September 2013

Texas Fish & Game « september 2013 • VOL. XXX NO. 5 C OASTAL EDITION

Coastal Edition

www.FishGame.com

Winter Change-Up:

Is Your Boat Ready?

SEPTEMBER 2013 | VOL. XXX • NO. 5 | $3.95

Autumn Obsession:

Falling for Bass

Keying on

Mullet in the Surf The Lost Art of

StillHunting

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First

Flounder

Push

Build an AR-15

for Deer Hunting

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Texas Fish & Game « september 2013 • VOL. XXX NO. 5 no rth EDITION

North Edition

www.FishGame.com

Winter Change-Up:

Is Your Boat Ready?

SEPTEMBER 2013 | VOL. XXX • NO. 5 | $3.95

The Lost Art of

Autumn Obsession:

Still-

Falling for Bass Keying on

Hunting

Mullet in the Surf September’s

First Flounder Push

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Build an

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OVER 50 FRESH & SALTWATER LOCATIONS 2500 GPS Available FISHING Now! SPOTS ORDER NOW www.FishandGameGear.com

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

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CONTENTS FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 2013 • Volume XXX • NO. 5

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Falling for bass “Those who know me are aware of my addiction. For those who don’t, I have a confession. I am a bass junkie.” So begins the story of one man’s descent into autumn obsession.

by Matt Williams

Build an ar-15 deer rifle In Part Five of his series, Dustin Ellermann shows how to configure an AR-15 in a larger caliber for deer hunting.

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coastal cover: First Flounder Push Contrary to common perception, the annual flounder run does not happen in a single dash to the Gulf.

Story and Cover Photo by Chester Moore

STORY:

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by Dustin Ellermann

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key on mullet in the surf In September, when striped mullet key on shorter days and school up in the surf, fishermen in turn key on mullet.

by Mike Price

cover: The Lost Art of StillHunting Hunters who have always sat in a blind or other type of fixed stand, waiting for deer to come to them, have missed out a a truly invigorating hunting experience.

STORY:

Winter change-up Autumn is at the door and cold winter presses hard not too far behind.

What changes are in order to prepare your boat for cold-weather fishing?

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Story by Steve LaMascus Cover Photo: Canstock

by Lenny Rudow 4 |

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CONTENTS COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

SEPTEMBER 2013 • Volume XXX • NO. 5

COLUMNS

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s Notes 10 ‘September’

Texas Freshwater 29

TPWD Studies Fish

Attractors at Rayburn

by matt Williams TF&G Freshwater Editor

by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

8 letters 12 TF&G Report 12 big bags & catches

Chester’s Notes 14

What is a Javelina

Texas Bowhunting 42

Scent Control Makes

Good Sense

defense

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

by Lou Marullo TF&G Bowhunting Editor

44 True green

(really)?

Doggett at Large 16 The

34 texas dept. of

Battle

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Digital:

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Pike on the Edge 18 Lion-

Hunt Texas 47

Nature’s Photo

Hearted

by Doug Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Ops

by bob hood TF&G Hunting Editor

TexasWild 20

Beauty and the

Texas Saltwater 51

Seeing the

Beasts

Plaid

by Ted nugent TF&G Editor At Large

by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor

Commentary 21

For the Love of

Open Season 56

The Motor

Animals

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Court

by Kendal Hemphill TF&G Politcal Commentator

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by reavis wortham TF&G Humor Editor

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Letters to the Editor Earning Your Age

Glenn Jackson

y

I always enjoy Doug Pike’s and Joe Doggett’s columns, but I especially appreciate Pike’s “Earning Your Age” in the August issue, as I fit the age group.

Doggett is there with us, too.

Thanks for your enthusiasm and love for the great outdoors, and sharing it with us all these years.

By the way, I’m Joe’s old fraternity brother and fellow lover of our great Texas outdoors.

{

Ken Frazier Via email

Becka Graham’s entry.

Stop Whining and Enjoy the Hunt I read Ted Nugent’s TexasWild column, “Stop Whining and Enjoy the Hunt,” and connected.

The best joy was someone actually applying the word “kill” when referring to game hunting.

My father-in-law was a farmer in Missouri and he “harvested” corn, wheat, and soybeans. I never “harvested’ any wild game, as I did not raised any, but I have enjoyed the hunts, kills, and grilled meats.

The term “harvested” confuses me.

Glenn Jackson of Liberty, TX, won the Freshwater Fishing category with his submission, “Giant LBJ Bass.” He chose “Texas Deer Book” from our selection of Texas Fish & Game books.

Brandt Socias of Santa Fe, TX took

the Hunting category with his photo, “Rattlesnake – Sabinal TX.” He chose as his prize a Robert Klaas Fixed Blade Skinner knife from Hallmark Cutlery.

Becca Graham of San Antonio, TX, won in the Saltwater Fishing category with “Redfish caught at La Quinta Channel (Gulf Coast).” She chose “Kayak Texas” from our book selection as her prize.

To learn more, enter or vote for a photo, and see the prize offerings visit fishgame. com/bigbagsandcatches/

Bill Bigbee Via email

Send your Comments to:

TF&G Big Bags & Catches On-Line Photo Contest Winners Texas Fish & Game announced the first winners of its “Big Bags & Catches On-line Photo Tournament” in late July.

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Mail: Editor Texas Fish & Game 1745 Greens Rd Houston TX 77032

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Email: editor@fishgame.com

Brandt Socias

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Editor’s Notes

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

T

hough September is not my favorite month (October holds that distinction), I have always looked forward to it with great anticipation, but I am not sure why.

Maybe it is because it is the first month with an “R” in it following a swelter of meltdown summer, hence the implied promise of abating temperatures. It could be that it is the first month with hunting bearing an official seal of approval (I am a hunter by genetic imperative and a fisherman by choice)—which is not to imply there is anything wrong or less than satisfying about busting varmints and chasing hogs; I guess I just like the feeling of “officialness.”

I remember the smell of my grandfather’s faded canvas hunting vest, which hung in the back porch closet all summer, keeping company with worn boots, leaky waders, an Army surplus parka, horse blankets, bridles, a lariat, Grandmother’s canned goods, and ancient leather riding chaps.

The shell loops always bore a few paper hull 12-gauge leftovers from last season, and the game bag a few grey feathers that smelled like autumn and sere fields burned crisp in dry summer heat. I liked to wear that vest (though it hung down to my knees) because it reminded me of the field and hunting dove with Pop, though I was too young to shoot.

It reminded me of ham sandwiches wrapped in wax paper and coffee from a battered red thermos, fresh apples, and the smell of nitro powder. It reminded me of September.

“Going to the lake” was a year-long weekend rite, but the first September visit always seemed more special; it just “felt” different. The lake cabin seemed brighter, more comfortable, and inviting. The tangle of spin-cast rods in the corner of the bedroom beckoned with fresh appeal, and the faded black of my Zebco 202 seemed new, like I was seeing it for the first time after a long absence. The little “five-horse” Sea King had new zip that pushed the bat-

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“

It is the first month with an ‘R’ in it following a swelter of meltdown summer.

“

September

tered 14-foot aluminum Lone Star with pride befitting the name. The crappie, fried golden crisp in a cast iron skillet on a wood fire stove, tasted sweeter. Everything seemed newer, brighter, better; it was September.

It was late in the season and “winter” had arrived early in earnest. A razor-edged north wind howled over the far tree line and funneled down the slope of the pasture.

Dove rode the wind like tiny missiles in the jet stream, zipping along at astonishing speed. A flight of six cleared the trees with the wind behind them, barreling toward the

withered sunflower patch at the back edge of the pasture. They flared left and right as they passed over me, and I dropped two with a left and right swing of the old Stevens 16-gauge double. It was the best shot of my life, and no one there to see it. It was my first dove shot over my own land. I saw it, and I remember. It was September.

