November 2010

Texas Fish & Game® ★ NOVEMBER 2010 • VOL. XXVI NO.7

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NORTH EDITION

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

Owned by Ron & Stephanie Ward and Roy & Ardia Neves.

ROY NEVES PUBLISHER

DON ZAIDLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CHESTER MOORE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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

JOE DOGGETT DOUG PIKE TED NUGENT BOB HOOD MATT WILLIAMS CALIXTO GONZALES LENNY RUDOW STEVE LAMASCUS LOU MARULLO KENDAL HEMPHILL TOM BEHRENS GREG BERLOCHER PAUL BRADSHAW CAPT. MIKE HOLMES REAVIS WORTHAM JOHN GISEL

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SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDITOR AT LARGE HUNTING EDITOR FRESHWATER EDITOR SALTWATER EDITOR BOATING EDITOR FIREARMS EDITOR BOWHUNTING EDITOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR HUMOR EDITOR WEBSITE CONTENT MANAGER

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVES VICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

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DENNISE CHAVEZ ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR 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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E DREAMSTIM CAMPBELL, PHOTO: TONY

FEATURES NOVEMBER 2010 • Volume XXVI • NO. 7

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NEVER SURRENDER Ronnie Hindsman lost both his arms in an accident 6 years ago. But rather than let the devastating loss define his life by its harsh new limits, he has embraced the challenge and become a beacon of inspiration.

by Chester Moore

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DEAD-STICKING SPECKS

THE NOSE KNOWS

The technique commonly known as “dead sticking” puts the lure right in front of a fish and just leaves it there, waiting for its primal instinct to “kill the weak” to kick in. The method works with most predatory fish, from lunker largemouths to speckled trout.

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TOP 20 BANKFISHING SPOTS Our Eleventh Installment of “Walkabout Angler” looks at the vast selection of bank fishing opportunities available to Texas anglers, thanks to the work of the state’s many public resource agencies.

by Barry St. Clair

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You may take to the field this season armed with the latest in high-tech weaponry, from high-powered binoculars, and that variable 12power scope on your drive-atack rifle, to state-of-the-art silencers and carbon arrows on your archery equipment, and the latest in stealthwear camo. But deer have a weapon of their own that can virtually disarm even the most lethally-equipped hunter.

STORY:

by Calixto Gonzales

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COVER STORY:

by Bob Hood

On the Web

TROPHY DOE You don’t remember all of the “Firsts” in your life, but your first deer — which for many of us was a doe — is one First that nobody forgets.

by Paul Bradshaw

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IS MEXICO SAFE FOR SPORTSMEN? With so much coverage of border violence in the news, the simple answer is NO! But outfitters say there are plenty of professionaly run destinations that are as secure as ever.

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COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

NOVEMBER 2010 • Volume XXVI • NO. 7

COLUMNS 9

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Editor’s Notes

Just Get Out of the Way

Texas Freshwater

What Gives at O.H. Ivie

by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

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by MATT WILLIAMS TF&G Freshwater Editor

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Chester’s Notes

Hatcheries are the Future

Hunt Texas

‘Scoring’ a Trophy

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

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by BOB HOOD TF&G Hunting Editor

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Doggett at Large

How to Bug a Bass

Open Season

Opening Morning

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

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by REAVIS Z. WORTHAM TF&G Humor Editor

Pike on the Edge

DEPARTMENTS

Texas Has Toilet Paper

by DOUG PIKE TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

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Texas Wild

Family Deer Camp

by TED NUGENT TF&G Editor at Large

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Commentary

Quuis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?

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TF&G REPORT

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BIG BAGS &

by KENDAL HEMPHILL TF&G Political Commentator

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LETTERS

CATCHES

Texas Saltwater

The Power of Fishing

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by CALIXTO GONZALES TF&G Saltwater Editor

TRUE GREEN

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Letters to the Editor “September” I’m sitting here at my desk in my home office and just finished reading Don Zaidle’s “September” in the September issue of TF&G. This past weekend, I took my 11year-old son, Dylan, out to our little place in Throckmorton County for a weekend dove hunt. I generally go on opening day, regardless of the day of the week. However, this year I decided to wait for the weekend so Dylan could go, too. It’s not so much about me anymore, but about him. (I know you know what I mean). After this weekend, we’ll be caught up with football games on Saturdays until mid November. I’ve got to “make hay while the sun is shining” and get him out when the opportunities present.

There weren’t any birds in Throckmorton or Stephens County that weekend, but Dylan got to break in his new shotgun (his own legitimate first gun) on some clay birds.

I surprised him with the gun when we got to the ranch. He freaked out! He was so proud and fired up to get his very own gun. It was awesome. After a slow start and some coaching tips, he really started to powder the clays. We had a blast. We rode ATVs and sore-lipped all the small bass in the ponds. It was great. We shared our time with my good friend, Chuck, and his son, Matthew. Chuck is a colonel in the army reserves and left 9/26 for Iraq for a year to oversee the U.S. drawdown effort. This was our last chance before he leaves to spend some quality outdoor time with our boys.

I read “September” and it made me smile. You couldn’t have captured the essence of the month any better. It’s not my favorite month either, but there is just something special about the change you feel in September. Dylan and I are going to head out after some crappie, too, here in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for the article and for the good work overall.

Tim Sharp Plano, TX 8 |

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Ah, September... wood that has to be split, dove and teal that have to be shot, and the seemingly fasting largemouth bass that are about to fall off their diet. I have to agree with Don Zaidle’s sentiments expressed in “September” that it brings back many fond memories that, after today, seem to get more and more distant.

I just returned home from scouting a certain beloved teal hole. It was empty and I found myself actually...happy? Surprised me, too. You see, on the 55-mile drive back home, I watched as my fuel gauge fell to below 3/4 of a tank and almost to the halfway mark after filling up before leaving on the recon mission. I began to think: What if there had been teal in that hole? That would, of course, have meant a $60 license to start; two or three boxes of steel shot that’ll run you around $15 dollars each; fuel for the boat that sets me back $20; the mechanical decoys will need a couple of new rechargeable batteries, and I’m not real sure PRESENTS what they run nowadays.

Ah, yes, before the trip is in the books, my old Ford will need to be filled up again.

I’m banking on my loyal hunting buddies to chip in on that, but I can usually bank in one hand and spit in the other and...never mind.

Really can’t count various breakfast snacks and tobacco products; those would be purchased, anyway. I’m afraid to think about all the cool gadgets that might wind up in the buggy as I coast through Academy while obtaining a license. Maybe that’s a self-control issue, but all the advertising firms tell me I really need this product to kill more animals. Their words always seem more convincing when I’m holding the fabled product in my hand, which is the precise point self control looses the argument. Oh, well.

September. I love it, too. I think. Hunting season opens. Fish get their appetites.

Or is it the memories that keep this month marked on the calendar?

I will never let the rising cost of doing business in the woods keep me out of the woods. I have children that need memories, too. Good memories like I have. I can’t help

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but to be negative when thinking about firsttime hunters breaking into our way of life.

As far as I can see, they will need a decent pocket book to simply kill a legal deer. The most extravagant buck I’ve ever taken was far less than 13 inches—and to this day, I’m still proud.

Anyway, this September had me a little more frustrated than excited. Probably just the heat.

Clay Crawford Via email

Thanks for the Bank (tips) Thank you so much for Chester Moore’s wonderful column, “Tips for Better BankFishing,” in the September issue.

I don’t have time to fish enough to justify buying a boat, and I don’t currently have any friends with a boat, so I’m a permanent bank-fisher. There is almost nothing available on how to bank-fish successfully, other than your articles.

I would never have considered circle hooks, though I have looked at them and wondered what they were for. I also would not have considered using a bobber or chumming. I vacillate on the live bait, as without the chumming, which I hadn’t considered, you don‘t really attract that many large fish, so I never know whether it’s better to go after larger fish or be content with smaller ones because the larger ones are impossible for bank-fishers. I won’t be vacillating on that anymore.

Since I often go alone, the quiet is not a problem, unless others are around. Of course, in Texas that is often a problem.

Again, thank you for a wonderful article I will treasure for a long time.

Larry Maturo Austin, TX

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Editor’s Notes

by Don Zaidle | TF&G Editor-in-Chief

Just Get Out of the Way IGHTEENTH CENTURY WRITER AND POLITIcal commentator Thomas Paine penned in December 1776 the exhortation, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” That same year, Paine also authored Common Sense on the wisdom of American independence. In this brief tome, Paine observed: “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.”

Authors of yore and present have incorrectly labeled hunters and fishermen a “fraternity,” a gender-exclusive term meaning “brotherhood.” On reflection, one must conclude we outdoor sportsmen are a people united by common wants and desires, and hence a “society” per Paine and sundry dictionaries.

Though good in purpose and product for its members, a society is perforce encumbered with “wickedness” through the inherent and unavoidable weaknesses of its several members. Greed engenders overharvest of fish and fowl; envy begets trespass; impatience spawns the poacher; and so on.

It is therefore wholly natural and fitting that as a society within a greater society, we are under the auspices of governments within governments, tailored to the special needs and circumstances of the sporting society with accordant laws and rules. e.g.: the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, et al.

All would be well but for the tendency expressed in Paine’s precursor to the society/government relationship that some “...have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction

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between them....” More specifically, that some organize into micro-societies or “classes” that equate their respective mores with law, and seek to make it so.

The net effect of such machinations is discouragement of those who would join our ranks. To hunt and fish becomes too cumbersome and costly, compliance with regulations too complicated. Ergo, our ranks shrink at the behest of exclusionary absolutist laws that serve only an elite class at the expense of the larger society.

There is no conflict between absolutism for rights and absolutism for privileges. The right to keep and bear arms is absolute.

Using those arms to hunt game is, under fiat of the larger society, a privilege; likewise to use croaker or shiners as bait for trout or bass, or a bow of any stripe to take game.

In order for our smaller society to survive, it must adopt the “live and let live” philosophy. The crossbow hunter does no harm to the compound hunter except to ill-conceived notions of “ethics.” Likewise the “croaker soaker” to the lure fisherman.

By similar token, our society does no harm to the larger society, save ill-perceived offense to foolish notions of “rights” and “ethics” wrongly afforded fish and fowl.

Data prove that our society in fact contributes much to the larger society, even if accounted only in dollars.

According to data from a national hunting and fishing survey: Over 87 million U.S. residents 16 years old and older fished, hunted, or wildlife watched in 2006. During that year, 29.9 million people fished, 12.5 million hunted.

Wildlife recreationist spending totaled over $120 billion. This amounted to 1 percent of the United States GDP. Of the total amount spent, $37 billion was for trips, $64 billion for equipment, and $16 billion for other items.

Sportsmen spent $75 billion in 2006: $41 billion on fishing, $23 billion on hunting, and $11 billion on items used for both hunting and fishing.

A comparison of estimates of the 2006 and 2001 Surveys reveals that millions of T E X A S

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Americans continue to enjoy wildlife recreation.

Fishing continues as a favorite pastime.

In 2001, 13 percent of the U.S. population 16 years old and older spent an average of 17 days fishing. Comparing results of the 2006 Survey and 2001 Surveys reveals that although the number of all anglers declined 12 percent, their expenditures for fishing equipment (rods, reels, etc.) and fishing trips increased 5 percent and 7 percent, respectively. There were drops in expenditures for auxiliary equipment (special clothing, tents, etc.) and special equipment (bigticket items such as boats) by -14 percent and -12 percent, respectively.

Five percent of the U.S. population 16 years old and older, 12.5 million people, hunted in 2006. They spent an average of 18 days pursuing their sport. The number of all hunters declined by 4 percent from 2001 to 2006 and there was a 3 percent drop in overall expenditures (not a statistically significant change).

Although the total number of hunters declined from 2001 to 2006, the number of big game hunters held their own. The biggest declines were in migratory bird hunting (-22 percent) and small animal hunting (-12 percent).

As in the case of fishing expenditures, expenditures for hunting equipment (firearms, ammunition, etc.) actually increased 3 percent, as did hunting trips, which rose by 13 percent.

To those in either segment of the societies who would erect barriers or oppose opening more opportunity to hunt and fish--and thus curtail those monetary societal contributions- please do not try to lead others on your path to destruction; follow a wiser path if you are capable. If you are unwilling to do either, then please just get the hell out of the way.

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E-mail Don Zaidle at DZaidle@fishgame.com. |

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TF&G Report Faulty Pipeline Repairs Complete at Beleaguered Hatchery AFTER MONTHS OF EVALUATION, LEGAL WRANgling, and dirty work, more than two miles of faulty underground drainage pipe has been exhumed and replaced at the new TPWD John D. Parker East Texas Fish Hatchery at a cost of $3.3 million.

The state-of-the-art facility is currently under construction below the Sam Rayburn Reservoir dam near Jasper. The projected completion date is early spring 2011.

The drainage system in question is linked to dozens of production ponds that will be used for rearing about 5 million Florida bass, blue catfish, and bluegill annually.

Water will flow through the pipe to the hatchery outfall, Beef Creek, then into the Angelina River about a mile downstream.

Funded entirely by Texas anglers via

sales of freshwater fishing stamps, the $27 million hatchery project broke ground in July 2008 with completion set for March 2010.

The project moved along nicely until April 2009, when inspectors discovered that at least two sections of 60-inch and 48-inch diameter drainage pipe had collapsed 10-17 feet underground.

Further investigation revealed additional problems within the massive drainage system, which warranted a complete overhaul in order to shore up the integrity of the system and prevent further problems.

TPWD hired an engineering outfit from Beaumont to determine the cause of failure and to help decide who should ultimately be held liable for repairs. The facility was designed by HDR/Fish Pro out of Omaha, Nebraska, while Allco, Inc. of Beaumont was awarded the construction contract.

According Todd Engeling, TPWD's chief of inland hatcheries, the investigation pointed to the design firm as the party at

fault. Engeling said a settlement was awarded once a replacement design was agreed upon. The settlement involved removing about 11,000 feet of 60-inch, 48-inch, and 30-inch diameter corrugated HDPE pipe and replacing it with higher quality pipe.

Engeling said the 60-inch and 48-inch pipe was replaced with Class 5 reinforced concrete pipe. Meanwhile, the 30-inch pipe was replaced with a more rigid PVC. The hatchery manager pointed out that HDR/FishPro absorbed approximately $3.2 million of the total cost of reworking the drainage system, while TPWD kicked in an additional $140,000 to complete the repairs performed by Allco, Inc. “Rather than extend the legal deliberation, we elected take on that responsibility and move forward,” Engeling said.

Engeling said the $140,000 paid out of the general project fund was money well spent.

—by Matt Williams

PRESENTS

B IG B AGS&C ATCHES

Redfish

Whitetail Buck

Whitetail Buck

San Luis Pass

Rancho Tejas

Kansas

Dylan Donohoe caught and released this 39-inch redfish while fishing with cut mullet at San Luis Pass.

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Blake Remedios, 12, of Houston arrowed this 18-point buck while hunting on Rancho Tejas. The buck weighed 180 pounds and scored 140 Pope & Young.

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Mike Hall of Baytown took this buck at 26 yards while bowhunting in Kansas. The buck scored 190 Boone & Crockett and could make the Kansas record book.

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Chester’s Notes

by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor

Hatcheries are the Future N INTERESTING THING HAPPENED AS THE British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon saga slowly dragged into summer: Momentum started building toward Louisiana getting its first-ever coastal fish hatchery to offset any losses due to the accident.

In fact, Bayou State employees visited Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson to see how a world-class hatchery works and to discuss cooperation in the name of conservation.

At first glance, that might not seem noteworthy for publication in a Texas outdoor magazine, but it speaks volumes about Lone Star State fisheries management.

No other state has our capacity to enhance and replenish fish stocks, nor is any involved in so many groundbreaking projects. Take the development of the flounder stocking program at Sea Center Texas: Hatchery Director David Abrego and his crew took an extremely difficult task, made it a reality with a small stocking in Sabine Lake in 2009, and returned this year with 10 times the fingerlings. They also did the first-ever flounder stocking in Galveston Bay this year.

What they are doing with flounder is every bit as significant as what the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) did with redfish 30 years ago.

On top of that, Sea Center Texas along with the CCA-CPL Marine Development Center in Corpus Christi and the Perry R. Bass Marine Hatchery in Palacios have redfish and speckled trout production down to a science and are putting record numbers into our bay systems.

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When we face another big freeze-related kill or some other catastrophe, TPWD will be able to give nature a jump-start toward recovery.

Conservative estimates put 1 in 10 redfish swimming Texas waters as hatchery fish, showing an impressive survival rate and that the 500,000,000 fry and fingerlings stocked over the years have taken hold.

Texas coastal anglers have two other facilities contributing to a positive future for our fisheries: The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, and the CCA Texas Laboratory for Larviculture located on its grounds.

UTMSI passed lots of information to TPWD in the quest to create a flounderstocking program and now they are working on snook. The Larviculture Lab will allow it to take big strides in that quest and hopefully crack the code of producing snook en masse. It has already helped Florida correct problems with a snook project that state was working on, and had success with ling as well.

It is not just coastal anglers benefitting from state-of-the-art hatcheries, but also those fishing our freshwater reservoirs and river systems. TPWD Inland Fisheries employees stock largemouth bass, striped bass, channel catfish, bream, smallmouth, and occasionally a few other species by the tens of millions annually. The stocking of Florida largemouth in particular has transformed our state into what is without a doubt the top bass destination in the United States.

I made a few trips to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens this year to learn more about what it is doing for the bass fishery, and each time came away inspired.

Through programs like ShareLunker and Operation World Record, TFFC and other TPWD operations are greatly increasing the abundance of huge bass on Texas waterways. In fact, 61 public water bodies have produced bass weighing 13 pounds or larger since ShareLunker’s inception in 1986.

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This is in stark contrast to developments made in the world of deer hunting, where most of the access to big bucks is on private land and usually behind a high fence, and hunters have to pay huge fees to take one.

That is totally within the rights of landowners and hunters, but there is no doubt it has created a chasm in the world of hunting— and most of us don’t have the dollars to fill it.

What is happening with bass is different, as the benefit is evident just as much to the kayaker as it is to the angler with a $60,000 bass boat. These dream bass are available to the bank president and the bank angler equally, and that has been proven by the back-stories of the more than 500 bass donated to ShareLunker over the years, many of which we have detailed on these pages.

I have been blessed to spend extensive time visiting our hatcheries, interviewing the people who make them work, and communicating with the anglers who catch the benefits. It has given me a real sense of pride that, like any other state, we have problems, but at least when it comes to our fisheries, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.

Most importantly, the anglers of this state understand the importance of conserving our resources and are the first in line to support actions that will allow their children to experience even better fishing opportunities than we have now.

Great challenges face both our coastal and freshwater fisheries, and we will deal with these in great detail over the course of the next year on these pages. I do not look at them in fear but as a challenge, because I know the kind of people we have working behind the scenes on behalf of the fish and the fishermen.

And I also know Texans don’t take kindly to anyone or anything messing with their fish and fishing.

E-mail Chester Moore at CMoore@fishgame.com. |

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Doggett At Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

How to Bug a Bass HE FLY ROD FLEXED, DROPPING THE POPPER into a horseshoe pocket amid the shoreline reeds. The surface was slick and the water was black-clear—great stuff for classic bass bugging.

I gave the rod a short twitch, sparking a chug of life down the leader, and a 3-pound smallmouth bass vaulted completely over the popper without touching it.

“Let it sit,” my companion in the canoe said. “Maybe he'll come back.”

The popper floated at rest then shivered against another rod twitch. The bass crushed it in a boil of spray. The poised fish must have been hovering just under the surface.

The rod bent and the fly line curved up and out, following the flailing leap. Then the fish dove for the reeds and the hook pulled free—but no matter.

That bass was one of approximately 50 hooked during that great session last July on a remote pond near Lake of the Woods in Ontario. All were smallmouths—a rare treat for a Texan—but the action was a reminder of how exciting and productive bugging can be on all species of bass.

If anything, our largemouths are even better on bugs. Largemouths are more surfaceoriented, especially during the cooling water of early fall. Bass bugging was the earliest application for the fly rod in Texas but, oddly, you don't hear so much about it these days—big mistake.

Any topwater strike takes bass fishing to a higher level, and the small poppers and bugs are excellent choices for precise closerange work over shallows and along shorelines. This is fun fishing, casting to visible targets of weeds and brush, opposed to “chuck and chance” across open water.

Most important, the small offering con-

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structed of hair and feathers (often with stubby rubber legs) looks attractive and lands with a soft “fuzzy” splat amid tight quarters. And fly-fishing is very efficient; you drop the cast near a likely ambush spot, work the bug several yards through the kill zone, then “pick up” for another crisp shot.

No time is lost making a long retrieve through empty water back to the rod tip.

The proper fly rod depends on the situation. Anglers on clear Hill Country streams and lakes often use lighter rods in the 5- or 6-weight range, while South Texas buggers on murky, weed-infested tanks are better served with more power—an 8- or 9-weight is a wise choice for most tangled shorelines.

Overloading the chosen rod by one line size often helps “turn over” bushy bugs at the close distances normally covered. A specialized “bass bugging” line with a shorter, fatter belly section is another option.

A good way to improve casting performance is to scale back the lure size. Less can be more amid calm shallows, and big bugs and poppers with wide heads are hard to toss—especially if significant wind is an issue. Repeat, you don't need a lot of image or commotion to attract a close fish.

The head should be no larger than a thumbnail and the hook should have a wide gap to clear the body (some cheap poppers on tiny hooks are all but useless). If the fluff of feathers and legs is excessive, use clippers or scissors to trim and streamline the profile.

Shortening the monofilament leader is another easy way to improve casting performance. Most “store bought” tapered leaders are 9 feet—too long for smooth bugging and often unnecessary amid the murky clutter of good bass water.

Cut a foot or so off the terminal or tippet section. You'll find that working with a 7- or 8-foot leader is much more pleasant with a bug or popper (even smaller ones can be a chore to push into or across a contrary breeze).

And, when rigging a leader, don't go too light. The struggle with a hooked bass can turn into a tug-of-water if the fish dives for cover. I'd say 6- or 8-pound-test on a clear T E X A S

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stream, but as much as 15 on a brushy lake.

All the books and videos on proper flyfishing technique preach pointing the rod straight down the line when retrieving. Pay no attention. We're not bonefishing here.

Follow the lead of your grandfather with his bamboo rod and clicker reel— hold the rod at a 45-degree angle and use the tip to impart wrist-flip action. This loose-jointed approach allows the bug to shiver and skate and do all sorts of teasing capers.

Remember, most casts are short, allowing the “high stick” action to transmit down the line.

When a bass boils up and smacks the bug, lift smartly while pulling down with the line hand. The hookup should be positive with the sharp thin-wire hooks used on most bugs.

The trendy angling books and videos also harp on getting a hooked fish “on the reel” as soon as possible. Again, pay no attention.

I've yet to see a tarpon in a South Texas stock tank. Attempting to take up the retrieved slack by cranking the reel or feeding line to the diving bass is a great way to lose a good one by permitting it to root and tangle without resistance.

No—forget about the coils of stripped fly line at your feet. Clamp down with the rod hand and start stripping in as fast as the fish will allow. Try to turn the bass and keep it near the surface. Feed line if you must, but seldom will even a large bass take more than a few yards.

The short-winded largemouth is not a great runner. Bass are best on the surface, and some of the most enjoyable topwater action is with a fly rod along a green bank during the mild afternoons of early fall.

E-mail Joe Doggett at JDoggett@fishgame.com

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Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Texas Has Toilet Paper FAIR PORTION OF MY TIME IS SPENT READING outdoors-related stories from other states, and nearly every such story I read makes me increasingly glad to be a Texan.

Even if you throw out the extreme highs and lows, the way they score figure skating (don't ask how I know that), Texas still comes out first on all counts and by wide margin.

Example: On a September Saturday morning on my radio show (SportsTalk 790 in Houston), I interviewed the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's Heidi Rao, who oversees Take Me Outdoors Houston.

That program, like its sisters in other metropolitan areas, is the offspring of the Outdoors Expos once held annually at TPWD headquarters in Austin.

Instead of one enormous exhibition of this state's myriad opportunities and activities in the outdoors, and instead of expecting newcomers to make the drive and overnight in Austin, someone at TPWD figured out that it better served newcomers to bring those activities and opportunities to them.

Take Me Outdoors Houston does that with a couple dozen hands-on experiences and dozens more exhibits from local outdoors and conservation groups. It drew a great crowd its first year, despite dreadful weather, and Heidi raised the ante of her own game with the second version of the event.

All of which brings me to something Heidi said, about equal parts jokingly and thankfully, at the end of the interview: "At least we're not California," she chuckled, referring to a little note I'd read just prior to bringing her into the show.

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ILLUSTRATION: KOVA CEVIK, CANSTOCK

That broadcast sidebar was the tale of how California's budget woes had reached the point where the most severe of severe measures was likely to be implemented in the state's parks.

By now, to reach this level of folly, California's state-park staff and its lawmakers must have spent and borrowed to extremes unknown here. In Texas, we don't have enough game wardens, and our park buildings could use a coat of paint, and coastal enforcement personnel could use more fuel for the boats. That much is true.

But as Heidi put it, at least we're not

California, where unless the state wins its own lottery, there will no longer be toilet paper in state park restrooms. And if that happens, count on someone in Sacramento demanding that signs be posted at outhouse entrances (in a half-dozen languages) to BYOP. Texas has toilet paper in its state-park restrooms.

Neither are we like any northern state, where a third or so of every year is spent in frigid despair. Yes, there's ice fishing, which is a sport most regularly enjoyed by those who cannot come South for the winter.

Neither are we Florida, which has outstanding saltwater fishing but hangs off the continent like a wind chime in hurricane season and, for all intents and purposes, offers T E X A S

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marginal hunting opportunity.

We're no Midwest, either, with its great pheasant and deer hunting. Fun, but how can those people stand to exist so far from the coast?

Or Northwest, where some kids get to the sixth grade without realizing that sky can be any color but gray. Here in Texas, the rain eventually stops.

Canada? No thanks. In winter, people who live in our Northern states pucker up their blue lips and justify their lots in life by telling each other, "At least we're not in Canada."

In fairness to each of the 38 states and many foreign countries I've visited, including 34 states in which I have fished or hunted or surfed or camped or snowboarded or mountain biked or...whatever...each has legitimate recreational draw. For outdoors enthusiasts, there is validity from residing in or visiting most any rural area in the world. The key to enjoyment other places is embracing what they have to offer and allowing yourself to feel the same excitement that locals feel.

Californians, because they have some beautiful state parks, will overcome the inconvenience being heaped upon them the same as we would.

Only it's not happening here. Not yet. There is room for improvement, certainly, in public-hunting opportunity and in services and in law enforcement. But having worked and spoken with fisheries and wildlife personnel in so many other places, I can attest without hesitation that, as Dorothy told Toto, there's no place like home.

I welcome opportunities to visit other places, to catch their fish, hunt their game, ride their waves, and carve their mountains, but by choice, I live in Texas—where we never run out of toilet paper.

E-mail Doug Pike at DPike@fishgame.com |

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Ted Nugent’s TexasWild

by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor-at-Large

Family Deer Camp HEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, QUALITY OF life is all about family. Dreams come and go, projects and business maneuvers when performed to the best of our ability become all-consuming, but even our most passionate endeavors are celebrated for how they provide for maximum family time. Or at least, they should be.

I should talk, for my maniac 50-year rock-n-roll adventure has forced me to be on the road away from home and family more than most careers and professions, but in the final analysis, a nonstop six-month tour allows me to be home nonstop for the remaining six months, not just on weekends or after work for dinner like the majority of 9-5 jobs demand. There is a price to pay, but the rewards are well balanced. It is all about priorities.

Growing up in the beautiful state of Michigan blessed me with all the great elements of the post WWII American Dream.

My memory bank glows with visions of family outings, time at the lake, fishing, hunting, shooting, picnics, ball games, wonderful days at home doing things together in the yard, and a plethora of stirring emotions about good times in a great country.

But one memory dwarfs all others, as my primal instinct to connect with Mother Nature in the most pure, natural and profound way propelled me into the healing embrace of the wild, where my reasoning predator spirit was most alive.

Winter, spring, and summer provided varying degrees of fun and adventure for the Nugent family, but as summertime morphed into the soul-stimulating autumnal equinox, a powerful force came over me from my earliest years of life, and I could not get enough of the compelling sacred time in the woods, swamps, and wildlife habitat of my youth. I

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read Jack London’s Call of the Wild, but my own physics of spirituality was more impacting than any words could convey. I was hooked by my fifth birthday and there has been no looking back.

My dad was a casual hunter, but like many hunters in the 1940s and ‘50s, he was touched by the hand of the great Fred Bear who had influenced many American sporters into the fascinating world of ultra-disciplined hunting with the bow and arrow. More and more sporters were intrigued by the return to this primitive and very demanding style of taking venison, and a fire was ignited deep in our souls to learn more about wildlife and how to better fit in with their awe-inspiring world.

As is the case in all U.S. states and every Canadian province, opening day of deer season is a time that calls our spirit to return to nature as conscientious participants, driven to show reverence for God’s creation and amazing renewable wildlife resources by keeping them in the Asset column of life through honest utility. Everybody knows (though some strangled by the denial of political correctness pretend otherwise) that hunting as the pure function of the annual harvest is scientifically and intellectually essential for a healthy environment.

Hunters, fishers, and trappers were and always have been the original and best environmentalist via our hands-on conservation stewardship. Venison is pure and the hunt is pure. We who participate will never forget why Thanksgiving takes place in the fall. It is one of life’s last perfect, pure endeavors, and, ultimately, responsibilities. We celebrate it with fire in our hearts.

Thirty million American families begin to excitedly turn the pages of the calendar many months before opening day to strategize everyone’s schedule to rendezvous at deer camp. In Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota, and most Midwestern states, there is no rush hour traffic to compare to the caravans heading into the North Country days before the opener. Entire geographical regions shut down from normal practices as entire famiT E X A S

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lies leave school and work to flood traditional sacred hunting grounds for The Big Day. Truckloads of enough sporting gear and weaponry to outfit the world’s armies is organized for this magical day of days, and the giddiness in the air is palpable.

Regional economies come to life and pivot on the annual migration, and most states celebrate economic impact in the $2 billion-plus range each hunting season.

America’s No. 1 hunting state, my home state of Texas, is proud that hunting and fishing in the Lone Star State generates more than $6 billion dollars in revenues every year. Hunting ranks in the top 1 percent of the nation’s most powerful economic assets. Ban that, PETA and Humane Society of the United States. I don’t think so.

My dad and uncles are gone now, and old Stan and Whitey are up there in the Big Hunt, too, with Fred Bear and all the BloodBrothers of yore. As many of my sons and daughters, brothers, sisters, and extended families as possible hustle to convene on our own slice of sacred grounds, where the spirit of the swamp is too intense to ignore.

We feel the presence of our dad and Uncle John, and a tangible bond is fortified again with laughter, grilling, story telling, wood gathering, target practice, and the occasional heave-ho of beast dragging. Our buck pole always produces sacred protein, and the stress of the modern world is absent every day at camp.

Celebrate perfection America. The deer need us and we need the deer.

You can’t do this in France.

E-mail Ted Nugent at TNugent@fishgame.com.

On the Web For more Ted Nugent writings, visit www.tednugent.com

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Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

HEN FRAIL, THIN, GRANDMOTHERLY Patty Konie answered the insistent knock at her door on September 8, 2005, she believed she had nothing to fear from her visitors. After all, they were all armed uniformed police officers. Their job was to protect her from the criminals roaming freely through New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina, looting, burning, raping, stealing, and murdering a citizenry unable to defend itself.

Those police officers, in fact, were there to inform Ms. Konie that she was required to evacuate her home. She refused. She had plenty of food and water, her house was in a section of the city not damaged by the storm, and she was unwilling to leave her two dogs to fend for themselves. She told the officers she would stay and take her chances. She was even prepared to defend herself, and showed the officers a pistol she was holding in her hand.

What happened next defies belief.

Although Ms. Konie did not threaten the officers in any way, did not point the gun at anyone or even put her finger on the trigger, and told the officers it was unloaded, she was slammed up against a wall in her home and ridden to the floor by a man three times her size. She was punched in the face and otherwise beaten, and finally arrested, her gun confiscated.

Patty Konie was not the only honest, lawabiding New Orleans citizen so treated.

Many others were subjected to similar violations. Robert Zas was leaving town with his

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Forget for a moment that this happened in America, a land supposedly governed by its citizens.

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family and others when he was stopped by police and asked if he had any weapons. He said that he did, and his party was forced to sit on the ground in front of his car while the vehicle was searched. Mr. Zas was dumbfounded when, upon finding a pistol and a .22 rifle in the car, the officers destroyed the weapons by smashing them against a curb.

According to New Orleans resident Aston O'Dwyer, who was also relieved of his guns by police officers aiming semiautomatic weapons at him, "The post-Katrina world turned right and wrong on its head. Looters

ruled this city for over a week post-storm, without fear of law enforcement."

Forget for a moment that this happened in America, a land supposedly governed by its citizens. Forget that we have laws pertaining to legal search and seizure, due process, and right to personal property. Forget that the Bill of Rights contains an amendment guaranteeing every citizen of this country the right—not privilege—of gun ownership.

Even without all the reasons that what the police and National Guardsmen did in New Orleans was illegal, we all have a basic human need to defend ourselves. Besides all the other rights drowned in the flood waters that devastated that city, New Orleans citizens were stripped of that basic right to self defense.

This would be a heinous travesty of justice at any time. There is no justification for treating human beings the way Ms. Konie was treated, beaten, and debased in her own home just because she wanted to be left alone—alleged “protectors” of society taking T E X A S

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peoples' property at gunpoint without consent or due process; leaving people defenseless against the criminal element of society.

But this crime was made even more hideous by the fact of when and where it was perpetrated, in a city devastated by a natural disaster and beset by the dregs of humanity run amok.

During that period, there was virtually no police presence in New Orleans. The phone lines were down, so no one could call 911 for assistance. And the relatively few police officers who were there were ineffectual.

Thieves, for example, dragged Vinnie Pervel from his van at gunpoint and stole his vehicle from him within yards of a police car facing the crime. The officers calmly drove away. Aston O'Dwyer did not exaggerate.

So, the police and National Guard, because of some misguided effort to make the city safer through disarmament, went into peoples' homes and stopped them in their cars and confiscated their legally owned firearms. And they did this at a time when those citizens needed their guns more than ever. The looters of the city could never hope to commit a crime so unforgivable.

Some lucky residents escaped the dragnet, and managed to keep their guns. One woman later related how two huge young men accosted her in her car. They pounded on the hood and then walked around to her doors, one on each side of the car, shouting at her to unlock the vehicle. She pulled out a pistol and her assailants fled. Never believe the lie that guns do not deter crime.

Other women were not so fortunate. A local gun storeowner related that people were "scared to death" because of the crime.

He said, "Women came in who cried at the door, saying, 'we need to buy some guns. We need to defend ourselves'."

Because of the police, many were unable to do that. The question asked by Juvenal, ca. 100 AD, seems appropriate: “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” Who will guard the guards?

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YOU MAY BE ARMED WITH THE LATEST IN HIGH-TECH WEAPONRY, BUT DEER HAVE A WEAPON OF THEIR OWN THAT CAN VIRTUALLY DISARM EVEN THE MOST LETHALLY-EQUIPPED HUNTER

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SO YOU THINK YOU ARE PREPARED for the deer season, do you? Highpowered binoculars hanging around your neck, a variable scope that can be cranked up to 12 power or more mounted on your drive-a-tack rifle, or state-of-the-art silencers and carbon arrows on your archery equipment plus the newest camouflage clothing to hide you from your quarry. That ought to do it, right? Think again.

You may have overlooked one tool your quarry, the whitetail deer, has waiting for you to make him the winner. It measures only seven to eight inches in circumference on most whitetail bucks but when activated as it almost constantly is, it can overcome all the arsenal you have on you, not to mention provide you with mental frustrations even your hunting buddies in camp can’t help erase.

It is called the nose. All animals have one but few, if any, are more sensitive than the noses on whitetail deer. Scientifically speaking, deer have 297 million olfactory receptors. In comparison, dogs have 220 million and humans have just 5 million. It has been said by scientists that a large part of the deer’s brain is devoted to detecting odors. I certainly agree with that. So where is the advantage, with the hunter or the hunted?

Yes, it is with the deer. Cover-up scents may help diminish human odor in some instances but my personal opinion is that nothing outside unusual circumstances such as you squatting on a skunk can prevent a deer from smelling your human odor 100 percent of the time. You simply cannot completely cover your human scent from a whitetail deer no matter how long you have held your clothes in a bag full of cedar limbs or sprayed with modern-day “scent killers.”

Need another comparison? Just consider the scenting instincts of a dog, which is much less than that of a whitetail deer. If a dog can smell human fingerprints or tracks that are several weeks old, smell electricity or smell the difference of a cow’s normal urine from that when it is in estrus to help a rancher with his breeding program, what do you think a whitetail deer with much more superior scenting capabilities can do?

The No. 1 way to put the odds in your favor and beat, at least in some cases, the deer’s extraordinary sense of smell is to play the wind. In other words, hunt from an area that is down-wind from where you expect the deer to be. That doesn’t always result in 100 20 |

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percent accuracy because even the slightest change in directions of the wind or its speed can allow the deer to bust you.

Prior to setting up a stand, determine the predominant direction of the wind during hunting season. In the Cross Timbers area of Texas, for instance, the wind blows out of the south most of the time and out of the north only when cold fronts pass through.

That means that if you set your blind up north of a feeder or traveling area you may

A whitetail deer’s sense of smell is nearly 60 times greater than that of humans.

be in good shape most of the time Super Sniffer but not all of the time. Setting up two stands, one north of your feeder and one south of it would help solve that problem but not all hunters are T E X A S

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interested in doubling their chances by setting up two blinds. For them, their best chances of playing the wind would be to either hunt from the ground in a pop-up blind or something similar to counter shifts in the wind’s direction. But that could create another problem.

Hunting at ground level puts the hunter in direct line of the deer’s scent intake. That could be a big problem at times when there is a swirling wind on seemingly calm or slightly breezy days. Setting up stands that are high off the ground will help overcome the problem of wind changes some of the time but not all of the time. You must remember, too, that deer often move into the wind.

Setting up at slight angles to it might help but choosing such a place likely will be determined by the surrounding cover.

Another way to counter south or north winds is to set up east or west of the area you plan to hunt but that can be done only in certain circumstances. Doing so still makes you vulnerable to a south or north wind unless you aren’t likely to see deer up or down-wind of the blind. A rising or falling sun also should be factored in before facing east or west.

Although playing the wind may seem like a no-brainer, just remember that it isn’t the only way you can help shift the odds in your favor. There are other things to consider about the extraordinary senses of a deer’s nose.

Like dogs, hogs and many other animals, whitetail deer can smell where you have traveled. Unfortunately, many hunters never PHOTO: BOB HOOD

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take that into consideration while afield.

Many hunters walk directly down well-used deer trails to get to their blinds because that’s the easiest route. Others drive their four-wheelers to almost beneath their tower, tripod or tree stands, park them and then climb into their blinds, never once realizing how much human scent they have added to the area. And that’s human scent that deer, hogs and other animals can smell. Just how bad it burns their nostrils depends upon the particular animal.

I have hunting buddies who say parking their four-wheelers beneath their blinds or walking around their feeders looking for tracks makes no difference because they still see deer there. I am sure they do, but it is not the deer they see that really is important. It is the deer they do not see that should be considered. Smart, mature bucks that used to pass through the area often change their routes after detecting scent left on the ground by hunters, maybe even prior to the opening of the season if hunter activity in the area at that time was considerable.

Also, deer not only hear vehicles, they smell their exhaust fumes and other odors

the vehicles emit. A hunter may think that doesn’t bother deer because they often see the animals standing off the side of the roads watching them as they pass by. But, just like parking beneath a stand or stomping around the area may not scare all the deer away, you aren’t likely to see many mature bucks staring at you unless the major rutting season is in high gear.

These are considerations that apply while in the field. There are several others that should be put in place even before leaving home on a hunting trip.

No. 1, if you are going to drive a very long distance, is to not wear the clothes you plan to hunt in. The clothes you travel in will absorb foreign scents, especially if you stop to gas up, eat at a café or fast-food place, etc.

A friend of mine changes into his hunting clothes at his hunting cabin but he only puts on what he calls his “base clothes.” He said he doesn’t put on the outer layer of clothes that he carries in an air-tight bag until after he parks his truck somewhere on the ranch he is hunting. He said he doesn’t want his outer clothing soaking up foreign odors he

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knows deer can smell.

Bathing before going hunting always is a good idea but not practical on many hunting leases. However, if you do have the opportunity to bathe, use an odorless liquid or bar soap designed by many manufacturers to minimize the deer’s ability of scent detection. Remember, you cannot cover up human scent but you can minimize it by taking some precautions.

A wide variety of scentless body soaps and shampoos are on the market as well as odor-removers for boots and clothing. They are designed to help neutralize human odors before a hunter takes to the woods. Also, if you perspired while walking to your stand, a packet of odorless towellettes or wipes would be a handy thing to have in your pocket.

In a nutshell, playing the wind is the hunter’s best ticket to avoid the whitetail deer’s incredible sense of smell, but establishing a route to a hunting area that avoids major deer trails and staying clean both in body and clothing are major factors, too.

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RONNIE HINDSMAN LOST BOTH OF HIS ARMS after being electrocuted on the job more than six years ago.

A long time lineman in his native East Texas, he touched the wrong wires and received a jolt that not only cost him his arms but also put him in a coma for five days.

“I was told I would never do this or I would never do that but I knew it wasn’t a matter of me not being able to do something but what I would have to do to make it happen. I was not about to stop living,” Hindsman said.

I had the great honor of seeing this in person as I accompanied Hindsman on a crappie-fishing trip with members of his family and Sam Rayburn guide Roger Bacon.

Bacon told me about Hindsman last year and said it was important I get out on the water with him.

“To see what this guy has gone through and just how well he is able to fish and function in life is incredibly inspiring. He is one of those people that makes you want to be a better person just because you know him,” Bacon said.

Meeting at Powell Park on a hot Wednesday morning we took off to find main lake cover holding crappie.

“Man, I love crappie fishing,” Hindsman said.

“You get so much action and you can’t beat them in the frying pan.”

There was no talk of any special provisions to be made for him or a single hint of negative thoughts. As our conversation ended and everyone’s attention shifted to the task of catching crappie, I could not help but think I was on the boat with a special person, someone who looked the odds square in the eye and never blinked.

When we stopped, Hindsman rigged up a special device on his prosthetic arm that allows him to operate a specially altered rod and reel.

“It took awhile to figure out what all kinds of things I was going to have to use to continue fishing but I have someone really good who makes it for me. There was never any doubt if I would fish again but when,” he said.

The day was a fairly slow one for crappie with the fish biting super light. Even the big slabs barely tapped at the bait. I had to put my finger on the line so that I could feel the bite better but Hindsman did not have that option.

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He literally out fished everyone on the boat and is able to get past the touch issue by closely watching his line.

“It takes awhile to get used to it but you adjust quickly,” he said.

Able to throw his line out with surprising accuracy, Hindsman said focus is extremely important for him.

“This situation makes me focus a lot more than I ever did and by turning attention to strengths instead of weaknesses I have been able to come a long way,” he said.

Hindsman who has fished and hunted his whole life has harvested deer with a specially-operated gun that allows him to fire with his mouth and has even found a unique way to bird hunt.

A few years ago he read a story about a hunt for amputees and ended up connecting with Bob Lowry who only has one arm.

With the assistance of “Shoot Where You Look” instructor Leon Measures he teamed with Lowry to target shoot and hunt doves.

Lowry held the gun while Hindsman pulled the trigger with his teeth.

“It was a lot of fun and is one of those kinds ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ situations,” he said.

Hindsman admits his situation is not an easy one but that a positive mental attitude makes all the difference in the world.

“You have some people who have much less traumatic things happen to them and it cripples them for life. Their attitude defines what they can do much more than a situation. Of course there are exceptions to everything but if you face a really tough situation like I did you can decide either to give up or get up and I chose to get up.”

He enjoys talking with people who face great obstacles and planting in them seeds of hope.

“Sometimes its hard to relate to someone unless they have been through what you have been through or something similar. I hope to use my story to help others to overcome the Ronnie Hindsman and Roger Bacon fishing for crappie on Sam Rayburn.

Reeling One In

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PHOTOS: CHESTER MOORE

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“…(Hindsman) was shopping in a Wal-Mart near the co-op’s Livingston, Texas, headquarters when he saw a man snatch a woman’s purse and run out of the store.”

A specially designed rod and reel prosthetic connection allows Hindsman to fish with accuracy.

Ronnie’s Rig

obstacles in their lives,” he said.

An article published in Electric Co-Op Today detailed what is likely Hindsman’s most inspirational and sensational act.

the man with the victim’s wallet still in his hand.

“When it came to someone needing help, he was there,” said Chief Rob Gilbert of the Onalaska, Texas, police department.

“If it hadn’t been for Ronnie, no telling what could have happened.”

