Fulford Rd, Waycross, GA 31503, or www.carolinaskiff.com. These are Carolina Skiffs in a V-bottom version. With steeper deadrises and more flair in the bow, they can take on rougher seas than the traditional Carolina Skiff design.

Sea Hunt Boats, 803-755-6539, 5535 Rosebank Ct, Lexington, SC 29072, or www.seahuntboatcompany.com. Few bay boats offer a head, but Sea Hunt has one of them. Plus, they deliver top-notch finish work and solid performance.

Sea Pro Boats, 803-321-5777, P.O. Box 1168, 182 Sea Pro Drive, Newberry, SC, 29108, or www.seaproboats.com. Sea Pros foot larger models have proved their mettle in tough conditions, and their NMMA-certified bay boats are no different.

Added bonus: you can “build your own boat inch online, at Sea Pro’s web site.

Skeeter Boats, 800-SKEETER, One Skeeter Rd, Kilgore, TX 75662, or www.skeeterboats.com. If high-performance is important to you, check out these incredibly fast, nimble fishing machines.

Triton Boats, 615-792-6767, 15 Bluegrass Drive, Ashland City, TN 37015, or www.tritonboats.com. Triton offers a comprehensive Light Tackle line-up, ranging from a 19 foot to a 24’. All provide large casting decks, livewells, and electric trolling motor systems.

Triumph Boats, 919/382-3149, 100 Golden Drive, Durham, NC 27705, or www.triumphboats.com. Tough? Did you say you want the world’s toughest boat?

Then you should check out a Triumph. Built of roto-molded Roplene, you can whack these boats with a sledgehammer—literally—to no effect. Go ahead, ram that dock.

Drive onto that oyster bar. You simply can’t hurt these boats, from their 12’ dinghy to the 23’ offshore-capable center console.

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Trophy Sportfishing Boats, 800544-6220 or www.trophyfishing.com.

Trophy’s boats regularly out-price the competition, offering you the most LOA for the buck. Plus, these hulls are beefed up by onepiece stringer systems that are bonded to the hull.

Twin Vee Boats, 772-429-2525, 3101 S. Federal Highway, Ft. Pierce, FL 34982, or www.twinvee.net. Smooth is the key word when it comes to Twin Vees; these air-packing powercats utilize a compression tunnel to ride on a cushion of air, turning choppy seas into no challenge.

Wellcraft 941-753-7811, 1651 Whitfield Ave, Sarasota, FL, or www.wellcraft.com. Yes, Wellcraft has been building boats for a long, long time-over 50 years.

And experience pays, in the form of highly evolved design and function.

Flats Boats In the quest for fish, there are times when least is most. Specifically, when it comes to draft. A boat with extreme shallow water abilities can get you into spots other anglers can’t reach-and when it comes to flats boats, they’ll do it quickly, in comfort, and then allow you to fish in the way you most enjoy without disadvantages other boats force upon you. Quality flats boats have unencumbered foredecks for fly anglers and light tackle casters, multiple livewells to keep live baits live, poling platforms for those who wish to go into stealth mode, and hulls designed to keep quiet when adrift or sneaking up on wary redfish.

If you plan to pole a flats boat as opposed to rigging it with an electric motor, make sure the ones you consider are as light as possible, and have strakes running the length of the hull (which will help it track better.) Also pay attention to the method used to secure the poling platform to the boat; throughbolts with locking nylock nuts and backing plates are far superior to screws. If the boat is high-powered-and many flats boats are, with top-end speeds in the 60’s-look for boats with hull-to-deck joints that are glassed or through-bolted together, and foam-filled or marine-ply cored fiberglass stringers.

Vacuum-bagged or resin-infused fiberglass parts are a big bonus, as they’ll have the highest strength-to-weight ratio.

If you want to fly over the flats, travel through ankle-deep water, and hit those spots no one else can get to, then a flats boat will be your next craft of choice.

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Must-See Flats Boats Bell Boats, 361-983-4134, 20th & Monroe, Box 200, Port O’Connor, TX 77982, or www.bellboats.com. Bell’s flats series need a mere six inches of water to float, and are backed by injected foam floatation and all-glass stringers.

Carolina Skiff, 912-287-0547, 3231 Fulford Rd, Waycross, GA 31503, or www.carolinaskiff.com. The flat-bottomed Carolinas will float in ankle-deep water, and their tough glass over foam sandwich construction means you won’t have to worry when a shoal or an oyster bar jumps up in front of you.

Everglades Boats, 386-409-2202, 544 Air Park Rd, Edgewater, FL 32132, or www.evergladesboats.com. Everglade’s flats models run on unique rail-equipped hulls, which help pack air like a cat yet offer the stability and load-bearing capabilities of a flat-bottom boat.

Haynie, 361-785-6035, 87 Cemetery Rd, Seadrift, TX 77983. The advanced hull designs these boats utilize mean running in ankle deep water is no problem for a Haynie.

Maverick Boat Co., 888-SHALLOW, 3207 Industrial 29th St, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, or www.maverickboats.com.

High-tech vacuum-bagged resin infusion construction, which produces an ideal resinto-glass ratio, ensures that these boats are as light as possible while maintaining the most strength possible.

Majek Boats, 361-991-3102. 7001 Road P, Roddfield Village, Corpus Christi, TX 78414, These boats are customdesigned and built to run the flats with eyewatering speeds, and still handle choppy waters without a problem.

Pathfinder, 888-SHALLOW, 3207 Industrial 29th St, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, or www.pathfinderboats.com. Pathfinder’s flats models feature angler-driven designs, made to provide you with the best fishing experience possible.

Sea Chaser, 912-287-0547, 3231 Fulford Rd, Waycross, GA 31503, or www.carolinaskiff.com Sea Chaser’s skiffs are light, fast, and cost-efficient.

Offshore Boats Big water adventures call for capable boats, and if you want to run for deep water and big gamefish, there’s no substitute for an offshore fishing machine. Deep-V hull forms are the rule in this category of boat, unless you’re considering a powercat, and with good reason: the sharp forefoot and V-hull help slice through the waves instead of pounding across them, keeping you safe and comfortable for long hauls to the hotspots.

Since these boats are designed for the salt, naturally you’ll want to demand 316grade stainless-steel fittings and hardware.

And watch out for plastic parts like doors and hatches which are exposed to the sun at all times, because they’ll warp and fade more quickly than fiberglass parts. The hull-todeck joint is very important in these boats, too, and don’t settle for less than fiberglass bonds or through-bolts backed up with an adhesive-sealant. Excess weight in an offshore boat will help smooth out the bumps, but at the same time it will slow you down and cost you more fuel; pick your poison.

You’ll also have to make sure the boat you choose matches the style of fishing you enjoy.

Most won’t be designed for specialized purposes like fly-casting, but will be laid out for big-water tactics like trolling. If this is your game be sure to check for the number and placement of standard rodholders, fish stowage capacity and quality-nothing’s worse than poorly insulated fishboxes that let your ice melt away on long summer days-and onboard tackle and rod stowage. If live-baiting appeals to you, look for a livewell with gobs of capacity, no hard edges, and strong water flow. Also be sure the raw water washdown and livewell each have their own dedicated pumps, not a pump-share arrangement.

Adventure awaits those who have the guts and the initiative to run offshore. If you think this kind of fishing might be in your blood, check out an offshore boat today.

Offshore Capable Boats Carolina Skiff, 912-287-0547, 3231 Fulford Rd, Waycross, GA 31503, or www.carolinaskiff.com. Carolina’s larger models have what it takes to run through heavy seas in safety.

Century Boats, 850-769-0311, 6725 Bayline Drive, Panama City, FL 32404, or www.centuryboats.com. Century produces walk-around, express, and center console models. Whatever variety of offshore boat pleases your fancy, chances are they have it.

Everglades Boats, 386-409-2202, 544 Air Park Rd, Edgewater, FL 32132, or www.evergladesboats.com. Offshore models from this builder ride like a dream, thanks to the fiberglass-foam sandwich construction method.

Hydra-Sports Boats, 941/753-7811, 1651 Whitfield Ave, Sarasota, FL 34243, or www.hydrasports.com. Hydra-Sports offshore fishing machines are created like no others, with space-age construction features including a solid, poured ceramic transom, steel-reinforced hoses, Kevlar reinforcement, and Dynaplate electronics protection. Start hitting big seas at high speeds, and this construction translates into a rock-solid ride.

Polar Boats, 888-463-3739, 4500 Middlebury St, Elkhart, IN 46515 or www.polarboats.com. This builder had a multitude of offerings, ranging from center consoles that are head-equipped to cabin boats with overnighting capabilities.

Pro-Line, Box 1348, Crystal River, FL, 34423, 800-344-1281 or www.prolineboats.com. Check out their new pilot models, which have the all-conditions utility of a pilothouse yet the styling of an express, with the cockpit of a hard-core fishboat.

Robalo Boats, 229-686-2700, 300 Industrial Park Blvd, Nashville, GA 31639, or www.robalo.com. Robalos have aggressive deep-V hulls and lots of flair, which keeps you safe and dry when the offshore seas kick up.

Scout Boats, 843-821-0068, 2531 Hwy 78 West, Summerville, SC 29483, or www.scoutboats.com. Unique features, like integrated gunwale fishboxes and livewells, set these boats apart from the mainstream.

Sea Boss, 803-321-5842, 71 Industrial Park Rd, Newberry, SC 29108, or www.seaboss.com. These boats are fully linered, yet carry the price tag of spackleinterior boats.

Sea Chaser, 912-287-0547, 3231 Fulford Rd, Waycross, GA 31503, or www.carolinaskiff.com This V-hull line made by Carolina Skiff features the same rugged construction as the company’s other models-yet they ride smoother and drier.

Sea Hunt Boats, 803-755-6539, 5535 Rosebank Ct, Lexington, SC 29072, or www.seahuntboats.com. Take a gander at the new Ultra series, which has a standard features list that can’t be beat.

Sea Pro Boats, 803-321-5777, P.O. Box 1168, 182 Sea Pro Drive, Newberry, SC, 29108, or www.seaproboats.com. Sea Pro’s offshore line comes with a standard 10-year hull warranty-as well as great fishability and deep-V hull designs.

Parti Kraft, 888-463-3739, 4500 Middlebury St, Elkhart, IN 46515 or www.partikraft.com. The largest manufacturer of deck and pontoon boats in the country; the size and feature choices are limitless.

Seaswirl, 541-546-5011, P.O. Box OR, 97734, or 167, Culver, www.seaswirl.com. Unlike most modern builders, Seaswirl offers a choice between stern drive or outboard power on many of its offshore-capable models, which range from a 19-foot bay boat all the way up to a 33-foot walk-around.

Sweetwater Pontoon Boats, 4500 Middlebury St, Elkhart, IN 46516, 541546-5011 or www.sweetwater.com. These pontoons (built by Godfrey Marine) offer the ability to do everything from fishing to water skiing.

Triton Boats, 615-792-6767, 15 Bluegrass Drive, Ashland City, TN 37015, or www.tritonboats.com. Triton has a huge range of offshore boats, ranging from a 19foot center console to a massive 35 foot long, triple-engine beast.

Wellcraft, 941-753-7811, 1651 Whitfield Ave, Sarasota, FL, or www.wellcraft.com Wellcraft offers competition-level offshore fishboats built with foam-filled fiberglass stringers, on deep-V hulls that can take on big seas.

Pontoon Boats If family fun is priority number one, than a pontoon boat is probably in your future.

Pontoons offer exceptionally stable platforms that are excellent for entertaining, casual fishing, sunbathing, and pulling tow toys. If you plan on taking the entire family boating, pontoons make an excellent platform. Most have waist-high rails ringing the sides, and plenty of comfy seating. These days, you can even find some models with pop-up changing rooms and Port-a-Potties—big values with Mom and the kids onboard.

If fishing is in the cards look for livewells and rodholders, which are absent on some models. Swimming is big among the family?

Then look for models that feature both fore and aft swim ladders and boarding platforms. No matter what the intended use, also check out stowage compartments. On less expensive boats you’ll see plastic tubs used for liners, and these are fine. But fiberglass-lined compartments will look better and last longer. Also, look into the steering system. Many pontoons get by with rack and pinion steering. That’s okay for small powerplants but those over 100 or so horses will become tough to turn unless you opt for hydraulic steering. While it may not bother you, the fairer sex sometimes has a tough time wrestling the wheel with such set-ups.

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Tracker Boats, 2500 E. Kearney, Springfield, MO 65803, 417-873-5900, or www.trackerboats.com. Whether you want a small pontoon boat that’s easy to trailer or a huge one that pushes for the title of the largest pontoon on the lake, Tracker has what you need.

Niche Craft American Airboats, 800-241-6390, 100 E. Lutcher Dr, Orange, TX, 77632, or www.americanairboats.com. If you need the ultimate in all-terrain vehicles, then American Airboats has the answer. Check out the new Rhino edition, with a 1-4 inch thick aluminum bottom and 4 inch amidships braces. Go ahead-run over that giant gator. It won’t hurt anything.

Wavewalk Fishing Kayaks, 617/916-2250, 83 Adams Ave, West Newton, MA 02465, or www.wavewalk.com. You wish there was a fishing kayak stable enough to stand in?

There is—the Wavewalk, which comes in both fishing and hunting models. These 10’2” long, roto-molded catamaran-style kayaks can carry up to 320-lbs and draft only four inches with a 160-lb. load.

Outboards Most of us running fishboats, whether we ply the backcountry or run for the rigs, are powering our boats with outboard motors.

And lucky for us, outboard technology has grown by leaps and bounds these last few years. Clean, quiet four-strokes have grown in numbers, choices, and size, and the new two-strokes are keeping pace. Again, as with everything in boats, you face certain tradeoffs: four-strokes are quieter than twostrokes, and at cruising speeds, tend to show a slight edge in economy. But two-strokes are lighter and tend to have more punch off the line. And at high RPM, the two varieties run neck and neck when it comes to economy. Decide which factors are most important to you, and take your pick.

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motors beats the competition? Not really.

The happy truth of the matter is that virtually all outboards built today are of an extremely high quality. They’re far more reliable than those of yesteryear, they don’t put out clouds of smoke or gobs of unburned oil, and they are available in more power options than ever before. Purchase any of these motors, and you can feel secure in knowing you’re getting a quality produce.

That said, there are some considerations to take into account when you’re shopping.

Sure, bigger motors cost more up-front, but it’s not usually wise to opt for a just-bigenough powerplant. More horsepower means better resale value, and when prospective buyers look at your boat years from now, having those extra horses on the transom counts for a lot. The new digital controls are also very nice to have; they make shifting smooth and easy, without the cable adjustments that used to haunt boaters.

Some new powerplants come with power steering, another quantum leap forward in ease of use. And most companies can also provide you with advanced gauges these days, showing you information like hourly fuel burn, overall economy, oil pressure, temperature, and speed, all on one gauge.

However you cut it, you can feel good about buying an outboard in 2008-thanks to these companies.

Outboards for 08 Bombardier, 847-689-7090, or www.brp.com, www.evinrude.com, www.johnson.com. Evinrude’s E-TEC twostrokes range from 40- to 250-hp, and they offer light weight, near-instant acceleration, and low emission operation. These powerhouses are light years ahead of old twostroke technology, period. Johnson offers four-strokes from 9.9 to 25-hp, and carbureted two-strokes from 9.9 to 15-hp.

Honda Marine, 770-497-6400, 4900 Marconi Dr, Alpharetta, GA 30005, or www.honda-marine.com. Honda was one of the first four-strokes on the scene, and they haven’t stopped making advancements ever since. The latest: new 75- and 90-hp models that are the lightest four-cylinder outboards in their class.

Mercury Marine, 920-929-5040, W6250 W. Pioneer Rd, Fond du Lac, WI 54936, or www.mercurymarine.com.

Mercury’s four-stroke Verado and twostroke Optimax lines continue to make waves. Superchargers. Power steering.

Digital controls. It’s all cutting-edge outboard technology. The latest development?

Mercury is the first to apply power steering to tiller-steered engines.

Suzuki Marine, 714-572-1490, or www.suzukimarine.com. Suzuki offers fourstroke outboards from 2.5- clear up to 300hp. In fact, Suzuki was the first on the scene with a 300-hp. four-stroke outboard. And Suzuki’s fly-by-wire Precision Control makes it a pleasure to unleash, and then corral, all 300 of those horses.

Yamaha Outboards, 886-894-1626, 1270 Chastain Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30144, or www.yamaha-motor.com. Yamaha is another company to develop both four- and two-stroke line-ups, in a huge range of power choices. The hottest new offering? It’s the biggest, baddest four-stroke outboard on the face of the planet, Yamaha foot 350-hp V-8 F350. Hold on tight!

Tohatsu-Nissan Marine, 214-4206440, www.tohatsu.com or www.nissanmarine.com. The news from Tohatsu and Nissan for 08 is a new 20-hp four-stroke, filling in their four-stroke line-up between the 15 and 25 hp models. A CD ignition system will ensure easy starts even in cold or moist weather, and the engine comes armed with both visual and audible low oil alarms.

Like all Tohatsu-Nissans, the new 20 will come with a three-year warranty.

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HEN I PULLED UP TO MY HOUSE AFTER a long day at school and didn’t see my boat in the driveway, I honestly thought I was dreaming.

It had to be a hallucination brought on by prolonged exposure to dry-erase marker fumes. How else could I explain that I didn’t see my 22-foot Blue Wave? It’s supposed to be right there, in my driveway, chained to a Texas red oak. Where is my boat?!

After the wave of nausea that is too familiar to those who have a major possession (and more than a little personal security) stolen faded, after a surreal conversation with a 911 operator who had to be new to the job (“Do you know who stole your boat, sir?”), after giving the police officer all the important information, after calling my insurance agent, and after literally standing in the empty spot my boat used to be parked in, I began to ask myself questions: What did I do wrong? Was there more I could have done?

According to the police officer, and later the investigator handling my case, I did things right: I had a lock for the trailer hitch, and I had chained my boat to something solid. My boat was parked in a well-lit, easily visible area, and my neighborhood was made up of mostly long-time residents who are aware when something is amiss in the neighborhood. After further study, however, I discovered I could have done things a bit more right.

First, a note from the investigator I talked to (who asked me to not identify him in this piece): If a thief wants what you have, he will get it. A big boat with a big motor is an especially attractive target right now because the drug runners and human smugglers south of the border are preparing to go coastal to skirt

the Border Fence, and it takes surprisingly little effort to get one out of the country. (It isn’t difficult to get a boat to a ramp on the Rio Grande, launch it, and be in Mexico and away in a few minutes; no dealing with the border guards, no showing papers, no muss, no fuss). In my case, the thieves scouted the neighborhood ahead of time, learned my routines and the routines of my neighbors, and struck at the optimum time (which was probably late- to mid-morning, since mine is a neighborhood of professional people).

According to the Foremost Insurance Boaters website, “many boat owners do little to lock their trailers,” and it takes only a few short seconds to back up a truck, hook up the boat, and drive off. It takes very little to lock your boat down and make it too difficult for thieves, who have to work quickly or risk discovery, to make off with your baby. “Trailers should be locked to either your vehicle or (when at home) to a permanent object such as a tree or pole.”

If you have been reading closely, you might think you found a flaw in the above paragraph. Yes, I had locked the hitch, and I had chained my boat to a tree. This is where I made an error in judgment: I trusted the locks more than I should have. Both the lock on the hitch and the one on the chain were conventional padlocks instead of the round “cut-proof ” security locks—which just happened to be on the display next to the padlocks. I had used this type of padlock for years, and they had always served me well, but the “U” configuration of the lock bar is, as we all know, especially vulnerable to anyone with a bolt cutter. For all the time it probably took them to cut the locks, I might as well have been using kite string.

There are special “turnkey” style locks that fit on the trailer hitch and tongue locks that prevent the boat from being hooked up to a vehicle. It is possible to break these locks, but the effort and time required to do so make it prohibitive for thieves to even try.

Moreover, trying to break these locks can cause such a racket that the risk of discovery

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is heightened. Again, thieves try to move as quickly as possible. They don’t want to spend 10 minutes trying to break a tongue lock with a sledgehammer.

Another important step a boat owner should take involves the worst-case scenario.

All State Insurance, in association with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, offers a Boat Theft Checklist (insurance.allstate.com/Products/Other/Boa t/pdf/BOAT_THEFT_CHECKLIST.p df) on which you record the boat’s vital information. If your boat is stolen, you have a vital list to give both to the police and to your insurance agent. At best, this might help with the recovery of your boat. Worst case, the police have a list complete with serial numbers to fill out their reports, and your insurance agent has an accurate accounting of the boat and its equipment.

Finally, you should videotape or photograph the boat and equipment for proper documentation, and you make sure your insurance policy (you do have insurance, don’t you?) includes the non-fixture equipment on your boat, which includes fire extinguishers, life vests, aftermarket electronics, trolling motors, aftermarket aeration systems such as an O2 setup, etc. The former helps prove to both the police and insurance company that you had the equipment you claim and the latter helps replace the equipment after deductible and appropriate devaluation. It might not make you whole again because getting only your boat back would do that, but it is a way to start rebuilding.

My insurance paid off what I owed on the boat, and I was able to quickly find a replacement that makes a decent stopgap until I can again get the vessel I want. In the meantime, I guess the lessoned learned, though not disastrous, was painful.

Very painful.

E-mail Calixto Gonzales cgonzales@fishgame.com

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Is red snapper fishing as we knew it gone forever?

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by Capt. Mike Holmes

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nce upon a time, in a Gulf of Mexico not so far away, fishermen pursued a rather small, red-colored fish because it was numerous, fairly easy to catch, and very good to eat. They congregated in schools around bottom structure or natural reefs, and were not inclined to migrate long distances, making them easy to locate again and again.

In those days, this species was considered a “meat” fish. There were no size, bag, or possession limits, so both recreational and commercial fishermen were free to catch and keep as many of these tasty creatures as they wanted.

Over time, the number and size of these fish at traditional locations began to decline.

Some fishermen with years of experience believed these locations had been fished so hard for so long that the fish finally moved to new areas not yet discovered by anglers.

This theory seemed confirmed by the number of “sow holes” discovered by dedicated bottom fishermen using new sonar technology, but the “Fairy Godmother” of fishing regulations, NOAA Fisheries, declared these fish in danger of turning into pumpkins if not fitted with the glass slipper of tighter limits and even a first-ever seasonal closure.

These restrictions got tighter and tighter just about every year, even as fishermen from both sectors maintained that NOAA Fisheries was actually playing Wizard of OZ, and there was no magic—or logic— behind the curtain.

Backed, or possibly prodded, by extreme environmentalist organizations, NOAA Fisheries is marching along as though to the old military cadence that ended with, “Am I right or wrong?” —the troops answering without question, “You’re right!”

But are they? And can the restrictions return the red snapper fishery to an era of more generous harvest?

There is little doubt that ending the unrestricted take of red snapper was good for the fishery, but after more than two decades of being the most tightly regulated open-water species other than bluefin tuna, our government watchdogs lowered the recreational bag limit in April 2007 to two fish per person per day as an “emergency measure” to “protect” the fishery through the end of 2007.

They also took away the personal limit allowed for the captain and crew of for-hire recreational vessels. NOAA estimates the crew limit removal will reduce the seasonal

catch by 2 percent, allowing them to forego shortening the length of the season—for now.

The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the year for both commercial and recreational interests has been lowered from 9.14 million pounds per year to 6.5 million pounds, divided into 3.315 million pounds for commercial fishermen, 3.185 million pounds for recreational anglers. The Interim Rule that set these limits also lowered the minimum size limit for commercials from 15 to 13 inches, and mandates a 50 percent reduction in shrimping by-catch snapper mortality from the estimated 2001-2003 levels. This Interim Rule expired the last day of September 2007, but was extended for an additional 186 days while Joint Amendment 27/14 to the Reef Fish Management Plan and the Shrimp Management Plan can be finalized, published in the Federal Register, and undergo a public comment period.

The Joint Amendment’s preferred options are to further restrict the TAC to 5.0 million pounds, 2.55 million pounds to commercials, and 2.45 million pounds to recreational. It would continue to prohibit captain and crew limits and hold anglers to a twofish limit with a 16-inch minimum length, require the use of non-stainless circle hooks, and require fishermen to carry venting and de-hooking devices to “more properly” release undersized snapper. It would also reduce the recreational open season from 174 days to 107 by opening June 1 and closing September 15 instead of the current April 21 to October 30. Included is a target reduction for shrimp boat by-catch to 74 percent, with season and area closures to be considered to reach this goal.

The stated goal of these measures is to end overfishing in the red snapper fishery by 2009-2010, and rebuild the fishery to sustainable levels by 2032, as mandated, supposedly, by the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act. What this means to recreational fishermen is there most likely will never be a return to the “good old days” of red snapper fishing. As far as the commercial sector, they got the big screw by pushing for—and getting— Individual Fishing Quotas, which ended the partial season openings that forced fishermen to venture out in bad weather and kept prices down as the market was glutted during the short open periods.

Under the IFQ system, each fisherman is issued a personal quota that can be filled at any time during the year, which was thought to be preferred for both safety and market reasons. It was favored by many in the recre-

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ational sector because it would stop commercials from cleaning out all the “easy” spots before the recreational season opened. The drastic reduction in TAC, and the allocation of the quota based on past documented catches, has made it unrealistic for many of the 1075 commercial license holders across the Gulf to continue in this fishery.

Another casualty of the TAC reduction is the recreational-for-hire fleet. There were 1500 charter and head boats with valid Federal Reef Fish permits allowing them to carry passengers to fish for red snapper (225 of which also carry commercial licenses) in waters under federal control, which equates to nine miles offshore in Texas and Florida, three miles in the other Gulf States.

Because red snapper are not a flashy sport fish and mainly pursued for their table qualities, a drop in the number of customers willing to pay big bucks to catch two fish is expected. NOAA’s response to this is that there are other fish to catch, but the most popular of those are also under tight restrictions: two ling, two kingfish, one amberjack; ling and amberjack are not as easily located as red snapper.

In Freeport, the most successful head boat operation is selling its vessels and going out of business, several other charter boats are for sale, and many other captains are considering a change of plans. The value of the Federal permits—which are under permanent moratorium—has plummeted, and will probably drop even farther.

The crux of the problem centers around whether such restrictive measures that harshly impact small businesses and coastal economies are actually necessary. NOAA Fisheries uses very questionable data to estimate the recreational catch—data consisting mostly of telephone surveys to get baseline numbers and computer extrapolation. There is sporadic effort to survey charter and head boats, but no observer program on boats with knowledgeable captains who could demonstrate healthy snapper populations, no divers surveying underwater structure, and not even a valid dockside survey program.

One would think that with all the money poured into programs by organizations such as the Pew Charitable Trusts to influence findings of overfishing, there would be funding to do actual on-the-water research. It is so obvious that something is wrong with this program that U.S. House Representative Ron Paul from Lake Jackson, Texas, authored a letter to Roy Crabtree and Bill Hogarth of NOAA Fisheries, inviting them to appear before Congress to explain how

they could have mismanaged red snapper so badly that a 65 percent reduction in TAC was required, and suggesting they should both tender their resignations over it.

Several years ago, Ric Jacobson, a veteran snapper hunter who always travels open water with a fish-finder on, ran across a spot 40-something miles off Freeport that showed on the screen as a “red mountain of fish.

After the location trickled out, recreational boats loaded up on huge snapper. The first time I fished the location, there had to be a mile and a half of fish, feeding all the way to the surface, with gulls working over them like trout in a bay. With nine people on board and a five-fish per person limit, we boxed 41 fish in just over an hour before pulling off as a shrimp boat approached. Two other boats fishing alongside us were also doing well.

Our fish that day ranged from 8 to 16 pounds, with no throwbacks. Ric told me later he estimated that from the day he found “Red Mountain” until it was fished out by commercials (a span of about a month and a half), there had to have been more than 3000 big snapper taken from this spot.

Quite a few were verified as over 20 pounds, and a couple were rumored to nudge 30.

None of these fish were reported on a NOAA or Gulf Council stock assessment—because nobody asked. Ric had a couple of other spots in his book of numbers that were almost as good.

Regardless of the validity of NOAA’s numbers or the need for tighter restrictions, we seem to be stuck with them for the next many, many years. The State of Texas does not agree with the sad snapper assessments and has left the season open in state waters year-round, with a four-fish bag limit and 15-inch minimum size.

Unfortunately, there are not that many snapper to be found in waters less than nine miles from shore. Off the South Padre Island shoreline out of Port Mansfield, my friend Capt.

Randle Hall (www.geauxdeep.com) makes excellent catches of big snapper on a regular basis in state waters, and there are always a few rocky areas, holes, or wrecks close in that will attract fish. Unfortunately, it is too easy to fish-out these spots.

The artificial reef program being proposed now by the Recreational Fishing Alliance might seem to be an answer to the problem—if it could be completed within our lifetimes—but I worry that the federal government will one day find a way to coerce Texas into matching federal limits on snapper. (See sidebar for more on the RFA reef program). State officials at a high level have 38

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admitted they realize many anglers use state regs as a loophole and actually fishing in deeper water, but claiming their four fish were taken in state jurisdiction. Without more effective enforcement, this situation is only likely to increase.

The Texas Great Barrier Reef Project Jim Smarr is the head of the Texas chapter of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, and I know he is passionate about red snapper from discussions we have had about federal snapper regulations in the past.

Mr. Smarr and his organization believe like many of us that the data and reasoning behind ever-decreasing snapper limits are flawed, and he wants to do something about it.

Since fighting NOAA Fisheries is like poking yourself in the eye with a sharp stick, RFA is taking a different approach. If we can’t fish for snapper in federal waters except during the shrinking open season, and can keep only two fish per day, then why not bring the snapper to Texas waters, where the season is still open yearround and the bag limit is a more reasonable four fish.

Texas Gulf Coast Stewards, Inc., has formed as an offshoot of RFA Texas to attempt to do just that.

What it propose is a string of artificial reefs constructed along the entire Texas coast within state waters, which extend for fisheries purposes nine miles from shore. This would hopefully mirror the success of Alabama, which has allowed private interests to build reefs for years, and is very active in state sponsored and constructed fish habits.

According to the permit application filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the project would consist of thousands of reefs in five reef site corridors. The reefs would directly impact about 3500 acres of Gulf bottom over the 191,400-acre footprint of the five corridors.

Cost of the project is estimated at $400 million, and completion is projected to take 20-30 years. Nothing on this scale has ever been proposed.

My own personal reservations, after congratulating the group on their ambition and dedication, are that this is a lot of publicly owned Gulf bottom, involving many different types of users, and not all of them are recreational snapper fishermen.

Needs of the shipping and oil industries are being addressed in the plan, but objections from other groups could arise. The real worry is that there is no guarantee the feds won’t squeeze TPWD into mirroring restrictive snapper regulations in Texas waters.

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My personal concern is that fishermen will continue to seek red snapper and cull all day to get their two largest fish to take home.

This could completely negate the intention of the tighter restrictions, as snapper release mortality is not good. Even NOAA estimates release mortality in the commercial sector at 82 percent, with recreational mortality at 40 percent. There are studies underway that show a much higher death rate in released fish. Venting tools work only when the angler knows what he is doing, and many snapper throwbacks are eaten by porpoises as fast as they hit the water.

Shifting to other fish as targets presents problems, too. Lane and vermillion snapper are smaller than red snapper, but just as good to eat and have much more liberal bag limits. They are also usually found mixed with red snapper, where maybe 10 red ones will be caught for every one vermillion or Lane. Mangrove or black snapper are tasty, but not many fishermen make the effort to locate them. Dog snapper are an alternative, but again, the risk of catching red snapper that must be released is high. Amberjack might be a viable alternative, but the limit is already one per person, and might drop even lower. Many head boats have turned to tuna, but yellowfin are under limits that could be tightened, and it is only a matter of time before blackfin are included. These fish also require longer runs from shore than do snapper trips.

When snapper were basically unrestricted, king mackerel were the most popular sportfish in Texas waters, and were fished so hard that limits and a seasonal closure were enacted. This was about the time bigger outboard motors were developed to push larger boats farther offshore, and vastly improved fish-finders and GPS were introduced.

Much of the recreational pressure was transferred to snapper, and this directed effort took a definite toll on the fish. Some effort was also transferred to sharks, with the result that these slow-reproducing fish are under very tight restrictions these days.

To paraphrase Newton’s Third Law, every action has an equal, but not always opposite reaction. I have sold my Federal Reef Fish Permit, and have little hope in a revival of the fishery under the control of present NOAA leadership.

There is no love story here, the fishery is in a state suitable for the back of an ambulance, and Lieutenant Frederic Henry would be appalled.

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Largmouth feeding habits— Miss Manners would not approve •

by Matt Williams

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PHOTO BY DON ZAIDLE

Big bass eat thing up to and including legal-size crappie, and even other bass. Therefore, big baits might be the ticket.

raceful they are, but polite they ain’t. A big largemouth bass with a healthy appetite doesn’t know the meaning of table manners.

It is more like a fine-tuned eating machine that knows only four modes of operation: catch, kill, and swallow.

The fourth comes as natural as the first three—lather, rinse, and repeat until the tummy gets full.

So, just how often does a big bass feed?

That’s a loaded question if ever there was one.

Considering its stature in the pecking order, it’s only logical to assume a lunker largemouth eats anytime it gets ready, but ask the experts, and they say feeding cycles fluctuate tremendously during the course of the year, usually in coincidence with the changing seasons.

As seasonal weather patterns change, so does the bass metabolic rate. When water temperatures are moderate during spring and fall, big bass are much more active than in the heat of the summer or the dead of winter. That’s not to say fat fish don’t eat during the latter two seasons. They do, but the major feeds generally take place less fre-

quently and don’t last as long.

Seasonal change also plays a role in when big bass go on the prowl. Take spring, for instance. Longer days and extended warming trends cause a noticeable rise in water temperatures. Big bass react to the change accordingly, usually by levitating vertically in the water column and gravitating toward sun-baked shallows, often with an attitude that can be overly aggressive at times.

Perhaps this explains why so many big fish are caught during the midday hours in spring; surface temps are usually at their warmest during the middle of the day.

Directly the opposite occurs during the summer months. The best summer fishing typically occurs during low light periods (early in the morning, late in the afternoon, and at night) when water temperatures are coolest. At times, these feeding periods might become predictable enough to set a watch by.

To illustrate this point, I like to refer back to July 1986 on little Houston County Lake near Crockett, Texas. Big bass guru John Hope had implanted a small electronic transmitter in a 12-pound largemouth he caught the previous spring. The fish was nicknamed “Wanda.”

Using special telemetry gear, Hope was able to track the fish and observe her daily movements. The fishing guide noticed a definite change in Wanda’s behavior once late

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spring gave way to summer and hot weather set in.

The fish spent daylight hours in a suspended state, usually over deep water, and became active only at night, normally at about 9 p.m. At that point, she would move out of deep water and cruise parallel with a nearby shoreline in about 8 feet of water.

The activity usually continued into the wee hours of the morning.

“I can’t say for certain, but I assume she was feeding when she was moving up and down that shoreline,” said Hope. “In my opinion, a fish that is feeding is a catchable fish.”

Hope proved that point several weeks down the road when he tracked Wanda to the same shoreline and caught her as she made midnight rounds. The fish ate a buzzbait, but Hope wasn’t working it in the conventional manner.

“I could hear some sort of ‘swooshing’ noise beneath the surface with my headphones,” he said. “I assumed it might be some sort of baitfish trying to get away, so I tried to think of a lure that might imitate that sound.”

Hope cast the buzzbait, let it sink, and then ripped it off the bottom by sweeping his rod sideways. This caused the blade to spin and likewise created a sound that was a near match to the natural one he heard minutes earlier. Bingo. A few casts later, he was

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son, mainly because of the sheer number of young bass found in the shallows during that period.

Bass also have been known to eat other types of sport fish on occasion. During a trip to Lake Nacogdoches in East Texas, my wife and I came across a 6-pound largemouth floating on its side. Closer examination revealed the fish had more than a mouthful—a 1-1/4-pound crappie wedged in its throat.

I snatched the bass by the lower lip and brought it into the boat. It took some coaxing, but I worked the dead crappie free. We watched the big bass swim away a few minutes later.

Driscoll wasn’t surprised to learn about the big bass/big crappie episode. That’s because big fish are typically more prone to seek a few sizeable meals as opposed to several small ones.

“A big bass will typically optimize its foraging capabilities by eating a few big meals as opposed to expending all the energy required of chasing around a bunch of little ones,” he said.

That brings to surface another $50,000 question: How much does a healthy 10pound bass eat? No one really knows for certain, because it is virtually impossible to monitor such a fish in a wild environment.

However, based on what he has seen in controlled settings, TPWD fisheries biologist David Campbell said he believed big fish have equally large appetites.

Campbell has been involved with the state’s ShareLunker program since its inception in 1986. The program solicits the donation of Texas-caught bass weighing 13 pounds or more for use in spawning and genetics research. Campbell has handled more than 400 ShareLunkers over the last 24 years. He arguably has more hands-on experience with double-digit lunkers than anyone in Texas, quite possibly in the world.

The fisheries scientist said feeding patterns in big bass vary from fish to fish, just as they do in people. Some big bass might be so aggressive that they eat or kill everything in their path just for the heck of it. Others are more passive and eat only until they get their fill.

“Every big bass has a different personality,” said Campbell. “They’re sort of like horses. Some horses have real good dispositions, whereas others want to kick at everything that walks by. I think you see the same thing with big bass. It’s just another wild animal.”

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Big bass are not finicky eaters.

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cradling Wanda for a second time.

Hope will never know for certain what type of forage Wanda was feeding on prior to pouncing on his buzzbait. He assumed it was shad, but considering the largemouth’s predatory nature, it could have just as easily been a school of small sunfish, crappie, or bass.

Todd Driscoll, a Jasper-based fisheries biologist with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, said largemouth bass are not that selective when it comes to satisfying an empty gut. When the dinner bell rings, anything is fair game.

“A largemouth bass is like any other predator—it’s not all that picky about what it eats,” said Driscoll. “Bass eat all kinds of critters. Except during the periods when they are schooling in open water, bass are predominantly shoreline feeders. Therefore, their diet is comprised mostly of the types of forage you find in that type of water—shad, crawfish, and sunfishes.”

There are, however, some exceptions to the rule. Largemouths have been known to dine on their own kind. Driscoll said the cannibalistic urge probably occurs more frequently during the spring than any other sea-

The most aggressive bass Campbell has ever dealt with was the 16.17-pound largemouth Troy Johnson caught from Gibbons Creek Reservoir in Central Texas in 1988.

Johnson’s fish was an extremely aggressive feeder, as reflected in the 2-1/2 pounds it gained during its yearlong stay in the 3500gallon lunker tank. On several occasions, Campbell saw the fish consume as many as 12, 7-inch channel catfish in a single setting.

“She ate over 200 pounds of food in the year we had her,” said Campbell. “There were times when she might go a couple of days without eating much, but when she did decide to feed, she ate everything we put in front of her.”

Perhaps she thought it would be rude if she didn’t clean her plate.

A bass with table manners. Whooda thunk it?

Hatchery Project Finally Launches T IS NOT THE BARGAIN TEXAS’ 1 MILLION freshwater anglers were promised in 2004 when they began paying $5 annually to cover the cost of a Freshwater Fishing Stamp, required to fish in freshwater in this state. But, what the heck. A late return on an investment is better than no return at all, even if it comes at a greater price.