My three-year-old daughter, no bigger than a bug’s ear and twice as cute in her cut-down cammies, retrieved my first dove of the season with the enthusiasm of a Lab pup. I watched her turn it in her hands, minutely inspecting it like a matron shopping for cantaloupes. She looked at the blood on her hands, remarked at its warmth and sweet smell, and asked a hundred questions: Where did the bird come from? How far away? How high could it fly? Did it have brothers or sisters? Why is it called a “dove”? What would we do with it? Could

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she keep it? I shot less than a limit (not that I usually do) to spend time answering her questions, explaining how nature works, and why we hunt. Two seasons later, she shot her first dove. It was September.

Two of my grandsons and I sat by the tank down in the pasture, waiting for dove to come for evening water. They asked a hundred questions: Why do dove migrate? Why are some much bigger than others? What do they eat? Where do they nest? Why are there so many? Why must my shotgun be plugged for three shots? A flight of three bobbed into view over the trees south of the tank, 300 yards across my neighbor’s field.

“Get ready,” I said. “Here they come.”

The oldest grandson stood and fired as the birds set wings to settle beside the tank. He missed his first dove, and stood dismayed with an emptied magazine, watching them disappear. It was September.

The new spinning rod and reel hanging above my desk looks just as it did the day I got it. It has hung there for months, beckoning unheeded. It looks the same, but it isn’t; it “feels” different. Though it has no discernable odor, it is as if I can smell the lake, a faint scent of shiner minnows fresh-dipped from the bucket. It fits my hand almost magically, perfectly balanced. I can see the bend and quiver as a crappie struggles against the tension. In a couple of weeks, I think I will shut up the office and go fishing. It will be September.

The thorn- and tooth-worn Remington 870 slides out of the case, sharp with the reek of Hoppe’s gun oil. It smoothly digests the red-hulled 7-1/2’s without mechanical gagging, its metal belly less than half full with two rounds. Its familiar heft swings smoothly to my shoulder, the stock caressing my cheek with gentleness unbefitting manly walnut. It is still hot outside, but summer seems far past. The air “feels” different, smells like sere fields burned crisp in dry summer heat—it is September.

Contact Don Zaidle at DZaidle@fishgame.com

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The TF&G Report Feds Propose Liberal Frameworks for Late Waterfowl Seasons The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing continued liberal hunting season lengths and bag limits for the upcoming 2013-14 late waterfowl seasons.

The annual results of cooperative population surveys, banding programs and harvest surveys guide USFWS’ waterfowl conservation programs under authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. All of this information represents the largest data set on any wildlife species group in the world, and helps provide

Status Report summarizes information on the status of duck and goose populations and habitat conditions during spring of 2013.

Image: USFW

hunting opportunities while ensuring the long-term health of waterfowl populations.

States select their individual seasons from within the federal frameworks that establish the earliest beginning and latest ending dates and the maximum season length and bag limits.

USFWS’ 2013 Waterfowl Population

Overall, population estimates for most species of ducks remained strong for this breeding season.

In the traditional survey area, which

B i g B a g s&C a t c h e s

Marina Armola Flores caught this black drum in Port Lavaca and practiced careful catch & release, “so he can live a Happy Fish Life.”

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Seven-year-old Joey Falschlehner of Houston took this eight-point buck while hunting with his Dad near San Marcos.

This deer was the second of three he killed in the season.

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Jack Scoggins, 11, caught this 34-inch redfish in Baffin Bay, using Gulp! jerk shad under a popping cork. The trophy red was tagged, and was delicious!

Photo credit

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includes the north-central United States, south-central and northern Canada, and Alaska, the 2013 total duck population

“ Overall, population estimates for most species of ducks remained strong.

The inaugural season for teams from towns including Lumberton, Bridge City, Deweyville, Buna and Little Cypress had laid the foundation for a new organized sport gaining popularity in the area.

“I would say my expectations have completely changed from when we started,” Lumberton High School fishing coach Bryan Thomas said. “I thought this would be an opportunity for kids to get together and fish a couple tournaments and we’ve

surpassed that…Next year we want to be a model region for the state of Texas.”

Young anglers have the chance to fish with their school name across their chest, while competing for college scholarship money.

—Beaumont Enterprise

“ estimate was 45.6 million birds, a decrease of six percent from last year’s estimate of 48.6 million, but still 33 percent above the long-term average (1955-2012).

Overall, habitat conditions were similar to or slightly improved from last year. The 2013 pond estimate for the north-central U.S. was 2.3 million. Pond numbers in the U.S. were 41 percent higher than 2012.

While initially dry, late spring rains helped recharge wetlands, which benefited latenesting waterfowl.

The proposed federal frameworks include duck hunting season lengths of 60 days in both the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways, 74 days in the Central Flyway (with an additional 23 days in the High Plains areas), and 107 days in the Pacific Flyway. The proposed frameworks include a full season on pintails with a two-bird daily bag limit nationwide, and a full season on canvasbacks with a two-bird daily bag limit nationwide. USFWS is also proposing to increase possession limits for ducks and geese to three times the daily bag limit.

High School Competitive Fishing Continues to Catch On The end of the High School Fishing World Finals marked a new beginning for youth fishing in Southeast Texas.

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Chester’s Wild Life

by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor

What is a Javelina (really)?

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o animal is more symbolic of the arid regions of Texas than the collared peccary more commonly known as javelina. An animal shrouded in mystery, these medium-sized mammals have a reputation that precedes them.

For starters, they have an identity crisis.

Lumped in with feral hogs as a species of swine, they are not pigs in the sense we think of pigs. According to biologists with Texas A&M University at Kingsville, a “javelina is not a pig, a feral hog or a wild boar. Although similar in appearance to a pig, it is a collared peccary.”

Both javelina and pigs are members of the order artiodactyla and the suborder suiformes and share a common ancestry.

Due to key anatomical and genetic differences, however, taxonomists placed them in separate families: javelina in tayassuidae and pigs in suidae.

Texas A&M Kingsville biologists said the confusion probably started as soon as European explorers arrived in the New World.

“The javelina is native to the Western Hemisphere, while true pigs developed in the Eastern Hemisphere. Distinguishing characteristics include size. Javelinas are small and compact, weighing from 30 to 55 pounds, while adult feral hogs can reach 100 pounds or more. Javelinas are a grizzled brown and black with a white band of coarse hair, its ‘collar,’ around the neck. Feral hogs come in a variety of colors and combinations of colors. Less obvious differences include that the javelina has four-hoofed toes on its front feet, but only three-hoofed toes on the hind feet, where the outer dewclaw present on a pig is absent in javelinas. Javelinas also 14 |

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have shorter tails and their canine teeth or ‘tusks’ grow vertically rather than away from the face.”

For years there has been a popular rumor going around that javelinas are actually rodents and there is another they are kin to raccoons, but as you can see, that is not true. In fact, in middle school one of our book lessons described javelinas as a type of rodent that had more in common with capybaras, which are the world’s largest rodents.

(Think a giant nutria without a tail).

Anyone who has spent time around these pint-sized peccaries knows they definitely have more in common with pigs than a giant rat.

Javelinas weigh from 30-60 pounds and stand about 1.5 feet tall at maturity. When seen at a distance, they look much larger than this, but when you get close you can see just how small they are. These tiny pig-like animals range from southern Texas across the deserts to Arizona, throughout Mexico and into Brazil.

Javelinas, as most Texans call them, are territorial and live in tight-knit groups. The origin of the name “javelina” is even a bit Commonly called “feral hogs,” javelinas are actually in a different family of swine species than that of pigs.