When he’s not out catching crappie, hunting deer or whacking thieves with his prosthetic arm, Hindsman is still working hard the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative and inspiring others to count their blessings and not let anything get in the way of their dreams.

“Hindsman gave chase through the parking lot and when the suspect slowed to dodge a pole next to a parked car, he made contact.”

“I hit him with this right arm of mine and he fell to the ground,” said Hindsman.

According to the story the whack of the prosthetic limb stunned the suspect until a nearby off-duty police officer arrived to find

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On the Web See an interview with Ronnie Hindsman, along with video footage of his remarkable fishing skills: www.FishGame.com/video

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by Calixto Gonzales

I HAD FORGOTTEN A CARDINAL RULE of using baitcasting tackle: never let too much line hang from the tip. My cast hung up in the air, and I ended up with a making a 50-yard cast, 20 of which stayed on the spool.

“Need help over there?” Dave Rutledge asked me. “Maybe we can get you one of those spincasting reels that won’t tangle.”

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I grumbled something about Dave’s college team and picked out my bird’s nest.

Meanwhile, the weightless Gulp! Jerk Shad sat in the water motionless. I finally fixed the mess, reeled in the slack and noticed that my line was swimming off to the right. I was fast to a 19-inch trout that had sucked in my bait while I was otherwise distracted.

I noted that the trout had been short striking all morning (the fish was our first keeper); so as an experiment, I made another cast into a pothole, and let the bait sit. After about 15 seconds, I had another strike from another keeper trout. Rutledge and I started tossing our offerings and letting them sit in potholes, reeling in just enough slack to keep the baits stationary. Over the next two hours, we caught over 50 trout and boxed 9 that measured between 18 and 21 inches. I also lost one huge trout that was either a speck without specks, or the biggest sand trout in the history of the world. It was a good morning by anyone’s standards.

Chalk one up to the bass fishermen.

A Fresh Perspective The fishing technique commonly referred to as “dead sticking” is a concept first made popular by bass fishermen. It entails casting out a soft plastic and letting it sit motionless for an extended period of time without moving it. Depending on factors such as the composition of the plastic, the weight of the hook, and the density of the lure itself, the bait either suspends in the water column, or sinks very slowly. Predators in a neutral mood seem to be attracted to the “do nothing” presentation (which seems inexplicable when you consider the amount of time a fish has to examine the lure), and they strike.

As Rutledge’s and mine experience shows, the technique works in saltwater.

“Predators are pretty much the same in fresh and saltwater,” said Captain Allen Salinas (956-943-3474), owner of SPI Lures. “They might have different habitats and prey, but they all have the same tendencies and reactions.”

“Speckled trout are very similar predators to bass,” continued Salinas.

“Sometimes they attack from ambush, sometimes they school up and attack baits balls.

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strike, just like bass.”

The high pressure of a cold front, a substantial drop in water temperature, change in water salinity, a Texas Rangers losing streak can all give speckled trout the mullygrubs.

When they get in this negative mood, it’s tough to get them to eat anything. Their habits are familiar to die hard saltwater anglers: they nip the tails of soft plastics, slap at topwaters with their tails, or follow just behind them all the way to the boat.

After three or four hours of this, you can’t blame a fisherman to start thinking about taking up less frustrating pursuits, like the Rubik’s Cube.

Closer Inspection When trout become less than cooperative, dead sticking might goad them into striking.

Trout will usually hold around their typical haunts of potholes and grasslines (except during cold fronts, but we’ll get to that in a bit). They sit along the edges and sulk.

Deadsticking “puts a lure right in front of them and keeps it there,” says Salinas, whose popular Tandem Rig is an effective tool for this technique. “The bait doesn’t doing anything; it just sits there right in the water column. The trout will move up to it and stare at it to wait and see if it is going to try and escape.”

Perhaps the fish’ primal instinct to kill weak and wounded prey kicks in, or maybe it is goaded into striking by some interloper moving into his territory, but for whatever reason, a trout will take the lure in with a subtle “slurp.” Sometimes, a trout will stare at the bait for up to a couple of minutes.

When the angler starts the retrieve, the typical jerkbait will dart forward, and the trout will strike from natural reaction.

A Cold Day When a cold front blows in and drops water temperatures, trout descend into deeper water, where temperatures remain moderate and more comfortable to them. In these situations, foraging for prey is the last thing on their tiny reptilian brains.

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well. The same do nothing rig with a bb split shot 12 inches in front of it will take it down into the deeper water, but still allow a slow enough fall to provide the inert presentation that a cold-shocked trout might move to strike.

A few years back, an early-spring cold front turned conditions along Lower Laguna Madre really, really snotty. The only area with decent water was in the Port Isabel Shrimp Basin. I waded out to the drop-off and cast out a Strike King Zero rigged with a split shot into the deeper water and just let it work its way to the bottom. It seldom made it, because a trout would lay the wood to it before it hit the bottom.

Bait By Any Other Name Usually, the best baits that work for deadsticking are among the most popular saltwater baits.

Tails such as the classic BassAssassin, the Gambler Flappin’ Shad and other shad baits seem to offer the perfect action, or lack thereof, that trout seem to prefer in a do nothing presentation. The Fin-SFish is another excellent deadstick bait. One lure however, seems to be perfect for this application.

The Gulp! Jerk Shad has many of the qualities of other shad baits. It has the same life-like profile, the same darting action on the retrieve that trout seem to respond most to. What sets it aside from other similar tails is the added feature of scent. A Jerk Shad will sit in the water column and “bleed” off scent that will draw a fish’s attention when it may otherwise ignore it. The added dimension of scent may also stimulate a trout into eating.

In this case, the dead may raise the living, and make a slow day memorable.

On the Web Find the best Trout fishing locations on the ALL NEW Hotspots Interactive App: www.FishGame.com/hotspots

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Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

E WAS A BIG KID FOR A FRESHMAN. THEN again, "Topo" was a 16-year-old freshman, so I guess he was the right size for his age. He was not what you would call an easy student to deal with. He was defiant, angry, and uncooperative. He had the classic three-dot tattoo on the webbing of his right thumb: Mi Vida Loca— "My Crazy Life."

"Look at this guy," my colleague said to me. "What in the world is Florinda thinking letting this guy on the bus. We'll probably have to chip in to make bail for him."

Florinda Garcia—a counselor I was closely associated with my days teaching at Donna High School—knew exactly what she was doing. He had boarded a bus bound for South Padre Island for a fishing trip/barbecue that was part of the summer program for at-risk children. Topo might have looked like a badass, but he was still 16.

It wasn't a major fishing trip. We took the eight boys and seven girls to the Sea Ranch fishing pier, rented some rods and reels, bought a bunch of fresh shrimp, and went at it. We caught sand trout, whiting, pinfish, grunt, and one speckled trout that took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Everyone had a great time.

Topo caught the speck. The 16-year-old hoodlum was suddenly a 16-year-old kid with his first fish on the line. The glare was gone. The anger was gone. There was a smile. There was excitement. He was a happy young man. It was good to see.

Florinda Garcia knew exactly what she was doing.

I wish I could tell you that everything turned out great for Topo, and that he saw the light and turned his life around and became a productive member of society. The truth is, I don't know. I never saw him again.

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The 16-year-old hoodlum was suddenly a 16-yearold kid with his first fish on th line.

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The Power of Fishing

I do know that he was happy that afternoon, and that the smile on his face could have lit up a landing strip. That's the power of fishing.

A few years later, I was sitting at the media breakfast at ICAST. Before the state of the economy, before the environmental issues of the oil industry, before the Federal Government's shenanigans involving small business taxes, fishing access, and the sundry concerns that plagued the industry, the biggest issue before the fishing tackle world was angler recruitment. The concern was that most young people spend more time playing with Wii and Gameboy than on the water.

I don't doubt a major connection between increased numbers of at-risk children and reduced numbers recruited into the sport.

The blunt truth is, not enough adults have the wherewithal, desire, or resolve to fix it.

Most are too wrapped up the minutiae of life in the Twenty-first Century.

Fortunately, some very conscientious members of the angling community feel differently about the current state of angling in America, men and women who feel very strongly about changing how things are.

Organizations such as Majesty Outdoors are dedicated to providing fishing and hunting opportunities to fatherless children who otherwise lack the opportunities, and to be exposed to positive male role models. That is no small thing. Perhaps it is true that, as Irina Dunn once coined, a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. But all children need positive adult male figures in their T E X A S

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lives like a fish needs oxygen. Ideally, a child has two strong, loving parents. In lieu of that, Majesty Outdoors’ staff dedicate their television show, production company, and lives to helping sculpt young men and women to possess good character and a love for the outdoors.

I've had the privilege of watching Majesty Outdoors executive producer and host Bill Blodgett in action with a young ward on two occasions. One took place during a Kidfish event organized and hosted by the triumvirate of Cleve Ford and Jeff Neal of Dargel Boats, and the tireless Captain Bruce Shuler, who hosted the event at his Getaway Adventures Lodge. The event included a fishing tournament where the child who caught a trout closest to the "magic number" weight of 1 pound, 10 ounces, was the winner; a piggy perch division; a wiener roast; and door prizes. Weather kept the crowd down in the morning, but a fine time was had by all.

It was gratifying to see the energy that the organizers put into the event. It was especially gratifying to see the number of people who volunteered their time and boats to take children fishing. These are children who never get to fish, much less from a boat; it was an experience they will never forget. Hopefully, it was also an experience they'll be able to have again soon.

Another friend of mine, Captain Bob Lany, once told me that if more people stopped complaining that not enough kids go fishing and simply took one of their kids' friends fishing, there would be no problem.

Lany is the sort of man who leads by example. He believes in taking kids fishing whenever he can, and believes everyone should.

All these men and women whom I admire are showing the way to solving the recruitment issue while mentoring young people along the way. All of them deserve a healthy thank you for their efforts. I'm lucky to know them all.

E-mail Calixto Gonzales at CGonzales@fishgame.com.

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Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams| TF&G Freshwater Editor

What Gives at O.H. Ivie?

EXAS BASS AND TEXAS BASS LAKES CONTINue to shock my imagination. Just when I think the quality of bass fishing in Texas can't get any better, it does. And just when I start believing the list of "Super Lakes" in this state can't grow any larger, another name grabs the spotlight and invariably steals the show from all the others.

Such was the case last spring, when Lake O.H. Ivie burst onto the Texas big bass radar with a remarkable flurry of doubledigit lunkers that placed the 19,000-acre Panhandle impoundment high on the hit lists of anglers across Texas and beyond.

All total, Ivie kicked out 11 official Toyota ShareLunkers last season—seven more than Lake Amistad and nine more than Fork and Falcon. One of the giants weighed a whopping 16.08 pounds. The big bass caught in April by Jerry Bales of Hico currently ranks as the No. 19 heaviest bass ever reported in Texas.

Even more encouraging is it produced at least four more 13-pounders after the ShareLunker season closed in April. The heaviest of those was a 14.12 caught and released in July by Jaimie Buitron of San Antonio.

So, what is it that sparked the big bass bonanza at Ivie last year? Fisheries scientists and many anglers believe the flurry can be attributed to a host of factors.

Among them are Jaimie Buitron with Florida strain bass, his April Sharelunker. optimum habitat, and an excellent forage 14.12-pounder

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base to keep all the hungry mouths fed.

"Our surveys have shown the bass population at O.H. Ivie has really been coming on for several years now, and I think everything just came together last season," said Mukhtar Farooqi, a San Angelo-based inland fisheries biologist who oversees the lake for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. "It is certainly a testament to the Florida bass stocking program in Texas, but several other factors were involved as well."

Farooqi pointed to the prolonged drought that gripped much of the Panhandle throughout much of the early 2000s as one the most influential factors of all. Between 2000 and 2004, the water level dropped to about 25 feet below pool level.

In the meantime, thousands of acres of mud flats and shorelines grew up thick with salt cedar and other terrestrial vegetation native to the rugged landscape.

In 2005, heavy rains raised the water level about 13 feet. Although the lake was still well below full capacity, the rise flooded hundreds of acres of bushy plant growth.

That provided a significant boost in fertility and created an aquatic nursery that allowed existing forage and largemouth populations to flourish. Furthermore, it set the stage for outstanding spawns in subsequent years and created optimum conditions for survival and recruitment.

Adding to the bounty pluses

was the emergence of hydrilla, which can be found growing up and down the lake at depths beyond 20 feet.

"We obviously had a good year-class of fish prior to 2005 and they really benefitted from the rise in water level," Farooqi said. "It is the same phenomenon that occurred at lakes Falcon, Amistad, and Choke Canyon.

These fish were in the lake all along, but they just exploded with all the rich, new habitat.

As critical as the influx of freshwater in 2005 was in producing an army of big bass at Ivie, the decline in water level that occurred in recent times likely played a significant roll in the big bass bonanza actually taking place.

That's the word from Wesley Pullig of Eden. Pullig, 28, contributed two Ivie 13 pounders to the ShareLunker program in 2010. Additionally, he caught 12.91pounder in January and boated a 13.40pounder in June, roughly two months after the program shut down.

Pullig said Ivie was about 18 feet low last spring, which in turn helped position the fish in a way that they were easier to catch.

"It definitely concentrated them more, which made them a whole lot easier to find," he said.

Pullig, who said he fishes the lake at least three days week from autumn through spring, said he thinks Ivie is poised to kick out another big flurry of giants this year.

"I'm looking for it peak this year," Pullig said. "That lake has so many 6-10 bass in it that it is unreal, but the water level is getting down so low (22 feet in August) that I'm afraid the fishery is going to start downhill if doesn't catch some water. The best thing that could happen is for it to fill up and jump-start the process all over again. With all that new cover on the bank just waiting for water, it is like a time bomb just waiting to explode."

E-mail Matt Williams at MWilliams@fishgame.com.

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GREEN CCA Completes Work on Vancouver Reef Expansion AFTER MONTHS OF COOPERATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT (TPWD) AND CCA TEXAS, IN AUGUST CCA TEXAS' HTFT PROGRAM AND TPWD COMPLETED AN EXPANSION OF THE VANCOU-

Hope for a World Free of Mosquitos ERADICATING ANY ORGANISM WOULD HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR ECOSYSTEMS—WOULDN'T IT? NOT WHEN IT COMES TO MOSQUITOES, ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE BY JANET FANG IN THE ON-LINE EDITION OF THE JOURNAL NATURE. Mosquitoes infect hundreds of millions of people with diseases worldwide each year, killing nearly a million. They irritate

VER REEF SITE OFF THE COAST OF FREEPORT.

people in general, run in swarms thick enough to asphyxiate caribou in Alaska, and generally make nuisances of themselves. Millions of the bloodsuckers’ human victims have asked themselves about and yearned for a mosquito-free world, but were told it would have dire consequences for the food chain.

In many cases, however, scientists

PHOTO: MICHAEL PETTIGREW, ISTOCK

Continued on page 34

Efforts to expand this reefing site began last year when CCA Texas secured 23 granite blocks from A&M Galveston ranging from 3 to 12 tons. Then, 110 concrete catch basins were supplied

by Old Castle Precast out of Brookshire, Texas, and longtime CCA Texas supporters Dorsett Brothers Concrete stepped up to provide temporary storage of the material, and use of their on-site docking facilities in Freeport.

CCA Texas originally contributed $25,000 for the transport and deployment of the material, and secured an additional $60,000 for near-shore reefing from a private Houston Foundation, of which $25,000 was designated for the Vancouver Project.

This brought the total financial support to of this project to $50,000. The expansion of the reef was finalized a few weeks ago as the granite blocks and concrete Continued on page 34

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Study Shows Meatheads are Smarter NEW RESEARCH CONFIRMS WHAT HUNTERS HAVE KNOWN FOR MILLENNIA: MEAT-EATERS ARE SMARTER. The earliest humans ate a low-calorie diet of raw vegetables, fruit, leaves, nuts, tubers, roots and, berries, which requires a long digestive gut to extract enough energy just to fuel the body, let alone an energyhungry large brain, which uses about 20 times as much energy as the equivalent amount of muscle.

“You can’t have a large brain and big

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guts at the same time,” said Leslie Aiello, an anthropologist and director of the Wenner-Gren Foundation in New York City, which funds research on evolution. She told National Public Radio that the human discovery of energy-rich meat gave humans the leg-up to develop large, complex brains and ensuing intelligence.

“What we think is that this dietary change around 2.3 million years ago was one of the major significant factors in the evolution of our own species,” Aiello said.

That period is when cut marks from manmade tools on animal bones first appeared.

Another clue to meat in the human diet lies not in cut marks but in a human parasite—the tapeworm.

“The closest relatives of human tapeworms are tapeworms that affect African hyenas and wild dogs,” Aiello said.

“Sometime in our evolutionary history, we actually shared saliva with wild dogs and

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hyenas.” Suggesting the meat-eating learning curve involved shared scavenging of carcasses.

—Staff Report TG PHOTO: COURTESY CBS/LANDOV

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GREEN Eradication of Mosquitos Continued from page 32 acknowledge that the ecological scar left by a missing mosquito species would heal quickly as other organisms filled the niche.

Life would continue as before—or even better. When it comes to the major disease vectors, "It's difficult to see what the downside would be to removal, except for collateral damage," said insect ecologist Steven Juliano of Illinois State University in Normal. A world without mosquitoes would be "more secure for us," said medical entomologist Carlos Brisola Marcondes from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. "The elimination of Anopheles

Vancouver Reef Project Continued from page 32 catch basins were deployed into the gulf. The expansion of the reef culminated in the addition of more than 250 tons of granite and concrete material, and marks the single largest expansion of the reef since 1976 when the original Liberty ship was sunk at the site.

"This project is a win-win situation for the resource. Creating reef habitat is a great tool in building biomass and structure for the entire marine ecosystem and food chain. Experience was gained during this project and CCA Texas will be looking to use that experi34 |

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stephensi [the strain that spreads malaria] would be very significant for mankind."

“If there was a benefit to having them around, we would have found a way to exploit them. We haven't wanted anything from mosquitoes except for them to go away,” said entomologist Daniel Strickman, program leader for medical and urban entomology at the US Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland.

And according to Joe Conlon of the American Mosquito Control Association in Jacksonville, Florida: "If we eradicated them tomorrow, the ecosystems where they are active will hiccup and then get on with life. Something better or worse would take over."

And, yes, intense efforts are under way to develop methods that might rid the world of the most pernicious, disease-carrying species.

—Staff Report TG

ence to build more habitat for the betterment of Texas's coastal resources," said John Blaha, director of CCA Texas' Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT) program.

With the completion of the Vancouver Project, CCA Texas has earmarked $50,000 for the expansion of the Port Mansfield reefing project, and another $35,000 for the new Matagorda reef project, which is currently in the final stages of permitting. The Vancouver project reflects the commitment of CCA Texas volunteers and members, as well as the importance of building relationships within local communities, other organizations, and with local and state government agencies.

No BP Dead Zones Found THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA), THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA), AND THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY (OSTP) RELEASED A REPORT SHOWING DISSOLVED OXYGEN LEVELS HAVE DROPPED BY ABOUT 20 PERCENT FROM THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO IN AREAS WHERE FEDERAL AND INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THE PRESENCE OF SUBSURFACE OIL FROM THE DEEPWATER HORIZON ACCIDENT. Scientists from agencies involved in the report attribute the lower dissolved oxygen levels to microbes using oxygen to consume the oil.

The dissolved oxygen levels, measured within 60 miles of the wellhead, have stabilized and are not low enough to become "dead zones." A dead zone is an area of very low dissolved oxygen that cannot support most life. Dead zones are commonly observed in the nearshore waters of the western and northern Gulf of Mexico in summer, but not normally in the deep-water layer (3300-4300 feet) where the lowered oxygen areas in this study occurred. Dead zones, also known as hypoxic areas, are defined in marine waters as areas in which dissolved oxygen concentrations are below 2 TG mg/L (1.4 ml/L).

—Staff Report TG —Staff Report T E X A S

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Hunt Texas

by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor

‘Scoring’ a Trophy AVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT IT TAKES to “score” a monster whitetail buck?

Years of hunting skills? Stealth tracking abilities, antler-rattling proficiency, longrange shooting expertise, help from trail camera surveillance? Forget it. You need only two things: a rabbit’s foot in your pocket and just being in the right place at the right time.

I never have shot a whitetail larger than the 168-plus-pointer with a drop tine that I took around 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day in 2009 on the Holt River Ranch near Graford, but I love to see actual antlers or photographs of the record-book deer other hunters have taken, regardless whether in Texas or other states.

I am not a “trophy buck” hunter. I just like to hunt deer. I also like to photograph them in the wild as well as experiment in the many ways to grill, smoke, sauté, bake, and cure venison. In my opinion, being in the right place at the right time is what it all is about when it comes to taking a record buck, and no one knows that better than Wes O’Brian of Lexington, a small community east of Austin.

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, 24year-old O’Brian was far away from home and hunting on a friend-of-a-friend’s property in Richardson County, Nebraska. He had just about ended an evening hunt near sundown when he stepped out of his truck to stalk a deer seen earlier.

But as he did, another buck appeared at the edge of a field about 200 yards away.

O’Brien got to within about 100 yards of the deer and fired, dropping the largest nontypical buck ever taken in Nebraska and one of the largest in the world, a massive 38pointer that scored 284 Boone and Crockett Club points.

O’Brian told local reporters that his

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“once-in-a-lifetime buck” presented itself simply at the right time and place, so he has named it, “Too Easy.”

Fortunately for hunters and others interested in the largest deer taken by various means such as firearms, crossbows, bow and arrow, etc., Nebraska’s record book not only recognizes racks by typical and non-typical, but also by method. The current record for a non-typical Nebraska whitetail taken with a firearm is a 242-5/8 shot by Robert Snyder in Nance County in 1961. The largest

where does it stand in the B&C book?

The answer to the first question is “No.” The answer to the second is it ranks as the No. 7 non-typical in the world, at least for now. It has been submitted to B&C, but its actual standing won’t be decided until 2013 by a panel of scorers.

“With its current score of 284, it will rank No. 7 in B&C’s all-time record book for non-typical whitetails and will be the largest non-typical in Nebraska’s record book regardless of method of take,” said Randy Stutheit, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Big Game Records Wes O’Brian with Coordinator and an official measurer for his 284 B&C B&C and Pope and Young. “It eclipses Nebraska Trophy.

Del Austin’s trophy by a mere 4-1/8“Too Easy” points. However, because it will make the B&C Top 10 all-time list, its score must be verified by a B&C panel. It was entered too late for this year’s three-year recording period, so it will not be panel verified until 2013.”

It has been reported that O’Brien may sell the mounted head of his monster buck, stirring controversy among some internet bloggers. Personally, I wouldn’t put a set of antlers on my wall if I didn’t shoot the deer.

Nevertheless, the selling and buying of antlers has become an industry in itself in recent years, despite bans on selling deer parts in some states.

In fact, many of the highestranking bucks have been sold to collectors, given nicknames, and reproduced in bronzes, artificial antlers, and even painted on cocktail coasters and plates.

“Too Easy” belongs to O’Brien and he certainly has the right to do whatever he wants with it’s antlers. I really don’t care what he does, but if there is anything such a magnificent buck that size deserves, it is a “overall” Nebraska buck, known as Old place in history if in no other form than Mossy Horns, scored 279-7/8 taken by Del recognition, for both Nebraska and the Austin with bow and arrow in Hastings world.

County in 1962. Austin’s buck also ranks as a world record for a non-typical taken by E-mail Bob Hood at archery. So, has O’Brien’s 284-point buck BHood@fishgame.com. been certified as a Nebraska record, and T E X A S

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MAP GRAPHIC: TEXAS FISH & GAME

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WHERE TO FIND THE CHEAPEST, MOST NUMEROUS ACCESS POINTS

BY BARRY ST. CLAIR

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BANK FISHING HAS ALWAYS BEEN uncomplicated, historically productive and just plain fun. Most of us got started fishing from the bank of a pond or small lake with a cane pole or maybe it was made of fiberglass, a length of line, a bobber and appropriately sized hooks. Bait was whatever was in season.

When the notion to go fishing occurred, it was usually a short ramble to a favorite sluggish stream or neighbor’s pond. But those days are gone forever. Our growing population and resulting demands on resources have made public fishing areas more important than ever. Public freshwater fishing spots have never been numerous in Texas because of two main reasons: the Texas landscape is 98% privately owned and water has always been a scarce commodity in our drought-prone state. Nevertheless, there are great public spots in Texas to catch a wide variety of fish seasonally and yearround too that do not require a land payment or marrying into a wealthy family.

Thanks to the commitment of public resource agencies such as Texas Parks and Wildlife, river authorities, some federal entities, city and county governments as well as private organizations, anglers who choose to fish from the bank have multiple choices to indulge their fishing passions and it can be done cheaply.

Here then is a small list of some of the best places to freshwater bank fish in Texas.

This accounting is by no means complete and is subjective to my whims, but is a place to start on the path of finding your own bank-fishing hot spots.

Without a doubt, the cheapest, most numerous and best access points for public fishing are available within the Texas State Park system. Parks charge a small day use fee per person that allows access to lakes, rivers and ponds stocked with a variety of species all of which are available to bank fishermen. And the best reason of all to fish in State Parks is that no fishing license is required.

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Lake Ray Roberts State Park: located near Pilot Point north of DFW. (940) 686-2148 or (940) 6372294.

The Park has three units, Isle du Bois, Johnson Branch and Jordan. Largemouth bass fishing is excellent year around on the 30,000 acre impoundment and the shoreline has large areas of standing timber making ideal habitat. The Isle du Bois unit has a fishing pier that is an excellent place to catch largemouth bass, sunfish, crappie and catfish. Seasonally, white bass are also available to shore-bound anglers.

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Eisenhower State Park: located near Denison at Lake Texoma. (903) 465-1956 Eisenhower does not offer a lot of bank fishing access because of the sheer cliffs it perches upon, but the fishing pier it contains offers excellent opportunities to catch striped bass from shore, especially at night under the lights. Smallmouth bass, sunfish and catfish are also residents of the pier habitat. Armadillo Hill point offers a good location to intercept schools of striped bass that prowl the rocky shoreline.

Purtis Creek State Park: located 70 miles southeast of Dallas near Eustace. (903) 425-2332 The Park boasts a 355 acre lake designed for fishing. Good bank access is available and two lighted fishing piers add to the opportunity to tangle with doubledigit largemouth bass. Several bass weighing more than 13 pounds have been pulled

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from Purtis Creek over the years and the state record bluegill was also caught there.

Catfishing is also excellent. Bass fishing is strictly catch and release.

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Cooper Lake State Park: located in Delta County 30 miles south of Paris. (903) 945-5256 Cooper Lake State Park offers excellent seasonal fishing opportunities. Largemouth bass fishing is good along the shoreline in the spring. In late winter, white bass make a spawning run up the creeks and late spring finds crappie spawning along the brushlined banks and piers located in the Heron Harbor area of the South Sulphur Unit.

Catfishing is excellent from the Park shorelines year round.

Tawakoni State Park: is located 25 miles southeast of Greenville on Lake Tawakoni. (903) 560-7123. The lake is well known for its excellent catfish, white and striped bass fisheries. Bank fishing access in the Park is excellent with jetties and points of land near deep water.

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Fairfield Lake State Park: Located near Fairfield 60 miles east of Waco. (903) 389-4514 This power plant-warmed lake of 2000 acres is a year-round hot spot for largemouth bass and red drum fishing. The warm water allows the fish to remain active through the winter months and that is one of the best times of the year to fish this productive little lake. The park offers good bank access for fishermen, especially the points just east of the main boat ramp.

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Tyler State Park: Located just north of Tyler in Smith County. (903) 597-

5338 The Park has a 64 acre lake and three fishing piers and the water clarity is very good making this an ideal lake for lure fishermen. Largemouth bass over 13 pounds are not an uncommon catch from this scenic East Texas Park. In the winter, rainbow trout are stocked on a regular basis and are easily caught from the banks and piers.

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Martin Creek Lake State Park: Located 20 miles southeast of Longview. (903) 836-4336 Known for its excellent populations of channel catfish and blue catfish, Martin Creek is 5000 acres of excellent fishing action. This reservoir is also a power plant lake and stays warm year round which only enhances the fishing opportunities.

Largemouth bass fishing is good along the shoreline. The Park has a lighted fishing pier and sunfish and crappie action are excellent around it seasonally.

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Lake Bob Sandlin State Park: Located near Pittsburg. (903)

572-5531 Located on one of the best largemouth bass fishing lakes in Texas, Lake Bob Sandlin State Park offers anglers an excellent opportunity to catch multiple species off the bank or a lighted fishing pier. As a matter of fact, the lake record for largemouth bass was caught from the Park pier.

It weighed 14.5 pounds and was caught by an angler fishing for crappie. White bass, sunfish and catfish are also available to bank and pier anglers seasonally.

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Inks Lake State Park: Located 9 miles west of Burnet. (512)

793-2223 Noted for its scenic Hill Country beauty, Inks Lake also supports a very good and diverse fishery. Largemouth bass, white bass, striped bass and crappie and sunfish can all be caught off the bank and from the two lighted fishing piers year round. The lake stays at a constant level which encourages the excellent fishing opportunities.

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Choke Canyon State Park: Located south of San Antonio and just west of Three Rivers. (361)786-3868 Sited on 26,000 acre Choke Canyon Reservoir, the Park is known for its excellent largemouth bass and catfishing. An excellent spot to catch catfish is the rock jetty next to the boat ramp in the Calliham Unit of the Park. Find hydrilla along the Park shoreline and largemouth bass will be close by. The Calliham Unit also has a 75 acre lake dedicated to bank fishing only

and it is stocked with catfish, largemouth bass and sunfish.

ed. There is also an ADA accessible jetty for anglers to use.

Brazos Bend State Park: (979) 5535102 Brazos Bend is located 28 miles southwest of Houston on the Brazos River near Needville. The Park contains six small lakes stocked with largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and sunfish. Hale, Elm and 40acre have lighted fishing piers. Fishing from the piers is recommended as alligators are a common sight in the park.

Fort Parker State Park: (254) 5625751 Fort Parker is located between Mexia and Groesbeck on the Navasota River. Fort Parker Lake consists of 700 acres of fairly clear water and good fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish and catfish. The lake has a fishing pier and access to the Navasota River on the west side of the Park.

Lake Livingston State Park: (936) 365-2201 Located on the Trinity River one mile southwest of Livingston, the Park offers excellent catfish, crappie and white bass fishing opportunities for shore-bound anglers. It has one fishing pier.

Bonham State Park: (903) 5835022 Bonham is a 261 acre park that contains 65 acre Bonham Lake located north of Dallas in Fannin County. Not well known because of its size and location, the lake is a crappie hot spot with a lighted fishing pier and good bank fishing access.

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Lake Arrowhead State Park: (940) 528-2211 Arrowhead State Park can be found fourteen miles southeast of Wichita Falls on the Little Wichita River. The 524 acre park has two fishing piers, one is lighted, and excellent shore-line fishing access.

Crappie fishing is considered superb in the spring and fall. The piers and boat docks provide ideal habitat.

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Lake Corpus Christi State Park: (361) 547-2635 The Park is located 35 miles northwest of Corpus Christi and is noted for its excellent catfishing. Other species including largemouth bass, crappie and sunfish are abundant. Two fishing piers are available.

One is currently under repair. Often overlooked by anglers heading for saltwater, Corpus Christi State Park is worth a shot.

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Lake Texana State Park: (361) 7825718 This Park is located about half-way between Houston and Corpus Christi on Lake Texana. Fishing for crappie and catfish is considered excellent. White bass are available seasonally. Three fishing piers are located in the park. Two of them are lightT E X A S

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Lake Casa Blanca International State Park: (956) 725-

3826 Located just east of Laredo off Highway 59, Casa Blanca has a reputation for producing giant largemouth bass. The lake record for this species was caught in March 2010 and weighed 14.79 pounds.

Excellent populations of catfish, crappie and hybrid striper are also present in the 1651 acre lake. Facilities include a lighted fishing pier and good bank access.

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Lake Brownwood State Park: (325) 784-5223 The 537 acre Park can be found 16 miles northwest of Brownwood in Central Texas. Bank fishing access within the park is good. Fishing for largemouth bass, catfish and white bass is considered to be excellent.

Bank fishing has a lot to offer anglers because it is simple, effective, and generally not expensive and can be wildly productive.

All it takes is a little bit of equipment, patience and luck. That sounds like real fishing to me.

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You Don’t Remember All The Firsts in Your Life, But Your First Deer — for Many of Us, a Doe — Is One First Nobody Forgets

BY PAUL BRADSHAW

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IN ALL MY YEARS IN THE WOODS, I’VE NEVER LOOKED I for a downed deer this hard. The shot looked like it had hit its mark but the deer bolted into thick cover making it impossible to see where it fell so tracking was the only way to make a recovery. The fact that the sun had long since set wasn’t helping matters but giving up wasn’t really an option. So on hands and knees, with a flashlight in my mouth, I searched the ground for the next drop of blood and tried to stay optimistic that there would be a deer at the end of the crimson trail.

Sometimes when skill isn’t enough you have to rely on luck and this was one of those moments. Taking a break, to give my knees and neck a chance to relax I stood to stretch and caught just a glimpse of white hair on the edge of the flashlight’s beam.

Just ten yards ahead of me I could barely make out the form of the deer half hidden in the brush and piled up underneath a small pine tree.

Turning to my then nine-year-old daughter who had followed me every step of the way I whispered, “There she is.” I could feel her smile more than I could see it. This wasn’t just any doe we had lying in front of us; it was her first deer ever. A young doe

that was taken with a single shot from the same rifle I had taken my first deer with. A trophy doe.

You remember your first deer don’t you?

Of course you do, who doesn’t. There are a lot of firsts that happen in your life that you’ll

never recall again but your first deer stays with you forever. I remember mine like it was yesterday but it was more years ago than I’m going to admit. Sitting in a box blind painted white (dad had a theory about deer not caring about color) with my dad when I

The author’s proud nineyear-old daughter with her first deer, a doe.

First Deer

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PHOTO: PAUL BRADSHAW

PHOTO: TOM TIETZ

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who brought their bucks to process but even though my deer didn’t have any bone on its head they still patted me on the back and made a much bigger deal out of the doe than they had to. It was official, I was a hunter and there was no turning back.

There is just something right about a trophy shot of a young hunter with a huge smile as they sit behind a doe, holding the head up by the ears or neck. The unbridled joy they have at taking a deer is impossible to hide.

If you spend any time around hunters you’ll understand the popular theory that outdoorsmen gradually go through a progression as their experience in the woods increases. The first stage in this process is the desire to take someA sight to quicken the heart of any first-time thing, anything so that they can be hunter. called a hunter. Size doesn’t matter. The rest of us get hung up on Trophy Doe antler scores, buck maturity, or live body weights but to a kid those measurable items are meaningless. The only thing they was around 10 or 11, the sun was just start- measure is whether or not they get to shoot a ing to come up when a doe walked into our deer. When you get a thrill from just seeing food plot. The blind instantly started shak- a deer there is little difference in your eyes ing; OK it might have just been me. I’m not between a “book” buck and a 2.5 year old ashamed to admit I got buck fever over a doe. After opening the plexi-glass window (dropping it loud enough to scare off every deer in the county) and bumping my rifle against every protrusion in the blind on the way up I finally got the barrel out the window. The doe must have been both blind and deaf.

The time between getting the rifle ready and actually taking the shot seemed like it took two hours, but realistically was just a few minutes. The crosshairs were having a hard time finding the deer and I’m pretty sure that my eyes were closed when I finally pulled the trigger After I regained my composure from the shot I could see the doe lying where she stood just a few minutes earlier and it was the greatest feeling in the world. I’m fairly certain I set a new record in the 100 meters getting from the blind to the deer.

To me, the little 75 pound doe was the biggest trophy anyone had ever taken. My dad’s uncle had a shed where everyone in the small community I was raised in took their deer to skin. On many Saturday mornings in November there was a flurry of knives, coolers filled with deer, and men standing around admiring bucks lying in the back of trucks and telling stories. On that particular morning there were other hunters T E X A S

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doe. For young hunters this stage of wanting to take the first deer that walks out often lasts for quite a few years.

Sometimes, in a good intentioned effort to make sure our kids love to hunt as much as we do, we rush them into the other levels of becoming a hunter beyond their experience often skipping most of the steps altogether. Instead of moving them from the stage of being happy to take any deer we jump them ahead to the later stages where the thrill of the hunt comes from taking a wall hanger. Instead of letting a kid be a kid we force them into trophy hunting and rob them of the experience of being an enthusiastic young hunter.

Determining whether or not an animal is a trophy is very subjective. What might be the best deer of one hunter’s life-time could barely raise an eyebrow on another’s lease.

However, the one certainty is that a hunter’s first deer is always a trophy no matter if it is a 150 inch ten point or a doe, both of which will never be forgotten.

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ONE HUNDRED MILES OF ROUGH GRAVEL ROAD lay behind us. The translator, landowner, and I had crossed the Rio Grande five hours earlier. My purpose was to appraise the landowner’s deer hunting and offer advice. Now in a fence corner near a rundown hacienda, while the landowner opened a wire gap, a rattle-trap Chevy pickup pulled in close behind us. The passenger-side occupant stepped out and stood at my tailgate; he fingered a short piece of pipe but in a moment I realized he was actually fidgeting with a pistol. The driver approached me, read the concern in my eyes, and raised both hands in the air. Another man remained in the pickup.

All three were bare-headed, wore tattered camouflage pants, dirty white bulletproof vests, and carried 9-mm handguns.

“Como estas?” he said, and smiled between exposed palms.

“Muy bien,” I answered.

“You want Spanish or English my friend?” “…reckon we better use English!”

The question to sportsmen is whether Mexico is safe – for sportsmen. Of course, the simple answer is – no! There isn’t a responsible lawman in Texas that would advise crossing the Rio Bravo in search of fun. And one reason that law enforcement officials have that policy is because many game wardens, deputy sheriffs, border patrol, etc., say the cartels have sponsored rewards for their deaths. So common sense dictates that if Mexico isn’t safe for them, Mexico is not safe for you. Plus the guardians of your well-being won’t recommend recreating in a combat zone.

Since the 2006 election of President Felipe Calderon drug-related violence has claimed more than 23,000 Mexican lives.

The out of control violence has caused normal activity between the citizens of sister cities to change. Longtime residents of Brownsville, Laredo, and Del Rio have curtailed their popular dinner dates and nights out across the river. Mexico streets that harbor favorite tourist destinations are empty.

There is an atmosphere of being closemouthed, and an attitude that “if you leave them alone they’ll leave you alone”. The fear of retaliation is real and the majority voice says it’s a hard time to be in the Mexico hunting business.

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an apparent consensus, please note examples that may indicate concepts beyond the prescribed norm. One such instance may be related in Keith Bowden’s the “Tecate Journals”, a story about his, 2007, 70-day trip from El Paso/Juarez to Brownsville/Matamoras via bicycle, canoe, and kayak. Bowden portrays the people along the river with the revelation that peaceable folks are much alike. But he doesn’t hide the truth and mentions sightings of illegal activities. The book contains a fine mixture describing the beauty and travails of his journey versus the social standard that stated “you can’t do that”.

Then there is the example of “humantraits-gone-wild, come on in the waters fine”.

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A hunter and his young guide show off a typical Mexico trophy.

During the annual Buckmasters Mexico Whitetail The Attraction Trophy Hunt Sweepstakes, thousands of sportsmen apply.

It is a study in undeniable urges, in this case winning a raffle, despite the forewarned possible jeopardy. It is a case of either thumbing your nose at danger, believing there is no danger, or tossing good sense out the window.

So, why would sensible folks indulge in such risk?

Hunters that frequent Mexico give several reasons. One, the trophies are great and the bird limits are generous. And two, adventuresome souls can’t resist the allure of PHOTOS: HERMAN BRUNE

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exotic retreats. They say that hunters have faced perils around the globe since the beginning of modern Big Game Hunting.

Three American outfitters operating in Mexico, who requested anonymity, had this to say: Outfitter #1 said, “Bad guys sell drugs and deal illegal stuff; they don’t want to mess with hunters. We’re not on their radar. I’ve never heard of them wanting hunters’ guns.

Fear has caused the industry to shrink 50 percent. It’s tough times to be a Mexico Hunting Operator. Camps are shutting down for lack of business. The Mexican government offensive against drugs has caused more violence. It will be good long term, but for now there are too many headlines produced to sell newspapers and magazines.

Near us there was an incident of dove

not seem to be susceptible to bribes and the Mexican version of the DEA is intimidating. The Tampico newspaper said that for drugs to leave Mexico and get through to users in the U.S. – the corruption can’t stop at the border.”

Outfitter #3 said, “We’ve hunted and ranched in Mexico since 1989. An American must go there with the right attitude. You are a guest in a foreign country. We cross at the Columbia Bridge and bring our hunters in before noon. Then we go to our destination and stay there the duration of the hunt.

The Chihuahua Desert is filled with wildlife. Here turkeys roost on a windmill.

Desert Wildlife

U.S. Customs and an American outfitter check guns across the border.

hunters being held at gun point. But Gun Check that turned out to be a dispute over landowner’s fees. It was not drug related. (Since the interview, this outfitter has closed his Mexico operation due to the heightened violence in his proximity.)

Outfitter #2 said, “Mexico is a great country with friendly people, but folks ain’t going there. We never paid a mordido (bribe) and never had any problems.

Dealing with their bureaucracies is a pain, but there is no issue with the Highway Patrol, local police, or federales. As for law enforcement corruption, the military does

The ANGADI is an association of more than 1500 landowners holding more than 25 million acres. Its mission is to promote and obtain knowledge for the preservation and sustainable harvesting of wildlife as a fundamental pillar of the cultural, ecological and economic heritage of Mexico. The ANGADI also advises the federal government on general wildlife laws and regulations.

Empty streets, where shops and bars were once filled with tourists.

There’s no sense in going where the bad No-Shows element may exist.

We don’t crack a jug until we’re on the ranch and we lock the gate behind us. Any mordido to the federales stopped with the North American Free Trade Agreement. Now, every rancher must be a member of the ANGADI (Asociacion Nacioanl De GanaDeros Diversificados Criadores De Fauna). It’s not expensive and they are a buffer between the hunter and the government. They make it easy to cross our hunters’ guns. As for hunting in Mexico, if you’re not involved in drug trafficking you won’t have a problem.”

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The translator called two weeks ago.

“Hey, do you remember our trip and running into those fellas with guns?” he asked.

“Yeah, that was sort of different,” I said.

“Well, those guys were part of the Zeta Cartel.”

“I figured they were with somebody.”

“The word on the street is that there were 17 of them living in that old hacienda, and the Gulf Cartel wiped them out.

They’re all dead!”

“So what does that mean? Is it safe to go hunting?”

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Open Season

by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

Opening Morning NSTEAD OF OCCUPYING DEER STANDS ON OPENing morning, the Hunting Club members and I gathered in the gravel parking lot of Fritz's Taxidermy and Wild Game Processing. It was our desperate way of dealing with opening morning without a deer lease.

As the sun rose over the chilly nearby cactus and sagebrush hills, we filled coffee cups and shivered in lawn chairs beside my fifth-wheel camper to await the first hunters.

I wasn't happy with the day's inaugural surprise.

“Dang,” I said, staring at my favorite coffee cup. “It's cracked.”

“Uh, oh,” Doc said. “The last time you had coffee cup issues you were cranky for six months.”

“That's because someone at work broke it and didn't tell me,” I answered. “They just dumped the pieces in the trash and didn't say anything.”

“You get too attached to your cups,” Wrong Willie opined.

“I like a good coffee cup,” I answered.

“Well, what's wrong now?” Woodrow asked, watching a pickup slow and turn into Fritz's parking lot. We rose and slowly moseyed toward the truck as it slowly backed up to Fritz's cooler.

“My old Bubba cup is cracked,” I said, carrying the conversation with us. It is a 20year-old coffee cup from Bubba's Bar-B-Q in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It fits my hand.

I like this cup.”

The truck's camouflaged owner climbed out and glanced toward our approaching troupe. Sensing little or no danger, he turned and spoke with one of Fritz's employees, who lowered the tailgate to remove a deer.

We peered into the truck bed and briefly examined an unimpressive eight-point buck.

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Sighing, we returned to the camper to watch the men unload the deer and fill out the proper paperwork.

“Now I don't have a good cup to drink out of,” I lamented.

“Just get a foam cup and throw it away when you're finished,” Jerry Wayne said, already tired of the conversation.

“I'm trying to go Green,” I answered. “I don't want to add to the landfills. I just want a good cup that feels good in my hand. Now I'll have to retire this one and use it as a pencil holder, I guess.”

When a second truck rolled to a dusty stop, we strolled over to check out its deer.

This time it was a pretty good 10-point, but the deer's skinny neck and basket-shaped antlers were a disappointment. We went back to the trailer.

Fritz stood at his front door for a moment, looking us over. Then he went back inside to wait his next customer. We didn't even get up to examine the next deer. It arrived in the back of a Ford Ranger and all we saw was one hoof. Any deer not big enough to fill a small truck didn't wouldn't warrant the effort to bestir ourselves from comfortable lawn chairs.