A new freshwater fish hatchery is finally in the works. Here is some background info for those who might not be familiar with the issue: The Freshwater Fishing Stamp was created in 2003 by the 78th Texas Legislature as a way to generate revenue to build the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department a stateof-the-art fish hatchery to replace an outdated one in Jasper, and to conduct other freshwater fishing projects. Projected cost of the new facility at the time was $15-18 million.

House Bill 1989 by State Rep. Dan Ellis, D-Livingston, specifically stated that construction of the hatchery would be paid for in “cash-in, cash-out” fashion using funds generated by Freshwater Fishing Stamp sales. A final check would be cut on the projected completion date sometime in 2008.

Everyone was excited about the deal.

Then the 79th Legislature came along and stunk up the house. After freezing the fish stamp funds to balance the state’s budget, politicians followed up with an appropriations bill that would force TPWD to rely on “bond” money to build its hatchery as opposed to using angler cash already on

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hand. Interest paid on the bonds under the bill was projected to soar as high as $9 million or more on a 20-year note.

Members of special interest groups such as Texas Black Bass Unlimited and the Texas Freshwater Advisory Board were outraged by the switch-hitting legislature, and they attacked politicians through any media outlet that would listen.

The plan worked to a degree. Shortly before the session ended, new legislation was introduced that would allow the bonds to be retired in two years, using available fish stamp funds. Translation: Exponential cuts in interest payments.

More good news came from Austin last May, when the 80th Texas Legislature gave TPWD the green light to begin spending about $12.3 million sitting in the freshwater stamp fund kitty. Added to the $15 million made available through bonds guaranteed by future stamp sales, TPWD now has slightly more than $27 million available to use for the design and construction a new freshwater hatchery/production facility that will be located on 200 acres below the dam of Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper County.

The $1.5 million design phase was carried out last summer and fall. Construction is expected to begin sometime in April or May and should take 18-24 months to complete.

With inflating construction costs figured in, the cost of the facility could easily top $20 million.

“It has been a long time coming and we’re ready,” said TPWD’s Reese Sparrow. “I’m ready start seeing some black smoke belching out of one of those big earth movers over there.”

Sparrow, a 13-year veteran with the department, will be the hatchery manager over the state’s newest production facility.

The 41-year old fisheries scientist has been overseeing the antiquated Jasper Fish Hatchery since 2004. Constructed in 1932, the Jasper hatchery is the oldest in the system that has never been renovated.

“This place has raised lots of fish, but it is time for us to move on,” Sparrow said.

“We’re still doing things the old school way—dragging seines, walking in the mud, and mowing lots of grass. It’s time for us to F i s h

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step into the new age.”

The new hatchery will be unique from other state hatcheries in that the water flow will be gravity assisted as opposed to relying 100 percent on electric pumps. The siphon concept is expected to save the state a bundle in electric bills, possibly as much as $120,000 annually.

“The gravity assist will come into to play mainly when the lake is high,” Sparrow said.

“We’ll also have two pumps in place with 24-inch lines that will be utilized when the lake is low.”

The Neches River Authority has allocated the use of as much as 10,000-acre-feet of water per year to operate the facility, which is sure to be more than enough. According to Sparrow, the “borrowed” water will be used to fill 60 acres of growing ponds that will range from 1/2 to 2 acres in size. Indoors, the hatchery will be equipped with eight 80foot raceways, 200 6-liter McDonald hatching jars, and 10-15 brood fish holding troughs.

“A lot of planning has gone into the design of this place based on the input from hatchery managers all around the state,” Sparrow said. “It will have the best of everything from a production facility standpoint.”

The biologist said the primary emphasis of the hatchery will be raising Florida bass, blue catfish, and bluegill for stocking in public reservoir systems. Some ponds will be designated for rearing channel cat and rainbow trout for stocking in urban fishing lakes.

Biologists also will have the capability to raise hybrid stripers if there is a demand.

The hatchery will employ about 25 people and provide office space for hatchery management staff, fisheries biologists, aquatic habitat enhancement staff, and Jasper County game wardens. Houses will be built for the hatchery manager and one fisheries biologist.

Interestingly, a name for the new hatchery has not been coined yet. Perhaps TPWD should allow Texas anglers to have some input on that matter. After all, they are the ones who are paying for it.

E-mail Matt Williams at freshwater@fishgame.com

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Many speck speculators do not think of January as a big trout month. Think again.

o it’s the middle of January, deer season is over, your favorite NFL team was out of the playoffs back in training camp, you don’t like basketball, and the whiff of baseball is still two months away. Now what do you do?

Go fishing, of course.

What? It’s the middle of January. Cold fronts come in on Friday and leave on Sunday. Water is up to 30 degrees cooler than back in September, live bait is hard to find, and the wind is blowing from the wrong direction.

Besides, what the heck can you catch in January?

You might be surprised at the bounty available on the Texas Coast in the first month of the year.

Elbow Room Fishing pressure is vastly reduced because fewer fishermen are on the water— but trout still have to eat. According to Port Isabel’s Captain Fred Petty (956-9432747), the idea that fishing for trout and redfish action slacks off in the middle of winter is a misconception. In fact, Petty claims that the worse the weather in winter, the better the fishing.

“Really, in my opinion, that’s some of the best fishing of the year,” said Petty. “Janie 50

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[his wife and co-captain] and I fish every day.”

Clients the Pettys fish with this time of year are regulars who know exactly what to expect from January fishing: “They also know how to dress for the weather.”

Petty said a combination of cold fronts and lower tides help concentrate trout in specific areas, places with easy access to deep water and broad flats that can warm up quickly in moderate, sunny weather. Trout take advantage of mild days by spreading out onto the flats to sun and forage. If the weather starts to sour when a norther rolls in, the fish back off into deeper water for shelter. If the temperature really drops (the low 50s, 40s, even 30s), trout hold close to the bottom where the water is warmest because dark mud retains heat longer.

While hugging the warm bottom, trout still have to eat. Fishing under these conditions can be so good that, to prevent overfishing, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) has designated certain deep-water areas closed to fishing if air temperatures dip below freezing for more than three days.

When trout are deep after a front, the cooler conditions slow their cold-blooded metabolisms and makes them sluggish. In order to get these fish to bite, you must almost-literally drop a bait right on their noses. The most effective technique is to serve these cold-shocked trout some meat. A live shrimp on a No. 2 Kahle hook 14 inches beneath a 1/8-ounce split shot is the best option. The sinker is enough weight to take F i s h

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the shrimp down at a slow rate, thus maximizing a trout’s opportunity to notice and take it.

The problem is, shrimp don’t like the cold either, and burrow into the mud for warmth, which places them beyond the reach of a trawl; thus, shrimp are scarce in winter. The alternative is a Berkley Gulp!

Shrimp or FoodSource shrimp tail pinned on a 1/16- to 1/8-ounce jighead. Bounce the lure slowly along the bottom and watch the line on the descent. Usually, a fish will slurp the bait down on the descent, not unlike a winter crappie around a brush pile; the bite is very, very subtle.

Over the last few years, I have had a great deal of success working deeper waters with soft plastic stickbaits, such as the Strike King Zero and Gary Yamamoto Senko.

Both lures have very subtle actions that seem to appeal to cold weather trout. I rig them the same way I would a live shrimp, replacing the bait hook with a 2/0 LazerSharp L092C worm hook. Cast out and let the lure settle to the bottom on a semi-slack line.

If there is no pick-up, reel in and start over.

Gator Hunting “I’ll tell you what I’d look for in January,” said Sabine Lake guide Bill Watkins (409673-9211). “I’d be going after big, big trout.”

When there’s a stretch of sunny days on the tail end of a cold front, big trout take the opportunity to start lurking along islands, shorelines, and spoil banks to forage in the

cold front. A slower-than-evolution retrieve, where the bait is allowed suspend or slowly descend in front of a trout, is as effective as in the afore-mentioned deep-water application.

Don’t be afraid to try some of the larger swimbaits produced by Berkley, Storm, and Castaic. The big, throbbing tail on a 5-inch Power Mullet or RedEye Shad produce an incredible amount of vibration, which larger trout seem to key in on and kill. Cast toward the shoreline and, with your rod tip down, make a slow, steady retrieve. If you can feel the vibrations of the tail through the guides and into the hand cradling the reel, you have the right speed.

Every so often, raise your rod tip to about eleven o’clock and have the swimbait work just under the surface so that the tail creates a wake. This is an effective technique when you see nervous bait in the area. Trout sometimes follow a bait back to the boat and smash it just before you pull it out of the water. These could be reaction strikes, but that matters little if the desired result ensues.

PHOTO BY GRADY ALLEN

Shorebound Opportunities

Wading dark-bottomed (mud) flats near deep water is a formula for winter success.

warmed shallows. Watkins said this creates opportunity for the stalwart fisherman to latch into a trout of a lifetime.

Look for flats that provide calmer water against the north breeze (hence the preference for flats near dry land) with easy access to deep water. This is can be spot-and-stalk

fishing, so while you are working the shoreline, keep an eye for basking trout.

Sometimes, you would swear you are seeing a baseball bat floating just below the surface.

Big trout require big meals. This is no “peanuts catch elephants” scenario. Your lure choices should range from medium to large. Topwaters such as the PRADCO Super Spook, Storm Big Bug, and Bomber Long A are standards in the tackle boxes of winter trout hunters along the coast. Some prefer to work these big noisemakers slowly and methodically in the shallows. Captain Petty thinks in the other extreme. He seeks reaction strikes from these larger trout.

“I work topwaters fast,” he said. “I want lots of commotion. The more noise, the better the lure seems to work.”

Watkins said suspending lures such as the original B&L Corky or MirrOlure Catch series of plugs are especially effective the first sunny day after a front. Big trout are up in the shallows, but still a bit sluggish from the

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The reduced angling pressure of January presents a broader opportunity for fishermen who do not have a chance to stalk big trout.

Bay systems such as Lower Laguna Madre, Corpus Christi, Matagorda, and Galveston have wind-protected, muddy flats within easy reach of deeper water and shorebound anglers.

Holly Beach near Port Isabel, for example, has drive-up access. Ditto for the shorelines near San Luis Pass. Cole Park in Corpus Christi is a classic winter park-andwade spot that has produced scads of trout over the years.

I would be remiss to not remind that you can never take too much warm clothing with you. Winter weather on the coast can be very fickle, and a mild day in the morning can suddenly turn into a blustery afternoon with 20-degree temperature drop in an hour.

Even if it is windbreaker weather, don’t forget to pack a warmer coat, extra socks (in case the ones you have on get wet), gloves, and an extra pair of shoes. It makes no sense to run the risk of being miserable or, in some cases, hypothermia.

Of course, the fishing might be so good that you forget about the cold.

Bowhunting In Texas ID I EVER MENTION HOW MUCH I LOVE Texas? You can feel the love, can’t you? After all, following many, many years of traveling the world over, I finally moved here to become a full-time Texan. I can live anywhere I want, but I am here because it is where I belong. As America’s greatest governor and a great Texas BloodBrother, Governor Rick Perry says, “I wasn’t born a Texan, but I got here as fast as I could.” God bless Texas. Remember the Alamo and pass the bacon-wrapped, jalapeño stuffed venison backstrap from the mesquite coals, por favor.

Certainly, it isn’t just the wonderful spirit of rugged individualism that permeates this grand Republic that attracts me. The legendary, fiery homespun hospitality of Texas makes my family and me feel right at home.

Always has.

You people deserve me. Freedom rings better here than anywhere I have ever been.

A loaded rifle and shotgun obviously belong on my pickup seat next to me at all times.

Self-evident truth and God-given rights are alive and well in Texas.

The taxes are somewhat less abusive than elsewhere. Hog, exotic, and turkey hunting are phenomenal, as are waterfowl and quail opportunities. Varmints provide a target-rich environment year-round, and justice occurs occasionally, somewhat more often than in most other states, Austin notwithstanding.

Clearly, the deer hunting is to die for, Tex-Mex food cleanses the soul (and a few less spiritually connected plumbing zones to boot), and there is just a more positive energy and attitude in this grand state that calls my name. They have a lot of real pretty girls out there—and how. Great soulful music flows from the pores of Texan virtuosos and continues to inspire music lovers everywhere.

That the Texas Monthly magazine is edited

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by a liberal New Yorker who seems to look down his nose at all things Texas causes much consternation and confusion, almost a weird throwback to the reign of ultra-liberal Ann Richards before she was finally exposed and ousted for her well-deserved terminal nacho date with lunatic fringe liberal poster boy New Yorker Mario Cuomo, the most embarrassing anti-Texan lunatic left-winger of all time. Surely, an embarrassing smokescreen and mirrors deceit move of historical proportions. Good grief—Texas, what were you thinking?

So, now that the appropriate brown nosing has ensued to a meaningful degree, may I point out some bizarro Texas things, please? I have hunted more than a few dozen Texas hunting operations over the past 35 years. I dearly appreciate the invites and grand hunting camaraderie. Much to my shock, though, nearly every one of these hunting ranches have been guilty of the most unbelievably goofy bowhunting mistakes one could possibly imagine. The most fundamental bowhunting 101 rules are violated everywhere. The rules everywhere else in America look like this: 1. A proper bowhunting stand must be quiet, not squeak, not creak, not sway, not move, not make a sound. That goes for bows, arrow rests, clothing, seats, chairs, stools, and buckets. Most Texas bowhunting stands are unacceptably noisy.

2. A proper bowhunting stand must be reasonably concealed, breaking the hunter’s silhouette and providing some cover, in the shade, not sitting out in the wide open.

3. Forty yards is not a well-thought-out bowshot and is asking for trouble. A proper bowhunting stand should be within 20 or 30 yards max from expected game encounters.

Preferably 15.

4. A proper bowhunting stand should be downwind of the expected travel of game, and/or from a feeder, or at least crosswind.

No one should hunt from a stand where the wind educates game to human presence.

5. Dedicated bowhunters go to great lengths to remain scent free. A bowhunter’s guide should not smell like a French whore, F i s h

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a wad of tobacco, or an Aqua Velva poster boy.

6. The truck or vehicle transporting a bowhunter to his stand should not smell like a tobacco processing plant, beer factory, whisky bottle, gas, oil, patchouli oil, or a truckers Fresh Spring air freshener. Did I mention that real bowhunters go to great lengths to remain scent free?

7. Feeders, when employed, should be full and operational preferably two weeks prior to the bowhunters arrival, or as far in advance as possible, and while hunting.

8. Bowhunters should not hunt out of rifle stands with small, horizontal windows.

9. Bowhunting stands should be relocated by at least a few yards every so often, or at the very least each year so the game doesn’t become alerted to a consistent source of disruption and alarm.

10. Bowhunters and their guides should wear clean, scent free rubber boots going to and from stands so as not to contaminate the area with human scent.

11. Bowhunters should use bows that are easy enough to draw without game-spooking lateral heaving or any alarming movement.

12. Bowhunters should do their very best to not draw on game in anticipation of the shot, but rather wait for the shot to present itself.

13. Bowhunters should remain as motionless and silent as humanly possible to avoid alerting game to stand location.

14. Bowhunters should try to rotate stand use to avoid educating game to its location.

I have been bowhunting for 50 years, hardcore. I am certainly not the best bowhunter by a long shot. In fact, I am rather inept compared to many bowhunters.

This is why I have paid attention to and learned from those better bowhunters the above list of basics. I need all the help I can get and must take advantage of every clever, proven idea that superior hunters have shared with me.

E-mail Ted Nugent at bowhunting@fishgame.com

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Late-season duck business •

by Bink Grimes

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listering north winds bitter enough to turn noses and earlobes bright crimson, not to mention thick exhaust from scalding coffee, welcome January waterfowlers, but so do sweating foreheads a couple of days after a cold front, accompanied by mild temperatures meeting the dew point and producing a thick, soupy fog.

Remember, this is Texas, and as the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, hang around for another hour or two.”

Likewise for late-season waterfowling. If the birds don’t cooperate one morning, try the next sunrise. January weather patterns make each day literally a “new day” when chasing migrants.

We all have been there: Conditions are perfect, decoys are perfect, dog is ready— and nothing shows. Why? Who knows.

Maybe the birds had a late night. Maybe they just didn’t feel like eating breakfast.

Maybe there is nothing to eat. Maybe they are tired of flying. Maybe they left the area altogether. Whatever the variable, there lies the plight of the late-season waterfowler.

Location is mostly a non-variable variable. If you are where the birds want to be, other key ingredients do not seem to matter.

I have heard this adage enough from too many wise old waterfowlers and seen it firsthand on too many morning jaunts to disagree. Late-season waterfowling is about real estate—location, location, location.

Nevertheless, we all can’t hunt the prime spot everyday. We must adjust and revise our tactics to make the most of our venues. Many a keen hunter has taken respectable bags, even in tough hunting situations, by using sagacious tactics. Here are a few that deliver wary, late-season waterfowl into shotgun range:

Scouting Scouting is a must. If birds are feeding in a certain field or using a watering hole, chances are they will be back tomorrow.

Hunt one field or pond over, and you probably will stare at blank skies. Invest in a pair of binoculars and glass a field or pond to avoid disturbing the flock. Notice how geese sit in a field and where ducks feed on a pond. Food sources become scarce in January, since waste grain and other forage 58

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Don't abandon that blind yet--that fat lady hasn't sung.

were gorged before the New Year. It might take a little more time the afternoon before, but January scouting is half the work to ensure a solid hunt. Those who don’t leave success to chance, much like sticking a quarter in a slot machine.

Pressure Since birds have been hunted hard for two months, locating un-pressured fields aids in success. If you scout, you will probably find birds in fields and ponds that have not been hunted in a while. Some hunters have the luxury of rotating fields and ponds; others who lease one tract or hunt public areas are not so fortunate. Outfitters see first-hand what rested ponds and fields produce. Commercial hunting operations lease numerous acres and sections of land so they can rotate blinds for optimal shooting opportunities. You can get away with over-hunting land in November and a few weeks in December, but not in January. Outfitters that produce steady hunts in January have deep pockets for leases, or know the benefit of managing their properties and letting them rest.

Guide Bill Sherrill of Wharton is the best I have seen at managing his dirt. How he affords it is beyond me. With 17 years in the business myself, I know what it costs to lease prime earth and the water it takes to hold ducks and geese. Lease too little, and hunting suffers; lease too much, and profit margins suffer. It is a delicate balance.

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Last season and the season before, I hunted on Sherrill’s properties on two occasions. On four hunts, I have never stepped foot on the same property. Yet, those four hunts were fabulous. In 2005, he had 38 ponds at his disposal, and 41 in 2006.

For goose ground, Sherrill makes his hunters stop at a maximum of 60 geese, no matter the circumstances. By this practice, he doesn’t burn a prime feeding field and geese can be hunted there the next day.

“That’s enough birds,” he said. “If we can get in and get out, we can do the same tomorrow. I had one rye grass field I hunted for two weeks straight last year, and never came out with less than 30 geese.”

As previously observed, I don’t know how he affords it. When asked, he just chuckled: “I am not getting rich,” he said.

“You have got to have enough water and limit the number of hunters you allow on your property to consistently shoot birds.”

Sherrill said he does not allow a duck pond to be hunted more than once a week.

Through trial and error and 30 years in the business, that is his formula: “When we scout, we don’t go near the pond, nor do we go in a pond with lights, flashlights, or ATVs. If you shine a light on a pond in the morning, you burn it for two weeks.”

Though his methods are unorthodox by outfitting standards, it is hard to argue with results. In 2005, he told me of a group of hunters that shot 216 straight limits on his property, and those same hunters came to camp with limit number 217 that same day.

PHOTO BY BINK GRIMES

“

Knowing when to call and when not to call is the mark of a great waterfowler.

Decoys Opinions differ on whether more or fewer decoys is better. Personally, I choose to scale down to 300-400 full bodies rather than rags when hunting geese. By mid-January, geese have eaten many of the rice fields down to the dirt and are scattered trying to find other places to graze and grub. Geese are “family” oriented. The next time you are driving along the highway and see large congregations of white, notice how they are bunched in the field. There are 50 here, 75 there, and 200 there. They are not packed tight like in November, since the food on the ground is scattered.

Weather has a lot to do with how geese sit in a field. On mild, humid days, they disperse because some choose to leave the roost to feed, and others just sit. When it is cold, they form tight because all of them come off the roost to feed whether they need to or not, due to internal barometers alerting them that change occurred. It is the same phenomenon

that occurs with all wildlife before and after a front hits, as the barometric pressure changes.

Full bodies, including shells, Sillosocks, and Avery Greenhead Gear Pro Series full-bodied decoys have worked best for me. Remember,

by January, geese have seen rag and windsock spreads for more than 80 days. They know a fake bag when they see one. The more lifelike, the better.

For ducks, I don’t believe you can ever put out too many dekes. Mojo Duck and other automated, wing-flapping decoys might be a bit too much in January. If you see ducks flaring, turn it off. Some days, ducks want the spinner; other days they don’t. Give them what they want.

“

Last year, those same hunters hunted the two days I was in Wharton, and the streak was still alive.

Sherrill said the group contained excellent wing-shooters; success like that doesn’t happen by chance, but through superior land management.

Calling Knowing when to call and when not to call is the mark of a great waterfowler. Some of the best callers in the world utter the fewest notes and harvest more late-season birds because of it. If you have birds cupped, locked, and homing in on the spread, sit silently and don’t give yourself the chance to hit a sour note. However, if birds begin to flare, give them a symphony to assure this is an unalarmed, uncaring, all-is-well feeding flock. The more you imitate the numbers on the ground, the more geese hit the ground.

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Seldom do I blow more than five notes at ducks, many times only three in January. In this case, less is more.

Concealment During early-season goose hunting, most shooters don white parkas and position themselves inside a large spread. Late-season hunters might have to adapt, depending on the geese. Some days, hunting in the spread is profitable, while other days you must jump out of the spread 75 yards downwind in a ditch to catch them at shootable altitude before they flare for the heavens.

The good news is, January geese feed on the edges of fields, since the middle was eaten out early in the season. Other days, passshooting along fence lines is the only option, and a last resort. Many seasoned hunters frown on this practice, but late-season is lateseason. Adapt with the geese.

Duck hunters should re-brush January blinds for concealment. Natural cover has been trampled on during two months of hunting, and much of the blind cover of cane, palmetto, and oleander is gone.

Bright, shiny faces are easily seen by suspicious pintails on high. The later the season, the more difficult it is to decoy birds because of the assorted variables.

Just because it is January does not mean the waterfowl season is over—because it ain’t ‘til it is.

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ishermen are extremely gullible for anything they think will catch more or bigger fish. Tackle manufacturers know this and appeal to our inner proponent of the P.T. Barnum dictum that one is born every minute.

Fishermen are always looking for the magic lure, the one that will catch a limit of fish on every outing, thereby guaranteeing permanent bragging rights over fishing buddies.

Manufacturers create products that hook fishermen, even if they don’t hook fish.

Countless fishing inventions have been patented and brought to market in this country over the past 150 years. Many of them caught some fishermen (but few if any fish), but interest eventually fizzled and they were discontinued. Failure in the fishing tackle business is not a disgrace, but a handful of products were so awful that their names bubble to the top whenever bad fishing inventions are discussed.

The Pocket Fisherman is without a doubt the headliner on this list. The Pocket Fisherman was developed by Ron Popeil, founder of Ronco, and hawked in the original infomercials during the 1970s. The Pocket Fisherman got its name from the fact that the rod/reel combo folded in half and “could be stored in a glove compartment, 62

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duffle bag, or even your pocket.” The handle was made of “authentic DuPont nylon” and sported an embedded Johnson spin-cast reel, strung with Trilene XL line. A hidden compartment was molded into the handle where you could store hooks and bobbers.

The “rod” was actually made up of two independent, stubby rod tips, the bottom slightly shorter than the top.

Popeil was the master of the infomercial, selling products such as the Vega-Matic, the Clapper, The Inside the Shell Egg Scrambler, and might have included the Ronco Home Lobotomy Kit had Popeil thought of it. Popeil pitches products to millions on late night television, ultimately making his com-

pany a household name—and the butt of many jokes. Saturday Night Live’s Dan Akroyd lampooned Popeil in a sketch, playing a huckster espousing the virtues of the Bass-o-Matic.

Although the product was an insult to serious fishermen, more than a million Pocket Fishermen were sold. It is ironic that this novelty item has become collectible.

Vintage Pocket Fishermen housed in their original boxes fetch upward of several hundred dollars.

My favorite memory of the Pocket Fisherman came several weeks after the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

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A mischievous Yank sent the loving couple a Pocket Fisherman as a wedding gift. With a stiff upper lip, the Palace sent out a formal thank you note on royal stationary thanking the American gentleman for the Pocket Fisherman. The royal family’s note was national news for the week, making all Americans chuckle.

If so inclined, you can still buy modern versions of the Pocket Fisherman from internet stores, such as www.asseenontv.com, for only $29.95 (plus $8.95 postage and handling).

As Ron Popeil proclaimed in every commercial: “But wait—there’s more!”

More bad fishing inventions, that is.

The Helicopter Lure is the over whelming second choice on the list of worst fishing inventions. The lure featured a special threebladed tail that twirled around a central axis like the blades of a helicopter when sinking or retrieved.

Famed bass pro R o l a n d Martin’s unmistakable mug and southern drawl were featured in the TV infomercial proclaiming the virtues of the lure. Multiple underwater scenes showing large bass inhaling the whirling dervishes got everyone’s attention.

The first time you saw the commercial, you were mesmerized. But after several viewings, your eyes began to pick up clues that everything perhaps wasn’t as rosy as portrayed on television. The water in the commercial was remarkably clear—too clear, in fact—and the underwater scenes looked remarkably confined. Could it be they were not filmed in an actual lake but, say, in an aquarium? That begged the question: When was the last time those fish were fed? Could they have been ignored for several weeks and PHOTO BY GREG BERLOCHER

were famished? This is only supposition on my part, but I have yet to find a knowledgeable angler who took the Helicopter Lure seriously or ever caught a bass of any consequence on one.

On an interesting aside, Martin was among the competitors at the 1998 BassMasters Classic held in Greensboro, North Carolina, and then-news-editor (now editor-in-chief) for TF&G, Don Zaidle, was there covering the event. He told me that on one of the practice days, Martin came to the weigh-in fishless. One of the other competing anglers quipped to a red-faced Martin, “Hey, Roland, maybe you should have used a Helicopter Lure!”

“Martin was not amused,” Zaidle told me.

Another fishing invention was so bad that it became obscure to the point that I had never heard of it until Zaidle brought it up as a topic for this article.

“What cave have you been living in, Berlocher, that you have never heard of the magnificent Tri-Sonic VII Fish Call?”

Zaidle said to me. “Are you really a city boy? I bet your momma didn’t let you play with worms when you were little, did she.”

The man has no class.

Anyway, according to Zaidle (who owns an actual Tri-Sonic VII Fish Call, inherited from his grandfather, who received it as a Christmas gift), the 1960s-era gadget consists of a clear plastic capsule that resembles an outsized fishing bobber, attached by a long cable to a white plastic control box that houses two included “penlight” (AA) batteries. You deploy the device by lowering it under water via the cable, then activating it with the control box.

According to nomenclature on the side of the box: “Precision transistorized Fish Call transmits sonic and ultra-sonic fish-attracting sound waves in the 10 to 100 CPS [Hz] range. Fish also attracted by light and [included] attractor pellets. ‘Secrets of Successful Fishing’ book included. Runs on 2 included penlight batteries.”

“In this ‘batteries not included’ age, the Tri-Sonic VII was a product ahead of its time,” Zaidle quipped. “It was clearly more sophisticated than the plebian fish of yore could grasp, because they did not have enough sense to recognize its abilities and therefore stayed away in droves every time my grandfather and I tried to use it.”

The Aqua Chute is a classic example of 64

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a fishing gadget that was so far off in the weeds it was doomed to failure from inception. The device was in essence a tiny drift anchor. The main line attached to one end and the leader to the other end. When the Aqua Chute opened, it provided additional resistance when a fish took out drag.

The instructions showed how to fold up the chute, roll it into a log shape, and secure the bundle with three half hitches using light line. When a fish tugged hard enough to break the wraps, the Aqua Chute deployed.

The packaging mentioned a contest during 1981 for the biggest fish caught with an Aqua Chute. I suspect anyone who actually caught a fish on the outrageous device would have had limited competition for the prize.

Over the last century, all manner of devices have been developed to replace fishing rods. Small catapults were marketed in the 1800s, allowing bank fisherman to hurl hand lines great distances. As technology and fishing tackle improved, so did the complexity of mechanical casting devices.

The GUNcaster most likely pre-dated spear guns used by scuba divers, but the similarities are striking. Instead of launching a spear, the GUNcaster launched lures. A concave metal channel, much like a length of angle iron but with a rounded interior, featured a sliding plate connected to surgical rubber tubing. A handgrip with trigger allowed the fisherman to aim and fire the GUNcaster. A level-wind reel mounted toward the rear and line threaded through the sliding plate, connecting lure to reel. The lure sat cradled on the sliding plate, like a Saturn V on its launch pad.

When the trigger was pulled, the stretched rubber tubing propelled the sliding plate down the metal channel, carrying the plug along with it. In concept, the plug was supposed to fly through the air with line trailing behind.

It looked good on paper, but there was one problem: The massive tug on the line when the lure launched inevitably produced an impressive backlash. Spin-cast reels hadn’t been developed, so the inventors had to work with bait-casters. Thumbing the reel prevented backlashes, but severely limited launch distance. After a number of accidents were reported, the GUNcaster was discontinued.

The Neon Mickey is potentially the deadliest lure ever developed—literally. The plastic plug featured a transparent girdle F i s h

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around its mid-section. Housed inside was a glass vial full of mercury and Neon gas. As the nose of the lure wobbled back and forth, the mercury and gas interacted, putting off an eerie glow.

The Mercury Minnow and Mercury Worm were other 1950s-era plugs that relied on quicksilver for their unique actions.

These plugs were popular long before the dangers of mercury poisoning were fully understood. Fortunately for all of us, they were discontinued long ago.

Ed and Delbert Turner owned a hardware store in Hale, Missouri, in the 1950s.

Together, they conspired to build the ultimate fishhook in their tiny shop behind the store. The Turner Spider Lure was a hair over 3 inches in diameter, with a small circular metal plate in the center. Imagine the face of a clock with a hole drilled at every even numbered hour. Two hooks were secured— front and back—to every hole with a small bolt. The metal plate had a spiral wire cover on both sides into which you could load bait.

A small swivel attached to the metal disk provided a connection point for the main fishing line.

In addition to looking quite gruesome, The Turner Spider Lure was impractical.

The large number of hooks made it impossible to bait the device without impaling yourself. Only 150 were made before it was discontinued.

People have been tinkering with humanpowered propellers since the Revolutionary War, and the Ro Eze’s developers mated a carpenter’s brace and bit to a trolling motor sans engine. Aluminum scrap was plentiful and cheap after World War II, allowing the manufacturer to create a trolling motor weighing only 5 pounds. Crank the handle one way to go forward, the other way for reverse. Simple, yes, but significantly more work than using a paddle.

The proverbial mousetrap has nothing on fishing tackle. As the years go by, count on new tackle snagging fishermen, even though it doesn’t catch fish. Eventually, another bone-headed idea will come to market that is so bad it will be enshrined in the hallowed annals of The Worst Fishing Inventions of All Time.

Johnboat to Bass Boat LUMINUM BASS BOATS ARE COMMON TODAY, but it wasn’t always so. Time was, the only “tin boats” were bare bones johnboats that most bass fishermen eschewed. Charlie Campbell, one of the first BASS professional anglers that played a roll in the development of the first aluminum bass boats at Tracker Marine, credits the first use of primitive aluminum bass boats to BASS founder Ray Scott.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACKER MARINE

How Tracker revolutionized an industry

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by Tom Behrens 1977: “About a month or two before the Classic, Scott had a Bass Champs Tournament at Percy Priest Reservoir in Tennessee,” Campbell told me. “He placed 20 anglers, the likes of Rick Clunn, Bo Dowden, Tommy Martin, and me, and had us fishing out of 15-foot, flat-bottom aluminum boats. He put steering wheels in them, a livewell, aerated them, put trolling motors on them, and a 5-gallon gas tank with a 35 horsepower Johnson motor.

“We fished the tournament all day long with a 5-gallon gas tank, one battery, trolling motor, and had as big a time as I had in my big bass boat.

“All the way home, I thought about how I was going to go back home and draw out a new bass boat, better than Ray’s. I drew out some plans for a bass boat made out of aluminum.”

Campbell, in addition to fishing the professional bass circuit, was a boat dealer at that time. A couple of the companies that he purchased aluminum boats from were Appleby and Lowe.

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The original Bass Tracker.

“I bought pontoon boats from them. I took my plans to them and they kind of laughed, saying it costs too much, wouldn’t work good on a flat-bottom.”

About two weeks later, the BASS pros fished the BassMaster Classic at Lake Toho in Florida. That was back in the days when the anglers had no idea as where the Classic was going to be held. While talking about the upcoming Classic with Johnny Morris of Bass Pro Shops fame, Morris asked Campbell how the tournament in Tennessee went.

Campbell told him about the little flat-bottomed boats, how impressed he was with them, how he drew up plans trying to improve on the boat, and how he approached a couple of established aluminum boat builders, trying to get someone to build it.

“I didn’t think anything more about it, but about two weeks later Morris called me up,” said Campbell. “Morris had been in the catalog fishing tackle business about five years. He said that he would like to come and talk with me. I had no idea what he wanted; usually we would go on fishing trips together.”

“You know that boat you were telling me about,” said Morris. “I would like you to come up here and work with us, make that F i s h

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boat, and I will put it in the catalog.”

“I told him he was crazy,” Campbell said.

“You can’t sell a boat from a catalog. He replied that he thought he could. Finally, he talked me into it.”

Campbell and Morris took the original plan, changed a few things, and took it to Lowe, Appleby, Arkansas Traveler, and Delhi, told them to build a prototype.

“We got all the prototypes in, looked them all over, put motors on them, and ran them,” Campbell said. “Finally, we decided that Delhi had made the best boat. We built about 50 boats to start with and equipped them with 35 horsepower Johnson motors.”

Campbell towed a fully rigged boat to Florida for a photo session: “We got pictures of me catching an 11-pound bass. We got some beautiful pictures and we put the pictures of the boat in the catalog.”

This was before Bass Pro didn’t retail outlets; all orders were handled over the phone.

“The phone rang off the hook,” Campbell said. “We sold those 50 boats just like that. We didn’t have any trailers. We got people who built the bass boats to build us some trailers.

“The trailers would be coming in with the paint still wet on them. People would get

halfway out of town and the ball bearings flew out of the wheels.”

There was only one model in the beginning, the Bass Tracker, all in the same color.

The idea was simple: If you could put the boat together utilizing the assembly line approach, everything was the same. It was simple to produce a boat in a short amount of time at less cost.

“In a composite boat, they build one boat at a time,” Campbell said. “They go from this spot, to that spot, to that spot. When you build them one at time like that, it takes forever. The Trackers were assembled on an assembly line. All boats had the same paint scheme, the same motors. In the beginning, we had 10 guys working out of Johnny’s dad’s warehouse, assembling all the boats.”

The original Tracker cost $2995. A comparably equipped composite boat was about $2000 more. At about that same time in history, gas prices went sky high (sound familiar?). Anglers started buying smaller cars and trucks to save gas. The lighter aluminum boats were easier to tow with a downsized vehicle. The smaller outboards were cheaper to run. Tracker trailers evolved from the wet

paint and loose wheel bearing days into custom jobs built for the boat they carried.

“What really made the Trackers good was that Johnny made sure everything on them was good quality,” said Campbell.

As bass fishing evolved and grew, the original Tracker evolved.

“Johnny is really astute in listening to the customer,” said Steve Mason of Tracker Marine. “If you look at all the different boats and watch how these guys fish, that’s how all this started evolving. We designed the bass boats where the wife could sit down low in the boat and the guy could get higher on the front deck and fish. They were a family boat.

A couple years later, people wanted different models of the original Bass Tracker. That gave birth to the Tracker 1.

“Most anglers years ago fished out of johnboats. They were standing up fishing out of the boats because you can get a better perspective on the cast, so the decks started coming up. Bass boats with a raised front deck were becoming popular, but the decks were causing some safety concerns.

“When guys are fishing, they don’t look down. Guys were walking off the decks. We

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decided that you needed a three-inch lip on the sides of the deck.”

“Anglers wanted to be able to maneuver the boat from the front deck, so you got away from the old tiller trolling motors, and foot control trolling motors came into being.

Anglers needed to keep their fish alive, so livewells evolved. It used to be you turned the switch on and off every so often to circulate the water in the well. Now we have a timer on it so you don’t have to worry about turning the livewell on and off.”

Aluminum bass boats of the Twenty-first Century are not the 15-foot flat-bottomed johnboats of the 1970s. They are available in mod-V and deep-V hulls no longer put together with rivets, but welded. Some boat models are available in lengths just under 20 feet, some able to handle an engine of up to 115 hp. Although aluminum boat packages have gone up in price, they are still economical for the budget-minded angler. Many of the boats, such as Tracker products, come equipped, ready to add water and go.

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HAVEN’T HAD ANYONE MAD AT ME (UNLESS you count the wife) or received any hate mail in a while, so I figured I’d start the New Year out right and throw this out there: I don’t think the heart shot is the best shot to take on a deer while hunting with a firearm.

Let the hate mail begin.

I’ll preface this by saying that I know many outstanding hunters who consistently bring home large bucks by taking heart shots, so I’m not questioning it’s effectiveness. I just don’t think it is the optimal shot on an animal under normal hunting conditions. When faced with taking a heart shot or no shot at all, I will choose the latter.

This topic started a few months back when I entered into a discussion with some fellow hunters about shot placement, suitable calibers, and bullet weight sufficient enough for taking white-tailed deer. The comment was made by someone in the group that even with magnum rounds and high dollar ammunition, many deer hit with a perfect shot right through the heart would run over 100 yards before falling over. I have to disagree with that statement. A well hit deer, one shot in the heart that will die quickly, can run a long way before finally succumbing to the wound.

On the other hand, a perfectly hit deer falls in his tracks. Therein lies the issue I have with considering a heart shot as the perfect shot for whitetails. If the shot hits the deer exactly where it was intended and that deer still has the chance to escape, then it is not the perfect shot.

In the eastern part of the state where I hunt, it is imperative that an animal falls rel-

atively close to where it was shot for two reasons. First, instead of sprawling ranches with thousands upon thousands of acres, much of this section of the state is becoming divided into smaller parcels. A heart shot deer can cover a lot of territory and end up crossing multiple property lines, making recovery difficult at best. Second, even if a deer does not cross any property lines, it can bury itself in an impenetrable thicket, again hindering recovery.

If you watch enough outdoor television, you will get a chance to see plenty of rifle hunters making heart shots. You’ll also get to see a lot of hunters practicing their tracking skills, or at least acting like they are tracking a deer, since the cameraman apparently already found it. Guess what—I stink at tracking deer and don’t want the additional practice on opening day. I want to pull the trigger and see nothing but a white belly and four legs in the air. If I have to track a deer, that means I screwed up pretty badly.

So, what do I consider the best shotplacement on a deer? Glad you asked. But before I give my opinion, let’s take a step back to determine exactly what must take place for a deer to drop where it stands. To put down any animal instantly, you must make the brain stop communicating with the rest of the body. Slaughterhouses do not cut a hog or cows throat first and let it bleed out do they. They take out the central nervous system first, putting the animal down quickly.

I know what you are thinking about now.