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of a mystery. One dubious theory is that it derives from the French javeline for the spear-like tusks. More likely, it derives from the Spanish jabalí (feminine form jabalína) that means “wild boar.” “Peccary” derives from the Carib language pakirá.

I always thought the collared peccary ranged into southern Mexico and then the large white-lipped peccary took over going into South America, but I learned firsthand this was not true while traveling to Venezuela to fish Lake Guri for peacock bass, payara, and piranha in 1999.

I was so excited to encounter all of the amazing wildlife present in that country’s rainforests. After arriving at a lodge on the edge of the lake in the middle of the night, I took a good rest and awakened to all kinds of amazing sounds. My imagination soared as I walked outside with my camera to see what kinds of exotic animals I might see. Would it be a tapir or sloth? Or maybe I would be one of the lucky few to see a jaguar, my favorite of all animals.

As soon as I walked out the door, what do I see looking me eye to eye but a whitetail deer! Talk about feeling ripped off as I had traveled thousands of miles and see something I can view in my hometown.

Then across the way by a garden I saw what I thought were white-lipped peccaries.

I stealthily made my way toward them and quickly realized they were plain old javelinas just like I had hunted in South Texas.

These were tame, however, and one came up to sniff me. I snapped a picture in case it decided to rip off my knee. At least I would have proof. Otherwise, people might have a hard time believing I was damaged by a Texas native in the jungles of South America.

Catch Chester on the radio Fridays, 6 pm on 560 KLVI Beaumont (www.klvi.com) and Thursdays online on TF&G Radio (www.fishgame.com) Contact him at CMoore@fishgame.com F i s h

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Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

The Battle

I

sat alone in the sterile examining room of the doctor’s office. The lingering wait for the door to open was unsettling.

I reached for a stack of tattered magazines on the nearby counter. Most were excruciatingly boring and many were woefully dated —the typical selection available in every medical facility in Houston.

Luck was with me. I found a copy of Sports Illustrated that was only 14 months old.

The cover story, “Too much ‘Bama,” recounted the University of Alabama’s crushing defeat of LSU to claim the 2011 national football championship. The cover showed four players in crimson converging on a helpless Tiger running back.

Apparently, “D” ruled the game.

I smiled. When the issue hit the stands back on Jan. 16, 2012, nobody had heard of “Johnny Football.” I started to read, partly to pass time, mainly to keep preoccupied.

The door opened and the white-clad urologist entered. He looked serious.

I placed the magazine back in the rack and stood. “Well,” I asked, “what am I looking at?”

“You have prostate cancer.”

Well, there’s luck and then there’s luck.

I mention this dose of personal drama because many graying, balding readers of Texas Fish & Game might be familiar with phrases such as “enlarged prostate” and “elevated PSA level.” They might also mutter at 2 or 3 a.m., “Damn, I’ve got to go again!”

I am 66, squarely in the 10X circle for the development of prostate cancer; if you grow whiskers and you are 10 years either side of my calendar, you might want to pay attention.

Most important, get tested if any lingering and suspicious symptoms exist. And go to a qualified urologist, not some quack.

The sooner you deal with this, the better;

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catching it early, before it spreads outside the prostate, is a very big deal.

The results might be clean, just part of the aging process. Then again, you might sit and fidget, flipping through a rag-eared copy of SI while waiting for your supposedly bullet-proof life to change.

I discussed the options with the coordinating urologist and met with several specialists and made the decision. Six weeks later I was scheduled for a 7:30 a.m. surgery at Methodist Hospital in the Houston Medical Center.

The operation was to be performed by a highly skilled doctor using a state-of-the-art da Vinci robotic system. The procedure is known as a radical prostatectomy and if that sounds, well, radical, you are absolutely correct. I won’t go into details since I don’t know what I’m talking about, anyway, but I was in the hands of the A-Team.

At 7:30 sharp I was wheeled down the corridor. An anesthesiologist said, “OK, we’re going to start feeding you juice through your IV. Just breathe slow and deep.”

I inhaled. I felt at peace. I thought briefly of things that went before. It’s a strange feeling, being on the edge.

I recall thinking of a dawning green tide in the surf near San Luis Pass, where so much of my formative fishing occurred.

I could see the lifting swells and the ranks of scattering mullet, and I could feel the wonderful warmth of the rising sun. I could smell the ripe scent of a school of feeding trout and I could hear the excited cries of the black-headed gulls wheeling and pitching beyond the third bar... and the next thing I knew I was awake in my recovery room.

I was blurred by drugs but reasonably alert. I stole a nervous glance under my hospital gown. Six small incisions were spaced across the core of my abdomen—not exactly a glancing blow. Five of the slices appeared to be glued shut. A drain tube extended from the sixth. At the end of the tube was a bulb half-filled with pink fluid.

Worse, a no-nonsense catheter was— well, my poor little friend down there looked like a chubby glass minnow impaled on a

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soda straw. The catheter was connected to a clear tube taped to my leg. The tube terminated in a large urine bag—an extremely depressing sight.

I was mulling over these appalling straits when the door opened and the surgeon walked into the room. He was smiling. He was cool and confident, exactly what you want to see when peering up from a frightening web of tubes and tapes and needles.

The procedure went well, no unexpected complications, and prospects for a full recovery were excellent. The wave of relief is difficult to describe.

“Rest a bit but in a few hours you need to start walking,” he directed. “A nurse will assist you.”

The smiling nurse stood at the ready.

Rising inchmeal from the elevated bed and putting my feet on the floor of Methodist 1223 surely was rivaled only by the first ascent of the Hillary Step on Mount Everest.

Once vertical, I used the tall chromium IV-drip rack as a walker. It had wheels. I reached the door and labored into the hall.

Four or five other geezers were shuffling along with similar chromium walkers and hospital gowns and urine bags.

“Don’t slouch,” my nurse said. “Stand up straight.”

Jeez, that hurts!

The nearest old guy eased past. Lines of pain etched his face and his jaw was clinched but he was “manning up” and moving forward.

“Hey,” I said, “you want to race?”

“No, I don’t want to race.”

“Thank God,” I said. “Neither do I.” But I walked, as we all did, with determination and faith. And each painful shuffle got me that much closer to the beach.

EPILOGE:

Two months later I am back at the beach.

I have no significant post-op issues and all lab results thus far have been cancer-free.

Contact Joe Doggettl at JDoggett@fishgame.com

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Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

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fforts to re-establish mountain lions throughout North America have been successful, for the most part, but I’m still not interested in killing one unless it’s trying to kill me or someone else.

For no reason to which I can point specifically, big cats get a pass down my gun barrel.

As I write, I’ll search my own brain as to why and reveal the answer if one comes to me.

So…I won’t shoot a big cat, but so long as it’s done within state laws, you go right ahead.

And that’s OK, again within guidelines,

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whether you’re after a trophy or protecting livestock.

I actually accompanied an acquaintance on a cougar hunt in Argentina years ago.

The experience was unforgettable and ended with a really big, really angry cat holding its ground against five brave dogs in thigh-high grass.

The plan was for the dogs to tree the cat, but the cat didn’t get a look at the plan or find its way to a tree. Four men on horseback radioed that the dogs had cornered a cat, and five of us raced to intercept.

The dogs moved in a tight circle, barking and snapping at something we couldn’t see even from 40 yards away. At 30 yards, the scene changed. There it was, lips curled, ears pinned, hair raised and half a dozen bounding strides from unarmed me.

Instinct as a photographer coaxed me closer still, camera raised to see above the grass. When I finally looked around the lens and not through it, I was uncomfortably close, somewhere between 15 yards and 10 and just then uninterested in getting any closer. Or

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taking my eye off that cat. And then the rifle cracked from my left, and all of Argentina fell suddenly, briefly quiet.