Wrong Willie dug around in the storage compartment of the trailer and emerged with a propane fire pit. He attached the quickconnect hose to the camper's gas outlet and lit the fire. The blaze soon heated the ceramic logs and an appreciative Doc backed up to the fire.

The Cap'n finally woke up and joined us outsid. “Anything good come through yet?” he asked.

“Nope,” I said. “But my coffee cup is cracked.”

“Matches your head,” he answered.

Instead of responding to his juvenile jab, I went inside to see what other cups the War Department had stored in the cabinets. I found a thick, old-fashioned mug from the Ft. Worth Stockyard Hotel.

When I returned, the boys were getting up to check the next deer. This time we could see a set of antlers sticking up above the bed. The hunter waved us over and T E X A S

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pointed. “I shot this old boy an hour ago.

How about the size of that rack?”

He wasn't kidding. A thick-necked monster 12-point buck lay in the back. “I'll have this one caped out and mounted.”

We were so excited a short, but enthusiastic football-fan-type Wave overtook us as we huzzahed the hunter's luck. We slapped each other on the back, high-fived, and shouted encouragement at the cold landscape. It was a great opening morning after all.

After the buck had been unloaded, we wandered back to the trailer to find Fritz waiting for us. He didn't look happy.

“Guys, I like you all, but you really can't stay here all day,” he said.

“Why?” Doc asked, hurt and disappointed.

“Well, I didn't say much when y'all pulled in here two days ago and set up camp, and I didn't mind you putting up the satellite dish to watch television, and this morning I even got over the campfire.”

He paused and looked around the parking lot.

“But your trailer and five pickups take up over 3/4 of this little ol' parking lot. You've left only one slot to back in to unload deer, and if you'll look at the highway there, you'll see 32 trucks lined up, waiting to get in here.

Even the Highway Patrol is getting irritated.”

I guess he noticed our disappointment.

“Really, I know y'all don't have a deer lease, and I'll help you find one, but you have to go somewhere else. I just got off the phone with Doreen and she said you could finish opening morning at her place. She misses y'all. Now,” he said gently. “Go on so I can get these deer unloaded.”

And the whole thing wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't dropped the Stockyards coffee cup five minutes later. “There goes another cup,” I wailed, and the Hunting Club members sadly ended another opening morning.

E-mail Reavis Wortham at RWortham@fishgame.com.

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Geese, Geese and More Geese AT FIRST, I THOUGHT I WAS seeing things.

Just as the sun started to peek over the marsh, a large shape blacked out the available light. Was this a fog coming from the nearby Gulf or an ensuing storm?

lies. Ross’s are tiny and always mixed with snows and specklebellies always have a bag limit of one or two birds and they tend to hang with snows as well as ducks.

Let us start with snows first and by saying that consistently fooling them is difficult.

From a distance, it looked like one giant shape but as it I first learned this lesson while hunting with Will Beaty of approached closer, the familiar cackling sound of snow geese Central Flyway Outfitters in Winnie, TX. broke the silence of the morning. What seemed to be one huge We got out to a field at 4 a.m. to set up a huge decoy spread object was instead thousands of geese moving in unison headconsisting of close to 1,000 shells, rags and silhouettes. Nearing the direction of our blind. This was my first-ever real goose by was a roost of 10,000 plus geese that had been flying right hunt and the bunch I was hunting with had warned me to bring over this field. After we completed the task of setting up the plenty of ammunition. huge spread, Beaty put us about 125 yards away from the I am glad I did because a combination of my poor shooting spread itself. I questioned the logic in this, however, he was that day and many shot opportunities confident in the tactic. caused me to burn three boxes of ammo.

“I’m telling you the geese will see the spread and To say we had fun was an understatethen immediately veer away from it. Hopefully they ment! will veer toward us hidden in this brush and we’ll get • TF&G Executive Editor That was many years ago, but the a chance at them,” he said. geese are still thick in Cameron Parish, La. where I was huntAs the huge flock rose off the roost, the formerly quiet ing and throughout wintering grounds in Texas from the Panmorning was now filled with the near deafening sound of callhandle to the Gulf Coast. ing geese. About 1,000 of them moved in our direction and Goose hunting is probably the most challenging avenue of almost as if they had been programmed to do so, the geese the waterfowling experience as these birds; particular snows veered directly away from the decoys and flew right over toward have super sharp vision and wariness on par with few game us. birds. In Texas, there are four species of geese: snows, Ross, “See, these birds are smart. You just have to try your best white fronted (specklebelly) and Canadas. to be smarter than they are,” Beaty said.

For the most part, hunting is broken down into snows and In general, large spreads in the fields tend to work better Canadas. No one just goes out to target Ross and specklebelthan small ones do and hunters who set up realistic spreads that

PHOTO: RICHARD BOWDEN, DREAMSTIME

by Chester Moore

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In This Issue

66

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: ROCKPORT • Rockport is Your Oyster |

BY CAPT. MAC GABLE

68

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: LOWER COAST • November Poons |

BY CALIXTO GONZALES

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SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK • Tides, Solunar Table, Best Hunting/Fishing Times |

BY TF&G STAFF

HOW-TO SECTION

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COVER STORY • Geese, Geese and More Geese |

BY CHESTER MOORE

HOTSPOTS & TIDES SECTION

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BOWHUNTING TECH • Heel-Toe... Heel-Toe... |

BY LOU MARULLO

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TEXAS GUNS & GEAR • Tools for Reloading |

BY STEVE LAMASCUS

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TEXAS KAYAKING • Danger Lies to the North |

BY GREG BERLOCHER

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TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots |

BY TOM BEHRENS, CALIXTO GONZALES, & BOB HOOD

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER COAST • The Month for Sure Things |

BY CAPT. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: GALVESTON • COMPLEX • A November to Remember? |

BY CAPT. MIKE HOLMES

GEARING UP SECTION

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: MATAGORDA • Cast or Blast? |

BY GENE ALLEN

show geese doing a variety of things (feeding, preening, etc.) will do much better than those with just a bunch of rags out in a field.

The old adage in these parts used to be that you could take a white bucket and put it in the field and shoot snows. That is simply not true anymore as the species has developed a level of awareness that is second to none in the waterfowl world. You have to know the behavior of the birds in your area.

If you are hunting marsh refuges think light and mobil, and if you have access to private fields go big and super realistic.

Hunters who want to score on any kind

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TEXAS TESTED • Penn, Suffix | BY TFG STAFF INDUSTRY INSIDER • Palmer Power |

BY TF&G STAFF

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION

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TEXAS TASTED • Backstrap Wraparounds |

BY BRYAN SLAVEN

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OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Classifieds | BY TF&G STAFF PHOTO ALBUM • Your Action Photos |

BY TF&G READERS

TEXAS BOATING • Maintenance Man |

BY LENNY RUDOW

BAITS & RIGS • The Fall Challenge |

BY PAUL BRADSHAW

NEW PRODUCTS • What’s New from Top Outdoor Manufacturers |

BY TF&G STAFF

of goose should be well camouflaged and be concealed around some kind of natural cover or in a photo-realistic blind. More goose hunters miss shots because of not wearing facemask or having one where there is still too much face showing. If you have any face showing, put on some dark-colored makeup and conceal yourself.

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

www.FishGame.com Devers. If you are hunting in rice fields, avoid using pit blinds that have been out all season and have 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.

Goose hunting is a lot of work, but to those of us who venture afield this time of year it is well worth the effort.

(Excertped from “Texas Waterfowl” by Chester Moore. Available online at www.Fishgame.com; also available throughout Texas at Academy Sports + Outdoors.)

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LOWER GULF COAST

Lower Laguna Redfish

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Old Drum Boat Area GPS: N26 10.713, W97 11.10702 (26.178550, -97.185117) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters early, live bait, SPI tandems, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Redfish roam the flats during high tide. Make long drifts with topwaters, live bait, or jerkbaits. Crawl weedless jerkbaits through the grass when redfish are tailing.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Cullen Channel GPS: N26 15.77502, W97 17.27298 (26.262917, -97.287883) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live bait, SPI tandems, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Fish deeper water of the channel during low tide. Trout will strike free-lined shrimp or live finger mullet fished along the drop-off. Work the shallows near show on high tide with jerkbaits.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns 52 |

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CONTACT: Captain George Strader, 956-2334919 TIPS: The east side of the Island is also good for some bruising redfish action.

Watch for lurking trout. Gulp! Shrimp and Peeler Crab are tough medicine on tailing reds. Use as little weight as possible.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: The Y GPS: N26 2.86002, W97 12.43002 (26.047667, -97.207167) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live shrimp, mullet, ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956551-9581 TIPS: Fish the drains on the middle island during an outgoing tide. Redfish lurk around these drains and ambush bait that is pushed out of the grass. Fish a topwater or live bait. You can also skip a mullet or ballyhoo.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: The Y GPS: N26 2.86002, W97 12.43002 (26.047667, -97.207167) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, mullet, ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956551-9581 TIPS: Freeline a live shrimp along the drop-offs for speckled trout. Or, you can skip a ballyhoo or fresh mullet in the shallows for one of the big trout that cruise the island flats. You can actually spot them lurking on a sunny day.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay T E X A S

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GPS: N26 2.421, W97 10.476 (26.040350, -97.174600) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live shrimp, mullet, ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captian Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Refish will cruis the deep guts between the mangroves and the flats. Work topwaters near the trees, and jerkbaits or live bait in the channel, especially on an outgoing tide.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay GPS: N26 2.421, W97 10.476 (26.040350, -97.174600) SPECIES: snook BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live shrimp, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captian Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Fish the trees for snook that will continue to hang around until the first major front of Winter. Watch for swirls early in the morning to tip you off where Olí Linesides is located.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain George Strader, 956233-4919 TIPS: Fish the east side of the Island.

Watch for cruising redfish. Topwaters are good early, and jerkbaits and Gulp!

Shrimp are tough to beat later on. Fish them weightless or under a rattle float.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) C O A S T A L

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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain George Strader, 956233-4919 TIPS: Fish the east side of the Island.

Watch for lurking trout. Topwaters are good early, and jerkbaits and Gulp!

Shrimp are tough to beat later on. Fish them weightless or under a rattle float.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Big Oaks GPS: N26 41.96502, W97 27.79098 (26.699417, -97.463183) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Salt/Pepper, clear/red flake, live shrimp CONTACT: Captain Richard Lopez, 956207-4715 TIPS: Are still a hot ticket in November.

Fish shallower than in October with topwaters or jerkbaits. Watch for tailing redfish.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Big Oaks

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GPS: N26 41.96502, W97 27.79098 (26.699417, -97.463183) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Salt/Pepper, clear/red flake, live shrimp CONTACT: Captain Richard Lopez, 956207-4715 TIPS: Trout are in the deeper water between the shoreline and the ICW. Look for points that push out into the bay, and fish around them. Topwaters and soft plastics work well, but bait is always good too.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Andy Bowie Park (Bank Access) GPS: N26 8.90802, W97 10.17102 (26.148467, -97.169517) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: live or fresh shrimp CONTACT: White Sands Marina, 956943-2414 TIPS: Action picks up in the surf for both drum and pompano. A standard twohook bottom rig with a once-ounce sinker is more than enough. Cast up onto the first

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MIDDLE GULF COAST

Reds, Specks and Schooling Drum

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Port Bay GPS: N28 1.69398, W97 8.694 (28.028233, -97.144900) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Gold spoons and Bone colored topwater baits CONTACT: Capt. Randy Filla, 361-2152332 TIPS: Concentrate on water 2-4 ft deep; work the grass beds and sand pockets. Use

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a stop and go retrieve when working the spoons.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: JFK Causeway GPS: N27 38.07102, W97 14.46102 (27.634517, -97.241017) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: H & H Coastal Tackle Cocahoe Minnows in chartreuse or Rootbeer colors CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: Clear water and no floating grass is a plus at this time of the year.

LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Lydia Ann Channel GPS: N27 51.73602, W97 3.29802 (27.862267, -97.054967) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-2220477 TIPS: Look for schools of drum LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Jetties GPS: N27 50.289, W97 2.61402 (27.838150, -97.043567)

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SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Menhaden, squid and shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Randy Filla, 361-2152332 TIPS: A few fish will still be scattered along the jetties; bites will be on the outgoing tide.

LOCATION: Port O'Connor HOTSPOT: Shoalwater Bay GPS: N28 19.02, W96 37.83 (28.317000, -96.630500) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mansfield Mauler with a soft plastic minnow in LSU color on an 1/8-ounce jighead CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361-7852686 TIPS: Shell bottoms are the key to locating trout in November. Look for dirty water; stay away from clear water.

LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Hog Island GPS: N27 54.28398, W97 6.00198 (27.904733, -97.100033) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp on a Carolina rig CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-222-

0477 TIPS: Fish the potholes using shrimp on a Carolina rig, with a 1/2-ounce weight.

LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Estes Flats GPS: N27 57.05802, W97 5.331 (27.950967, -97.088850) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Cocahoe tails in a chartreuse color or a white/pink tail CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-2220477 TIPS: Fish the breaks where fish will drop-off into when temperatures drop; use a slow retrieve.

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Seadrift Spoil Reefs GPS: N28 23.82, W96 43.2 (28.397000, -96.720000) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Heddon Spook Junior in chrome/blue; Corky Devil in a glow color CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361-7852686 TIPS: Fish the deep side of the reef; on colder days dredge a Glow/chartreuse Texas Tackle Factory Flats Minnow across the bottom using a 1/8-ounce. jighead

UPPER GULF COAST

Look for Specks and Flounder

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Boiler Bayou GPS: N28 39.01602, W95 53.409 (28.650267, -95.890150) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton Margarita Bull Minnows, chartreuse or pink, with 3/8-ounce jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Drift fish over scattered shell.

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LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Three Mile Reef GPS: N28 38.09802, W95 55.32702 (28.634967, -95.922117) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton margarita bull minnows CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: When using the soft plastics with jigheads, you will find redfish on the bottom and trout closer to the top.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Willow Bayou GPS: N29 51.72702, W93 46.90698 (29.862117, -93.781783) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4 - 1/2-ounce jig heads with a Big Nasty, 5\\\" Voodoo Shad in Cajun Pepper with a chartreuse tail CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: Speckled trout will be feeding on the white shrimp that are being washed out of any of the bayous.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Blue Buck Point GPS: N29 47.77998, W93 54.43902 (29.796333, -93.907317) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jigs with Gulp, color of your choice; Fishbites Fishín Strips; and mud minnows with a #1 circle hook CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: Any of the bayous on the Louisiana side of the lake should produce flounder action.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: East Pass GPS: N29 58.92, W93 47.13498 (29.982000, -93.785583) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4 - 1/2-ounce jig heads with a Big Nasty, 5\" Voodoo Shad in Cajun Pepper with chartreuse tail CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: Wherever you see bird action, stop and fish.

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Fisherís Reef C O A S T A L

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GPS: N29 39.91398, W94 50.55198 (29.665233, -94.842533) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 4-inch sea shad, Bass Assasins with paddle tails in chartreuse, or Hot Chicken, using 1/8-ounce jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: In clear water throw lighter colors.

Cast, count 2-3 seconds, and then do a straight retrieve.

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Hl&P Spillway GPS: N29 44.90598, W94 48.48702 (29.748433, -94.808117) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jig with Gulp, color of your choice; Fishbites Fishín Strips; and mud minnows CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: If water is clear throw lighter colors; if the water is dirty, throw darker colors.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef GPS: N29 16.19502, W94 56.97402 (29.269917, -94.949567) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Four-inch Sea Shad Bass Assasin paddle tail soft plastic baits in either a chartreuse or Hot Chicken colors, using a 1/8-ounce jighead CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: Look for bird action; the fish are still slicking. Cast out, let the bait sink to the bottom and pop it up two or three times and then let it fall.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cotton Bayou GPS: N28 30.60198, W96 12.603 (28.510033, -96.210050) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: She Pups and small Skitterwalks in a pink color CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Throw topwaters early up inside and along grassy areas when there are strong tides.

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PINEY WOODS

Livingston Bass & Catfish

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Texas Main Lake Flats GPS: N32 41.523, W94 2.89398 (32.692050, -94.048233) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: V&M Pork Shad, Cyclone spinnerbait, Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide1@att.net, 318-455-3437, www.caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Watch for bass schooling around the lotus pads and pad stems. Large schools of shad also can be seen in this area. Use chartreuse or shad-colored V&M Pork Shads or chartreuse-white Cyclone spinnerbaits. Shafty Glade Marina has good bank access.

LOCATION: Lake Conroe

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HOTSPOT: League Line Point GPS: N30 22.86798, W95 32.74998 (30.381133, -95.545833) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits,Pop Rs CONTACT: Richard Tatsch, 936-2911277, www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: Alternate between a white or white-chartreuse spinnerbait and Bone-colored Pop R to see which the bass will hit the best. Work slowly around the point then turn the boat around and work back through the area. Fish other secondary points the same.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake River at Old 190 Bridge GPS: N30 45.38898, W95 7.866 (30.756483, -95.131100) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh dead shad, live perch CONTACT: Dave S. Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Use a Carolina-rigged shad or perch to fish off the bottom near the dropoffs in the old river channel.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston

HOTSPOT: The Pocket GPS: N30 55.662, W95 15.054 (30.927700, -95.250900) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Soft plastic lizards, jigs CONTACT: Dave S. Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Use watermelon-red or junebug lizards on a Texas rig or a Peanut Butter jig to fish the boat houses, rocky points and laydowns.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend Res. HOTSPOT: Huxleyís Crappie River Run GPS: N31 44.42646, W93 49.75086 (31.740441, -93.829181) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live shiners and crappie jigs CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: The crappie will move to drop-offs and ledges along the old river channel.

There is plenty of natural cover here but your best bet is to drop your lures in the brush. The creel limit is 50 per person and it isnít usual to catch near-four-pounders.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Headline for Hotspot Region

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Twin Creeks GPS: N32 17.88888, W96 7.11984 (32.298148, -96.118664) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Trap, Berkley Swimbait CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903-603-2047, www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish the lighted boat houses at night in Twin Creeks and all other creeks on the south end of the lake. Cast across 56 |

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lighted areas and use a medium retrieve.

Largemouth bass, hybrids and white bass can be caught in the same areas.

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Cedar Creek Timber GPS: N29 56.86584, W96 44.66592 (29.947764, -96.744432) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, dip bait, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Water here is 40-50 feet deep.

Timber runs along western edge of the creek. Chum the area and use a long rope to anchor over the timber. Use a tight line, one-ounce sinker and No. 4 treble to fish off the bottom. Look for the bite to be subtile.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Hog Island GPS: N30 37.42206, W96 4.24482 (30.623701, -96.070747) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3101, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Tie up to a tree on the lake side (deeper side) of the island. Cast out to where the water is 7-15 feet deep. Fish on the bottom with 3/4-ounce weight and No.2 Kahle hook with shad or worms or No.4 treble hook with punch bait.

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GPS: N33 19.81098, W95 40.29996 (33.330183, -95.671666) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad on on leadhead CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahoo.com TIPS: The hybrids will be chasing shad early and late around shallow points like this one. Use a four-inch Sassy Shad on a 1/2-ounce leadhead with a slow, steady retrieve. I will fish 12 feet deep all the way to the bank. All main lake points can be good.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Upper River Channel GPS: N32 17.19306, W95 27.05088 (32.286551, -95.450848) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Plastic frogs, spinnerbaits, Shimmy Shakers, Thunder Worms CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish the lures along the outside edges of the grass beds near the river channel. Other good bets are the pockets and creeks including Saline and Cobb on the south end of the lake on small crankbaits and Texas-rigged Thunder Worms.

GPS: N30 18.4215, W96 34.09584 (30.307025, -96.568264) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, shrimp CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: You will only see one or two trees close to shore but the area west of the GPS site is full of stumps. Anchor and chum around the boat, using a tight line to fish on the bottom. The fish should feed around the stumps day and night.

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Five Creeks GPS: N33 54.83598, W96 42.40098 (33.913933, -96.706683) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad, jigs, live shad CONTACT: Bill Carey, bigfish@striperexpress.com, 877-786-4477, www.striperexpress.com TIPS: The stripers are running in big schools. Watch for seagulls that will locate the stripers ambushing large schools of baitfish. Use white-glow and chartreuse fleck four-inch Sassy Shads on one-ounce jigheads. Anchor or drift when using live shad.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Fat Point

LOCATION: Lake Whitney

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam Riprap GPS: N31 53.96922, W97 12.39246 (31.899487, -97.206541) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Lipless crankbaits, Slabs, spoons CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Make long casts to the riprap with chrome and blue crankbaits erly. After the sun comes up, switch to a slab or spoon, using your graph to locate schools of white bass stacked up on the humps out from the dam. Most strikes will come on the fall.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Pelican Point C O A S T A L

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HOTSPOT: Whitney Point GPS: N31 54.6822, W97 20.62044 (31.911370, -97.343674) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 254-822-5539, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Cast gizzard shad on 6-foot leaders with Carolina rigs along the grass and willow islands during the early-morning hours, letting the shad swim to catch feeding stripers. Back off to the first set of ledges in 20-25 feet of water after the sun rises.

PANHANDLE

Play Possum for Stripers

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Costello Island GPS: N32 54.14196, W98 28.068

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(32.902366, -98.467800) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: live shad, Gamefisher Slab, Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: The fish are moving to the north and south sides of the island. Watch for a rising barometric pressure. Look for stripers feeding two feet below the surface.

Also fish the 20-foot breaklines with a 3/8ounce slab with white bucktail treble hook.

BIG BEND

Amistad Stripers be Dammed

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: The Dam GPS: N29 27.34452, W101 2.9694 (29.455742, -101.049490) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Redfins, swimbaits CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, fisherof-

menlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Use large Redfins and swimbaits to work the area in front of the dam early and late. Many 10 to 15-pound stripers are caught there during November as the water cools. Other good spots are the mouths of Zoro and Burro canyons and coves at Salem Point.

LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: Burro Canyon GPS: N29 28.197, W101 12.5634 (29.469950, -101.209390) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits,Carolina-rigged soft plastics CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Several double-digit bass are taken annually in Burro on white spinnerbaits in less than six feet of water. Another good area is from Marker 28 to Marker 10 off the hydrilla humps near the river channel on Carolina-rigged soft plastics.

HILL COUNTRY

Drop Shot for Canyon Bass

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: North Park Cove GPS: N29 52.6851, W98 12.63888 (29.878085, -98.210648) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Secret Weapon Lure, Creme Big Pig, Jewel Jig CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: Use a drop-shot rig with the Secret Weapon lure and add a recoil rig.

Blue fleck, June bug and Watermelon candy are good colors if the sun is bright and green pumpkin if it is overcast. Use a Fluke trailer in Texas Craw color on the 3/4-ounce jig.

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SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Mess of Crappie on Mesa Point

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

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LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Falcon Mesa Points GPS: N26 51.98058, W99 17.37762 (26.866343, -99.289627) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, www.robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Falcon has had two record years of spawns. There are many fish in the 14 to

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16-inch size weighing up to two-pounds.

Fish the rock ledges for the bigger fish.

The Hwy. 83 bridge pilings also produce many crappie at this time of the year.

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The Month for Sure Things F I HAD TO PICK THE ONE MONTH THAT IS AS close to a guaranty as far as catching limits goes, it would have to be November. There are several factors that help me arrive at this conclusion.

For starters, the entire bay is absolutely loaded with shrimp. This is probably the main reason my confidence level is at its peak. No doubt about it, shrimp in the bay equals fish. Whether in 12” of water on the shoreline, or in the open bay, if you cast towards an airborne shrimp you are going to get bit. You may get bit three or four times

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before you actually hook up and that is not a bad thing at all. It means the fish have one thing on their mind. Eating! Little things like lead heads with very sharp hooks don’t seem to matter. They are not going to let something so trivial stand between them and an easy meal.

Another thing we’ve got going for us in November is the decreasing water temperatures that the frequent cold fronts bring.

When it begins to settle down after the front blows through, predator fish and baitfishes will cruise the bay with a newfound pep in their step.

You can almost feel the bite before your lure hits the water. Light northerly winds and high pressure are ideal conditions for scoring big in November. Low pressure, however, is probably the number one reason that I would choose November as my “guaranty” month. Low as in low fishing pressure, that is.

There are no guarantees in fishing, hence the appropriate name, but having sig-

nificantly less competition on the water greatly increases your odds. A big portion of the outdoorsmen who would typically be roaming the waters of Sabine will be settling into box blinds about the same time I roll into the boat ramp. More power to them, and I’ll admit at times I’m a little jealous, but the rewards of staying home and fishing can be great.

As the crowds get smaller your window of opportunity gets bigger. Having about half of the boats that would normally be on the lake when fishing is this good allows you to fish more spots that you know hold fish.

The mouths of East and West Pass usually hold some of the biggest flounder of the year in November. Being able to work these spots thoroughly gives you the upper hand on catching some bonafide saddle blankets.

The same holds true for the lake. Being able to choose your flock of birds and have it to yourself can be the difference between limiting out early or really having to work for them. When it comes to fishing and fishing pressure on Sabine Lake in November, less is definitely more!

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Twin Lakes Hwy 87 Near Bridge City SPECIES: Redfish, Flounder, Trout BAIT: Live Finger Mullet, Mud Minnows, Fresh Dead Shrimp BEST TIMES: Incoming Tide

Email Capt. Eddie Hernandez at, EHernandez@fishgame.com

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A November to Remember?

N NOVEMBER, THINGS START WINDING DOWN for bay fishermen. Some bird hunting seasons are still open, others set to begin, and deer season has taken the attention of a whole bunch of Texans away from saltwater. This is good for the bays, as fishing pressure being reduced never hurts the environment, and it is even better for those who are wedded to fishing above all other outdoor pursuits, as I once was myself.

Bait camps and other support businesses have long recognized this as the beginning of the “off ” season, and most are prepared to cut back and relax after working their humps off during spring and summer.

By now we will know if the predictions of an active storm season came true. The first hurricane to hit the Gulf coast in June in over 50 years, Alex, went in below Brownsville, bringing rain to South Texas that should benefit deer and quail hunters.

“Only” a Category 2 storm, Alex followed the trends set by Rita and Katrina, and then pushed to the ultimate by Ike, of offering a whole lot of coverage for the money, bringing flooding rains, high tides, and rough seas to much of the Gulf as far as the Florida Panhandle. We experienced more rain and higher winds in Brazoria County than we have gotten from some direct hits by tropical storms in the past.

Should Alex be the only storm to make landfall on or near the Texas coast, its effects will still be felt for some time. The heavy rainfall, as always, will trigger a flooding of the bays that will be very helpful to fishermen, after the muddy run-off has cleared out. The high tides – high enough to leave large dead trees on the Quintana Jetty at Freeport – will leave behind some beach erosion, but also help clean out passes and cuts.

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Since November is prime redfish time in the Gulf surf, dedicated long rod anglers have probably already zoomed in on new cuts and deeper guts between sandbars in the surf zone. Smaller reds in the bays, rivers, creeks and bayous will also turn on in what should be cooler weather, exploding on top waters carefully popped and twitched over oyster or in grass beds and crashing gold spoons in deeper channels.

Cool mornings can also be good for tossing silver spoons to trout in the surf, and it is possible to connect with Spanish mackerel instead, or maybe some extra-large bluefish chasing mullet to the beach. The last time I saw this happen with blues running huge for Texas waters there were also tarpon and jack crevalle working the mullet into hear-shore water, where the blues, with their shallower draft, took over the chase.

While the monster sharks of summer have probably moved to deeper water, bulls and black tips to 40 pounds or so are often hooked by anglers after bull reds, providing a tough battle even on heavy surf gear and

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excellent steaks for the grill.

November is the month when Fall truly comes to the Texas coast most years, and the weather is too pleasant to spend indoors, watching football on TV.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: The surf is king in November, from High Island to San Luis Pass.

SPECIES: Reds and flounder, although sheepshead and puppy drum can fill a cooler with good fish fry material. Spanish Macks are a great find for the surf.

BEST BAITS: Live baitfish do best, even though crabs and other bait stealers are not as active. Mud minnows are usually thought of as flounder bait, but they will also entice trout and reds.

BEST TIMES: In cooler weather, tidal movement gets the nod as the most important weather condition.

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Email Capt. Mike Holmes at MHolmes@fishgame.com.

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Cast or Blast?

HE MONTH OF NOVEMBER PRESENTS MANY choices to those of us who like to fish and hunt! This year has all the makings to be an exceptional one for both.

Also, several of my ‘old salt’ buddies remember seeing similar ‘signs’ and weather patterns that they believe may herald the onset of an early cold winter. Over the last month or so, fishing in East Matagorda Bay

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has literally come alive given the magic worked by late summer rains and several earlier-than-normal autumn cool fronts.

Since late September I’ve watched ever increasing flights of redheads, teal and even groups of pintails still in eclipse plumage trading the shore lines. Many of us were busy brushing blinds in anticipation of the season opener October 30th. Kind of hard to keep your mind on the task at hand with ducks winging overhead and redfish cruising the flats around the blind. I started carrying my rod and a few favorite bait tails on the duck boat just so I could do some sight casting when opportunity knocked. Several times it was catch, release and back to brushing! Oh, the wonder of God’s cre-

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ation especially this time of the year!

The birds started working over schools of trout mixed with some nice reds much earlier than in recent years and all indications point to this activity continuing well into November barring a late freeze.

Considering the number of birds working is up significantly from last year, the white shrimp population may have benefitted greatly from the summer rains. We’ve been throwing live shrimp under a popping cork and soft plastics rigged on ¼ oz heads.

It’s interesting that early on the live shrimp appeared to be working better than artificials under the birds, which isn’t normally the case. There were several times that throwing bait tails right into the birds didn’t

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work at all and a live shrimp under a popping cork drew an instant strike! Texas roach, Red Shad, plum /chartreuse, pumpkinseed/chartreuse, Chicken Bone, Calcasieu Brew and 10W40 are some of the colors that have been producing.

Don’t forget to throw the topwaters.

Pink and silver Skitterwalks have been the ticket for some nice fish in the mix.

November is the month for flounder.

The cooling water temperatures along with the shorter dayight hours seem to trigger the mass movement of the larger females. Usually, the run gets going in earnest after the passage of the 2nd good cold front. We actually started seeing some nice sized flounder caught in late September early October by boaters in the cuts and wade fisherman around the bayou drains which was a good sign though quantities were limited as expected. During this month work the numerous cuts into the ICW nearest to the main passages into the gulf. I like to anchor up in the shallows adjacent to the drop offs in these cuts and fish the slopes methodically with live finger mullet or slow rolling

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white curly tail jigs tipped with fresh peeled shrimp. Another great place to target is the numerous eddy areas adjacent to strong current flows along the banks of Mitchell’s Cut during outgoing tides. Live finger mullet and mud minnows are the ticket with live shrimp running a distant 2nd. Remember, the daily bag limit on flounder during November is 2 and the possession limit is 2 by rod and reel only!

Wade fishing the shore line for redfish and trout remains my absolute favorite during this time of year. The fish seem to stay on the flats longer allowing me to duck hunt till late morning and wade fish in the afternoon. Hence, Cast and Blast, or perhaps more correctly, Blast and Cast. Often, while sitting in the duck blind, waiting on the ducks, I’ve observed trout and redfish working in amongst the decoys. Several times over the years I’ve gone out to retrieve a duck only to look down and see a beautiful slot redfish staring at me before zipping off.

November is arguably one of the best months to experience some fantastic wade

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fishing on the shore lines and mid bay reefs, catch a ‘saddle blanket’ flounder the size of a no.2 washtub, fish the birds for gorging speckled trout and redfish. Don’t forget coastal duck hunting which is a rewarding experience and way different from hunting the marshes and grain fields. The 2010 bag limit for ducks is 6 and they’re allowing 2 pintails for the first time in many years. I’m excited!

Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: East bank at the entrance of Mitchell’s Cut, Sargent SPECIES: speckled trout, flounder, reds, BEST BAITS: fresh dead shrimp, live shrimp, live finger mullet, mud minnows, BEST TIME: strong incoming or outgoing tidal flows, daily solunar periods

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Email Capt. Gene Allen at GAllen@fishgame.com

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Rockport is Your Oyster HILE NOVEMBER MARKS THE BEGINning of the holiday season and many anglers have other items on their plates besides fishing, don’t put your tackle away just yet. The onslaught of strong cold fronts begin to drop the water levels in our bays and with ambient temperature changes come water temperature changes that can afford some real

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good hook set action as reds and trout look for some filling meals to get them through the colder months ahead. A benefit of fishing this month is finding and exploring emerging oyster reefs that for the most part have been covered by higher bay waters. For my money seeking out and finding the these fish holding structures and understanding their cycles and the impacts they have on our bays is a key ingredient to successful angling - especially in the Rockport area which has as much if not more oyster shell reefs than any place on the Texas coast.

I wish my palate was inclined towards this bivalve mollusk, but honestly I don’t care for them, fried, raw or washed down with a cold beer. They are just not for me.

If they were I'd be in hog heaven where I live. Rockport has some of the best oysters for dining purposes of anywhere in the world so come and enjoy if that’s your preference. My interest lies in their integral place in our coastal waters.

The scientific name for the species that frequent our bay waters is Crassostrea virginica or eastern oyster. It is often spoken of in the same breath as shrimp and crabs and other shell fish but is no relation. The oyster has two shell halves hinged together at one end, open and closed by a single muscle attached to the halves.

Oyster reefs tend to diminish in the Lower Laguna Madre with re-establishment close to Port Isabel.

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They spawn from late spring through fall with females discharging eggs fertilized in the water currents by males. The shell-bearing larvae quickly develop and swim and are carried by winds and current but few survive. However those few can result in tremendous numbers of tiny oysters. The larvae that settle to the bottom attach themselves to many surfaces and are affectionately called "SPAT” because their golden brown shells resemble specks of tobacco juice. Spat tend to congregate together and is the most probable way new natural reefs are formed.

Most Texas oysters reach the legal harvest of three inches in 18 to 20 months (check the regulations for harvesting before hand). An adult oyster filters 2 to 3 gallons of water an hour as they are filter feeders.

This action alone makes them invaluable for the over all health of our bays. Whole life cycles exist on the foundation that oysters provide to the angler - this means most shell reefs hold food at a microscopic level that promotes an environment that holds bait fish which attract the predator fish we enjoy catching. Almost 70% of my fishing happens on a shell reef system or has one close by. It’s also little known that reds, trout and black drum love oysters, as I have found many small oyster shells in the stomachs of each mentioned. A large black drum we caught had several pounds of crushed up oysters inside its stomach.

Obviously these reefs are more active in the spring and summer months but they still hold fish in the winter months, especially sheephead who dine on the phytoplankton and crustaceans that these structures provide. So don’t pass them up, especially on the warmer winter days. Before you put Tabasco sauce on that oyster and slide it down your gullet, try at least one on a 2.0 wide gapped hook, you might get something that will surprise you and it won’t be a full stomach.

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Aransas Bay: Long Reef is still holding some trout with new penny colored Jerk Shads being the best choice; remember a slow retrieve is the right action especially on the colder days. The spoil area at the mouth of Dunham Bay is good for black drum and sheephead using peeled shrimp on a free line with no weight; weighted lines will get hung up. Jay Bird Reef is good on a falling tide for keeper trout. The preferred

bait is mud minnows free lined at the deep water to shallow water transitions.

Carlos Bay: Carlos Dugout is hard to beat on the colder days. The deeper water holds protection for trout and reds. Bass Assassins in plum and electric grape are the ticket here, fish CONTINUED slow and pay attention to light SEE PAGE 68

Copano Bay: Black drum should be plentiful on the west shoreline close to Mission Bay, peeled shrimp on a Carolina rig is a good choice. The key is to not over react and let the fish run for 4 to 5 seconds before setting the hook. Italian shoreline is good for keeper trout using live shrimp and a silent cork. The Turtle Pen area has some keeper reds; the bait of choice is cut menhaden on a fish finder rig.

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November Poons ITH COOLER WEATHER ON THE HORIzon, the mullet migration wrapped up for the year, and deer season in full swing, tarpon fishing is at its annual nadir. Most of the hardcore grinders and bay hunters have been replaced by Winter Texans who are interested in cooperative non-game species such as sheepshead, whiting, pompano, and mangrove snapper that will help defray the grocery bill and extend a retiree’s budget.

The lack of fishing pressure doesn’t mean that the tarpon are gone, however.

The savvy angler, however, knows that the surf has more than a few pods of 30-60 ‘poons prowling the surf. In fact, there are plenty of anglers who will drive up and down the beach, or take their boats north and south between the jetties on a calm day, looking for these silver-blinged thugs.

These spectacular piscine acrobats cruise up and down the surf line of Andy Bowie Park (N26 9.260, W97 10.100) looking for easy meals. On an incoming tide, they’ll often cross over the first bar and hunt in the 3’ wade gut, where any hapless baitfish, or late season trout hunter’s lure, get crunched.

There really isn’t much to stalking these Turkey Month tarpons. A truck or SUV with four wheel drive will get you up and down the beach, although, at this time of year, the beach near the surfline is hardpacked enough that you might get away driving a regular 2wd vehicle. A shovel, though, is a must, in case you hit a soft patch of sand and need to do a little digging.

Ambitious boaters can take their flats boat—provided it’s at least 18 feet long— through Brazos Santiago Pass and north up

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and down the beach.

Choose a calm, sunny day for best spotting conditions, and keep a sharp eye. Diving or hovering birds are a hint that a large predator is working the area, and it’s always worth a cast or two. Jumping baitfish is another giveaway to be on the watch for.

Watch the waves as well. When the water is clear, you can actually see the silhouettes of tarpons zooming the waves or coming over the bar.

The venerable MirrOlure 51M in green sardine (green back/silver sides) is a seriuos tarpon lure in these conditions. This twitchbait has caught thousands of tarpon over the years, and they still work after all these

years. The color and smaller size of the plug best mimics the primary forage that these tarpon are feeding on: small mullet and scaled sardines. If you don’t want to take the retro approach to fishing, then a Catch 5, Catch 2000, or Bagley Jumpin’ Mullet in similar patterns should fit the bill quite well.

Plastics should also be very effective in this situation. Colors that “match the hatch,” such as chartreuse, sour apple/metalflake or Cajun Pepper should work. You don’t need to a very large head due to the relatively shallow water, but ¼ ounceers tend to have larger hooks, which will maximize penetration into a tarpon’s

HOTSPOT FOCUS: ROCKPORT taps on the line as the fish tend FROM PAGE 67 to be lethargic on the colder days. On the warmer days focus on the shell that borders the cut.

Reds and flounder tend to feed off the edge of this shell around mid-day. Live shrimp free lined is a good choice here or if the tide is slow a subtle popping cork works well.

Mesquite Bay: Mid Bay platforms will hold some sheephead using peeled shrimp on a free line using a small wide gapped hook. Set the hook at the slightest tap as these fish are experienced bait stealers. Brays Cove is a good drift or wade using Berkley Gulp sand eels in anchovy and morning glory colors.

Ayres Bay: With a north wind Ayres Reef is good for reds and a few trout using live shrimp under a rattle cork. Cut bait works well here as well on a light weighted Carolina rig. Cast it and let it sit. Don’t reel in or you will more than likely get hung up. Cut mullet and menhaden are the baits of choice.

St Charles Bay: The black drum bite should be good close to Twin Creeks. Carolina rigged peeled shrimp or cut squid is CONTINUED

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the right bait. The mouth of Cavasso Creek is good for trout using new penny Jerk Shad or sand eels. Little Devils Bayou is good for red using Carolina rigged finger mullet.

THE BANK BITE The cut between St. Charles Bay and Aransas is still a good place to be mid-day as it offers deeper water and shallow shell.

Travel light as the walk out from Goose Island is a long way. A super spook in bone and red or white and red has produced well here for trout and mostly reds. The LBJ causeway is a good bet for sheephead free lining next to the pilings using peeled shrimp or cut squid. Use a heavier braid line - 30LB so you can horse the fish out of the pilings and onto the pier.

Here’s Wishing You Tight Lines Bent Poles and Plenty of Bait!

Contact Capt. Mac Gable at Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601 C O A S T A L

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bony mouth. Be sure to use at least 24 inches of 40 pound fluorocarbon as a leader to prevent abrasion break-offs.

To set that hook, standard trout and redfish tackle should do the trick, but a slightly longer (7-7 ½ foot) rod can give you more leverage, and a 40 sized spinning reel or 300-sized conventional reel—which are capable of holding up to 300 yards of 30 pound braid--are recommended. A rig like this will give you hope if a tarpon goes over the bar and heads off to Campeche.

Handle these fish with care. If you’re lucky enough to land one of these great fish, leave if in the water or at least on wet sand if possible. If you are going to lift the fish for pictures, cradle it in both arms rather than lifting it by the jaw (which could cause the internal organs to drop into the lower abdomen and cause membranes and connective tissue to tear). Use gloves to handle the fish instead of a small gaff. These guys are suction feeders and studies by the Florida Department of Natural Resources shows that even a small hole in the jaw membrane may hinder a tarpon’s ability to suck in prey.

Marvel at the fish you’ve just caught, pluck yourself a scale, and turn him back to see. Someday, you might see him come over the bar again.

If tarpon chasing is a little intense for you, follow the lead of our visitors from up North and have a hand at surf fishing.

November’s surf is just loaded with 12-30 inch whiting, pompano, and the occasional redfish that crashes the party. This is easy, laid back fishing. A couple of long spinning rods, a few one ounce sinkers, some #1 long-shank hooks, and a box of fresh shrimp is all you need. If you have a couple of rod holders made out of PVC or rebar, then you’re ahead of the game.

Drive up and down the beach until you locate a shell beach, and then set up shop.

Most of the whiting can be found inside the wade gut, but larger whiting and pompano are closer to where the waves are breaking on the sandbar. Flick your rig (usually a two-hook bottom rig) up against the suds and pull the line tight. Usually, you won’t even have a chance to put the rod in the holder before you get a startlingly hard strike from a bull whiting.

This is easy fishing, and ideal for family outings. I’ve seen large families pull up onto the beach and turn the trip into a full-blown expedition complete with a barbecue pit, C O A S T A L

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beach tent, and a fish fry at the end of the day (by the way, the clean white fillets of the whiting is delicious, with a delicate flavor with a hint of oyster).

Whoever thought that the lowly whiting could be a socially significant creature?

GPS: N26 03.12, W97 10.56 SPECIES: Speckled Trout, Redfish BAITS: Live shrimp, finger mullet. Topwaters and soft plastics. Fish the tides.

Email Cal Gonzales at: CGonzales@fishgame.com

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Mouth of South Bay via Brazos Island

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Tides and Prime Times

NOVEMBER 2010 USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W).

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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.

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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.

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AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.

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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.

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SOLAR & LUNAR ACTIVITY: Sunrise: 6:34a Sunset: 7:51p

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.

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AM Minor: 9:11a AM Major: 2:57a PM Minor: 9:40p PM Major: 3:25p

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.

Moonrise:9:27a Moon Set: None Moon Overhead:

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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.

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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PLACE Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass Jetty Sabine Pass Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass Galveston Bay, S. Jetty Port Bolivar

HIGH -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14

LOW -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06

KEY PLACE HIGH Galveston Channel/Bays T7 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +3:54 T8 Eagle Point +6:05 T9 Clear Lake +10:21 T10 Morgans Point T11 Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39

LOW +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15

KEY 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

HIGH -0.09 -0:44 0:00 -0:03 -0:24 +1:02

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE LE VEL GRAPH: Yellow: Daylight

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

6a

12p

6p

12a

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

7:05-9:40 PM

Green: Falling Tide

AM/PM Timeline

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

SOLUNAR AC TIVIT Y: MINOR Feeding Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Time Moon is at its Highest Point in the Sky 12a

AM/PM Timeline

70 |

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.)