This idiot is advocating head shots. But I’m really not. While a head shot done right means instant death, it is also too difficult for most hunters to consider taking. Shooting a deer in the head is similar in difficulty to hitting a Nolan Ryan fastball; 99 percent of us simply cannot do it, so let’s eliminate that one right now.

So, no head shots, but what about the

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neck shot. The neck houses major arteries providing oxygen to the brain, and the spinal column. Seems like an almost ideal place to shoot a deer. Many hunters do not consider the neck shot because, like a world-class boxer, most deer are constantly bobbing and weaving. This constant moving can deter some hunters from considering the neck as a potential target, but when done right, it is a relatively easy shot. The key to this shot is placing your bullet right at the base of the neck where the neck and shoulder meet.

Think of it as a cross between a neck and shoulder shot. This area of the neck will move the least and deer hit here still have a tendency to drop like a rock. A neck shot stops the heart from beating just like a heart shot does, but it also shuts down all movement from the neck back. On deer that are not nervous or moving quickly, I take this shot about half the time.

Now, the shot I like best in situations where the deer is walking broadside is right through both shoulders. The reason is simple: A shoulder shot has the highest probability for hitting something vital, reduces the animal’s mobility, and gives a hunter the highest margin for error. An errant shot too far forward results in a neck shot. A shot too far back hits the heart/lung area, which will also kill the deer (eventually). There is some meat loss in a shoulder shot, but it’s a small trade-off for a quick kill.

There are multiple locations to shoot a deer that will kill it. However, if your goal is to put the animal down quickly, think about moving your shot placement a little farther forward. You will be rewarded with fewer lost animals and less practice tracking.

E-mail Paul Bradshaw at deerhunting@fishgame.com

®

Big Sam Bass Quest HERE DOES A WEST VIRGINIA ANGLER go fishing when he wants to get in some good fall bass action? Jack Sergeant of Charleston, West Virginia, was the October 2007 Trophy Quest winner and fished on Lake Sam Rayburn with fishing guide Will Kirkpatrick.

Sergeant’s nephew, Jeff, accompanied him on the trip.

“We caught 18 keeper black bass, numerous throw-backs, and a giant sized freshwater drum,” said Jack.

As to who caught the biggest bass is debatable, but Jeff was probably the winner in that category. Jack’s drum was the biggest fish of the trip, although there is no data to

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by Tom Behrens back that up.

“I had never eaten freshwater drum before and asked Will and Jeff if they’re good to eat,” said Jack. “The answer was a definite ‘no.’ “I threw it back into the lake.”

Jack Sergeant, when fishing in West Virginia, is more accustomed to saltwater angling and catfishing in Santee-Cooper Reservoir. He has done some black bass

HOW YOU CAN WIN! TEXAS FISH & GAME HAS GIVEN AWAY OVER 200 TROPHY QUEST TRIPS. TROPHY QUEST is free guided hunting or fishing trips within the state of PHOTO BY TOM BEHRENS

had fish holding spots pinpointed with his boat-mounted GPS. Kirkpatrick has a vast background in bass fishing, having fished in seventeen states.

He first fished Rayburn in 1970 while participating in one of the early BASS tournaments held at Hank’s Creek. He started “The Fishing Schools” in 1989, Jack Sergeant (R) of West Virginia and nephew Jeff enjoyed fishing Big Sam and continues to hold for bass as a change of pace from their usual saltwater angling back home. classes at Stephen F. Austin State University’s Pineywoods fishing in a river close to home.

Conservation Center.

The fishing day began at 6:00 a.m. as the The Sergeant duo stayed at Powell Park Sergeant duo showed up at Kirkpatrick’s Marina while at the Lake, commenting on home ready for the excitement to begin. how quiet and peaceful it was: “You could “We were all hyped up, tying on baits hear the sounds of nature right outside your about a mile, mile and a half from the beach door. The staff was very nice and the hammarina, thinking that when we got to the burgers we had after the day on the water beach, the fish would be jumping after us,” were great.”

Jack said, using West Virginia saltwater fishing vernacular. The idea was to tie the baits SPECIES: Black bass on at the house where good light was availLOCATION: Lake Sam Rayburn able.

GUIDE: Will Kirkpatrick One of the first cold fronts of the season LODGING & MEALS: Powell Park Marina, had blown through, leaving early morning Broaddus, TX, 409-584-2624 temps in the 50s and cloudless skies. Add in a full moon and the fishing prognosis could have been bleak, but Kirkpatrick, with his years of fishing experience on Sam Rayburn,

Texas. The package includes a guided trip for two people, one night's lodging and all food and beverage (non-alcohol). Winners are responsible for all travel expenses getting to and from the destination point.

HERE'S HOW YOU WIN! If you are a TF&G subscriber, your name is automatically entered on our monthly Trophy Quest Trip drawing.

If you are a subscriber and would like

your name entered 15 more times in our next monthly drawing, simply send us an email with your name, address and phone number* to trophyquest@fishgame.com.

You can still win even if you are NOT a subscriber. Simply email us with your name, address, and phone number* to trophyquest@fishgame.com and you're entered in our next drawing.

One winner is chosen at random each

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month. The winner must be available to go on one of two previously scheduled dates. If the winner is unable to attend on either dates scheduled for the TROPHY QUEST TRIP, the winner's name will be returned to the pool for future drawings and another winner will be drawn. *Phone numbers will ONLY be used to contact the winners and will not be used for any other purpose.

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by Lenny Rudow

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ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS ARMSTRONG

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Boat Theft is uncommon. Ugh The bigger a boat is, the harder it ome say we live in the information age, but often it found out the hard way when Zog rolled his is to handle. No way, for one simple reaseems more like the misinfor- prized dugout into a fire pit so he could roast son: As boats get larger, they get more mation age. Sure, rumor a mastodon. You will find out, too, if you motors. Any twin-screw boat handles like a mills have been around keep parking your boat and trailer next to the dream compared to a single-engine boat. since the dawn of mankind, house without locking them up. More than Those hot new triple rigs you see around the but today those rumors can 30,000 boats are stolen in the U.S. on an docks are even easier to put into a slip. New be passed from one person to one annual basis, leading to losses in the neigh- digital control systems force the middle million people in a matter of seconds. In the borhood of $85 million, excluding the cost of motor to “drop out” then you shift one of the good old days, it took a week or two for stolen gear. (If in doubt, see saltwater editor outer motors into reverse, so the two outside untruths to get around. Yet, despite modern Cal Gonzales’ Texas Saltwater column else- motors will be doing all the close-quarters technology, we don’t seem to getting any bet- where in this issue.) maneuvering. Since they are spread far apart ter at dispelling those not-quite-right “facts.”

Speaking of stolen gear, another problem (to make room for the center engine), there Boating, of course, has existed since some you don’t hear much about is theft of boat- is a lot more leverage on the transom, spinhairy-armed Neanderthal named Ugh dis- ing gear at marinas and ramps. Commonly, ning the boat in whatever direction you like. covered he could sit on a log and float the theft takes place as you eat in a waterside Life jackets are too uncomfortable instead of sinking to wear all the every time he tried time. Ten years ago, to cross the we would have agreed, Mesopotamia but not today. The River to hook up new inflatable life belts only on claims filed in each state T h e e n t i r e c o u n t r y i s p a ywith Ughettea. and suspenders are so individually.

For example, ing higher boat insurance Oklahoma boat owners do not pay p r e m i u m s b e c a u s e o f h u r r iBoating misconceplightweight and unobmore for insurance due to c a n e d a m a g e . Nearly 3/4 of tions have been trusive that five minHurricane Katrina. So, if you live boaters surveyed mistakenly around for just as utes after putting them and boat in Texas or Louisiana, believe everyone is paying higher long. Have you fallon, you forget they you are likely paying higher premipremiums because of damage ums. caused by recent hurricanes. Some en victim to one of exist—unless you end boat insurers price policies based them? It won’t hapup in the drink, that is. pen again after you The Coast take in these comGuard will tow you mon marine myths, modern and old, and we restraint or walk into a building to pay for home if you break down. Once upon a dispel them once and for all. your fuel, find a head, or make a purchase. time, sure, but not today. These days, the Now that you know this problem is real, USCG won’t lend a hand unless it is an you can fight it. Mark all of your equipment emergency situation and there is real danger. with your boat’s HIN number. Record that If you break down, call a towboat and be Wood is bad. Credit marketing guys for number somewhere safe and leave it on shore prepared to shell out some cash. This is a convincing us that wood is not a great boat- so you can look it up if the need ever arises. great argument for tow insurance, by the building material. In fact, it is excellent for Also, record your registration number and way, since towboats can cost hundreds or use in boats, and the rot problems that used the VIN for your trailer in the same place. thousands of dollars to get you back to the to plague boaters is ancient history. Modern Four-stroke outboards offer far dock. pressure-treated wood has a lifetime meas- better fuel economy than two-strokes.

Triple engines have a higher operured in decades, not years, and many manu- This one was only true for a couple of years, ating expense than twins of equal facturers offer lifetime no-rot guarantees. when four-strokes were storming into a mar- total horsepower. Though it seems comPound-for-pound, many wood products are ket dominated by carbureted two-strokes. pletely illogical, this is simply not true. stronger than fiberglass. It is available in Sure, compared side-by-side, the four- Triples work a lot less than twins to get a varying degrees of stiffness, size, and strokes kicked the two-stroke’s butts. Hi-tech chunk of fiberglass to a particular speed, and weights, and is easily shaped and formed. two-strokes quickly displaced the old-tech their overall fuel burn is actually less. Sure, Though some sales slicks would have you designs in most of the marketplace, and their there is higher maintenance and purchase believe otherwise, don’t discount a boat sim- economy is vastly improved. Four-strokes cost, but don’t let worries of inflated fuel ply because it has wood in it, and remember might still hold a slight edge in the lower and bills stop you from getting that hot new that many premium builders—Grady White middle RPM ranges in most cases, but it’s triple-screw kingfish boat. and Pursuit to name a couple—still core just that—slight. In the upper RPM ranges, No bananas aboard! There is actually their stringers and transoms with wood on those four-strokes get thirsty, and the differ- a root of truth behind this old wives tale that many models. ences disappear. originates with merchant ships from cen-

Boat Insurance Myths

General Boating

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turies past. Banana bunches used to have bugs living in them which, coincidentally, enjoyed munching on wood as well as fruit.

When a load of bananas was dropped into the hold of a sailing ship, you can guess the result. The rule “no bananas aboard” became so engrained in mariner’s minds that it lives on to this day.

Trailering To prevent your boat from rolling or sliding off the back of the trailer, put on a strap. Negative, good buddy; this is a secondary function. The main purpose is to prevent your trailer from becoming a launching pad, should you need to slam on the brakes. The bow attachment point is what takes the brunt of the weight when your boat wants to move backwards, but it won’t do a thing to help you if momentum tosses the transom into the air.

Roller trailers give the hull less support than bunks, and can damage the boat. Maybe this was true in the

“olden days,” but not in the Twenty-First Century. Trailer builders know how to distribute the load and keep the hull well supported. Just make sure that the trailer you have is designed for the boat that is on it, and you can remain worry free.

A blond airhead once launched her boat by uncoupling the trailer from the truck, then complained about the boat’s lack of performance while running the boat with the trailer still attached. If you haven’t heard this urban boating legend, you must live in a cave with Ugh. Alas, the popular tale is just that—a tale. The Mythbusters TV show even did a segment on this one, and discovered that with the trailer attached, a 13-foot Boston Whaler will do a whopping 4.8 mph. They then found a marine mechanic who could confirm the story. Confirm? Wait a sec...weren’t we supposed to dispel the myth? Well, it turns out the story is real, but the characters are not. The bubble-headed boater wasn’t a blond woman, but a 56-yearold man.

Seamanship Its best to slow down when passing small boats or wade-fishermen. Well, maybe, but unless you slow down to no-wake speed, chances are you are making a larger wake then while running on plane. Next time you pull back the throttles to be polite, turn around and check out the size of your wake; you might be surprised. An average center console going 10 mph will throw up a wake twice the size of the one it creates while running on plane at 20 mph. The faster you go, the less hull is in the water, therefore displacing less water, hence the smaller wake.

Compasses are obsolete. Don’t believe it for a minute. So, you carry a backup GPS and spare batteries, and really, truly don’t need that compass. Not so. What if a problem crops up in the satellite system as opposed to in your gear? In that case, your chartplotter and back-up handheld might be working just fine, but they still won’t get you home. At least with a compass, you always know the basic direction to

the dock, no matter what happens.

Trimming an outboard up increases speed. This one is true, but only up to a point. That point is usually when the outdrive is just about parallel with the hull bottom. Many people trim up until they hear the prop howl, then go back down a hair.

But if they watched the speedometer as well as the RPM gauge, they would notice that speed actually dropped a mph or two for the last 100-200 RPM increase. This occurs because the prop is losing bite in aerated water (cavitation) from being raised just a hair too far.

Chine-walking can be controlled by trimming or adding power. Nope. Try it for yourself and you will reach the same conclusion—or flip your boat. Chine walking has only one cure: reduce power and speed. The root cause is often from mounting a motor too high, so if you have a jack plate, you might lower it a hair and still be able to keep up your speed. Otherwise, back off on the throttle.

Remove the drain plug while running your boat, and it will sink. As long as you are up on plane and moving forward, pulling the plug is actually the best way to get rid of water in the bilge. The back of the transom will be out of the water as long as you keep your speed up, allowing all that moisture to get where it belongs—outside of your boat.

Enter the flats with your engine tilted up as far as possible. Okay, now ask yourself: What are you going to do if you run aground? Get out and push. Here’s a better scenario: When you enter shallow flats, tilt the engine up as far as possible, then lower it back down an inch. Now if you run aground, you have a slim safety margin.

You can tilt it up that extra inch and back off or maneuver as necessary.

or even into state waters, regardless of where you actually caught it.

You need to catch lunker fish to win the TPWD Coastal Fisheries Bay Team Tournament for brood stock.

Actually, small fish are just fine. Bring one in and you become eligible for a drawing, which determines the prizewinners. At the same time, you will be helping the state protect our fisheries by collecting brood stock for spawning and restocking programs. (See www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/pro-

grams/cfbt for more info.)

Boating while intoxicated does not carry the same penalties as DWI in Texas. That’s just plain wrong. If the water cops pull you over and you are over the limit (0.08), they can take away your driver’s license and hit you with exactly the same penalties as if you were cruising down the highway.

Texas Myths You can fish offshore without a state fishing license. This used to be correct, but no more. Once you are outside the nine-mile state waters limit, a federal fisheries permit becomes necessary. Once upon a time, that was all that was necessary.

Today, you need the state license in order to legally bring the fish you catch back ashore, T E X A S

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The Baylor Bass Club

on Lake Waco and get on a pattern.

The BU team would like to thank Mark and Holley Walsh of Bluebonnet Home Care and Hospice for being our main sponsor for the BoatUS Championship. Tim and I had a great experience at the tournament this past September. It was really a first class event. A huge thanks goes to all the tournament sponsors and the tournament directors for putting on such a great event.

Tim really had a unique situation during the week of the tournament. In preparation of the tournament, Tim tried to get off work early that week in order to pre-fish with me on Tuesday and Wednesday. It did not work

Y NAME IS JAY HOLLAND AND I AM member of the Baylor Bass Club. I am 20 years old and an entrepreneurship major in the Hankamer School of Business.

Our bass club is young, having started back in the fall of 2005.

The founding angler of our club is Tim Harrell, who I fished with this year at the BoatUS National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. In its first year our club had around 20 members. Tim started the club because of his passion for fishing and the competitive aspect that gets him pumped up. I just transferred to Baylor this past fall and will be taking over the responsibilities after Tim graduates this school year.

We are currently experiencing a rebuilding year

by Jay Holland, Baylor University Bass Club after the majority of the club members graduated.

At the present time, our club has six mem- out. I ended up going to pre-fish solo. It was bers, and we are recruiting more members all a tough two days alone on the water, espethe time. All the guys just like to have a good cially finding fish. On Wednesday, I ended time and go fishing, but when it is time for up catching three keepers running crankbaits tournament fishing, we are all business. Our through submerged brush. I really believed club meetings are not very structured. They that we could repeat this during the tournausually involve a cookout, which is filled with ment. While Tim was back in Waco working talk about what is in order for the club. It is until 2 a.m., I was trying my hardest to always a good time. locate some quality fish for the tournament.

Last December, we fished the Stephen F. Tim drove up Wednesday night after work.

Austin Invitational on Sam Rayburn As soon as he arrived, we headed for Reservoir. In the spring, we plan to fish the Sneaky Pete’s Marina at 4 a.m.

Big 12 fishing tournament, pending the We both were really excited about the organization of a tournament. Most of the tournament and discussed plans for the day team members get together weekly to fun fish and what areas where going to be fishing in

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the early morning bite. We got all loaded up and in the water where we eagerly waited for the takeoff. Baylor was boat number 14; as numbers were called, we became more excited. We idled through the checkpoint at dock and had already decided that we were going to try get as many casts as possible throwing buzz baits in the back of the marina. We literally idled 50 yards and I had the trolling motor down chunking them against the bank.

On Tim’s third cast of the day, a spotted bass came in and slammed his buzzbait.

When he got it into the boat and we believed that we had caught our first keeper fish. In the distance, we were still hearing boat numbers being called as I got out the measuring board. We measured the fish and it was 13-7/8 inches with the tail being squeezed.

We threw him back out into the water and kept on fishing.

I caught a 13-1/2-inch fish within 10 minutes of the first one. This ends up being the tale of our day.

Then we went to throwing crankbaits and flipping docks the rest of day. As it ended up, we caught seven bass, all over 13 inches, on day one of the tournament with zero keepers (14 inches). Day two was much of the same with a bunch of short fish until the last 30 minutes of the tournament.

Tim and I were flipping brush, and one right after another, we caught two fish around 3 p.m. totaling 3.67 pounds. Tim and I finished 60 in the field of 83 teams, but we still had a blast. This event was the one that you are always going to remember as long you live, one of those tales to tell my kids someday. It was a great experience for us and our bass club. The knowledge we learned over those few days could be gained only by experiencing it firsthand. It was what every upcoming bass fisherman needs to experience.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY HOLLAND

Oklahoma Beats Texas in Bass Shootout EITHER A NORTH BREEZE NOR TEXAS’ breathing down their necks was enough to cool the Oklahoma team’s hot streak as the group won the daily contest for the third day in a row last October at Choke Canyon Reservoir, giving Oklahoma the win in the Pioneer Beef Jerky Texas-Oklahoma Shootout.

The final round of the Ryder Cup-type event featured a head-to-head competition among the eight individuals on each side, and began with Oklahoma leading by a score of 5-2. With one point to be awarded for each “win,” and one bonus point going

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to the heaviest bass limit, the potential did exist for a Texas team comeback, which has happened in the previous two events.

No three-peat this year, though, as Oklahoma team members won four of the eight matches, and also got the extra point, resulting in a final score of 10-6. The Oklahoma winners included Edwin Evers with 12.82 pounds over Wade Middleton’s 7.84 pounds; Jeff Kriet with 21.28 pounds over Mark Pack’s 9.93 pounds; Mike McClelland with 23.20 pounds over Jason Reyes’ 12.51 pounds; and Tommy Biffle with 26.01 pounds over Kelly Jordon’s 13.62 pounds. Biffle and McClelland both had an 8-plus-pound bass among their catches.

Texas’ winners included Mike Hawkes with 17.11 pounds over John Sappington’s 10.91 pounds; Clark Wendlandt with 23.27 pounds over Derek Remitz’s 9.05 pounds; Todd Faircloth with 15.80 pounds over Harmon Davis’ 14.88 pounds; and Cody Bird with 16.22 pounds over Terry Butcher’s 15.40 pounds.

The day’s contest ended 5-4 in favor of Oklahoma, sealing their first win of this event. Although all 16 anglers divvyed the nearly $10,000 in total prize monies to help

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cover their travel expenses, the shootout title is more about bragging rights than cash rewards.

“I don’t think there’s a man on either side that wouldn’t have come here to participate had there been no prizes at all,” said the winning team captain Jeff Kriet. “None of us like to lose, anything, anywhere. So to take this title from a Texas team that has held it for two years now is especially sweet. We’re sorry we had to do it on their home waters.”

“Captain America and his guys deserve some credit for the win,” said Texas captain Kelly Jordon with a grin. “But we thought we better let them get one so they wouldn’t quit and kill the series. We’ve heard nothing but whining from them ever since this Texas lake was named as the event’s site this year.”

The verbal sparring has been as much a part of the event as the fishing ever since Oklahoma crossed its own state lines to recruit team members. Jordon’s reference to Kriet as “Captain America” is because the Texas team had earlier dubbed their counterparts as “Team America” since McClelland is from Arkansas, Sappington from Missouri, and Remitz from Alabama.

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Hooking Up In Boat Show Season HAVE MADE SNAPPER TRIPS ON JANUARY 1, when snapper fishing was legal at that time of year, and fished in short sleeves on a calm Gulf all day. I have also had

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shore boating urges wandering the aisles of the early season boat shows. The weather can be wet and rainy during the Houston Show, but if you can struggle in from the parking lot, it will usually be comfortable inside.

The general perception fostered upon the public is that the boat show may be the best time and place to buy a boat, but this is not necessarily the case. It is, however, a very good place to see new boats and discuss the various styles and options with sales folk and factory reps, examine new marine power options and accessories, plus fishing tackle, various outdoor gear, hot tubs and spas, pet novelties, and to get your glasses cleaned.

You can also visit with inshore guides, offshore charter and headboat services, even

and even sea trial, outside the show. Most of these will be brokerage, or used boats, which is an option no one should feel ashamed to explore.

Before even starting a boat search, define your main priorities. These are often, but not always, driven by economic concerns. Do you plan to fish fairly close in, on bluebird days, and use the boat for bay and jetty fishing, family outings, possibly some skiing? (I had a friend who pulled his kids behind a 25 Grady White with twin 200s!) Or is your idea of offshore sport a long ride to bluewater, whether or not it involves taking a beating to get there? Is an open boat with lots of fishing room your goal, or would a cabin with amenities be welcome for overnighting offshore - or at the dock? Does

PHOTO BY MIKE HOLMES

Whether looking for a johnboat or an overnight-capable offshore rig, the boat shows are the places to shop.

more than one January offshore trip blown out by high winds that chilled to the bone.

While the more dedicated blue-water anglers will be hoping for a window of good weather to head for the 100 fathom curve or farther out in search of the first marlin or tuna of the year, most of us will be taking care of off82

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hunting operations.

For those actually interested in buying a new boat, particularly a new offshore boat, the shows are a good place to start. Even though larger boats are seldom exhibited, several yacht brokers will have listings of larger vessels they can arrange for you to see, F i s h

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the speed of multiple outboards appeal, or would the economy or diesel power be more attractive? It is always said that any boat is a compromise, but some compromise much less than others.

Over 20 years ago, I wrote in a charter boat industry publication that the future of

the charter industry would be in big outboard boats. At the time, gasoline was cheap, diesels were slow, and a big outboard boat was something in the neighborhood of a 30foot Wellcraft Scarab, or a 27-foot Phoenix.

Twin outboards were the norm, triples were unheard of. SeaVee, which just opened a factory outlet in Seabrook, has a new center console that measures 39 feet, 11 inches with a nearly 12-foot beam, and can be rigged with four Mercury Verado 250 hp outboards. The biggest center console I have ridden on was the Rockport 43 marketed a few years ago by Gray Hill. Built in Belize, it had a 12.5-foot beam and a swim door in the side. The prototype had a small cuddy cabin, a nice tower, 700-gallon gas capacity, a generator to run the ice machine, and was powered by two 225 hp Yamaha 4 stroke outboards. While it only hit 35 mph top speed, it was run to Rockport on its own bottom from Belize. These big open boats can do things only inboard boats could do in the past, in regards to range and fishability.

They also cost as much as a larger inboard boat, at least on the used market. I have had

my eyes on a really nice 46 Bertram that could be had for considerably less than either of those big center consoles.

The advantages an open boat has over a sportfishing convertible are mostly in the monthly expense category - dockage and maintenance on a boat kept in the water are more than for a trailerable. On the other hand, a 40-foot center console with a 12-foot beam isn’t really trailerable—even in these days when most folks seem to drive 1 ton dually, 4WD diesel trucks.

Diesel power has also come a long way since I made that prediction. Mid-size diesel boats now have more horsepower and lighter weight in the engine room, which equates to higher speeds while keeping fuel economy and engine life at a maximum. Boats powered by two or more outboards are often offered in a diesel option with a single engine, and there is a setup available now to run two marine transmissions, two shafts, and two propellers off a single engine, to offer twin engine handling in a single engine boat.

There are many things to consider when

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choosing a new offshore boat, even when cost is not the main factor. At the Houston Show, for instance, my friend Noe Martinez, owner of Dos Amigos boatyard in Turtle Cove, near Freeport, is planning to exhibit a restored 31 Bertram Bahia Mar. Noe has the molds Cabrerra in Florida used to build custom engine boxes, instrument pods, etc. for tricking out 31’s, and even has the complete mold for the “Classic 31”, which was an “improved” version of the 31 Bertram hull, with prop pockets and a wider chine for less spray. The display boat will probably be powered with Steyr diesels, which are lightweight, high rpm engines in which the head and block are one cast piece.

Boat options get broader and broader.

Capt. Mike Holmes runs tarpon, shark, and bluewater trips on a classic 31 Bertram.

To book a trip, call 979-415-0535. Email him at mholmes@fishgame.com.

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ter—and the area will be open for hunting.

Total cost of the restoration is $200,000.

DU and its partners have a long history of conservation success in wetlands restoration.

Today, we have an opportunity to further our cause with this important wetland project. We ask you, a steward of the land and its wildlife resources, to help us meet this opportunity to restore wetland habitat and provide recreational opportunities for generations to come.

Navarro Mills Wetland Project

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A cooperative effort of DU, USACE, & TPWD

FollowThrough

T THE CONFLUENCE OF WHITE Rock Creek and Ash Creek lies a rich bottomland environment influenced by backwater of Navarro Mills Reservoir and flooding of these tributary creeks. The sites restored through this cooperative effort were historically cleared and used for hay, pasture, and row crop production. The potential to produce excellent feeding habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl lies within these rich bottomland soils.

Ducks Unlimited, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have partnered to realize this potential.

By winter 2007, construction is scheduled to be complete on this 175-acre wetland management complex.

TPWD and USACE will cooperate to manage these wetland units for the production of seed-producing moist soil vegetation in the spring and summer, and shallow water habitat during fall and win-

ACT: MOST GAME BIRDS ARE MISSED behind.

I was hunting dove with a friend not long ago, and he was having a terrible day. At first, he thought he was shooting behind the birds. He kept lengthening his lead until he thought he was shooting in front of the birds. I quit shooting to watch him for a few minutes, and then told him he was still shooting behind.

He didn’t believe me.

“I’m leading them 10 feet!” he exclaimed.

I told him it wasn’t his lead that was the problem. The problem was that he was stopping his swing at the moment of the shot and was, therefore, shooting behind the birds. All he needed to do was settle down and follow through— continue his swing after the gun fired. In a few minutes, he was again hitting doves

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Follow-through might be the single most important aspect of wing-shooting. Lack of it is also the most common cause of missing.

If you think you are shooting ahead of the birds, it is more probable that you are stopping your swing. Instead, force yourself to continue your swing for a couple of seconds after the shot. This will force you to follow through.

I used to do this when skeet shooting. I would call for the bird, make the shot, and then continue the swing for a long two count before raising my head from the stock.

If you are having problems, try this for yourself. You will be pleasantly surprised how quickly your shooting improves. — Steve LaMascus •••

NWTF Scholarship NDREW PAYNE OF HOUSTON was chosen as the 2007 National Wild Turkey Federation National Scholarship winner for outstanding academic achievements, demonstrating leadership skills and commitment to conservation.

Payne’s essay focused on why hunting is important to him and his family. He touched on how busy the modern individual and family are and that hunting is his escape from the hustle and bustle. He has been awarded a total of $12,000 through local, state, and national NWTF scholarships.

The National Scholarship alone is $10,000.

“Through hunting, I am able to reconnect with all those things that are most important in my life,” said Payne. “Hunting affords me the opportunity to spend uninter-

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rupted time with my father.”

He recently graduated high school and will be attending Texas A&M, where he plans to study physics/medicine and be part of the prestigious Corps of Cadets, an organization as old as the university, dedicated to developing well-educated leaders and prepare them to provide values-based leadership and service in the public and private sectors of society.

Payne is outstanding both in and out of the classroom. In 2005, he scored within the top 1.5 percent of all college-bound juniors in the nation given the PSAT. He studied particle physics with students from China and South Africa during the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth.

He has earned the honor of Eagle Scout and also has founded and operates an outfitting and guide business.

“Education is the foundation of the NWTF message,” said Rob Keck, NWTF CEO. “We are dedicated to the education of our nation’s youth, because they are the hunters, conservationists and spokesmen for the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and it will be their job to carry on the tradition.”

Payne will serve as a great spokesman for the NWTF and his generation because of his love and enthusiasm for the shooting sports and the hunting tradition.

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NWTF Assists Prescribed Burns $12,000 DONATION FROM THE NATIONAL Wild Turkey Federation will help landowners in Texas, improve more wildlife habitat, and help protect their property from wildfire.

The Coastal Bend Chapter of NWTF in Victoria, Texas, recently purchased a trailer, equipment, and tools needed to conduct prescribed burns and is making the

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setup available to private landowners and wildlife management associations.

Prescribed burns are safe, cool-burning, and manageable fires that help control thick unwanted brush and vegetation on the ground, which can build to dangerous levels and lead to catastrophic wildfires. Each year, state and federal land management agencies team up with nonprofit conservation groups, such as NWTF, to fund prescribed burns. This project is designed to help private landowners conduct prescribed

burns, which can be pretty costly.

“Prescribed burning is a great way to keep large wildfires from happening,” said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, NWTF’s senior vice president for conservation programs.

“Managing habitat with cool-burning prescribed fires makes better wildlife habitat and keeps our neighbors safe. This is a great example of what happens when conservation groups unite forces with state and federal agencies.”

Armadillo Madness N A PARTICULARLY WARM JANUARY DAY, Doc noticed an armadillo meandering across the parking lot of Doreen’s 24 HR Eat Gas Now Café. “Look at that blamed old fool out there in the open,” he said.

I looked up to see the Cap’n nearly running toward the café. “Well, Doc, the Cap’n shouldn’t have to worry about being in the parking lot.”

Out of breath, the Cap’n rushed through the door and settled into the large round corner booth with us.

“You trying to race the armadillo?” Wrong Willie asked him.

“Naw, just trying to get away from it. I’m afraid of those things.”

The café’s customers sat in stunned silence.

“You’re a Texan,” Woodrow accused. “No one from Texas is afraid of rats on a half-shell.”

“Well, when I was a kid...”

Café tradition dictates that no one’s story is interrupted by something so mundane as the filling of a coffee cup, so Doc held up a finger to stop the Cap’n’s story. We raised our cups aloft so Doreen could fill them before the story began.

The Cap’n sipped his coffee.

“I guess I was about 10 when Granddad said I was old

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enough to take a .22 out in the pasture by myself. He put a dozen shells in my shirt pocket, figuring that many bullets would be enough, because the rifle was his old singleshot.

“After a long time, the sun started going down without a target and I was getting desperate. Like any kid, I knew that I couldn’t go back with bullets in my pocket. I had to shoot something.”

We nodded, understanding those same emotions.

“So, I w a s cutting through this gully toward the house when I saw an armadillo nosing around not 30 yards away. I dug in my pocket for a bullet, put it in the chamber, and closed the bolt carefully.

You’d have thought I was hunting a Cape buffalo in Africa.

“I’d never shot at anything other than a target before, so I guess I was nervous. I took aim and missed like a big dog. But the bullet hit a rock next to the armadillo and sprayed him with rock shrapnel.”

The Cap’n shuddered.

“That’s when it hap-

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pened. The chips scared the armadillo and it ran. But you know how blind they are. He couldn’t see me and instead of running away, it...it...charged me!”

“Armadillos don’t charge,” Doreen said needlessly.

“They do when you’re 10 and you don’t know anything about them,” the Cap’n said.

“That thing came right at me with those big old claws, and in my mind it had razor sharp teeth flashing in the light. I was like Barney Fife, digging in my pocket for another bullet while death was only feet away.”

“You don’t die from an armadillo charge...” I began.

The Cap’n continued. “I knew I couldn’t get the gun loaded in time, so I went Alamo on him. I flipped my rifle around, grabbed it by the barrel, and swung like Davy Crockett as it went between my feet. I missed and the stock exploded in a million pieces and I fell backward, flaying left and right with the barrel.

“The armadillo got away and I lay there, twitching like I’d been electrocuted,” the Cap’n finished. “I’ve never like shelled rats since.”

We laughed until I was afraid I’d pass out.

The armadillo in the parking lot rooted closer to the door.

“Well, I had a bad experience with one about 20 years ago,” Wo o d r o w admitted.

“But I’m n o t

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEAL WATSON

afraid of them. My Aunt Gloria had an armadillo digging up her front yard every night and she asked me to come over and get rid of it for her.

“She lived in a housing edition, so I couldn’t shoot it with a gun, but I was deep

into my archery stage, so I brought my bow.

It was raining when I got there just before dark to get the lay of the land.

“Aunt Gloria made me take my shoes off when I came in the house. She’s always been pretty particular about her stuff and

she didn’t want me to get mud or water on her new white carpet.”

We nodded, knowing where this story was going.

“Sure enough, just about dusk the armadillo appeared in her flower bed. I carefully cracked the door and slipped out. I didn’t shut it, because I didn’t want the armadillo to hear.

“I drew back and cut loose, but just like the Cap’n there, I missed. The arrow shot past the armadillo, skipped across the yard, and went into the tire of my Suburban. The hissing air scared the armadillo so bad it ran away from the sound and right through the open door.

“I’ve often wondered if Aunt Gloria screamed at the armadillo or the streak of mud it left across the carpet. I ran back through the living room, stringing another arrow, and she screamed again, mostly because I’d stepped in muddy water and made another set of tracks.

“For some reason, Aunt Gloria ran and opened the back door, so the armadillo could leave, I guess, and her Pekinese ran in, saw the armadillo, and wet on the carpet.

Then it ran away from the armadillo, who must have decided to follow some sort of herd instinct and it ran with the dog around and around through the house.”

He shuddered while we giggled insanely.

“She had to replace the carpet, the lamp they broke, and the couch because the armadillo did what they do and tried to hide under there...”

We laughed until I got the hiccups.

“We should try to catch that one outside,” Willie suggested.

I looked through Doreen’s door, considered the armadillo in the parking lot, and decided to let well enough alone.

It was probably one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.

E-mail Reavis Wortham at humor@fishgame.com

What’s Good for the Goose UNTING LATE SEASON SNOW GEESE CAN BE difficult. By January, the birds have been shot at from Canada to Katy, and even the young birds start to wise up. This year, hunters might face tougher goose hunting than last season due to a decreased hatch in Arctic nesting grounds, where an extra-cold spring curtailed production of tall- and shortgrass prairie crucial to nesting success. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) predict a similar flight to last year’s due to population increases, but the number of young birds will be down.

That means hunters serious about shooting snows need to know what makes geese tick this time of year, and how to catch them with their guard down.

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Food Sources Goose hunters should think “green” for late season snows.

“By the time January starts rolling around, you want to look real hard at rye grass, which is a key food source for geese.

PHOTO BY CHESTER MOORE

They will start hitting it, and in some cases, ignore just about everything else,” said Ed

by Chester Moore Kestler of the Ducks Unlimited Mid-South Chapter in Jefferson County. “There is a definite point where the birds start feeding really heavily on rye grass and success often becomes an issue of who has access to green fields.”

Capt. Kris Kelley of Seadrift agreed: “The clover re-growth on dry ground as well as your rye grass and winter wheat crops are very important for late season snows, and the hunters that have access to these kinds of crops definitely have the best success.”

Something else to consider is grit. I have pass-shot birds flying from grit pits on several occasions, and know hunters who routinely use the habit of “gritting” to their advantage. For those who do not know, all waterfowl need grit (hard material) so their gizzards can grind what they are eating.

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Domestic goose raisers supply the birds with limestone, shell, even flint, and sometimes give them coarse sand. There are “grit pits” on most refuges where geese congregate to get their essentials, but these birds will get it wherever they can, from shell roads to sand pits.

Knowing when and where the birds will utilize grit can aid hunters with limited access to agriculture. The key is learning the flyways to lure in birds to your spreads, and understanding which groups of birds are utilizing key gritting areas, as well as understanding which areas they are flying to feed and roost.

Hunting Tactics As noted in my book, Texas Waterfowl, hunters should mix up their approach with life-size, photo-realistic decoys, shells, rags, and kites. Over the last few years, I have seen kites popping up more on more goose hunts, and believe they are one of the major keys to success—depending on wind, of course.

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In This Issue COVER STORY • What’s Good for the Goose | BY CHESTER MOORE

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TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots | BY CALIXTO GONZALES & JD MOORE

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER COAST • January Jumps at Sabine |

BY CAPT. SKIP JAMES

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: GALVESTON COMPLEX • Starry Nights, Cold Weather, and Hot Fishing | BY CAPT. MIKE HOLMES

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: MATAGORDA & MID COAST • Seek Shelter in the Cold |

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: CORPUS TO BAFFIN BAYS • Big Girls on the Rocks |

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A coupe of years ago, I got to hunt snow geese near Eagle Lake. We had lots of competition, as there were numerous highly skilled outfitters operating in the area. Our spread consisted of several strategically placed kites lined up within good shooting range of the hunters. Nearly every goose we shot went straight for the kites.

I believe the geese here are drive as much by pressure as they are food availability.

There are lots of outfitters and refuges along the coast. With much of the refuges closed to hunting, they have lots of sanctuary and you can decoy them if you are able to set up near the flyway and focus on getting the geese that are stragglers from the group. Flocks of one to two dozen geese are as good as dead if you have a well-placed decoy spread and do minimal calling.

If you are hunting right along the edge of a refuge, I recommend using a couple of dozen life-size decoys and then have a few

January geese are wary warriors, but not beyond the grasp of a skilled and savvy hunter.

PHOTO BY CHESTER MOORE

magnums it there to grab attention.

Capt. Ryan Warhola hunts around the refuges in Texas, and said he has had good success bagging low-flying geese on foggy days. He emphasized that hunters need to be very mindful of weather conditions: “You have to really pay attention to the weather and be prepared to leave at the last minute, because this is a matter of keying in on confused geese, and that’s something you don’t

get a chance to do every day.”

Warhola recommended getting familiar with the flight patterns of the birds in the hunt area: “These birds have patterns they use quite a bit in different areas. They will do the same thing on foggy mornings, but they are not sure of their surroundings, so they are a lot easier to get. Find some good cover, like around a levee or just behind a small ridge, and use that as your signpost for shooting and calling. Once the birds get to your spot, let them have it. If the fog is high enough and you can see a fair way up, you will want to take farther shots; but if it is really thick, you can make super high percentage shots at near point blank range.”

Serious hunters are well camouflaged and conceal themselves using some kind of natural cover or in a photo-realistic blind.

PHOTO BY CHESTER MOORE

A combined spread of rags and shells might not be enough to fool hunter-savvy geese.

More goose hunters miss shots because of not wearing a facemask or having one where there is still too much face showing. If you have any face showing, put on some darkcolored makeup and conceal yourself.