Here and there around North America, I’ve seen one mountain lion and the tracks of several others with my own eyes. I’ve seen firsthand also what all that muscle and teeth and claws do to sheep and deer, and I’ve felt a couple of times as if a big cat were watching me whether that actually was the case or not.

I view mountain lions as the most successful predators on the continent. Not the largest; bears get that nod, but adaptive and calculating and relentless and cautious and amazing.

A cougar can jump vertically through a second-floor window and crush neck bones with a single, paralyzing bite. They move silently, almost invisibly, and likely are more numerous than professional cat counters know after decades of protection to varying degrees.

Maybe it’s because cougars are such skilled hunters that I hold them in such esteem. And for the same reason, why some ranchers and other hunters won’t hesitate to shoot one.

Non-hunters seldom understand how I, a hunter, can choose not to hunt lions but don’t

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mind other hunters shooting them. That’s because non-hunters so frequently make two bad presumptions: that hunting is all-in or all-out sport, and that hunters have to kill an animal to consider the activity a success.

I consider myself an avid hunter, down a notch in seniority from decades as an obsessed hunter. For years, I wouldn’t have passed up hunting for any temptation… almost any temptation. But I did walk away from several of “those” opportunities when the alternative was a few days in South Texas brush or flooded river bottom.

A mountain lion, in the end, represents the hunter I wish I were.

I can sit for hours in deer stands, walk miles through the woods and lean forever against a tree stump in cold, thigh-deep water just on the chance that something amazing might happen.

The difference between the big cat and me, however, is that my “amazing” moment that day may not even include the deer or elk or duck or dove for which I’d driven so far and invested so much time.

A mountain lion makes the same sort of

investment, day in and day out, watching and waiting for prey until dark and often into the night. Only for the lion, hunting is no game.

For the big cat, killing always precedes eating. Failure means an empty belly, and there’s no camp cook to hear the cat whine later about a muffed chance or push it a bowl of warm chili and two fingers of scotch.

And if that cat strings more than a couple of strikeouts, it may weaken to the point it can no longer catch quick prey. And three, four, maybe five days later, it will die.

That’s harsh, but that is the life of a big cat. And since I’m not a rancher and have no place to put a full-body cougar mount – and because they’re really cool animals – I have no good reason to kill one.

Invite me to join you on a lion hunt, and I just might accept. That hunt in Argentina was one of my most exciting ever. Just don’t wait on me to lift the rifle. I’ll be too busy shooting pictures.

Contact Doug Pike at DPike@fishgame.com

8/7/13 6:12 PM

Ted’s TexasWild

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

Beauty and the Beasts

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hat stunning last light of the day, when the beautiful ball of golden fire barely dips beneath the western horizon, its final glow burning that magic shine on the world. It is not only some of God’s ultimate eye candy, but viewed from a tall tree stand in game country, may very well be one of the most gorgeous moments in life.

Now, add to this inspiring setting, that same special light glimmering upon the flowing blond locks of a svelte young woman next to me-- the world’s sexiest bowhunter; Mrs. Backstrap, my gorgeous wife, the Queen of the Forest, Shemane.

Having never touched a bow or gun in her life prior to us meeting back in 1988, she was nonetheless a gung-ho athlete and one smart cookie. Winning medals and awards in swimming and ATV racing competition, this wild woman was no wallflower I assure you. Raised as a city kid, her love of the outdoors, boating, skiing, hiking and off-roading, was nearly as strong as her love for shopping and fashion. And we all know that is really saying something in the alwaysfascinating world of women. Fascinating and oftentimes bewildering, dare I say.

Well, the poor dear, unbeknownst to her, was on a collision course with the last of the Mohicans. She was about to rendezvous with a strange character, some say a dangerous man from another time and place, The WhackMaster, The Motor City Madman, Uncle Ted, Reverend Theodocious Atrocious, LoudMan, Captain Backstrap, Master of Sparks (OK, I made that one up) but nonetheless a well mannered, kind gentleman that would sweep her off her feet (some say she simply felt sorry for me) and 20 |

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causes goosebumps on goosebumps for hunters. Game is stirring, and my camera lens is capturing a glow of its own on her blond hair when I see a glint off to the left in the mesquite scrub.

From beneath the green canopy of an ancient, towering live oak tree steps a handsome whitetail buck, p followed by three Before meeting Ted in 1988, more that all look Shemane “Mrs. Backstrap” Nugent pretty much the had never touched a bow. same. Alert, they lead her down the glorious path to spiri- all take turns, nipping at acorns and jerking tual redemption via the mystical flight of the their heads erect, testing the air with wet nostrils. arrow. Say “hallelujah!”

Emboldened by the coming of darkness, Maybe Mrs. N wouldn’t characterize the whole ordeal exactly like that, but once the they cautiously walk in single file toward initial shock wore off (she claims it is still another oak tree when the largest of the building) she indeed plunged full tilt into the group veers right toward our ambush site. world of my beloved Fred Bear, and within Shemane follows him like a predator tractor weeks of our “connection,” she was flinging beam, bow up, ready to rock. In one smooth arrows with the best of them. In fact, based swing, the buck lowers its head as Shemane on my long, intense life of gung-ho archery/ draws back her arrow, and in an instant, bowhunting trial and error, she greatly ben- her white feathers are disappearing into the efited from my gentle, easy going tutelage ribcage of the backstrapper.

It lunges hard and pivots away, kicking by circumventing years of typical mistakes committed by beginners with less than ideal up dust and a divot of earth in its scramble introductory instruction. Now that is true to flee. But Shemane’s arrow has already done its work, and after a 25-yard spurt, the love, ladies and gentlemen.

Baptized on a youth recurve bow, at a buck looks around, confused, and in seconds short 15 feet from a large Olympic type crumples to the ground, stone dead with a bale target, she grasped killer archery form hole through its vitals for the quickest, most in a mere few minutes. Of course, I am a humane kill possible in the wild. Shemane hands-on kind of guy, so I made it a point to pulls off her facemask, shakes down her gorgently steer her into perfect position with my geous long hair and smiles big and beautiful strong, guitar playing hands placed strategi- at the camera like the satisfied reasoning cally on her beautiful athletic torso to guide predator that she is. A job well done indeed. her very being into the picture of archery grace and fluidity.

Contact Ted Nugent at Now that magic last light is melting into TNugent@fishgame.com dusk, the mystical bewitching hour that

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Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

For the Love of Animals

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ver the past several years, social media has exploded. It is almost as rare these days to meet someone who has no Facebook page as it is to meet someone who doesn’t own a cell phone. We sometimes interact more with others through social media than we do face to face. Some of us have traded our real lives for artificial ones in the form of news feeds.

However, some good has come from this electronic interconnecting of our existence.

Granted, many use Facebook as a political platform, or simply another means of spreading inane jokes. And there will always be those who post little besides pictures of whatever they happen to be eating at the moment, as if no one else consumes food, making meals newsworthy. But some have harnessed the power of social media to actually do some good.

My friend, Karen Lutto, is one of those.

Karen posts family photos and such, but mostly she uses Facebook as an advertisement service to find homes for rescue dogs.

Karen is a no-nonsense marketer and is president of Hunter Outdoor Communications, an outdoors public relations firm based in Boerne, Texas. She’s a respected professional in the outdoor media community.

And she has a soft spot for dogs.

Karen posts pictures of dogs she happens to be fostering, and relates their stories, hoping to find permanent homes for them. She has a high success rate, possibly due to her persistence and inability to take no for an answer. Karen saves the lives of these dogs, which is far more than I can say for peta or the Humane Society of the United States.