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

6p

12a

Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p N O V E M B E R

2 0 1 0

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42

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9:38 AM

Page 71

= New Moon = First Quarter = Full Moon = Last Quarter = Best Day

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010 MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

2

SATURDAY

5

4

SUNDAY

6

7

Sunrise: 7:30a Moonrise: 2:33a

Set: 6:33p Set: 3:22p

Sunrise: 7:31a Moonrise: 3:38a

Set: 6:32p Set: 3:58p

Sunrise: 7:32a Moonrise: 4:43a

Set: 6:31p Set: 4:35p

Sunrise: 7:33a Moonrise: 5:50a

Set: 6:31p Set: 5:15p

Sunrise: 7:33a Moonrise: 6:58a

Set: 6:30p Set: 5:58p

Sunrise: 7:34a Moonrise: 8:06a

Set: 6:29p Set: 6:47p

Sunrise: 6:35a Moonrise: 8:11a

Set: 5:29p Set: 6:40p

AM Minor: 1:28a

PM Minor: 1:54p

AM Minor: 2:13a

PM Minor: 2:38p

AM Minor: 2:57a

PM Minor: 3:23p

AM Minor: 3:43a

PM Minor: 4:10p

AM Minor: 4:34a

PM Minor: 5:02p

AM Minor: 5:29a

PM Minor: 5:58p

AM Minor: 6:29a

PM Minor: 5:59p

AM Major: 7:41a

PM Major: 8:06p

AM Major: 8:26a

PM Major: 8:51p

AM Major: 9:10a

PM Major: 9:36p

AM Major: 9:57a

PM Major: 10:24p

AM Major: 10:48a

PM Major: 11:16p

AM Major: 11:44a

PM Major: 12:13p

AM Major: 12:15a

PM Major: 12:44p

Moon Overhead: 9:01a

12a

3

FRIDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:42a

Moon Overhead: 9:51a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:35a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:28p

Moon Overhead: 12:31p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

1

THURSDAY

Moon Overhead: 1:27p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 9:26p +2.0

BEST:

BEST:

-1.0

Moon Underfoot: None

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 12:03a

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 AM

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 12:59a BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 1:57a +2.0

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 AM

6:30 — 8:30 AM TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 11:08p

TIDE LEVELS

2:00 — 4:00 PM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 10:17p

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

1:14 am 7:23 am 12:28 pm 6:45 pm

1.61 ft 1.08 ft 1.39 ft 0.68 ft

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

C O A S T A L

1:30 am 7:48 am 2:06 pm 7:53 pm

1.55 ft 0.75 ft 1.51 ft 0.90 ft

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

A L M A N A C

1:45 am 8:23 am 3:28 pm 8:57 pm

1.51 ft 0.41 ft 1.66 ft 1.12 ft

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

T E X A S

2:01 am 9:04 am 4:39 pm 9:58 pm

1.52 ft 0.10 ft 1.79 ft 1.32 ft

F I S H

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

&

2:17 am 9:47 am 5:45 pm 10:55 pm

1.56 ft -0.13 ft 1.86 ft 1.48 ft

G A M E ®

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

2:33 am 10:32 am 6:49 pm 11:49 pm

1.61 ft -0.28 ft 1.89 ft 1.59 ft

N O V E M B E R

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

1:50 am 10:19 am 6:52 pm 11:44 pm

2 0 1 0

|

1.65 ft -0.32 ft 1.86 ft 1.65 ft

71

+1.0

0

-1.0

ALMANAC C.qxd:1002 Coastal

10/8/10

9:38 AM

Page 72

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 5:27p Moonrise: 10:07a Set: 8:36p

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 5:27p Moonrise: 10:56a Set: 9:35p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

9

THURSDAY

10

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

11

12

SUNDAY

14

13

Sunrise: 6:36a Moonrise: 9:12a

Set: 5:28p Set: 7:37p

AM Minor: 6:32a

PM Minor: 7:01p

AM Minor: 7:35a

PM Minor: 8:03p

AM Minor: 8:35a

PM Minor: 9:01p

AM Minor: 9:31a

PM Minor: 9:56p

AM Minor: 10:22a

PM Minor: 10:45p

AM Minor: 11:08a

PM Minor: 11:29p

AM Minor: 11:49a

PM Minor: ——-

AM Major: 12:18a

PM Major: 12:47p

AM Major: 1:21a

PM Major: 1:49p

AM Major: 2:22a

PM Major: 2:48p

AM Major: 3:19a

PM Major: 3:43p

AM Major: 4:11a

PM Major: 4:33p

AM Major: 4:57a

PM Major: 5:18p

AM Major: 5:39a

PM Major: 5:59p

Moon Overhead: 2:25p 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:14p

Moon Overhead: 3:21p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Set: 5:25p Sunrise: 6:40a Sunrise: 6:38a Set: 5:26p Sunrise: 6:39a Set: 5:25p Moonrise: 11:37a Set: 10:32p Moonrise: 12:14p Set: 11:28p Moonrise: 12:46p Set: None

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:03p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:31p

Moon Overhead: 5:49p 12a

6a

12p

Sunrise: 6:41a Moonrise: 1:16p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Set: 5:24p Set: 12:21a

Moon Overhead: 7:12p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

TUESDAY

8

12a

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 1:56a +2.0

BEST:

0

-1.0

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 AM

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 4:39a BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 5:26a

Moon Underfoot: 6:10a

BEST:

10:00A — 12:00P

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

Moon Underfoot: 6:52a +2.0

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 PM

1:30 — 3:30 PM TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 3:48a

TIDE LEVELS

7:30 — 9:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 2:53a

High Tide: 2:00 am 1.67 ft Low Tide: 11:59 am -0.18 ft Low Tide: 12:52 pm -0.04 ft Low Tide: 1:47 pm 0.13 ft Low Tide: 11:08 am -0.29 ft High Tide: 9:05 pm 1.72 ft High Tide: 10:08 pm 1.65 ft High Tide: 10:54 pm 1.57 ft High Tide: 7:57 pm 1.80 ft

72 |

N O V E M B E R

2 0 1 0

T E X A S

F I S H

&

Low Tide: 2:45 pm 0.31 ft High Tide: 11:22 pm 1.49 ft

G A M E ®

Low Tide: 3:45 pm 0.50 ft High Tide: 11:40 pm 1.42 ft

C O A S T A L

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

6:41 am 10:09 am 4:46 pm 11:53 pm

A L M A N A C

1.05 ft 1.15 ft 0.67 ft 1.37 ft

+1.0

0

-1.0

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9:38 AM

Page 73

ALMANAC C.qxd:1002 Coastal

10/8/10

9:38 AM

Page 74

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

16

THURSDAY

17

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

19

18

SUNDAY

21

20

Sunrise: 6:42a Moonrise: 1:45p

Set: 5:24p Set: 1:13a

Sunrise: 6:42a Moonrise: 2:14p

Set: 5:23p Set: 2:05a

Sunrise: 6:43a Moonrise: 2:44p

Set: 5:23p Set: 2:57a

Sunrise: 6:44a Moonrise: 3:16p

Set: 5:23p Set: 3:51a

Sunrise: 6:45a Moonrise: 3:52p

Set: 5:22p Set: 4:47a

Sunrise: 6:46a Moonrise: 4:32p

Set: 5:22p Set: 5:45a

Sunrise: 6:47a Moonrise: 5:19p

Set: 5:22p Set: 6:45a

AM Minor: 12:07a

PM Minor: 12:27p

AM Minor: 12:43a

PM Minor: 1:03p

AM Minor: 1:18a

PM Minor: 1:39p

AM Minor: 1:55a

PM Minor: 2:17p

AM Minor: 2:34a

PM Minor: 2:57p

AM Minor: 3:18a

PM Minor: 3:43p

AM Minor: 4:07a

PM Minor: 4:33p

AM Major: 6:17a

PM Major: 6:37p

AM Major: 6:53a

PM Major: 7:13p

AM Major: 7:28a

PM Major: 7:49p

AM Major: 8:06a

PM Major: 8:27p

AM Major: 8:46a

PM Major: 9:09p

AM Major: 9:30a

PM Major: 9:55p

AM Major: 10:20a

PM Major: 10:47p

Moon Overhead: 7:52p 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:14p

Moon Overhead: 8:32p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:58p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:36p

Moon Overhead: 10:46p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: None 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

15

12a

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 7:32a +2.0

BEST:

BEST:

-1.0

BEST:

9:30 — 11:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 9:36a BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 10:22a

Moon Underfoot: 11:11a

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 12:03p +2.0

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

5:00 — 7:00 AM TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 8:53a

TIDE LEVELS

1:00 — 3:00 PM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 8:12a

Low Tide: 6:47 am 0.87 ft High Tide: 11:53 am 1.18 ft Low Tide: 5:45 pm 0.84 ft

74 |

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

12:05 am 6:59 am 1:15 pm 6:40 pm

N O V E M B E R

1.34 ft 0.68 ft 1.26 ft 0.99 ft

2 0 1 0

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

12:15 am 7:17 am 2:21 pm 7:29 pm

1.33 ft 0.49 ft 1.36 ft 1.12 ft

T E X A S

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

12:25 am 7:40 am 3:15 pm 8:13 pm

F I S H

1.33 ft 0.32 ft 1.45 ft 1.22 ft

&

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

12:34 am 8:07 am 4:04 pm 8:53 pm

G A M E ®

1.36 ft 0.15 ft 1.54 ft 1.31 ft

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

12:39 am 8:38 am 4:51 pm 9:29 pm

C O A S T A L

1.39 ft 0.01 ft 1.60 ft 1.39 ft

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

12:42 am 9:13 am 5:40 pm 10:04 pm

A L M A N A C

1.44 ft -0.12 ft 1.65 ft 1.45 ft

+1.0

0

-1.0

ALMANAC C.qxd:1002 Coastal

10/8/10

9:39 AM

Page 75

= New Moon = First Quarter = Full Moon = Last Quarter = Best Day

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010 MONDAY

TUESDAY

23

24

Set: 5:21p Set: 7:44a

Sunrise: 6:48a Moonrise: 7:10p

Set: 5:21p Set: 8:40a

Sunrise: 6:49a Moonrise: 8:12p

Set: 5:21p Set: 9:34a

Sunrise: 6:50a Moonrise: 9:16p

AM Minor: 5:01a

PM Minor: 5:29p

AM Minor: 6:00a

PM Minor: 6:28p

AM Minor: 7:01a

PM Minor: 7:29p

AM Major: 11:15a

PM Major: 11:43p

AM Major: ——-

PM Major: 12:14p

AM Major: 12:47a

PM Major: 1:15p

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:23a

Moon Overhead: 1:26a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

FRIDAY

25

Sunrise: 6:47a Moonrise: 6:12p

Moon Overhead: 12:30a

12a

THURSDAY

26

SUNDAY

28

27

Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:51a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 10:22a Moonrise: 10:21p Set: 11:06a Moonrise: 11:25p Set: 11:45a Moonrise: None

Set: 5:20p Set: 12:22p

AM Minor: 8:03a

PM Minor: 8:31p

AM Minor: 9:04a

PM Minor: 9:31p

AM Minor: 10:01a

PM Minor: 10:27p

AM Minor: 10:55a

PM Minor: 11:20p

AM Major: 1:49a

PM Major: 2:17p

AM Major: 2:51a

PM Major: 3:17p

AM Major: 3:49a

PM Major: 4:14p

AM Major: 4:42a

PM Major: 5:07p

Moon Overhead: 3:19a 12a

SATURDAY

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 5:07a

Moon Overhead: 4:14a

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

22

WEDNESDAY

Moon Overhead: 5:57a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 12:58p +2.0

BEST:

-1.0

Moon Underfoot: 3:47p

BEST:

BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 AM

BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 AM

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 5:32p BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 6:22p +2.0

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

TIDE LEVELS

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 4:41p

TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 2:51p

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 1:54p

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

12:48 am 9:51 am 6:32 pm 10:41 pm

1.49 ft -0.22 ft 1.67 ft 1.51 ft

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

C O A S T A L

1:00 am 10:33 am 7:26 pm 11:25 pm

1.53 ft High Tide: 1:18 am 1.55 ft Low Tide: -0.28 ft Low Tide: 11:18 am -0.30 ft High Tide: 1.67 ft High Tide: 8:18 pm 1.65 ft Low Tide: 1.54 ft High Tide:

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

12:28 am 1:35 am 12:06 pm 9:05 pm

F I S H

1.52 ft Low Tide: 12:57 pm -0.14 ft Low Tide: 1:51 pm 0.04 ft 1.53 ft High Tide: 9:42 pm 1.52 ft High Tide: 10:10 pm 1.43 ft -0.26 ft 1.60 ft

&

G A M E ®

N O V E M B E R

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

4:50 am 7:42 am 2:50 pm 10:31 pm

2 0 1 0

|

1.02 ft 1.05 ft 0.29 ft 1.34 ft

75

+1.0

0

-1.0

ALMANAC C.qxd:1002 Coastal

10/8/10

9:39 AM

Page 76

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

= Peak Fishing Period

7:45-9:40 AM

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

TUESDAY

29

THURSDAY

D EC 1

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

2

SUNDAY

4

3

5

Set: 5:20p Set: 1:33p

Sunrise: 6:55a Moonrise: 2:36a

Set: 5:20p Set: 2:11p

Sunrise: 6:56a Moonrise: 3:42a

Set: 5:20p Set: 2:52p

Sunrise: 6:56a Moonrise: 4:48a

Set: 5:20p Set: 3:37p

Sunrise: 6:57a Moonrise: 5:54a

Set: 5:20p Set: 4:27p

Sunrise: 6:58a Moonrise: 6:56a

Set: 5:20p Set: 5:22p

AM Minor: 11:44a

PM Minor: ——-

AM Minor: 12:06a

PM Minor: 12:30p

AM Minor: 12:50a

PM Minor: 1:16p

AM Minor: 1:36a

PM Minor: 2:02p

AM Minor: 2:24a

PM Minor: 2:52p

AM Minor: 3:15a

PM Minor: 3:44p

AM Minor: 4:11a

PM Minor: 4:40p

AM Major: 5:32a

PM Major: 5:56p

AM Major: 6:18a

PM Major: 6:43p

AM Major: 7:03a

PM Major: 7:29p

AM Major: 7:49a

PM Major: 8:16p

AM Major: 8:38a

PM Major: 9:06p

AM Major: 9:30a

PM Major: 9:58p

AM Major: 10:25a

PM Major: 10:54p

Moon Overhead: 6:47a 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:27a

Moon Overhead: 7:36a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:19a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:12a

Moon Overhead: 10:15a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:10p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

WEDNESDAY

30

Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:54a Moonrise: 12:29a Set: 12:58p Moonrise: 1:32a

12a

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 7:11p +2.0

BEST:

BEST:

-1.0

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 9:47p BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 10:43p BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 11:41p BEST:

3:0 — 5:30 AM

4:30 — 6:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: None +2.0

BEST:

5:00 — 6:00 AM TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 8:53p

TIDE LEVELS

12:00 — 2:00 PM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 8:01p

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

5:07 am 10:24 am 3:57 pm 10:49 pm

0.71 ft 1.02 ft 0.57 ft 1.27 ft

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

5:43 am 12:21 pm 5:15 pm 11:05 pm

0.37 ft 1.13 ft 0.84 ft 1.25 ft

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

6:23 am 1:57 pm 6:45 pm 11:20 pm

0.03 ft 1.30 ft 1.06 ft 1.26 ft

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

7:07 am 3:13 pm 8:14 pm 11:35 pm

-0.26 ft 1.45 ft 1.22 ft 1.30 ft

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

7:51 am 4:17 pm 9:32 pm 11:52 pm

-0.48 ft Low Tide: 8:37 am -0.62 ft 1.56 ft High Tide: 5:14 pm 1.59 ft 1.33 ft Low Tide: 10:34 pm 1.38 ft 1.35 ft

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

12:15 am 9:23 am 6:06 pm 11:17 pm

1.39 ft -0.67 ft 1.57 ft 1.39 ft

+1.0

0

-1.0

ALMANAC C.qxd:1002 Coastal

10/8/10

9:39 AM

Page 77

10/8/10

9:42 AM

Net Accessory Won’t Leave You Up a Creek BETTER TO BE UP A CREEK THAN LEFT WITHOUT a paddle in the middle of a lake, right? For any craft that floats, having a trusty paddle aboard isn’t just a wise move, in some locales, it’s the law. But who wants to rob their boat of valuable space with a big clunky oar?

Well, you can leave the paintchipped oar in the boat house. Better yet, hang the antique in the porch to enhance the New paddle nautiattachment for the cal Hybernet. theme.

Frabill New from Frabill comes another ingenious idea that renders a brilliant solution to an all-too-common dilemma. The Hiber-Net Paddle accessory snaps into place at the end of any Frabill Hiber-Net, transforming your landing net into a functional boat paddle. HiberNet, often called “the most stowable landing net ever devised,” sports a net that actually collapses and vanishes into its heavy-duty aluminum handle. When stowed it’s so compact that the entire Hiber-Net fits inside a rod box, consuming 78 |

N O V E M B E R

2 0 1 0

Page 78

no more space than a broomstick. When you need it, a simple push on the slide-grip opens the net and locks it into place.

Pulling back on the grip disengages the net and draws it back inside the handle. Brilliant! Brilliant is the best way to describe the Hiber-Net Paddle accessory, too. At 61/2 inches wide by 14-inches in length the rugged polypropylene Paddle blade fits easily into most boat storage compartments.

When you need it, the Paddle simply slides over the open end of the Hiber-Net, locking into place with a heavy-duty steel pull pin. “This handy Paddle accessory makes carrying a spare oar easy for any angler,” says Frabill New Product Manager Andy Schmelzer.

“It’s made of heavy-duty non-corrosive material and snaps securely into place on any Hiber-Net or Hiber-Net XL. Throw one into your boat’s storage compartment where it’s out of the way, but always ready to spring into action when you need it. “Just one more innovative product that fits in with Frabill’s entire line of Trusted Gear.”

For more information please visit www.frabill.com.

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P-Line Voltage with UV-Guard VOLTAGE IS A TOURNAMENT GRADE COPOLYMER line extruded with P-Line’s proprietary UV-Guard technology. By adding a UV inhibitor during the extrusion process, we’ve built a line that shields the sun’s destructive rays ensuring a much longer life on your reel, without losing valuable breaking strength. It’s always been a challenge to find the perfect line with just the right amount of

Voltage copolymer line.

abraP-Line sion resistance, castability and breaking strength without having to go to the extreme of using a small or large diameter line. All of these features were taken into consideration when we developed the specifications for Voltage.

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Whether you’re loading a spinning reel to fish the flats, or putting 10 baitcasters on the deck of your bass boat, Voltage is a line that will easily find your trust and a place in your tackle arsenal.

Visit www.p-line.com.

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Other features included with the Tactical .22 are sling mounts and a ten round magazine.

MSRP: $276 Please visit www.mossberg.com.

Husky Shield Tactical .22 Autoload Rimfires Headlite Guard from Mossberg MOSSBERG INTERNATIONAL INTRODUCES THE Tactical .22—an alternative firearm for those shooters and enthusiasts who want the look and feel of an AR-style .22 rimfire with an affordable price. With the rising costs of centerfire ammunition, the new Tactical .22 rimfires are a great choice for recreational shooters, as well as those searching for a cost-effective training platform.

The lightweight and fast-handling Tactical .22 parallels the look and feel of today’s AR-style rifle while being built around Mossberg International’s reliable .22 autoloader.

Taking AR-style autoloadcues from ing .22 rimfire. their proven 702 autoloader, Mossberg the Tactical .22 matches an 18” barrel to a quad rail forend allowing the operator to fit the rifle with lights, lasers or other tactical accessories. Two stock configurations will be offered in this series: a six-position adjustable and fixed stock. The six-position polymer stock adjusts the length of pull from 10-3/4” – 14.5” accommodating youth and smaller framed shooters up to adults. The fixed position stock has a standard 13” LOP. The Tactical .22 is integrated with an A2-style carry handle and an adjustable rear sight aligned with a front post sight. The Picatinny handle mount is included, allowing versatility in scopes and other optics while providing the clearance necessary to utilize the AR-style sights.

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HUSKY LINERS NOW OFFERS PROTECTION FOR your headlights with our new Husky Shield Headlite Guard. Our high impact resistant clear film protects your headlights from the sandblasting effects of sand, rock, salt and road debris. It is designed to keep your headlights from becoming hazy and yellow with built-in UV inhibitors that help your headlights remain clear.

By installing our Husky Shield Headlite and Paint Protection Film you will help keep your vehicle looking new...longer, and will save hundreds of dollars in replacement costs. Easy installation with application specific kits are precut to ensure an exact fit when installed on your vehicle. Our material won’t crack, shrink, or yellow. Our heavy duty film, unique adhesive and installation solution

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make Husky Shield Husky Liners the easiest film kits to install on the market today.

For more information call: 1-800-3448759 or visit their website: www.huskyliners.com.

Ultra Small Tactical Lights THE STREAMLIGHT PT 1L, 2L, 1AA AND 2AA ARE the smallest and most light-weight additions to the company’s line of handheld tactical products. The combination of their small size and power LEDs makes them among

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New line of tiny tactical lights.

line batteries (the PT 1AA and 2AA). Each of the models offers a high and low intensity setting as well as a strobe function. The PT 2L is also gun mountable, attaching to all long gun Picatinny rails.

For more information, call 800-523-7488 or visit www.streamlight.com.

Streamlight

lights available for outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Providing up to 180 lumens and 50 hours of runtime, they are ideal all-purpose lights for

hunting, fishing and camping, useful for everything from lighting the way to a tree stand, tracking game, or performing fishing or boating chores under low-light conditions. Each weighs less than 3.5 ounces and measures under 6 inches long and requires either one or two CR123A lithium batteries (the PT 1L and 2L) or one or two “AA” alka-

Ocean Kayak on the Prowl A KAYAK ANGLER S DREAM, THE OCEAN Kayak Prowler Trident 13 Angler features

sleek lines for on-water performance, an excellent drainage system for a drier ride, exceptional storage and smart outfitting

throughout. The Prowler Trident 13 Angler has superb primary and secondary stability, ample legroom, adjustable foot pegs, a wide seat well with Comfort Plus seat back, large bow hatch and an oversized tank well with bungee.

Designed with anglers in mind the Prowler Trident 13 Angler is equipped with a Rod Pod to conveniently store Prowler Trident 13 fishing rods inside Angler the kayak, a Sonar Ocean Kayak Shield to protect and store fish finders, transducer compatible scupper, battery bag and flush mounted rod holders. Rudder system optional.

Specs: L: 13’6”, W: 29.5”, Weight: 56 lbs, Max weight capacity: 425-475 lbs.

SRP: $999 On the web: www.oceankayak.com; phone: 800-8-KAYAKS

Build Your Own Tower CHAS-MAC’S DO-IT-YOURSELF TOWER KIT FOR the economy minded hunter – includes: high strength metal brackets to construct 80 |

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all fasteners and instructions. Double angle window sill sheds rain yet provides a flat rifle rest surface. Popular vertical sliding windows are quiet, slide smoothly and lock in any position. Available in several sizes. Installs in minutes. $ 20-$25.00

On the Web www.Frabill.com www.P-line.com www.Mossberg.com www.HuskyLiners.com www.Streamlight.com www.OceanKayak.com www.Chas-Mac.com

Brackets in the DI-Y Tower Kit

professional grade deer blind towers.

The deluxe kit includes tower platform to leg brackets, porch brackets and stairway brackets, or may be purchased separately as individual kits. Kit includes detailed pictorial instructions, all fasteners, bill of materials, cut lengths and angle templates for stairway. Wood is not included, welded tower leg sockets are engineered to provide proven optimum tower leg angler and solid connection to tower base. Sockets accept economical landscape timber legs or modified 4 x 4’s. Battery operated drill and a saw are required for assembly. Wood materials available at most home improvement centers. Tower only kit: $ 135.00 Deluxe Kit: $ 195.00 Chas-Mac Do-It-Yourself Window Kits aid the hunter to complete or upgrade house type deer blinds. Each window kit includes plexiglass window, treated wood window sill and sill support – plus (2) vertical window tracks,

Chas-Mac

D-I-Y Window Kit

Chas-Mac

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red-hot yellowfin tuna, which is far more than most spinning reels are capable of.

The TRQS5 weighs in at 19.8 ounces and can hold

Torque Spinning LOOKING FOR A SPINNING REEL THAT’S TOUGH enough to take on any pelagic that swims in the ocean, yet can cast a country mile?

Penn’s new Torque spinner series has a new model line, the bail-less editions, which have no bail and instead allow you to place the line in the roller manually.

Why would you want to operate a spinning reel this way? Anglers making long-distance casts with every iota of strength they can muster don’t want that bail snapping Torque spinning closed prematurely, cutreel. ting the cast short and Penn Reels often snapping off the rig as a result. And no matter how good you are at casting, this problem does arise from time to time. On top of that, eliminating the bail also eliminates a common failure point. On virtually every type of spinning reel, bails are one of the moving parts that encounter regular problems.

The Torque is built as tough as they come, with a sealed single-piece machinedaluminum body housing that offers complete water- and sand-proofing. HT-100 drag washers allow for multiple drag settings, and those settings can get pretty extreme—the maximum drag runs from 38 pounds to 50 pounds, depending on which model you choose. (Three are available, the TRQS5, 7, and9). The reel is silky-smooth, too, with seven ball bearings and a line roller bearing. The bail-less version is also lighter than other Torques.

Down-sides? Price is the one problem: at $699, this is one super-expensive spinning reel. Otherwise, I could find nothing to knock after playing hooky with a Torque. It’s tough enough to take on anything from a bull-dogging monster red to a 82 |

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550 yards of 20 pound braid; the TRQS7 is 26.7 ounces and can take 470 yards of 50 pound braid; and the TRQS9 weighs 28.9 ounces and can hold up to 575 yards of 65 pound braid. Check ‘em out at www.pennreels.com.

—Lenny Rudow

Line Fix THERE ARE SO MANY DARN FISHING LINES ON the market today, it’s nearly impossible to decide on one when you need to fill up a new spool. Well sorry folks, it just got a bit harder to decide… or did it? Suffix’s new 832 might swell an already crowded field, but this line also has some unique characteristics that send it to the head of the pack.

823 is a Dyneema superbraid, but it has Gore fabrics (as in Gore-Tex) intertwined with the Suffix 832 braided line with Gore-Tex line. One strand of Gore is interwoven Suffix

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with seven strands of the braid, 32 times per inch. Since gore doesn’t become degraded with exposure to saltwater, UV light, temperature changes, lubricants, and/or solvents, this gives the line a serious longevity boost. It also gives you a casting boost; the Gore helps it maintain a rounder shape and a slicker surface, so it reduces friction and passes through line guides more easily than other superbraids. There’s also a knot strength advantage, and Suffix claims that a Palomar knot tied in 832 will be up to 30 percent stronger than one tied in regular superbraids. What about abrasion resistance, line consistency, and sensitivity? Suffix also claims an advantage in all of these categories, though to my hands, superbraids of all types are already so sensitive that if there is a boost, I can’t feel it. But others in the fishing world clearly agree that 832 is a real step forward; it won the “Best New Fishing Line” award at the 2010 ICAST fishing show.

A full range of 832 is available, from thread-like six pound test all the way up to 80 pound test. Though it varies a bit, most tests are approximately one quarter the diameter of a monofilament line of the same strength. 150 yard spools run from $20 to $35, and 300 yard bulk spools are also available, in both low-vis green and neon-lime colors.

That might sound expensive at first, but compare it with other superbraids and you’ll notice it’s competitively priced. Take it for a cast, at www.suffix.com.

—LR

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PHOTOS: PENN REELS; SUFFIX

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Keep Our Customer’s Boats Running PALMER POWER, 6451 RUPLEY CIRCLE IN Houston, advertises itself as the marine inboard/outboard parts headquarters for all boat engine parts, large and small, that any boat dealer/repair yard or consumer my need for their boat, and not just in Houston. Palmer Power ships repair parts for all marine engines all over Texas, the surrounding five state area, and also customers in Mexico and overseas.

Carlos Ramirez, President and CEO of Palmer Power, says that his company over the years has become the trusted “go to” parts supplier for many boat dealerships and repair yards who can’t or don’t want to operate a large and costly marine parts department.

“We don’t sell life jackets and ski rope,” says Ramirez. “We are power and propulsion specialists. We stock exhaust manifolds, carburetors, starters, gasket sets, water pumps, control cables, those kind of things. What we want is to be the parts department for boat dealerships, repair shops, or anyone needing engine and drive parts.”

Gary Palmer started the company in 1972 in Richardson, Texas. The original product niche was inboard and inboard/outboard (also known as stern drive) propulsion power systems. The first lines included Volvo Penta, Chrysler Inboards and Borg Warner Velvet Drive marine gears. In 1978 the company moved to Houston and established a relationship with Mercury Marine and the OMC Corporation.

Over the years Palmer has expanded into diesel engine market, primarily Volvo Penta and Yanmar. “We are very big in Volvo, both gasoline and diesel, inboard C O A S T A L

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and stern drives. We start from the very old stuff and go all the way up to the new and improved parts of today’s engines, including electronic fuel injection. We handle everything for engine and gear repair such as seal kits, gear sets, gasket sets, water pumps and carburetor kits.”

Over the years, the company has grown into providing parts for most outboards as well. “We have grown the outboard business primarily in the less expensive aftermarket product lines,” continued Ramirez.

“In the marine parts business you have what they call the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) brands such as Mercury Marine, Johnson and Evinrude, and Yamaha outboards. But you also have what they call the aftermarket products. There are companies like Arco, Sierra Supply, Mallory Marine, Barr Marine and CDI Electronics that sell the generic, or what you call the “will fits” for a more affordable price.

Besides a large inventory of parts, Palmer has a service department on-site for dealers and consumers. “We get transmissions and drives from all over Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Some marinas and boat yards do not have special tools to repair these products so they pull them out of their big boats and ship them down to us. We rebuild them and return them to the boat dealers and repair yards with a remanufactured warranty backed by us. We are very heavy in the area of rebuilding inboard transmissions.

Also, with the most recent problems with alcohol treated gasoline, we recently purchased some state of the art equipment for cleaning gasoline fuel injectors used by both inboard and outboard motors. It’s a lot less expensive to clean them by ultrasonic means than it is to replace them.”

“We want to keep our customer’s boats running:” Palmer Power’s mission statement says, “Keep em boating” “We hate those infamous jokes about T E X A S

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the happiest two days of a boater’s life (when he buys the boat and when he sells it), or the meaning of the word “BOAT” (bring on another thousand.) We want the consumer to learn how to take care of his boat. The more he takes care of it, the less repair costs he is going to have. A happy boater is more likely to keep his boat.

That’s ultimately our goal. We want him to keep on boating and show the next generation how much fun boating really is.

“We don’t want him to say, ‘Forget the boat. It’s always a hassle. I’m going to buy something else.’ We don’t want him to buy something else with his discretionary dollars. We want the boater to know that if he uses his or her boat, they need to maintain it properly and regularly. If you maintain your boat, you are going to spend less money overall. You need to get out there and use it, teach your children about boating. Have your children out there so they will become boaters as well. That’s our primary mission….Keep them boating.”

Palmer’s trained boat parts and service staff boats over 100 years of combined marine experience. The Company offers, phone, fax or email technical assistance and parts “look-up” along with same day shipping to customers all over the United States. Their goal is help you obtain the correct part on the first call. Additional information about Palmer Power Corp is found at their website, http://www.palmerpower.com/. Their phone number is (800) ENGINES (3644637). They are located at 6451 Rupley Circle, Houston, TX 77087…just south of south Loop 610 and east of I-45 south.

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—Tom Behrens

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Heel—Toe… Heel—Toe… S I SAT TO WRITE MY COLUMN FOR THIS month, I thought that I should remind hunters just how important it is to get to and from your tree stand as undetected as humanly possible. This is especially true when dealing with the nose of a whitetail…but this is also true if you are hunting turkeys with a bow.

Case in point…

A

A friend of mine wanted to get his first turkey with a bow. He asked me if I would take him and try my best to call one in. I knew an area where a flock of birds liked to roost most every night. I also knew from many scouting trips that the birds would always fly down in the same field every morning. The problem was to get to that field; we would have to walk as quietly as possible right through their bedroom.

Now this friend never missed a meal in his life and consequently was not known to be light on his feet! As we approached the woodlot, I explained to him that we would

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have to sneak past the birds under the blanket of darkness without kicking the birds off their roost. I told him to walk where I walked. I stressed that he needed to place his feet wherever I put mine. He agreed.

We were three feet in the woods when I heard “crack, snap”. I stopped and looked

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back at my friend and reminded him again about the importance of being quiet. He agreed.

Ten feet later…”crack…snap…rustle.”

I stopped and looked back at my friend once more. I told him the birds were very close now and we needed to be extra careful about being quiet. “Heel toe…Heel toe”, I told him. “If you feel something under your feet, don’t put your weight down on it.” Once again, he agreed.

Three steps later the same thing happened. “ Heel toe….heel toe” I whispered to him. He nodded in agreement and we moved on…for five more steps. I finally stopped and turned to him and whispered that we needed to be quiet! He agreed as he rested his hand on a dead tree. It immediately cracked and made a loud bang as it came crashing to the ground.

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could not contain ourselves any longer! We stood there and stared at each other as the turkeys flew off in all directions.

Needless to say, we did not get a bird that day, but I did learn something. If a tree falls in the woods…and there is no one there to hear it…it still makes one heck of a racket as it hits the ground.

Bow hunting turkeys is not an easy thing to be successful. I think that if turkeys could smell, we would never get one. Deer, on the other hand can smell, and hunting them with a bow presents new challenges. Not only do we need to approach our tree stands as quietly as possible, we also need to remember to keep the wind in our face.

Taking special precautions to keep our scent to a minimum is a good practice as well. I wash my hunting clothes in a scent free soap and leave them outside to dry. I keep my clothes, including my rubber boots, in a plastic container in the back of my vehicle. I put them on only after I have reached my destination.

Tuck you pant legs in your high rubber boots. This will help keep your scent down

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should you brush up against any tall grass while walking to your spot.

As I get closer to my stand, I try to walk with an interrupted cadence. Did you know that we are the only animal in the woods that has a definite rhythm to our walk? If we try to sound like another animal in the woods, we might not spook or alert any deer in the area. Stop. Take a few steps and stop again.

Three quick steps and stop again. Listen to a squirrel when it walks. We should try to emulate their skills as they cautiously take each step. Also, if you are hunting with friends, do not have your buddies walk you to your stand and then wish you luck as they continue on to theirs. It is a better practice to leave your buddies behind when you are about 100 yards or so from your hot spot.

If you use any cover scents, you need to remember to use rubber gloves whenever you handle them. It does you no good if you hang your scent bombs around your area and you handle them with bare hands. The deer will smell the human odor long before you see the animal.

Leaving your hunting area requires you

to just as cautious about your scent. Just because your hunt is over for the day, does not mean that the deer will not be alerted of your presence if you choose to be in a hurry to get home. This is where a lot of hunters make their mistake. If I have deer near my stand and it is after shooting light, I will stay in the stand undetected and may be there for quite a while before the deer decide to wander off. It is better to wait than to get out of your stand and alert the deer.

Walking to and from your hunting spot requires as much care as the hunt itself… if you want to be successful. Take your time and use your head. Respect the nose of that deer, and remember to be careful and have fun out there.

E-mail Lou Marullo at lmarullo@fishgame.com

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Tools for Reloading HEN YOU BEGIN RELOADING METALLIC cartridge ammunition, both handgun and rifle, there are three kinds of tools you need to know about – those tools you cannot do the job without; those tools that are not absolutely necessary, but that make the job easier or more precise; and those that are neither necessary nor useful, but which are

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made to sell, not to work.

Reloading can be a simple and spartan operation. When I first started reloading, in 1972, I had a press, dies, lube pad, and a powder scale. I poured the powder from the factory container into a soup bowl and then ladled it with a tablespoon from the bowl into the pan of the powder scale. It all worked just fine until the cartridge cases for my .25-06 became too long to reload, then I found I needed a case trimmer and a tool to chamfer inside and outside the case mouth after it was trimmed.

Then I discovered that I needed something with which to measure the cases. At first one of the universal case length gauges – a metallic plate with notches cut to fit the

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various calibers – worked just fine. But when I discovered that this wasn't a very precise method of measuring (although it was certainly precise enough), I bought a dial caliper.

Next I decided that dribbling the last few powder granules into the scale pan with my fingers wasn't very efficient so I bought a powder trickler. Once I had the trickler, the spoon and bowl method didn't seem nearly as efficient or professional, so I bought a volumetric powder measure.

While the primer seater that came with my RCBS Rockchucker worked just fine, I decided that a dedicated primer seater would work better (It does, by the way, for me.)

This acquisition of newer and better tools continued until I had so many tools that I had to dedicate a room of my house to reloading. Then to make matters worse I got into shotgun reloading. Later still, I got into skeet shooting which meant I had to reload for 4 different shotgun gauges, meaning 4 different MEC loaders. And since I was shooting a great deal, I decided that I needed multi-stage reloaders.

Somewhere in there I got into bullet casting and acquired many and varied bullet molds as well as 3 different lead furnaces, so it was easy to keep separate the three different hardness levels of lead I used.

Then I found that I was in need (actually, in want is a better definition) of a Lyman T-Mag turret press, so I could better load for the .45 Colt and .44 Magnum. Finally I bought a Dillon multi-stage loader to load my .45 ACP, .38 Special, .223, and other high volume calibers.

This continued until I had what amounted to a full-fledged ammo factory for almost any caliber you could imagine. Of course, this acquisition of equipment took many years and I tried other tools and loaders that were unsatisfactory and that I no longer have. I also continued to improve my equipment. I went from a balance beam scale to an electronic Lyman digital model (the old C O A S T A L

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balance beam is plenty good and not subject to the whims of batteries or the electric company. I still use my balance beam scale to check my electronic models); I bought a chronograph to ground truth the velocity the loading manuals claimed for each load; I got a vibrating Lyman case cleaner to remove the grit, grime, and corrosion from the cases; and so on and so forth, ad nauseam. Now I have a small building that is dedicated entirely to reloading, and a barn to hold the stuff there isn't room for in the building.

I have discovered in my sojourn through the winding arroyos of the shooting and reloading world that this is a pretty common situation. Many before me have made the journey by trial and error until they have found what works for them. Some have stayed simple and some have setups that would make mine look like a beginner' s rig.

Through this I have learned a few rules that seem to me to be immutable.

1 The simpler you can keep it, the better the result will usually be.

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2) The more complicated a piece of equipment is, the more able it is to really mess things up.

3) Most new tools that claim to make things easier only make things more complicated. Refer to rule #2.

extremely high quality ammunition. The quality of handloads is vouchsafed by the fact that every benchrest and thousand yard competitor uses nothing but handloads. If the people who require the absolute utmost accuracy from their ammunition shoot handloads, that's good enough for me.

4) If a tool has been around for decades it is because it works.

5) If you find a method that works for you, stick with it.

6) When you are beginning in reloading, find an old-timer to teach you the ropes.

Learning from a book is possible, but much, much, harder.

If you are a shooter, I strongly urge you to become a reloader. The two go hand-inglove and a shooter only becomes truly competent and knowledgeable when he has learned to reload his own ammunition.

Reloading can save money and can produce

E-mail Steve LaMascus at guns@fishgame.com

On the Web www.DillonPrecision.com www.LymanProducts.com www.MECReloaders.com www.RCBS.com

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Danger Lies to the North EVERE WEATHER IS THE CONCERN OF EVERY boater but it is especially important to kayak fishermen. The first really harsh cold fronts of the year historically make their appearance in November or December, rolling unimpeded across the state like Patton’s Third Army during a breakout. If your only means of propulsion is a double-bladed paddle, be forewarned that danger lies to the north.

Cold fronts that drop down over the Pacific Ocean and move into Washington, Oregon, or California are known as Pacific, or maritime, fronts. These fronts must push across the Rocky Mountains before making it to Texas. Pacific fronts are generally drier, having been robbed of a lot of strength during their sojourn through the mountains.

Arctic fronts, on the other hand, drop straight down out of Canada and race across the mid-continent unabated, the flat lands of Kansas and Oklahoma offering little resistance. A strong Arctic front only takes two days to cover the distance between Canada and Texas.

Cold fronts are boundaries between warm and cold air masses. If there is a big difference between the associated air temperatures and moisture contents of the colliding air masses, there is a possibility of violent weather. Tornadoes are frequently spawned by cold fronts. Wind speeds in the 30 MPH range are routine with higher wind gusts possible. One memorable cold front in December 1989 dropped air temperatures at the coast from the 70s into the teens in just 12 hours.

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A strong Arctic front takes two days to cover the distance between Canada and Texas.

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Although cold fronts are easy to track, weathermen sometimes fail miserable predicting their arrival times. Although it is prudent to check out the weather forecast every time you go paddling, don’t accept it as gospel; cold fronts may arrive early or late.

The worst thing that can happen to a kayaker is to be surprised by a strong front, which is just what happened four years ago on the Texas coast, near Port Aransas, during a kayak fishing tournament. Scores of anglers had departed Highway 361, some paddling north and some heading south in search of fish. Several hours later, a black wall of clouds charged in from the northeast.

The front that no one expected brought lashing rains, lightning, and high winds, leaving anglers cold, wet, and very scared.

Winds were so high that the anglers that headed south couldn’t make headway paddling into the violent winds and were stranded. One saving grace: the cold front hit in May. Otherwise, hypothermia would have surely claimed multiple victims.

I spoke with Ray Chapa, a former kayak fishing guide who now teaches the Kayak4Redfish seminars, regarding the unfortunate situation anglers found themselves in. “That cold front dropped air temperatures from the 80s into the 60s in a matter of minutes. Winds at the leading edge of the front were 60 MPH and were still in the 30s two hours later. Some wade fishermen who had anchored their kayaks were stranded when their boats blew away. One person was literally blown out of their boat and a T E X A S

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husband and wife were separated by the storm. Luckily, no one was killed but there were a lot of scared people,” said Chapa Chapa had several tips for winter kayakers. First check the forecast. With today’s smart cell phones and WiFi hotspots, pulling up a radar map just before you launch is an easy and prudent thing to do.

Second, be prepared with jackets and rain gear. Chapa tucks his rain gear into his front hatch – just in case. Staying dry is essential during winter months and Chapa recommends breathable waders to keep your legs dry. A wading belt cinched down tightly around your waist is essential should you capsize; the belt minimizes the amount of water that can get into the legs of your waders.

Should you get caught off guard by a sudden cold front, Chapa advised anglers to grind it out until they get to their destination. “Paddling into a 30 MPH headwind is exhausting, but you can’t stop paddling if you want to make it back to your vehicle.

You won’t go very fast but you have to keep moving. Don’t stop to rest. It takes a lot less energy to keep moving forward than starting from a dead stop,” Chapa concluded.

Kayak anglers will need to deal with the potential risk of cold fronts for the next six months. Check the forecast just before you hit the water, constantly calculate the distance back to your vehicle when you are on the water, and give a friend or loved one your game plan before hitting the water.

When you are on the water, keep an eye out for building clouds because danger lies to the north.

Greg Berlocher can be reached for question or comment at kayak@fishgame.com.

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Maintenance Man EGULAR MAINTENANCE MAY BE A PAIN IN THE kiester, but it’s also a reality of life. If you have a lawn mower, drive a car, or run an ATV, you know you have to do regular maintenance or you’ll have problems down the road. On a boat, those problems will be magnified tenfold, because when it breaks down you can’t walk home or shove it into the garage—you’ll be stuck on the water, helpless until assistance arrives. Don’t let this happen. No matter what chores you fall behind on, never allow your boat’s regular maintenance to suffer.

What’s the most important item on the regular maintenance checklist? Changing the engine oil. In fact, when modern four-stroke outboards were introduced to the market, the manufacturers’ single biggest worry was that boaters would neglect to change the oil and oil filter in a timely fashion. Because of the engine’s high operative RPM range and the tendency of outboards to rev up and down as the boat climbs and falls on waves, the engine is under an unusual amount of stress when compared to four-strokes in cars, motorcycles, or motorized tools. So even more than usual, they need oil—clean oil—in sufficient supply, at all times. That’s why many outboard have alarm systems and warning lights that tell you when it’s time for an oil and filter change. In most cases, you’ll need to do this every 100 hours or so or once a season, whichever comes first.

Yeah, yeah, I know: an oil change comes as naturally to you and I as brushing our teeth.

We’ve been changing the oil in our cars and trucks since we were kids, and we know the drill very well, thank you very much. But boats are different creatures than cars. And although most of us may know how to do an oil change, we might be able to pick up a tip

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or two from an in-depth look at marine oil changes. So bear with me on this one.

The first and biggest reason people do poor oil changes? Impatience. Some guys pull the drain, yank off the old filter, put on a new one, and fill her right back up. But the oil needs time to drain, and if you’re patient with the process, you’ll get a lot more of the old stuff out of the engine. The best practice is to put your drip pan in place, and walk away.

Do something else for 10 or 15 minutes, to distract yourself, so you’re not tempted to jump right back in and prematurely finish the process. TIP: Make a “U” out of a piece of duct tape and push it under the drain hole, so it directs the flow of oil away from the motor.

That’ll prevent those final few drips from running down onto the lower unit.

The second most common problem? People often neglect to warm the engine up for a few minutes before doing the change. Warm oil will flow better, and drain more completely. This will also get any particulate matter that’s in the engine to go into suspension in the oil, so it’s more likely it’ll be washed away.

After draining the old oil and changing the filter, leave the drain open and pour half a quart or so of fresh oil into the crankcase.

TIP: Forget using a regular funnel, which is usually too narrow, wobbles around in the fill hole, and often falls out. Instead, cut the top off of a two-liter soda bottle and use it for a funnel. The threaded end fits into most outboards, and grabs on the oil fill’s threads well enough that it stays in place.

Now you’ll need to apply that patience once again; allow it to sit for a few minutes, so the fresh oil drains all the way through the engine and washes away any impurities that were left behind during the initial change.

When replacing the filter, always remember to put a skim of clean oil on the filter’s gasket before screwing it down tight (yes, I knew you already did that). And never, ever tighten a new oil filter with a hard wrench. Use the appropriate tool—a dedicated filter wrench— only, or you may crimp down some of the metal, and alter the filter’s properties. What’s T E X A S

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that? You say your oil wrench won’t fit the outboard’s filter? In many cases (especially with smaller sized four strokes) regular oil filter wrenches are too large to crimp down on the filter effectively. You can, however, often use a strap wrench to tighten it down. In a pinch, take an old windshield wiper blade and wrap it around the filter before placing a filter wrench over it. This usually fills in the gaps, and the rubber material won’t spin on either the wrench or the filter.