If you are hunting in dry fields, laydown blinds (where you are totally concealed until the decisive moment) are highly recommended. I picked up one manufactured by Avery Outdoors last year, and had great success on a couple of dry ground hunts at Winnie and Devers.

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If you are hunting in rice fields, avoid using pit blinds that have been out all season and had hundreds of birds shot from them.

At this point, the geese know what happens there, and will avoid them at all costs. Setting up along natural cover like a levee or lying in the middle of a spread (and, yes, being wet and miserable) will yield far more birds. It is also important to keep your dog at bay, as the movement of a spastic retriever can easily spoil a good late-season goose hunt.

This might all seem a bit troublesome for shooting a few birds, but those who have experienced the thrill of having dozens of geese land around you and seeing hundreds, sometimes thousands, fly over in shooting range because you went the extra mile get their rewards.

More on Refuges The refuges along the Texas coast have a

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huge impact on goose distribution and population growth. This is according to a USFWS report entitled, Factors Contributing to High Populations of White Geese. “...during the 1970s, changes in hunting practices near refuges included a reduction of firing lines, creation of no-hunting zones, manipulation of croplands to provide food, and a restricted harvest of geese on refuges and off refuges. The management practice of half-day hunting was initiated to hold migrant geese longer to increase hunting opportunities and local harvest, but its success also appears to have influenced distribution.

“These factors led to such migration sites functioning as true refugia. Long-term reduction in the hunter harvest is consistent with the hypothesis of disproportional growth of population units using refuges.

These refuges might thus function as loci for population growth and exploitation of surrounding ‘new’ agricultural foods.”

“We have properties close to the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and the McFaddin Refuge. A lot of times our success comes from studying when and where these birds are leaving the refuge to feed and also exploiting the fact we have a lot of property to hunt,” said Shane Chesson of Drake Plantation Outfitters. “When they get on a particular food source, they want it really bad. Most of the time, that is the green stuff like rye grass but also second harvest rice stubble can be productive. However, many times for the guys hunting the refuges or near them it is going to come down to learning the flight patterns and being mobile.

This time of year, you can have birds thick in a field one day and none there the next.

The hunter that studies the birds and knows what they are eating and how they are flying down to the wire will be the one that takes the most.”

Hunting late- season snows requires a lot of homework, patience, and understanding of the birds. On many occasions, you will be skunked, but on those magical days when you have geese falling from the sky like giant drops of snow, you will know your diligence paid off.

by Calixto Gonzales, South Zone Fishing Editor & JD Moore, North Zone Fishing Editor

Long Bar Trout LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Long Bar GPS: N26 12.164, W97 15.957 SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Gulp! Shad, Shrimp; jerkbaits CONTACT: Captains Fred and Janie Petty, 956-943-2747 TIPS: When asked, Captain Petty will tell you that the worse the weather is, the better the fishing becomes around Long Bar.

Trout will hold in the deeper water around the edges of the Bar and the ICW, which shelters them from winter cold. Bundle up and fish a Gulp! bait slowly near the bottom. If the weather warms up some, then you might try working on the top of the bar, especially near deeper water.

JD

Calixto

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Queen Isabella Causeway GPS: N26 5.206, W97 11.039 SPECIES: sheepshead, black drum BEST BAITS: live or fresh-dead shrimp; crab chunks CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956551-9581 TIPS: Sometimes, the trout are impossible to find in winter. It isn’t difficult, however, on calmer days to anchor up near the causeway pilings and fish them for a few fat sheepies (see Hotspots Focus “Brute Thugs & Convicts”). If you fish deeper water near the Causeway superstructure (have a care

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not to tie off to the dolphins that form the barge-shield), you will locate some black drum, too. SOP for fishing for drum is a Carolina rig baited with a large shrimp or piece of crab tossed into the ICW. Leave a loose drag when your rod is in a holder, or you will loose it when a thug hits.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Turning Basin GPS: N26 3.761, W97 9.482 SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Pearl/chartreuse; live shrimp CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956551-9581 TIPS: Trout collect in the deep water of the turning basin when a strong northern cause air and water temperatures to plunge.

Fish the edge of the drop-off, especially near the banana docks with live shrimp on a split shot rig. Let the bait descend the slope of the drop until a trout inhales it. Another spot worth note is at the intersection where the boat channel enters the east side of the Basin. Fish the current rip.

winter low tides. Trout and redfish will follow the new water to feed. Swim a gold spoon from pothole to pothole to locate these fish. If they are short-striking the spoon, switch to a Gulp!/Mansfield Mauler to fish more deliberately.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre at Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Rattlesnake Cove GPS: N26 19.560, W97 19.570 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish

BEST BAITS: Top Dog, SkitterWalk in Bone; Gulp! Shrimp/Mauler combo CONTACT: Captains Richard and Susie Weldon, 956-748-0022 TIPS: A great deal of winter fishing on LLM is weather influenced. If you have some nice days, or you are on the tail end of a front, you will usually find both trout and redfish up on the flats in Rattlesnake foraging and sunning themselves. You can get their attention with a bone colored topwater such as a SkitterWalk in bone, or bone/silver

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: North Jetties (bank access) GPS: N26 4.080, N97 12.430 SPECIES: panfishes, sheepshead BEST BAITS: fresh shrimp, cut squid CONTACT: Quick Stop, 956-943-1159 TIPS: The surf side of the North Jetties can be loaded with both bull whiting and pompano during January. Live or fresh shrimp on a bottom rig can be fished along the sandbar edges where waves break. You rarely have to wait long for a fat whiting or the more cosmopolitan pompano to grab your bait. On light tackle, they both can be surprising sport. But both fish truly shine on the table. This is good family fishing.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Gaswell Flats GPS: N26 16.309, W97 16.222 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BEST BAITS: gold spoons, Gulp! Shrimp/ Mauler combo CONTACT: Captains Fred and Janie Petty, 956-943-2747 TIPS: Gaswell is going to continue to produce well in January and into February.

When the North wind backs off and turns around from the Southeast, fresh tides will flood flats that have been exposed by the A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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sides. If there is cloud cover, move towards deeper water near the ICW and fish with a Mauler/Gulp! combo in Pearl or New Penney.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre at Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: The Saucer GPS: N26 27.651, W97 21.708 SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: topwaters in bone; gold spoons CONTACT: Captains Richard and Susie Weldon, 956-748-0022 TIPS: Fish the center of this vast shallow flat on warm days with gold spoons or topwaters. If you can spot pods of tailing fish, then cast in front of them and work with a high rod tip. If you don’t spot any tails, work around and over weedlines.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre at Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Payton’s Bay GPS: N26 24.528, W97 21.03 SPECIES: redfish, speckled trout BEST BAITS: topwaters in Bone; soft plastics CONTACT: Captains Richard and Susie Weldon, 956-748-0022

TIPS: Work around the sand edges and the color changes they form. When using topwaters, fish with a slow, methodical retrieve. On low tide, fish out towards the middle of the bay, but work closer to the shoreline when the water is up. Fish plastics on the lightest possible jighead (1/8- to 1/16-ounce) and work them slowly as well.

Assassinate a Red LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: The Badlands GPS: N27 18.228, W97 24.338 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BEST BAITS: RT slugs; Bass Assassin Blurp in natural patterns; topwaters CONTACT: Captain Robert Zapata, 361851-1161 TIPS: When a north wind limits your options, set up a wade on this popular winter spot. The mud bottom retains warmth more effectively than sand, and trout and

redfish, as well as forage species, gravitate to it. Fish around and through color changes with lightly weighted soft plastics. The wading is a bit tough because of the soft mud, but he quality fish make it worth the effort.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Los Corrales GPS: N28 14.796, W97 29.941 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Plum/chartreuse; topwaters early CONTACT: Captain Robert Zapata, 361851-1161 TIPS: When the wind is pushing out of the southeast, Los Corrales should be one of the areas that you focus on. Fish will take advantage of the milder weather by foraging over the cove and the shoreline. Topwaters are good, especially early in the morning, but soft plastics will also work. Fish slowly and methodically. Look for nervous bait.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Black Bluff GPS: N28 14.237, W97 33.935 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Plum/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Robert Zapata, 361851-1161 TIPS: Aside from nervous bait, another clue to the location of fish to watch for here, and elsewhere in Baffin, is the presence of brown pelicans. These birds have made a resurgence over the last few years, and they make excellent fish markers. Once you begin working the area, fish deeper water with soft plastics and suspending plugs for both trout and redfish. Work your lures slowly, and pay attention. The bites can be very, very subtle.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Emmord’s Hole GPS: N27 29.754, W97 19.970 SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: RT Slugs; Bass Assassin Blurp in natural patterns on 1/8-ounce heads CONTACT: Captain Robert Zapata, 361851-1161 TIPS: Winter patterns skew towards deeper water. Fish the 3-4 feet breakline with

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slow-sinking eel-style baits for best results.

Trout will normally be holding in the deeper holes. Work the lures as slowly as you can for a subtle presentation. Light line and a light tip are needed for this situation.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: ICW GPS: N27 24.837, W97 21.672 SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: RT Slugs; Bass Assassin Blurp in natural patterns on 1/8-ounce heads CONTACT: Captain Robert Zapata, 361851-1161 TIPS: After a cold front, you will find the speckled trout holding in deeper water, where the cold-blooded critters will find warmer water. Fish natural-patterned plastics slowly along the bottom (a front-weight worm hook is perfect for this application).

The classic phrase “slower than evolution” should be affixed in your mind while working this pattern.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Boat Hole GPS: N27 41.281, W97 15.126 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BEST BAITS: Gulp! baits CONTACT: Captain Robert Zapata, 361851-1161 TIPS: When winter weather descends on South Texas, gamefishes will seek out deeper water. Trout and redfish will be suspended near, or hovering on the bottom of the Boat Hole, where they will be sheltered from the crummy weather. Brave souls can fish soft plastics near the bottom, or even bouncing on the bottom to draw strikes.

These fish are lethargic, so a more deliberate pace is necessary.

fresh shrimp with the carapace peeled back works as well.

Red Shad in the Morning, Specks Take Warning LOCATION: Sabine lake HOTSPOT: Sydne Island GPS: N29 58.540, W93 49.475 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Red Shad, Morning Glory, black/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Randy Foreman, 409-7196067 TIPS: Fish will be in the deeper water away from the bank in January, where the

stained water and darker bottom holds warmth better. Darker patterned plastics such as Bass Assassins in Morning Glory, black/chartreuse, and Red Shad are very effective. Fish them slowly on 1/16- and 1/8-ounce jigheads. Vary your retrieve between the mid depths and the bottom until the fish tell you where they are.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: East Pass GPS: N29 58.920, W93 48.940 SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Red Shad, Morning Glory, black/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Randy Foreman, 409719-6067 TIPS: Trout tend to prefer passes during winter. There is plenty of forage along the shorelines, and the access to deeper water is a safety valve if there is a big front that blows in. Fish around the shallow depth breaks on milder days. Back into deeper water after fronts, or during falling tides. Be careful for the treacherous currents when water is flowing, especially against the wind.

LOCATION: Aransas Pass HOTSPOT: Aransas Jetties GPS: N27 50.289, W97 2.614 SPECIES: sheepshead BEST BAITS: live shrimp, fresh-dead shrimp CONTACT: Captain Paul Braly, 361-4496795 TIPS: Take your family out to the jetties on the bluebird days after a cold front to fish for the burly convict fish that start collecting in good numbers around the pink granite. A live shrimp 3’ under a popping cork is the standard rig up and down the coast. If you don’t want to spend the cash on livies, a A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Deep Reef GPS: N29 30.802, W94 40.581 SPECIES: redfish, speckled trout BEST BAITS: suspending plugs in dark patterns; soft plastics in natural patterns CONTACT: Captain George Knighten, 832-

385-5821 TIPS: If the weather stays mild, Galveston Bay’s reefs will continue to hold and produce good numbers of gamefish. Suspending lures such as the Catch 5 or Catch 2000, or a slow-sinker such as the B&L Corky, are great choices for working the mid-depths just off the breaks. After a cold front, try fishing soft plastics near the bottom.

LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Ladies’ Pass GPS: N29 28.910, W94 55.177 SPECIES: redfish, speckled trout BEST BAITS: suspending plugs in dark patterns; soft plastics in natural patterns CONTACT: Captain George Knighten, 832385-5821 TIPS: This is deep water, and it’s an ideal spot when temperatures dip because of a strong front. Fish the deep water on the downcurrent side with slow-sinking or suspending baits. Soft plastics in smoke, red shad, black/chartreuse, or other dark patterns are also effective. Bundle up. It can get colder than you think on a chilly morning.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef GPS: N29 16.269, W94 59.953 SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: gold spoons, soft plastics CONTACT: Captain George Knighten, 832385-5821 TIPS: Redfish have to hang out somewhere, too. Confederate Reef seems to be the area they choose in winter. Wobblingstyle gold spoons (a red or chartreuse trailer enhances the action) will work well. The ubiquitous soft plastic on a 1/8-ounce head is always effective, too. Redfish are more active than trout in cold weather, so you don’t have to retrieve your lures as slowly (don’t burn them, either).

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Offats Bayou GPS: N29 16.480, W94 50.300 SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Gulp! tails, soft plastics CONTACT: Captain George Knighten, 832385-5821

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TIPS: When a big front blows in and temperatures hover around the freezing mark, then you should head straight to Offats and fish the deep water. Trout will be near the bottom, almost literally in the mud, which is warm. The mantra for this type of situation is slow and steady. When a trout takes your bait, it isn’t going to be the solid thump! you are used to. You will feel some mushiness, maybe even a little pressure. If you do, set the hook.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Twin Island Reef GPS: N28 38.828, W96 2.425 SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BEST BAITS: soft plastics in black/chartreuse, Plum/chartreuse, Red Shad; gold spoons CONTACT: Captain Ron Elkins, 361-9832265 TIPS: Fish the cut out of the lake to find trout and redfish. Fish up on the shallows when on milder days when the sun is out for fish that are basking. Back off into the deeper water when there is some current that will push bait towards hungry trout that are waiting for them. Gold spoons work well in both situations, but soft plastics may be preferable for deeper applications.

Watermelon Reptiles Fool Bass LOCATION: Choke Canyon HOTSPOT: Four Fingers GPS: N28 30.069, W98 16.197 SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas-rigged lizards in Watermelon; white/chartreuse spinnerbaits (gold blade) CONTACT: Jerry Dunn, 361-4497647 TIPS: Fish the points behind the hydrilla beds with your spinnerbait during warmer weather.

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Start in shallow water and slowly work your way deep. Stay deeper and fish around the weedbeds with a plastic lizard when cool weather sets in. The spawn starts late in the month and lasts into February.

LOCATION: Choke Canyon HOTSPOT: Four Fingers Cove GPS: N28 31.282, W98 16.143 SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: cut shad, prepared baits CONTACT: Wallace Gee, 361-786-2749 TIPS: Catfish will be sticking to creek shorelines and around timber. Work around the edges of the creek shoreline and up near the hardwoods, where catfish will be patrolling. Cut shad is an old standby, but a smelly prepared bait, especially one that can emit a steady slick of scent, can produce better than natural baits.

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Falcon Lake State Park GPS: N26 34.918, W99 9.028 SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: live or cut shad, prepared baits CONTACT: Park Office, 956-848-5327 TIPS: Summer rains have raised the lake levels back to a point where fishing has improved for the shorebound angler. The lake is still not at full pool (301.1 feet), but there are fishing opportunities for the shorebound angler. Catfish are in good numbers along the shoreline. Fish near stickups and brush in deeper water. Live threadfin shad and chunks of gizzard shad work well. So do punch baits and cheese baits.

LOCATION: Rio Grande River at Roma HOTSPOT: Island GPS: N26 23.37. W99 0.00 SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: cut bait, night crawlers, prepared baits CONTACT: Texas Parks & Wildlife, www.tpwd.state.tx.us TIPS: The island that bisects the river just north of Roma has a deep channel on the American side. The hole at the head of the channel holds some excellent numbers of blue and channel catfish this time of year.

Use a no-snag or flat sinker on a dropper or Carolina rig (with a short leader). There are some big catfish in this hole, so outfit yourself appropriately.

Flukes Fool Bass LOCATION: Lake Bastrop HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake Cove GPS: N30 09.392, W97 16.696 SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: fluke, stick worm, spinnerbait, lipless and shallow-diving crankbaits CONTACT: Mike Hastings, 512-773-7401, gitbit@austin.rr.com TIPS: Use the fluke or stick worm if the fish are inactive or if targeting bedding fish. Use spinnerbait and crankbait when the fish are actively feeding.

BANK ACCESS: South Shore Park, largemouth, crappie, catfish. Use spinnerbaits, crankbaits for bass, live minnows for crappie, cut bait for catfish.

Humps for Whites LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Deep Humps GPS: N31 54.214 W97 12.178 SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: 1-ounce chartreuse slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh, 254-582-5970, 817-822-5539, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Bounce slabs off bottom at edges of the humps.

BANK ACCESS: Tailrace Fishing Pier, below dam off Highway 310.

TIPS: During the first part of January, fish the jigs and craw worms in 14-20 feet of water near the dam. When the water begins to warm, fish close to the dam and also the riprap.

BANK ACCESS: 830 Boat Ramp, catfish on liver, shrimp on a Carolina rig. Cast out from piers.

Worm a Bass LOCATION: Lake O. H. Ivie HOTSPOT: Yellow Bluff GPS: N31 34.702, W99 42.759 SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: soft plastic flukes, lizards, worms CONTACT: Kevin Burleson, 325-6607819, kevin2841@verizon.net TIPS: Bass will be holding in trees in water 10 to 30 feet deep. Fishing will good from dawn through dusk. This is a staging area where the bass are spawn feeding. You will be fishing vertically, dropping the soft plastics down and lifting up until you find the proper depth.

Once this depth is located, you should be able to catch some very nice bass, for they will be suspended near or at this depth. The fish will be sluggish though, so you should use a slow presentation, almost putting the plastics right in front of the fish’s mouth in order to get their attention.

BANK ACCESS: Concho Park Recreation Area, lots of grass for bass and bream.

Night fishing will be good for catfish.

Crawing for Bass LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Dam & Riprap (both ends) GPS: N30 21.723, W95 33.111 SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: jigs, craw worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Billy Mills, 936-520-7646 A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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January Jumps at Sabine HAT ARE WE DOING OUT HERE in 40-degree temperature and a 20-mile-an-hour, howling north wind?” asked my fishing partner, Capt. Mike Morgan of Orange.

“We’re going to hunt up and catch some big reds and trout and then drop them by the homeless shelter,” I replied.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Most saltwater anglers from this area simply write off the month of January as an excellent opportunity to freeze off something important rather than for numbers of trout and reds, as well as that occasional trophy.

For the few diehards who are willing to brave the elements, Sabine Lake is one of the top choices on the coast for winter fishing.

Knowing how to consistently locate fish and present your bait are the two biggest

“W

keys to success. Over the last 20 years, we have spent countless hours on the water putting together some solid patterns resulting in surprisingly good stringers during the cold-water period.

In your approach, the most important consideration is clear water. Clear water warms up faster, generally holds more baitfishes, and maintains a consistent PH level.

The shallow backwater bays and lakes on the east side of the system are always the best producers. Check the bays and cuts that are deep and protected from the wind.

There are several such bays between Garrison’s Ridge and Green’s Bayou that always put out a few fish. On some days, these warm water areas put out a lot of fish. The secret is presentation.

We like throwing big baits such as a MirrOlure Catch 2000 series III. On sunny days, we go with natural colors such as mullet or shad imitators. On gloomy, overcast days, we choose colors such as chartreuse or Electric Chicken. These bright, colorful baits are very intrusive and stand out on low light days. Count these baits down to the bottom and slowly retrieve. If the water is really clear, meaning 2-3 feet of visibility at noon, we opt for plastics such as an Old Bayside 5-inch Shadlyn in colors such as Closing Night and Lemon Shad. On our plastics, we use no weight, just a No. 5 hook allowing the bait to sink very slowly. Once

the bait gets to the bottom, we just shake it.

This retrieve is called “dead-sticking.”

These big winter fish hit because of two reasons: intrusion of domain, or hunger.

The trick is keeping the bait in the bite window as long as possible, thus triggering the predator instinct of the fish. Last winter, I ran across an old Cajun man fishing in the back of Pines Bayou. He was anchored and had three lines in the water. I asked him if he was doing any good, and he showed me a cooler full of reds. On all three rods, he was using corks and live bait. He was cutting the tails off live mullet before casting them on the edge of the grass line. He explained to me there was a huge school of reds staged in the back end of the bayou, but you couldn’t catch them unless you put a live mullet with it’s tail cut off right in front of them. I stayed in this area for about three hours watching him land and release at least a dozen keeper reds. I caught two while he caught 12.

Live bait works well during cold weather on Sabine—if you can find it.

A lot of my customers use 12- to 14pound-test monofilament line, but let’s face it: this line size is simply not strong enough to handle 5- to 7-pound reds and specks.

We use spinning outfits loaded with 20pound-test Power Pro braid and about a 4foot fluorocarbon leader. Loop knots work best.

Do not use your trolling motor and try to be very quiet in the boat. Simply drop your anchor and work your selected area thor-

Continued on Page C14

THE BANK BITE HOTSPOT: Entergy intake canal LOCATION: Between Neches River Bridge & Bridge City SPECIES: redfish LURES/BAITS: Old Bayside 5-inch Shadlyn tipped with fresh, dead shrimp or mullet BEST TIMES: High tides in the evenings C12

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Starry Nights, Cold Weather, & Hot Fishing S ALWAYS, THE WEATHER IN JANUARY ON the Texas coast could bring just about anything, from a hard freeze to temperatures more suitable for shorts and sandals. Even though I personally feel I have the same allergy to cold weather a young lady recently complained of to “Dear Abby,” some conditions will get me to brave the cold of a winter night. Speckled trout fishing is at or near the top of that list. When decent winter tides bring clear water and bait into coastal streams and harbors, fishing can be fast enough to ward off the cold, even for me.

One of my favorite spots for this requires a boat to get there, though not all do. The barge loading dock area of what was once Monsanto Chemical Company on Chocolate Bayou had several things going for it as a winter trout hole. The first was deep water; the second, a light placed near the breakwater in front of the actual loading area. The last little intangible was a “bubble barrier.”

Monsanto engineers had designed a system with a perforated pipe running along the bottom through which compressed air was forced, resulting in a vertical wall of air bubbles intended to break surface tension and resist any chemical spill from making its

A

way out into the bayou channel. This super oxygenated water also attracted hordes of baitfish, and thus the predators who fed on them. Fishing with silver and gold spoons as well as dead shrimp would produce specks when a cast was made in the area illuminated by the light, while a cast to the dark water by the bank would more likely draw a strike from a redfish. Sand trout were also very numerous. While soaking a bait on bottom in hopes of enticing a flounder one night, I ended up boating a 12-pound black drum.

Other streams also produce great winter action. My friend, Wimpy Lowe, is famous for catches of trout taken under lights powered by a generator in the “new” Brazos River near Freeport, and homeowners with dock lights on just about any tidal bayou can get into good trout action. Many public piers on these smaller bodies of water, like those on Bastrop Bayou near Demi John Island or the many spots on Galveston Island, can pay off.

For those with access or permission, marina and harbor docks can be an excellent hunting ground for winter trout. Empty slips and the boat lanes between docks will often be the scene of hungry trout pushing small menhaden. The abundance of bait in the water can sometimes make it difficult to

THE BANK BITE HOTSPOT: HL&P Spillway Pier LOCATION: Baycliff (There is an RV Park and bait camp for supplies and a place to rest.)

ALTERNATE HOTSPOT: San Luis Pass Pier (The channel and deep waters of the Gulf are close enough to attract species like speckled trout to the pier lights in good numbers.)

SPECIES: speckled trout, various panfishes LURES/BAITS: live shrimp when available, dead shrimp, small jigs Best Times: a dark night with tidal movement, light wind, and chilly temperatures hook a fish on a dead offering, or even a live one pinned to a small treble hook, but tandem rigged “speck rig” jigs in yellow and white or pink and white will just about always draw strikes. These dock trout are not always big, but are abundant and make a nice foundation on which to build a mid winter fish fry with fresh ingredients. For large fish, try a silver spoon or large jigs, especially those that glow after absorbing light.

Capt. Mike Holmes runs tarpon, shark, and bluewater trips on a classic 31 Bertram.

To book a trip, call 979-415-0535.

Email him at mholmes@fishgame.com.

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER COAST Continued from Page C12 oughly. In fact, I recommend dissecting your area with casts placed about 3 feet apart. It is a slow process, but one that can produce incredible results.

Occasionally, we find some schooling C14

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trout and reds in the mouth of Middle and East Pass. The birds generally tip us off to location. We simply slow roll a 3/4-ounce chrome Rat-L-Trap on the bottom. As the bait tracks, it will deflect off the mussels and oysters; that is when you get the bite.

In next month’s issue, I have a major F i s h

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piece on Sabine Lake’s monster trout. Be sure to look for it if you plan on fishing the “forgotten bay” this winter.

Contact: Skip James 409-886-5341, jjames@gt.rr.com.

Seek Shelter in the Cold AJOR FREEZE” IS NOT A TERM coastal anglers like to hear.

Not since 1989 has the Texas coast experienced a major fish kill associated with an arctic blast that lowered water temperatures into the 40s and

“M

bellied up a significant number of speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. Still, 1989 does not compare to the blistering “Freeze of 1983,” which dropped temperatures nearly 50 degrees overnight.

“East Matagorda Bay had 3-5 inches of ice on the surface,” said retired guide Melvin Talasek. “Temperatures were in the 60s when the front blew in around 3:00 p.m. When we woke up the next morning, it was 17 degrees. There were dead fish everywhere and the fishing suffered for years.”

Talasek said the quick, drastic change in temperature and water levels associated with stiff north winds didn’t give fish a chance to seek shelter in the safer, deeper, warmer waters of the Intracoastal Waterway. The consequences of the freeze were not limited

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THE BANK BITE HOTSPOT: Colorado River LOCATION: Matagorda SPECIES: speckled trout LURES/BAITS: Glow DOA Shrimp, Glow Bass Assassins, MirrOlure MirrOdines BEST TIMES: At night under the lights on your favorite pier or at the jetty pier. to Matagorda Bay. Sabine Lake and the Galveston Bay Complex were wiped out.

Likewise, fish in those locales were unable to retreat to the Neches, Sabine, Trinity, and San Jacinto Rivers, and Lower Laguna

Continued on Page C16

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C15

Go Slow for More Bites HE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL FISHING IN THE unpredictable month of January is working with the conditions you have been handed. If the water temperature rises to around 70 degrees, then speed your retrieves and presentations up. If the conditions drop the temperature into the 40and 50-degree range, then slow down, slow down, slow down. The fish are there, they are just lethargic, and strikes require some coaxing.

Copano Bay: If you are unsure of the reefs in this area, this month is a good time to learn the reef systems with lower tides and clear water conditions. Fish soft plastics in red/white and Electric Grape. The reefs paralleling the deep channels and trenches will hold trout. Shad tails in Smoke color

T

will produce trout and flatfish, but fish twice as slow as instinct tells you.

Aransas Bay: This bay will hold trout off of dark mud flats early in the morning. As the water temperature increases, move into deep channels that have shell reefs like Thompson’s towheads. Topwater soft plastics in Plum and Morning Glory are the ticket. If you set the hook on the first blowup, chances are you will miss the fish unless you feel the line tighten. Otherwise, wait for the second or even third strike.

Mesquite Bay: Fish the deeper reefs at the mouth of Ayres Cut or Carlos Dugout.

I like suspending lures in Natural Mullet and Smoke colors, and the Corky with a slow retrieve, double-twitch, then a fast retrieve/single twitch works well here. Sand eels with a 1/8-ounce jighead and light line with loose drag are the formula for a trophy trout in this area.

Ayres Bay: Dark mud bottoms that transition to shallow shell reefs will hold trout and reds. A stealth approach with a popping cork and Berkley Gulp! Shrimp work well. Cut menhaden on a fish-finder rig is like candy to the reds this time of year.

THE BANK BITE HOTSPOT: Copano Causeway LOCATION: Copano Bay SPECIES: sheepshead LURES/BAITS: dead shrimp or cut squid on a small treble BEST TIMES: moving tide Carlos Bay: The south shoreline about 75 yards out needs to be wade-fished with a Super Spook in Bone, Smoke, red/white, or white/pink. Fish as if you have all day, and don’t move until you cast at least 15 times.

If this does not produce some action, remove the back hook and attach a 10-inch trailer with a No. 2/0 Kahle with a Berkley Gulp!

Crab or dark green shrimp.

Contact: Capt. Mac Gable, Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: MATAGORDA & MID COAST Continued from Page C15 Madre and the rest of the Golden Crescent saw significant fish mortality.

“The front hit so quickly, the wind blew so hard, and the temperature dropped so fast, many fish didn’t have a chance to leave the bay. It would blow your mind to know how many big trout and flounder I saw floating,” said Talasek.

Hopefully, this month Old Man Winter will not take a deep breath and exhale.

About the only thing negative about winter fishing is the numbing boat ride to and from. January can cough up some impressive fishing opportunities if you know where to move as the fish react to warming and frigid trends. Anglers must C16

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pay close attention to the weather and fish between the fronts, which are normally three to four days apart.

The third day after a front is best as barometer and wind readings begin to fall and temps rise. Fish have a tendency to stop feeding when high pressure dominates after a strong northerly front. However, as the barometric pressure drops, so do the jaws of hungry speckled trout and redfish.

Wildlife willingly feed during low pressure, as a low barometer coincides with unstable weather. Hence, that is why fishing and hunting ahead of a front is usually the best. Animals move and look to feed because they sense change is on the way.

Salty bay anglers along the coast key on the drop-offs and deep, scattered shell F i s h

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pads throughout the winter. Whether it is drifting in 6-10 feet of water, or donning neoprene waders and hitting the exposed reefs with slow, swimming soft plastics and suspending plugs, water levels and temperatures dictate.

Generally, overnight and early morning frigid mercury readings place the fish in the warmer, deeper water. Then, as sunlight begins to warm the flats and shorelines, the fish move shallower to “thaw out.”

Fish the shell, hang close to the shelves and drop-offs, and stay warm. The fish definitely will.

Contact: Bink Grimes, www.binkgrimesoutdoors.com

Big Girls on the Rocks HOPE YOU HOLIDAYS WERE GREAT; MINE were. I can’t wait until the Houston International Boat Show the first part of the January. Our lodge sets up a booth and I get to visit with thousands of sportsmen. It’s going to be great. Stop by and visit with us.

This is the start of big trout season. Bay water temperatures will be cold and the Baffin Big Girls will be in attendance. From mid January through March, the trout will be building egg supplies and will not spawn until mid March through April. Being that this is the case, most of your bigger trout (28-33 inches) can hold from 1-1/2 to 21/4 pounds of eggs. So, if you are looking for the heaviest trout of your life, now is the time to start fishing.

With the water temperatures cold, big trout will be sluggish. Their metabolisms are way down, and they seem to feed about every three days. Here are a few pointers that should help you catch your trout of a lifetime: Most trout seem to love mud bottoms in the winter; the dark mud holds heat better and will be warmer. You should start off fishing in deeper water in the morning, looking for drop-offs and deep structure. Make your lure presentation slowly.

I will be throwing Bass Assassins and Brown’s Devil Eyes (Plum, Rootbeer/red flake, and Morning Glory) rigged with 20pound fluorocarbon shock leader and a 1/16-ounce screw lock jighead. The lightweight head allows you to work the bait slower and makes for better presentation.

I

If you like slow sinkers, a MirrOlure Catch 5 and Corky Devil are about the best you can get your hands on. When fishing slow sinkers, you must be patent, allowing the bait to sink a little, twitch it, sink, twitch, and so on. I practicing in a swimming pool to learn how rod motion influences bait performance.

As the sun comes up and the shallow water starts to warm, the fish will move to stay in the warmer water. As you are wading, see if you can feel a thermocline (water temperature change). Big fish love to hold just off of the warmer side. Watch for bait movement in the shallows. If the sky stays overcast, you might not have any warm water up shallow; keep that in mind.

From Corpus on down, fish the canals on the island and then work your way to the Intracoastal Canal. Try fishing the drop-off on the west side. The drop-off at Copureta’s Pass should hold some good trout.

Getting down Baffin way, fish inside and outside of Tide Gauge Bar. Fish the structure around East Kleberg point. The deep-

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THE BANK BITE HOTSPOT: Rocks near USS Lexington LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay SPECIES: sheepshead LURE/BAITS: dead shrimp BEST TIMES: high tides er rocks around Black Bluff will be good, too.

All of these techniques have surely increased my big trout hook-ups, and I know they will help you on your hunt for your trout of a lifetime.

Contact: Capt. Jim “Donk” Onderdonk, 361-774-7710, www.pocolocolodge.com

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Convict Fish & Brutes VEN THOUGHT JANUARY IS STILL SUPPOSED to be a good month for trout and redfish, the simple truth is that sometimes they won’t bite. Maybe it’s low tide, or a full moon, or maybe they simply are not hungry. Whatever the reason, they have a case of lockjaw.

So, what do you do? Do you turn around, head over to White Sands Marina and have breakfast? Try low-temperature barefoot

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waterskiing? How about turning your attention to a couple of other species that are still cooperative when conditions are not quite optimal.

There are plenty of sheepshead and black drum lurking within a very short run from anywhere on South Padre Island and Port Isabel. These fish don’t require sophisticated tackle or techniques, they are dogged fighters, and can grow quite large (the current state record 15-pound sheepshead, and the two prior records, as well as my personal best—12 pounds, 8 ounces—all came from Fish Bones Fishing Pier on Padre Island). Black drum come in sizes ranging from the 14- to 16-inch “puppy drum” to big ugly thugs (“thuglies?”) that measure over 40 inches and tip the Toledo’s past the 50-pound mark.

One very good spot for sheepshead is the Queen Isabella Causeway (N26 05.10, W97 10.46). The pilings are sheepshead magnets. On calmer days, when clean water is flowing among the pilings, you can actually see some fat sheepies hovering up and down along the concrete, grazing on barnacles.

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Maneuver your boat in between two sets of pilings and drop your anchor upstream. Feed out line until your boat is positioned about 810 feet from the piling (any closer, and you run the risk of rubbing your boat against the pilings; that’s bad for the boat, and worse still, will scare the fish off). If you have a trolling motor, you can regularly re-position your boat nearer to work the pilings more thoroughly.

Once you have your boat in position, rig up a free-shrimp rig and get to fishing. The standard rig involves a No. 2 long-shank hook, No. 3 split shot 8-10 inches above the hook (which affords you better control and sensitivity), and a live or fresh-dead shrimp.

The former bait costs a bit more than the latter, but the larger fish seem to prefer the live stuff. Simply flip your rig up next to the pilings and feed line until the rig is near the bottom. Spinning tackle is preferable for this application because you can control the descent of your bait more effectively. Keep a fingertip on your line. You can actually feel a hungry sheepshead chewing on your bait.

When it starts to move off, set the hook and be

ready for a tough, short fight that features swimming in circles and dogged headshakes.

A strange feature of sheepshead is that they tend to congregate according to size. You will find smaller males hanging together, and larger females doing likewise. If you pull up 12-incher after 12-incher, move on to the next set of pilings, and keep moving until you find a better size class of fish.

Okay, so now you and your partner have saved your fishing trip by each catching a limit of five chunky convict fish. What do you do now—head in for lunch at White Sands?

Well, like the great Lee Corso is wont to say, “Not so fast, my friend.” There are still drum to catch.

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 (N26 04.58, W97 12.08) 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 work well for these bruisers (most of the fish will be over the maximum 30-inch slot), but the best bait for large black drum is a crab chunk 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.

It isn’t a bad idea to use stouter 17- to 20pound tackle for this application. There are not any real snags in the area, but it is much easier to turn one of these finny bulldozers with the heavier stuff.

Even when the weather sours, you will have some good fishing opportunities on Lower Laguna Madre. Get out there and apprehend some convicts and thugs.

Contact: Calixto Gonzales by email at hotspotssouth@fishgame.com

THE BANK BITE HOTSPOT: Fish Bones Fishing Pier (N26 04.39, W97 10.12) LOCATION: Laguna Madre SPECIES: sheepshead, drum, whiting, sand trout LURE/BAITS: free-lined live shrimp, fresh bait on the bottom BEST TIMES: moving tide A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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Tides and Prime Times for JANUARY 2008 USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W).

T12

T10

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

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.

T16

T15

T9 T7

T4

T11

T6

T17

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.

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.

T20

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 right of 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

T22

T23

SYMBOL KEY

★ ★

Minor Feeding Better Day Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Major Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.) Best Day TIDE LEVEL GRAPH: Daytime

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY: AM Minor: 9:05a

PM Minor: 9:26p

AM Major: 2:55a

PM Major: 3:15p

Moon Overhead: 4:39p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

Moon Underfoot: 4:18a

Blue: Rising Tide

MOON PHASES C20

Moon’s Highest Point in Sky

NEW MOON

Am/Pm Timeline Moon Directly Underfoot

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KEY PLACE T12 Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay T13 Gilchrist, East Bay T14 Jamaica Beach, W. Bay T15 Alligator Point, W. Bay T16 Christmas Pt T17 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 San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor Pass Cavallo Aransas Pass Padre Island (So. End) Port Isabel

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

Green: Falling Tide

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 a wide variety of wildlife species.

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Nighttime

T3 T2 T1

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HIGH -0.09 -0:44 0:00 -0:03 -0:24 +1:02

LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42

MONDAY

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:26p Sunrise: 7:09a Moonrise: 12:19a Set: 12:03p Moonrise: 1:13a

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

.1 ft 1 ft

FEET

TIDE LEVELS

00 -0.5

= RISING TIDE = FALLING TIDE

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

5:30AM: 12:06PM: 4:36PM: 10:02PM:

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:10a

AM PM Major: 18 Major: Low Tide: 5:20AM: .2 ft 5:41a 6:02p High Tide: 12:24PM: .9 ft Low Tide: 4:39PM: High Tide: 10:19PM

.1 ft .6 ft .5 ft .8 ft

12a

6a

12p

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

PM Minor: 12:31p

6p

12a

6a

PM Minor: 1:12p

AM Minor: 1:30a

AM PM Major: 20 Major: Low Tide: 6:36AM -0.5 ft 7:00a 7:23p High Tide: 3:06PM 1.4 ft Moon Overhead: 8:23a

Moon Underfoot: 8:00p

12a

6a

12p

Set: 5:29p Set: 2:16p

PM Minor: 1:54p

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 4:58a AM Minor: 2:14a

AM PM Major: 21 Major: Low Tide: 7:22AM -0.8 ft 7:42a 8:07p High Tide: 4:02PM 1.5 ft Fri 12/21/07

12a

Moon Underfoot: 8:46p

6a

Set: 5:30p Set: 3:02p

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 5:53a

PM Minor: 2:40p

AM Minor: 3:01a

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:01a

Moon Underfoot: 9:35p

12a

6a

12p

PM Minor: 3:27p

Sun 12/23/07 7:06 10:16

Moon Overhead: 10:53a

Low Tide: 10:33PM

SATURDAY

12p

6

Set: 5:30p Set: 3:53p

AM PM Major: >23 Major: Low Tide: 9:01AM -1.1 ft 9:14a 9:40p High Tide: 5:47PM 1.5 ft

Sat 12/22/07 7:05 10:16

FRIDAY 6p

SUNDAY

5★

AM>22Major: PM Major: Low Tide: 8:10AM -1 ft 8:27a 8:52p High Tide: 4:54PM 1.5 ft

7:05 10:16

Moon Overhead: 9:11a

THURSDAY 6p

SATURDAY

4★

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 4:02a

Thu 12/20/07 7:04 10:16

.9 ft 1 ft

12p

Set: 5:28p Set: 1:37p

AM Minor: 12:49a

7:04 10:16

Low Tide: 6:44PM: High Tide: 10:18PM

FRIDAY

3

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 3:04a

WEDNESDAY

Moon Underfoot: 7:16p

= Daylight Hrs. = Nighttime Hrs.