Observant reader Jess Irwin recently alerted me to a notice on the American Kennel

Club website. The AKC, in conjunction with the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, recently expressed their disapproval of peta’s habit of euthanizing animals at its Norfolk, Virginia shelter, instead of working to find homes for them.

While most animal shelters shoot for a 90% adoption rate, peta administrators seem proud of their solution to pet overpopulation – death. The peta folks euthanize 99% of the animals under their care. Their rationale is that these animals are ‘better off dead.’

Granted, some pets are not adoptable.

Physical and psychological problems sometimes stand in the way of finding decent homes for certain rescued dogs and cats.

Re-homing is difficult, even for pets without such hurdles to overcome. It takes effort and dedication, attributes that seem out of reach for peta.

For an organization that claims to love animals, and spends millions of donated dollars every year to advertise its supposed devotion to them, the peta philosophy of euthanasia before adoption seems heartless and cruel, not to mention hypocritical. The group decries hunting and pet ownership, and bases its fundraising campaigns on sympathy for creatures, yet chooses to kill those in its care rather than go to the trouble to find homes for them.

But then, peta, like HSUS, really only wants your money. They don’t care a whit about animals. Wayne Pacelle, CEO of HSUS, has actually admitted as much.

Pacelle was once quoted in the Yale Daily News as saying, “I don’t love animals or think they are cute.”

This is not so surprising, considering that HSUS spends less than half of one percent of its operating budget actually helping animals, based on figures reported by Humane Watch. The rest goes for overhead, salaries for Pacelle and other top HSUS executives (Pacelle’s 2010 base salary was over $269,000), and propaganda. With a budget of about $100 million per year, the group could help a lot of dogs and cats find homes, if it wanted to. It doesn’t want to.

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By contrast, hunters, who are portrayed as evil animal haters by peta and HSUS, are not just beneficial, but essential, to the health and welfare of of game animals.

Without hunting, and the revenue generated through hunting, many thriving specie would by now be endangered, or even extinct.

Hunters, the very people vilified by groups that claim devotion to animals, are all that stands between life and death for many creatures.

HSUS and peta grind their collective teeth at this truth, but that fact is that without hunting, animals are doomed. Sportsmen’s license revenues make up more than half of all funding for state natural resource agencies, since hunters spend more than $746 million each year on licenses and public land access fees alone. Another $300 million is donated for wildlife conservation annually by groups such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Not to mention that the Pittman-Robertson Act has raised well over $4 billion for public land use through federal excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and other equipment since its inception in 1937.

Hunters, without question, do far more for animals than all the so-called animal rights groups combined. Unlike peta’s euthanized pets, game animals harvested by hunters have a fair chance to escape. Unlike HSUS funds, a large percentage of the revenue generated by hunters goes directly to helping animals.

And unlike Wayne Pacelle, most hunters do love animals, and think they’re cute.

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Contact Kendal Hemphill at Khemphill@fishgame.com

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Contrary to Common Perception, the Annual Flounder Run Does Not Happen in a Single Dash to the Gulf

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Flounder are not just dumb fish that lie on the bottom and hit anything you put in front of them.

That has been the perception for years, as most flounder anglers fished in the peak of the fall run only when flatfish are gorging themselves ahead of a lengthy migration into the Gulf.

Increasingly, anglers are pursuing flounder year-round and finding they are as dynamic as any species.

During my extensive study of southern flounder, I have come across some specific timings and techniques that will give you a big advantage—and we are on the cusp of one right now.

I call it the “first push.”

Migrations do not happen instantaneously but occur in stages. The first stage of flounder migration takes place in September.

When the first cool fronts blow through and bring in bluewing teal in the marsh in large numbers you can bet the flounder are biting.

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reaches of marshes start to move into the main channel of bayous and start staging toward the mouth. With each front comes more fish and, if you play your cards right, it is a wonderful time to score on big ones.

This is when the first tiny cold fronts come through, dropping the temperature from the upper 90s to the upper 70s for a

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The Fall Purge cuts turn on and fishing around the passes will heat up soon after. Be at your favorite spot just before it blows through and two days later, prepared to catch big flounder before the bona fide run to the Gulf begins.

If the first push offers a good shot at catching big flounder, the “fall purge” as I call it offers the absolute best.

This is when your first big arctic cold front comes blasting through.

This is when water is pushed out of the marsh and along with it any flounder and shrimp. The mouths of the

—Chester Moore

day or two. This bite lasts about two weeks and can get a boost if another small front comes through.

The day before a cold front usually features southerly winds and low pressure. If you can find protected water, these are great days to fish. The days are a front are slow typically because of high pressure, which is our next step. Two days after a front is usually the premium time to fish during the fall period.

Barometric pressure is the probably the least understood aspect of flounder fishing and it is one I am continually exploring in relation to fishing around fronts. High pressure puts strain on fish and typically makes the bite finicky, and sometimes not at all.

Pressure that is falling or is on a downward trend means a strong bite.

That is why the day immediately following fronts is beautiful (clear skies with high pressure) but the fishing is sub par. Some suggest pressure over 30.20 is too high and if it gets below 29.80 things can get a little shaky. If it is above 30 and falling you have ideal conditions. If you are fishing highpressure days, use light line, small lures and be ready for a soft bite.

I am not a fan of live bait fishing for flounder. You have to fish live bait slow and

Targeting the mouths of bayous, and even in the rivers north of bays like Galveston and Sabine Lake, can produce during the “first push.”

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1. Mud Minnows: The live a long time on the hook, can be readily bought at bait camps and are super wiggly. I think flounder like that.

2. Mullet: Mullet are easy to catch in cast nets, can be bought at a fair number of bait camps and live a fair amount of time on the hook.

There is a different in their hook lifespan being dragged across the bottom, cast and thrown versus set out for use for redfish and trout.

3. Croaker: Believe it or not, live croaker makes killer flounder bait. In the spring flounder bellies are often filled with tiny croaker and you can catch in in cast nets or buy at many coastal bait shops, especially in Galveston Bay on south.

The basic rig for most flounder fishing is the Carolina or Fish-Finder Rig. It typically consists of an egg sinker rigged above a swivel and attached to a leader. I have been using the Mr. Crappie Trolltech Sinkers from Bullet Weights for Carolina rigs. They are made for trolling and designed to eliminate line twist. And since you essentially attach the line to each side of the sinker instead of putting an egg sinker on, you avoid other problems as well. These are absolutely killer and I highly recommend them.

Bullet Weights also has chrome egg sinkers that are being used for fluke and halibut.

I have tried them but cannot say if they give any advantage or not. Anglers on the West Coast swear by them for their flatfish.

In terms of hooks, I prefer wide-gapped hooks like the Mustad Ultra Wide Gap Croaker Hooks.

The reason the chances of catching a big fish is increased during this small window is there is very little pressure on the fish and the big ones that have been hiding away in various locales are moving into key locations.

You have a shot at catching them before other anglers do.

Just remember to watch for tiny cool fronts blowing through and pay special attention to the teal migration. In fact, you can just about guarantee it will start the week before teal season opens, so be ready and try these tips to score on the coolest fish on the Gulf Coast.

4. Shad (Menhaden, Pogy): These are great live baits for flounder, but

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it is just not my style, but I cannot debate the effectiveness of it in the pursuit of giant flounder and this early push is a great time to score on them.

Let us take a look at live bait and some strategies for using them this time of year.

do not stay alive long on the hook once drag fatigue sets in. My favorite way to use them is under a popping cork. Think fishing around the riprap/rocks.

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FALL ing for BASS One Man’s Descent into Autumn Obsession by matt williams

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8/7/13 5:35 PM

S

Hi. My name is Matt.

Those who know me are already aware of my addiction. For those who don’t, I have a confession to make.