Now that the oil’s been changed, it’s time to do… another oil change. Your outboard’s lower unit oil should be changed each and every time you change the engine’s oil. And there are a few tricks that will make this process more effective, too.

Start by removing the lower drain plug, with the oil pan in place. IMPORTANT: Have a clean place identified and ready to place the drain screws; if these hit the dirt, you’ll have to thoroughly clean them off or risk contaminating your lower unit!

At this point the oil will flow, but very slowly. That’s because you need to remove the upper screw plug, too. This will allow air to displace the lower unit oil, and it’ll drain a lot faster. Next apply that magic oil change ingredient—patience—one more time, and allow it to drain completely.

The oil’s all drained? Maybe. But to be sure, try tilting your engine up and then back down a bit. Even though it may have looked level when you started, the boat and trailer may be parked on uneven ground. For whatever reason, I’ve found that I always, without fail, get a few extra tablespoons of lower unit oil out of the engine when I tilt it back and forth. Again, flush the system with a squirt of fresh, clean oil, and let it drain thoroughly again.

Before you begin re-filling the lower unit, be sure to replace the washer on the screw plug. Why bother? Because in many cases, that isn’t a washer. It’s actually a metal compression gasket, CONTINUED and it’s only good SEE PAGE 90 for one use. In

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The Fall Challenge ’VE GOT TO BE HONEST, THE OCTOBER AND November columns are the most difficult for me to write because I’m not really thinking about fishing this time of year. I just got through putting a new string on my bow and by the time you actually read this I’ll be sitting in a tree or blind somewhere in East Texas hopefully drawing back as a buck walks carelessly in front of me. Fall means hunting, that’s just how I’m wired, and it’s not necessarily a good thing because fall is a great time to go fishing in Texas.

This is especially true if you’re one of the lucky Texans that have the opportunity to live near the coast. Fishing in the bays heats up as the weather cools down and I’ve heard it said more than once that if you deer hunt you miss some of the best saltwater action of the year.

So for those of you who don’t hunt, or for the lucky few who tagged out during bow season and now need something to do, let’s talk about jigging for trout and reds.

Jigs are very simple fishing tools. Basically a hook with a hunk of heavy metal (lead not Metallica) molded around the eye, jigs have been catching fish for hundreds if not thousands of years and are the base for other popular baits. A spinner bait is just a jig with a

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spinner and a swim bait is just a jig you swim through the water column.

Even though jigs are simple lures; that doesn’t stop manufacturers from making them in all kinds of crazy designs, shapes, sizes, and colors. While each of these designs serve a purpose and have a specific application when bass fishing, they are overkill for saltwater. You can use jigs with hook guards and skirts while going after trout and reds but don’t have to. Go with either a basic 1/8 ounce bullet head jig (painted or unpainted, it’s your choice) or a shaky head jig and you can catch all the fish you want.

Most anglers use a plain bullet jig head but over the past few years I find myself tying on a shaky head more often than not. While originally designed for bass it transfers easily over to saltwater applications. The design allows it to be swam with moderate, ease which is effective when the fish are actively feeding, but where it outshines a bullet jig is on slow days. On days when the fish are lethargic and not aggressive, the shaky head can be worked slower being bounced along the bottom while keeping the tail of the bait sticking up. With the tail sticking up it is waving around and attracting fish, rather than just laying flat on the bottom as it will do with a traditional bullet head jig.

As far as what you actually put on the jig, the choices are virtually endless. The old

faithful baits like bass assassins, flukes, or slug-gos, and any of the soft plastic paddle tail baits on the market still work but don’t be afraid to try other newer baits as well. The Sidewinder

by Stanley Jigs is a bass bait that is effective on inshore saltwater species as well.

No matter which bait you decide to use one addition that should be made is to insert a small worm rattle. Many of the waters along the coast are murky (most are downright dirty) so you want the fish to be able to hone in on the bait by sound as well as by sight.

Right now our rig consists of a shaky head jig, dressed with the soft plastic of your choice, with a rattle inserted making it appeal to the fishes senses or sight and sound but we need to add one more thing to make it more affective. For decades a lot of saltwater anglers have tipped their jigs with small pieces of shrimp to appeal to the fish’s sense of smell.

The problem with this is sometimes you can’t get your hands on shrimp and when you do it doesn’t stand up to a lot of casting. So instead of tipping the jig with shrimp use one of the fish attractants strips currently on the market (Fish Bites or Berkley Gulp Strips). Now, you have a bait that can be seen, heard, and smelled, making it hard for any fish to resist.

E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

TEXAS BOATING fact, if you botch the operation and FROM PAGE 89 have to remove the screw(s) after tightening them the first time, you should replace these gaskets even though they’re brand new.

Now you’re ready to refill the lower unit.

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until some clean oil drips back out of the upper hole. Then plug the upper hole –not the lower hole—first. This will ensure that the oil you lose will be minimal (it’s impossible to prevent losing some), when you try to fit in the lower screw.

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aspect of regular maintenance that simply can’t wait—unless you don’t mind waiting for a tow, when your engine breaks down.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

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ILLUSTRATION: PAUL BRADSHAW

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Backstrap Wraparounds HE HARVEST OF BACKSTRAP, HAMS, AND trimmings for chili meat and sausage are all part of the reward that complement time well spent in the country hunting with friends. There are many good places you can take your harvest for processing throughout Texas. To assure you of the best yield and quality for your money and time, here are a few tips: After skinning and field dressing your deer, if the temperature is in the low 40s or below, hang it high enough to keep it away from animals, for up to 2-3 days. If you have a walk- in cooler, there should be no problem with the thermostat set between 34 and 38 degrees.

While quartering your deer, cut away any heavily bloodied areas of meat. Surround the individual cuts of meat with at least 1-1/2 inches of ice. If not adequately cooled before placing the meat in the ice chest, the ice will melt quicker and could increase the possibility of spoilage, especially during lengthy transports. Upon arriving at home, place the cooler where it can be drained of water and add enough finely chopped ice to aid in the bleeding process.

If you have had to track an animal for any distance after shooting it, its muscles hold hormones that contribute to a wild or “gamey” taste. To remove these hormones and blood from the meat, place the quarters or sections of meat in melting ice in a chest with the plug open, allowing it to drain as it melts, and replenish the ice when necessary to effectively remove or minimize the presence of these unsavory hormones. The water and ice should be clear when the meat is ready for quartering.

Choose a variety of products that will be

PHOTO COURTESY BRYAN SLAVEN

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enjoyed by everyone, and be realistic about waiting times for processing (6-8 weeks or longer).

Use your processed product before beginning your next hunting season (within 6-9 months for sausage, larger cuts slightly longer).

Have all processed meats vacuum-sealed if possible, and then wrapped with butcher paper. This will provide maximum protection from freezer burn and light exposure. If not possible, make sure meat is tightly wrapped in waxed butcher paper.

For larger cuts, such as hams, I recommend using a cling style plastic wrap and creating a cocoon effect with several layers until the meat is sealed, with no open areas.

Backstrap Wraparounds 1 loin venison backstrap (venison may be substituted with pork tenderloin or filet mignon) 14-16 slices thin bacon 1 large purple onion, peeled and quartered lengthwise, then halved lengthwise again 6-8 large fresh jalapenos, seeded and quartered lengthwise 1 pound pepper jack cheese, sliced in 1/8x2x1/2 wide slices 1 box round toothpicks (place picks in water) Baste: 1 Tbs sesame seeds 3 Tbs Texas Gourmet Jalapeno Jelly 2 Tbs soy sauce 2 Tbs olive oil 1 Tbs coarse mustard 1 cup Merlot or other dry red wine 2 cloves of garlic 2 Tbs black pepper

cutting board. Cover with Saran wrap and lightly tenderize, using the shallow side of the tenderizing mallet. The meat should be 1/4-inch thick after tenderizing. Be careful not to put holes in the steaks. Spray with olive oil or Pam spray, then set aside. Separate the onion into 1- to 2-piece sections.

Take one slice of tenderized meat in one hand, and lay one onion slice in the center, inside up. Place a slice of cheese on the onion and lay one jalapeno piece on the cheese, face down. Carefully roll the meat around the veggies and cheese. Wrap a slice of bacon around the wrap from one end, stretching the bacon as you wrap. Carefully fold in and seal the ends with a toothpick.

Grill over mesquite charcoal or gas fire set to medium high heat. Place the wraps indirectly over the heat. Baste liberally, cook covered for 3-5 minutes per side. Baste when turning.

When bacon is done, place wraps on plate and remove the toothpicks. Rest wraparounds before serving. Serve with Texas Gourmet Quick Dirty Rice and Black Bean Pico de Gallo. Bon appetite!

Heat basting ingredients until well blended and remove from heat. Remove all sheath, membrane, or skin from the backstrap. Cut into 12 or so 3/4-inch thick steaks. Place each steak one at a time on a T E X A S

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Joey Akins Guide Service

TEXAS SALTWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

GALVESTON

UPPER COAST (SABINE LAKE)

ROCKPORT Mr. and Mrs. Oakman Rockport Red-Runner

BAFFIN BAY

TEXAS SALTWATER CORPUS CHRISTI

TEXAS FRESHWATER

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LAKE AMISTAD

LAKE TEXOMA

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White Oak Outfitters

Steve Tuttle, Sloan Tuttle and Jake White - Hillman’s Guide Service

OUTDOOR SHOPPER

OUTDOOR SHOPPER

TEXAS HUNTING

WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT IN TEXAS?

EAT ACROSS TEXAS

BELLVILLE MEAT MARKET YOU GOTTA TRY IT!

EAT ACROSS TEXAS SPOTLIGHT: BELLVILLE MEAT MARKET Bellville Meat Market is an award-winning meat processor which has been recognized by their peers in meat processing industry for providing some of the tastiest jerky, sausage, briskets, and hot links in the Lone Star State. Some folks sing our praises for our exceptional deer processing, while others love our full service butcher counter and award-winning sausage.

Bellville is a short 15-mile jaunt from I-10 (Sealy) or Highway 290 (Hempstead) making it convenient for hunters heading back to Houston from the lease. During rifle season we accept deer on a 7 X 24 basis.

Don’t forget our slow-smoked Bar B Q sandwiches. Sit a spell and dine with us or have your sandwiches packed to go. If you are heading to Austin or College Station this fall, make the short jaunt to Bellville Meat Market to pick up a variety of meats for the pit and all your tailgating supplies. Bellville Meat Market - Meat is our middle name™

INTRODUCING TFG’S NEW EAT ACROSS TEXAS, PLEASE CALL 281.227.3001 X 5519 FOR ADVERTISING RATES AND INFO. A L M A N A C

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Redfish Trinity Bay

Piggy Perch

Mangrove Snapper

Laguna Madre

Laguna Madre

Croaker Bastrop Bayou

of orm Sorensen ld Summer St r first fish, a he Seven-year-o ht ug ca , , Utah at Salt Lake City andpa’s boat r, from her gr u.

9-inch croake yo Ba p ro f Bast The Cedars of

Jesse Hoke, 7, of Huntsville , inch redfish on his first fis caught this 21hing trip with dad and papa his w in Trinity Ba keeper speckle y. He also go t7 d trout, all on artificial bait.

4, rker Parrish, sh, 2, and Pa -up” of Peyton Parri “double hook r pe ap sn re he. Both fish we caught a perc Laguna Madr from a pier on ught again the next day. ca released and

Whitetail Deer Whitetail Deer

Ft. McKavett

Cross Plains

Whitetail Buck

Ericka Dunb ar, age 15, sh ot her first de while huntin er g wi weekend near th her Pawpaw on a yout h Cross Plains . She took th pounder from e 95100 yards wi th a 7mm-08.

Brady first ess shot his age 9, of Cypr his family’s on Parker Tally, s rd ya 90 4 at buck with a .20 Photo submitted by his y. ranch in Brad was hunting with him. o “PawPaw,” wh

Jessica Wick er, 15, shot on e buck and tw does in one sitting with a o youth model while huntin .243 g with her da d during yout son at Ft. Bu h se llard Ranch ne ar Ft. McKave att.

Whitetail Buck Kinney County

Mixed Stringer Shark

West Galveston Bay

Port Aransas

d ey Ballard an rd, with Ashl on and ar Sh Sharon Balla of s er k, daught dhing these re Trisha Pavloc , had fun catc West Bay. in r de Bobby Ballard un flo trout and fish, speckled

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Sam Sommer of deer, a 5-1/2-y Bulverde shot his second ear-old, 165pound, 8-poin buck, huntin g wi t County. He to th dad Richard in Kinney ok the buck with one shot .

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on, 7, of Com Dylan Thomps 3-foot shark is th ht ug ca k stoc e s. Dylan is th at Port Aransa Billings.

J. E. of on ds gran

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Sheepshead Port Aransas

Redfish

Whitetail Buck

Lower Laguna Madre

Jackson County

othed with his br ell, 11, pictur first 8-point Matthew Cass s hi ot sh 9, ony, on er John Anth r at 80 yards ty.

70 Wincheste Jackson Coun buck with a .2 in h nc Ra k ee Cr ow ad Sh the

,a his first redfish dre, , 12, caught guna Ma La r Drake Alford we Lo at -incher, Jr. 20-pound, 36 Rudy Garza, e. with Captain d on 8-lb. lin while fishing lan to es ut 30 min The red took

Brooke Odom of Austin caug keeper 17-in ht her first ch sh with live shrim eepshead while fishing p with her fa ther Brett in Port Aransas.

Redfish Sabine Lake

Speckled Trout

Redfish

Port Isabel Port Mansfield

Joel Lopez of Alamo Height s redfish, betw een 23 and 27 caught these inches in leng while fishing in Port Mans th, field.

While on his honeymoon in Port Isabel wife Sandra with Quiroga, Jaim e Qu caught his lim it of speckled iroga trout, using Norton bull m innows.

ht mberton caug llen, 10, of Lu ne Cameron Woo redfish while fishing Sabi e er his first keep om and dad. He caught th m Lake with his live finger mullet for bait. ing 20-incher us

Speckled Trout Baffin Bay

Brim Private Pond

Blue Catfish ught us Christi ca ers, 7, of Corp her Pamela Child r first speckled trout, at he g cabin in in at and released flo ’s lia and De e. grandpa Gene parents Scott and Roxann th Baffin Bay, wi

Canyon Lake Robert Reyn a of San Anto nio 14.8-pound bl ue catfish wh caught this ile night fishi at Canyon La ng ke.

s rick caught hi mld Laine Bund in Lu nd po e Three-year-o at iv brim, in a pr first fish, this th his pappy, Ricky Riley. wi berton, while

Redfish Black Drum

Kemah

Indianola Beach

Mixed Stringer Sabine Lake

Marina Armol a Fl caught this 21 ores of Port Lavaca -inch drum an fish using sh d a 24-inch re rimp for bait dwhile fishing Indianola Be off ach.

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of Havel, age 4, 8, and Hayden of redfish its Hunter, age lim r ei th th caught , in his Houston, bo th dad, Chris ile fishing wi bine Lake.

Sa on and trout wh at Bo r Fusion new Pathfinde

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Dalton Brow n, 11, caught a 25-inch, 9redfish, his fir pound st Kemah-Clear , fishing with friends at th Lake Canal. e Photo submitt by proud pare ed nts Bruce an d Rocio Brow n.

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Bucks in the Bottoms

PHOTO: PAUL TESSIER, ISTOCKPHOTO

SOME OF THE STATE’S BIGGEST BUCKS live in river bottoms from the Pineywoods to the Panhandle.

These areas are some of the most difficult to traverse, mosquito, alligator and poisonous snake-infested areas in state, yet that is why many big bucks live and die of natural causes in these areas.

Over the last few years, I have used portable ground blinds by Ameristep and others to hunt hogs and turkey with bow and arrow and now I myself hunting whitetails on the ground, especially when in the bottoms.

During the first weekend of bow season, I set up a portable, shoot-through Let’s look at the techniques that can help you score on big ground blind called the Wig Wam between two big fallen pines river bottom bucks. at 17 yards away from the feeder. Saturday evening I passed a After Hurricane Rita ravaged the Sabine River bottoms, shot on a fork-horned buck as lease rules stipulate we can only my corn was feeder standing with a slight lean, but still distake six point bucks or better and saw a fawn doe slipping pensing corn and drawing in deer. All of through the damage. These deer never saw me the trees of the right size within shooting although I was at eye level with them and within very distance of my feeder were either close proximity. I later ended up taking a nice eight knocked over or snapped off at about 10 pointer.

• TF&G Executive Editor feet and I like to hunt at least 15 feet up.

The key is I was able to set the blind up to where the That left me with no alternative but to go to the ground and wind favored me. A deer’s most useful survival tool is its nose, this is a situation many hunters have found themselves in over which is far more sensitive than ours is. By using portable the last two seasons because of storm damage. ground blinds, which you can set up in less than five minutes,

by Chester Moore

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In This Issue

66

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK • Tides, Solunar Table, Best Hunting/Fishing Times |

BY TF&G STAFF

HOW-TO SECTION

49

COVER STORY • Bucks in the Bottoms |

BY CHESTER MOORE

82

BOWHUNTING TECH • Heel-Toe... Heel-Toe... |

BY LOU MARULLO

84

TEXAS GUNS & GEAR • Tools for Reloading |

BY STEVE LAMASCUS

86

TEXAS BOATING • Maintenance Man |

BY LENNY RUDOW

88

TEXAS KAYAKING • Danger Lies to the North |

BY GREG BERLOCHER

90

BAITS & RIGS • The Fall Challenge |

BY PAUL BRADSHAW

80

HUNTING TALES • Geese, Geese and More Geese |

BY CHESTER MOORE

GEARING UP SECTION

74

NEW PRODUCTS • What’s New from Top Outdoor Manufacturers |

BY TF&G STAFF

78 79

TEXAS TESTED • Penn, Suffix | BY TFG STAFF INDUSTRY INSIDER • Palmer Power | BY TF&G STAFF

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION

91 92 94

TEXAS TASTED • Backstrap Wraparounds |

BY BRYAN SLAVEN

OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Classifieds | BY TF&G STAFF PHOTO ALBUM • Your Action Photos | BY TF&G READERS

HOTSPOTS & TIDES SECTION

52

TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots |

BY TOM BEHRENS, CALIXTO GONZALES, & BOB HOOD

you can play the wind and greatly increase your odds.

Decoys like the new Miss November from Tink’s are a tool in which to make things easier for hunters in specific situations in river bottoms. Bottoms often offer open areas where deer can see for a good ways and decoys can draw big bucks out.

The thing you have to realize is that decoys are only a tool. They are not a magic bullet that will enable you to make bucks appear out of nowhere. If you keep this in mind, it can greatly aid your hunting.

Decoys tend to work best in the rut when they can spark the sexual and territorial instincts of bucks. Bucks will come out and fight buck decoys and they will mount a doe just as if she was the real thing. For hunters that means you have the buck distracted and can make your move without it noticing.

With big, mature bucks that is usually difficult, but with decoys if everything works out it is quite easy.

The proper use of decoys begins with scent elimination according to TF&G Bowhunting Editor Lou Marullo.

“Use gloves when you are carrying and setting up the decoy and spray it with a good cover scent or sexual attractant. The nose is a deer’s first line of defense so you have to 50 |

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www.FishGame.com get past that to get into the visual realm,” he said.

The rest pretty much as to do with location. It’s all about location.

“For one thing, if you are using one of the bedded decoys, do not set it up near a trail. Deer do not bed up on trails so they should be set up there. I like to use standing decoys and always place them upwind of where I expect the deer to come from.

Remember that bucks most of the time are going to be approaching with the wind in their faces and if they catch a whiff of doe in estrus and then see what they think is a doe you have a good chance of getting a shot,” Marullo said.

He recommends setting up doe decoys with it’s toward you because bucks approach does from the side or the rear and this will give a good shot. For buck decoys try the opposite approach with the head toward you because will usually approach bucks cautiously from the front vantage point.

Locating acorns are an important part of river bottom hunting. They are a rich source of protein and carbohydrates for deer and when they begin falling; deer will flock to these spots and ignore other food sources. I have personally experienced having corn piling up under my feeder while deer were T E X A S

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feeding less than 50 yards away under a big red oak. Deer know that the corn is going to be there because hunters always feed it, but acorn sources are fleeting and they must get it while they can.

In terms of which kinds of mast crops are best to hunt over, that is going to depend on your location. Red oaks are the hot tickets in some areas while white oaks are like drugs for deer in others. Nowadays it’s impossible to mention acorns without mentioning feral hogs.

Deer and hogs do not mix. If you are hunting over feeder and you have hogs regularly hitting it, chances are the deer are dodging it. In fact, during the hunting season that is the number one complaint I get from hunters calling into my outdoors radio show. They also can drive deer from natural food sources like acorns and this is where scouting can pay off big time. Hogs are like deer in that they have their preferences. If you can determine which mast crops hogs are targeting and then find a secondary source nearby, your chances of bagging a big buck increase dramatically.

Dealing with hogs is a matter of fact in Texas and learning to hunt around the so to speak can increase your odds of success.

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LOWER GULF COAST

Lower Laguna Redfish

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Old Drum Boat Area GPS: N26 10.713, W97 11.10702 (26.178550, -97.185117) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters early, live bait, SPI tandems, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Redfish roam the flats during high tide. Make long drifts with topwaters, live bait, or jerkbaits. Crawl weedless jerkbaits through the grass when redfish are tailing.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Cullen Channel GPS: N26 15.77502, W97 17.27298 (26.262917, -97.287883) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live bait, SPI tandems, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Fish deeper water of the channel during low tide. Trout will strike free-lined shrimp or live finger mullet fished along the drop-off. Work the shallows near show on high tide with jerkbaits.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns 52 |

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CONTACT: Captain George Strader, 956-2334919 TIPS: The east side of the Island is also good for some bruising redfish action.

Watch for lurking trout. Gulp! Shrimp and Peeler Crab are tough medicine on tailing reds. Use as little weight as possible.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: The Y GPS: N26 2.86002, W97 12.43002 (26.047667, -97.207167) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live shrimp, mullet, ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956551-9581 TIPS: Fish the drains on the middle island during an outgoing tide. Redfish lurk around these drains and ambush bait that is pushed out of the grass. Fish a topwater or live bait. You can also skip a mullet or ballyhoo.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: The Y GPS: N26 2.86002, W97 12.43002 (26.047667, -97.207167) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, mullet, ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956551-9581 TIPS: Freeline a live shrimp along the drop-offs for speckled trout. Or, you can skip a ballyhoo or fresh mullet in the shallows for one of the big trout that cruise the island flats. You can actually spot them lurking on a sunny day.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay T E X A S

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GPS: N26 2.421, W97 10.476 (26.040350, -97.174600) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live shrimp, mullet, ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captian Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Refish will cruis the deep guts between the mangroves and the flats. Work topwaters near the trees, and jerkbaits or live bait in the channel, especially on an outgoing tide.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay GPS: N26 2.421, W97 10.476 (26.040350, -97.174600) SPECIES: snook BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live shrimp, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captian Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Fish the trees for snook that will continue to hang around until the first major front of Winter. Watch for swirls early in the morning to tip you off where Olí Linesides is located.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain George Strader, 956233-4919 TIPS: Fish the east side of the Island.

Watch for cruising redfish. Topwaters are good early, and jerkbaits and Gulp!

Shrimp are tough to beat later on. Fish them weightless or under a rattle float.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) I N L A N D

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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain George Strader, 956233-4919 TIPS: Fish the east side of the Island.

Watch for lurking trout. Topwaters are good early, and jerkbaits and Gulp!

Shrimp are tough to beat later on. Fish them weightless or under a rattle float.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Big Oaks GPS: N26 41.96502, W97 27.79098 (26.699417, -97.463183) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Salt/Pepper, clear/red flake, live shrimp CONTACT: Captain Richard Lopez, 956207-4715 TIPS: Are still a hot ticket in November.

Fish shallower than in October with topwa-

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ters or jerkbaits. Watch for tailing redfish.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Big Oaks GPS: N26 41.96502, W97 27.79098 (26.699417, -97.463183) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Salt/Pepper, clear/red flake, live shrimp CONTACT: Captain Richard Lopez, 956207-4715 TIPS: Trout are in the deeper water between the shoreline and the ICW. Look for points that push out into the bay, and fish around them. Topwaters and soft plastics work well, but bait is always good too.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Reds, Specks and Schooling Drum

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Port Bay GPS: N28 1.69398, W97 8.694 (28.028233, -97.144900) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Gold spoons and Bone colored topwater baits CONTACT: Capt. Randy Filla, 361-2152332 TIPS: Concentrate on water 2-4 ft deep; work the grass beds and sand pockets. Use a stop and go retrieve when working the spoons.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: JFK Causeway GPS: N27 38.07102, W97 14.46102 (27.634517, -97.241017) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: H & H Coastal Tackle Cocahoe Minnows in chartreuse or Rootbeer colors CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 54 |

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TIPS: Clear water and no floating grass is a plus at this time of the year.

LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Lydia Ann Channel GPS: N27 51.73602, W97 3.29802 (27.862267, -97.054967) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-2220477 TIPS: Look for schools of drum LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Jetties GPS: N27 50.289, W97 2.61402 (27.838150, -97.043567) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Menhaden, squid and shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Randy Filla, 361-2152332 TIPS: A few fish will still be scattered along the jetties; bites will be on the outgoing tide.

LOCATION: Port O'Connor HOTSPOT: Shoalwater Bay GPS: N28 19.02, W96 37.83 (28.317000, -96.630500) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mansfield Mauler with a soft plastic minnow in LSU color on an 1/8-ounce jighead CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361-7852686 TIPS: Shell bottoms are the key to locating trout in November. Look for dirty water; stay away from clear water.

LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Hog Island GPS: N27 54.28398, W97 6.00198 (27.904733, -97.100033) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp on a Carolina rig CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-2220477 TIPS: Fish the potholes using shrimp on a Carolina rig, with a 1/2-ounce weight.

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GPS: N27 57.05802, W97 5.331 (27.950967, -97.088850) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Cocahoe tails in a chartreuse color or a white/pink tail CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-2220477 TIPS: Fish the breaks where fish will drop-off into when temperatures drop; use a slow retrieve.

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LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Seadrift Spoil Reefs GPS: N28 23.82, W96 43.2 (28.397000, -96.720000) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Heddon Spook Junior in chrome/blue; Corky Devil in a glow color CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361-7852686 TIPS: Fish the deep side of the reef; on colder days dredge a Glow/chartreuse

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TIPS: Good place to fish when there are strong south winds LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Boiler Bayou GPS: N28 39.01602, W95 53.409 (28.650267, -95.890150) SPECIES: speckled trout

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BEST BAITS: Norton Margarita Bull Minnows, chartreuse or pink, with 3/8-ounce jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Drift fish over scattered shell.

UPPER GULF COAST

Look for Specks and Flounder

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Three Mile Reef GPS: N28 38.09802, W95 55.32702 (28.634967, -95.922117) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton margarita bull minnows CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: When using the soft plastics with jigheads, you will find redfish on the bottom and trout closer to the top.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Willow Bayou GPS: N29 51.72702, W93 46.90698 (29.862117, -93.781783) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4 - 1/2-ounce jig heads with a Big Nasty, 5\\\" Voodoo Shad in Cajun Pepper with a chartreuse tail CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: Speckled trout will be feeding on the white shrimp that are being washed out of any of the bayous.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Blue Buck Point GPS: N29 47.77998, W93 54.43902 (29.796333, -93.907317) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jigs with Gulp, color of your choice; Fishbites Fishín Strips; and mud minnows with a #1 circle hook CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: Any of the bayous on the Louisiana side of the lake should produce flounder action.

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LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: East Pass GPS: N29 58.92, W93 47.13498 (29.982000, -93.785583) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4 - 1/2-ounce jig heads with a Big Nasty, 5\" Voodoo Shad in Cajun Pepper with chartreuse tail CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: Wherever you see bird action, stop and fish.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Stewtís Island GPS: N29 57.89898, W93 50.89998 (29.964983, -93.848333) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4 - 1/2-ounce jig heads with a Big Nasty, 5\" Voodoo Shad in Cajun Pepper with a chartreuse tail CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: The heavier jig head will give you a lot more casting distance if the fish are spooky.

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Hl&P Spillway GPS: N29 44.90598, W94 48.48702 (29.748433, -94.808117) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jig with Gulp, color of your choice; Fishbites Fishín Strips; and mud minnows CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: If water is clear throw lighter colors; if the water is dirty, throw darker colors.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef GPS: N29 16.19502, W94 56.97402 (29.269917, -94.949567) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Four-inch Sea Shad Bass Assasin paddle tail soft plastic baits in either a chartreuse or Hot Chicken colors, using a 1/8-ounce jighead CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: Look for bird action; the fish are still slicking. Cast out, let the bait sink to the bottom and pop it up two or three times and then let it fall.

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LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cotton Bayou GPS: N28 30.60198, W96 12.603 (28.510033, -96.210050) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: She Pups and small Skitterwalks in a pink color CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Throw topwaters early up inside and along grassy areas when there are strong tides.

PINEY WOODS

Livingston Bass & Catfish

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Texas Main Lake Flats GPS: N32 41.523, W94 2.89398 (32.692050, -94.048233) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: V&M Pork Shad, Cyclone spinnerbait, Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide1@att.net, 318-455-3437, www.caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Watch for bass schooling around the lotus pads and pad stems. Large schools of shad also can be seen in this area. Use chartreuse or shad-colored V&M Pork Shads or chartreuse-white Cyclone spinnerbaits. Shafty Glade Marina has good bank access.

LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: League Line Point GPS: N30 22.86798, W95 32.74998 (30.381133, -95.545833) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits,Pop Rs CONTACT: Richard Tatsch, 936-2911277, www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: Alternate between a white or white-chartreuse spinnerbait and Bone-colored Pop R to see which the bass will hit the best. Work slowly around the point then turn the boat around and work back through the area. Fish other secondary T E X A S

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LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake River at Old 190 Bridge GPS: N30 45.38898, W95 7.866 (30.756483, -95.131100) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh dead shad, live perch CONTACT: Dave S. Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Use a Carolina-rigged shad or perch to fish off the bottom near the dropoffs in the old river channel.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: The Pocket GPS: N30 55.662, W95 15.054 (30.927700, -95.250900) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Soft plastic lizards, jigs CONTACT: Dave S. Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Use watermelon-red or junebug lizards on a Texas rig or a Peanut Butter jig to fish the boat houses, rocky points and laydowns.

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LOCATION: Toledo Bend Res. HOTSPOT: Huxleyís Crappie River Run GPS: N31 44.42646, W93 49.75086 (31.740441, -93.829181) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live shiners and crappie jigs CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: The crappie will move to drop-offs and ledges along the old river channel.

There is plenty of natural cover here but your best bet is to drop your lures in the brush. The creel limit is 50 per person and it isnít usual to catch near-four-pounders.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Cats, Bass, and Crappie

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Twin Creeks GPS: N32 17.88888, W96 7.11984

(32.298148, -96.118664) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Trap, Berkley Swimbait CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903-603-2047, www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish the lighted boat houses at night in Twin Creeks and all other creeks on the south end of the lake. Cast across lighted areas and use a medium retrieve.

Largemouth bass, hybrids and white bass can be caught in the same areas.

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Cedar Creek Timber GPS: N29 56.86584, W96 44.66592 (29.947764, -96.744432) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, dip bait, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Water here is 40-50 feet deep.

Timber runs along western edge of the creek. Chum the area and use a long rope to anchor over the timber. Use a tight line, one-ounce sinker and No. 4 treble to fish off the bottom. Look for the bite to be subtile.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Hog Island GPS: N30 37.42206, W96 4.24482 (30.623701, -96.070747) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3101, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Tie up to a tree on the lake side (deeper side) of the island. Cast out to where the water is 7-15 feet deep. Fish on the bottom with 3/4-ounce weight and No.2 Kahle hook with shad or worms or No.4 treble hook with punch bait.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam Riprap GPS: N31 53.96922, W97 12.39246 (31.899487, -97.206541) SPECIES: white bass

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BEST BAITS: Lipless crankbaits, Slabs, spoons CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Make long casts to the riprap with chrome and blue crankbaits erly. After the sun comes up, switch to a slab or spoon, using your graph to locate schools of white bass stacked up on the humps out from the dam. Most strikes will come on the fall.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Pelican Point GPS: N33 19.81098, W95 40.29996 (33.330183, -95.671666) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad on on leadhead CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahoo.com TIPS: The hybrids will be chasing shad early and late around shallow points like this one. Use a four-inch Sassy Shad on a 1/2-ounce leadhead with a slow, steady retrieve. I will fish 12 feet deep all the way to the bank. All main lake points can be

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good.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Pelican Point GPS: N33 19.81098, W95 40.29996 (33.330183, -95.671666) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad on on leadhead CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahoo.com TIPS: The hybrids will be chasing shad early and late around shallow points like this one. Use a four-inch Sassy Shad on a 1/2-ounce leadhead with a slow, steady retrieve. I will fish 12 feet deep all the way to the bank. All main lake points can be good.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Baptist Encampment GPS: N33 3.26196, W96 30.16698 (33.054366, -96.502783) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, topwater lures, crankbaits CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straight-

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LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Timber at Collin Bridge GPS: N33 3.42096, W96 31.413 (33.057016, -96.523550) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, minnows CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847 TIPS: The crappie are migrating to winter holding areas. Key on 10-15 feet of water with black and blue jigs or small to medium minnows. The fish should be in any standing timber or structure at those depths. Expect aggressive bites.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville HOTSPOT: Old Lake Dallas River Channel GPS: N33 11.41128, W97 1.11618 (33.190188, -97.018603)

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SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh gizzard shad, threadfin shad, cut buffalo CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobbycatfishing.com, 817-455-2894, www.bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Drift the old river channel for both eating-size and trophy-size fish. Fish the baits on a Sanatee Cooper rig with oneounce weight, 36-inch leader and 3 or 5ought hook. Use an 8-ought hook for larger fish. Drift at less than 1/2 m.p.h.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Upper River Channel GPS: N32 17.19306, W95 27.05088 (32.286551, -95.450848) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Plastic frogs, spinnerbaits, Shimmy Shakers, Thunder Worms CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-561-

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7299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish the lures along the outside edges of the grass beds near the river channel. Other good bets are the pockets and creeks including Saline and Cobb on the south end of the lake on small crankbaits and Texas-rigged Thunder Worms.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Highway 155 Bridge GPS: N32 8.81034, W95 28.20768 (32.146839, -95.470128) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Mr; Twister Minnow Jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Use a 1/16-ounce Mr. Twister Minnow Jig around the pilings and sunken brushpiles during the morning and evening hours for best results. Work the jigs slowly and look for a light bite. The Flat Creek

bridge also is a good place to try.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Main-Lake Points GPS: N32 4.88022, W95 26.19078 (32.081337, -95.436513) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Dimple Spoons, Rat-L-Trps CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Look for surfacing action off the main-lake points close to the river channel on the west side of the lake near the dam.

The points at the mouth of Chimney Cove also should not be overlooked.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Fat Point GPS: N30 18.4215, W96 34.09584 (30.307025, -96.568264) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, shrimp CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: You will only see one or two trees close to shore but the area west of the GPS site is full of stumps. Anchor and chum around the boat, using a tight line to fish on the bottom. The fish should feed around the stumps day and night.

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Five Creeks GPS: N33 54.83598, W96 42.40098 (33.913933, -96.706683) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad, jigs, live shad CONTACT: Bill Carey, bigfish@striperexpress.com, 877-786-4477, www.striperexpress.com TIPS: The stripers are running in big schools. Watch for seagulls that will locate the stripers ambushing large schools of baitfish. Use white-glow and chartreuse fleck four-inch Sassy Shads on one-ounce jigheads. Anchor or drift when using live shad.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Whitney Point

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GPS: N31 54.6822, W97 20.62044 (31.911370, -97.343674) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 254-822-5539, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Cast gizzard shad on 6-foot leaders with Carolina rigs along the grass and willow islands during the early-morning hours, letting the shad swim to catch feeding stripers. Back off to the first set of ledges in 20-25 feet of water after the sun rises.

LOCATION: Richland-Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: Txi GPS: N31 54.74772, W96 20.67624 (31.912462, -96.344604) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Red Dragon tubes CONTACT: Steve Schmidt, steve@schmidtsbigbass, 682-518-8252, www.schmidtsbigbass TIPS: Once you pass under the bridge, idle past the railroad tracks to the point

Page 61

near the discharge. Work the edges of the shallows in two feet of water dropping off to 17-18 feet with Watermelon pumpkin grubs with chartreuse tails on 3-ought Gamma hooks.

PANHANDLE

Play Possum for Stripers

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Graham HOTSPOT: Power Plant Outlet GPS: N33 8.049, W98 36.51612 (33.134150, -98.608602) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: live shad, slabs,jigs CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: Look for hybrid stripers and white

bass to be stacked up in the fast-moving water inside and outside the fence. Cast toward the strongest current inside the fence and fish on the bottom outside the fence. Yellow and chartreuse are the best colors.

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Costello Island GPS: N32 54.14196, W98 28.068 (32.902366, -98.467800) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: live shad, Gamefisher Slab, Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: The fish are moving to the north and south sides of the island. Watch for a rising barometric pressure. Look for stripers feeding two feet below the surface.

Also fish the 20-foot breaklines with a 3/8ounce slab with white bucktail treble hook.

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BIG BEND

Amistad Stripers Be Dammed

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: The Dam GPS: N29 27.34452, W101 2.9694

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(29.455742, -101.049490) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Redfins, swimbaits CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Use large Redfins and swimbaits to work the area in front of the dam early and late. Many 10 to 15-pound stripers are caught there during November as the water cools. Other good spots are the mouths of Zoro and Burro canyons and coves at Salem Point.

LOCATION: Lake Amistad

HOTSPOT: Burro Canyon GPS: N29 28.197, W101 12.5634 (29.469950, -101.209390) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits,Carolina-rigged soft plastics CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Several double-digit bass are taken annually in Burro on white spinnerbaits in less than six feet of water. Another good area is from Marker 28 to Marker 10 off the hydrilla humps near the river channel on Carolina-rigged soft plastics.

LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: Devilís River GPS: N29 35.60598, W100 58.8876 (29.593433, -100.981460) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Crappie fishing during November is best in the deep trees with minnows but jigs also catch some fish. This area has the best access for bank fishing or launching a kayak from old highway 277, Spur 454 and the San Pedro flats.

HILL COUNTRY

Drop Shot for Canyon Bass

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: North Park Cove GPS: N29 52.6851, W98 12.63888 (29.878085, -98.210648) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Secret Weapon Lure, Creme Big Pig, Jewel Jig CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: Use a drop-shot rig with the Secret Weapon lure and add a recoil rig.

62 |

N O V E M B E R

2 0 1 0

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

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Blue fleck, June bug and Watermelon candy are good colors if the sun is bright and green pumpkin if it is overcast. Use a Fluke trailer in Texas Craw color on the 3/4-ounce jig.

LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Flats GPS: N30 41.6058, W97 21.30018 (30.693430, -97.355003) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: live or cut shad CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Blue catfish like cold weather and the water is cooling off at this time. They can be caught drift fishing various depths as well as on jug lines. Shad is the best bait but donít hesitate trying something different.

Page 63

CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, www.robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: November starts the fall pattern when fish relate to drops and ledges. Carolina rigs and-football jigs in crawfish and peanut butter colors should be fished slow along 5 to 20-foot drops. Let lures hit one level and then make them drop to the next.

On the Web Find hundreds of Freshwater and Saltwater Hotspots online with our ALL NEW Interactive Hotspots App: www.FishGame.com/hotspots

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Mess of Crappie on Mesa Point

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Falcon Mesa Points GPS: N26 51.98058, W99 17.37762 (26.866343, -99.289627) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, www.robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Falcon has had two record years of spawns. There are many fish in the 14 to 16-inch size weighing up to two-pounds.

Fish the rock ledges for the bigger fish.

The Hwy. 83 bridge pilings also produce many crappie at this time of the year.

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Siesta Shores GPS: N26 51.62496, W99 15.71298 (26.860416, -99.261883) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Football jigs, soft plastic lures I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

N O V E M B E R

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Tides and Prime Times

NOVEMBER 2010 USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W).

T12

T4

T11

T10

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.

T13 T7

T6 T5 T17

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower color boxes of the Calendar pages. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE below to adjust times for points East and West of Galveston Channel.

T15 T16

AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.

T14 T18

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

T19

SOLAR & LUNAR ACTIVITY: Sunrise: 6:34a Sunset: 7:51p

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

AM Minor: 9:11a AM Major: 2:57a PM Minor: 9:40p PM Major: 3:25p

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.

Moonrise:9:27a Moon Set: None Moon Overhead:

T21

4:55p

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.

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.

T9 T8

T3 T2 T1

KEY T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

PLACE Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass Jetty Sabine Pass Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass Galveston Bay, S. Jetty Port Bolivar

HIGH -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14

LOW -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06

KEY PLACE HIGH Galveston Channel/Bays T7 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +3:54 T8 Eagle Point +6:05 T9 Clear Lake +10:21 T10 Morgans Point T11 Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39

LOW +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15

KEY 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 T22 T23

KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE LE VEL GRAPH: Yellow: Daylight

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

6a

12p

6p

12a

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

7:05-9:40 PM

Green: Falling Tide

AM/PM Timeline

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

SOLUNAR AC TIVIT Y: MINOR Feeding Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Time Moon is at its Highest Point in the Sky 12a

AM/PM Timeline

66 |

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.)