2

Set: 5:27p Set: 1:02p

Moon Overhead: 7:38a

.7 ft 1 ft

TUESDAY 6p

THURSDAY

AM PM Major: 19 Major: Low Tide: 5:55AM -0.2 ft 6:20a 6:42p High Tide: 1:58PM 1.1 ft Wed 12/19/07

Moon Overhead: 6:55a

.4 ft 1 ft

12p

Set: 5:27p Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 12:32p Moonrise: 2:08a

Tue 12/18/07 7:03 10:16

MONDAY 6a

JA N 1

AM Minor: 11:52a

7:03 10:16

Moon Overhead: 6:14a

Low Tide: 3:08PM: High Tide: 10:17PM

WEDNESDAY

1.2 ft

SUNDAY 6p

12a

Moon Underfoot: 10:27p

6a

12p

6p

12a

F24 High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

FEET

+2.0

Moon Underfoot: 11:19p

+1.5 TIDE LEVELS

+0.5

PM Minor: 11:32p

AM PM Major: 17 Major: Low Tide: 5:03AM: .5 ft 5:02a 5:22p High Tide: 10:02AM: .7 ft Mon 12/17/07

Moon Underfoot: 6:35p

+1.5 +1.0

AM Minor: 11:12a

12a

+2.0

TUESDAY

DEC 31

LAST QTR

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

PM: PM

Tides and Prime Times for JANUARY 2008

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

+1.0 +0.5

00

5:30 AM 2:12 PM 5:29 PM 9:31 PM

-0.09 ft Low Tide: 6:10 AM 0.80 ft High Tide: 4:00 PM 0.80 ft 0.84 ft

-0.25 ft Low Tide: 6:49 AM 0.95 ft High Tide: 4:34 PM

-0.38 ft Low Tide: 7:28 AM 1.04 ft High Tide: 5:00 PM

-0.49 ft Low Tide: 8:05 AM 1.09 ft High Tide: 5:22 PM

-0.57 ft Low Tide: 8:42 AM 1.11 ft High Tide: 5:44 PM

-0.64 ft 1.12 ft

JANUARY’S PEAK FISHING AND HUNTING TIMES • BY PAT MURRAY • BEST DAYS HIGHLIGHTED YELLOW MON DEC 31

2:40pm – 4:25pm

MON 7

4:00pm – 5:20pm

MON 14

4:00pm – 5:35pm

MON 21

2:40pm – 4:15pm

MON 28

5:05pm – 6:45pm

TUE JAN 1

11:30am – 1:15pm

TUE 8

4:00pm – 5:35pm

TUE 15

3:50pm – 5:55pm

TUE 22

3:30pm – 4:45pm*

TUE 29

10:10am – 11:25am

WED 2

11:35am – 1:30pm

WED 9

4:15pm – 5:50pm

WED 16

4:00pm – 5:35pm

WED 23

3:45pm – 5:20pm*

WED 30

10:45am – 12:15pm

THU 3

2:00am – 3:40pm

THU 10

4:30pm – 6:05pm

THU 17

11:00am – 12:45pm

THU 24

3:50pm – 5:20pm

THU 31

2:45pm – 4:20pm

FRI 4

2:10pm – 3:50pm

FRI 11

4:40pm – 6:20pm

FRI 18

11:10am – 12:35pm

FRI 25

4:50pm – 5:55pm

SAT FEB 1

4:00pm – 5:45pm

SAT 5

3:00pm – 4:25pm*

SAT 12

4:45pm – 6:35pm

SAT 19

12:15pm – 1:45pm

SAT 26

4:40pm – 6:10pm

SAT 2

4:10pm – 5:50pm

SUN 6

3:15pm – 4:45pm*

SUN 13

4:45pm – 6:20pm*

SUN 20

2:20pm – 4:00pm

SUN 27

5:00pm – 6:30pm

SUN 3

4:10pm – 6:00pm

A L M A N A C / T E X A S

F i s h

&

G a m e ® / J A N U A R Y

2 0 0 8

•

C21

-0.5

12:35A 9:52AM 6:40PM 10:46P

Tides and Prime Times for JANUARY 2008 MONDAY

7★

★

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 6:44a

FEET

AM Minor: 4:42a

Tue 1/8/08

Moon Overhead: 11:46a

6a

12p

AM Minor: 6:29a

12p

AM Minor: 7:22a

12a

Moon Underfoot: 1:04a

6a

12p

PM Minor: 7:46p

Moon Underfoot: 1:55a

6a

12p

Low Tide: 9:17 AM -0.69 ft High Tide: 12:13 AM High Tide: 6:08 PM 1.12 ft Low Tide: 9:52 AM Low Tide: 10:08 PM 1.04 ft High Tide: 6:32 PM Low Tide: 10:24 PM

C22

• J A N U A R Y

2 0 0 8 /

1.05 ft -0.72 ft 1.12 ft 1.01 ft

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

T E X A S

1:14 AM 10:26 AM 6:57 PM 11:00 PM

1.04 ft -0.71 ft 1.09 ft 0.94 ft

F i s h

&

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

2:11 AM 11:00 AM 7:20 PM 11:43 PM

AM 13Major: PM Major: 2:54a Low: 01:20 AM / 0.43 ft3:17p

Moon Overhead: 3:52p

12a

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:37p High: 06:26 AM / 0.66 ft Low: 12:51 PM / -0.05 ft High: 08:04 PM / 0.83 ft

SUNDAY 6p

Moon Underfoot: 3:29a

0.99 ft High Tide: 3:16 AM 0.90 ft Low Tide: -0.65 ft Low Tide: 11:36 AM -0.52 ft High Tide: 1.05 ft High Tide: 7:39 PM 0.98 ft Low Tide: 0.83 ft High Tide:

= RISING TIDE = FALLING TIDE

12:30 AM 4:39 AM 12:13 PM 7:54 PM

PM Minor: 9:28p

Sun 1/13/08 7:10 10:26

SATURDAY 6p

Moon Underfoot: 2:43a

G a m e ® / A L M A N A C

AM Minor: 9:05a

7:10 10:25

High: 04:39 AM / 0.78 ft Low: 12:13 PM / -0.31 ft High: 07:54 PM / 0.90 ft

00 -0.5

PM Minor: 8:37p

13

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:36p Moonrise: 10:26a Set: 10:56p

AM Major: PM Major: 12 2:03a Low: 12:30 AM / 0.662:26p ft Sat 1/12/08

Low: 11:36 AM / -0.52 ft High: 07:39 PM / 0.98 ft

12a

Set: 5:35p Set: 9:55p

AM Minor: 8:14a

7:10 10:24

FRIDAY 6p

SUNDAY

12 ★

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 9:56a

Moon Overhead: 3:06p

Low: 11:00 AM / -0.65 ft High: 07:20 PM / 1.05 ft Low: 11:43 PM / 0.83 ft

THURSDAY 6p

11

Set: 5:34p Set: 8:55p

AM11 Major: PM Major: 1:10a High: 03:16 AM / 0.90 ft 1:34p Fri 1/11/08

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

SATURDAY

TIDE LEVELS

Moon Underfoot: 12:12a

6a

PM Minor: 6:53p

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 9:24a

Moon Overhead: 2:19p

Low: 10:26 AM / -0.71 ft High: 06:57 PM / 1.09 ft Low: 11:00 PM / 0.94 ft

12a

10

Set: 5:33p Set: 7:54p

Thu 1/10/08 7:10 10:23

WEDNESDAY 6p

FRIDAY

AM Major: PM Major: >10 12:17a High: 02:11 AM / 0.99 ft 12:41p

7:10 10:23

Moon Overhead: 1:30p

Moon Overhead: 12:39p

12a

PM Minor: 6:01p

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 8:50a

AM>9Major: PM Major: 11:48a High: 01:14 AM / 1.04 ft ----Wed 1/9/08

TUESDAY 6p

Set: 5:33p Set: 6:51p

AM Minor: 5:35a

7:10 10:22

Low: 09:52 AM / -0.72 ft High: 06:32 PM / 1.12 ft Low: 10:24 PM / 1.01 ft

MONDAY 12p

PM Minor: 5:09p

9★

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 8:13a

AM Major: PM Major: N8 10:55a High: 12:13 AM / 1.05 ft 11:22p

7:10 10:21

High: 06:08 PM / 1.12 ft Low: 10:08 PM / 1.04 ft

6a

Set: 5:32p Set: 5:49p

THURSDAY

0.66 ft 0.78 ft -0.31 ft 0.90 ft

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

= Daylight Hrs. = Nighttime Hrs.

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

1:20 AM 6:26 AM 12:51 PM 8:04 PM

14 Low: 02:13 AM / 0 High: 08:33 AM / 0 Low: 01:31 PM / 0 High: 08:07 PM / 0

FEET

+2.0

Moon Underfoot: 4:15a

+1.5 TIDE LEVELS

+0.5

PM Minor: 4:17p

AM Major: PM Major: >7 10:04a Low: 09:17 AM / -0.69 ft 10:30p Mon 1/7/08

8★

NEW MOON

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 7:31a

Moon Underfoot: None

+1.5 +1.0

AM Minor: 3:51a

12a

+2.0

Set: 5:31p Set: 4:49p

WEDNESDAY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

64 ft 12 ft

TUESDAY

+1.0 +0.5

00

0.43 ft 0.66 ft -0.05 ft 0.83 ft

-0.5

Tides and Prime Times for JANUARY 2008

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

MONDAY

TUESDAY

0.43 ft / 0.66 ft -0.05 ft / 0.83 ft

FEET

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:37p Moonrise: 11:31a Set: None

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:38p Moonrise: 12:08p Set: 1:05a

AM PM Major: 14 Major: Low: 02:13 AM / 0.16 ft 4:08p 3:44a High: 08:33 AM / 0.60 ft

AM PM Major: Q15Major: Low: 03:10 AM / -0.13 ft 4:59p 4:34a High: 10:51 AM / 0.67 ft

AM PM Major: 16 Major: Low: 04:10 AM / -0.42 ft 5:51p 5:24a High: 01:19 PM / 0.86 ft

AM Minor: 9:56a

AM Minor: 10:46a

Tue 1/15/08

Moon Overhead: 5:24p 6a

12p

6p

12a

TIDE LEVELS

C24

2:13 AM 8:33 AM 1:31 PM 8:07 PM

0.16 ft 0.60 ft 0.26 ft 0.80 ft

12p

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

• J A N U A R Y

3:10 AM 10:51 AM 2:12 PM 7:58 PM

2 0 0 8 /

AM Minor: 12:01a

6p

AM Major: 6:16a

17 Low: 05:12 AM / -0.68 ft High: 03:22 PM / 1.06 ft

Moon Overhead: 7:07p 6a

12p

PM Major: 6:45p

AM Major: 7:09a

Fri 1/18/08

12a

Moon Underfoot: 6:40a

6a

12p

PM Minor: 1:25p

Moon Underfoot: 7:36a

6a

12p

AM Minor: 2:47a

Moon Underfoot: 8:36a

12a

6a

12p

PM Minor: 3:18p

Sun 1/20/08 7:09 10:33

Moon Overhead: 11:13p

Low: 10:31 PM / 1.09 ft High: 11:18 PM / 1.09 ft

SATURDAY 6p

20

Set: 5:42p Set: 5:38a

AM PM Major: 20 Major: Low: 08:12 AM / -1.13 ft 9:34p 9:02a High: 05:19 PM / 1.22 ft

7:09 10:32

Moon Overhead: 10:10p

Moon Overhead: 9:07p

12a

PM Minor: 2:21p

Sunrise: 7:09a Moonrise: 3:48p

AM19Major: PM Major: Low: 07:15 AM / -1.05 ft 8:37p 8:05a High: 04:46 PM / 1.24 ft Sat 1/19/08

FRIDAY 6p

Set: 5:41p Set: 4:34a

AM Minor: 1:49a

PM Major: 7:40p

SUNDAY

19

Sunrise: 7:09a Moonrise: 2:42p

7:10 10:30

18 Low: 06:15 AM / -0.90 ft High: 04:08 PM / 1.19 ft

THURSDAY 6p

Set: 5:40p Set: 3:25a

AM Minor: 12:54a

Moon Overhead: 8:05p

Low: 02:57 PM / 0.85 ft High: 07:22 PM / 0.92 ft

12a

PM Minor: 12:30p

18

Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 1:43p

Thu 1/17/08 7:10 10:29

WEDNESDAY

Moon Underfoot: 5:48a

= Daylight Hrs. = Nighttime Hrs.

17

SATURDAY

SUNDAY 6p

Moon Underfoot: 9:39a

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

>21 Low: 09:05 AM / High: 05:48 PM / Low: 10:06 PM / 1

FEET

+2.0

Moon Underfoot: 10:42a

+1.5 TIDE LEVELS

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

6a

PM Minor: -----

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:39p Moonrise: 12:52p Set: 2:15a

Wed 1/16/08 7:10 10:28

TUESDAY

Moon Underfoot: 5:00a

= RISING TIDE = FALLING TIDE

AM Minor: 11:37a

Low: 02:12 PM / 0.57 ft High: 07:58 PM / 0.83 ft

MONDAY

12a

PM Minor: 11:11p

7:10 10:27

Moon Overhead: 6:13p

Low: 01:31 PM / 0.26 ft High: 08:07 PM / 0.80 ft

00 -0.5

PM Minor: 10:19p

Mon 1/14/08 7:10 10:27

+1.5

+0.5

16

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:37p Moonrise: 10:57a Set: None

+2.0

+1.0

15

THURSDAY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

14

WEDNESDAY

1ST QTR

+1.0 +0.5

00

-0.13 ft 0.67 ft 0.57 ft 0.83 ft

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

T E X A S

4:10 AM 1:19 PM 2:57 PM 7:22 PM

F i s h

-0.42 ft Low Tide: 5:12 AM 0.86 ft High Tide: 3:22 PM 0.85 ft 0.92 ft

&

-0.68 ft Low Tide: 6:15 AM 1.06 ft High Tide: 4:08 PM

G a m e ® / A L M A N A C

-0.90 ft Low Tide: 7:15 AM 1.19 ft High Tide: 4:46 PM

-1.05 ft Low Tide: 1.24 ft High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

8:12 AM 5:19 PM 10:31 PM 11:18 PM

-1.13 ft 1.22 ft 1.09 ft 1.09 ft

-0.5

Tides and Prime Times for JANUARY 2008

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

MONDAY

21 ★

★

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

-1.13 ft / 1.22 ft / 1.09 ft / 1.09 ft

FEET

AM Minor: 4:42a

>21 Major: AM PM Major: Low: 09:05 AM / -1.13 ft 10:00a 10:30p High: 05:48 PM / 1.15 ft

Moon Overhead: None 12p

PM Minor: 5:11p

AM Minor: 5:39a

6a

12p

PM Minor: 6:05p

Sunrise: 7:08a Moonrise: 8:14p AM Minor: 6:33a

Moon Overhead: 1:08a 12p

AM Minor: 7:24a

Moon Underfoot: 1:34p

6a

12p

26

AM Minor: 8:13a

Sat 1/26/08

Moon Underfoot: 2:22p

12a

6a

12p

1.06 ft -1.04 ft 1.05 ft 0.85 ft

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

2:33 AM 10:40 AM 6:33 PM 11:06 PM

1.01 ft -0.88 ft 0.94 ft 0.68 ft

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

3:44 AM 11:22 AM 6:52 PM 11:49 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:06p

12a

6a

12p

F i s h

&

SUNDAY 6p

12a

Moon Underfoot: 3:48p

0.92 ft High Tide: 4:56 AM 0.81 ft Low Tide: -0.65 ft Low Tide: 12:00 PM -0.38 ft High Tide: 0.85 ft High Tide: 7:09 PM 0.78 ft Low Tide: 0.49 ft High Tide:

A L M A N A C / T E X A S

Moon Overhead: 4:09a

Low: 01:03 PM / 0.19 ft High: 07:34 PM / 0.69 ft

12:37 AM 6:12 AM 12:34 PM 7:23 PM

6a

G a m e ® / J A N U A R Y

6p

12a

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

= Daylight Hrs. = Nighttime Hrs.

1:27 AM 7:39 AM 1:03 PM 7:34 PM

2 0 0 8

0.12 ft 0.61 ft 0.19 ft 0.69 ft

•

C25

28 Low: 02:20 AM / High: 09:25 AM / Low: 01:21 PM / High: 07:36 PM /

FEET

+2.0

Moon Underfoot: 4:29p

= RISING TIDE = FALLING TIDE

0.30 ft 0.70 ft -0.09 ft 0.72 ft

12p

+1.5 TIDE LEVELS

Low Tide: 9:05 AM -1.13 ft High Tide: 1:14 AM High Tide: 5:48 PM 1.15 ft Low Tide: 9:54 AM Low Tide: 10:06 PM 1.00 ft High Tide: 6:11 PM Low Tide: 10:29 PM

27 Major: AM PM Major: Low: 01:27 AM / 0.12 ft 2:50a 3:10p High: 07:39 AM / 0.61 ft

SATURDAY 6p

PM Minor: 9:21p

Sun 1/27/08 7:07 10:41

Low: 12:34 PM / -0.09 ft

00 -0.5

AM Minor: 9:00a

7:07 10:40

High: 07:23 PM / 0.72 ft 3:27a Moon Overhead:

High: 07:09 PM / 0.78 ft

FRIDAY 6p

PM Minor: 8:34p

27

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:48p Moonrise: 11:03p Set: 10:04a

AM26Major: PM Major: Low: 12:37 AM / 0.30 ft 2:02a 2:23p High: 06:12 AM / 0.70 ft

7:08 10:38

Moon Overhead: 2:44a

High: 06:52 PM / 0.85 ft Low: 11:49 PM / 0.49 ft

12a

PM Minor: 7:46p

SUNDAY

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:47p Moonrise: 10:08p Set: 9:36a

>25 Major: AM PM Major: High: 04:56 AM / 0.81 ft 1:13a 1:35p Low: 12:00 PM / -0.38 ft Fri 1/25/08

THURSDAY 6p

Set: 5:46p Set: 9:07a

TIDE LEVELS

Moon Underfoot: 12:41p

6a

PM Minor: 6:56p

SATURDAY

25

Sunrise: 7:08a Moonrise: 9:12p

Moon Overhead: 1:58a

High: 06:33 PM / 0.94 ft Low: 11:06 PM / 0.68 ft

12a

24 ★

Set: 5:45p Set: 8:36a

Thu 1/24/08 7:08 10:37

WEDNESDAY 6p

FRIDAY

>24 Major: AM PM Major: High: 03:44 AM / 0.92 ft 12:21a 12:45p Low: 11:22 AM / -0.65 ft

Wed 1/23/08 7:08 10:36

High: 06:11 PM / 1.05 ft

12a

Set: 5:44p Set: 8:02a

F23Major: AM PM Major: High: 02:33 AM / 1.01 ft 11:52a ----Low: 10:40 AM / -0.88 ft

7:09 10:34

TUESDAY 6p

THURSDAY

23 ★

FULL MOON

Sunrise: 7:08a Moonrise: 7:12p

Low: 10:29 PM / 0.85 ft 12:13a Moon Overhead:

MONDAY 6a

Set: 5:43p Set: 7:21a

>22Major: AM PM Major: High: 01:14 AM / 1.06 ft 10:57a 11:25p Low: 09:54 AM / -1.04 ft Tue 1/22/08

Low: 10:06 PM / 1.00 ft

Moon Underfoot: 11:43a

+1.5

+0.5

PM Minor: 4:15p

22 ★

Sunrise: 7:09a Moonrise: 6:06p

Mon 1/21/08 7:09 10:34

12a

+2.0

+1.0

AM Minor: 3:45a

Set: 5:43p Set: 6:34a

WEDNESDAY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

Sunrise: 7:09a Moonrise: 4:57p

TUESDAY

+1.0 +0.5

00

-0.5

Tides and Prime Times for JANUARY 2008

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

MONDAY

0.12 ft 0.61 ft 0.19 ft 0.69 ft

FEET

Moon Overhead: 4:50a 12p

TIDE LEVELS

C26

AM Minor: 11:15a

6p

-0.04 ft 0.58 ft 0.44 ft 0.70 ft

6a

12p

• J A N U A R Y

AM Minor: -----

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:17a 6a

12p

2 0 0 8 /

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:03a 6a

12p

FEB 1 PM Minor: 12:45p

AM Minor: 1:06a

Sat 2/2/08

Moon Underfoot: 7:28p

6a

12p

PM Minor: 1:32p

AM Minor: 1:53a

Sun 2/3/08

Moon Underfoot: 8:18p

6a

12p

PM Minor: 2:19p

7:03 10:51

Moon Overhead: 9:36a

High: 05:18 PM / 1.00 ft

12a

Set: 5:54p Set: 2:38p

AM3 Major: PM Major: Low: 07:45 AM / -0.60 ft 8:32p 8:06a

7:04 10:49

High: 05:08 PM / 1.01 ft

SATURDAY 6p

3

Sunrise: 7:03a Moonrise: 4:36a

Moon Overhead: 8:44a

Moon Overhead: 7:52a

High: 05:12 PM / 0.98 ft

12a

Set: 5:53p Set: 1:44p

AM PM Major: 2 Major: Low: 07:02 AM / -0.53 ft 7:45p 7:19a

7:04 10:48

FRIDAY 6p

SUNDAY

2

Set: 5:52p Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 12:55p Moonrise: 3:43a

AM PM Major: FebMajor: 1 Low: 06:13 AM / -0.45 ft 6:58p 6:33a Fri 2/1/08

High: 04:58 PM / 0.92 ft

12a

SATURDAY

SUNDAY 6p

Moon Underfoot: 9:10p

12a

6a

12p

6p

4 Low: 08:23 AM High: 05:09 P Low: 09:26 PM

12a

FEET

+2.0

Moon Underfoot: 10:03p

+1.5 +1.0 +0.5

00

-0.17 ft Low Tide: 4:17 AM 0.63 ft High Tide: 5:02 PM 0.63 ft 0.73 ft

T E X A S

AM Minor: 12:20a

THURSDAY

Moon Underfoot: 6:40p

= Daylight Hrs. = Nighttime Hrs.

3:16 AM 12:08 PM 12:44 PM 7:02 PM

PM Minor: 12:00p

AM PM Major: Jan 31Major: Low:5:48a 05:17 AM / -0.36 ft 6:12p

High: 05:02 PM / 0.83 ft

12a

Set: 5:51p Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 12:12p Moonrise: 2:48a

Thu 1/31/08 7:05 10:46

WEDNESDAY

Moon Underfoot: 5:54p

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

PM Minor: 11:38p

AM PM Major: 30 Major: Low: 04:17 AM / -0.27 ft 5:26p 5:03a

Moon Overhead: 5:33a

12a

JA N 3 1

Wed 1/30/08 7:06 10:44

TUESDAY

= RISING TIDE = FALLING TIDE

2:20 AM 9:25 AM 1:21 PM 7:36 PM

30

FRIDAY

TIDE LEVELS

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

PM Minor: 10:52p

7:06 10:44

High: 12:08 PM / 0.63 ft Low: 12:44 PM / 0.63 ft High: 07:02 PM / 0.73 ft

MONDAY

THURSDAY

Set: 5:50p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 5:50p Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 11:02a Moonrise: 12:54a Set: 11:35a Moonrise: 1:51a

AM PM Major: 29 Major: Low: 03:16 AM / -0.17 ft 4:41p 4:19a Tue 1/29/08

High: 09:25 AM / 0.58 ft Low: 01:21 PM / 0.44 ft High: 07:36 PM / 0.70 ft

00 -0.5

AM Minor: 10:30a

Moon Underfoot: 5:11p

+1.5

+0.5

PM Minor: 10:06p

AM PM Major: 28 Major: Low: 02:20 AM / -0.04 ft 3:56p 3:35a

6a

29

Set: 5:49p Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 10:32a Moonrise: None

Mon 1/28/08 7:06 10:43

12a

+2.0

+1.0

AM Minor: 9:45a

28

WEDNESDAY LAST QTR

SOLU-

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

Sunrise: 7:06a Moonrise: None

TUESDAY

F i s h

-0.27 ft Low Tide: 5:17 AM 0.83 ft High Tide: 4:58 PM

&

-0.36 ft Low Tide: 6:13 AM 0.92 ft High Tide: 5:12 PM

G a m e ® / A L M A N A C

-0.45 ft Low Tide: 7:02 AM 0.98 ft High Tide: 5:18 PM

-0.53 ft Low Tide: 7:45 AM 1.00 ft High Tide: 5:08 PM

-0.60 ft 1.01 ft

-0.5

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All of the J Kruz models offer 100-percent UV protection, and feature scratchresistant polycarbonate lenses that are titanium-dipped multiple times to produce awesome, undistorted optics.

The moment I tried on a pair, it was clear to see (pun intended) that they are glare-free and high quality.

Contact: J Kruz Inc., 866-445-7879, www.JKruzinc.com —Lenny Rudow

Hurricane-Proof Corn Feeder? your needs pegged with the new Tornado model sunglasses.

When I tried out a pair, the thing that struck me first was just how comfortable they were. After wearing them for a week, I put my old sunglasses on again, and they felt like lead weights. That’s because the Tornados, with frames that wrap the top and part of the sides of the lenses, weigh less than some tarpon flies. That doesn’t mean they are delicate, though. In fact, the flexible frames took some common sunglasses abuse, including being sat on, dropped, and stepped on, without any damage. (I wonder how they would fare in editor Zaidle’s paws.)

To offer the hunting/fishing mix, the Tornados can be had in a tortoiseshell frame that makes for good camo. The brown-tinted lenses also cover up well, and offer great depth perception. Tornados are also available in carbon color frames, and smoke or carbon colored lenses.

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Feeders are simply a matter of fact when it comes to hunting in Texas. I use them for deer and hogs, and have probably fed better than 10,000 pounds of corn through various feeders over the years.

Much of that feeding has been in the humid Pineywoods of East Texas and there always seems to problems with the feeders.

From timers that simply die after a short time in the field to other issues, I always seem to be having a problem with feeders out there.

One that has been working steadily for me is an American Hunter model hanging-feeder with an analog timer. It has worked through all kinds of weather conditions—including a hurricane— with no problems.

A month before the archery-only season, I put out the American Hunter RD 225 Pro Tripod and found it to be another quality product. It is easy to assemble, and even has a toll-free number on the feed dispenser if you have any assembly problems.

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The only problem I came across was that the feeder should have had pre-tapped holes to hold up the timer. My Dad and I had to spend some time drilling the holes, but other than that, no complaints.

At the time of this writing, the feeder was still dispensing corn on time and drawing in game.

One of the great accessories you can get for this is a varmint zapper that sends a jolt of electricity to raccoons and other feed stealers that climb on feeders and cause problems. There is also a solar panel to extend battery life.

Contact: American Hunter, 888-3046125, www.americanhunterfeeders.com —Chester Moore

26-Mile Midland Talkies I love walkie-talkies, which is what we used to call two-way radios. For many outdoors situations, they come in extremely handy, and as evidenced by the new Midland two-ways,

they have come a long way since the walkietalkie days.

The first thing you notice is the advertised “up to 26-mile range.” That is probably possible over line-of-sight flat terrain, but no radio operates at its maximum potential in the thick forests of East Texas or the rocky canyons of the Hill Country.

For those of us communicating with hunting and fishing buddies, five or six miles of range is plenty. I was able to test the Midlands at five miles out in the marsh with a pretty clear signal.

One of the features I really liked is the built-in NOAA Weather Radio channel.

When Hurricane Humberto struck my home (literally) and we lost power, I did not have a weather radio on hand. Then I remembered the Midlands and was able to tune in for important updates and warnings.

One of the coolest things about this particular set of radios is the animal call alerts that let your hunting buddy signal you with a natural sound instead of an intrusive “beep.” In addition, it allows direct calling, which comes in handy if you want to reach only one member of your party, perhaps the one in the best shape who can help you drag that big boar out of the woods.

These radios also feature 22 channels, 142 privacy codes that give up to 3,124 channel options to help block other conversations, and they are waterproof.

The set comes with a dual desk charger, rechargeable battery packs, a pair of headsets, and AC/DC adapters.

I have enjoyed these great walkie-talkies and look forward to more in the future.

Contact: Midland Radio Corporation, 816-241-8500, www.midlandradio.com —CM

book, Offshore Pursuit ($19.95, www.getgup.com). The best part about it is that Unkart uses nearly 100 illustrations, photos, and diagrams to make rigs, tactics, and techniques easy to understand at a glance.

The book leaves no stone unturned, and addresses each specific pelagic species one

at a time, so the best ways to fish for each are perfectly clear.

All the sportfish you might encounter when fishing the deep, from mako shark to mahi-mahi, are covered in detail. Surprisingly, he gives away the secret tips and tricks he’s learned over the years as a professional charter boat mate—info that full-time fishermen usually guard with a vengeance.

Unkart covers a wide variety of tactics and tackle basics, as well as looking at each specific species. Several methods of trolling (both traditional and non-traditional), chunking and chumming, kite and downrigger use, and planers are all described and detailed in both illustrations and text.

If you want to learn more about offshore fishing, Offshore Pursuit is the next best thing to sitting down and having a one-onone conversation with a pro.

—LR

Book Review: Offshore Pursuit Want to know how the blue-water pros rig their trolling baits? How they set their spreads? How they rig ballyhoo—in one way for traditional billfish trolling, in another for high-speed wahoo trolling, and in another for circle-hook tournament fishing?

Author and professional charter boat mate John Unkart has boiled down his 40plus years of offshore experience into a new A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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Big Al’s Texas Rubs

Big Al Rubs Texas the Right Way Big Al’s Texas Rubs are a Texas-style line of rubs and seasonings for beef, pork, fish, poultry, wild game and just about anything else you might choose to shake them on! The rubs are available in Original, Mesquite, Hickory and “Hell from Texas” flavors.

This new line of seasonings was developed by native Texan, Alan Vogel, after 30 plus years of studying (okay, eating!) the good and bad of barbecue throughout the state. He developed his seasonings that can be used successfully as rubs for smoking, for seasoning meats or vegetables for the grill, or in the kitchen.

So far, we haven’t found anything that doesn’t taste better when the Original flavor is sprinkled on it. Whether it is animal, vegetable or mineral (well maybe not mineral), the Original rub intensifies and enhances the flavor of any food. If you like a smoky taste, then our Hickory flavor is just the ticket. Fish and poultry taste great prepared either on the backyard grill or in the oven.

Mesquite flavor really brings home the taste that Texans just love. Whether you are fixing pork, beef, cabrito, or wild game, this is the best rub to use.

General Sherman of the Union army once said if he owned Texas and Hell, he would live in Hell and rent out Texas. Poor General Sherman never tasted anything prepared with “Hell from Texas” rub. As the name indicates, it is HOT, spicy hot with two types of peppers lending it authentic Texas

taste.

So, for “flavor so big, it is gotta be from Texas”, try one or all of Big Al’s Texas Rubs. You will never use anything else to enhance the flavor of your food. Big Al’s Texas Rubs are available online at www.bigalstexasrubs.com.

No Need to Hold It Let Sleeping Dogs With a Bassroom Lie in Comfort On Board

With a rallying cry of, “For dogs, by dogs,” Dawg Tired brand dog beds are designed and sewn in the USA using premium-quality, upholsterygrade fabrics in styles and colors that compliment the interior décor of today’s homes, cabins and hunting lodges. Sporting fabrics include genuine Woolrich wools, waxed-cotton canvases and rugged, pre-washed workwear denims.

Outer covers are double stitched with surged seams for extended, long-lasting l i f e .

Inner liner i s con-

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structed with a three- or four-tube baffled design to keep the filling from spreading to the outside of the bed. Liners all overstuffed by +10% with ComfyStuff – our eco-friendly, polyester fiber manufactured from 100% recycled soft drink bottles – for extra loft over time.

All of the beds are tested by our very accomplished dog nappers – including founder and CCO (Chief Canine Officer), Maggie Hunter. Dawg Tired beds are marketed online at: www.dawg-tired.com

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Cover Your Bass introduces "The Bassroom" the complete portable privacy system that allows you to spend more time on the water fishing by eliminating those inconvenient moments.

Cover Your Bass is the culmination of research and development from innovators Matt and Kirk Smith, a father/son team of fishermen from Texas, who have created the ultimate portable bathroom for your fishing boat.

Aptly named "The Bassroom" this ingenious product fills the need for a portable bathroom system in a market that has been overlooked and neglected for years. With privacy concerns and today's current "ecofriendly" movements, the Bassroom virtually eliminates the possibility of over-exposure from your boat while providing an environmentally safe alternative to lengthy trips back to the loading dock.

"We've created this product to fill a void that currently exists in today's fishing arena" said Matt Smith, owner and creator of The

Large Mean Fish?

Go to the Bassroom any time, anywhere.

Bassroom. "In today's world you never know who has a camera or video phone and would enjoy the 10 minutes of fame by posting a video of you "caught in the act" on YouTube or similar social network websites. The price, privacy, and function of The Bassroom provides security and comfort for much less than the cost of embarrassment or possible legal fees for over-exposure while on the lake." says Smith.

The entire Bassroom system is stored in a handy transportation bag that can easily be tucked away in your boat until needed.

With a total setup time of approximately a minute, you can quickly construct your Bassroom in times of an emergency and leave the unit assembled while you continue fishing or simply fold down and store..

Although created specifically with fishing in mind, the Bassroom is gaining popularity with hikers and campers who find the ease of transport and privacy a welcome addition to their trips.

"The feedback we have received from customers has shown a wide demographic

Monster Yellow line from Ande is now available in 2, 3 and 9 pound Spools.

“Nothing stronger… nothing tougher!,” says Ande.

Monster Yellow is the strongest line Ande has ever produced. It is not an IGFA line. Monster Yellow is for trolling and for targeting large, mean fish. It is a hard line

range from young adventurers to Pro Anglers. The Bassroom is great for privacy, shade and rain shield for the entire family, including pets." says Smith.

The Bassroom system itself consists of 190T polyester material with access doors on both the front and back equipped with over-sized zippers for easy handling. The polyester is waterproof and flame-proof to assure safety and comfort. The waste disposal bags contained in the full Bassroom system are convenient zip-up bags constructed of a sturdy 2 mil plastic material which effectively and safely handle the waste storage and transporting.

Currently priced at $129.95 for the entire system the Bassroom will provide years of service with proper handling and storage. Visit www.coveryourbass.com for more purchase details, videos, and product reviews from the experts.

Cover Your Bass(www.coveryourbass.com) Home of the Bassroom is located in Mesquite Texas providing portable privacy for your boat. 1-972-849-4868.

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Ande Monster Yellow with outstanding knot strength and abrasion resistance.

It is a one-purpose line and that is to land large fish like Tuna, Sailfish, Marlin and Sharks. Ande Monster Yellow… nothing-stronger… nothing-tougher… Period.

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Ande is now available in finer retail stores everywhere. Ande hold’s over 1,300 current IGFA World Records. Our brands include Premium, Tournament, Fluorocarbon, Monster Yellow and Classic. Ande is family owned and has provided quality line at a reasonable price for over 55 years.

Ande... Line of champions!

For more information, contact Ande, 5409 Australian Ave., West Palm Beach, Fl 33407.

Phone, 561-842-2474; Fax: 561-8485538.

Email, andeline@bellsouth.net

lighting conditions. Compact, rugged and weatherproof to IPX4 standards for outdoor use, XOG houses a rechargeable internal Li-ion battery that eliminates the need for external power during operation, and contains a high-quality speaker that delivers clear turn-by-turn instructions for reliable route guidance.

The new Lowrance XOG comes with a vehicle mounting bracket, vehicle power adapter and mini-USB cable. XOG accessories such as a handlebar mounts, are also available for purchase. XOG is protected by a full one-year warranty.

For more information or to locate a dealer, please visit www.lowrance.com/xog or call 1-800-324-1356 in the USA.

Lowrance XOG Navigation: More MazDog Puts Best Street Smarts Paw Forward at O.W.A.A.

The new Lowrance XOG Cross-Navigation GPS, comes preloaded with comprehensive NAVTEQ® street map detail for the U.S. and Canada, and contains a robust Points-of-Interest (POI) database for over 3 million destinations. For guidance outside of a vehicle, XOG can be easily switched to outdoor mode, offering support for the most extensive library of affordable field and on-water mapping options on the market. XOG also incorporates an integrat-

Lowrance XOG ed MP3 player and JPEG picture viewer.

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MazDog Outdoors the company founded on the idea that “Innovation is a Tradition” enjoyed a warm and enthusiastic reception for its new RipPod bow stabilization system by the editors, writers, columnists and photographers that made up the most recent OWAA conference in Roanoke, Virginia.

“It was an incredible experience,” said Rory Minjares of MazDog .

The positive response we got from the fine folks we met at OWAA means a lot to us. You see, these attendees really have seen it all when it comes to the outdoors …

The good, the bad, and everything in between. To have this group tell us that they love what we’ve done and to have a good number of them ask if they can buy one right there on the spot…well, it’s a bit overwhelming to tell the truth.”

Founded in Missoula, MT MazDog is aimed at assisting all people to better enjoy their outdoor experience. Whether a person is physically challenged, aging in years, or just beginning their journey into the outF i s h

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Mazdog’s new RipPod was a hit at the Outdoor Writers of America Association conference. doors, MazDog is dedicated to helping ensure the quality of their experience. The first product to come to market in 2007 is a “ground based” bow stabilizer called the “RipPod.” This telescoping mono pod will attach to any bow that accepts a stabilizer and provides support for the bow/aiming arm of the archer. This additional support means less fatigue for the bow arm and ultimately more accuracy.

Visit mazdog.com.

Meet Your New Fishin’ Buddy Humminbird has redesigned the popular Fishin’ Buddy high-tech portable fishfinders that feature a new control head with ergonomic clamp mount design, 10-degree SideFinding transducer, and high-resolution monochrome and color screens. Fishin’ Buddy’s portable design features a clamp-

Humminbird Fishin’ Buddy mounted control head with a 24-inch tube that houses the transducer at the bottom, allowing it to reach the water from most small to mid-sized fishing boats. Select models feature a telescopic tube that extends from 24 inches to 40 inches for boats with additional freeboard.

All models come standard with a 34-degree 200kHz downlooking transducer, with select models featuring a SideFinding 10-degree 455kHz transducer. A convenient handle allows the angler to easily rotate the transducer to direct the SideFinding beam in the desired direction. The control head can be adjusted for easy viewing when the transducer is rotated for SideFinding.

Selective Fish ID+shows fish in the downlooking beam as solid symbols, while fish located in the side beam are shown on a separate SideFinding window.

The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices for the new Fishin’ Buddy models range from $119.99 to $269.99. For more information contact Humminbird, 678 Humminbird Lane, Eufaula, AL 36027, or call the Consumer Resource Center at (800) 633-1468 or visit www.humminbird.com.