I am a bass junkie.

I like to catch green fish any way I can, but I have a serious hang up with topwater fishing that I cannot shake.

I’ve been battling the addiction for years. While some days are worse than others, it seems like the craving comes on especially strong during the fall of the year.

Sometimes I skip work to get my fix.

It has even had an effect on my family life on occasion. My wife doesn’t have a problem with my fishing, but she does get sort of irritated when it become the topic of discussion just about every time we gather around the dinner table.

I’m pretty sure my problem is rooted to my childhood. In fact, I know it is. Interestingly, my first exposure to topwater fishing did not occur on a fishing trip. It happened while I was dove hunting with my dad, way back in the 1960s.

We were sitting on the

ground surrounded by goat weeds adjacent to a stock pond in Collin County. The birds weren’t flying much, so out of boredom I tossed a spent shotshell into the water and watched it bob near a fallen tree. Seconds later the plastic hull disappeared in a violent

explosion of white water.

With jaws agape, I looked up at my dad for some sort of explanation. I’ll never forget the response.

“Bass...,” he said with a scruffy voice.

“Mean sons of bitches, ain’t they?”

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Tough To Top Topwater fishing has been in my blood ever since. I didn’t do it much when when I was young, but these days I act on the obsession every chance I get.

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A Shared Passion Like me, Sam Rayburn/Toledo Bend fishing guide Stephen Johnston of Hemphill learned years ago how effective topwater fishing can be during the fall months.

For that reason, it is rare for him to

not have at least on surface plug rigged and ready on the casting deck of his Ranger at all times.

“We will usually start getting a few early fronts pass through this month and things will start cooling down, just enough that it will make those shallow fish get real active,” Johnston said. “The topwater bite can be outstanding when the conditions are right.

I’ve learned from experience that it is a good idea to keep one tied all day.”

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on either side by patches of pepper grass or hydrilla. Best water depth is 2-4 feet.

“A buzz bait or a popper-style bait can work real good in those types places, too, especially if there is a little wind to put some chop on the surface,” Johnston said.

“Windy banks tend to be much more productive than calm ones.”

Other Options Good as the topwater bite can be in September, there will be days when a surface scratcher just won’t cut it. That’s when Johnston will switch to a wacky worm or Texas rig. “The fish will still be there -- you just may need to show them something a little different to get them to cooperate,” he said.

Johnston said just about any major or secondary creek will be prone to hold hold large concentrations of bass over the next couple of months. Some of the best stuff on Sam Rayburn is located around midlake the vicinity of the Highway 147 bridge. Some of his favorite areas are Veach Basin, Harvey Creek, The Canyons, Caney, Mud and Indian creeks.

As a rule, September does not produce that many heavyTopwater fishing weight bass, but can be effective anglers do get in the autumn lucky and pop a months, and big one every now buzzbaits are go-to and then. Johnston favorites of topwalikes his odds the ter specialists. best around brush piles or main lake structure in water ranging 12-20 feet deep. The outskirts of the Black Forest have lots of September history, as do the timbered ridges in Buck Bay. The main key when targeting offshore structure is using your electronics to locate bait. There probably won’t be much grass out there to speak of, but the fish will still relate to these areas so long as there food available.

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As earlier mentioned, the urge to scratch the surface is overwhelming during fall, especially during early September and October, when autumn’s first real cool fronts begin ushering in refreshing air from Canada and beyond.

The early fronts, accompanied by shorter days and longer nights, causes water temperatures on Texas lakes to slowly plummet.

Bass perceive the gradual cool down as a sign that winter is coming, which boosts their metabolism and puts them in the mood to feed.

The cooling water temperatures also beckon schools of shad to the shallows, usually by way of underwater creek channels that funnel from deep water to skinny. Bass follow the shad like wolf packs and they feed on succulent bait fish at will. The feeding frenzies can take place just about anywhere in the water column, but the most enticing times for topwater junkies occur when the bass take their game to the surface.

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Johnston likes to target main lake structure with assorted baits. His first choice is a Strike King 10XD, Norman DD22 or Bomber 9A crankbait. In situations where the fish want something slower he will go to a big Texas rig worm or a football jig.

The Lows of Fall Something else to keep in mind about early fall is low water levels. As a rule, most lakes will be at their lowest point of the year after the long, hot summer.

Low water can provide some big advantages or fishermen that high water takes away. For starters, it reduces the size of the playing field. As water levels drop, bass are pushed off of shallow flats and concentrated along the edges of creek channels, river channels and other structure that provides quick, easy access to deepwater security.

This narrows the size of the playing field even more. Better yet, it offers a pretty good hint as to where anglers might begin searching for fish, and which tactics might work best for catching them.

“Low water will always position the fish along channels and ditches,” explained legendary Texas bass pro Tommy Martin.

“And they will always gravitate to any available cover. That could be patches of hydrilla, lily pads, stumps, brush or laydown logs.

“If you will stay patient you will invariably find some large schools of fish in creeks during the fall months,” Martin added.

“Most of the fish will be concentrated to little isolated areas -- places I call ‘magic stretches.’ When I am practicing for a fall tournament I always try to spend some time in 2-3 different creeks each day. Ideally, I’ll locate several magic stretches before the event gets underway.”

Photo: Stanley Lures

8/7/13 5:35 PM

Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

TPWD Studies Fish Attractors at Rayburn

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exas Parks Wildlife’s inland fisheries brass sometimes get caught up in political whirlwinds that lead them astray when it comes to making good decisions in the best interest of their primary constituents—Texas anglers. But as a rule, the state agency’s leaders and their field staff are always looking for ways to make fishing better in our public lakes, rivers and waterways.

One the most worthwhile fisheries habitat research projects the state has launched in recent times is currently underway on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in eastern Texas. There, fisheries biologists are evaluating sport fish usage of 72 artificial fish attractors that deployed in different configurations in 15-20 feet of water at the southern reaches of the 114,000-acre impoundment in early July.

The structures aren’t made from brush, willow tops, Christmas trees other natural materials frequently used by anglers to concentrate fish—mainly crappie and bass—to specific spots. They are made from plastic utilizing a variety of materials including 1-1/2-inch PVC pipe, 4-inch corrugated drainage pipe, and industrial-grade mesh.

Each structure measures 3 feet tall X 3 feet wide X 6 feet long. The 72 units will divided between 12 research sites (six per site) and deployed in two configurations—straight lines and clusters.

The idea behind using plastic instead of wood is longevity. Wood typically rots in a short time. Plastic, meanwhile, is everlasting.

That means the structures in question should still be in place years down the road.

“Everyone knows brush piles attract and hold fish,” said Todd Driscoll, TPWD District Supervisor based in Jasper. “But the problem with brush piles is they tend to deteriorate so rapidly. Plastic won’t do that.

These structures should remain in place for

years, so long as they don’t get dragged off or moved by someone’s boat anchor.”

The Sam Rayburn research project is a spinoff from a similar habitat enhancement project completed last year on another lake in Driscoll’s district, Lake Striker. There, biologists used Christmas trees to build multiple reefs of different sizes in two configurations (straight line and circular). Scientists relied on electroshocking equipment to document the species and sizes of fishes attracted to the brush piles during the four seasons, day and night. The brush was placed in relatively shallow water so the activity could be monitored using electroshocking boats.

TPWD collected 16 fish species in the Striker study, mostly largemouth bass and bluegill. The research showed bigger bass and bluegills preferred larger reefs over smaller ones. Interestingly, largemouth bass showed equal preference for straight line and circular piles, whereas the bluegill gravitated more to circular ones.

Because electroshocking is not effective at water depths beyond eight feet, biologists will rely on a series of different survey methods including Lowrance StructureScan, underwater cameras and scuba diving to collect data at Sam Rayburn.