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

6p

12a

Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p N O V E M B E R

2 0 1 0

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

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

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= New Moon = First Quarter = Full Moon = Last Quarter = Best Day

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010 MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

2

SATURDAY

5

4

SUNDAY

6

7

Sunrise: 7:30a Moonrise: 2:33a

Set: 6:33p Set: 3:22p

Sunrise: 7:31a Moonrise: 3:38a

Set: 6:32p Set: 3:58p

Sunrise: 7:32a Moonrise: 4:43a

Set: 6:31p Set: 4:35p

Sunrise: 7:33a Moonrise: 5:50a

Set: 6:31p Set: 5:15p

Sunrise: 7:33a Moonrise: 6:58a

Set: 6:30p Set: 5:58p

Sunrise: 7:34a Moonrise: 8:06a

Set: 6:29p Set: 6:47p

Sunrise: 6:35a Moonrise: 8:11a

Set: 5:29p Set: 6:40p

AM Minor: 1:28a

PM Minor: 1:54p

AM Minor: 2:13a

PM Minor: 2:38p

AM Minor: 2:57a

PM Minor: 3:23p

AM Minor: 3:43a

PM Minor: 4:10p

AM Minor: 4:34a

PM Minor: 5:02p

AM Minor: 5:29a

PM Minor: 5:58p

AM Minor: 6:29a

PM Minor: 5:59p

AM Major: 7:41a

PM Major: 8:06p

AM Major: 8:26a

PM Major: 8:51p

AM Major: 9:10a

PM Major: 9:36p

AM Major: 9:57a

PM Major: 10:24p

AM Major: 10:48a

PM Major: 11:16p

AM Major: 11:44a

PM Major: 12:13p

AM Major: 12:15a

PM Major: 12:44p

Moon Overhead: 9:01a

12a

3

FRIDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:42a

Moon Overhead: 9:51a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:35a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:28p

Moon Overhead: 12:31p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:27p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

1

THURSDAY

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 9:26p +2.0

BEST:

BEST:

-1.0

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: None BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 12:03a BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 12:59a BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 1:57a +2.0

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 AM

6:30 — 8:30 AM TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 11:08p

TIDE LEVELS

2:00 — 4:00 PM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 10:17p

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

1:14 am 7:23 am 12:28 pm 6:45 pm

1.61 ft 1.08 ft 1.39 ft 0.68 ft

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

1:30 am 7:48 am 2:06 pm 7:53 pm

1.55 ft 0.75 ft 1.51 ft 0.90 ft

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

1:45 am 8:23 am 3:28 pm 8:57 pm

1.51 ft 0.41 ft 1.66 ft 1.12 ft

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

2:01 am 9:04 am 4:39 pm 9:58 pm

1.52 ft 0.10 ft 1.79 ft 1.32 ft

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

2:17 am 9:47 am 5:45 pm 10:55 pm

1.56 ft -0.13 ft 1.86 ft 1.48 ft

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

2:33 am 10:32 am 6:49 pm 11:49 pm

1.61 ft -0.28 ft 1.89 ft 1.59 ft

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

1:50 am 10:19 am 6:52 pm 11:44 pm

1.65 ft -0.32 ft 1.86 ft 1.65 ft

+1.0

0

-1.0

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 5:27p Moonrise: 10:07a Set: 8:36p

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 5:27p Moonrise: 10:56a Set: 9:35p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

9

THURSDAY

10

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

11

12

SUNDAY

14

13

Sunrise: 6:36a Moonrise: 9:12a

Set: 5:28p Set: 7:37p

AM Minor: 6:32a

PM Minor: 7:01p

AM Minor: 7:35a

PM Minor: 8:03p

AM Minor: 8:35a

PM Minor: 9:01p

AM Minor: 9:31a

PM Minor: 9:56p

AM Minor: 10:22a

PM Minor: 10:45p

AM Minor: 11:08a

PM Minor: 11:29p

AM Minor: 11:49a

PM Minor: ——-

AM Major: 12:18a

PM Major: 12:47p

AM Major: 1:21a

PM Major: 1:49p

AM Major: 2:22a

PM Major: 2:48p

AM Major: 3:19a

PM Major: 3:43p

AM Major: 4:11a

PM Major: 4:33p

AM Major: 4:57a

PM Major: 5:18p

AM Major: 5:39a

PM Major: 5:59p

Moon Overhead: 2:25p 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:14p

Moon Overhead: 3:21p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Set: 5:25p Sunrise: 6:40a Sunrise: 6:38a Set: 5:26p Sunrise: 6:39a Set: 5:25p Moonrise: 11:37a Set: 10:32p Moonrise: 12:14p Set: 11:28p Moonrise: 12:46p Set: None

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:03p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:31p

Moon Overhead: 5:49p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Sunrise: 6:41a Moonrise: 1:16p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Set: 5:24p Set: 12:21a

Moon Overhead: 7:12p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

TUESDAY

8

12a

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 1:56a +2.0

BEST:

0

-1.0

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 4:39a BEST:

10:00A — 12:00P

Moon Underfoot: 5:26a BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

Moon Underfoot: 6:10a BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 6:52a +2.0

BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 PM TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 3:48a

TIDE LEVELS

7:30 — 9:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 2:53a

High Tide: 2:00 am 1.67 ft Low Tide: 11:59 am -0.18 ft Low Tide: 12:52 pm -0.04 ft Low Tide: 1:47 pm 0.13 ft Low Tide: 11:08 am -0.29 ft High Tide: 9:05 pm 1.72 ft High Tide: 10:08 pm 1.65 ft High Tide: 10:54 pm 1.57 ft High Tide: 7:57 pm 1.80 ft

Low Tide: 2:45 pm 0.31 ft High Tide: 11:22 pm 1.49 ft

Low Tide: 3:45 pm 0.50 ft High Tide: 11:40 pm 1.42 ft

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

6:41 am 10:09 am 4:46 pm 11:53 pm

1.05 ft 1.15 ft 0.67 ft 1.37 ft

+1.0

0

-1.0

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

16

THURSDAY

17

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

19

18

SUNDAY

21

20

Sunrise: 6:42a Moonrise: 1:45p

Set: 5:24p Set: 1:13a

Sunrise: 6:42a Moonrise: 2:14p

Set: 5:23p Set: 2:05a

Sunrise: 6:43a Moonrise: 2:44p

Set: 5:23p Set: 2:57a

Sunrise: 6:44a Moonrise: 3:16p

Set: 5:23p Set: 3:51a

Sunrise: 6:45a Moonrise: 3:52p

Set: 5:22p Set: 4:47a

Sunrise: 6:46a Moonrise: 4:32p

Set: 5:22p Set: 5:45a

Sunrise: 6:47a Moonrise: 5:19p

Set: 5:22p Set: 6:45a

AM Minor: 12:07a

PM Minor: 12:27p

AM Minor: 12:43a

PM Minor: 1:03p

AM Minor: 1:18a

PM Minor: 1:39p

AM Minor: 1:55a

PM Minor: 2:17p

AM Minor: 2:34a

PM Minor: 2:57p

AM Minor: 3:18a

PM Minor: 3:43p

AM Minor: 4:07a

PM Minor: 4:33p

AM Major: 6:17a

PM Major: 6:37p

AM Major: 6:53a

PM Major: 7:13p

AM Major: 7:28a

PM Major: 7:49p

AM Major: 8:06a

PM Major: 8:27p

AM Major: 8:46a

PM Major: 9:09p

AM Major: 9:30a

PM Major: 9:55p

AM Major: 10:20a

PM Major: 10:47p

Moon Overhead: 7:52p 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:14p

Moon Overhead: 8:32p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:58p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:36p

Moon Overhead: 10:46p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: None 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

15

12a

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 7:32a +2.0

BEST:

BEST:

-1.0

BEST:

9:30 — 11:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 9:36a BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 10:22a

Moon Underfoot: 11:11a

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 12:03p +2.0

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

5:00 — 7:00 AM TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 8:53a

TIDE LEVELS

1:00 — 3:00 PM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 8:12a

Low Tide: 6:47 am 0.87 ft High Tide: 11:53 am 1.18 ft Low Tide: 5:45 pm 0.84 ft

70 |

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

12:05 am 6:59 am 1:15 pm 6:40 pm

N O V E M B E R

1.34 ft 0.68 ft 1.26 ft 0.99 ft

2 0 1 0

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

12:15 am 7:17 am 2:21 pm 7:29 pm

1.33 ft 0.49 ft 1.36 ft 1.12 ft

T E X A S

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

12:25 am 7:40 am 3:15 pm 8:13 pm

F I S H

1.33 ft 0.32 ft 1.45 ft 1.22 ft

&

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

12:34 am 8:07 am 4:04 pm 8:53 pm

G A M E ®

1.36 ft 0.15 ft 1.54 ft 1.31 ft

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

12:39 am 8:38 am 4:51 pm 9:29 pm

I N L A N D

1.39 ft 0.01 ft 1.60 ft 1.39 ft

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

A L M A N A C

12:42 am 9:13 am 5:40 pm 10:04 pm

1.44 ft -0.12 ft 1.65 ft 1.45 ft

+1.0

0

-1.0

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= New Moon = First Quarter = Full Moon = Last Quarter = Best Day

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010 MONDAY

TUESDAY

23

24

Set: 5:21p Set: 7:44a

Sunrise: 6:48a Moonrise: 7:10p

Set: 5:21p Set: 8:40a

Sunrise: 6:49a Moonrise: 8:12p

Set: 5:21p Set: 9:34a

Sunrise: 6:50a Moonrise: 9:16p

AM Minor: 5:01a

PM Minor: 5:29p

AM Minor: 6:00a

PM Minor: 6:28p

AM Minor: 7:01a

PM Minor: 7:29p

AM Major: 11:15a

PM Major: 11:43p

AM Major: ——-

PM Major: 12:14p

AM Major: 12:47a

PM Major: 1:15p

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:23a

Moon Overhead: 1:26a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

FRIDAY

25

Sunrise: 6:47a Moonrise: 6:12p

Moon Overhead: 12:30a

12a

THURSDAY

26

SUNDAY

28

27

Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:51a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 10:22a Moonrise: 10:21p Set: 11:06a Moonrise: 11:25p Set: 11:45a Moonrise: None

Set: 5:20p Set: 12:22p

AM Minor: 8:03a

PM Minor: 8:31p

AM Minor: 9:04a

PM Minor: 9:31p

AM Minor: 10:01a

PM Minor: 10:27p

AM Minor: 10:55a

PM Minor: 11:20p

AM Major: 1:49a

PM Major: 2:17p

AM Major: 2:51a

PM Major: 3:17p

AM Major: 3:49a

PM Major: 4:14p

AM Major: 4:42a

PM Major: 5:07p

Moon Overhead: 3:19a 12a

SATURDAY

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 5:07a

Moon Overhead: 4:14a

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

22

WEDNESDAY

Moon Overhead: 5:57a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 12:58p +2.0

BEST:

-1.0

Moon Underfoot: 3:47p

BEST:

BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 AM

BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 AM

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 5:32p BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 6:22p +2.0

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

TIDE LEVELS

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 4:41p

TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 2:51p

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 1:54p

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

12:48 am 9:51 am 6:32 pm 10:41 pm

1.49 ft -0.22 ft 1.67 ft 1.51 ft

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

I N L A N D

1:00 am 10:33 am 7:26 pm 11:25 pm

1.53 ft High Tide: 1:18 am 1.55 ft Low Tide: -0.28 ft Low Tide: 11:18 am -0.30 ft High Tide: 1.67 ft High Tide: 8:18 pm 1.65 ft Low Tide: 1.54 ft High Tide:

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

12:28 am 1:35 am 12:06 pm 9:05 pm

F I S H

1.52 ft Low Tide: 12:57 pm -0.14 ft Low Tide: 1:51 pm 0.04 ft 1.53 ft High Tide: 9:42 pm 1.52 ft High Tide: 10:10 pm 1.43 ft -0.26 ft 1.60 ft

&

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N O V E M B E R

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

4:50 am 7:42 am 2:50 pm 10:31 pm

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

= Peak Fishing Period

7:45-9:40 AM

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

TUESDAY

29

THURSDAY

D EC 1

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

2

SUNDAY

4

3

5

Set: 5:20p Set: 1:33p

Sunrise: 6:55a Moonrise: 2:36a

Set: 5:20p Set: 2:11p

Sunrise: 6:56a Moonrise: 3:42a

Set: 5:20p Set: 2:52p

Sunrise: 6:56a Moonrise: 4:48a

Set: 5:20p Set: 3:37p

Sunrise: 6:57a Moonrise: 5:54a

Set: 5:20p Set: 4:27p

Sunrise: 6:58a Moonrise: 6:56a

Set: 5:20p Set: 5:22p

AM Minor: 11:44a

PM Minor: ——-

AM Minor: 12:06a

PM Minor: 12:30p

AM Minor: 12:50a

PM Minor: 1:16p

AM Minor: 1:36a

PM Minor: 2:02p

AM Minor: 2:24a

PM Minor: 2:52p

AM Minor: 3:15a

PM Minor: 3:44p

AM Minor: 4:11a

PM Minor: 4:40p

AM Major: 5:32a

PM Major: 5:56p

AM Major: 6:18a

PM Major: 6:43p

AM Major: 7:03a

PM Major: 7:29p

AM Major: 7:49a

PM Major: 8:16p

AM Major: 8:38a

PM Major: 9:06p

AM Major: 9:30a

PM Major: 9:58p

AM Major: 10:25a

PM Major: 10:54p

Moon Overhead: 6:47a 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:27a

Moon Overhead: 7:36a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:19a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:12a

Moon Overhead: 10:15a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:10p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

WEDNESDAY

30

Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:54a Moonrise: 12:29a Set: 12:58p Moonrise: 1:32a

12a

Tides and Prime Times for NOVEMBER 2010

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 7:11p +2.0

BEST:

BEST:

-1.0

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 9:47p BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 10:43p BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 11:41p BEST:

3:0 — 5:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: None +2.0

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

5:00 — 6:00 AM TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 8:53p

TIDE LEVELS

12:00 — 2:00 PM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 8:01p

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

5:07 am 10:24 am 3:57 pm 10:49 pm

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0.71 ft 1.02 ft 0.57 ft 1.27 ft

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

5:43 am 12:21 pm 5:15 pm 11:05 pm

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0.37 ft 1.13 ft 0.84 ft 1.25 ft

2 0 1 0

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

6:23 am 1:57 pm 6:45 pm 11:20 pm

0.03 ft 1.30 ft 1.06 ft 1.26 ft

T E X A S

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

7:07 am 3:13 pm 8:14 pm 11:35 pm

F I S H

-0.26 ft 1.45 ft 1.22 ft 1.30 ft

&

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

7:51 am 4:17 pm 9:32 pm 11:52 pm

G A M E ®

-0.48 ft Low Tide: 8:37 am -0.62 ft 1.56 ft High Tide: 5:14 pm 1.59 ft 1.33 ft Low Tide: 10:34 pm 1.38 ft 1.35 ft

I N L A N D

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

A L M A N A C

12:15 am 9:23 am 6:06 pm 11:17 pm

1.39 ft -0.67 ft 1.57 ft 1.39 ft

+1.0

0

-1.0

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Net Accessory Won’t Leave You Up a Creek BETTER TO BE UP A CREEK THAN LEFT WITHOUT a paddle in the middle of a lake, right? For any craft that floats, having a trusty paddle aboard isn’t just a wise move, in some locales, it’s the law. But who wants to rob their boat of valuable space with a big clunky oar?

Well, you can leave the paintchipped oar in the boat house. Better yet, hang the antique in the porch to enhance the New paddle nautiattachment for the cal Hybernet. theme.

Frabill New from Frabill comes another ingenious idea that renders a brilliant solution to an all-too-common dilemma. The Hiber-Net Paddle accessory snaps into place at the end of any Frabill Hiber-Net, transforming your landing net into a functional boat paddle. HiberNet, often called “the most stowable landing net ever devised,” sports a net that actually collapses and vanishes into its heavy-duty aluminum handle. When stowed it’s so compact that the entire Hiber-Net fits inside a 74 |

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rod box, consuming no more space than a broomstick. When you need it, a simple push on the slide-grip opens the net and locks it into place. Pulling back on the grip disengages the net and draws it back inside the handle. Brilliant! Brilliant is the best way to describe the Hiber-Net Paddle accessory, too. At 6-1/2 inches wide by 14-inches in length the rugged polypropylene Paddle blade fits easily into most boat storage compartments. When you need it, the Paddle simply slides over the open end of the Hiber-Net, locking into place with a heavy-duty steel pull pin. “This handy Paddle accessory makes carrying a spare oar easy for any angler,” says Frabill New Product Manager Andy Schmelzer.

“It’s made of heavy-duty non-corrosive material and snaps securely into place on any Hiber-Net or Hiber-Net XL. Throw one into your boat’s storage compartment where it’s out of the way, but always ready to spring into action when you need it.

“Just one more innovative product that fits in with Frabill’s entire line of Trusted Gear.”

For more information please visit www.frabill.com

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

P-Line Voltage with UV-Guard VOLTAGE IS A TOURNAMENT GRADE COPOLYMER line extruded with P-Line’s proprietary UV-Guard technology. By adding a UV inhibitor during the extrusion process, we’ve built a line that shields the sun’s destructive rays ensuring a much longer life on your reel, without losing valuable breaking strength. It’s always been a challenge to find the perfect line with just the right amount of

Voltage copolymer line.

abraP-Line sion resistance, castability and breaking strength without having to go to the extreme of using a small or large diameter line. All of these features were taken into consideration when we developed the specifications for Voltage.

I N L A N D

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PHOTOS: VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS

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Whether you’re loading a spinning reel to fish the flats, or putting 10 baitcasters on the deck of your bass boat, Voltage is a line that will easily find your trust and a place in your tackle arsenal.

Visit www.p-line.com.

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Other features included with the Tactical .22 are sling mounts and a ten round magazine.

MSRP: $276 Please visit www.mossberg.com.

Husky Shield Tactical .22 Autoload Rimfires Headlite Guard from Mossberg MOSSBERG INTERNATIONAL INTRODUCES THE Tactical .22—an alternative firearm for those shooters and enthusiasts who want the look and feel of an AR-style .22 rimfire with an affordable price. With the rising costs of centerfire ammunition, the new Tactical .22 rimfires are a great choice for recreational shooters, as well as those searching for a cost-effective training platform.

The lightweight and fast-handling Tactical .22 parallels the look and feel of today’s AR-style rifle while being built around Mossberg International’s reliable .22 autoloader.

Taking AR-style autoloadcues from ing .22 rimfire. their proven 702 autoloader, Mossberg the Tactical .22 matches an 18” barrel to a quad rail forend allowing the operator to fit the rifle with lights, lasers or other tactical accessories. Two stock configurations will be offered in this series: a six-position adjustable and fixed stock. The six-position polymer stock adjusts the length of pull from 10-3/4” – 14.5” accommodating youth and smaller framed shooters up to adults. The fixed position stock has a standard 13” LOP. The Tactical .22 is integrated with an A2-style carry handle and an adjustable rear sight aligned with a front post sight. The Picatinny handle mount is included, allowing versatility in scopes and other optics while providing the clearance necessary to utilize the AR-style sights.

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

HUSKY LINERS NOW OFFERS PROTECTION FOR your headlights with our new Husky Shield Headlite Guard. Our high impact resistant clear film protects your headlights from the sandblasting effects of sand, rock, salt and road debris. It is designed to keep your headlights from becoming hazy and yellow with built-in UV inhibitors that help your headlights remain clear.

By installing our Husky Shield Headlite and Paint Protection Film you will help keep your vehicle looking new...longer, and will save hundreds of dollars in replacement costs. Easy installation with application specific kits are precut to ensure an exact fit when installed on your vehicle. Our material won’t crack, shrink, or yellow. Our heavy duty film, unique adhesive and installation solution

T E X A S

F I S H

&

Husky Shield Headlight Guard

make Husky Shield Husky Liners the easiest film kits to install on the market today.

For more information call: 1-800-3448759 or visit their website: www.huskyliners.com.

Ultra Small Tactical Lights THE STREAMLIGHT PT 1L, 2L, 1AA AND 2AA ARE the smallest and most light-weight additions to the company’s line of handheld tactical products. The combination of their small size and power LEDs makes them among

G A M E ®

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the brightest tactical personal

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New line of tiny tactical lights.

line batteries (the PT 1AA and 2AA). Each of the models offers a high and low intensity setting as well as a strobe function. The PT 2L is also gun mountable, attaching to all long gun Picatinny rails.

For more information, call 800-523-7488 or visit www.streamlight.com.

Streamlight

lights available for outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Providing up to 180 lumens and 50 hours of runtime, they are ideal all-purpose lights for

hunting, fishing and camping, useful for everything from lighting the way to a tree stand, tracking game, or performing fishing or boating chores under low-light conditions. Each weighs less than 3.5 ounces and measures under 6 inches long and requires either one or two CR123A lithium batteries (the PT 1L and 2L) or one or two “AA” alka-

Ocean Kayak on the Prowl A KAYAK ANGLER S DREAM, THE OCEAN Kayak Prowler Trident 13 Angler features

sleek lines for on-water performance, an excellent drainage system for a drier ride, exceptional storage and smart outfitting

throughout. The Prowler Trident 13 Angler has superb primary and secondary stability, ample legroom, adjustable foot pegs, a wide seat well with Comfort Plus seat back, large bow hatch and an oversized tank well with bungee.

Designed with anglers in mind the Prowler Trident 13 Angler is equipped with a Rod Pod to conveniently store Prowler Trident 13 fishing rods inside Angler the kayak, a Sonar Ocean Kayak Shield to protect and store fish finders, transducer compatible scupper, battery bag and flush mounted rod holders. Rudder system optional.

Specs: L: 13’6”, W: 29.5”, Weight: 56 lbs, Max weight capacity: 425-475 lbs.

SRP: $999 On the web: www.oceankayak.com; phone: 800-8-KAYAKS

Build Your Own Tower CHAS-MAC’S DO-IT-YOURSELF TOWER KIT FOR the economy minded hunter – includes: 76 |

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I N L A N D

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PHOTOS: VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS

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– plus (2) vertical window tracks, all fasteners and instructions. Double angle window sill sheds rain yet provides a flat rifle rest surface. Popular vertical sliding windows are quiet, slide smoothly and lock in any position. Available in several sizes.

Installs in minutes. $ 20-$25.00

On the Web www.Frabill.com www.P-line.com www.Mossberg.com www.HuskyLiners.com www.Streamlight.com www.OceanKayak.com www.Chas-Mac.com

Brackets in the DI-Y Tower Kit

high strength metal brackets to construct professional grade deer blind towers. The deluxe kit includes tower platform to leg brackets, porch brackets and stairway brackets, or may be purchased separately as individual kits. Kit includes detailed pictorial instructions, all fasteners, bill of materials, cut lengths and angle templates for stairway. Wood is not included, welded tower leg sockets are engineered to provide proven optimum tower leg angler and solid connection to tower base. Sockets accept economical landscape timber legs or modified 4 x 4’s. Battery operated drill and a saw are required for assembly.

Wood materials available at most home improvement centers. Tower only kit: $ 135.00 Deluxe Kit: $ 195.00 Chas-Mac Do-It-Yourself Window Kits aid the hunter to complete or upgrade house type deer blinds. Each window kit includes plexiglass window, treated wood window sill and sill supD-I-Y Window Kit port Chas-Mac

Chas-Mac

I N L A N D

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red-hot yellowfin tuna, which is far more than most spinning reels are capable of.

The TRQS5 weighs in at 19.8 ounces and can hold

Torque Spinning LOOKING FOR A SPINNING REEL THAT’S TOUGH enough to take on any pelagic that swims in the ocean, yet can cast a country mile?

Penn’s new Torque spinner series has a new model line, the bail-less editions, which have no bail and instead allow you to place the line in the roller manually.

Why would you want to operate a spinning reel this way? Anglers making long-distance casts with every iota of strength they can muster don’t want that bail snapping Torque spinning closed prematurely, cutreel. ting the cast short and Penn Reels often snapping off the rig as a result. And no matter how good you are at casting, this problem does arise from time to time. On top of that, eliminating the bail also eliminates a common failure point. On virtually every type of spinning reel, bails are one of the moving parts that encounter regular problems.

The Torque is built as tough as they come, with a sealed single-piece machinedaluminum body housing that offers complete water- and sand-proofing. HT-100 drag washers allow for multiple drag settings, and those settings can get pretty extreme—the maximum drag runs from 38 pounds to 50 pounds, depending on which model you choose. (Three are available, the TRQS5, 7, and9). The reel is silky-smooth, too, with seven ball bearings and a line roller bearing. The bail-less version is also lighter than other Torques.

Down-sides? Price is the one problem: at $699, this is one super-expensive spinning reel. Otherwise, I could find nothing to knock after playing hooky with a Torque. It’s tough enough to take on anything from a bull-dogging monster red to a 78 |

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550 yards of 20 pound braid; the TRQS7 is 26.7 ounces and can take 470 yards of 50 pound braid; and the TRQS9 weighs 28.9 ounces and can hold up to 575 yards of 65 pound braid. Check ‘em out at www.pennreels.com.

—Lenny Rudow

Line Fix THERE ARE SO MANY DARN FISHING LINES ON the market today, it’s nearly impossible to decide on one when you need to fill up a new spool. Well sorry folks, it just got a bit harder to decide… or did it? Suffix’s new 832 might swell an already crowded field, but this line also has some unique characteristics that send it to the head of the pack.

823 is a Dyneema superbraid, but it has Gore fabrics (as in Gore-Tex) intertwined with the Suffix 832 braided line with Gore-Tex line. One strand of Gore is interwoven Suffix

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

with seven strands of the braid, 32 times per inch. Since gore doesn’t become degraded with exposure to saltwater, UV light, temperature changes, lubricants, and/or solvents, this gives the line a serious longevity boost. It also gives you a casting boost; the Gore helps it maintain a rounder shape and a slicker surface, so it reduces friction and passes through line guides more easily than other superbraids. There’s also a knot strength advantage, and Suffix claims that a Palomar knot tied in 832 will be up to 30 percent stronger than one tied in regular superbraids. What about abrasion resistance, line consistency, and sensitivity? Suffix also claims an advantage in all of these categories, though to my hands, superbraids of all types are already so sensitive that if there is a boost, I can’t feel it. But others in the fishing world clearly agree that 832 is a real step forward; it won the “Best New Fishing Line” award at the 2010 ICAST fishing show.

A full range of 832 is available, from thread-like six pound test all the way up to 80 pound test. Though it varies a bit, most tests are approximately one quarter the diameter of a monofilament line of the same strength. 150 yard spools run from $20 to $35, and 300 yard bulk spools are also available, in both low-vis green and neon-lime colors.

That might sound expensive at first, but compare it with other superbraids and you’ll notice it’s competitively priced. Take it for a cast, at www.suffix.com.

—LR

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

PHOTOS: PENN REELS; SUFFIX

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Keep Our Customer’s Boats Running PALMER POWER, 6451 RUPLEY CIRCLE IN Houston, advertises itself as the marine inboard/outboard parts headquarters for all boat engine parts, large and small, that any boat dealer/repair yard or consumer my need for their boat, and not just in Houston. Palmer Power ships repair parts for all marine engines all over Texas, the surrounding five state area, and also customers in Mexico and overseas.

Carlos Ramirez, President and CEO of Palmer Power, says that his company over the years has become the trusted “go to” parts supplier for many boat dealerships and repair yards who can’t or don’t want to operate a large and costly marine parts department.

“We don’t sell life jackets and ski rope,” says Ramirez. “We are power and propulsion specialists. We stock exhaust manifolds, carburetors, starters, gasket sets, water pumps, control cables, those kind of things. What we want is to be the parts department for boat dealerships, repair shops, or anyone needing engine and drive parts.”

Gary Palmer started the company in 1972 in Richardson, Texas. The original product niche was inboard and inboard/outboard (also known as stern drive) propulsion power systems. The first lines included Volvo Penta, Chrysler Inboards and Borg Warner Velvet Drive marine gears. In 1978 the company moved to Houston and established a relationship with Mercury Marine and the OMC Corporation.

Over the years Palmer has expanded into diesel engine market, primarily Volvo Penta and Yanmar. “We are very big in Volvo, both gasoline and diesel, inboard I N L A N D

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and stern drives. We start from the very old stuff and go all the way up to the new and improved parts of today’s engines, including electronic fuel injection. We handle everything for engine and gear repair such as seal kits, gear sets, gasket sets, water pumps and carburetor kits.”

Over the years, the company has grown into providing parts for most outboards as well. “We have grown the outboard business primarily in the less expensive aftermarket product lines,” continued Ramirez.

“In the marine parts business you have what they call the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) brands such as Mercury Marine, Johnson and Evinrude, and Yamaha outboards. But you also have what they call the aftermarket products. There are companies like Arco, Sierra Supply, Mallory Marine, Barr Marine and CDI Electronics that sell the generic, or what you call the “will fits” for a more affordable price.

Besides a large inventory of parts, Palmer has a service department on-site for dealers and consumers. “We get transmissions and drives from all over Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Some marinas and boat yards do not have special tools to repair these products so they pull them out of their big boats and ship them down to us. We rebuild them and return them to the boat dealers and repair yards with a remanufactured warranty backed by us. We are very heavy in the area of rebuilding inboard transmissions.

Also, with the most recent problems with alcohol treated gasoline, we recently purchased some state of the art equipment for cleaning gasoline fuel injectors used by both inboard and outboard motors. It’s a lot less expensive to clean them by ultrasonic means than it is to replace them.”

“We want to keep our customer’s boats running:” Palmer Power’s mission statement says, “Keep em boating” “We hate those infamous jokes about T E X A S

F I S H

&

the happiest two days of a boater’s life (when he buys the boat and when he sells it), or the meaning of the word “BOAT” (bring on another thousand.) We want the consumer to learn how to take care of his boat. The more he takes care of it, the less repair costs he is going to have. A happy boater is more likely to keep his boat.

That’s ultimately our goal. We want him to keep on boating and show the next generation how much fun boating really is.

“We don’t want him to say, ‘Forget the boat. It’s always a hassle. I’m going to buy something else.’ We don’t want him to buy something else with his discretionary dollars. We want the boater to know that if he uses his or her boat, they need to maintain it properly and regularly. If you maintain your boat, you are going to spend less money overall. You need to get out there and use it, teach your children about boating. Have your children out there so they will become boaters as well. That’s our primary mission….Keep them boating.”

Palmer’s trained boat parts and service staff boats over 100 years of combined marine experience. The Company offers, phone, fax or email technical assistance and parts “look-up” along with same day shipping to customers all over the United States. Their goal is help you obtain the correct part on the first call. Additional information about Palmer Power Corp is found at their website, http://www.palmerpower.com/. Their phone number is (800) ENGINES (3644637). They are located at 6451 Rupley Circle, Houston, TX 77087…just south of south Loop 610 and east of I-45 south.

G A M E ®

—Tom Behrens

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Geese, Geese and More Geese PHOTOS: RICHARD BOWDEN, DREAMSTIME

AT FIRST, I THOUGHT I WAS seeing things.

Just as the sun started to peek over the marsh, a large

by Chester Moore

shape blacked out the available light. Was this a fog coming from the nearby Gulf or an ensuing storm?

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• TF&G Executive Editor &

G A M E ®

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From a distance, it looked like one giant shape but as it approached closer, the familiar cackling sound of snow geese broke the silence of the morning. What seemed to be one huge object was instead thousands of geese moving in unison heading the direction of our blind. This was my first-ever real goose hunt and the bunch I was hunting with had warned me to bring plenty of ammunition.

I am glad I did because a combination of my poor shooting that day and many shot opportunities caused me to burn three boxes of ammo.

To say we had fun was an understatement!

That was many years ago, but the geese are still thick in Cameron Parish, La. where I was hunting and throughout wintering grounds in Texas from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast.

Goose hunting is probably the most challenging avenue of the waterfowling experience as these birds; particular snows have super sharp vision and wariness on par with few game birds. In Texas, there are four species of geese: snows, Ross, white fronted (specklebelly) and Canadas.

For the most part, hunting is broken down into snows and Canadas. No one just goes out to target Ross and specklebellies. Ross’s are tiny and always mixed with snows and specklebellies always have a bag limit of one or two birds and they tend to hang with snows as well as ducks.

Let us start with snows first and by saying that consistently fooling them is difficult.

I first learned this lesson while hunting with Will Beaty of Central Flyway Outfitters in Winnie, TX. We got out to a field at 4 a.m. to set up a huge decoy spread consisting of close to 1,000 shells, rags and silhouettes. Nearby was a roost of 10,000 plus geese that had been flying right over this field. After we completed the task of setting up the huge spread, Beaty put us about 125 yards away from the spread itself. I questioned the logic in this, however, he was confident in the tacI N L A N D

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tic.

“I’m telling you the geese will see the spread and then immediately veer away from it. Hopefully they will veer toward us hidden in this brush and we’ll get a chance at them,” he said.

As the huge flock rose off the roost, the formerly quiet morning was now filled with the near deafening sound of calling geese.

About 1,000 of them moved in our direc-

tion and almost as if they had been programmed to do so, the geese veered directly away from the decoys and flew right over toward us.

“See, these birds are smart. You just have to try your best to be smarter than they are,” Beaty said.

In general, large spreads in the fields tend to work better than small ones do and hunters who set up realistic spreads that show geese doing a variety of things (feeding, preening, etc.) will do much better than those with just a bunch of rags out in a field.

The old adage in these parts used to be that you could take a white bucket and put it in the field and shoot snows. That is simply not true anymore as the species has developed a level of awareness that is second to none in the waterfowl world. You have to know the behavior of the birds in your area.

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If you are hunting marsh refuges think light and mobil, and if you have access to private fields go big and super realistic.

Hunters who want to score on any kind of goose should be well camouflaged and be concealed around some kind of natural cover or in a photo-realistic blind. More goose hunters miss shots because of not wearing facemask or having one where there is still too much face showing. If you have any face showing, put on some dark-colored makeup and conceal yourself.

If you are hunting in dry fields, lay down blinds where you are totally concealed until the decisive moment are highly recommended. I picked up one put out

by Avery Outdoors last year and had great success on a couple of dry ground hunts at Winnie and Devers. If you are hunting in rice fields, avoid using pit blinds that have been out all season and have 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.

Goose hunting is a lot of work, but to those of us who venture afield this time of year it is well worth the effort.

(Excertped from “Texas Waterfowl” by Chester Moore. Available online at www.Fishgame.com; also available throughout Texas at Academy Sports + Outdoors.)

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Heel—Toe… Heel—Toe… S I SAT TO WRITE MY COLUMN FOR THIS month, I thought that I should remind hunters just how important it is to get to and from your tree stand as undetected as humanly possible. This is especially true when dealing with the nose of a whitetail…but this is also true if you are hunting turkeys with a bow.

Case in point…

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A friend of mine wanted to get his first turkey with a bow. He asked me if I would take him and try my best to call one in. I knew an area where a flock of birds liked to roost most every night. I also knew from many scouting trips that the birds would always fly down in the same field every morning. The problem was to get to that field; we would have to walk as quietly as possible right through their bedroom.

Now this friend never missed a meal in his life and consequently was not known to be light on his feet! As we approached the woodlot, I explained to him that we would

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have to sneak past the birds under the blanket of darkness without kicking the birds off their roost. I told him to walk where I walked. I stressed that he needed to place his feet wherever I put mine. He agreed.

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We were three feet in the woods when I heard “crack, snap”. I stopped and looked back at my friend and reminded him again about the importance of being quiet. He agreed.

Ten feet later…”crack…snap…rustle.”

I stopped and looked back at my friend once more. I told him the birds were very close now and we needed to be extra careful about being quiet. “Heel toe…Heel toe”, I told him. “If you feel something under your feet, don’t put your weight down on it.” Once again, he agreed.

Three steps later the same thing happened. “ Heel toe….heel toe” I whispered to him. He nodded in agreement and we moved on…for five more steps. I finally stopped and turned to him and whispered that we needed to be quiet! He agreed as he rested his hand on a dead tree. It immediately cracked and made a loud bang as it I N L A N D

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came crashing to the ground.

Now…I cannot say what was louder… the actual crash of the tree or our muffled laughter. No matter how hard we tried, we could not contain ourselves any longer! We stood there and stared at each other as the turkeys flew off in all directions.

Needless to say, we did not get a bird that day, but I did learn something. If a tree falls in the woods…and there is no one there to hear it…it still makes one heck of a racket as it hits the ground.

Bow hunting turkeys is not an easy thing to be successful. I think that if turkeys could smell, we would never get one. Deer, on the other hand can smell, and hunting them with a bow presents new challenges. Not only do we need to approach our tree stands as quietly as possible, we also need to remember to keep the wind in our face.

Taking special precautions to keep our scent to a minimum is a good practice as well. I wash my hunting clothes in a scent free soap and leave them outside to dry. I keep my clothes, including my rubber boots, in a plastic container in the back of my vehicle. I put them on only after I have reached my destination.

Tuck you pant legs in your high rubber boots. This will help keep your scent down should you brush up against any tall grass while walking to your spot.

As I get closer to my stand, I try to walk with an interrupted cadence. Did you know that we are the only animal in the woods that has a definite rhythm to our walk? If we try to sound like another animal in the woods, we might not spook or alert any deer in the area. Stop. Take a few steps and stop again.

Three quick steps and stop again. Listen to a squirrel when it walks. We should try to emulate their skills as they cautiously take each step. Also, if you are hunting with friends, do not have your buddies walk you to your stand and then wish you luck as they continue on to theirs. It is a better practice to leave your buddies behind when you are about 100 yards or so from your hot spot.

If you use any cover scents, you need to remember to use rubber gloves whenever you handle them. It does you no good if you hang your scent bombs around your area and you handle them with bare hands. The deer will smell the human odor long before you see the animal.

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because your hunt is over for the day, does not mean that the deer will not be alerted of your presence if you choose to be in a hurry to get home. This is where a lot of hunters make their mistake. If I have deer near my stand and it is after shooting light, I will stay in the stand undetected and may be there for quite a while before the deer decide to wander off. It is better to wait than to get out of your stand and alert the deer.

Walking to and from your hunting spot

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requires as much care as the hunt itself… if you want to be successful. Take your time and use your head. Respect the nose of that deer, and remember to be careful and have fun out there.

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E-mail Lou Marullo at lmarullo@fishgame.com

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Tools for Reloading HEN YOU BEGIN RELOADING METALLIC cartridge ammunition, both handgun and rifle, there are three kinds of tools you need to know about – those tools you cannot do the job without; those tools that are not absolutely necessary, but that make the job easier or more precise; and those that are neither necessary nor useful, but which are

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made to sell, not to work.

Reloading can be a simple and spartan operation. When I first started reloading, in 1972, I had a press, dies, lube pad, and a powder scale. I poured the powder from the factory container into a soup bowl and then ladled it with a tablespoon from the bowl into the pan of the powder scale. It all worked just fine until the cartridge cases for my .25-06 became too long to reload, then I found I needed a case trimmer and a tool to chamfer inside and outside the case mouth after it was trimmed.

Then I discovered that I needed something with which to measure the cases. At first one of the universal case length gauges – a metallic plate with notches cut to fit the

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various calibers – worked just fine. But when I discovered that this wasn't a very precise method of measuring (although it was certainly precise enough), I bought a dial caliper.

Next I decided that dribbling the last few powder granules into the scale pan with my fingers wasn't very efficient so I bought a powder trickler. Once I had the trickler, the spoon and bowl method didn't seem nearly as efficient or professional, so I bought a volumetric powder measure.

While the primer seater that came with my RCBS Rockchucker worked just fine, I decided that a dedicated primer seater would work better (It does, by the way, for me.)

This acquisition of newer and better tools continued until I had so many tools that I had to dedicate a room of my house to reloading. Then to make matters worse I got into shotgun reloading. Later still, I got into skeet shooting which meant I had to reload for 4 different shotgun gauges, meaning 4 different MEC loaders. And since I was shooting a great deal, I decided that I needed multi-stage reloaders.

Somewhere in there I got into bullet casting and acquired many and varied bullet molds as well as 3 different lead furnaces, so it was easy to keep separate the three different hardness levels of lead I used.

Then I found that I was in need (actually, in want is a better definition) of a Lyman T-Mag turret press, so I could better load for the .45 Colt and .44 Magnum. Finally I bought a Dillon multi-stage loader to load my .45 ACP, .38 Special, .223, and other high volume calibers.

This continued until I had what amounted to a full-fledged ammo factory for almost any caliber you could imagine. Of course, this acquisition of equipment took many years and I tried other tools and loaders that were unsatisfactory and that I no longer have. I also continued to improve my equipment. I went from a balance beam scale to an electronic Lyman digital model (the old I N L A N D

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balance beam is plenty good and not subject to the whims of batteries or the electric company. I still use my balance beam scale to check my electronic models); I bought a chronograph to ground truth the velocity the loading manuals claimed for each load; I got a vibrating Lyman case cleaner to remove the grit, grime, and corrosion from the cases; and so on and so forth, ad nauseam. Now I have a small building that is dedicated entirely to reloading, and a barn to hold the stuff there isn't room for in the building.

I have discovered in my sojourn through the winding arroyos of the shooting and reloading world that this is a pretty common situation. Many before me have made the journey by trial and error until they have found what works for them. Some have stayed simple and some have setups that would make mine look like a beginner' s rig.

Through this I have learned a few rules that seem to me to be immutable.

1 The simpler you can keep it, the better the result will usually be.

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2) The more complicated a piece of equipment is, the more able it is to really mess things up.

3) Most new tools that claim to make things easier only make things more complicated. Refer to rule #2.

extremely high quality ammunition. The quality of handloads is vouchsafed by the fact that every benchrest and thousand yard competitor uses nothing but handloads. If the people who require the absolute utmost accuracy from their ammunition shoot handloads, that's good enough for me.

4) If a tool has been around for decades it is because it works.

5) If you find a method that works for you, stick with it.

6) When you are beginning in reloading, find an old-timer to teach you the ropes.

Learning from a book is possible, but much, much, harder.

If you are a shooter, I strongly urge you to become a reloader. The two go hand-inglove and a shooter only becomes truly competent and knowledgeable when he has learned to reload his own ammunition.

Reloading can save money and can produce

E-mail Steve LaMascus at guns@fishgame.com

On the Web www.DillonPrecision.com www.LymanProducts.com www.MECReloaders.com www.RCBS.com

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Maintenance Man EGULAR MAINTENANCE MAY BE A PAIN IN THE kiester, but it’s also a reality of life. If you have a lawn mower, drive a car, or run an ATV, you know you have to do regular maintenance or you’ll have problems down the road. On a boat, those problems will be magnified tenfold, because when it breaks down you can’t walk home or shove it into the garage—you’ll be stuck on the water, helpless until assistance arrives.

Don’t let this happen. No matter what chores you fall behind on, never allow your boat’s regular maintenance to suffer.

What’s the most important item on the regular maintenance checklist? Changing the engine oil. In fact, when modern four-

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stroke outboards were introduced to the market, the manufacturers’ single biggest worry was that boaters would neglect to change the oil and oil filter in a timely fashion. Because of the engine’s high operative RPM range and the tendency of outboards to rev up and down as the boat climbs and falls on waves, the engine is under an unusual amount of stress when compared to fourstrokes in cars, motorcycles, or motorized tools. So even more than usual, they need oil—clean oil—in sufficient supply, at all times. That’s why many outboard have alarm systems and warning lights that tell you when it’s time for an oil and filter change. In most cases, you’ll need to do this every 100 hours or so or once a season, whichever comes first.

Yeah, yeah, I know: an oil change comes as naturally to you and I as brushing our teeth. We’ve been changing the oil in our cars and trucks since we were kids, and we know the drill very well, thank you very much. But boats are different creatures than

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cars. And although most of us may know how to do an oil change, we might be able to pick up a tip or two from an in-depth look at marine oil changes. So bear with me on this one.

The first and biggest reason people do poor oil changes? Impatience. Some guys pull the drain, yank off the old filter, put on a new one, and fill her right back up. But the oil needs time to drain, and if you’re patient with the process, you’ll get a lot more of the old stuff out of the engine. The best practice is to put your drip pan in place, and walk away. Do something else for 10 or 15 minutes, to distract yourself, so you’re not tempted to jump right back in and prematurely finish the process. TIP: Make a “U” out of a piece of duct tape and push it under the drain hole, so it directs the flow of oil away from the motor. That’ll prevent those final few drips from running down onto the lower unit.

The second most common problem?

People often neglect to warm the engine up for a few minutes before doing the change.

Warm oil will flow better, and drain more completely. This will also get any particulate matter that’s in the engine to go into suspension in the oil, so it’s more likely it’ll be washed away.

After draining the old oil and changing the filter, leave the drain open and pour half a quart or so of fresh oil into the crankcase.

TIP: Forget using a regular funnel, which is usually too narrow, wobbles around in the fill hole, and often falls out. Instead, cut the top off of a two-liter soda bottle and use it for a funnel. The threaded end fits into most outboards, and grabs on the oil fill’s threads well enough that it stays in place.

Now you’ll need to apply that patience once again; allow it to sit for a few minutes, so the fresh oil drains all the way through the engine and washes away any impurities that were left behind during the initial change.

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gasket before screwing it down tight (yes, I knew you already did that). And never, ever tighten a new oil filter with a hard wrench.

Use the appropriate tool—a dedicated filter wrench—only, or you may crimp down some of the metal, and alter the filter’s properties. What’s that? You say your oil wrench won’t fit the outboard’s filter? In many cases (especially with smaller sized four strokes) regular oil filter wrenches are too large to crimp down on the filter effectively. You can, however, often use a strap wrench to tighten it down. In a pinch, take an old windshield wiper blade and wrap it around the filter before placing a filter wrench over it. This usually fills in the gaps, and the rubber material won’t spin on either the wrench or the filter.

Now that the oil’s been changed, it’s time to do… another oil change. Your outboard’s lower unit oil should be changed each and every time you change the engine’s oil. And there are a few tricks that will make this process more effective, too.

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gaskets even though they’re brand new.

Now you’re ready to refill the lower unit.

Working from the lower hole, pump it full until some clean oil drips back out of the upper hole. Then plug the upper hole –not the lower hole—first. This will ensure that the oil you lose will be minimal (it’s impossible to prevent losing some), when you try to fit in the lower screw.

never, ever miss an oil change. This is one aspect of regular maintenance that simply can’t wait—unless you don’t mind waiting for a tow, when your engine breaks down.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

Most important, of course, is that you

Start by removing the lower drain plug, with the oil pan in place. IMPORTANT: Have a clean place identified and ready to place the drain screws; if these hit the dirt, you’ll have to thoroughly clean them off or risk contaminating your lower unit!

At this point the oil will flow, but very slowly. That’s because you need to remove the upper screw plug, too. This will allow air to displace the lower unit oil, and it’ll drain a lot faster. Next apply that magic oil change ingredient—patience—one more time, and allow it to drain completely.

The oil’s all drained? Maybe. But to be sure, try tilting your engine up and then back down a bit. Even though it may have looked level when you started, the boat and trailer may be parked on uneven ground.

For whatever reason, I’ve found that I always, without fail, get a few extra tablespoons of lower unit oil out of the engine when I tilt it back and forth. Again, flush the system with a squirt of fresh, clean oil, and let it drain thoroughly again.

Before you begin re-filling the lower unit, be sure to replace the washer on the screw plug. Why bother? Because in many cases, that isn’t a washer. It’s actually a metal compression gasket, and it’s only good for one use. In fact, if you botch the operation and have to remove the screw(s) after tightening them the first time, you should replace these I N L A N D

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Danger Lies to the North EVERE WEATHER IS THE CONCERN OF EVERY boater but it is especially important to kayak fishermen. The first really harsh cold fronts of the year historically make their appearance in November or December, rolling unimpeded across the state like Patton’s Third Army during a breakout. If your only means of propulsion is a double-bladed paddle, be forewarned that danger lies to the north.

Cold fronts that drop down over the Pacific Ocean and move into Washington, Oregon, or California are known as Pacific,

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or maritime, fronts. These fronts must push across the Rocky Mountains before making it to Texas. Pacific fronts are generally drier, having been robbed of a lot of strength during their sojourn through the mountains.

Arctic fronts, on the other hand, drop straight down out of Canada and race across the mid-continent unabated, the flat lands of

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Kansas and Oklahoma offering little resistance. A strong Arctic front only takes two days to cover the distance between Canada and Texas.

Cold fronts are boundaries between warm and cold air masses. If there is a big difference between the associated air temperatures and moisture contents of the colliding air masses, there is a possibility of violent weather. Tornadoes are frequently spawned by cold fronts. Wind speeds in the 30 MPH range are routine with higher wind gusts possible. One memorable cold front in December 1989 dropped air temperatures at the coast from the 70s into the teens in just 12 hours.