Fish-Anywhere Solution Are you a fisherman trying to get to that secret hole once blocked off by shallow water and muddy banks? Diamondback and Gan-

der Mountain now have a solution!

Diamondback, the leading airboat manufacturer specializing in custom built airboats for all application and complete customer satisfaction. Diamondback offers a full range of welded hull designs, custom metal fabrication, and a complete line of airboat parts and accessories. Our proven design and workmanship, the use of 5086 marine grade aluminum alloy, state of the art equipment, quality components, and consistent customer satisfaction has set an industry standard.

Diamondback is now producing a Gander Mountain addition airboat that will be seen in stores in the likes of Florida and Texas. The design and material allows the boats to be capable of crossing all terrain including land and water. The maneuverability and wide range of use extends the capabilities of the boat to your most avid fisherman or hunter.

Mueller All Purpose (APV) scope. particular area (sub $100 price range) there has been a void of product choices for consumers. We saw the need in the marketplace and simply provided the solution.

Now that we’re providing the product, it’s easy to see HOW big the void really was.

It’s also providing shooters with an inexpensive introduction to Mueller. When folks hear of a lower price alternative optics line, they usually think that means a sacrifice in quality…the new APV is a means by which folks can come to understand that we produce a great optic for the money and that they’re not sacrificing performance for price by choosing a Mueller scope.”

For more information, visit their website, www.muelleroptics.com

All Purpose Scope Moultrie I-60 Digital Infrared from Mueller GameSpy Camera

Mueller Optics is proud to announce the widespread acceptance and praise for their newly introduced Mueller All Purpose Variable (APV) scope. With and extremely wide field of view and edge-to-edge clarity the new APV is said by its fans to outperform anything in its class. The new APV has been specifically designed for smaller to medium caliber firearms.

“We couldn’t be happier about the APV’s reception among the small to medium caliber shooters,” said Rich Schlampp, President & CEO of Mueller Optics.

“The reviews we get online and the comments back from shooters using our APV scope are almost universally positive. In this

Moultrie’s new I-60 GameSpy features 6.0 Megapixel resolution and infrared flash for high resolution images of relaxed game animals.

The I-60 also features a 1.5-inch picture and video viewer right on the camera, a Remote Activator and the ability to be password locked to prevent unwanted access.

The infrared flash captures subjects up to 50 feet, and the unit captures color stills and video during the day and infrared stills at night. Runs on D-Cell batteries for 150 day battery life.

The GameSpy I-60 imprints on each image the time, date, temperature, moon phase and barometric pressure, and the unit accepts a 2 GB SD card. For more information contact Moultrie Feeders, 150 Industrial Road, Alabaster, AL 35007; 1800-653-3334; www.moultriefeeders.com.

Diamondback Airboats

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Marine Manufacturing Back to Building Boats After Fire Marine Manufacturing, the Douglas, Georgia -based manufacturer of Key Largo, Palm Beach, Cape Craft, and Clearwater boat brands, resumed production November 1, eight months after a devastating fire that claimed the entire production facilities of three of its brands, as well as corporate offices.

Steve Harris, president, said the multi-million dollar fire destroyed a significant number of boat molds, as well as a 50,000-square-foot building. However, he said the molds have been replaced and the new facility, a significant upgrade with 350,000 square feet of workspace, began production November 1.

“It’s been tough these eight months, as we were totally shut down for all but our Clearwater brand, which is manufactured at a second plant in Douglas,” said Harris. “We are very appreciative of our dealers’ patience and loyalty through this difficult time, and we look forward to the resumption of shipments of our product.”

Contact: Marine Manufacturing, 912-384 8943

fortable heading to Lake Texoma.

The previous weekend, he had competed on Lake Sam Rayburn in the Texas Tournament Trail Championship, another FLW event sponsored by Ranger Boats.

Being on one of his two home lakes, Johnston was expected to do well and took to the task at hand with an eye toward another Big Sam win.

“I had taken time off from my guide service and practiced really hard for the tournament,” said Johnston. “I felt really good going into it, and confident that my fish would hold up for the two-day event I figured that it would take 18 pounds per day to take it.”

Those calculations would have been right on the money, except for the fact that competitor David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, came in with an astounding 28 pounds on day one of the tournament to lead the field by 12 pounds—a lead that everyone agreed would be hard to catch. In the end, it was a race for second place, which Johnston did claim with his two-day total of 36 pounds, 6 ounces.

“I have to admit that I was disappointed in not winning the TTT Championship,” Johnston said. “I did what I set out to do, caught 18 pounds a day, and got a good check, but

Johnston FLW Angler of the Year In what turned out to be a whirlwind finale to the tournament-fishing season for professional angler Stephen Johnston of Hemphill Texas, he has laid claim to the title of “Angler of the Year” for the FLW Texas Stren Series.

While he had been in the lead for the points race all year, and holding the field at bay with a near 40-point lead going into the final regular season event, Johnston was not totally comC34

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the win just wasn’t mine. David deserved that win, and I can’t say that things didn’t go my way. I did everything I was supposed to do, he just did them better.”

After the weigh-in on Sunday afternoon, it was back home to Toledo Bend for Johnston, who then had to load up and head to Lake Texoma near Denison, Texas, where the final regular season tournament of the year would be held in the FLW Texas Stren Series.

“I was exhausted before it even began, and everyone knows that Texoma is not my favorite place to fish. It has not been kind to me over the years,” Johnston said.

Johnston said that he knew he needed to finish in thirtieth place or better to lock up the points lead, so that was the goal for this tournament—not a win, or even a check.

In the field behind him were a few key competitors, any of which had the skills to take the lead on Texoma. Of those, Russell Cecil of Willis, Texas, proved to be the most formidable. Cecil had been in fourth place in the points race going into the event, and is a threat on any lake. In fact, it was Russell who had claimed a win in the Toledo Bend Stren event earlier in the year, and he and Johnston had later discovered that they had been working the same fish. Johnston finished that event in fourth place.

The split between Johnston and Cecil going into the Texoma event was 36 points.

Johnston knew that it was going to be tough.

The tournament, a three-day event that began on Wednesday with bad weather forecasted to culminate with near 20 mph winds, would require stamina, skill, and good luck.

Johnston set out in his Ranger/Mercury rig and headed to his starting spot. The first task of the event was to catch one fish, which would cement his invitation to the Championship for the following month in Mobile. The second task was to catch enough to hold his top competitors at bay. Johnston brought in 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Cecil brought in 12 pounds, 4 ounces.

Day two played out much the same: Johnston 7 pounds, 11 ounces; Cecil 13 pounds, PHOTO BY JIM OLIVE

4 ounces. Now the exhaustion was turning to stress.

“I knew that it was going to be close—really close,” said Johnston. “I had to catch a decent sack on Friday or it was over.”

Friday began, and as the weigh-in time approached, things looked grim.

“I only had three fish in the boat with six minutes to go before I was due in,” Johnston said. “I was making my last cast, and looked up as Russell passed by in his boat. He waved, I waved, and then I felt a twitch on my line. I set the hook and landed the final fish as he passed by. It was a dink, just a pound and a half, but it was a keeper.”

At the scales that afternoon, most onlookers thought the tale would end, but that was not to be. Johnston weighed in 6.05 to Cecil’s 6.02 pounds, landing him in fortieth place to Cecil’s eighth. The door was still open. Johnston would make the six-hour drive home that evening, Cecil would stay on to fish in the top 10 on Saturday, and the points race would be decided when that concluded.

Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., the Johnston clan gathered around the computer monitor in their living room to watch the live feed

of the tournament weigh-in. They all knew that Russell had to finish fourth to tie for the lead, and third to take it. Johnston could only sit, watch, and wait.

As the weigh-in progressed, Cecil finally came to the scales and with three anglers left to weigh behind him, and was sitting in fourth place. The phone began to ring. Johnston sat still. The next angler weighed his fish. Not enough. The second angler weighed his fish.

Not enough. The third angler weighed his fish. Russell was bumped to sixth place. A sigh of relief was released from Johnston—the first deep breath of the week, and, finally, a conclusion to the race that has been going on since February. Stephen Johnston of Hemphill had claimed the Angler of the Year title in the FLW Texas Stren Series.

“I can’t believe it,” said Johnston. “To think that it would come down to this and be so close is unreal. Russell is a great angler and competitor, and a friend, so this was really an unbelievable ending. I am so happy to be in this position and looking forward to the Championship in Mobile—and then, of course, to starting all over next year!”

Johnston is owner of Johnston’s Guide Ser-

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vice on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend, and has taken clients on bass, crappie, and duck hunting trips since 1989. He is sponsored by Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide trolling motors, All Star Rods, Pflueger Reels, Sebile Lures, Falcon Jigs, Lowrance Electronics, Navionics, Stanley Lures, and Maui Jim sunglasses. He is planning on fishing the Texas Stren Series again next year in addition to being a first time competitor in the FLW Tour events.

Rinker/Godfrey Marine: Nautic Global Group It’s very rare when you find a single company that offers something for everyone, but that is just what the merger of Rinker Boat Company, LLC, and Godfrey Marine has created. When these two companies joined forces in late 2005 and became known as Nautic Global Group, they became the fourth

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largest pleasure boat manufacturer in the United States. More importantly, the diversity of product that both companies brought with them means that Nautic now offers everything from 10-foot aluminum johnboats to 37-foot cabin cruisers. So, if you just wanted a small boat to throw in the pond for bass or something more suitable for the big pond of the Gulf of Mexico, they have something that will fit the bill. If Nautic Global Group doesn’t have a boat that will fit your needs then you really don’t need to be on the water.

The line of boats that should entice most coastal Texans is the fiberglass Polar series of bay boats, center console, walk-arounds, and dual console boats which are made with hardcore fishing in mind. If you don’t believe me then just count the rod holders that come standard. On the 2100 Center Console we tested, I almost ran out of fingers and toes while counting and came up with a final tally of 13 in deck rod holders. Also available are recessed stainless tie downs and an aft entry gate that allows anglers to slide large fish on board if needed. A sliding leaning post makes driving comfortable and with a 48-gallon lighted baitwell, you should never run out of fresh bait. With a fuel capacity of 97 gallons, this 21-foot center console boat can cover a lot of water on a single tank of gas. A recent test drive proved that you can not only cover those miles quickly, but you’ll stay dry doing it.

While our test subject was powered by a Yamaha outboard, these boats can be ordered with any flavor of outboard available and can handle up to 250 horses hanging on the transom.

For the freshwater angler or duck hunter who doesn’t want to subject the hull of a glass boat to the stumps and stick-ups associated with getting to where the fish or fowl are, Nautic Global Group has a boat for you as well.

The Polar Kraft line of aluminum boats covers the gamut from 10-foot flat-bottoms that can be thrown into the back of a pickup to fully rigged 18-foot bass boats with 150 horsepower outboard. The Polar series runs the gamut from bare bones boats without decking, to duck hunting rigs with optional camouflage vinyl wrapped interior, to deep V boats with in-floor rod storage and aft livewells.

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through its Sanpan, Aqua Patio, Parti Kraft, and Sweetwater lines, which can be configured to accommodate angling, cruising, or just hanging out on the water. These pontoon boats range in size from deck boats small enough be used with an electric motor on small lakes with speed restrictions, to the topof-the-line 25-foot Sanpan Limited. The Limited has everything you could ever want, featuring a power canopy that can be raised or lowered with the push of a button, lighted cup holders, a raised helm, reclining seats, a Kenwood 750 watt sub-woofer, stainless latches on all cabinets, 24 LED lights illuminating the floor that has an automatic shut-off system designed to allow everyone to exit the boat before turning off. The Sanpan also offers a sink with pressurized water, granite-like counter tops, and Ultra leather Brisa fabric on the seats. This thing has more amenities than my house.

Along with the Sanpan line of pontoon boats, Nautic also offers the Sweetwater series, which is geared more towards recreation than cruising. With available features, which include live-wells, rod lockers, and rear entry; the Sweetwater line caters to families who want have the flexibility to swim, fish, or cookout in a single boat. There is even a Texas Edition in the Sweetwater line with features requested by Texas dealers for their customers.

To cover the full scope of recreational boats, Nautic is also home to Hurricane and Captiva deck boats, which are designed for outdoorsmen, geared towards water skiing or wakeboarding. For those who really enjoy riding around in big water there is also the line of Rinker Express Cruiser, which are luxury cruisers designed for families to spend multiple days on the water.

—Paul Bradshaw

New for 2008: Nitro Z-9 CDC Bass anglers looking for the ultimate fishing boat should take a serious look at the new Nitro Z-9 CDC for 2008. “CDC” stands for Center Dual Console. Why a center dual console in a bass boat, when traditional bass boats have always had the driver on the right F i s h

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side? According to the engineers who come up with the ideas, the dual center console makes for a smoother ride, more evenly distributing weight across the beam of the boat.

A center console allows easy access, right or left side of the console, for all anglers to move from front to back, One of the most important reasons is when you have that big fish ready to swing on board you don’t have to maneuver the fish to the port side gunwale, possibly loosing a fish.

Like the other models in the Z-9 lineup, the Z-9 CDC is built on a 21-foot, hand laid hull with foam filled fiberglass stringers that are chemically bonded to the hull for strength and durability. The boat’s 96-inch beam makes for a stable fishing platform. Restyled gunwales create additional interior space and large fishing decks. The fore deck is wide and long enough for two anglers to fish from without being all over each other. An easily slideaway seat creates a step to the aft deck and built-in steps give easy access up onto the bow deck from the cockpit.

Four across seating provides anglers a comfortable ride. Two seat pedestal positions on the bow deck enable the user to choose the most efficient arrangement. There is also a folding fishing chair on the aft deck. Beneath the bow deck are storage compartments and a large aerated, timed livewell with an oxygen generation system and pump out feature. The aft deck mounted Guardian livewells also include an oxygen generation system.

Storage is plentiful. All lockers have lidactuated lighting making it easy to see what’s inside. There are two lockable rod boxes and a “partner rod storage” feature with a rod handle organizer and retractable rod holder strip. Storage lids are insulated and backed with welded aluminum plate for strength.

Plus, anglers will find sun-resistant, plush, 22-ounce marine grade carpet covering the floor and decks.

Stainless-steel hardware throughout, including grab bars and pull-up cleats and a sturdy bow plate, will give many years of corrosion free service in harsh marine environments.

A 24-volt, 82-pound thrust MotorGuide trolling motor with a sturdy Gator Mount is standard equipment. Its-foot pedal fits neatly into the recessed area, out of the way. Trolling

motor operation is easier in rough water, in addition to taking some of the stress off the angler’s back. Bow panel is flush with the surrounding deck and features a soft-touch panel with a built in Lowrance LCD fish-finder.

The center console is complete with instrumentation including big, bold, gauges well placed around a custom steering wheel.

Gauges include water pressure, trim, fuel gauge, tachometer, even a digital alarm clock, glove box and storage area below the console.

The Nitro Z-9 CDC has Hydraulic Tilt steering with through-deck hose fittings.

A variety of Mercury Outboard power options is available. Outboard performance is enhanced with a 10-inch jack plate and rigging tube that is standard equipment. The CDC Z-9 has a 65-gallon fuel tank, with a usable range of almost 300 miles.

Navigation and fish finding electronics include the Lowrance X25c sonar unit with built-in GPS. The Z-9 CDC even comes standard with an integrated, fold-down boarding ladder.

Fishing features include rod organization and lots of gear storage, and it is generously equipped with drink-holders and other comfort and convenience features.

One of the best features about any Nitro bass boat is, other than the picking the horsepower size of the outboard motor, all of these mentioned features, and more, are standard equipment. Yes, the price might be kind of pricey to some folks, but it all depends on what you want in a boat. Just add water and fishing equipment and you are good to go.

—Tom Behrens

Dargel Boats: Innovator of Flats Boat Technology

Russell Dargel moved to the valley in the 1920s from Wisconsin. He was a farmer, interested in building boats. He took courses in yacht design and built his first wooden boat in 1933. Friends and other people liked what they saw and by 1937, Dargel was in the boat building business. He had his own designs, building boats out of mahogany, with oak stringers. When marine grade plywood became available, he started building his boats out of the “new” material. They were all small fishing vessels using the conventional design for boats, a pointed bow Jim Foster reports in a story on the Dargel Boats website that although Russell Dargel won’t say in so many words, he is the inventor of the original “Skooter.” He was the boatbuilding innovator who made the idea available to the fishing public. His plans and drawings were used to construct some of the first personal scooters for the bay.

Several anglers in the Rio Grande Valley had been experimenting with flat-bottom plywood boats with a slightly turned-up bow and small outboard motor. These little boats worked very well, and some of the more adventurous anglers even took these little crafts a short distance out into the Gulf.

“In 1958, we built our first fiberglass scooter,” said Cleve Ford who now runs the family owned business. Rusty Dargel Jr. succeeded his father in the operation of the company about 30 years ago, operating the company until 2007, when Ford and his wife, Miriam took over the business. Miriam is the great niece and the vice president of the Company.

“That first scooter is the boat that made us famous,” said Cleve. “The first boat was about 12-foot long, flat decked. The engine was strapped to the back of the boat, no steering wheel. You walked or leaned from one

side of the boat to the other to make it turn.”

One of the early model scooters made the cover of Outdoor Life magazine the next year.

“We were building shallow water boats before there was ever any other flats boat.

Now there’s a flats boat industry. We were building flats boats when people thought we were crazy for doing it.”

As more families started fishing, the “no sides” design was replaced by larger fishing craft with sides. These boats led to the decline in popularity of the small scooter and Dargel discontinued it in the early 1980s.

Due to strong public demand for the return of the original scooter the folks at Dargel Boat Works spent the last several years developing a successor to this popular fishing platform, the Skooter 136, 13 feet, 6 inches long. The new Skooter 136 Sport retains the features that made the original Skooter so popular, easy to maneuver, capable of navigating in water as shallow as seven inches or less. The new Skooter has been modernized with console and steering wheel. The small craft will handle an outboard engine up to 70 hp.

“We now have a complete line now of shallow water boats that are more family friendly,” continued Cleve. “We have what we call a hydra lift tunnel hull boat which actually helps lift the water to the engine. It has a semi-V entry which helps break the chop and makes it a more family friendly ride. It’s still an extremely shallow water boat. Most of our boats will draft in seven inches or less at rest.

Once up on plane the 19-foot 6 inch model can run through water so skinny that the shrimp have to crouch.”

The Fisherman series of boats, available in 18-foot 6 inch (Fisherman 186) and 21-foot (Fisherman 210) are a great family boat for skiing or fishing. Skouts are available in six different models from the Skout 140 (14-

Sometimes, to catch fish along the lower Texas coast, an angler needs to fish shallow, very shallow water. The problem is how to get in there where the fish are feeding. The answer is either a long wade or a boat that operates in inches of water. Back in 1958, Russell Dargel, a boat builder who liked to fish the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre had this revolutionary idea of a small, lightweight boat that floated and operated in just inches of water.

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Sun Tracker’ New Models for 2008 You want a fishing boat, but you don’t want a bass boat or bay boat. You want more room where you can get up and walk around, but the boat still has to have fishing characteristics, such as trolling motor, aerated live wells, rod holders…that kind of thing. Oh also, all of the family wants to go out at the same time.

Of course, each member has different ideas of what they enjoy about being out in a boat. It might be fishing, water skiing, swimming, getting a suntan, or just sitting around visiting.

Sometimes we bring friends along. Is there such a boat that meets all these requirements?

Tracker Marine has been building pontoon boats for a long time and knows what anglers and families want in a boat.

The Signature Series models are completely redesigned for 2008 (Party Barge 18to 24-foot models, and the Bass Buggy 18), including fiberglass consoles, new swim platforms on all Party Barges and new boarding platforms on fishing models. Radiused bow couches are standard on 2008 Signature Party Barges, as well as lounge arms on most every model in its class.

The Bass Buggy 18 has integrated vertical rod holders on the center console and a molded Plexiglas windscreen. An aerated livewell C38

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sits beneath a padded cushion. The console includes built-in storage and trash receptacle Drink and rod holders are mounted on bow and aft rails; there are three folding fishing chairs with composite frames that can be arranged in any of four pedestal locations. All Signature models are equipped with an AM/FM receiver and CD player with an MP3 jack.

Tracker Marine describes the Regency Series of pontoon boats as “Elegance afloat.”

As with the Signature Series, all of the

“

The Party Barges

are the family boats. Mom, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids,

even dads, can enjoy water skiing or just cruising in this great boat.

“

foot) to the Skout 240 (24-foot). With a modified V entry, afterplanes and Dargel’s “hydrolift” tunnel these fishing machines are smooth, dry, and run in extremely shallow waters. The Skouts also feature low profile gunnels and extra wide beams for superior drifting characteristics, very shallow draft, and ease of boarding when wading.

From a crazy idea in the late 50s, the Dargel Skooter has become famous worldwide. Many other boat companies have copied, built, and sell similar flats boats. Russell Dargel’s original boat building philosophy still holds true some 70 plus years later, “I had made up my mind that if I was going to build a boat, it was going to be the best boat I could build.” Every Dargel boat is built to Russell Dargel’s exacting standards.

—TB

Regency models are new in 2008 from the waterline up. A new two-inch top rail and fence are shaped to eliminate the boxy, square appearance common in older pontoon boats.

The Party Barges are the family boats.

Mom, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids, even dads, can enjoy water skiing or just cruising in this great boat. Dad (when not water-skiing) and his buddies will enjoy the ease and comforts of seeking their favorite fish. Fishermen enjoy the roomy front deck with luxurious fishing chairs that swivel and recline, not to mention self-leveling arms and ventilated storage pounces.

Nothing like leaning back in a reclining fishing chair when the fish aren’t biting. There are padded lounges on both sides of the bow.

The boat will spoil you.

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There’s rod storage in the rear deck couch when you are finished fishing. The port side lounge has a lockable arm storage bin and drink holders convenient to all seating. A table can be mounted in two locations at different heights.

When it gets too hot, or rain starts to fall, a weather-resistant polyester top can be adjusted to shade more or less the deck.

Boarding gates are wide enough for wheel chair access. Don’t worry about spilling something on the upholstery; it’s made of durable, marine grade vinyl.

Let me warn you about the Sun Tracker Party Barge 25. Once you get out on the water in this boat, you might not want to come home. One walk through the Party Barge 25 will have the entire family packing for the lake.

The spacious deck is 8-foot, 6-inches wide; length is 26 feet, 4 inches; lots of room for a 14-person capacity. A 30-gallon fuel capacity makes it easy to spend long weekends at the lake without worrying refueling.

There’s a built-in entertainment center with a Sony AM/FM receiver, CD player with a jack for a MP3 player, four high performance speakers, plus storage area for CDs. Aft there are a counter and sink with an electric water pump for water on demand, plus wastewater storage.

An all new molded console features complete instrumentation mounted into a simulated burlwood panel, including a digital depth finder and compass, illuminated rocker switches and ergonomically designed controls and recessed storage bins. The helm is even elevated for enhanced pilot visibility and features tilt steering.

The aft swim platform with a fold-down boarding ladder gives swimmers, skiers and divers easy access. There’s an extra retractable boarding ladder at the bow as well. The padded sun deck has both storage and a popup changing room.

Fishing, swimming, skiing, cruising, or partying, the 2008 Sun Tracker pontoon boats can do it all. Come prepared for a good time. More information about all the boats can be found at www.suntrackerboats.com.

The website features a convenient dealer locator.

—TB

LOVE SIDE-BY-SIDE DOUBLES. I DON’T THINK they shoot any better than an over/under, but they just look sexy. I also love the 16gauge. I think it deserves to be many times more popular than it is.

The 16-gauge has been suffering a very undeserved popularity decline for many years. One of the symptoms of that is a dearth of good 16-gauge side-by-side or over/under shotguns. There have been some of questionable quality, but a really good shotgun in 16-gauge was for many years as hard to find as a trophy unicorn.

Recently, several companies have begun making 16-gauge guns of high quality.

Browning is one, though in very limited runs. Another is CZ. CZ-USA is well known for producing quality rifles, but not many people know about their shotguns. The Ringneck and Bobwhite are the side-by-side models produced by CZ. They are obviously intended for the American upland hunter. I decided that the Ringneck, with single selective trigger and 28-inch barrels bored modified and improved (the 16-gauges do not come with interchangeable chokes), was just what I needed for most of my upland shooting, so I called CZ and ordered one for testing.

When I received the shotgun and took it out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the very good wood-to-metal fit. The stock appears to have been meticulously fitted to the gun. Next was the beautifully colored casehardening on the receiver. Then came the deep, dark bluing on the barrels. Even the checkering on the fore end and pistol

I

PHOTO BY STEVE LAMASCUS

CZ Classic Double Barrel

Field-testing a true classic—a 16-gauge double.

grip was well done. My overall impression of the gun at first glance was good.

When I lifted the gun and put it to my shoulder, I decided that whoever built it knew a thing or two about shooting. The stock was sufficiently long, the drop at heel and comb was just about right, and my eye lined up with the rib between the barrels.

The gun would shoot just a few inches high, which is good in an upland gun, and the balance of the gun made it feel quick and lively. I was also impressed with the high quality kick pad on the butt.

Next was to see if it would shoot as good as it looked. A dove hunt proved the gun was deadly. The first shot I fired was a solid hit on a fast incoming dove. My buddy, Jimmy Bader, rancher and certified gun nut, loved the gun. After I had shot a few birds with it, Jimmy asked to see it. He looked it over, shouldered it a couple of times, and

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then bummed some 16-gauge shells and headed off to see how it worked on dove. I had to shoot my old Winchester Model 12 16-gauge for the rest of the day. I can only assume the CZ Ringneck shot well. Jimmy didn’t return until the hunt was over, and he had a bag full of dove when he did. He did say he hit the first six straight with the CZ before he missed.

I really like this CZ side-by-side. The only thing I found that I didn’t like was that all the doubles are made with extractors and not ejectors. No big deal, but I prefer ejectors on my double guns. However, in this day and time when a quality double costs as much as my first home, it is pleasant to find a well built, well designed gun in the $1000 price range.

If you are looking for a good double that won’t break the bank, try this one.

—Steve LaMascus

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Wayne Milligan, Trophy Duck Collector ROWING UP IN QUANAH, TEXAS, WAYNE Milligan, at the age of 10, was introduced to waterfowl hunting by his dad, Edgar. His dad owned a ranch in the Quanah area. That was a time before people got protective of their property. Milligan recalls that he and his dad would hunt not only their property, but on many of the neighbor’s ranches.

“We jump-shot ducks off of ranch ponds,” said Milligan. “My dad had keys to most of the ranch gates, and people didn’t mind if you hunted on their property. It was just neighbors being neighbors.”

Milligan is 62 years old now, a retired superintendent for schools in Alpine and Terrill, who now lives on his ranch with his wife, Bettye, about 17 miles out of Eldorado. Visit him at his ranch, and he will show you his two trophy rooms, decorated with waterfowl and big game from all over the world. A closer look reveals many ducks on the walls and tables.

“Back when I was in college and couldn’t afford much, I set a goal of mounting five animals a year. Sometimes, I would have only one duck out of those five animals; sometimes I would have three. Other animals might be an elk, mule deer, something like that.”

He was about 21 years old.

“I slowly built up a collection, getting the hens and the drakes of one species. One year, I might get a drake redhead, and then it might take five years before I came across a good hen that I wanted to have mounted to pair with him.”

Many of his ducks were collected in the 60s and 70s.

“At that time, I never considered myself

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as a collector of ducks until just two or three years ago, when I was up in Alaska on one of my hunts. In talking with some of the other hunters, I realized I had a collection few other hunters had.”

by Tom Behrens Milligan met other hunters who were doing similar collections, but they were interested only in the drakes.

Why not try to get a hen and drake of every species of North American ducks, he asked himself.

There are roughly 32 species of ducks in North America; Milligan has a hen and drake of 26. He has hunted all over North America and the world in collecting his hen/drake mates.

“I have pairs of all of them, plus I have some from New Zealand that I got while hunting with a friend from Pennsylvania a couple of years ago. I hunted in New Zealand to get Paradise Ducks and the Black Swan, Australian ducks. There are some places you can hunt ducks in Australia, but you can’t export them out of Australia. A lot of those same ducks are found in New Zealand on the South Island.”

Milligan has collected ducks while on big game hunting trips to Africa and South America.

“I’m going with another friend to hunt ducks in Iceland next year. Sweden may be on the calendar in 2009. In the last five years, I have started waterfowl hunting in many different places, branching out to many different locations. New Zealand was just a start.”

One of his more memorable waterfowl hunting trips includes a hunt in Alaska, where he was after the King Eider: “Very few people in North America have a pair of these birds. You are hunting in the middle of the Bering Sea in the middle of January. It’s mighty cold. You get out on the water and

A hooded merganser pair from Milligan’s collection.

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PHOTO BY TOM BEHRENS

Trophy Fever

Special Hunting Section you are in a little bitty 12-foot rubber raft with no life jacket, because there is no sense in wearing a jacket. If you fell into the water, you are going to die from freezing.

“I had to take my shotgun completely apart, take all of the oil and grease out of it because it would freeze. You would use graphite instead of oil. If a spray came up, by the time it hit your coat, it was already slush. Within a few minutes, it had frozen to ice. Just being out there for 30 minutes, I had a 1-inch coat of ice all over my outer clothing. You had to be constantly running your hand down your gun barrel because slush was forming on it and becoming ice.

When we got back to Texas, I had to take my shotgun completely down again, clean, and re-oil and re-grease it.”

Not all the waterfowl hunting excitement and challenges happen in Alaska. On a recent duck-hunting trip on a lake nearby to San Angelo, Milligan had walked out to retrieve ducks in a flooded area. The water was just a little over his belt buckle: “I had got my ducks about 9:00 a.m. and was just about ready to walk out. There was what I thought to be a blind about 60 yards away,

and I thought I would wade over there and check it out. I started walking over there, and apparently, I stepped off into a creek channel.

“It was well over my head. When I popped back up, my hat was floating, and now I had to swim in waders and all that good stuff. I have my gun in one hand completely under water, shells, calls, and everything else. I had to swim about 15-20 yards.

Finally, I could feel solid ground under my feet as I kicked, but I had to use my gun as a walking stick because I had air in the bottom part of my waders. I couldn’t get my feet underneath me to stand up. I had to use my gun to probe into the mud and use as a walking stick until I get my feet underneath me. I had a gun cleaning session all day the next day.”

Milligan has hunted in Nova Scotia and added several duck species to his collection: “It’s legal there to hunt from sink boxes, and I really enjoy hunting up there; been up there two or three times. It’s an exciting way to hunt sea ducks.”

Milligan hunts just about every year at the Hackberry Rod & Gun Club in South

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Louisiana: “A lot of the birds came from the marshes of South Louisiana because they have such a wide variety of ducks coming through. A lot of the birds came from up in the Texas Panhandle around Quanah and Childress while I was growing up, in my college years.”

Before the 2007-08 waterfowl season began, Milligan had 25 different pairs of ducks in his trophy rooms, with three more pairs at the taxidermist. He needs drakes and hens from the Mottled Duck, Fulvous Tree Duck, Burrows Goldeneye, and White-winged Scoter families. He hopes to add the Mottled and Fulvous Tree Ducks from along the Gulf coast.

“The Mottled Duck can be found from Louisiana and across to Florida,” Milligan said. “The Fulvous Tree Duck is found along the coast of Louisiana, but primarily along Texas and into Mexico. Barrows Goldeneye seldom comes much lower than the Canadian Border. You can get them in Washington State, probably where I will hunt them—either Alaska or Washington State.

“White-winged Scoter is a winter bird. It

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Trophy Fever

Collector Wayne Milligan has mounted pairs of all but six of the 32 North American duck species. will come down to Maryland on the East Coast and Washington state on the West Coast. It depends on the weather. You will find them sometimes around the Great Lakes.”

In all of his years of duck hunting, does Milligan have one species of ducks that he has enjoyed hunting over all the rest? “I don’t have one that I enjoy the most. I just enjoy being out in the marshes and woods early in the morning. I just enjoy being there and hunting ducks, whether it’s mallards, wood ducks, or sea ducks. It doesn’t matter; I just enjoy hunting ducks.”

What happens when he gets all 32 different pairs? Will he hang up his shotgun?

“It’s not the end of duck hunting for me.

What you do is set goals all the time. My next goal is to hunt in all 50 states, all the

A Harlequin duck pair. provinces of Canada and Mexico, and collect all of the North and South America ducks, work on collections for the world.”

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When he does call it quits, through either his or the Good Lord’s decision, what will happen to his collection? “As I am a retired

A ruddy duck pair. superintendent of schools, I plan to donate the entire collection to a school district that has a program of environment and animal science like Katy ISD has. That way, it can be used by students to study the various species and environments they live in.”

A passion for hunting waterfowl has developed into a serious quest for Milligan, but without loosing any enjoyment of the sport. Will he accomplish his next goal of hunting all 50 states, all the provinces of Canada and Mexico, and work on a world collection of ducks? If the good Lord allows, the winds blow in the right direction, and the decoys are all set right, I think he has a chance. As he says: “It’s all about goal-setting and a passion for duck hunting.”

PHOTOS BY TOM BEHRENS

Cold Weather Bowhunting

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condition before and during the hunt.

Wearing thick layers of clothing and lugging a stand with a backpack will cause you to sweat, producing scent that can alarm deer. To combat this, I try to hunt places where my stand has been previously set. I have only essentials in my backpack, carry my coat in, and keep my hat off until I arrive at my hunting location. Once there, I always spray myself down liberally with Hunter Specialties Scent Away, remembering to get the inside rim of my hat, which is a key sweat gatherer.

I do not put on my heavy jacket until I am ready to climb up in the stand. Some hunters wait until they climb up before putting on their jackets, but that’s a bad move. The first thing you need to do when you get in your stand is buckle up that safety harness, so your jacket should already be on. Always think safety first. Any fall could end it all.

Your stand might be covered in ice this month. Consider yourself 18 to 20 feet up and suddenly your feet slip from under you.

Even after you have secured yourself with your harness, you might not have the confidence for a good shot because your mind is on the slippery ice under your feet. I have found that a zip lock bag with a mixture of sand and table salt to eat through the ice will give you all the traction you need to bring your confidence level up again.

There is a product called Hot Hands that I like to use when I hunt in cold conditions. Once activated, the odorless chemical gives off enough heat to keep you warm and F i s h

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An armguard helps bowstrings snagging on bulky winter clothing.

PHOTO BY LOU MARULLO

OT VENISON? IF YOU DO, THAT’S GREAT, but if not, there is still a chance with the season in North Texas running until January 6, South Texas counties open until the 20th, and extended antlerless and spike days in much of the state.

Hunters like me determined to go backstrap shopping with a bow should keep in mind some very important things about wintertime bowhunting.

First off, practice didn’t mean much if you did so with short sleeves and short pants. It is crucial to shoot with your cold weather gear on. I am not telling you to put on an insulated parka on in the middle of August and sweat like Brittany Spears watching her comeback performance. You just need to remember to shoot some arrows before you go to the field in colder weather.

Deflection is a nasty word and anything that will catch on the string can cause arrow deflection and send it flying to another zip code. Thicker clothes might call for an arm guard to keep bulky sleeves in check. Many hunters who take their bowhunting seriously will shoot a bow that has their draw length a little short. This forces the bow arm to bend slightly, which will in turn help the string to clear heavy clothing.

Your heavy winter camo might also affect your anchor point. I have seen guys pull their bow back to full draw and then stretch their neck down as far as it will go so they can say they touched their anchor point just before the shot. In effect, all they have really done is release an arrow in the same direction as the target. To be fair, they have brought some much-needed comic relief to anyone who happened to see the shot. A few practice shots will let you know if the coat you decide to wear is going to work for you.

It is important to think about your scent

will last for hours. It is conveniently sold in bags of two. I keep one in each pocket.

Moreover, if you ever forget your salt baggie, you could simply open up on of these Hot Hands, sprinkle the contents on your stand, and, voila; the ice is gone.

It would be a good idea to acclimate your bow to cold conditions by leaving it in the garage for a few days before your planned hunt. You should pull the bow back a few times and listen for any odd noises that were not there in warmer weather. Take a few shots and have a friend listen with you for any odd sounds.

Once in your stand, you should periodically pull your bow back just to get the blood moving in your cold muscles. It is a bad feeling when the buck of your dreams is 20 yards away and you cannot pull your bow back.

This is the beginning of a new year and the end of a deer season. The deer are still out there and waiting for your arrow. More importantly, your family is at the dinner table waiting for their venison.

You should be out there waiting for your shot, no matter how cold it gets.

BUCK—WIMBERLEY, TEXAS

BUCK—MCMULLEN COUNTY, TEXAS

Holly Graves, age 14, shot this buck during youth season weekend on a lease in Wimberley while hunting with her dad, John Graves. Holly shot the deer with her 7mm-08 at 120 yards.

Austin Bila of Houston, Texas, passed several other 10-pointers to take this mature 10-point buck in McMullen County. The deer weighed in at 190 pounds and scored a 137.

BUCK—SOUTH TEXAS

BUCK—SOUTH TEXAS

BUCK—PAINT ROCK, TEXAS

While hunting in South Texas, Duke Williams Steve Pyle took this 177-pound buck while hunt- James Bagley of Amarillo, Texas, bagged two killed this 10-point, 163-pound buck on LaRucia ing on LaRucia Ranch in South Texas with friends. whitetail bucks, a seven-point and a nine-point, Ranch. while on a hunt at White Point Ranch in Paint Rock, Texas, with ranch foreman Ray Dockery.

James, who hadn’t hunted deer since college, purchased the hunt at a fund-raiser.

GOT BUCKS? GOT HOGS? GOT TURKEYS? GOT BANDED DUCKS?

If so, we need photos and hunting stories for our new TROPHY FEVER SPECIAL SECTION. Send pics and hunting tales to : TROPHY FEVER SPECIAL SECTION 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032 or by email: photos@fishgame.com.

PLEASE INCLUDE PHOTO CAPTION: NAME HOMETOWN WHEN & WHERE TAKEN SIZE AND WEIGHT

(Please include “Trophy Fever” in the subject.)

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Boating FAQ IVE AND BREATHE BOATS AND BOATING FOR A few decades, and you’ll start to hear the same questions over and over again.

The same is true of just about anything, I guess, and these days, you can find a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) whether you are reading a medical brochure, shopping online, or researching colleges. So, why should the marine world be any different? It’s not, and after reading this FAQ, you’ll do a little less wondering about your boat.

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1. How do I know if I’m running the right prop?

This is one of the most common—and easiest to answer—questions that I hear on a regular basis. The answer is quite simple: Look in your owner’s manual to find out your engine’s recommended operating rpm range at wide-open throttle. For gasoline inboards, this is commonly somewhere between 4000 and 4800 rpm; for a twostroke outboard, it’s often 5000 to 5500 rpm, and many four-strokes are rated to run between 5000 and 6000 rpm. If your engine runs in the manufacturer’s recommended range, then all is well. You could go from a three-blade prop to a four-blade to improve acceleration, but you’ll lose a hair on topend. Going from aluminum to stainless will grab you another few mph without any downside, except cost.

Now, what if your wide-open throttle rpm do not fall into the acceptable zone? First, make sure the culprit isn’t a different factor, like bottom growth or water intrusion. Then, try swapping out your prop. For every inch of increase in prop pitch, rpm will drop by about 200. Conversely, for every inch of decrease in your prop’s pitch, you’ll gain 200 rpm.