Driscoll said he and his staff hope to achieve numerous goals through the study, but determining whether or not fish will be attracted to plastic structures is not one of them. A previous study conducted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has already illustrated that bass and other fishes are attracted to plastic structures, particularly when deployed on lakes with sparse, underwater habitat.

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of the year,” Driscoll said. “We are also going to be looking at material types. Some of our structures are made of PVC and corrugated pipe and some are made from plastic mesh.”

Time also could factor into the evaluation.

The biologist anticipates it could take 3-4 years for enough algae to form on the plastic to begin attracting significant numbers of fish.

Algae attracts baitfishes, which in turn attract the predators.

“We’re not betting the farm on it, but that is definitely something we’ll be looking at,” Driscoll said. “We may monitor a few of the sites for several years, just to see if anything changes.”

The initial project is dedicated to last one year. It is funded using a portion of nearly $50,000 obtained through federal grants, the state’s Kills and Spills restitution account, and donations from various special interest groups including the Seven Coves Bass Club from Lake Conroe, the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association, Texas Black Bass Unlimited and the Texas Association of Bass Clubs.

Driscoll said TPWD technicians built about three dozen of the PVC structures at a cost of about $120 each. Meanwhile, Industrial Fabric of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. volunteered to provide 36 mesh structures for the research project for free.

Once the ‘Rayburn project is complete, TPWD will release the GPS coordinates of all the sites to the public so anglers can utilize them at will. The department’s longterm plan is to use the results from the study to expand the artificial reef project to several more East Texas lakes.

Driscoll said the goal is to eventually plant 100 fish attractors in Toledo Bend, Fork, and Conroe, and 20 attractors in lakes Nacogdoches and Naconiche.

“The results of the study also will give anglers the information they need to best design and deploy their own brush piles to attract the maximum number of fish,” he said.”

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PART FIVE IN A SERIES BY DUSTIN ELLERMANN An AR-15 can be reconfigured to fire several dozen different calibers using the standard mil-spec lower. But we always want “more power” and to upgrade to the ever-popular .308 Winchester cartridge the entire rifle must be redesigned and upgraded. In doing so you’ll find a powerful battle rifle that could be exactly what you would want in a deer hunting rifle.

Despite popular opinion, there is no Texas law that you can’t use a standard .223 Remington for hunting deer, but I can understand why the majority of shooters would want more. And while I know some hunters won’t use anything smaller than a .300 Winchester Magnum for East Texas whitetails, my personal favorite is the .308. So, to that end, we acquired a Rock River Arms LAR-8 mid length to optimize for whitetail season.

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Unlike the mil-spec ultra compatible AR15, the large action .308 sized “AR10” rifles are not cross compatible. There are several different types of platforms such as RRA, Armalite, DPMS, CMMG et al that all work great by themselves, but some of the upper and lower receivers won’t mix and match. For simplicity, we decided that instead of building one from scratch we would stick with the factory supplied RRA LAR-8 for testing. So again, if you S e p t e m b e r

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wish to build one from scratch, you’ll have to do some extra deep research to ensure complete platform compatibility.

It’s said that the only AR15 parts that should work on a .308 model is the stock, grip and handguard. I attempted to replace the handguard with a Magpul set, and while the forward handguard cap and rear delta ring were the correct sizes, the barrel was too beefy and there wasn’t enough clearance for installation. The good news is that RRA has several variations for the LAR-8, from the shorter 16-inch mid-length we tested, to the longer standard 20-inch versions--sleek, tactical-railed options and accurate, varminting tack-drivers. So, the shooter still has the option of purchasing a single lower and swapping any of the available complete uppers on demand.

At first glance, most folks wouldn’t be able to differentiate an AR10 style 308 from the little brother AR15 while it’s hanging on the gunshop wall. But side by side you will notice the size difference. For me, the tip off is always the enlarged magazine well. But of course the lower receiver, upper receiver, and even bolt carrier group are quite a bit larger and also more expensive if you plan to build one. There tends to be about a 200 percent price increase over standard AR15 parts for the .308 sized pieces from my browsing at Midway USA. The most unique feature of the Rock River Arms LAR-8 is that it uses plentiful 20-round metric FAL magazines. I believe this is because when RRA introduced its .308 version, the Armalite style magazines were very expensive and not near as popular as the Magpul ones are today.

Nevertheless, FAL mags are still easy to find and reasonably priced. Of

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course, I wondered if it would impact reliability in any way, but the range tests showed 100 percent reliability with all ammo used.

The only firing control that is different from a standard AR15 is the bolt catch, but it’s different in a good way. Instead of the “ping pong” paddle that you normally have on the left side of the receiver, it is a double-sided paddle located just forward of the trigger guard that can be reached with your trigger finger without changing your grip. This allows easier activation to hold the bolt open, although it takes a little extra strength to send the bolt home.

The trigger on the LAR-8 was pretty darn good. I wouldn’t say perfect because, if I paid close attention, I could feel just a bit of creep. But the 2-stage 4-pound trigger will only get better with use, and is perfectly acceptable for deer hunting and even a little long-range plinking.

We had chosen the Redfield Revenge Accu-Ranger scope since I’ve wanted to test it ever since SHOT Show 2012. It has a simple yet unique mechanical ranging system built into the zoom function. The scope has an extra horizontal crosshair that moves along the numbered vertical axis when adjusting the zoom. When you bracket the deer’s torso to fit in the center reticle with the variable zoom then the number will indicate the distance to the target. From

there you can hold over and fire. So simple yet so useful.

Some beginners mistakenly think that a .308 AR will punish you with recoil. While physics mandate that it is more than a .223 it is still very man-

The RRA LAR-8 chambered in the heavier .308 cartridge gives the hunter more options than the smaller AR15 frame.

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The size difference is obvious when comparing standard AR15 receivers, bolts and magazines to the AR10. Note the LAR-8’s FAL style magazine.

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ageable, especially in an 8 pound gas driven rifle. If you find that it is still a bit much you could always put a good muzzle brake on it since the muzzle is threaded and ready, but I don’t recommend brakes for hunting. Many times some neglect to hunt with ear protection and while a muzzle brake will reduce felt recoil it will also increase the muzzle blast and damage your hearing even more.

Suppressors are also an option of course, especially since Texas finally legalized them for hunting game animals, but many folks don’t want to go through the red tape, nine month wait and extra cost for this pleasure.

The RRA mid-length 16” A4 came with a standard M4 collapsible stock and it is probably the first part I would choose to change out with a standard A2 buttstock for two reasons. First, I think the more bulky .308 rifle looks a little disproportionate with the smaller adjustable stock. And second, I accidentally depressed the stock release lever while firing in prone position and my face ended up catching the recoil from the scope for a single shot. Lesson learned.

As for accuracy the rifle performed with the quality I expected from previous RRA rifles. Shooting some Black Hills 168- and 175-grain loads, I was getting about a 1.5inch group average, and even a one-hole, 3-shot group at 100 yards. With a little load experimenting it wouldn’t surprise me to see sub-MOA groups from this rifle.

While opponents of “scary looking evil assault weapons” may argue that “no one needs an AR for hunting,” the same idiotic argument could ensue against firearms in general in favor of bowhunting. The fact of the matter is, ARs are ergonomic, easy to accessorize, shoot great and just look cool. So, if you like the .308 and want to hit the woods with a black rifle this fall, go for it!

Photos: Hannah Royer

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Texas Department of Defense

| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus & Dustin Ellermann

Can You Carry in Church, and, Should You?

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so this should not be construed as such. Any of the information I found in researching this article is available to you as well.

In my search I found four websites that I think are the most helpful and accurate.