Although cold fronts are easy to track, weathermen sometimes fail miserable predicting their arrival times. Although it is prudent to check out the weather forecast every time you go paddling, don’t accept it as gospel; cold fronts may arrive early or late.

The worst thing that can happen to a kayaker is to be surprised by a strong front, which is just what happened four years ago on the Texas coast, near Port Aransas, during a kayak fishing tournament. Scores of anglers had departed Highway 361, some paddling north and some heading south in search of fish. Several hours later, a black wall of clouds charged in from the northeast.

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A strong Arctic front takes two days to cover the distance between Canada and Texas.

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you want to make it back to your vehicle.

You won’t go very fast but you have to keep moving. Don’t stop to rest. It takes a lot less energy to keep moving forward than starting from a dead stop,” Chapa concluded.

Kayak anglers will need to deal with the potential risk of cold fronts for the next six months. Check the forecast just before you hit the water, constantly calculate the distance back to your vehicle when you are on the water, and give a friend or loved one

your game plan before hitting the water.

When you are on the water, keep an eye out for building clouds because danger lies to the north.

Greg Berlocher can be reached for question or comment at kayak@fishgame.com.

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The front that no one expected brought lashing rains, lightning, and high winds, leaving anglers cold, wet, and very scared.

Winds were so high that the anglers that headed south couldn’t make headway paddling into the violent winds and were stranded. One saving grace: the cold front hit in May. Otherwise, hypothermia would have surely claimed multiple victims.

I spoke with Ray Chapa, a former kayak fishing guide who now teaches the Kayak4Redfish seminars, regarding the unfortunate situation anglers found themselves in. “That cold front dropped air temperatures from the 80s into the 60s in a matter of minutes. Winds at the leading edge of the front were 60 MPH and were still in the 30s two hours later. Some wade fishermen who had anchored their kayaks were stranded when their boats blew away. One person was literally blown out of their boat and a husband and wife were separated by the storm. Luckily, no one was killed but there were a lot of scared people,” said Chapa Chapa had several tips for winter kayakers. First check the forecast. With today’s smart cell phones and WiFi hotspots, pulling up a radar map just before you launch is an easy and prudent thing to do.

Second, be prepared with jackets and rain gear. Chapa tucks his rain gear into his front hatch – just in case. Staying dry is essential during winter months and Chapa recommends breathable waders to keep your legs dry. A wading belt cinched down tightly around your waist is essential should you capsize; the belt minimizes the amount of water that can get into the legs of your waders.

Should you get caught off guard by a sudden cold front, Chapa advised anglers to grind it out until they get to their destination. “Paddling into a 30 MPH headwind is exhausting, but you can’t stop paddling if I N L A N D

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The Fall Challenge ’VE GOT TO BE HONEST, THE OCTOBER AND November columns are the most difficult for me to write because I’m not really thinking about fishing this time of year. I just got through putting a new string on my bow and by the time you actually read this I’ll be sitting in a tree or blind somewhere in East Texas hopefully drawing back as a buck walks carelessly in front of me. Fall means hunting, that’s just how I’m wired, and it’s not necessarily a good thing because fall is a great time to go fishing in Texas.

This is especially true if you’re one of the lucky Texans that have the opportunity to live near the coast. Fishing in the bays heats up as the weather cools down and I’ve heard it said more than once that if you deer hunt you miss some of the best saltwater action of the year. So for those of you who don’t hunt, or for the lucky few who tagged out during bow season and now need something to do, let’s talk about jigging for trout and reds.

Jigs are very simple fishing tools. Basically a hook with a hunk of heavy metal (lead not Metallica) molded around the eye, jigs have been catching fish for hundreds if not thousands of years and are the base for other popular baits. A spinner bait is just a jig with a spinner and a swim bait is just a jig you swim through the water column.

Even though jigs are simple lures; that

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Jigs are very simple fishing tools. Basically a hook with a hunk of heavy metal molded around the eye.

doesn’t stop manufacturers from making them in all kinds of crazy designs, shapes, sizes, and colors. While each of these designs serve a purpose and have a specific application when bass fishing, they are overkill for saltwater.

You can use jigs with hook guards and skirts while going after trout and reds but don’t have to. Go with either a basic 1/8 ounce bullet head jig (painted or unpainted, it’s your choice) or a shaky head jig and

you can catch all the fish you want.

Most anglers use a plain bullet jig head but over the past few years I find myself tying on a shaky head more often than not. While originally designed for bass it transfers easily over to saltwater applications. The design allows it to be swam with moderate, ease which is effective when the fish are actively feeding, but where it outshines a bullet jig is on slow days. On days when the fish are lethargic and not aggressive, the shaky head can be worked slower being bounced along T E X A S

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the bottom while keeping the tail of the bait sticking up. With the tail sticking up it is waving around and attracting fish, rather than just laying flat on the bottom as it will do with a traditional bullet head jig.

As far as what you actually put on the jig, the choices are virtually endless. The old faithful baits like bass assassins, flukes, or slug-gos, and any of the soft plastic paddle tail baits on the market still work but don’t be afraid to try other newer baits as well. The Sidewinder by Stanley Jigs is a bass bait that is effective on inshore saltwater species as well.

No matter which bait you decide to use one addition that should be made is to insert a small worm rattle. Many of the waters along the coast are murky (most are downright dirty) so you want the fish to be able to hone in on the bait by sound as well as by sight.

Right now our rig consists of a shaky head jig, dressed with the soft plastic of your choice, with a rattle inserted making it appeal to the fishes senses or sight and sound but we need to add one more thing to make it more affective. For decades a lot of saltwater anglers have tipped their jigs with small pieces of shrimp to appeal to the fish’s sense of smell.

The problem with this is sometimes you can’t get your hands on shrimp and when you do it doesn’t stand up to a lot of casting. So instead of tipping the jig with shrimp use one of the fish attractants strips currently on the market (Fish Bites or Berkley Gulp Strips). Now, you have a bait that can be seen, heard, and smelled, making it hard for any fish to resist.

E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

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ILLUSTRATION: PAUL BRADSHAW

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Backstrap Wraparounds HE HARVEST OF BACKSTRAP, HAMS, AND trimmings for chili meat and sausage are all part of the reward that complement time well spent in the country hunting with friends. There are many good places you can take your harvest for processing throughout Texas. To assure you of the best yield and quality for your money and time, here are a few tips: After skinning and field dressing your deer, if the temperature is in the low 40s or below, hang it high enough to keep it away from animals, for up to 2-3 days. If you have a walk- in cooler, there should be no problem with the thermostat set between 34 and 38 degrees.

While quartering your deer, cut away any heavily bloodied areas of meat. Surround the individual cuts of meat with at least 1-1/2 inches of ice. If not adequately cooled before placing the meat in the ice chest, the ice will melt quicker and could increase the possibility of spoilage, especially during lengthy transports. Upon arriving at home, place the cooler where it can be drained of water and add enough finely chopped ice to aid in the bleeding process.

If you have had to track an animal for any distance after shooting it, its muscles hold hormones that contribute to a wild or “gamey” taste. To remove these hormones and blood from the meat, place the quarters or sections of meat in melting ice in a chest with the plug open, allowing it to drain as it melts, and replenish the ice when necessary to effectively remove or minimize the presence of these unsavory hormones. The water and ice should be clear when the meat is ready for quartering.

Choose a variety of products that will be

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enjoyed by everyone, and be realistic about waiting times for processing (6-8 weeks or longer).

Use your processed product before beginning your next hunting season (within 6-9 months for sausage, larger cuts slightly longer).

Have all processed meats vacuum-sealed if possible, and then wrapped with butcher paper. This will provide maximum protection from freezer burn and light exposure. If not possible, make sure meat is tightly wrapped in waxed butcher paper.

For larger cuts, such as hams, I recommend using a cling style plastic wrap and creating a cocoon effect with several layers until the meat is sealed, with no open areas.

Backstrap Wraparounds 1 loin venison backstrap (venison may be substituted with pork tenderloin or filet mignon) 14-16 slices thin bacon 1 large purple onion, peeled and quartered lengthwise, then halved lengthwise again 6-8 large fresh jalapenos, seeded and quartered lengthwise 1 pound pepper jack cheese, sliced in 1/8x2x1/2 wide slices 1 box round toothpicks (place picks in water) Baste: 1 Tbs sesame seeds 3 Tbs Texas Gourmet Jalapeno Jelly 2 Tbs soy sauce 2 Tbs olive oil 1 Tbs coarse mustard 1 cup Merlot or other dry red wine 2 cloves of garlic 2 Tbs black pepper

PHOTO COURTESY BYRAN SLAVEN

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cutting board. Cover with Saran wrap and lightly tenderize, using the shallow side of the tenderizing mallet. The meat should be 1/4-inch thick after tenderizing. Be careful not to put holes in the steaks. Spray with olive oil or Pam spray, then set aside. Separate the onion into 1- to 2-piece sections.

Take one slice of tenderized meat in one hand, and lay one onion slice in the center, inside up. Place a slice of cheese on the onion and lay one jalapeno piece on the cheese, face down. Carefully roll the meat around the veggies and cheese. Wrap a slice of bacon around the wrap from one end, stretching the bacon as you wrap. Carefully fold in and seal the ends with a toothpick.

Grill over mesquite charcoal or gas fire set to medium high heat. Place the wraps indirectly over the heat. Baste liberally, cook covered for 3-5 minutes per side. Baste when turning.

When bacon is done, place wraps on plate and remove the toothpicks. Rest wraparounds before serving. Serve with Texas Gourmet Quick Dirty Rice and Black Bean Pico de Gallo. Bon appetite!

Heat basting ingredients until well blended and remove from heat. Remove all sheath, membrane, or skin from the backstrap. Cut into 12 or so 3/4-inch thick steaks. Place each steak one at a time on a T E X A S

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Joey Akins Guide Service

TEXAS SALTWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

GALVESTON

UPPER COAST (SABINE LAKE)

ROCKPORT Mr. and Mrs. Oakman Rockport Red-Runner

BAFFIN BAY

TEXAS SALTWATER CORPUS CHRISTI

TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS FRESHWATER

LAKE AMISTAD

LAKE TEXOMA

ADVERTISERS, SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS TODAY! 92 |

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White Oak Outfitters

Steve Tuttle, Sloan Tuttle and Jake White - Hillman’s Guide Service

OUTDOOR SHOPPER

OUTDOOR SHOPPER

TEXAS HUNTING

WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT IN TEXAS?

EAT ACROSS TEXAS

BELLVILLE MEAT MARKET YOU GOTTA TRY IT!

EAT ACROSS TEXAS SPOTLIGHT: BELLVILLE MEAT MARKET Bellville Meat Market is an award-winning meat processor which has been recognized by their peers in meat processing industry for providing some of the tastiest jerky, sausage, briskets, and hot links in the Lone Star State. Some folks sing our praises for our exceptional deer processing, while others love our full service butcher counter and award-winning sausage.

Bellville is a short 15-mile jaunt from I-10 (Sealy) or Highway 290 (Hempstead) making it convenient for hunters heading back to Houston from the lease. During rifle season we accept deer on a 7 X 24 basis.

Don’t forget our slow-smoked Bar B Q sandwiches. Sit a spell and dine with us or have your sandwiches packed to go. If you are heading to Austin or College Station this fall, make the short jaunt to Bellville Meat Market to pick up a variety of meats for the pit and all your tailgating supplies. Bellville Meat Market - Meat is our middle name™

INTRODUCING TFG’S NEW EAT ACROSS TEXAS, PLEASE CALL 281.227.3001 X 5519 FOR ADVERTISING RATES AND INFO. I N L A N D

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Redfish Trinity Bay

Piggy Perch

Mangrove Snapper

Laguna Madre

Laguna Madre

Croaker Bastrop Bayou

of orm Sorensen ld Summer St r first fish, a he Seven-year-o ht ug ca , , Utah at Salt Lake City andpa’s boat r, from her gr u.

9-inch croake yo Ba p ro f Bast The Cedars of

Jesse Hoke, 7, of Huntsville , inch redfish on his first fis caught this 21hing trip with dad and papa his w in Trinity Ba keeper speckle y. He also go t7 d trout, all on artificial bait.

4, rker Parrish, sh, 2, and Pa -up” of Peyton Parri “double hook r pe ap sn re he. Both fish we caught a perc Laguna Madr from a pier on ught again the next day. ca released and

Whitetail Deer Whitetail Deer

Ft. McKavett

Cross Plains

Whitetail Buck

Ericka Dunb ar, age 15, sh ot her first de while huntin er g wi weekend near th her Pawpaw on a yout h Cross Plains . She took th pounder from e 95100 yards wi th a 7mm-08.

Brady first ess shot his age 9, of Cypr his family’s on Parker Tally, s rd ya 90 4 at buck with a .20 Photo submitted by his y. ranch in Brad was hunting with him. o “PawPaw,” wh

Jessica Wick er, 15, shot on e buck and tw does in one sitting with a o youth model while huntin .243 g with her da d during yout son at Ft. Bu h se llard Ranch ne ar Ft. McKave att.

Whitetail Buck Kinney County

Mixed Stringer Shark

West Galveston Bay

Port Aransas

d ey Ballard an rd, with Ashl on and ar Sh Sharon Balla of s er k, daught dhing these re Trisha Pavloc , had fun catc West Bay. in r de Bobby Ballard un flo trout and fish, speckled

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Sam Sommer of deer, a 5-1/2-y Bulverde shot his second ear-old, 165pound, 8-poin buck, huntin g wi t County. He to th dad Richard in Kinney ok the buck with one shot .

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on, 7, of Com Dylan Thomps 3-foot shark is th ht ug ca k stoc e s. Dylan is th at Port Aransa Billings.

J. E. of on ds gran

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Sheepshead Port Aransas

Redfish

Whitetail Buck

Lower Laguna Madre

Jackson County

othed with his br ell, 11, pictur first 8-point Matthew Cass s hi ot sh 9, ony, on er John Anth r at 80 yards ty.

70 Wincheste Jackson Coun buck with a .2 in h nc Ra k ee Cr ow ad Sh the

,a his first redfish dre, , 12, caught guna Ma La r Drake Alford we Lo at -incher, Jr. 20-pound, 36 Rudy Garza, e. with Captain d on 8-lb. lin while fishing lan to es ut 30 min The red took

Brooke Odom of Austin caug keeper 17-in ht her first ch sh with live shrim eepshead while fishing p with her fa ther Brett in Port Aransas.

Redfish Sabine Lake

Speckled Trout

Redfish

Port Isabel Port Mansfield

Joel Lopez of Alamo Height s redfish, betw een 23 and 27 caught these inches in leng while fishing in Port Mans th, field.

While on his honeymoon in Port Isabel wife Sandra with Quiroga, Jaim e Qu caught his lim it of speckled iroga trout, using Norton bull m innows.

ht mberton caug llen, 10, of Lu ne Cameron Woo redfish while fishing Sabi e er his first keep om and dad. He caught th m Lake with his live finger mullet for bait. ing 20-incher us

Speckled Trout Baffin Bay

Brim Private Pond

Blue Catfish ught us Christi ca ers, 7, of Corp her Pamela Child r first speckled trout, at he g cabin in in at and released flo ’s lia and De e. grandpa Gene parents Scott and Roxann th Baffin Bay, wi

Canyon Lake Robert Reyn a of San Anto nio 14.8-pound bl ue catfish wh caught this ile night fishi at Canyon La ng ke.

s rick caught hi mld Laine Bund in Lu nd po e Three-year-o at iv brim, in a pr first fish, this th his pappy, Ricky Riley. wi berton, while

Redfish Black Drum

Kemah

Indianola Beach

Mixed Stringer Sabine Lake

Marina Armol a Fl caught this 21 ores of Port Lavaca -inch drum an fish using sh d a 24-inch re rimp for bait dwhile fishing Indianola Be off ach.

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of Havel, age 4, 8, and Hayden of redfish its Hunter, age lim r ei th th caught , in his Houston, bo th dad, Chris ile fishing wi bine Lake.

Sa on and trout wh at Bo r Fusion new Pathfinde

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Dalton Brow n, 11, caught a 25-inch, 9redfish, his fir pound st Kemah-Clear , fishing with friends at th Lake Canal. e Photo submitt by proud pare ed nts Bruce an d Rocio Brow n.

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Bucks in the Bottoms

PHOTO: PAUL TESSIER, ISTOCKPHOTO

SOME OF THE STATE’S BIGGEST BUCKS live in river bottoms from the Pineywoods to the Panhandle.

These areas are some of the most difficult to traverse, mosquito, alligator and poisonous snake-infested areas in state, yet that is why many big bucks live and die of natural causes in these areas.

Over the last few years, I have used portable ground blinds by Ameristep and others to hunt hogs and turkey with bow and arrow and now I myself hunting whitetails on the ground, especially when in the bottoms.

During the first weekend of bow season, I set up a portable, shoot-through Let’s look at the techniques that can help you score on big ground blind called the Wig Wam between two big fallen pines river bottom bucks. at 17 yards away from the feeder. Saturday evening I passed a After Hurricane Rita ravaged the Sabine River bottoms, shot on a fork-horned buck as lease rules stipulate we can only my corn was feeder standing with a slight lean, but still distake six point bucks or better and saw a fawn doe slipping pensing corn and drawing in deer. All of through the damage. These deer never saw me the trees of the right size within shooting although I was at eye level with them and within very distance of my feeder were either close proximity. I later ended up taking a nice eight knocked over or snapped off at about 10 pointer.

• TF&G Executive Editor feet and I like to hunt at least 15 feet up.

The key is I was able to set the blind up to where the That left me with no alternative but to go to the ground and wind favored me. A deer’s most useful survival tool is its nose, this is a situation many hunters have found themselves in over which is far more sensitive than ours is. By using portable the last two seasons because of storm damage. ground blinds, which you can set up in less than five minutes,

by Chester Moore

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In This Issue

54

TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots |

BY TOM BEHRENS, CALIXTO GONZALES, & BOB HOOD

HOW-TO SECTION

49

COVER STORY • Bucks in the Bottoms |

BY CHESTER MOORE

68

BOWHUNTING TECH • Heel-Toe... Heel-Toe... |

BY LOU MARULLO

70

TEXAS GUNS & GEAR • Tools for Reloading |

BY STEVE LAMASCUS

72

TEXAS BOATING • Maintenance Man |

BY LENNY RUDOW

74

TEXAS KAYAKING • Danger Lies to the North |

BY GREG BERLOCHER

75

BAITS & RIGS • The Fall Challenge |

BY PAUL BRADSHAW

GEARING UP SECTION

64

NEW PRODUCTS • What’s New from Top Outdoor Manufacturers |

BY TF&G STAFF

66 67

TEXAS TESTED • Penn, Suffix | BY TFG STAFF INDUSTRY INSIDER • Palmer Power | BY TF&G STAFF

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION

76 78

OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Classifieds | BY TF&G STAFF PHOTO ALBUM • Your Action Photos |

BY TF&G READERS

HOTSPOTS & TIDES SECTION

52

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK • Tides, Solunar Table, Best Hunting/Fishing Times |

BY TF&G STAFF

you can play the wind and greatly increase your odds.

Decoys like the new Miss November from Tink’s are a tool in which to make things easier for hunters in specific situations in river bottoms. Bottoms often offer open areas where deer can see for a good ways and decoys can draw big bucks out.

The thing you have to realize is that decoys are only a tool. They are not a magic bullet that will enable you to make bucks appear out of nowhere. If you keep this in mind, it can greatly aid your hunting.

Decoys tend to work best in the rut when they can spark the sexual and territorial instincts of bucks. Bucks will come out and fight buck decoys and they will mount a doe just as if she was the real thing. For hunters that means you have the buck distracted and can make your move without it noticing.

With big, mature bucks that is usually difficult, but with decoys if everything works out it is quite easy.

The proper use of decoys begins with scent elimination according to TF&G Bowhunting Editor Lou Marullo.

“Use gloves when you are carrying and setting up the decoy and spray it with a good cover scent or sexual attractant. The nose is a deer’s first line of defense so you have to 50 |

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www.FishGame.com get past that to get into the visual realm,” he said.

The rest pretty much as to do with location. It’s all about location.

“For one thing, if you are using one of the bedded decoys, do not set it up near a trail. Deer do not bed up on trails so they should be set up there. I like to use standing decoys and always place them upwind of where I expect the deer to come from.

Remember that bucks most of the time are going to be approaching with the wind in their faces and if they catch a whiff of doe in estrus and then see what they think is a doe you have a good chance of getting a shot,” Marullo said.

He recommends setting up doe decoys with it’s toward you because bucks approach does from the side or the rear and this will give a good shot. For buck decoys try the opposite approach with the head toward you because will usually approach bucks cautiously from the front vantage point.

Locating acorns are an important part of river bottom hunting. They are a rich source of protein and carbohydrates for deer and when they begin falling; deer will flock to these spots and ignore other food sources. I have personally experienced having corn piling up under my feeder while deer were T E X A S

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feeding less than 50 yards away under a big red oak. Deer know that the corn is going to be there because hunters always feed it, but acorn sources are fleeting and they must get it while they can.

In terms of which kinds of mast crops are best to hunt over, that is going to depend on your location. Red oaks are the hot tickets in some areas while white oaks are like drugs for deer in others. Nowadays it’s impossible to mention acorns without mentioning feral hogs.

Deer and hogs do not mix. If you are hunting over feeder and you have hogs regularly hitting it, chances are the deer are dodging it. In fact, during the hunting season that is the number one complaint I get from hunters calling into my outdoors radio show. They also can drive deer from natural food sources like acorns and this is where scouting can pay off big time. Hogs are like deer in that they have their preferences. If you can determine which mast crops hogs are targeting and then find a secondary source nearby, your chances of bagging a big buck increase dramatically.

Dealing with hogs is a matter of fact in Texas and learning to hunt around the so to speak can increase your odds of success.

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Tides and Prime Times

NOVEMBER 2010

MONDAY

NOV 1 High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

TUESDAY PRIME TIME

1:14 am 7:23 am 12:28 pm 6:45 pm

1.61 ft 1.08 ft 1.39 ft 0.68 ft

2:00 — 4:00 PM

2

WEDNESDAY PRIME TIME

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

1:30 am 7:48 am 2:06 pm 7:53 pm

1.55 ft 0.75 ft 1.51 ft 0.90 ft

2:00 — 4:00 AM

3

THURSDAY PRIME TIME

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

1:45 am 8:23 am 3:28 pm 8:57 pm

1.51 ft 0.41 ft 1.66 ft 1.12 ft

3:00 — 5:00 AM

4

PRIME TIME

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

2:01 am 9:04 am 4:39 pm 9:58 pm

1.52 ft 0.10 ft 1.79 ft 1.32 ft

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:51a Set: 6:49p Moonrise: 2:51a Set: 3:41p AM Minor: 1:47a Set: 7:59a PM Minor: 2:12p Set: 8:25p Moon Overhead: 9:20a Moon Underfoot: 9:45p

Sunrise: 7:52a Set: 6:48p Moonrise: 3:57a Set: 4:16p AM Minor: 2:32a Set: 8:44a PM Minor: 2:57p Set: 9:09p Moon Overhead: 10:10a Moon Underfoot: 10:36p

Sunrise: 7:53a Set: 6:47p Moonrise: 5:03a Set: 4:52p AM Minor: 3:16a Set: 9:29a PM Minor: 3:41p Set: 9:54p Moon Overhead: 11:01a Moon Underfoot: 11:28p

Sunrise: 7:54a Set: 6:46p Moonrise: 6:11a Set: 5:31p AM Minor: 4:02a Set: 10:15a PM Minor: 4:29p Set: 10:42p Moon Overhead: 11:54a Moon Underfoot: None

8

9

10

11

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 2:00 am 1.67 ft Low Tide: 11:08 am -0.29 ft High Tide: 7:57 pm 1.80 ft

7:30 — 9:30 AM

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 11:59 am -0.18 ft High Tide: 9:05 pm 1.72 ft

8:00 — 10:00 AM

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 12:52 pm -0.04 ft High Tide: 10:08 pm 1.65 ft

9:00 — 11:00 AM

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 1:47 pm 0.13 ft High Tide: 10:54 pm 1.57 ft

10:00A — 12:00P

Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 5:43p Moonrise: 9:36a Set: 7:51p AM Minor: 6:51a Set: 12:36a PM Minor: 7:19p Set: 1:05p Moon Overhead: 2:44p Moon Underfoot: 2:15a

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 5:43p Moonrise: 10:31a Set: 8:51p AM Minor: 7:53a Set: 1:39a PM Minor: 8:21p Set: 2:07p Moon Overhead: 3:40p Moon Underfoot: 3:12a

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 5:42p Moonrise: 11:19a Set: 9:50p AM Minor: 8:54a Set: 2:40a PM Minor: 9:20p Set: 3:07p Moon Overhead: 4:33p Moon Underfoot: 4:07a

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 5:41p Moonrise: 12:00p Set: 10:48p AM Minor: 9:50a Set: 3:37a PM Minor: 10:14p Set: 4:02p Moon Overhead: 5:22p Moon Underfoot: 4:58a

15

16

PRIME TIME

17

18

9:30 — 11:30 AM

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

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 6:47 am 0.87 ft High Tide: 11:53 am 1.18 ft Low Tide: 5:45 pm 0.84 ft

1:00 — 3:00 PM

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

12:05 am 6:59 am 1:15 pm 6:40 pm

1.34 ft 0.68 ft 1.26 ft 0.99 ft

PRIME TIME 12:15 am 7:17 am 2:21 pm 7:29 pm

1.33 ft 0.49 ft 1.36 ft 1.12 ft

2:00 — 4:00 AM

PRIME TIME

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

12:25 am 7:40 am 3:15 pm 8:13 pm

1.33 ft 0.32 ft 1.45 ft 1.22 ft

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 5:39p Moonrise: 2:04p Set: 1:32a AM Minor: 12:25a Set: 6:35a PM Minor: 12:45p Set: 6:55p Moon Overhead: 8:11p Moon Underfoot: 7:51a

Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 5:38p Moonrise: 2:32p Set: 2:24a AM Minor: 1:01a Set: 7:11a PM Minor: 1:21p Set: 7:31p Moon Overhead: 8:51p Moon Underfoot: 8:31a

Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 5:38p Moonrise: 3:01p Set: 3:17a AM Minor: 1:36a Set: 7:47a PM Minor: 1:57p Set: 8:08p Moon Overhead: 9:33p Moon Underfoot: 9:12a

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:38p Moonrise: 3:32p Set: 4:12a AM Minor: 2:13a Set: 8:24a PM Minor: 2:35p Set: 8:46p Moon Overhead: 10:17p Moon Underfoot: 9:55a

22

23

24

25

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

PRIME TIME

12:48 am 9:51 am 6:32 pm 10:41 pm

1.49 ft -0.22 ft 1.67 ft 1.51 ft

5:30 — 7:30 AM

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

PRIME TIME

1:00 am 10:33 am 7:26 pm 11:25 pm

1.53 ft -0.28 ft 1.67 ft 1.54 ft

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:36p Moonrise: 6:26p Set: 8:07a AM Minor: 5:19a Set: 11:33a PM Minor: 5:47p Set: ----Moon Overhead: 12:49a Moon Underfoot: 1:17p

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:36p Moonrise: 7:24p Set: 9:04a AM Minor: 6:18a Set: 12:04a PM Minor: 6:46p Set: 12:32p Moon Overhead: 1:45a Moon Underfoot: 2:14p

29

30

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

PRIME TIME 5:07 am 10:24 am 3:57 pm 10:49 pm

0.71 ft 1.02 ft 0.57 ft 1.27 ft

12:00 — 2:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 12:48a Set: 1:16p AM Minor: ----Set: 5:50a PM Minor: 12:02p Set: 6:15p Moon Overhead: 7:06a Moon Underfoot: 7:30p

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

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 1:18 am 1.55 ft Low Tide: 11:18 am -0.30 ft High Tide: 8:18 pm 1.65 ft

0.37 ft 1.13 ft 0.84 ft 1.25 ft

12:28 am 1:35 am 12:06 pm 9:05 pm

1.52 ft 1.53 ft -0.26 ft 1.60 ft

PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME

12:30 — 2:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 1:52a Set: 1:51p AM Minor: 12:24a Set: 6:36a PM Minor: 12:49p Set: 7:01p Moon Overhead: 7:55a Moon Underfoot: 8:20p

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7:30 — 9:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 9:32p Set: 10:45a AM Minor: 8:22a Set: 2:08a PM Minor: 8:49p Set: 2:36p Moon Overhead: 3:38a Moon Underfoot: 4:06p

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 8:27p Set: 9:57a AM Minor: 7:19a Set: 1:05a PM Minor: 7:48p Set: 1:34p Moon Overhead: 2:42a Moon Underfoot: 3:10p

PRIME TIME 5:43 am 12:21 pm 5:15 pm 11:05 pm

6:30 — 8:30 AM

PRIME TIME

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

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Tides and Prime Times

NOVEMBER 2010

FRIDAY

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

SATURDAY PRIME TIME

2:17 am 9:47 am 5:45 pm 10:55 pm

1.56 ft -0.13 ft 1.86 ft 1.48 ft

5:00 — 7:00 AM

6

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

SUNDAY PRIME TIME

2:33 am 10:32 am 6:49 pm 11:49 pm

1.61 ft -0.28 ft 1.89 ft 1.59 ft

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

6:00 — 8:00 AM

PRIME TIME 1:50 am 10:19 am 6:52 pm 11:44 pm

1.65 ft -0.32 ft 1.86 ft 1.65 ft

6:30 — 8:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:55a Set: 6:46p Moonrise: 7:20a Set: 6:14p AM Minor: 4:52a Set: 11:06a PM Minor: 5:20p Set: 11:34p Moon Overhead: 12:50p Moon Underfoot: 12:22a

Sunrise: 7:55a Set: 6:45p Moonrise: 8:29a Set: 7:02p AM Minor: 5:48a Set: ----PM Minor: 6:17p Set: 12:31p Moon Overhead: 1:47p Moon Underfoot: 1:18a

Sunrise: 7:56a Set: 6:44p Moonrise: 9:35a Set: 7:55p AM Minor: 6:48a Set: 12:33a PM Minor: 7:17p Set: 1:02p Moon Overhead: 2:46p Moon Underfoot: 2:17a

12

13

PRIME TIME

14

12:30 — 2:30 PM

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

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 2:45 pm 0.31 ft High Tide: 11:22 pm 1.49 ft

11:00A — 1:00P

Low Tide: 3:45 pm 0.50 ft High Tide: 11:40 pm 1.42 ft

PRIME TIME 6:41 am 10:09 am 4:46 pm 11:53 pm

1.05 ft 1.15 ft 0.67 ft 1.37 ft

1:30 — 3:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 5:41p Moonrise: 12:35p Set: 11:45p AM Minor: 10:40a Set: 4:29a PM Minor: 11:03p Set: 4:52p Moon Overhead: 6:07p Moon Underfoot: 5:45a

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 5:40p Moonrise: 1:07p Set: None AM Minor: 11:26a Set: 5:15a PM Minor: 11:47p Set: 5:37p Moon Overhead: 6:50p Moon Underfoot: 6:29a

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 5:40p Moonrise: 1:36p Set: 12:39a AM Minor: ----Set: 5:57a PM Minor: 12:07p Set: 6:17p Moon Overhead: 7:31p Moon Underfoot: 7:11a

19

20

PRIME TIME

21

4:30 — 6:30 AM

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

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

12:34 am 8:07 am 4:04 pm 8:53 pm

PRIME TIME 1.36 ft 0.15 ft 1.54 ft 1.31 ft

3:30 — 5:30 AM

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

12:39 am 8:38 am 4:51 pm 9:29 pm

1.39 ft 0.01 ft 1.60 ft 1.39 ft

PRIME TIME 12:42 am 9:13 am 5:40 pm 10:04 pm

1.44 ft -0.12 ft 1.65 ft 1.45 ft

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:37p Moonrise: 4:07p Set: 5:09a AM Minor: 2:52a Set: 9:04a PM Minor: 3:16p Set: 9:27p Moon Overhead: 11:05p Moon Underfoot: 10:41a

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:37p Moonrise: 4:47p Set: 6:08a AM Minor: 3:36a Set: 9:49a PM Minor: 4:01p Set: 10:14p Moon Overhead: 11:55p Moon Underfoot: 11:30a

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:36p Moonrise: 5:34p Set: 7:08a AM Minor: 4:25a Set: 10:38a PM Minor: 4:52p Set: 11:05p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 12:22p

26

27

PRIME TIME

28

9:00 — 11:00 AM

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

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 12:57 pm -0.14 ft High Tide: 9:42 pm 1.52 ft

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Low Tide: 1:51 pm 0.04 ft High Tide: 10:10 pm 1.43 ft

PRIME TIME

4:50 am 7:42 am 2:50 pm 10:31 pm

1.02 ft 1.05 ft 0.29 ft 1.34 ft

11:00A — 1:00P

Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: None Set: 12:42p AM Minor: 11:13a Set: 5:01a PM Minor: 11:38p Set: 5:25p Moon Overhead: 6:16a Moon Underfoot: 6:41p

Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 11:43p Set: 12:06p AM Minor: 10:20a Set: 4:07a PM Minor: 10:46p Set: 4:33p Moon Overhead: 5:26a Moon Underfoot: 5:51p

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 10:38p Set: 11:28a AM Minor: 9:22a Set: 3:09a PM Minor: 9:49p Set: 3:36p Moon Overhead: 4:33a Moon Underfoot: 5:00p

PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME

SYMBOL KEY

New Moon

N O R T H

First Quarter

Full Moon

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Last Quarter

T E X A S

PRIME TIME

Good Day

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TIDE STATION CORRECTION TABLE (Adjust High & Low Tide times listed in the Calendar by the amounts below for each keyed location)

NOT FOR NAVIGATION PLACE SABINE BANK LIGHTHOUSE (29.47° N, 93.72° W) SABINE PASS JETTY (29.65° N, 93.83° W) SABINE PASS (29.73° N, 93.87°W) MESQUITE PT, SABINE PASS (29.77° N, 93.9° W) GALV. BAY, SO. JETTY (29.34° N, 94.7° W) PORT BOLIVAR (29.36° N, 94.77° W) TX CITY TURNING BASIN (29.38° N, 94.88° W) EAGLE POINT (29.5° N, 94.91° W) CLEAR LAKE (29.56° N, 95.06° W) MORGANS POINT (29.68° N, 94.98° W) ROUND PT, TRINITY BAY (29.71° N, 94.69° W) PT. BARROW, TRIN. BAY (29.74° N, 94.83° W) GILCHRIST, E. BAY (29.52° N, 94.48° W) JAMAICA BCH., W. BAY (29.2° N, 94.98° W) ALLIGATOR PT., W. BAY (29.17° N, 94.13° W) CHRISTMAS PT, CHR. BAY (29.08° N, 94.17° W) GALV. PLEASURE PIER (29.29° N, 94.79° W) SAN LUIS PASS (29.08° N, 95.12° W) FREEPORT HARBOR (28.95° N, 95.31° W) PASS CAVALLO (28.37° N, 96.4° W) ARANSAS PASS (27.84° N, 97.05° W) PADRE ISL.(SO. END) (26.07° N, 97.16° W) PORT ISABEL (26.06° N, 97.22° W)

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HIGH

LOW

-1:46

-1:31

-1:26

-1:31

-1:00

-1:15

-0:04

-0:25

-0:39

-1:05

+0:14

-0:06

+0:33

+0:41

+3:54

+4:15

+6:05

+6:40

+10:21

+5:19

+10:39

+5:15

+5:48

+4:43

+3:16

+4:18

+2:38

+3:31

+2:39

+2:33

+2:32

+2:31

-1:06

-1:06

-0.09

-0.09

-0:44

-1:02

0:00

-1:20

-0:03

-1:31

-0:24

-1:45

+1:02

-0:42

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PINEY WOODS

Livingston Bass & Catfish

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Texas Main Lake Flats GPS: N32 41.523, W94 2.89398 (32.692050, -94.048233) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: V&M Pork Shad, Cyclone spinnerbait, Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide1@att.net, 318-455-3437, www.caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Watch for bass schooling around the lotus pads and pad stems. Large schools of shad also can be seen in this area. Use chartreuse or shad-colored V&M Pork Shads or chartreuse-white Cyclone spinnerbaits. Shafty Glade Marina has good bank access.

LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: League Line Point GPS: N30 22.86798, W95 32.74998 (30.381133, -95.545833) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits,Pop Rs CONTACT: Richard Tatsch, 936-2911277, www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: Alternate between a white or white-chartreuse spinnerbait and Bone-colored Pop R to see which the bass will hit the best. Work slowly around the point then turn the boat around and work back through the area. Fish other secondary points the same.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake River at Old 190 Bridge 54 |

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GPS: N30 45.38898, W95 7.866 (30.756483, 95.131100) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh dead shad, live perch CONTACT: Dave S. Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Use a Carolina-rigged shad or perch to fish off the bottom near the dropoffs in the old river channel.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend Res. HOTSPOT: Huxleyís Crappie River Run GPS: N31 44.42646, W93 49.75086 (31.740441, -93.829181) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live shiners and crappie jigs CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: The crappie will move to drop-offs and ledges along the old river channel.

There is plenty of natural cover here but your best bet is to drop your lures in the brush. The creel limit is 50 per person and it isnít usual to catch near-four-pounders.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Cats, Bass, and Crappie

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Twin Creeks GPS: N32 17.88888, W96 7.11984 (32.298148, -96.118664) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Trap, Berkley Swimbait T E X A S

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CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903-603-2047, www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish the lighted boat houses at night in Twin Creeks and all other creeks on the south end of the lake. Cast across lighted areas and use a medium retrieve.

Largemouth bass, hybrids and white bass can be caught in the same areas.

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Cedar Creek Timber GPS: N29 56.86584, W96 44.66592 (29.947764, -96.744432) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, dip bait, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Water here is 40-50 feet deep.

Timber runs along western edge of the creek. Chum the area and use a long rope to anchor over the timber. Use a tight line, one-ounce sinker and No. 4 treble to fish off the bottom. Look for the bite to be subtile.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Hog Island GPS: N30 37.42206, W96 4.24482 (30.623701, -96.070747) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3101, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Tie up to a tree on the lake side (deeper side) of the island. Cast out to where the water is 7-15 feet deep. Fish on the bottom with 3/4-ounce weight and No.2 Kahle hook with shad or worms or No.4 treble hook with punch bait.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam Riprap GPS: N31 53.96922, W97 12.39246 (31.899487, -97.206541) N O R T H

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SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Lipless crankbaits, Slabs, spoons CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Make long casts to the riprap with chrome and blue crankbaits erly. After the sun comes up, switch to a slab or spoon, using your graph to locate schools of white bass stacked up on the humps out from the dam. Most strikes will come on the fall.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Pelican Point GPS: N33 19.81098, W95 40.29996 (33.330183, -95.671666) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad on on leadhead CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahoo.com TIPS: The hybrids will be chasing shad

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early and late around shallow points like this one. Use a four-inch Sassy Shad on a 1/2-ounce leadhead with a slow, steady retrieve. I will fish 12 feet deep all the way to the bank. All main lake points can be good.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Pelican Point GPS: N33 19.81098, W95 40.29996 (33.330183, -95.671666) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad on on leadhead CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahoo.com TIPS: The hybrids will be chasing shad early and late around shallow points like this one. Use a four-inch Sassy Shad on a 1/2-ounce leadhead with a slow, steady retrieve. I will fish 12 feet deep all the way to the bank. All main lake points can be good.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Baptist Encampment GPS: N33 3.26196, W96 30.16698 (33.054366, -96.502783) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, topwater lures, crankbaits CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847 TIPS: Look for schooling white bass off this point and others on the south end of the lake. Use small topwaters such as Tiny Torpedoes, chrome slabs and crankbaits.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Timber at Collin Bridge GPS: N33 3.42096, W96 31.413 (33.057016, -96.523550) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, minnows CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847 TIPS: The crappie are migrating to winter holding areas. Key on 10-15 feet of water with black and blue jigs or small to medium minnows. The fish should be in any standing timber or structure at those depths. Expect aggressive bites.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville HOTSPOT: Old Lake Dallas River Channel GPS: N33 11.41128, W97 1.11618 (33.190188, -97.018603) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh gizzard shad, threadfin shad, cut buffalo CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobbycatfishing.com, 817-455-2894, www.bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Drift the old river channel for both eating-size and trophy-size fish. Fish the baits on a Sanatee Cooper rig with oneounce weight, 36-inch leader and 3 or 5ought hook. Use an 8-ought hook for larger fish. Drift at less than 1/2 m.p.h.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Upper River Channel GPS: N32 17.19306, W95 27.05088 (32.286551, -95.450848) SPECIES: largemouth bass

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BEST BAITS: Plastic frogs, spinnerbaits, Shimmy Shakers, Thunder Worms CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish the lures along the outside edges of the grass beds near the river channel. Other good bets are the pockets and creeks including Saline and Cobb on the south end of the lake on small crankbaits and Texas-rigged Thunder Worms.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Highway 155 Bridge GPS: N32 8.81034, W95 28.20768 (32.146839, -95.470128) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Mr; Twister Minnow Jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Use a 1/16-ounce Mr. Twister Minnow Jig around the pilings and sunken brushpiles during the morning and evening hours for best results. Work the jigs slowly and look for a light bite. The Flat Creek

Page 57

bridge also is a good place to try.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Main-Lake Points GPS: N32 4.88022, W95 26.19078 (32.081337, -95.436513) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Dimple Spoons, Rat-L-Trps CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Look for surfacing action off the main-lake points close to the river channel on the west side of the lake near the dam.

The points at the mouth of Chimney Cove also should not be overlooked.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Fat Point GPS: N30 18.4215, W96 34.09584 (30.307025, -96.568264) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, shrimp CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103,

FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: You will only see one or two trees close to shore but the area west of the GPS site is full of stumps. Anchor and chum around the boat, using a tight line to fish on the bottom. The fish should feed around the stumps day and night.

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Five Creeks GPS: N33 54.83598, W96 42.40098 (33.913933, -96.706683) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad, jigs, live shad CONTACT: Bill Carey, bigfish@striperexpress.com, 877-786-4477, www.striperexpress.com TIPS: The stripers are running in big schools. Watch for seagulls that will locate the stripers ambushing large schools of baitfish. Use white-glow and chartreuse fleck four-inch Sassy Shads on one-ounce jigheads. Anchor or drift when using live shad.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney

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2:11 PM

HOTSPOT: Whitney Point GPS: N31 54.6822, W97 20.62044 (31.911370, -97.343674) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 254-822-5539, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Cast gizzard shad on 6-foot leaders with Carolina rigs along the grass and willow islands during the early-morning hours, letting the shad swim to catch feeding stripers. Back off to the first set of ledges in 20-25 feet of water after the sun rises.

LOCATION: Richland-Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: Txi GPS: N31 54.74772, W96 20.67624 (31.912462, -96.344604) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Red Dragon tubes

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CONTACT: Steve Schmidt, steve@schmidtsbigbass, 682-518-8252, www.schmidtsbigbass TIPS: Once you pass under the bridge, idle past the railroad tracks to the point near the discharge. Work the edges of the shallows in two feet of water dropping off to 17-18 feet with Watermelon pumpkin grubs with chartreuse tails on 3-ought Gamma hooks.

PANHANDLE

Play Possum for Stripers

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Graham HOTSPOT: Power Plant Outlet GPS: N33 8.049, W98 36.51612 (33.134150, -98.608602) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: live shad, slabs,jigs CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: Look for hybrid stripers and white bass to be stacked up in the fast-moving water inside and outside the fence. Cast toward the strongest current inside the fence and fish on the bottom outside the fence. Yellow and chartreuse are the best colors.

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Costello Island GPS: N32 54.14196, W98 28.068 (32.902366, -98.467800) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: live shad, Gamefisher Slab, Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: The fish are moving to the north and south sides of the island. Watch for a rising barometric pressure. Look for stripers feeding two feet below the surface.

Also fish the 20-foot breaklines with a 3/8ounce slab with white bucktail treble hook.

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LOCATION: Lake Palo Pinto HOTSPOT: Power Plant Outlet GPS: N32 39.38538, W98 18.7677 (32.656423, -98.312795) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Shad, jigs, slabs, spoons CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: The white bass will be as far up in the running water as they can get as well as in front of the deep holes. Live shad is best but jigs, slabs and spoons work good,too.

The best time is just ahead of a cold front.

LOCATION: Lake Amistad

BIG BEND

Amistad Stripers Be Dammed

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

HOTSPOT: The Dam GPS: N29 27.34452, W101 2.9694 (29.455742, -101.049490) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Redfins, swimbaits CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Use large Redfins and swimbaits to work the area in front of the dam early and late. Many 10 to 15-pound stripers are caught there during November as the water cools. Other good spots are the mouths of Zoro and Burro canyons and coves at Salem Point.

HILL COUNTRY

Drop Shot for Canyon Bass

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Canyon Lake N O R T H

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HOTSPOT: North Park Cove GPS: N29 52.6851, W98 12.63888 (29.878085, -98.210648) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Secret Weapon Lure, Creme Big Pig, Jewel Jig CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: Use a drop-shot rig with the Secret Weapon lure and add a recoil rig.