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One other factor you need to take into account: cup. A cupped prop will also draw down your rpm a hair, but for many Texans, this is a worthy trade. Cupped props don’t cavitate as much as ones that don’t have cupping in the blade, and as a result, they can be trimmed slightly higher without blowing out. That means you can run a bit shallower than you can with a prop that doesn’t have any cup. Bonus: Cupped props also have a lot of bite on the take-off, and tend to put the boat on plane a second or two more quickly than those without any cup.

2. What’s the best fishing boat?

Wow. If I had a buck for every time I heard this question, I’d be running a Rybovich. And, as any seasoned boater should know, there is no correct answer. Just about each and every boat out there on the market today exists because it fills a specific niche; some are ideal for shallow-water casting to reds, others are perfect for running to the rigs, and others are just right because they’re affordable.

The real question you should be asking is what’s the best fishing boat for me. Ask yourself: What type of fishing will you be doing the most? What do you care about the least? Make up a list of factors in order of importance before you even start looking at boats, and you’ll have a better idea of what the best boat is to fill your needs.

3. Which is better, fiberglass or aluminum boats?

Again, your intended use has a lot to do with the answer to this question. But, we can assign each material a consistent list of advantages and disadvantages: Aluminum boats are lighter, less expensive, require less maintenance, and dent or bend instead of shattering in case of impact. Fiberglass boats ride better (mostly a result of that weight, but also because more complex curves can be molded into the hulls), look better, and tend to last longer.

Is that all there is to this equation? No way. There are other materials out there that F i s h

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should be considered, as well. Polyethylene (plastic) boats are now available up into the 23-foot range, and these boats are incredibly tough-it’s nearly impossible to damage onethey’re less expensive than fiberglass, and they ride wonderfully. Wood should also be considered, because believe it or not, it’s still one of the best boatbuilding materials out there. Check out large custom sportfishers in the 40- to 60-foot range and you’ll discover that the bulk of them are “cold molded” wood boats, which essentially means they are made of wood with a layer of fiberglass shielding the wood both inside and outside.

Net result: the wood doesn’t rot, and it has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios on the water. So cold molded wood boats are among the lighter, faster, yet best-riding and strongest boats on the water. The big problem here is cost; cold molding is laborintensive, and you rarely see it on smaller boats simply because the cost is prohibitive.

4. Which is really more fuel efficient, four-strokes or new hi-tech two-strokes?

The answer to this question is sure to ruffle a few feathers in the industry, so let me state up-front: I’ve run just about every outboard on the market from 100hp and up, and the answer I give to this question is what I have seen in my own personal experience, period. And also remember, there are differences between each make and model of these motors; all two-strokes are not created equal, nor are all four-strokes.

That said, modern four-strokes generally get slightly better fuel economy at low rpm.

In the mid-range and at cruise four-strokes still have an advantage but often it’s razorthin. And at WOT, the advantage disappears and many two-strokes do equally as well or even ever so slightly better than many four-strokes. Of course, this only addresses economy and isn’t to say one is better than the other (we could write a book about that argument). Each type of motor has its own long list of advantages and disadvantages.

5. Do I need to add trim tabs to my boat?

Many small boats leave the dealer lot without tabs, and this is a shame; they can make a significant difference in the way your boat rides. The simple answer to this question is yes. Even if your boat hops up onto plane and rides at a good running angle, or if your motor trim alone allows you to adjust running angle effectively, you’ll still benefit from tabs since you’ll be able to control lateral motion. This is especially important when running in a beam sea. Trim up the windward side of the boat, and you and your passengers will all stay much drier.

And when you have an uneven load because cousin Bubba is weighting down one side of the boat, the tabs will allow you to get the boat running on an even keel again.

6. Should I carry a gun for protection on my boat?

The answer is no. Of course, if you’re using your boat to go hunting and have the firearm properly cased and unloaded, there’s no problem. Experienced hunters

will tell you, however, that before that gun gets loaded the boat should be secured; don’t try to shoot from a moving boat, or one that’s rocking around at sea. There really is no reason other than hunting to bring a firearm onboard. It’s completely unnecessary for self-defense, as the number of cases of piracy or boater-on-boater violence in the entire U.S. during the last decade could be counted on one hand.

It’s an even worse reason to bring one onboard intending to shoot sharks. This is a major reason why people bring guns onboard these days. Only problem is, many folks who do so end up shoot their boat.

Quite regularly, adventurous anglers bring a shark onboard, shoot it in the head, and fail to realize that the bullet will go right through the shark’s soft cartilaginous skull and then through the bottom of the boat. Sometimes people know enough to keep the toothy critter in the water and shoot it there, but the boat gets hit by a wave at just the wrong moment and the lead ends up in the hullsides. You get the picture: a rocking, pitching boat is no place to have a loaded gun.

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7. Lots of boats are called “DeepV,” but what does this really mean?

Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it,) there’s no governing body that regulates this kind of terminology. Many boat salesmen call boats deep-V’s, even though they might be more accurately described as semi-V or even flatbottom. But experts in the field generally accept the definition of a true deep-V as a hull that has “deadrise” (an angle in the hull bottom) of at least 21-degrees, running all the way back to the transom of the boat.

Do you have a question not covered in our FAQ? Remember, you can always email me at boating@fishgame.com. Ask away. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I won’t rest until I find it.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

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Circle Hook Leadhead Jigs IRCLE HOOK LEADHEAD JIGS, WITH A CIRCLE hook stinger, no less. Where are they?

For now, they are in my mind and in my tackle box—nine of them, to be exact.

They are sure to follow the extended use of circle hooks, which are now mandated in offshore fisheries.

The circle hook leadhead jig is a natural evolution in the use of circle hooks, mandated or not. Changing times and my 16 years experience of successfully using circle hooks brought me to this next step. They work well. So far, I have taken red snapper, kingfish, and mangrove snapper using them.

Circle hooks used were Daiichi D84Z, size 5/0 and 7/0, and Hook Co. size 5/0. A 1/16-inch hole was drilled into the body from the opposite side of the lengthwise slot. The hook is attached to a 12-inch piece of size 18, 325-pound AFW wire using barrel wraps only. The spot was determined where the wire was to be bent at a 45-degree angle for exiting the drilled hole by laying the wire in the slot and carefully pulling the circle hook’s eye into the body cavity, then marking it with a pen.

Insert the wire through the drilled hole and pull the hook eye tightly into the body.

Carefully form an eye into the wire as it exits the top of the body, and form barrel wraps from the body to the formed eye. (This heavy wire is hard to work with, so use cau-

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tion as to the hook point and wire end location and possible destination.)

The heavy wire gives you an eye of sufficient diameter, which greatly reduces the chance of the wire cutting through your mono line when the line comes tight after a hookup. When the hook and wire work is completed, the body slot is bent closed around the hook eye using pliers. The body slot area at the hook eye is then filled with two-part epoxy to further secure the hook in the body.

The stinger wire is optional, but my

experience is that the stinger definitely increases the chance of a hookup. Cable is used for its flexibility and durability. The cable is run through the jig body’s wire eye as in the illustration, and crimped at the wrap area after being run around the body, forming a loop. With this crimping completed, make a few wraps around the body and stinger cable with thread to hold it and the cable in position. At that point, spray paint the body. My choice was hot pink or yellow.

After the paint dries, apply the hair or Mylar skirting, using silver rod wrapping thread or sewing thread to hold it in place.

With the skirt wrapping completed, it’s time to attach the stinger hook to the cable. If IGFA records are of concern to you, make F i s h

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sure that at least the hook eye is inside the skirting. The finishing touch is to apply twopart epoxy over the thread wraps holding the skirting in place.

The circle hook leadhead jig, when it’s fished with a baitfish such as a Spanish sardine, has a specific look when the baitfish is hooked through the head on the main hook, and the stinger is in the baitfish at mid-body.

This setup has the appearance of the baitfish being attacked by a whatever and being the victim. Hooking the baitfish through the head on the stinger has the look of the baitfish being the attacker. Each of these presentations has the appearance of them being vulnerable or distracted and therefore an easy meal to a predator.

When head- and stingerhooked, the stinger’s cable must have some slack in it when the baitfish is pulled straight against the main hook.

If the cable comes tight first, the baitfish will bow and spin unnaturally on the sink or retrieve.

Back to those IGFA rules: When using a baitfish on this jig, both hooks must be imbedded in the baitfish—no free-swinging stinger, no baitless main hook. I had an IGFA record application rejected several years ago because the baitfish was on the stinger only and not also on the main hook.

Corrections in my rigging method later resulted in three line class records for red snapper.

To fish this circle hook leadhead jig, cast, let it sink to a count of 10, stop, twitch two or three times, sink to a 10 count again, stop, and repeat the twitch motion. Rinse and repeat. Do this until you get a pick-up or strike.

E-mail Patrick Lemire at saltrigs@fishgame.com ILLUSTRATION BY PATRICK LEMIRE

Mojo Rigging ROUND MOST OF THE STATE, WINTERTIME bass fishing means downsizing baits, going deep, and moving slow. While finesse fishing is my least favorite way to fish, it is effective and necessary when the water temperature drops and a bass’ metabolism slows. Due to the ever-increasing popularity of finesse fishing, multiple companies have introduced products specifically designed for light line and small lures. It is no longer necessary to try to downsize a basic Texas or Carolina rig to entice finicky fish, because products are now in place to make finesse rigs the right way. While this might add a little more weight to the tackle box, it also adds more fish to the livewell.

One way of rigging finesse baits that has become more prominent over the past few years is with the use of a Mojo weight. A Mojo weight does not have a traditional, round, oval, or bullet shape. Instead, the Mojo is long, thin, and cylindrical. The theory behind the design is that the Mojo is less likely to snag on rocks and brush, and will slide through grass with ease, making it more fishable with light lines. This lets you fish all the places bass hang out with fewer break-offs.

Rigging a Mojo weight isn’t that much different from using standard bullet or split shot weights. In fact, you can still use the same rigs you always have in the same locations you always have, you’ll just spend less time pulling grass off your line or retying.

The original use of a Mojo weight was on a Carolina rig, and this remains the most popular way to use them. Simply replace the standard 1/2-ounce or larger bullet weight with a 1/4-ounce or smaller Mojo weight.

Run the main line through the length of the

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ILLUSTRATION BY PAUL BRADSHAW

Mojo weight before tying on a barrel swivel and leader. The Mojo weights come with a tool and plastic strips that can be threaded through the weight in order to peg them in place but realistically a piece of toothpick or thick monofilament will do the same thing.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of tying on a barrel swivel and leader, you can simply slide the weight on the main line then tie on your worm hook. Slide the weight up the line about three feet and then peg it in place. You’ll get a little more line twist this way but also have the flexibility of changing the distance between the weight and lure without having to tie on a new leader.

A less often utilized but highly effective use of Mojo weights is on Texas rigs. Since the Mojo doesn’t look like the traditionally used bullet weight it is often overlooked but when you are chunking a soft plastic worm around cypress knees or brush the design allows it to bounce around the structure

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without wedging itself into every knot hole or forked branch. Again, slide the line through the length of the weight before tying on a worm hook.

One of my favorite places to fish for bass during most of the year is along dams covered with riprap. The riprap provides millions of hiding places for baitfishes and crawfish, which in turn attracts the bass.

The only problem is it also provides millions of places for lures to hang up or weights to get stuck which means broken lines and multiple re-ties. The folks who created Mojo lures came up with a solution to this problem in the form of the Mojo Rock Hopper weight. The Rock Hopper looks just like the regular Mojo but the hole for the line to run through does not extend the length of the weight but rather just from one side to the other on one end. When the line is threaded through the hole, the weight stands on its end, which does two things. First, it keeps the weight out of the crevices so it will not get hung up as often as other weights.

Second, it helps elevate the line above the rocks so that it has a better chance of avoiding rocks that can fray and weaken it. The Rock Hopper works best with a Carolina rig, but it can also be used for Texas rigging and really shines as weight on a drop-shot.

E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

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A Jerk on the Line OME SAY THAT FISHING IS JUST ONE JERK ON one end of the line waiting for another jerk on the other end of the line. In any event, I have a story to tell you about

PHOTO BY TOMMY LOMONTE

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jerks.

In late fall, right about the time hunting season opens, the bay always seems to get just right. This year was no different. I spent the weeks prior to the opening weekend of deer season building a new deer blind, or as

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Amber likes to call it, our “blind-ominium.”

It all started when we were on our way to Marble Falls and stopped to look at some deer blinds to buy. After shopping and looking at some seriously fancy new blinds, I had a good dose of sticker shock and knew I could build something for a lot less (or at least, I thought so). That is when the weekend project became four weekends, in turn, missing some of the best fishing in Galveston Bay. You probably guessed it already—the amount of money we spent on the materials to build this blind was comparable to the prices we saw when shopping for the finished product. Nonetheless, what is done is done. Amber’s Grandpa Bud and I did have the satisfaction of getting out our generator, compressor, and power tools, and banged out a pretty impressive deer blind, complete with double paned windows; prehung metal door; carpeting; insulated top,

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the property, he picked opening weekend to explore that part of the property at daylight.

Intentionally? We think so.

Now, I can just imagine how the range wars got started back in the old days. This is kind of like someone pulling up to you when you are catching fish and throwing their anchor out right in the middle of the school.

Plain and simple, poor etiquette. That just goes to show you there are jerks on the water and jerks in the woods—and I am not talking about the jerk on your line.

Now, Amber and I have a nice storage building facing a deer feeder. No worries, the fishing is great in Galveston in between fronts, and the birds are working one end of the bay to the other. Looks like we will be eating more fish than venison sausage this year.

E-mail Tommy Lomonte at tlomonte@fishgame.com.

Visit his website, www.DrRedfish.com.

After shopping and looking at some seriously fancy new blinds, I had a good dose of sticker shock.

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bottom, and sides; and covered with rough cedar skins. The only thing this blind-ominium lacks is a satellite dish. Just awesome!

(Thanks, Bud!) Now, Amber and I found ourselves anticipating making our first hunt in the newly built blind. Saturday morning, it was a crisp 40 degrees. We got the key, unlocked the door, set up with our new spotting scopes and gun rests, and just waited for daybreak when the feeder would go off. As we see the shadows going away and the feeder going off, about that time, we see headlights. Sure enough, a four-wheel-drive pickup truck drove 100 yards from our blind down a newly pushed road along the neighboring fence line. And you think it can be crowded on Galveston Bay....

This redneck was lost in the woods, so he says, and kind of spoiled the whole weekend of hunting. The moment was spoiled by a jerk in a rattling pickup truck. The property that adjoins us had not been hunted close to us in 30 years, and with a new foreman on A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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Angler Edition Kayaks: Fluff or Functional?

VERY KAYAK MANUFACTURER SPITTING OUT brightly colored hulls has an “Angler Edition” in their portfolio of products. Manufacturers feel compelled to slap that label on one of their boats in an effort to tap into the fishing market. The harsh reality is that simply adding a rod holder or two to a kayak doesn’t convert a water toy into a serious fishing machine.

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Fishing kayaks need a degree of customization and, until recently, the angler had to do all of the planning, layout, and installation of accessories themselves, or have a kayak shop do it for them. Market research revealed a large number of fishermen wishing to buy kayaks, but couldn’t envision how they should rig out a recreational boat. Buying a boat that was already outfitted with

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accessories eliminated the guessing game and made the transition to kayaking much easier.

Over the last decade, major boat builders started assembling pro teams to help them learn what is important to fishermen. Team members are kayakers passionate about fishing. Many log over 100 days a year on the water. Manufacturers listened carefully and incorporated a number of features their pro staffs found lacking.

We are on the leading edge of a wave of new developments aimed at kayak fishermen. A good example of this trend is Ocean Kayak’s new Prowler Trident 15. The hull is loaded with a number of innovative features that make fishing trips much more enjoyable.

Of note, the Rod Pod is a large oval hatch mounted amidships that provides fishermen access to the interior of the hull from a sitting position. The elongated hatch allows you to easily slide rods in or out while afloat. Since the hatch is right in front of your lap, you don’t have to twist or turn, reducing the chance of capsizing. Nor do you have to disembark in shallow water to reach into a bow hatch. Stashing rods below the deck rather than in rod holders behind your backrest eliminates the chance of snagging one while casting. (Don’t ask me how I know this.) A handy storage tray that slides along the edges of the open Rod Pod is just right for keeping car alarms and cell phones out of harm’s way.

Kayakers who fish in deep water rely on marine electronics as much as fishermen in powerboats do, but installing a transducer in a kayak is an annoying job, and if done incorrectly, renders your depth-finder useless. In addition, glare on the depth-finder screen makes it extremely difficult to read in bright sunlight.

The Prowler Trident 15 has several features to help alleviate these problems. The Sonar Shield is a special compartment molded into the top of the kayak to house a depth-finder. It isn’t watertight, but rejects random moisture when it is buckled up.

When not in use, the depth-finder screen is swiveled to a horizontal position and covered by a hatch, protecting the unit from damage.

To use the depth-finder, you pop the hatch and swivel the screen up to the desired angle. The hatch serves double duty as a cover and sunscreen, shading the depth-finder so it is easy to read, even in bright sunshine.

I particularly like the transducer-compatible scupper in the Prowler Trident 15. The bottom of one scupper features a recess that will accept any Humminbird transducer.

The transducer sits in the recess flush with the bottom of the hull, preventing it from being scraped off by an offending tree branch or oyster bed.

Other good features incorporated into the Prowler Trident 15 are easily overlooked by the neophyte kayak angler. For instance, the front hatch is secured with two criss-crossed straps connected via a single large buckle.

The crossed straps hold the front hatch in place better than two parallel straps. The single buckle makes one-handed operation a breeze. If you have ever cursed numbed fingers that couldn’t manipulate tiny buckles,

you will appreciate the Texas-size clasp on the front hatch.

There are good and bad points to factory-rigged fishing kayaks. From a buyer’s perspective, factory boats are easy to buy and eliminate a lot of guesswork. Plus, factory installed accessories are inspected before shipping. You can literally go from the cash register to the water.

Count on paying a premium price for a tricked-out factory boat compared to buying a recreational boat and adding your own

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gear. You also loose the freedom to tweak the layout of factory-installed accessories.

The good news is that a new generation of kayaks carrying the “Angler Edition” label are finally befitting of the moniker.

Email Greg Berlocher at kayak@fishgame.com

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Bearing the Cross NE OF THE STRONGEST CONCERNS I HAVE about hunting in Texas is the need for increased opportunities. Fortunately, that’s a concern that has been shared by TPWD officials who have provided numerous incentives for beginning and veteran hunters alike through a web of public hunting programs and special seasons for various species.

My choice of weapon during the general deer hunting seasons is a .243, but I’ve taken them with several other rifles of various calibers, with recurve and compound bows, as well as with handguns. My yearning to enjoy more ways of taking some of Texas’ largest animals in recent years has involved the crossbow.

When I first began practicing with a crossbow, I was amazed at the flat trajectory it presented at targets set at 20 to 35 yards, and particularly with the relatively small amount of drop the crossbow bolt had in the 20- and 30-yard ranges. After all, crossbows I tested many years ago really didn’t perform all that well. The crossbow I use has a 165-pound draw weight and fires a 22-inch aluminum bolt with a 125-grain broadhead. I use a Red Dot scope with variable size settings for the dot.

The difference in impact at 20 and 30 yards is only about 2 inches, and that’s one thing that impressed me about the crossbow’s overall performance. Once I had practiced firing the bolts on a regular basis, I had built in all the confidence necessary for heading to the woods to put the crossbow to the ultimate test at distances similar to those I am comfortable with using a compound bow.

If there is any one animal that provides

Leah Kesinger with a feral hog taken by Bob Hood with a crossbow on the J.B. Ranch near Groveton with B&C Outfitters.

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hunters with year-round hunting opportunities, it is the feral hog. Being a non-game animal, the feral hog can be hunted at any time of the year with no bag limits, and their meat is delicious whether smoked, fried, baked, grilled, or sautéed.

My first hunt for feral hogs with the crossbow was on a late January day with B&C Outfitters near Groveton, where owner Mark Balette had urged me to hunt a ladder tree blind set back in the trees near a well-worn trail loaded with hog tracks.

I heard the squeals of hogs in the woods behind me an hour before dark, but didn’t see anything until the sun had set. Suddenly, about a dozen hogs came hurrying down the trail and stopped about 20 yards from the tree blind. I already had shouldered the crossbow, and placing the broadhead behind the shoulder of one of the larger hogs was no more difficult than hitting the bull’s eye of a target at the same range. The hog, about a 125-pounder, ran 35 yards and collapsed. The cross bolt had gone completely F i s h

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through the hog, skipped back into flight after striking the ground, and stuck into a tree about 25 yards from where the hog had been standing.

As with any weapon, practice builds confidence, and I continued to shoot at targets at various ranges and from various shooting positions and heights before going after feral hogs again a few months later on a ranch near Breckenridge in Stephens County.

A friend’s trail camera had caught a large hog several times, as it came to his corn feeder an hour before dark almost daily for more than a week. Late one May afternoon, I climbed into my friend’s bow blind and waited.

The hog weighed just under 340 pounds and it came in right on schedule. When the big boar presented a broadside lung shot, I took it. Again, the bolt went completely through the animal, which ran about 45 yards before going down.

Hunting with a crossbow is just another

Continued on Page C56 PHOTO BY BOB HOOD

OST OF US RELOADERS STICK PRETTY much with the standard Big Five bullet makers—Speer, Hornady, Nosler, Barnes, and Sierra. All make good bullets, and I shoot a lot of each of them, but there are other bullet makers out there that are not as well known but make some incredible bullets. Let’s take a look at some of them.

A year or so ago, I was re-reading Elmer Keith’s autobiography, Hell, I was There....

In it, he wrote of a bear hunt in Alaska on which he had carried a .35 Whelen. The load he used fired a 275-grain bullet made by the old, defunct Western Tool and Copper Company. In the interest of experimentation, I decided I wanted to try Keith’s load in my own .35 Whelen. I called around but couldn’t find a single one of the major companies that made a 275-grain bullet. Then I got on the internet and started looking. I finally found an outfit called Kodiak Bullets out of Juneau, Alaska, that makes a 275grain .358 bullet. I ordered some, tried them in my Whelen, and a love affair was born.

I loaded the big, long, lethal-looking bullets over the same powder charge Keith used more than 70 years ago, and headed out to my benchrest to see how they performed. In short, they performed very well. Accuracy was better than I expected. However, velocity was low enough that shooting at ranges beyond about 200 yards would be problematic. This is a bullet to use if you are going into the thick stuff for grizzly or some other dangerous game, where bone-breaking power is needed and the range will be short.

It would probably make a great lion load for the African hunter.

Another company that is not well known

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This is a bullet to use if you are going into the thick stuff for grizzly.

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Custom Bullets

but deserves to be is North Fork Bullets (www.northforkbullets.com). Like Kodiak, North Fork Bonded Bullets (their brand is the Rockin’ NF) makes bullets in a wide range of calibers. I was looking for a bullet, again for the .35 Whelen, that would allow me to get higher velocity and still produce deep, positive penetration. I had tried several of the lighter weight commercial bullets without finding exactly what I was looking for. I called North Fork and ordered a couple of boxes of their .358 caliber 225-grain bonded core bullets (they also make a 270grain .35 caliber bullet).

Once again, I found the pot of gold. The

North Fork bullets grouped into less than 1 inch at 100 yards from my Hill Country Rifle Company .35 Whelen. I have never recovered one of them from game, but the response of the game on being struck with one of these bullets at around 2650 feet per second indicates perfect performance; the animals simply collapse in their tracks, even large hogs. These bullets are expensive, running around a buck per. However, if you are on the hunt of a lifetime and need a bullet that absolutely will not fail you, these slugs are the way to go.

For years, one of the best bonded-core bullets on the market has been the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. It started out life like the two above, but has since become somewhat of a mainstream offering. Trophy Bonded was absorbed by Speer Bullets and is now the super-premium offering of that august manufacturer. If you are a handloader and want some surefire stopping power in your rifle, Trophy Bonded bullets will give it to A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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you.

One of the best reasons to buy Trophy Bonded bullets is because they are offered in .22 caliber. This is a great boon to those who want to use the .223 or other .22-caliber centerfire cartridges for deer or hogs. Using 55or 60-grain Bear Claw bullets in your .223 or .22-250 makes it as good a deer cartridge as it is possible to make a .22 caliber. This is one of the only loads in .22 caliber that I would even consider recommending for shooting deer. The Bear Claw holds together and penetrates without the explosive action most of the .22-caliber bullets are intended to produce. For smallish deer, a .223 loaded hot with 55-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws would be a great choice for the cool, precise shot who is looking to put venison in the freezer with as little meat damage as possible.

Swift Bullets is one of the best established of the super premium companies, and furnishes both their A-Frame bullets, similar to the Nosler Partition, and the Sirocco, which is closely akin to the Nosler AccuBond.

Swift bullets have acquired an enviable reputation in the game fields of the world.

These are big game bullets using bonded core technology for deep, certain penetration. For varmint bullets, look elsewhere.

There are other custom bullet makers.

Berger Bullets is, I think, still in that category, as is Calhoon Bullets. These two specialize mostly in varmint bullets rather than the bonded core big game slugs. I have shot a lot of Berger bullets over the years, and find them to be well worth the price, especially if long range is contemplated.

In most cases, I do not believe that super premium custom bullets are necessary. However, there are circumstances in which they are all but indispensable. If you find yourself in one of those situations, one of the above bullet manufacturers will probably have exactly what you need.

E-mail Steve LaMascus at guns@fishgame.com G a m e ® / J A N U A R Y

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New Regs Coming HE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Commission has approved the publication of proposed regulations that would require a new permit for people who sell, transport or possess venomous snakes not indigenous to Texas, plus four species of pythons and one species of anaconda.

Under House Bill 12, enacted by the 80th Texas Legislature, the commission is required to establish permits authorizing the possession and transportation of the following snakes: all non-indigenous venomous snakes, African rock python (Python sebae), Asiatic rock python (Python molurus), green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), reticulated python (Python reticulatus), and southern African python, (Python natalensis). The bill also prohibits the release of these snakes into the wild in Texas.

The proposed regulations would require anyone who possesses one of the controlled exotic snakes, but does not sell snakes, to buy a $20 Recreational Controlled Exotic Snake Permit. People who buy a controlled

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exotic snake from a pet store could use their sales receipt as a temporary recreational permit good for 21 days, giving them time to buy an official Texas Parks & Wildlife Department permit.

Dealers who possess or transport controlled exotic snakes for sale would need to pay a $60 Commercial Controlled Exotic Snake Permit. This permit would be required for each permanent place of business where controlled exotic snakes are sold.

Permitted businesses would need to maintain a daily record of snake sales, which would have to be kept for two years and made available to TPWD upon request.

Either permit could be obtained anywhere Texas hunting and fishing licenses are sold.

The department staff is preparing the official version of the proposed regulations.

Following publication of the proposal in the Texas Register, public comments will be accepted via the TPWD Web site Public Comment page. The commission will consider final adoption of the regulations at its next meeting January 24.

The Commission also approved the publication of proposed regulations that would require party boat operators to be licensed and their boats inspected and insured.

Additional language included in House Bill 12 requires the commission to regulate party boats on inland lakes and waterways.

According to the regulations approved by the commission, party boat means “a vessel rented or leased for a group recreational event for more than six passengers that operates on inland waters of this state.”

Not included in the definition are boats less than 30 feet in length, sailboats, livery vessels or any vessel used for training purposes.

According to the rules, a party boat is subject to an annual inspection; requires the operator to be at least 21 years of age, licensed and to have completed a boater safety course; imposes limits on the number of passengers; and requires a minimum amount of liability insurance.

“Unlike excursion vessels and boats engaged in other charter businesses on coastal waters, boats on Texas’ inland waters are not subject to U.S. Coast Guard regulations concerning inspections and licensing,” said Col. Pete Flores, TPWD Law Enforcement Division director. “The new regulations will address that gap and result in increased safety on our inland lakes and rivers.”

TPWD staff will have the licensing and inspection process in place by June 2008, when enforcement of the regulations will begin.

E-mail Wayne Watson at outlaw@fishgame.com.

HUNT TEXAS Continued from Page C54 way to enjoy what we all like to do—hunt.

However, opportunities for Texas hunters who would like to hunt deer, turkey, and other game animals during the archeryonly seasons with crossbows could be increased if changes were made to current regulations.

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sons. Prior to the changes, only physically impaired persons could hunt with a crossbow during the general seasons.

Current archery-only season regulations, however, allow only vertical bows to be used unless a person is physically impaired, in which case that person can use a crossbow. Here’s the kicker: String locking devices that hold compound bows into a “cocked” and ready-to-fire position are allowed during the archery-only season, whereas crossbows with their string F i s h

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locking devices are not legal.

Is there really that much difference between a vertical bow with a string locking device and a crossbow with a string locking device to deny increased hunting opportunities during the archery-only seasons for crossbow enthusiasts?

I think not.

E-mail Bob Hood at hunting@fishgame.com.

All Eyes on Falcon LL EYES WILL BE ON LAKE FALCON THIS month as the FLW Outdoors Stren Series Texas Division rolls into town for its first qualifying event of the 2008 season. The Jan. 9-12 tournament comes at

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by Matt Williams the height of big bass season in deep South Texas. There has been serious speculation that someone could top Steve Kennedy’s four-day BASS record weight total of 122 pounds, 14 ounces. Kennedy set the current record last spring on California’s Clear Lake.

“It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see it happen—the fish are definitely there to do it,” said Speedy Collett, a long-time Falcon guide and owner of Beacon Lodge.

Wishful Thinking Lands Hope Big Bass Prize Stephen Hope of Ovilla earned top honors in what turned out to be a record setting big bass parade in the 2007 McDonald’s Big Bass Splash held recently on Lake Fork.

Over three days, the 27,000-acre impoundment near Quitman cranked out an amazing 37 bass that exceeded the upper end of the lake’s restrictive 16-24 inch slot limit.

Hope’s bass, a 10.62-pounder, was the heaviest of them all. The fish inhaled a shaky head worm shortly before daylight during the first hour of the first day of the tournament.

“I never thought it would hold up, especially with us being at Lake Fork,” Hope said.

Hope’s lunker earned him the top prize package that included a new H2 Hummer and Triton bass boat valued at $93,550. He was followed in the standings by Jimmy

Callahan of Colleyville, Texas, 10.02 pounds, Dodge Truck/Triton boat $50,450; Juan Perry of Elizabeth, Louisiana, 9.99 pounds, Hideout Travel Trailer; Michael Lacefield, DeQueen, Arkansas, 9.55 pounds, Bad Boy Buggy; and John Weatherly, Killeen, Texas, 9.40 pounds, Bad Boy Buggy.

Together, the field of nearly 3400 anglers weighed in 761 bass totaling 1644.88 pounds. Tournament organizer Bob Sealy paid out $400,000 in cash and prizes. Sealy Outdoors also donated more than $16,000 to the Ronald McDonald Houses of Texas.

Five Texans in Bassmaster Classic, One in WBT Jasper, Texas bass pro Todd Faircloth heads up a list of five Texas bass pros that nailed down berths to the 2008 Bassmaster Classic slated for February 22-24 on Lake Hartwell in Greenville, South Carolina. Top prize in the tournament is $500,000.

Faircloth, 32, earned the ticket to his sixth Classic by finishing No. 6 in the 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings after 11 Elite Series qualifying events.

The Skeeter pro will be joined at the Big Show by Gary Klein of Weatherford (14th), Kelly Jordon of Mineola (19th), Takahiro Omori of Emory (27th), and Alton Jones of Waco (31st).

Klein has competed in the Classic 26 times, more than anyone else in the field.

Jones has made the trip 11 times; Omori, 6; and Jordon, 6.

On the lady’s tour, Juanita Robinson of Highlands is the only Texas pro to qualify for the 2008 Women’s Bassmaster Tour Championship on February 21-23 on Lake Keowee, also in South Carolina. The winner will earn a Mercury-powered Triton bass boat valued at $50,000.

Robinson fished third in the 2007 WBT Championship held on Lake Mitchell in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Matsubu Racks Up $111,000 with Elite Win Ben Matsubu of Hemphill saved his best performance of the 2007 BASS Elite Series season for the last. Matsubu, 45, closed out the year with a dominating performance on Florida’s Lake Tohopekaliga that netted him his first Elite Series victory and $111,000.

“I’ve struggled the last four years here in Florida,” Matsubu said. “I can’t figure out the fish here in spring, but I’ve won two tournaments here in the fall.”

Matsubu’s four-day total of 66 pounds, 8 ounces crushed second place finisher Bill Smith’s total by more than 14 pounds. He concentrated on grass beds in the center of the lake using a shallow diving crankbait and a Carolina rig.

Other Texas pros who finished among the Top 20 were James Niggemeyer of Van (8th), Todd Faircloth of Jasper (17th), and Gary Klein of Weatherford (20th).

Culpepper Brothers Ice Rockport Victory Those Culpepper boys are hot. Competing in the final Wal-Mart Redfish Series Western event of the 2007 season in Rockport, Jonathan and Kris Culpepper of Houston hauled in a three-day total of 46 pounds, 4 ounces to squeak past Skipper Mock of South Padre Island and Eddie Curry of Port Isabel by a narrow margin of 3 ounces. The win, the Culpepper’s second of the 2007 season and their third since 2006, earned them $37,500.

The Culpepper’s said their primary area was located in Upper Laguna Madre south of Port Aransas. Their go-to bait was 4-inch Berkley Gulp! shrimp on a T.C. jighead.

Clark Jordon of Pearland and Chief Tauzin of Manvel finished third; Steve Reupke of Corpus Christi and Frank Duxtad of Port Aransas, fourth; and Jay Watkins and Jay Watkins, Jr. of Rockport, fifth.

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The Right Stuff ASS FISHING HAS BECOME A MUCH MORE technical game, and each year there seems to be more innovative lures and techniques coming to use. I remember when it was pretty simple to go bass fishing. All you needed was a rod, reel, some line, and a few lures, and you were set for the year. We have learned so much over the years that has made us smarter and more versatile bass chasers.

When I’m walking around Bass Pro Shops looking at all the antique fishing equipment on display, from lures to rods to motors, electronics, and more, it really is amazing how far bass fishing has come. I will be the first to admit sometimes we get overwhelmed with maybe too much infor-

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mation and lose focus on what we need to be doing. This is a good time to sit down and say, “Hey let’s get back to the basics and see if we can catch something.”

Now days, I can promise you that you need to learn new techniques as they come along or you will find yourself steadily falling behind. I fish with co-anglers all the time that, as soon as they get in my Nitro, they say something like, “I hope you’re not going to flip today” or “I hate Carolina-rigging” or “I don’t know how to drop-shot” or “I fish only a spinnerbait.” This horse is defeating its right out of the chute, and is going to have a rough time fishing.

It’s not that hard to learn techniques now with all the good videos available. Get them and watch them over several times to get as much knowledge as possible, then spend a few days practicing what you have watched.

Go back and watch again to see if you are doing everything right and then practice some more. Soon, you will have enough knowledge to feel comfortable with what you are doing and be able to compete alongside

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the best of them. Do this with all the innovations you read about and you will be way ahead of the game.

Get technical with each technique; in other words, have all the right stuff for that particular way of fishing, from the line to the rod, reel, and lure selection that makes it work.

Let’s say we are going to Carolina rig.

You need to watch my video, “Worming with Woo,” available from Bass Pro Shops.

You will see that you need the Bass Pro Shops Woo Daves Extreme 7-foot medium action rod; a high speed Extreme 7.1 ratio reel; 12- to 17-pound-test Fluorocarbon line; Carolina Keepers, Lindy’s Rattlin’ No-Snagg 3/4-ounce weight; 1/0 to 3/0 Mustad offset wide gap hooks; a variety of Zoom lizards, Brushhogs, and Centipedes in Green Pumpkin and Watermelon colors; a can of crawfish-scented Jack’s Juice; and you are set for just about any situation.

Now, if you want to drop-shot, finesse fish, flip, skip worms, work topwaters, or fish crankbaits, it’s all the same. Match the equipment with what the videos tell you to use and you have 80 percent of the techniques licked. All that’s left is to practice.

Like anything you do, it always gets better as you go along; practice makes perfect, but the right equipment optimizes everything.

If I’m going to fish a Bagley Baitfish, I want a fast tip, medium-action rod for best results. Now I can throw it on a flippin’ rod, but the lure is going to lose action and I’m going to lose hook setting ability and probably rip it out of the fish’s mouth. I could throw it on a real limber rod, and then I lose feel and hook-setting power. These two choices are not very effective, so they would not be the proper equipment to use. This is true with every technique you fish; there is a right way that will work best, or several ways that will give you mixed results.

Next time you are out on your favorite lake, do things the best way possible and the results will start to show.

ATV category, calling it “an absolute deal changer in the ATV market.”

Fastest Side-by-Side ATV on the Trail OLARIS RECENTLY INTRODUCED A SIZZLING fast side-by-side to its ATV lineup.

According to company news releases, the Ranger RZR is the first trail capable, side-by-side vehicle that screams down the trails as the fastest accelerating and lightest side-by-side; navigates through tight, twisty terrain with ease; and tackles mud, rocks, and anything else nature throws its way for the ultimate off-road experience.

“Ranger RZR was designed to appeal to a wide variety of riders,” said Matt Homan, general manager of Ranger. “Avid trail riders will appreciate Ranger RZR’s ability to go anywhere an ATV can go; hunters will enjoy the ability to navigate to the most remote and extreme hunting spots while hauling enough gear for two; and sideby-side sport enthusiasts will find Ranger RZR’s light weight, cornering ability, acceleration and top speed appealing.”

At 50 inches wide, Ranger RZR is the only trail capable side-by-side in its class. At 945 pounds, it is the lightest sideby-side with the lowest cage height, compared to its competitors, which ensures true trail accessibility. Ranger RZR also boasts a true all-wheel drive (AWD) system that automatically engages when the rider needs more forward traction and reverts to 2WD automatically when AWD is no longer needed.

Built with a patented design that places the engine behind the seat, Ranger RZR

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has the lowest center of gravity of all the sport side-by-sides for unmatched off-road responsiveness. Riders will find themselves sitting at least seven inches lower than they would in competitive side-by-side vehicles for unparalleled handling and ground hugging performance. For optimal handling on any terrain, Ranger RZR has 9 inches of travel in the front, 9.5 inches in the rear, and 10 inches of ground clearance due to its double A-arm front suspension with an exclusive, front anti-sway bar and a rolled independent rear suspension (IRS). For comfort, Ranger RZR also sports the best ergonomics in its class, including tilt steering, and adjustable handrails and seats.

Powered by a liquid-cooled, even-firing Polaris Big Bore 800 Twin EFI engine, Ranger RZR is the fastest accelerating side-by-side with the highest horsepower in its class; accelerating to 35 MPH in four seconds, and topping out at 55 MPH. This power coupled with Ranger RZR’s unique design and smaller stature creates a vehicle that delivers razor sharp side-by-side performance.

Ranger RZR is no slouch when it comes handling the tough tasks. With a cargo bed rated for 300 pounds with 12 tie-down points, 1500-pound towing capacity, underhood storage, and a myriad of PURE Polaris accessories including Lock & Ride, cabs and cargo systems, you have all the utility you need.

Field & Stream Magazine named the Ranger RZR “Best of the Best” in the A L M A N A C / T E X A S

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The Art of Being Ornery Part II RANK MORIN STARED OUT THE CAR WINDOW. His face hung slack and sad. His shoulders drooped and there was a forlorn look in his eyes. He was having a run of bad luck, typical for young cowboys that can’t play by the rules.