Blue fleck, June bug and Watermelon candy are good colors if the sun is bright and green pumpkin if it is overcast. Use a Fluke trailer in Texas Craw color on the 3/4-ounce jig.

the water is cooling off at this time. They can be caught drift fishing various depths as well as on jug lines. Shad is the best bait but donít hesitate trying something different.

LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Flats GPS: N30 41.6058, W97 21.30018 (30.693430, -97.355003) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: live or cut shad CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Blue catfish like cold weather and

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Falcon Mesa Points GPS: N26 51.98058, W99 17.37762 (26.866343, -99.289627) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, www.robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Falcon has had two record years of

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spawns. There are many fish in the 14 to 16-inch size weighing up to two-pounds.

Fish the rock ledges for the bigger fish.

The Hwy. 83 bridge pilings also produce many crappie at this time of the year.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS UPPER GULF COAST

Mess of Crappie on Mesa Point

Look for Specks and Flounder

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

T E X A S

F I S H

&

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Three Mile Reef GPS: N28 38.09802, W95 55.32702 (28.634967, -95.922117) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton bull minnows CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037

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TIPS: When using the soft plastics with jigheads, you will find redfish on the bottom and trout closer to the top.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Willow Bayou GPS: N29 51.72702, W93 46.90698 (29.862117, -93.781783) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4 - 1/2-ounce jig heads with a Big Nasty, 5\\\" Voodoo Shad in Cajun Pepper with a chartreuse tail CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409-6739211 TIPS: Speckled trout will be feeding on the white shrimp that are being washed out of any of the bayous.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef GPS: N29 16.19502, W94 56.97402 (29.269917, -94.949567)

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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Four-inch Sea Shad Bass Assasin paddle tail soft plastic baits in either a chartreuse or Hot Chicken colors, using a 1/8-ounce jighead CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: Look for bird action; the fish are still slicking. Cast out, let the bait sink to the bottom and pop it up two or three times and then let it fall.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cotton Bayou GPS: N28 30.60198, W96 12.603 (28.510033, -96.210050) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: She Pups and small Skitterwalks in a pink color CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Throw topwaters early up inside

and along grassy areas when there are strong tides.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Reds, Specks and Schooling Drum

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Port Bay GPS: N28 1.69398, W97 8.694 (28.028233, -97.144900) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Gold spoons and Bone colored topwater baits CONTACT: Capt. Randy Filla, 361-2152332 TIPS: Concentrate on water 2-4 ft deep; work the grass beds and sand pockets. Use a stop and go retrieve when working the spoons.

LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Lydia Ann Channel GPS: N27 51.73602, W97 3.29802 (27.862267, -97.054967) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-2220477 TIPS: Look for schools of drum LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Estes Flats GPS: N27 57.05802, W97 5.331 (27.950967, -97.088850) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Cocahoe tails in a chartreuse color or a white/pink tail CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree, 361-2220477 TIPS: Fish the breaks where fish will drop-off into when temperatures drop; use a slow retrieve.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Old Drum Boat Area GPS: N26 10.713, W97 11.10702

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(26.178550, -97.185117) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters early, live bait, SPI tandems, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Redfish roam the flats during high tide. Make long drifts with topwaters, live bait, or jerkbaits. Crawl weedless jerkbaits through the grass when redfish are tailing.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre

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(26.699417, -97.463183) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Salt/Pepper, clear/red flake, live shrimp CONTACT: Captain Richard Lopez, 956207-4715 TIPS: Are still a hot ticket in November.

Fish shallower than in October with topwaters or jerkbaits. Watch for tailing redfish.

On the Web Find hundreds of Freshwater and Saltwater Hotspots online with our ALL NEW Interactive Hotspots App: www.FishGame.com/hotspots

LOWER GULF COAST

Lower Laguna Redfish

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

HOTSPOT: The Y GPS: N26 2.86002, W97 12.43002 (26.047667, -97.207167) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, mullet, ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, Smoke CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956551-9581 TIPS: Freeline a live shrimp along the drop-offs for speckled trout. Or, you can skip a ballyhoo or fresh mullet in the shallows for one of the big trout that cruise the island flats. You can actually spot them lurking on a sunny day.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Gulp! Jerk Shad in dark patterns CONTACT: Captain George Strader, 956233-4919 TIPS: Fish the east side of the Island.

Watch for cruising redfish. Topwaters are good early, and jerkbaits and Gulp!

Shrimp are tough to beat later on. Fish them weightless or under a rattle float.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Big Oaks GPS: N26 41.96502, W97 27.79098 N O R T H

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Net Accessory Won’t Leave You Up a Creek BETTER TO BE UP A CREEK THAN LEFT WITHOUT a paddle in the middle of a lake, right? For any craft that floats, having a trusty paddle aboard isn’t just a wise move, in some locales, it’s the law. But who wants to rob their boat of valuable space with a big clunky oar? Well, you can leave the paint-chipped oar in the boat house. Better yet, hang the antique in the porch to enhance the nautical theme. New from Frabill comes another ingenious idea that renders a brilliant solution to an alltoo-common dilemma. The HiberNet Paddle accessory snaps into place at the end of any Frabill HiberNet, transforming New paddle your landing net attachment for the into a functional Hybernet. boat paddle. HiberFrabill Net, often called “the most stowable landing net ever devised,” sports a net that actually collapses and vanishes into its heavy-duty aluminum handle. When stowed it’s so compact that the entire Hiber-Net fits inside a rod box, consuming no more space than a broomstick. When you need it, a simple push on the slide-grip opens the net and locks it into place. Pulling back on the grip disengages the net and draws it back inside the handle. Brilliant! Brilliant is the best way to describe the Hiber-Net Paddle accessory, too. At 6-1/2 inches wide by 14-inches in length the rugged polypropylene Paddle blade fits easily into most boat storage compartments. When you need it, the Paddle simply slides over the open end of the 64 |

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Hiber-Net, locking into place with a heavyduty steel pull pin. “This handy Paddle accessory makes carrying a spare oar easy for any angler,” says Frabill New Product Manager Andy Schmelzer. “It’s made of heavy-duty non-corrosive material and snaps securely into place on any Hiber-Net or Hiber-Net XL. Throw one into your boat’s storage compartment where it’s out of the way, but always ready to spring into action when you need it.

“Just one more innovative product that fits in with Frabill’s entire line of Trusted Gear.”

For more information please visit www.frabill.com

P-Line Voltage with UV-Guard VOLTAGE IS A TOURNAMENT GRADE COPOLYMER line extruded with P-Line’s proprietary UV-Guard technology. By adding a UV inhibitor during the extrusion process, we’ve built a line that shields the sun’s destructive rays ensuring a much longer life on your reel, without losing valuable breaking strength.

It’s always been a challenge to find the perfect line with just the right amount of abrasion resistance, castability and breaking strength without having to go to the extreme of using a small or large diameter line.

All of these features were taken into consideration when we developed the specifications for Voltage.

Whether you’re loading a spinning reel to fish the flats, or putting 10 baitcasters on the deck of your bass T E X A S

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boat, Voltage is a line that will easily find your trust and a place in your tackle arsenal.

Visit www.p-line.com.

Tactical .22 Autoload Rimfires MOSSBERG INTERNATIONAL INTRODUCES THE Tactical .22—an alternative firearm for those shooters and enthusiasts who want the look and feel of an AR-style .22 rimfire with an affordable price. With the rising costs of centerfire ammunition, the new Tactical .22 rimfires are a great choice for recreational shooters, as well as those searching for a cost-effective training platform.

The lightweight and fastAR-style autoloading .22 rimfire. han-

Mossberg dling Tactical .22 parallels the look and feel of today’s AR-style rifle while being built around Mossberg International’s reliable .22 autoloader. Taking cues from their proven 702 autoloader, the Tactical .22 matches an 18” barrel to a quad rail forend allowing the operator to fit the rifle with lights, lasers or other tactical accessories. Two stock configurations will be offered in this series: a six-position adjustable and fixed stock. The six-position polymer stock adjusts the length of pull from 10-3/4” – 14.5” accommodating youth and smaller framed shooters up to adults. The fixed position stock has a standard 13” LOP. The Tactical .22 is integrated with an A2-style carry handle and an adjustable Voltage copolymer rear sight aligned line. with a front post P-Line sight. The PicatinN O R T H

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ny handle mount is included, allowing versatility in scopes and other optics while providing the clearance necessary to utilize the AR-style sights. Other features included with the Tactical .22 are sling mounts and a ten round magazine.

MSRP: $276 Please visit www.mossberg.com.

Husky Shield Headlite Guard HUSKY LINERS NOW OFFERS PROTECTION FOR your headlights with our new Husky Shield Headlite Guard. Our high impact resistant clear film protects your headlights from the sandblasting effects of sand, rock, salt and road debris. It is designed to keep your headlights from becoming hazy and yellow with built-in UV inhibitors that help your headlights remain clear.

By installing our Husky Shield Head-

Husky Shield Headlight Guard

lite and Paint Protection Film Husky Liners you will help keep your vehicle looking new...longer, and will save hundreds of dollars in replacement costs. Easy installation with application specific kits are pre-cut to ensure an exact fit when installed on your vehicle. Our material won’t crack, shrink, or yellow. Our heavy duty film, unique adhesive and installation solution make Husky Shield the easiest film kits to install on the market today.

For more information call: 1-800-3448759 or visit their website: www.huskyliners.com.

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Ultra Small Tactical Lights THE STREAMLIGHT PT 1L, 2L, 1AA AND 2AA ARE the smallest and most light-weight additions to the company’s line of handheld tactical products. The combination of their small size and power LEDs makes them among the brightest tactical personal lights available for outdoor sports New line of tiny enthusiasts. tactical lights.

Providing up to Streamlight 180 lumens and 50 hours of runtime, they are ideal all-purpose lights for hunting, fishing and camping, useful for everything from lighting the way to a tree stand, tracking game, or performing fishing or boating chores under low-light conditions.

Each weighs less than 3.5 ounces and measures under 6 inches long and requires either one or two CR123A lithium batteries (the PT 1L and 2L) or one or two “AA” alkaline batteries (the PT 1AA and 2AA). Each of the models offers a high and low intensity setting as well as a strobe function. The PT 2L is also gun mountable, attaching to all long gun Picatinny rails. For more information, call 800-5237488 or visit www.streamlight.com.

Ocean Kayak on the Prowl A KAYAK ANGLER S DREAM, THE OCEAN Kayak Prowler Trident 13 Angler features sleek lines for on-water performance, an excellent drainage system for a drier ride, exceptional storage and smart outfitting throughout. The Prowler Trident 13 Angler has superb primary and secondary stability, ample

Prowler Trident 13 Angler

legroom, adjustable foot pegs, a wide seat well with Comfort Plus seat back, large bow hatch and an oversized tank well with bungee. Designed with anglers in mind the Prowler Trident 13 Angler is equipped with a Rod Pod to conveniently store fishing rods inside the kayak, a Sonar Shield to protect and store fish finders, transducer compatible scupper, battery bag and flush mounted rod holders. Rudder system optional.

Specs: L: 13’6”, W: 29.5”, Weight: 56 lbs, Max weight capacity: 425-475 lbs.

SRP: $999 On the web: www.oceankayak.com; phone: 800-8-KAYAKS

DIY Blind Kits CHAS-MAC’S DO-IT-YOURSELF TOWER KIT FOR the economy minded hunter – includes: high strength metal brackets to construct professional grade deer blind towers. The deluxe kit includes tower platform to leg brackets, porch brackets and stairway brackets, or may be purchased separately as individual kits.

Kit includes detailed pictorial instructions, all fasteners, bill of materials, cut lengths and angle templates for stairway.

Wood is not included, welded tower leg sockets are engineered to provide proven optimum tower leg angler and solid connection to tower base. Sockets accept economical landscape timber legs or modified 4 x 4’s. Battery operated drill and a saw are required for assembly. Wood materials available at home improvement centers.

Tower only kit: $ 135.00 Deluxe Kit: $ 195.00 Chas-Mac Do-It-Yourself Window Kits aid the hunter to complete or upgrade house type deer blinds. Each window kit includes plexiglass window, treated wood window sill and sill support – plus (2) vertical window tracks, all fasteners and instructions. Double angle window sill sheds rain yet provides a flat rifle rest surface. Popular vertical sliding windows are quiet, slide smoothly and lock in any position. Available in several sizes. Installs in minutes. $ 20-$25.00

Ocean Kayak N O R T H

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red-hot yellowfin tuna, which is far more than most spinning reels are capable of.

The TRQS5 weighs in at 19.8 ounces and can hold

Torque Spinning LOOKING FOR A SPINNING REEL THAT’S TOUGH enough to take on any pelagic that swims in the ocean, yet can cast a country mile?

Penn’s new Torque spinner series has a new model line, the bail-less editions, which have no bail and instead allow you to place the line in the roller manually.

Why would you want to operate a spinning reel this way? Anglers making long-distance casts with every iota of strength they can muster don’t want that bail snapping Torque spinning closed prematurely, cutreel. ting the cast short and Penn Reels often snapping off the rig as a result. And no matter how good you are at casting, this problem does arise from time to time. On top of that, eliminating the bail also eliminates a common failure point. On virtually every type of spinning reel, bails are one of the moving parts that encounter regular problems.

The Torque is built as tough as they come, with a sealed single-piece machinedaluminum body housing that offers complete water- and sand-proofing. HT-100 drag washers allow for multiple drag settings, and those settings can get pretty extreme—the maximum drag runs from 38 pounds to 50 pounds, depending on which model you choose. (Three are available, the TRQS5, 7, and9). The reel is silky-smooth, too, with seven ball bearings and a line roller bearing. The bail-less version is also lighter than other Torques.

Down-sides? Price is the one problem: at $699, this is one super-expensive spinning reel. Otherwise, I could find nothing to knock after playing hooky with a Torque. It’s tough enough to take on anything from a bull-dogging monster red to a 66 |

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550 yards of 20 pound braid; the TRQS7 is 26.7 ounces and can take 470 yards of 50 pound braid; and the TRQS9 weighs 28.9 ounces and can hold up to 575 yards of 65 pound braid. Check ‘em out at www.pennreels.com.

—Lenny Rudow

Line Fix THERE ARE SO MANY DARN FISHING LINES ON the market today, it’s nearly impossible to decide on one when you need to fill up a new spool. Well sorry folks, it just got a bit harder to decide… or did it? Suffix’s new 832 might swell an already crowded field, but this line also has some unique characteristics that send it to the head of the pack.

823 is a Dyneema superbraid, but it has Gore fabrics (as in Gore-Tex) intertwined with the Suffix 832 braided line with Gore-Tex line. One strand of Gore is interwoven Suffix

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with seven strands of the braid, 32 times per inch. Since gore doesn’t become degraded with exposure to saltwater, UV light, temperature changes, lubricants, and/or solvents, this gives the line a serious longevity boost. It also gives you a casting boost; the Gore helps it maintain a rounder shape and a slicker surface, so it reduces friction and passes through line guides more easily than other superbraids. There’s also a knot strength advantage, and Suffix claims that a Palomar knot tied in 832 will be up to 30 percent stronger than one tied in regular superbraids. What about abrasion resistance, line consistency, and sensitivity? Suffix also claims an advantage in all of these categories, though to my hands, superbraids of all types are already so sensitive that if there is a boost, I can’t feel it. But others in the fishing world clearly agree that 832 is a real step forward; it won the “Best New Fishing Line” award at the 2010 ICAST fishing show.

A full range of 832 is available, from thread-like six pound test all the way up to 80 pound test. Though it varies a bit, most tests are approximately one quarter the diameter of a monofilament line of the same strength. 150 yard spools run from $20 to $35, and 300 yard bulk spools are also available, in both low-vis green and neon-lime colors.

That might sound expensive at first, but compare it with other superbraids and you’ll notice it’s competitively priced. Take it for a cast, at www.suffix.com.

—LR

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PHOTOS: PENN REELS; SUFFIX

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Keep Our Customer’s Boats Running PALMER POWER, 6451 RUPLEY CIRCLE IN Houston, advertises itself as the marine inboard/outboard parts headquarters for all boat engine parts, large and small, that any boat dealer/repair yard or consumer my need for their boat, and not just in Houston. Palmer Power ships repair parts for all marine engines all over Texas, the surrounding five state area, and also customers in Mexico and overseas.

Carlos Ramirez, President and CEO of Palmer Power, says that his company over the years has become the trusted “go to” parts supplier for many boat dealerships and repair yards who can’t or don’t want to operate a large and costly marine parts department.

“We don’t sell life jackets and ski rope,” says Ramirez. “We are power and propulsion specialists. We stock exhaust manifolds, carburetors, starters, gasket sets, water pumps, control cables, those kind of things. What we want is to be the parts department for boat dealerships, repair shops, or anyone needing engine and drive parts.”

Gary Palmer started the company in 1972 in Richardson, Texas. The original product niche was inboard and inboard/outboard (also known as stern drive) propulsion power systems. The first lines included Volvo Penta, Chrysler Inboards and Borg Warner Velvet Drive marine gears. In 1978 the company moved to Houston and established a relationship with Mercury Marine and the OMC Corporation.

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and stern drives. We start from the very old stuff and go all the way up to the new and improved parts of today’s engines, including electronic fuel injection. We handle everything for engine and gear repair such as seal kits, gear sets, gasket sets, water pumps and carburetor kits.”

Over the years, the company has grown into providing parts for most outboards as well. “We have grown the outboard business primarily in the less expensive aftermarket product lines,” continued Ramirez.

“In the marine parts business you have what they call the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) brands such as Mercury Marine, Johnson and Evinrude, and Yamaha outboards. But you also have what they call the aftermarket products. There are companies like Arco, Sierra Supply, Mallory Marine, Barr Marine and CDI Electronics that sell the generic, or what you call the “will fits” for a more affordable price.

Besides a large inventory of parts, Palmer has a service department on-site for dealers and consumers. “We get transmissions and drives from all over Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Some marinas and boat yards do not have special tools to repair these products so they pull them out of their big boats and ship them down to us. We rebuild them and return them to the boat dealers and repair yards with a remanufactured warranty backed by us. We are very heavy in the area of rebuilding inboard transmissions.

Also, with the most recent problems with alcohol treated gasoline, we recently purchased some state of the art equipment for cleaning gasoline fuel injectors used by both inboard and outboard motors. It’s a lot less expensive to clean them by ultrasonic means than it is to replace them.”

“We want to keep our customer’s boats running:” Palmer Power’s mission statement says, “Keep em boating” “We hate those infamous jokes about T E X A S

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the happiest two days of a boater’s life (when he buys the boat and when he sells it), or the meaning of the word “BOAT” (bring on another thousand.) We want the consumer to learn how to take care of his boat. The more he takes care of it, the less repair costs he is going to have. A happy boater is more likely to keep his boat.

That’s ultimately our goal. We want him to keep on boating and show the next generation how much fun boating really is.

“We don’t want him to say, ‘Forget the boat. It’s always a hassle. I’m going to buy something else.’ We don’t want him to buy something else with his discretionary dollars. We want the boater to know that if he uses his or her boat, they need to maintain it properly and regularly. If you maintain your boat, you are going to spend less money overall. You need to get out there and use it, teach your children about boating. Have your children out there so they will become boaters as well. That’s our primary mission….Keep them boating.”

Palmer’s trained boat parts and service staff boats over 100 years of combined marine experience. The Company offers, phone, fax or email technical assistance and parts “look-up” along with same day shipping to customers all over the United States. Their goal is help you obtain the correct part on the first call. Additional information about Palmer Power Corp is found at their website, http://www.palmerpower.com/. Their phone number is (800) ENGINES (3644637). They are located at 6451 Rupley Circle, Houston, TX 77087…just south of south Loop 610 and east of I-45 south.

G A M E ®

—Tom Behrens

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PHOTO: KLAUS23, DREAMSTIME:

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Heel—Toe… Heel—Toe… S I SAT TO WRITE MY COLUMN FOR THIS month, I thought that I should remind hunters just how important it is to get to and from your tree stand as undetected as humanly possible. This is especially true when dealing with the nose of a whitetail…but this is also true if you are hunting turkeys with a bow.

Case in point…

A

A friend of mine wanted to get his first turkey with a bow. He asked me if I would take him and try my best to call one in. I knew an area where a flock of birds liked to roost most every night. I also knew from many scouting trips that the birds would always fly down in the same field every morning. The problem was to get to that field; we would have to walk as quietly as possible right through their bedroom.

Now this friend never missed a meal in his life and consequently was not known to be light on his feet! As we approached the woodlot, I explained to him that we would

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have to sneak past the birds under the blanket of darkness without kicking the birds off their roost. I told him to walk where I walked. I stressed that he needed to place his feet wherever I put mine. He agreed.

We were three feet in the woods when I heard “crack, snap”. I stopped and looked

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back at my friend and reminded him again about the importance of being quiet. He agreed.

Ten feet later…”crack…snap…rustle.”

I stopped and looked back at my friend once more. I told him the birds were very close now and we needed to be extra careful about being quiet. “Heel toe…Heel toe”, I told him. “If you feel something under your feet, don’t put your weight down on it.” Once again, he agreed.

Three steps later the same thing happened. “ Heel toe….heel toe” I whispered to him. He nodded in agreement and we moved on…for five more steps. I finally stopped and turned to him and whispered that we needed to be quiet! He agreed as he rested his hand on a dead tree. It immediately cracked and made a loud bang as it came crashing to the ground.

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could not contain ourselves any longer! We stood there and stared at each other as the turkeys flew off in all directions.

Needless to say, we did not get a bird that day, but I did learn something. If a tree falls in the woods…and there is no one there to hear it…it still makes one heck of a racket as it hits the ground.

Bow hunting turkeys is not an easy thing to be successful. I think that if turkeys could smell, we would never get one. Deer, on the other hand can smell, and hunting them with a bow presents new challenges. Not only do we need to approach our tree stands as quietly as possible, we also need to remember to keep the wind in our face.

Taking special precautions to keep our scent to a minimum is a good practice as well. I wash my hunting clothes in a scent free soap and leave them outside to dry. I keep my clothes, including my rubber boots, in a plastic container in the back of my vehicle. I put them on only after I have reached my destination.

Tuck you pant legs in your high rubber boots. This will help keep your scent down

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should you brush up against any tall grass while walking to your spot.

As I get closer to my stand, I try to walk with an interrupted cadence. Did you know that we are the only animal in the woods that has a definite rhythm to our walk? If we try to sound like another animal in the woods, we might not spook or alert any deer in the area. Stop. Take a few steps and stop again.

Three quick steps and stop again. Listen to a squirrel when it walks. We should try to emulate their skills as they cautiously take each step. Also, if you are hunting with friends, do not have your buddies walk you to your stand and then wish you luck as they continue on to theirs. It is a better practice to leave your buddies behind when you are about 100 yards or so from your hot spot.

If you use any cover scents, you need to remember to use rubber gloves whenever you handle them. It does you no good if you hang your scent bombs around your area and you handle them with bare hands. The deer will smell the human odor long before you see the animal.

Leaving your hunting area requires you

to just as cautious about your scent. Just because your hunt is over for the day, does not mean that the deer will not be alerted of your presence if you choose to be in a hurry to get home. This is where a lot of hunters make their mistake. If I have deer near my stand and it is after shooting light, I will stay in the stand undetected and may be there for quite a while before the deer decide to wander off. It is better to wait than to get out of your stand and alert the deer.

Walking to and from your hunting spot requires as much care as the hunt itself… if you want to be successful. Take your time and use your head. Respect the nose of that deer, and remember to be careful and have fun out there.

E-mail Lou Marullo at lmarullo@fishgame.com

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Tools for Reloading HEN YOU BEGIN RELOADING METALLIC cartridge ammunition, both handgun and rifle, there are three kinds of tools you need to know about – those tools you cannot do the job without; those tools that are not absolutely necessary, but that make the job easier or more precise; and those that are neither necessary nor useful, but which are

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made to sell, not to work.

Reloading can be a simple and spartan operation. When I first started reloading, in 1972, I had a press, dies, lube pad, and a powder scale. I poured the powder from the factory container into a soup bowl and then ladled it with a tablespoon from the bowl into the pan of the powder scale. It all worked just fine until the cartridge cases for my .25-06 became too long to reload, then I found I needed a case trimmer and a tool to chamfer inside and outside the case mouth after it was trimmed.

Then I discovered that I needed something with which to measure the cases. At first one of the universal case length gauges – a metallic plate with notches cut to fit the

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various calibers – worked just fine. But when I discovered that this wasn't a very precise method of measuring (although it was certainly precise enough), I bought a dial caliper.

Next I decided that dribbling the last few powder granules into the scale pan with my fingers wasn't very efficient so I bought a powder trickler. Once I had the trickler, the spoon and bowl method didn't seem nearly as efficient or professional, so I bought a volumetric powder measure.

While the primer seater that came with my RCBS Rockchucker worked just fine, I decided that a dedicated primer seater would work better (It does, by the way, for me.)

This acquisition of newer and better tools continued until I had so many tools that I had to dedicate a room of my house to reloading. Then to make matters worse I got into shotgun reloading. Later still, I got into skeet shooting which meant I had to reload for 4 different shotgun gauges, meaning 4 different MEC loaders. And since I was shooting a great deal, I decided that I needed multi-stage reloaders.

Somewhere in there I got into bullet casting and acquired many and varied bullet molds as well as 3 different lead furnaces, so it was easy to keep separate the three different hardness levels of lead I used.

Then I found that I was in need (actually, in want is a better definition) of a Lyman T-Mag turret press, so I could better load for the .45 Colt and .44 Magnum. Finally I bought a Dillon multi-stage loader to load my .45 ACP, .38 Special, .223, and other high volume calibers.

This continued until I had what amounted to a full-fledged ammo factory for almost any caliber you could imagine. Of course, this acquisition of equipment took many years and I tried other tools and loaders that were unsatisfactory and that I no longer have. I also continued to improve my equipment. I went from a balance beam scale to an electronic Lyman digital model (the old N O R T H

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balance beam is plenty good and not subject to the whims of batteries or the electric company. I still use my balance beam scale to check my electronic models); I bought a chronograph to ground truth the velocity the loading manuals claimed for each load; I got a vibrating Lyman case cleaner to remove the grit, grime, and corrosion from the cases; and so on and so forth, ad nauseam. Now I have a small building that is dedicated entirely to reloading, and a barn to hold the stuff there isn't room for in the building.

I have discovered in my sojourn through the winding arroyos of the shooting and reloading world that this is a pretty common situation. Many before me have made the journey by trial and error until they have found what works for them. Some have stayed simple and some have setups that would make mine look like a beginner' s rig.

Through this I have learned a few rules that seem to me to be immutable.

1 The simpler you can keep it, the better the result will usually be.

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2) The more complicated a piece of equipment is, the more able it is to really mess things up.

3) Most new tools that claim to make things easier only make things more complicated. Refer to rule #2.

extremely high quality ammunition. The quality of handloads is vouchsafed by the fact that every benchrest and thousand yard competitor uses nothing but handloads. If the people who require the absolute utmost accuracy from their ammunition shoot handloads, that's good enough for me.

4) If a tool has been around for decades it is because it works.

5) If you find a method that works for you, stick with it.

6) When you are beginning in reloading, find an old-timer to teach you the ropes.

Learning from a book is possible, but much, much, harder.

If you are a shooter, I strongly urge you to become a reloader. The two go hand-inglove and a shooter only becomes truly competent and knowledgeable when he has learned to reload his own ammunition.

Reloading can save money and can produce

E-mail Steve LaMascus at guns@fishgame.com

On the Web www.DillonPrecision.com www.LymanProducts.com www.MECReloaders.com www.RCBS.com

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Maintenance Man EGULAR MAINTENANCE MAY BE A PAIN IN THE kiester, but it’s also a reality of life. If you have a lawn mower, drive a car, or run an ATV, you know you have to do regular maintenance or you’ll have problems down the road. On a boat, those problems will be magnified tenfold, because when it breaks down you can’t walk home or shove it into the garage—you’ll be stuck on the water, helpless until assistance arrives.

Don’t let this happen. No matter what chores you fall behind on, never allow your boat’s regular maintenance to suffer.

What’s the most important item on the regular maintenance checklist? Changing the engine oil. In fact, when modern four-

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stroke outboards were introduced to the market, the manufacturers’ single biggest worry was that boaters would neglect to change the oil and oil filter in a timely fashion. Because of the engine’s high operative RPM range and the tendency of outboards to rev up and down as the boat climbs and falls on waves, the engine is under an unusual amount of stress when compared to fourstrokes in cars, motorcycles, or motorized tools. So even more than usual, they need oil—clean oil—in sufficient supply, at all times. That’s why many outboard have alarm systems and warning lights that tell you when it’s time for an oil and filter change. In most cases, you’ll need to do this every 100 hours or so or once a season, whichever comes first.

Yeah, yeah, I know: an oil change comes as naturally to you and I as brushing our teeth. We’ve been changing the oil in our cars and trucks since we were kids, and we know the drill very well, thank you very much. But boats are different creatures than

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cars. And although most of us may know how to do an oil change, we might be able to pick up a tip or two from an in-depth look at marine oil changes. So bear with me on this one.

The first and biggest reason people do poor oil changes? Impatience. Some guys pull the drain, yank off the old filter, put on a new one, and fill her right back up. But the oil needs time to drain, and if you’re patient with the process, you’ll get a lot more of the old stuff out of the engine. The best practice is to put your drip pan in place, and walk away. Do something else for 10 or 15 minutes, to distract yourself, so you’re not tempted to jump right back in and prematurely finish the process. TIP: Make a “U” out of a piece of duct tape and push it under the drain hole, so it directs the flow of oil away from the motor. That’ll prevent those final few drips from running down onto the lower unit.

The second most common problem?

People often neglect to warm the engine up for a few minutes before doing the change.

Warm oil will flow better, and drain more completely. This will also get any particulate matter that’s in the engine to go into suspension in the oil, so it’s more likely it’ll be washed away.

After draining the old oil and changing the filter, leave the drain open and pour half a quart or so of fresh oil into the crankcase.

TIP: Forget using a regular funnel, which is usually too narrow, wobbles around in the fill hole, and often falls out. Instead, cut the top off of a two-liter soda bottle and use it for a funnel. The threaded end fits into most outboards, and grabs on the oil fill’s threads well enough that it stays in place.

Now you’ll need to apply that patience once again; allow it to sit for a few minutes, so the fresh oil drains all the way through the engine and washes away any impurities that were left behind during the initial change.

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gasket before screwing it down tight (yes, I knew you already did that). And never, ever tighten a new oil filter with a hard wrench.

Use the appropriate tool—a dedicated filter wrench—only, or you may crimp down some of the metal, and alter the filter’s properties. What’s that? You say your oil wrench won’t fit the outboard’s filter? In many cases (especially with smaller sized four strokes) regular oil filter wrenches are too large to crimp down on the filter effectively. You can, however, often use a strap wrench to tighten it down. In a pinch, take an old windshield wiper blade and wrap it around the filter before placing a filter wrench over it. This usually fills in the gaps, and the rubber material won’t spin on either the wrench or the filter.

Now that the oil’s been changed, it’s time to do… another oil change. Your outboard’s lower unit oil should be changed each and every time you change the engine’s oil. And there are a few tricks that will make this process more effective, too.

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gaskets even though they’re brand new.

Now you’re ready to refill the lower unit.

Working from the lower hole, pump it full until some clean oil drips back out of the upper hole. Then plug the upper hole –not the lower hole—first. This will ensure that the oil you lose will be minimal (it’s impossible to prevent losing some), when you try to fit in the lower screw.

never, ever miss an oil change. This is one aspect of regular maintenance that simply can’t wait—unless you don’t mind waiting for a tow, when your engine breaks down.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

Most important, of course, is that you

Start by removing the lower drain plug, with the oil pan in place. IMPORTANT: Have a clean place identified and ready to place the drain screws; if these hit the dirt, you’ll have to thoroughly clean them off or risk contaminating your lower unit!

At this point the oil will flow, but very slowly. That’s because you need to remove the upper screw plug, too. This will allow air to displace the lower unit oil, and it’ll drain a lot faster. Next apply that magic oil change ingredient—patience—one more time, and allow it to drain completely.

The oil’s all drained? Maybe. But to be sure, try tilting your engine up and then back down a bit. Even though it may have looked level when you started, the boat and trailer may be parked on uneven ground.

For whatever reason, I’ve found that I always, without fail, get a few extra tablespoons of lower unit oil out of the engine when I tilt it back and forth. Again, flush the system with a squirt of fresh, clean oil, and let it drain thoroughly again.

Before you begin re-filling the lower unit, be sure to replace the washer on the screw plug. Why bother? Because in many cases, that isn’t a washer. It’s actually a metal compression gasket, and it’s only good for one use. In fact, if you botch the operation and have to remove the screw(s) after tightening them the first time, you should replace these N O R T H

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Danger Lies to the North EVERE WEATHER IS THE CONCERN OF EVERY boater but it is especially important to kayak fishermen. The first really harsh cold fronts of the year historically make their appearance in November or December, rolling unimpeded across the state like Patton’s Third Army during a breakout. If your only means of propulsion is a double-bladed paddle, be forewarned that danger lies to the north.

Cold fronts that drop down over the Pacific Ocean and move into Washington, Oregon, or California are known as Pacific, or maritime, fronts. These fronts must push across the Rocky Mountains before making it to Texas. Pacific fronts are generally drier, having been robbed of a lot of strength during their sojourn through the mountains.

Arctic fronts, on the other hand, drop straight down out of Canada and race across the mid-continent unabated, the flat lands of Kansas and Oklahoma offering little resistance. A strong Arctic front only takes two days to cover the distance between Canada and Texas.

Cold fronts are boundaries between warm and cold air masses. If there is a big difference between the associated air temperatures and moisture contents of the colliding air masses, there is a possibility of violent weather. Tornadoes are frequently spawned by cold fronts. Wind speeds in the 30 MPH range are routine with higher wind gusts possible. One memorable cold front in December 1989 dropped air temperatures at the coast from the 70s into the teens in just 12 hours.

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A strong Arctic front takes two days to cover the distance between Canada and Texas.

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Although cold fronts are easy to track, weathermen sometimes fail miserable predicting their arrival times. Although it is prudent to check out the weather forecast every time you go paddling, don’t accept it as gospel; cold fronts may arrive early or late.

The worst thing that can happen to a kayaker is to be surprised by a strong front, which is just what happened four years ago on the Texas coast, near Port Aransas, during a kayak fishing tournament. Scores of anglers had departed Highway 361, some paddling north and some heading south in search of fish. Several hours later, a black wall of clouds charged in from the northeast.

The front that no one expected brought lashing rains, lightning, and high winds, leaving anglers cold, wet, and very scared.

Winds were so high that the anglers that headed south couldn’t make headway paddling into the violent winds and were stranded. One saving grace: the cold front hit in May. Otherwise, hypothermia would have surely claimed multiple victims.

I spoke with Ray Chapa, a former kayak fishing guide who now teaches the Kayak4Redfish seminars, regarding the unfortunate situation anglers found themselves in. “That cold front dropped air temperatures from the 80s into the 60s in a matter of minutes. Winds at the leading edge of the front were 60 MPH and were still in the 30s two hours later. Some wade fishermen who had anchored their kayaks were stranded when their boats blew away. One person was literally blown out of their boat and a T E X A S

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husband and wife were separated by the storm. Luckily, no one was killed but there were a lot of scared people,” said Chapa Chapa had several tips for winter kayakers. First check the forecast. With today’s smart cell phones and WiFi hotspots, pulling up a radar map just before you launch is an easy and prudent thing to do.

Second, be prepared with jackets and rain gear. Chapa tucks his rain gear into his front hatch – just in case. Staying dry is essential during winter months and Chapa recommends breathable waders to keep your legs dry. A wading belt cinched down tightly around your waist is essential should you capsize; the belt minimizes the amount of water that can get into the legs of your waders.

Should you get caught off guard by a sudden cold front, Chapa advised anglers to grind it out until they get to their destination. “Paddling into a 30 MPH headwind is exhausting, but you can’t stop paddling if you want to make it back to your vehicle.

You won’t go very fast but you have to keep moving. Don’t stop to rest. It takes a lot less energy to keep moving forward than starting from a dead stop,” Chapa concluded.

Kayak anglers will need to deal with the potential risk of cold fronts for the next six months. Check the forecast just before you hit the water, constantly calculate the distance back to your vehicle when you are on the water, and give a friend or loved one your game plan before hitting the water.

When you are on the water, keep an eye out for building clouds because danger lies to the north.

Greg Berlocher can be reached for question or comment at kayak@fishgame.com.

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The Fall Challenge ’VE GOT TO BE HONEST, THE OCTOBER AND November columns are the most difficult for me to write because I’m not really thinking about fishing this time of year. I just got through putting a new string on my bow and by the time you actually read this I’ll be sitting in a tree or blind somewhere in East Texas hopefully drawing back as a buck walks carelessly in front of me. Fall means hunting, that’s just how I’m wired, and it’s not necessarily a good thing because fall is a great time to go fishing in Texas.

This is especially true if you’re one of the lucky Texans that have the opportunity to live near the coast. Fishing in the bays heats up as the weather cools down and I’ve heard it said more than once that if you deer hunt you miss some of the best saltwater action of the year. So for those of you who don’t hunt, or for the lucky few who tagged out during bow season and now need something to do, let’s talk about jigging for trout and reds.

Jigs are very simple fishing tools. Basically a hook with a hunk of heavy metal (lead not Metallica) molded around the eye, jigs have been catching fish for hundreds if not thousands of years and are the base for other popular baits. A spinner bait is just a jig with a spinner and a swim bait is just a jig you swim through the water column.

Even though jigs are simple lures; that

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Jigs are very simple fishing tools. Basically a hook with a hunk of heavy metal molded around the eye.

doesn’t stop manufacturers from making them in all kinds of crazy designs, shapes, sizes, and colors. While each of these designs serve a purpose and have a specific application when bass fishing, they are overkill for saltwater.

You can use jigs with hook guards and skirts while going after trout and reds but don’t have to. Go with either a basic 1/8 ounce bullet head jig (painted or unpainted, it’s your choice) or a shaky head jig and

you can catch all the fish you want.

Most anglers use a plain bullet jig head but over the past few years I find myself tying on a shaky head more often than not. While originally designed for bass it transfers easily over to saltwater applications. The design allows it to be swam with moderate, ease which is effective when the fish are actively feeding, but where it outshines a bullet jig is on slow days. On days when the fish are lethargic and not aggressive, the shaky head can be worked slower being bounced along T E X A S

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the bottom while keeping the tail of the bait sticking up. With the tail sticking up it is waving around and attracting fish, rather than just laying flat on the bottom as it will do with a traditional bullet head jig.

As far as what you actually put on the jig, the choices are virtually endless. The old faithful baits like bass assassins, flukes, or slug-gos, and any of the soft plastic paddle tail baits on the market still work but don’t be afraid to try other newer baits as well. The Sidewinder by Stanley Jigs is a bass bait that is effective on inshore saltwater species as well.

No matter which bait you decide to use one addition that should be made is to insert a small worm rattle. Many of the waters along the coast are murky (most are downright dirty) so you want the fish to be able to hone in on the bait by sound as well as by sight.

Right now our rig consists of a shaky head jig, dressed with the soft plastic of your choice, with a rattle inserted making it appeal to the fishes senses or sight and sound but we need to add one more thing to make it more affective. For decades a lot of saltwater anglers have tipped their jigs with small pieces of shrimp to appeal to the fish’s sense of smell.

The problem with this is sometimes you can’t get your hands on shrimp and when you do it doesn’t stand up to a lot of casting. So instead of tipping the jig with shrimp use one of the fish attractants strips currently on the market (Fish Bites or Berkley Gulp Strips). Now, you have a bait that can be seen, heard, and smelled, making it hard for any fish to resist.

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E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

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White Oak Outfitters

Steve Tuttle, Sloan Tuttle and Jake White - Hillman’s Guide Service

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Bellville is a short 15-mile jaunt from I-10 (Sealy) or Highway 290 (Hempstead) making it convenient for hunters heading back to Houston from the lease. During rifle season we accept deer on a 7 X 24 basis.

Don’t forget our slow-smoked Bar B Q sandwiches. Sit a spell and dine with us or have your sandwiches packed to go. If you are heading to Austin or College Station this fall, make the short jaunt to Bellville Meat Market to pick up a variety of meats for the pit and all your tailgating supplies. Bellville Meat Market - Meat is our middle name™

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Redfish Trinity Bay

Piggy Perch

Mangrove Snapper

Laguna Madre

Laguna Madre

Croaker Bastrop Bayou

of orm Sorensen ld Summer St r first fish, a he Seven-year-o ht ug ca , , Utah at Salt Lake City andpa’s boat r, from her gr u.

9-inch croake yo Ba p ro f Bast The Cedars of

Jesse Hoke, 7, of Huntsville , inch redfish on his first fis caught this 21hing trip with dad and papa his w in Trinity Ba keeper speckle y. He also go t7 d trout, all on artificial bait.

4, rker Parrish, sh, 2, and Pa -up” of Peyton Parri “double hook r pe ap sn re he. Both fish we caught a perc Laguna Madr from a pier on ught again the next day. ca released and

Whitetail Deer Whitetail Deer

Ft. McKavett

Cross Plains

Whitetail Buck

Ericka Dunb ar, age 15, sh ot her first de while huntin er g wi weekend near th her Pawpaw on a yout h Cross Plains . She took th pounder from e 95100 yards wi th a 7mm-08.

Brady first ess shot his age 9, of Cypr his family’s on Parker Tally, s rd ya 90 4 at buck with a .20 Photo submitted by his y. ranch in Brad was hunting with him. o “PawPaw,” wh

Jessica Wick er, 15, shot on e buck and tw does in one sitting with a o youth model while huntin .243 g with her da d during yout son at Ft. Bu h se llard Ranch ne ar Ft. McKave att.

Whitetail Buck Kinney County

Mixed Stringer Shark

West Galveston Bay

Port Aransas

d ey Ballard an rd, with Ashl on and ar Sh Sharon Balla of s er k, daught dhing these re Trisha Pavloc , had fun catc West Bay. in r de Bobby Ballard un flo trout and fish, speckled

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Sam Sommer of deer, a 5-1/2-y Bulverde shot his second ear-old, 165pound, 8-poin buck, huntin g wi t County. He to th dad Richard in Kinney ok the buck with one shot .

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on, 7, of Com Dylan Thomps 3-foot shark is th ht ug ca k stoc e s. Dylan is th at Port Aransa Billings.

J. E. of on ds gran

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Sheepshead Port Aransas

Redfish

Whitetail Buck

Lower Laguna Madre

Jackson County

othed with his br ell, 11, pictur first 8-point Matthew Cass s hi ot sh 9, ony, on er John Anth r at 80 yards ty.

70 Wincheste Jackson Coun buck with a .2 in h nc Ra k ee Cr ow ad Sh the

,a his first redfish dre, , 12, caught guna Ma La r Drake Alford we Lo at -incher, Jr. 20-pound, 36 Rudy Garza, e. with Captain d on 8-lb. lin while fishing lan to es ut 30 min The red took

Brooke Odom of Austin caug keeper 17-in ht her first ch sh with live shrim eepshead while fishing p with her fa ther Brett in Port Aransas.

Redfish Sabine Lake

Speckled Trout

Redfish

Port Isabel Port Mansfield

Joel Lopez of Alamo Height s redfish, betw een 23 and 27 caught these inches in leng while fishing in Port Mans th, field.

While on his honeymoon in Port Isabel wife Sandra with Quiroga, Jaim e Qu caught his lim it of speckled iroga trout, using Norton bull m innows.

ht mberton caug llen, 10, of Lu ne Cameron Woo redfish while fishing Sabi e er his first keep om and dad. He caught th m Lake with his live finger mullet for bait. ing 20-incher us

Speckled Trout Baffin Bay

Brim Private Pond

Blue Catfish ught us Christi ca ers, 7, of Corp her Pamela Child r first speckled trout, at he g cabin in in at and released flo ’s lia and De e. grandpa Gene parents Scott and Roxann th Baffin Bay, wi

Canyon Lake Robert Reyn a of San Anto nio 14.8-pound bl ue catfish wh caught this ile night fishi at Canyon La ng ke.

s rick caught hi mld Laine Bund in Lu nd po e Three-year-o at iv brim, in a pr first fish, this th his pappy, Ricky Riley. wi berton, while

Redfish Black Drum

Kemah

Indianola Beach

Mixed Stringer Sabine Lake

Marina Armol a Fl caught this 21 ores of Port Lavaca -inch drum an fish using sh d a 24-inch re rimp for bait dwhile fishing Indianola Be off ach.

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of Havel, age 4, 8, and Hayden of redfish its Hunter, age lim r ei th th caught , in his Houston, bo th dad, Chris ile fishing wi bine Lake.

Sa on and trout wh at Bo r Fusion new Pathfinde

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Dalton Brow n, 11, caught a 25-inch, 9redfish, his fir pound st Kemah-Clear , fishing with friends at th Lake Canal. e Photo submitt by proud pare ed nts Bruce an d Rocio Brow n.

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