The plan was to build fence that afternoon, but first, he needed to go by the DPS office to renew his Commercial Driver License (CDL). He promised to meet me back at Christine’s beer joint, and that allowed time for me to swing through town for my own errands. I didn’t expect to pull up to the red light and see Frank go by in the back seat of a black and white state trooper’s car.

“Dad-gummit! There went my fence crew!” I snorted. I couldn’t afford to bail him out and knew he’d be spending at least one night in jail, a point of humor to young cowboys but not to old ones. The guys at Christine’s would get a laugh out of this mess.

Frank is a tall, easy-going Mexican fellow with a propensity to tell stories. He’ll cock his head sideways, look off into the wild blue yonder, and expound on subjects that he has no clue. With a longneck in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he is a self-anointed Casanova and gentleman of the world. He begins his oratories with, “You know, one time I ...” The surrounding beer joint patrons will groan and move away.

Most of the audience is transient and

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shuffles about the smoky room, ducking in and out of conversations. Meanwhile, Frank’s never-ending dilemmas are the source of too many jokes. Good-hearted and always willing to lend a hand, he gets into more peccadilloes than a person would think possible. And in true country boy fashion, we never give him a break. We’re ornery that way. If one of our compadres does something stupid, he wears the invisible sign until somebody relieves him with their own mindboggling idiocy. The opportunities are endless.

“I just got me a new job,” Frank said one day.

“Yeah, where?” I asked.

“At the Frito-Lay factory.”

A short pause ensued and I blinked, then grinned because the chance was ripe.

“Yeah? They got you running the grease machine? Do you wear a sombrero? I bet you shake maracas and sing ‘I love my Rancho Grande’ while you’re pulling the lever.”

“No, man, you ain’t right!” Then he shifted the topic to his actual concern. “Hey, when are you going to take me hog hunting?

You always promise to take me, but you never do! You just come to get me when you need help gutting and skinning! You always take Fred or one of the other boys. Why don’t you ever take me?”

Frank had gotten me into a wreck working Mrs. Pilsner’s cattle. A simple task of shipping calves to the auction turned into roping two-year old bulls in the pasture and rebuilding pens. Now, I was gun-shy. But on the other hand, a hog hunt put things back in my bailiwick. Besides, I could see where I hadn’t been fair. Frank deserved something in return for my abuse.

“Okay,” I said. “Be at Grandma’s house before daylight tomorrow morning. We’ll catch a couple of horses and take a tour through the brush. We’re not going to take the dogs. There’s so many wild pigs in the Burger Pasture that we can shoot one for barbecue without much trouble.”

“Do I need a gun?”

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“No! I’ll bring mine. That’s all we need.”

“You’re lying, you won’t be there. You’re setting me up. You’re not going to take me hunting!”

“Yes, we’re going hog hunting. Christine needs some meat for a party and we’ll bust a pig or two; nothing to it. Just be at the house around 5:30.”

Frank nodded and was satisfied. After that, it was a simple exercise to ready the truck and trailer for the next day and then set my clock for 6:00 a.m. There was no way Frank would show up at 5:30.

The next morning, there he was, sitting in the yard. We drank coffee and saddled our ponies. Frank puttered around doing whatever he was directed. His eyes shined like a little kid’s and his excitement was infectious. The realization dawned that this simple chore for me was a special experience for Frank. My intent was to whack a pig.

From his perspective, we were riding into the wilds for a great hog hunting expedition.

Once more, the difference between going out to shoot and kill a critter and the nervetingling anticipation associated with hunting was brought to bear. The two points must be contemplated and varying individual viewpoints considered. What might seem like fish-in-a-barrel to one person could be a safari to the next.

“Frank, when we get there, you need to carry my .30-30. My horse is pretty green and doesn’t tolerate much foolishness.”

“Okay!” and the light in his eyes brightened more.

We loaded our horses in the trailer and headed to the Burger Pasture. At a turn in the road, we looked down the neighbor’s fenceline. Hogs were rooting and milling 300 yards away.

“The neighbor set a trap next to our property. He’s probably caught something and there’s pigs hanging around,” I said.

We continued another 3/4-mile to the front gate, mounted up, and began our sneak.

“Now, you see, some folks prefer fourwheelers, but the piggies would hear us coming,” I explained. “Makes more sense to ride quiet and then ease up on foot. Besides, I’m no gearhead. At least a horse will answer when you talk to it; it’s language cowboys can hear.”

We cantered across the first opening, down a dirt road, and then slowed to a walk.

Then we tied up, Frank handed me the rifle, and we pussyfooted through the brush. The yaupon caught at our clothes and our breaths became short and heavy. With careful, deft motions, we moved forward. Our eyes bulged as we strained to find our quarry. Thanks to Frank’s enthusiasm, what started as an excursion to get some meat had become a bonding adventure for buddies.

Our skin crawled and hair prickled. Sweat tickled my ribs inside my shirt. Then through a hole in the foliage, a black oinker faced us at 60 yards and sniffed the air.

Frank pressed close behind as I leveled the Winchester, held the bead high between the hog’s eyes, and dropped the hammer.

A dozen hogs scattered everywhere, grunting, squealing, and getting the hell out of Dodge—including the one we’d seen.

“Did you see that?” I asked and shook my head. “That dead hog just ran off!”

Frank hollered and laughed. “You missed!”

“There’s no way! Let’s look for blood!”

But 45 minutes later, Frank proved right.

The shot should have dropped the pig in its tracks. It was a hit or miss situation. So, we traipsed back to the ponies and continued our tour.

“Wait ‘til I tell everybody you missed an easy shot! Christine better have plenty of bologna for her party!”

“Shut up. We’re going to catch another trail and go to the other side of this property. Would you like to see the log cabin that me and Rusty built back in ‘77?”

“Are there pigs there?”

“Maybe.”

We remounted and rode in a different direction. The trail to the cabin doglegged past a stock tank and then down into a terrible thicket. We ducked and wove our way under branches and skidded our legs against post oak trees. The trail dipped through gravelly draws and side-hilled up toward a grassy meadow. Bent over the saddlehorns and dodging limbs, we still endeavored to watch for our prey. Finally, we emerged

from the low canopy and I pointed to my right into a corner of the opening at the log cabin.

“See, me and Rusty...” Then something moved to my left and I peeled out of the saddle. Frank gawked and jerked his pony sideways at my sudden approach.

“What are you doing?” he chirped.

“Give me the rifle!”

His hand came down and I took the weapon and levered a cartridge. This time there would be no head shots. Across the

meadow, several hogs rooted on the edge of the brush, and a yellow and black spotted sow looked like the main course for next weekend’s menu. The bead rested behind its shoulder and at the report the pigs jumped and exited stage left.

“You missed again!” Frank hooted.

“No I didn’t! Let’s give her a few minutes and then go pick her up. Meanwhile, would you like to see the cabin? It was once

Continued on Page C62

It’s a Burd, It’s a Plane— No, It’s a Teal!

ABY, THIS IS GOING TO BE awesome,” David gushed.

“Opening teal season on private marshland. What a treat! There is nothing like it. You are surrounded by water with ducks coming at you from all sides.”

“David, look, they have the airboat out,” I observed.

“You betcha! Let’s go! Put a whoop on it.

We need to get to the blind before sunup.”

Wait, a minute, they are loading the airboat.

“David, are we going in the airboat to the marsh?”

“Yes, silly girl. How else would we get there?”

“Really? Wow. This should be fun! Does it go really, really fast?”

“Oh, Baby, you won’t believe it. We are talking mega horsepower. Come on, Baby, step down. Why are you straddling the dock and the boat? Jump on.”

Don’t rush me, Buster! It is dark as pitch out here.

“David, turn on the floor lights. I can’t see where I am going.”

“Floor lights? There are no lights on the boat. Come on, I will guide you.”

What? No lights on this aerated hotrod?

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Any prudent boat captain would have headlights, for heaven sakes. Nope, no running lights. How about back lights? Nope! Lights on the shoreline?

Well, that is just perfect! Okay, don’t panic!

Be a big gurl! They are professionals, after all; surely, they know what they are doing. It is not like this is their first solo flight in the dark.

But for the love of… driving blind on a pool of dark water. Who does that? What if we hit the Loch Ness monster? Or a log, or an incidental piece of floating debris, or a family of loons? They are protected, you know.

“Here, Baby, put these headphones on.

You are going to need them. It gets really loud.”

Well at least, I won’t see it or hear it when we collide and all disintegrate like a gnat going 70 miles per hour. A cheap but honorable burial at sea. No mess. I can see the headline in the obituaries now: “Opening day for teal hunting party collides with a family of resting loons at approximately 5:30 am. Wife’s fingernails found embedded into husband’s hand.

They died doing what they loved. Unfortunately, it was before limiting out. No survivors, except for the loons.”

Just meditate and close your eyes. The guys

will think you are sleeping.

Wham! I knew it! Here we go! Oh, darn, and still so young… okay, it is a relative term!

Bump! Oh, please, dear God, take me fast!

Kaboom! It has been a good life. I have loved and been loved.

Ouch! Goodnight, my knee just slammed into the front bench! Criminy! I think I just cracked my tailbone. Man, this bench is hard.

Yeah, I thought you weren’t supposed to feel pain when you are dead.

“Baby, we’re here.”

“David, is that you? Am I bleeding?”

“What? What are you talking about?

Baby, stand up, would ya? We need to move this bench on to the shoreline and get the boat unloaded.”

We’re alive? Praise the Lord!

“Sorry, Sweetie, I must have dozed off. I was so relaxed with the wind blowing and the hum of the engine.”

Umm, I wonder if he will buy that.

“Well, Baby, you sure do have a strong grip when you are dozing.”

WILDERNESS TRAILS Continued from Page C61 a honeymoon resort.”

We finished the morning telling tales and fetching the meat to the pickup. Upon our arrival in Christine’s parking lot, Frank hopped out of the truck to show off our prize. With his chest puffed out and smiling, he cocked his head and related the C62

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day’s events to the noontime patrons.

Fred Cribley looked at me. “You mean you took Frank hunting?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh. What made you decide to do that?”

“I was riding a colt and needed a gunbearer.”

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then re-bloomed. “You’re lying again. You just always have to say something ornery!”

I chuckled. Yeah, Frank’s right, and I’m glad he’s my buddy.

E-mail Herman W. Brune at wilderness@fishgame.com

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL WATSON

“Cough, cough, uh, hey guys, excuse me, can I be on the end of the bench? I need a little elbow room.”

Josh, the guide, yells in a whisper, “Get down, here they come! Ready, look over there! Take ‘em!”

Who? Who get ready? Where? Which way? Take him? Where is the darn bird? I don’t see the bird!

“Wait! Don’t shoot! Those are mottled ducks.”

“All-righty, here we go… ten o’clock… keep down, wait, wait, wait… now!”

Boom! Boom!

Holy bluewing! Those little dive-bombers are fast!

“Baby, that was your shot! You need to pay attention. They come in really fast and you need to be on your toes.”

Listen here, Paul Bunyan, I am on my toes! All 5 feet, 6 inches of me. You try to see over all you 6-foot-plus Neanderthals with your barrels spinning around above my head.

Do you know where your gun barrel is today?

“Okay, Darling, I will pay closer attention.

Sorry!”

“Twelve o’clock, they are heading this way.

Stay down, Baby; wait until they’re right on top of you and then blast them. Man, oh man, they are coming right to us. Okay, take ‘em!”

Safety off. Come here, my little feather duster! Come to Momma. Let me wrap you up in a nice warm bacon blanket. Steady, keep your eye on the birdie. Yikes! Slow down, wait… hold still. Oh, boy, there he goes, over your shoulder. Gads, straight up! Whoops!

Behind you, over to the left. Oh, just pull!

You are iridescently dead, you sneaky little blue-winged bugger!

Boom! Boom!

“You got him! Good shot, Baby! That’s my girl!”

“Jeez, those pint-size rockets do wheelies!

You practically have to stand on your head.”

“Not much time to think about what to do, huh?”

An hour later, out of shells, I look down at my one and only teal.

“David, do you have anymore shotgun shells? I am out.”

“Nope. No more, Baby! You know, I think we are done for the day, anyhow. They know where we are now. It is starting to thin out.”

Leave! No, no, we can’t leave yet! I have only one! One measly pint-size teal! It isn’t even enough for an appetizer. Sure, you guys want to leave; you all have your limits! I

know, why don’t you all go wait in the boat until I get the rest of my limit? That way, I can have the bench all to myself.

“Come on, Baby, let’s go. Jump in.”

“But, Sweetie, I don’t have my limit. Isn’t the rule that you wait until everyone has gotten their limit? I am sure that is the first law of duck etiquette.”

“Don’t worry, we will be back again tomorrow morning.”

“No, it ain’t right! I am not leaving until I have my limit. Why should the guy that has

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his limit be the one to decide when it is time to leave? I think it should be the guy that doesn’t have his limit!”

“Guys, did you hear that? She ain’t leaving until she gets her limit.”

“Well, I hear the gators wake up around 10, so be sure and keep your eyes peeled.

They like to crawl up here on the bank and take a little sun,” Josh said.

Oh pu-leeze! I did not fall off the Polaris

Continued on Page C64

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On Being an Expert TAND IN ONE PLACE LONG ENOUGH WITH A knowing look on your face, and sooner or later, someone will ask you for advice. It happened to me the other day in the fishing aisle at a local outdoor retailer.

I was happily surveying the lure department, trying to decide how many new lures I could sneak into the shopping cart without my wife noticing. New lures come on the market on a regular basis to temp us hapless fishermen, convinced that if we can just find the right lure, big fish won’t stand a chance. Just as I had concluded that I needed a package or two of Wild Eyes and a handful of new crappie spinners, a lady approached me with that deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. She was clutching a spin-casting outfit that retailed for about $10 in one hand, and in the other had a medium-action bait-casting rod and reel combination I would have been proud to own.

“Excuse me,” she said in a slightly out-ofbreath voice. “Can you help me?”

I replied I would try and inquired as to how I might be of service.

“I want to buy my husband a fishing outfit and I don’t know the slightest thing about it,” she said.

Here was my chance to help this poor woman find the perfect gift for her fisherman-

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to-be. So, I swelled up all-knowingly and asked her how much experience her husband had with the sport. She told me he had fished during his childhood and wanted to take it up again. I proceeded to describe the differences in the two examples of fishing outfits she clutched in her white-knuckled hands, and then told her that she should buy both of them. The spin-cast outfit was perfect for casting practice and getting reacquainted with different techniques, I explained. As a matter-of-fact, I had one myself, I told her, and it was great for practicing jig flipping indoors.

The other setup was more than adequate for catching bass and catfish. She thanked me profusely and went on her way.

It’s nice being an expert.

My wife dragged me to a holiday social event the other evening and warned me about getting into long, boring fishing conversations with people who were not devoted to the lifestyle. While I was sipping a glass of holiday punch and trying not to look more out-ofplace than I felt, I overheard a group of people talking about the relative merits of Hummers. To a fisherman, a hummer is short for a Humdinger, a type of fishing lure with a heavy metal body and one small spinner attached to the rear. It is extremely effective for catching a variety of fish, including white, striped, and largemouth bass. So, eager to fit in and pleased to find that there were some revelers at the party who were also of the fishing persuasion, I eased over beside them to include myself in a familiar topic and be of expert assistance if necessary.

“Hummers are just a big chunk of ugly metal,” one man was saying.

“They don’t have much in the way of style or flash, and they cost too much,” another replied.

“I find them completely useless, a waste of money, and have never known anyone who had good luck with them,” a third man added.

Wow, I thought to myself, these guys have had a really bad experience with this lure.

Maybe I can offer some advice that will help them. So, I sidled up to the group, introduced myself, and told them that I was quite familiar with the Hummer and had caught a lot of nice fish using them. Caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment, I failed to notice the quizzical expressions on their faces.

Maybe they were fishing the lure too rapidly, I thought, a common mistake when targeting fish in cold water.

“Try casting it out and reel it just fast enough to keep it off the bottom,” I advised.

“Cold fish bite very subtly. Set the hook on anything that feels different, and odds are that difference will be a fish. Hummers can also be fished vertically. Just lower one to the bottom over a school of fish and raise it very slowly a foot or two, then let it sink back down to the bottom. Most strikes will occur on the fall.”

I smiled, nodded my head at their stunned and wordless faces, and left the group, secure in the knowledge that I had helped shed some light on another of the mysteries of fishing.

It’s nice being an expert.

E-mail Barry St. Clair at bstclair@fishgame.com.

THE GURLZ PAGE Continued from Page C63 yesterday!

“Oh, sure, Josh! I am not going to fall for that! Gators? Right! They are going to crawl right up here?”

“Yep, and they like blonde gurlz about 5C64

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foot, 6 for breakfast. Not too big, not too small. Just one scrumptious bite.”

Well, come to think of it, we did see some of those long-snouted crocs along the banks.

And, well, we are in their natural habitat.

“Well, come to think of it, I am getting pretty hungry for breakfast. After all, no F i s h

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sense in being greedy. Jeez, it is not like we are not coming back tomorrow. Right, guys?”

E-mail Mari Henry at gurlz@fishgame.com.

Ryan Vick began keeping a journal when his English teacher, Mrs. Stilwell, made the assignment. Surprised by his own enthusiasm for writing, Ryan continues to record his thoughts.

ELL, IT HAS BEEN A WHOLE YEAR SINCE I started writing in this journal.

It was kinda hard at first, but then things got easier once I realized I just had to write down what was going through my mind. Dad says there isn’t much in my mind most of the time, but he just likes to tease us.

We went duck hunting on New Year’s Eve day. The day before, Dad’s cousin Roger called from his house in the country and said greenheads were all over the river bottoms and we should get our guns and come on. Greenheads are mallards.

It didn’t take Sis and me but a minute to get our gear together. We’ve learned to keep a hunting bag packed and ready to go, just in case Dad said he wanted to go somewhere. In this kind of weather, he always makes sure we carry enough clothes to layer up. He’s told us how important layering is, so Sis and I very seldom get cold when we’re hunting.

We start with good thermal underwear and wool socks. Then we wear wool pants and heavy sweaters made out of that material that breathes. On top of that, we wear insulated and waterproof cold weather coats Dad bought for us at some expensive on-line outdoor place. Sometimes when it’s really, really cold, we wear insulated coveralls. The most important thing, Dad says, is a good warm hat or cap, because people lose up to 80 percent of their body heat through their

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ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL WATSON

New Year Ducks

heads.

We threw our waders into the toolbox on the truck and took off. Mama thinks we’re crazy to go duck hunting when it’s sleeting outside, but we told her that was the best time. She said something about the best time being when we were all gone and the house was quiet. She’s always saying things like that.

It took only an hour and a half to get there, so we had plenty of time to eat supper at Roger’s house.

Roger is bald as a cue ball, and so I know why Dad says to wear a hat in cold weather.

He and Dad sat up in front of the fireplace for a long time staring into the fire and talking about hunts they were on when they were my age. Every now and then, Dad looked over at me and said something like, “You don’t do what I did. You do what I say.”

I finally couldn’t stay awake and Sis had already fallen asleep on the couch. I shook her awake and we went into the spare bedroom that had twin beds and went to sleep.

It felt like I’d barely closed my eyes when Dad was shaking my foot, telling us to get up and get dressed.

Dude, it was cold in that house! I could almost see my breath and Sis griped about it, wishing she could stay in her warm bed.

I told her to go ahead, but I’d be shooting ducks while she hung around the house to do “girl stuff.”

After a hot breakfast, we drove only about five miles and parked the truck.

Roger put his black lab on a leash and said, “Follow me.” He led the three of us down a path and through the dark woods to a

slough. I thought it was a swamp, but Dad says there’s a difference. He says a slough is where water backs up only in wet weather, and it mostly dries out in the summertime.

Some summer warmth sure would have felt good by the time we settled ourselves into this nice big duck blind that I bet could hold eight people. Both Dad and Roger pulled big Thermoses out of their day packs. Roger’s was full of hot coffee. Dad brought hot chocolate and it sure tasted good sitting there waiting for daylight. The clouds were thick and gray, and I said I hoped it would snow.

“Load ‘em up,” Dad told us. Sis and I slid three shells into our shotguns, because that’s how many shells you can have when you’re hunting migratory birds like ducks, geese, and dove. Then we waited, looking out over the water.

I heard the first ducks before I saw them.

A bunch of mallards flew over the blind and turned around. The whistle of their wings sounded like miniature jets the fighter pilots fly. They made another pass and I saw that they were looking at some decoys that Roger had put out the day before.

The second time they came around to

look at the decoy set, they cupped their wings, intending to drop into the spread.

“Light ‘em up,” Roger said real quiet. I picked out a drake, that’s the male duck, and cut down on him, but nothing happened. I was so excited I forgot to release the safety. Sis’ shotgun boomed, then boomed again before I finally got off my first shot.

One duck was already falling by then, but the second drake I saw was beating its wings to climb back into the air. My first shot completely missed, just like the second one, but my third shot hit solid and it fell with a splash and then the rest were gone.

Bozo, the Lab, shot out of the blind and went swimming through the freezing water like a torpedo. “Get ‘em, Bo-Zo!” Roger yelled. That’s how he’d sound, emphasizing the “Zo” part.

Sis was squealing just like a girl because she’d shot before me. I wanted to tell her to shut up, but I didn’t want to sound like a little kid in front of the men, so I just looked around to see how many ducks were on the water. There were only two. It took a minute to realize that only Sis and I had fired. Dad and Roger just watched us.

Bozo swam to the first duck and turned back to us while Roger kept talking to him.

Roger reached his hand out of the blind and took the first duck, then made a waving motion with his hand and Bozo swam back out and got the other one.

The real fun started when Bozo got back in the blind and sat down in front of Sis. He kind of looked back over his shoulder at her and Roger said, “Uh-oh,” and Bozo started to shake the water off. Sis squealed again, this time from the ice water. I think Bozo did that just to pay her back for the first squeal, but Roger said he always does that on the first retrieve.

In a minute or two, a big flock of ducks came diving straight into the spread from way up high. “Look at that,” Dad said, watching them wiffle back and forth. He said they were flying fast and spilling air from their wings so they could land. There were so many coming in this time that everyone started shooting and ducks fell everywhere, splashing in the water with what seemed like every shot.

After that, as the sun came up, we shot some different types of ducks. I can’t tell them all apart yet, and Roger said that’s okay, because he knew the difference. Sometimes, he’d say not to shoot at all, and other

times he’d tell either me or Sis to shoot at a particular duck. It was over way too soon.

Then, just for the fun of it, we sat there and watched ducks come in to the decoys, one bunch after another. I bet there were 500 quackers bobbing on the water before it was over. Dad said we should be glad that ducks weren’t on the point system, like they had been when he and Roger were young.

He said it was harder to keep up with a limit of birds then, but the whole thing still made my head spin.

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Sis and I unloaded our guns and watched it start to mist, then that turned to light sleet. We actually felt warm and comfortable in that duck blind, drinking hot chocolate and watching even more ducks fly overhead and drop in to wait out the storm.

Duck hunting isn’t for everyone, but we sure had a great time.

—Ryan

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NE OF MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS OF small game hunting occurred when colorful leaves fell in the hardwood bottoms of Lamar County. My dad was a confirmed squirrel hunter and took every opportunity to drag me out of a warm bed on those frosty mornings to join him beneath the giant pecan trees along Sanders Creek.

Dad was a confirmed small game hunter in season, and his kills wound up in the frying pan or in stew. To my relatives, other than a roasted turkey on Thanksgiving, food wasn’t edible if it wasn’t fried or boiled.

Dad insisted on entering the woods before daylight. He always wanted to hunt squirrels along the creek, knowing the meandering watercourse acted as a natural high-

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way for all types of game.

We kicked our way through the dark woods and fallen leaves to areas clear of

by Reavis Z. Wortham underbrush in the thick, tall hardwoods that prevented anything but diffused sunlight to reach the forest floor. In this park-like setting, we settled with our backs against a large trunk or log to break up our outline.

The hunt officially began when Dad cut a chew of Days-O-Work and clicked his Old Timer pocketknife closed.

His preferred method for squirrels was still-hunting in remote areas that didn’t usually receive much hunting pressure. That’s how I hunt today, and likely as not, this F i s h

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method produces game.

“Be still,” Dad always said once we got settled. “Squirrels will see movement before anything else, so just don’t fidget.” I can still hear his lesson even today. I guess he knew that reinforcing what he had already told me would eventually become second nature.

One morning, I held the little pump .410 across my lap, the muzzle away from Dad. One of the best parts of the hunt was watching the falling leaves drift slowly to the ground. It didn’t take long for the woods to come alive as the rising sun chased away the shadows.

Dad was right about motion catching your attention. Movement high up to my right announced the arrival of a foraging cat squirrel, long before I heard the rustle of

PHOTO BY RUSSELL GRAVES

Small Game Games

leaves in the canopy’s high thin limbs.

Barely moving my head, I watched the squirrel jump from tree to tree, eventually coming within shotgun range. Remembering more of Dad’s advice, I very slowly “drew a fine bead” on the squirrel’s tiny head and squeezed the trigger. The little .410 cracked and the load of number 5 shot did its work. The squirrel fell to the thickly carpeted forest floor, landing with a soft thump.

I started to rise, but Dad gently laid his hand on my knee. “Just sit here a minute,” he whispered. “If you move, they’ll see you.

Wait right there and another one will be along directly. For all they knew, that shot was a breaking branch, or even thunder.

We’ll pick them up later.”

He was right, in less than two minutes a second squirrel appeared from the opposite direction, and the sharp whip-crack of Dad’s .22 barely even startled two other squirrels as one chased another past our position. He preferred to hunt with .22 shorts, because the report wasn’t as loud as with longer shells, or “hulls,” as he called them. Squirrels are tasty, so we didn’t ruin

the meat by shredding it with too much lead in any form.

Hardwood bottoms then, as now, provide plenty of forage consisting of nuts, seeds, bark, insects, and even the fruit of the bois d’arc tree. The best time to hunt these little guys is early in the morning, and late in the day. Rainy or overcast days have always seemed to be more productive than warm, dry days.

When you are scouting for a good area to hunt, look for nests high in the tops of trees, nut scraps, disassembled bois d’arc fruit, or of course, barking squirrels. If you hear one chattering nearby, the odds are that others are not far away.

Many budding Texas hunters cut their teeth on small game, and this rite of passage into the adult hunting world provides valuable lessons to all that will last a lifetime.

Dad never was one to get in any hurry while hunting. His methods of slow or stillhunting also worked on other small game and still serve me today. I may have grown older, but the general nature of small game hasn’t changed at all.

When the grip of winter bore down on

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the land and the sharp wind cut across the pastures and harvested fields, Dad liked to hunt rabbits. We didn’t use dogs as many people in the north and northeast did. We walked them up on frosty mornings.

By walking, I don’t mean we stepped out smartly across the pastures and fields, either.

Usually accompanied by a handful of cousins, uncles or friends, we scattered out and kind of moseyed in a slow drive, watching the white frost for animal trails though the grass. We didn’t wander into these fields without a plan, though an older relative usually directed the drive with a minimum of instruction or orders.

The Eastern Cottontail is the most common rabbit species in North America, and they thrive everywhere in Texas except the upper reaches of the Trans-Pecos. The ideal habitats for cottontails are briar patches, brush piles, and overgrown pastures. They feed well into mid-morning, and again in late afternoon and evenings, so an outing for these non-game animals will last as long as a hunter’s interest. Their primary diet is anything in grandma’s garden or flowerbeds, fruits, and whatever green vegetation looks

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good at the time.

Jackrabbits are more commonly found in the western portions of the state. Existing in more hardscrabble territories, they live on the abovementioned diet when available, but can remain fat and healthy on green vegetation, cactus, and even sage when necessary.

Both species of rabbit rely on their keen sense of hearing, hence those long Bugs Bunny ears. They don’t like a lot of wind, so hunting during calm winter mornings or damp, rainy days will be more productive than when it is dry and windy.

When hunting rabbits, it is best to use their own basic fears against them. My preferred method of hunting rabbits makes use of their Barney Fife tendencies. Rabbits get desperately nervous when predators behave in an unusual manner. Dad’s slow or stillhunting techniques have filled uncountable game vests with rabbits. He called it “kicking them up.”

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Shotguns in hand, wearing blaze orange (in groups where the excitement might overcome a usually cautious hunter’s judgment) simply space out and walk slowly, so slowly that three or four steps might take several seconds. Then the fun part begins. Cottontails have already figured out an escape route long before danger arrives, but they want to be sure Peril is really just around the corner before committing themselves.

A slow walk, punctuated by sudden stops, a long wait, and then a sudden start will pop a rabbit out of hiding faster than the cork from a champagne bottle. While many hunters like to shoot them on the run, a little self-discipline will pay off when they stop after a few bounds just to see if they may have somewhat overreacted. That’s when the easy shot adds another bunny to the bag.

Jackrabbits in arid country can be taken by hunters shooting from a good vantage point. The odds of getting as close to a jack

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are not as great, but a small caliber rifle fitted with a quality scope will provide some of the most productive shooting you can find.

Tularemia deserves a mention here.

Hunting rabbits after a heavy frost or snow greatly reduces the risk of this infectious disease carried by rabbits. When in doubt, wear rubber gloves while cleaning and skinning your kills.

Other fur bearing small game animals include opossums, raccoons, skunks, beaver, nutria, and foxes.

Camouflage clothing always helps when hunting these animals. The choice of firearms is as varied as the hunter. Smallbore shotguns are common when hunting squirrels and raccoons, though many experienced hunters prefer small caliber rifles in the case of squirrels. A .22 short is a nearly perfect round for squirrels, and if you are patient and there are enough rabbits in your area, it makes a perfect target round.

Out west, a .22 long can spark a lively debate among dedicated riflemen. Sitting on a ridge overlooking a wide valley west of Abilene, I once spent a fine frosty afternoon taking distant jackrabbits with a borrowed .22 magnum. I have kicked myself several times when I didn’t buy that rifle after the owner offered it to me in a moment of apparent weakness.

October 1 through February 3 in 51 Texas counties constitutes the major squirrel season in the state. A second season begins the first day of May and ends May 31. Season is open year round in a select number of counties. Refer to the 2008-08 Texas Outdoor Annual for specifics in your area.

There is no closed season on rabbits and hares in the state.

Small game hunting is perfect for youngsters. It teaches self-discipline, sharpens hunting skills, and gets them away from the television, iPod, and computer. Enjoy family time in the field with small game and you will make memories that will last a lifetime.

TFG PHOTO

Kids and small game are made for each other.

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NE OF MY GOALS AS EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF Texas Fish & Game has been to get out among the people and see what issues are important to our readership. This has meant traveling all along the coast and all around the state, which is right up my alley.

I love to fish and hunt all over Texas, and do lots of appearances with my bands, FREAK13 and Drachen, as well as talking on wildlife issues ranging from endangered species legislation to red wolves.

Here is a glimpse into a typical month of

O B

PHOTO BY ROBERT SCHERER

Among the People

me being me.

A Since coming on A as executive editor, Chester has been all over the state, especially along the coast, covering stories. Here he takes a photo with Greg Welander of the Fort Worth Flyfishers and a nice redfish caught near one of the seagrass beds in the Aransas Bay complex.

Chester loves B late-season duck hunting in the Sabine River drainage south of Toledo Bend reservoir.

The wood duck shooting is always good, and the area holds lots of mallards at times that receive little pressure.

Chester is C not only in demand for his outdoors knowledge, but also his

music. Here, he and his band, FREAK13, are introduced onstage by none other than native Texan Joe Bob Riggs, syndicated columnist and former host of Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater on the Movie Channel and Monster Vision on TNT. Note: Meet Chester at the TF&G booth at the Houston International Boat Show, January 4, 5, and 6.

PHOTO BY LISA MOORE

PHOTO BY LISA MOORE

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Boat Show Season

tion with a fishing guide. The technology involved with fishing is ever-evolving, but the basics always remain the same. So, check out the new stuff and then go ask a crusty old guide if it will work.

HEN THOSE COLD JANUARY WINDS ARE blowing and you are looking for a way to get the kids out of the house, consider visiting a CCA Texas booth at your local boat show.

Boat shows are a great way to see the latest gear and technology that can be found on the market. They also give you an opportunity to see the latest line of boats, and maybe even find a new Hotspot during a conversa-

The best reason of all to visit a boat show is to renew your CCA Texas membership.

Not only will you get a chance to talk conservation and fishing with like-minded anglers, you also receive a free CCA Texas cap when you join the organization. This offer is good to all new and renewing members, so come on out and see us at one of the following shows: Houston Boat Show - January 4-13, Reliant Center

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by Luke Giles

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Rio Grande Valley Boat Show - January 11-13, RGV Livestock Show Grounds, Mercedes Austin Boat Show - January 17-20, Austin Convention Center San Antonio Boat Show - January 24-27, Alamodome Corpus Christi Boat Show - January 1720, American Bank Center Holder Fishing Show - March 5-9, Brown Convention Center, Houston Keep in mind we will also have some terrific CCA Texas merchandise at the shows: long- and short-sleeved shirts, as well as raffle tickets for great prizes such as boat and trailer packages, and four-wheelers. Come on out, and we will keep a light on for you.

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Federal Angler Registry Coming FEDERAL REGISTRY OF SALTWATER ANGLERS is in the works. Mandated in the revised Magnuson-Stevenson Act signed by the President last January, this registry must be completed by January 1, 2009, by order of Congress.

Officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are in charge of putting together the registry, which is essen-

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tially a “phonebook of recreational anglers,” according to them.

“What we are essentially trying to do is to build a new program to improve the collection, analysis, and use of recreational fishing data,” said NMFS scientist Dr. John Boreman. “We have very good records of commercial fishing efforts dating back nearly 100 years, but there have been problems

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with the recreational side, and this new mandate will help get much better data collection from that sector.”

Currently, federal recreational angler surveys consist of taking a random sample of coastal residents and asking them a few fishing related questions.

“This will allow us to only target those people who have identified themselves as saltwater anglers. This will make the surveying much more efficient and allow us to specifically target those who are using the resource,” Boreman said.

The first question most anglers ask about the registry is whether it will cost anything.

Federal mandates state that 2011 is the first year NMFS could charge for anglers to be registered, but there is not a set goal of

charging anglers at the federal level yet.

A number of states, including New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Rhode Island, do not have saltwater fishing licenses. States with saltwater licenses could get exemptions, and NMFS officials hope the looming federal registry will get states without licenses to create them.

“Most states would rather have that

“

The first question most anglers ask about the registry is whether it will cost anything.

“

income coming to them for their fisheries,” Boreman said.

Texas is a state likely to get an exemption because of its long-standing saltwater licensing. However, even exempted states might increase license fees in order to cover extra

expenses related to complying with the new federal requirements.

The surveys themselves will cover only federally controlled waters in most instances, but in the case of anadromous species such as salmon and striped bass, which move from the ocean far into inland rivers and lakes, federal officials want information.

That means anglers in non-coastal states such as Idaho would have to register.

The goal of the registry is to have a complete list of anglers to draw from for survey purposes, and there are some problems with achieving this sampling frame. They include the following: - Lifetime or long-term licenses: To retain exempted state status, states would have to commit to a timeframe to refresh licensee data.

- Combination licenses: States would commit to earmarking saltwater anglers somehow.

- Senior license: States would commit to a timeframe for recovering ID and contact information for exempted seniors.

- Data delivery: States would have to

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assure registry data is available and deliverable in a usable format within a specified period.

Fisheries managers could use the surveys to allow longer seasons where they are in place if, for example, angler pressure or success is in line with quotas. On other hand, it could possibly cause shutting down fishing in midstream, as is often the case in Pacific Coast salmon fisheries when quotas are met.

One thing is certain: Current data collection methods are lacking, and most in the recreational fishing community agree that change is needed.

“Getting an accurate picture of the recreational fishery is important for many reasons, and as fisheries issues continue to grow more complex, it will allow for a better look at what’s good for the resource and recreational anglers,” said Pat Murray, Vice President and Direction of Conservation for the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA). “CCA of course will be at the forefront of working on behalf of both causes.”

—Chester Moore

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For Classified Rates and Information call Barbara at 1-800-750-4670, ext. 5599.

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In 1995, my brother-in-law, Matthew Gregory, and I, George Calhoun, started developing the Wade Aid belt. The Wade Aid belt went on the market in 1996.

Wade Aid Enterprises prides itself in making the finest wade belt available. Whether you’re fishing for redfish or trout in the bays and surfs of the gulf coast, fighting striper in the Atlantic surfs or fishing for trout and salmon in cool mountain rivers, the Wade Aid belt is for you.

The Wade Aid is the most functional and comfortable wade belt available today. It is constructed of closed cell foam encased in neoprene with nylon webbing and hardware. The closed cell foam provides a unique lumbar support system. The rods and accessory holders are conveniently located for quick and easy access. The Wade Aid is clearly in a class by itself.

Please visit our website www.wadeaid.com or call us at 1-888-WADE AID (1-888-923-3243).

– Wade Aid F i s h

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Connie Muse 24-inch Trout rvice Hugo Ford Guide Se

PORT ARANSAS

s W. Furman Dallas D. and Dalla led Trout Speck Kingsville CVB

Peggy and Sandi Limit of Reds Akins Saltwater Guide Service

OUTDOOR SHOPPER

BAFFIN BAY

TEXAS FRESHWATER LAKE TEXOMA

OUTDOOR SHOPPER LONGVIEW LAKE AMISTAD

TEXAS HUNTING

OUTDOOR SHOPPER

COLORADO

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REDFISH—GILCHRIST, TEXAS

ALLIGATORS—PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS

DJ Johns, age 12, of Lufkin, Texas, caught this 41-inch redfish in the surf at Rollover Pass in Gilchrist, Texas.

Ten-year-olds Taylar and Maddison Respondek, granddaughters of Jim Respondek, of Lubbock, Texas, did most of the work in setting the lines and all of the shooting to bag these alligators during a youth hunt in Port Arthur, Texas.

REDFISH—CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS

BASS—FULSHEAR, TEXAS

FLOUNDER—NORTH JETTIES, TEXAS

Charles Holloway of Corpus Christi, Texas, caught this 39-1/2-inch bull redfish south of Bird Island on soft plastic under a mauler. The bull’s girth was 24 inches.

Candy Doriski caught this bass at an oxbow lake in Fulshear, Texas. It measured 25 inches with a 20inch girth, weighing an estimated 9+ pounds, her biggest bass to date. She used a 7-inch junebug lizard pinned to a 5-0 hook for bait.

Paul Allison of Houston, Texas, caught this 24inch, 5.5-pound flounder, along with an 18-inch, 3.5-pound flounder while fishing the North Jetties, using dead shrimp.

SEND YOUR PHOTOS TO: C78

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TF&G PHOTO ALBUM 1745 Greens Road Houston, Texas 77032 OR BY EMAIL: photos@fishgame.com

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PLEASE INCLUDE NAME, HOMETOWN, WHEN & WHERE CAUGHT, SIZE AND WEIGHT

DEER—BLANCO COUNTY, TEXAS

KING MACKEREL—SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS

Caroline Schaefer of Austin, Texas, shot her first Kayla Gonzalez caught her first king mackerel deer in Blanco County with a .223. while fishing with her dad Robert in South Padre Island. The king was 35 inches and weighed 32 pounds.

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BUCK—ROCK SPRINGS, TEXAS Dillon Menville of Tomball, Texas, killed his first buck near Rock Springs in Edward County. This 124-pound buck was taken with a Remington youth model 7mm-08 from his Uncle Chip’s blind.

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