They are:

just read an article, with a dateline in Tyler, Texas, that discussed the legal, moral, and ethical dilemma of the holder of a conceal handgun license carrying a concealed weapon in church. Well, is it, legal?

The short answer is a cautious “yes.”

The Texas Penal Code Section 6 and following specifies the locations wherein it is illegal for a license holder to carry a concealed weapon. There are a number of levels of violations from a felony down to a Class C misdemeanor.

In those locations where it is a felony, which includes schools, and any federal building, such as post offices, it is not necessary for the institution to post a sign denying you

the right to carry your concealed handgun.

But it states in Section 6.45 (5): “On the premises of a church, synagogue, or other established place of religious worship. No posting is required by the Act. Violation is a Class A misdemeanor under Texas Penal Code, Section 46.035. This subsection shall not apply if the actor was not given effective notice under Texas Penal Code Section 30.06.”

This is as confusing as most laws, but the way I read it is that it is up to the individual church if it wishes to deny you the right to carry a concealed weapon therein. However, if you wish to be certain, find a lawyer and ask him. I am not qualified to give legal advice,

Ultimate Tactical Blaster

M&P or a Springfield XD. Nothing is wrong with any of those popular options, but the one that appealed to me the most was the M&P. S&W wasn’t too helpful in getting me a sample M&P but I finally found one available through the NRA instructors program The ATEi Custom job on a S&W M&P at an affordable price.

9mm complete with Trijicon RMR and Unfortunately once I Dustin’s stippling job on the grips. picked it up from Evans Brothers Guns I found that and downright gritty. It felt as if it had I had been sent a neutered California edition handgun complete with sand in the sear or that the action was a cheesy magazine release safety, render- dragging along the side of a coiled spring.

At this point I really regretted my deciing dryfire practice difficult, along with the castrated 10-round magazines.

Worse yet, the trigger pull was heavy Continued on page 36 u

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The law, as I understand it, specifies that any place not wanting concealed weapons carried on the premices, except for those places where the law very clearly forbids concealed carry by civilians, must post what is known as a 30.06 (thirty aught six) sign, so called because of the section of law pertaining thereto. I got the following from the Texas Department of Public Safety website.

“In order to provide notice that entry on

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The argument for the “best” pistol will continue forever. There are many good guns on the market and for the most part it just comes down to the shooter’s personal preference. I’ve always been partial to the Walther P99 and I will be reviewing the new PPQ M2 in a future article, but finding parts and accessories for lesser known firearms can be a challenge.

This led me to purchase one of the top three polymer mainstream sidearms for tactical defensive training. I narrowed it down to Glock, Smith and Wesson

www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/index.htm www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/ crime_records/chl/signposting.htm www.txchia.org/txcarry.htm www.burger.com/gunfaq08.htm

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Texas Department of Defense property by a license holder with a concealed handgun is forbidden, Penal Code Section 30.06(c)(3)(A) requires that a written communication contain the following language:

ii. appears in contrasting colors with block letters at least one inch in height; and iii. is displayed in a conspicuous manner clearly visible to the public.”

“PURSUANT TO SECTION 30.06, PENAL CODE (TRESPASS

BY HOLDER OF A LICENSE TO CARRY A CONCEALED HANDGUN) A PERSON LICENSED UNDER SUBCHAPTER H, CHAPTER 411, GOVERNMENT CODE (CONCEALED HANDGUN LAW), MAY NOT ENTER THIS PROPERTY WITH A CONCEALED HANDGUN.” “Penal Code Section 30.06(c)(3)(B) further states that a sign must meet the following requirements: i. includes the language described by Paragraph (A) in both English and Spanish;

I have been told by those who should know, that this means simply that even if a sign is posted, if it does not meet these criteria, it is not valid and the holder of a concealed carry license need not abide by it.

Since there is no law that specifically denies a license holder the right to carry a concealed firearm in a church, the license holder is legally entitled to do so, unless denied that right by the individual church, which so signifies by posting a 30.06 sign.

However, if the license holder is carrying a gun in his church, and is told to leave and not carry his weapon by someone with the authority to make that demand, he must leave immediately or face prosecution for criminal

t Continued from page 34 sion but then I spoke with Doug at ATEi who specializes in complete custom jobs on the all the popular polymer pistols.

One of their specialties is also mounting micro red-dot sights on pistol slides.

So I sent the stock CA edition M&P for a trigger job, lawyer removal (magazine safety), serration job, sight and t Continued from page xx Trijicon RMR mount. In about two weeks I had my pistol back and it was love at first trigger pull. The crummy gritty stock trigger was replaced by ATEi’s own polished and tweaked sear with little takeup and a crisp 3.5 pound break. This might be a tad light for a defensive pistol but it’s a perfect go between that will allow me to also use it for competitions if I wish.

Then Doug also milled extra serrations on the top and front side of the slide to match the factory “snake scale” serrations on the rear. Of course the most important milling job was done by cutting a recession in the slide to mount the Trijicon RMR as well as a dovetail in

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the rear for replacing the factory sights mounts the RMR into the slide. Some with extra high suppressor sights in order manufactures just make plates to bolt to co-witness with the red dot. into a universal mount, but with the uniThe Trijicon RMR is a high quality versal fit it can fail under recoil. ATEi robust micro red dot that can fit just has you send in your actual RMR so they fine on a rifle, but since it is so can measure small it is also easy to mount on it and custom pistols. It comes in several concut your slide figurations from electronic red for a precise dot to fiber optic/Tritium powfit. Then ered and in a variety of reticle the RMR is colors and sizes. I chose the mated perRM06 adjustable LED model fectly into the because I wanted a smaller 3.25 slot with the MOA dot that I could manubolts there ally dim for more precise long only to keep range shooting. The adjustable it from falling series also allows automatic setout. How ting to match the ambient light, accurate is it? perfect for carry. And if you Well at 100 The Trijicon RMR didn’t are worried about the battery yards I was photograph as crisp as the real image is but still losing power, just know that it able to hit shows the shooter’s point is rated to last 4 years on the my 8” falling of view and co-witnessing mid-brightness. This is also plates while iron sights while in a 5.11 the point of the suppressor high freestanding.

Thumbdrive holster. backup iron sights, not that I Not every ever expect the RMR to fail, but shot mind it is electronic, so why not keep someyou because I’m not that good. But the thing on the slide just in case. pistol and optic are. It was a lot of fun The real skill comes in how ATEi and gives you an increased confidence in

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Ultimate Blaster

trespass. This goes for any other place or business, as well. When asked to go, you must go, or you can be arrested.

The following is a quote from the website of Donald Ray Burger, Attorney at Law. Section 30.05 of the Texas Penal Code deals with Criminal Trespass. Under the statute, a person commits the offense of trespass if he enters or remains on or in the property of another (including vehicles and buildings) without effective consent and he had “notice” that the entry was forbidden or he received “notice” to depart, but failed to do so.

For more information on where you can and cannot carry a concealed weapon, contact the Texas Department of Public Safety. I strongly suggest that if you are a concealed handgun license holder that you study the section of the Penal Code that applies. If I were you I would pretty much memorize it, since the average cop or security guard may

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not be very well informed on this issue. Your knowledge, if it is sufficient, might protect you from a lot of unnecessary harassment and possible arrest by the ill-informed officer. In fact, carrying a copy of the appropriate section in your wallet might not be a bad idea.

Now all this said, let me repeat what I have said before; the First Rule of gunfighting is: Have a gun!

A handgun that is unloaded and stored in your gun safe cannot protect you on the street or anywhere else. If you have a CHL, you should have that handgun on your person every minute of every day, in every place that allows you to legally carry it. Nothing else is going to cover your behind. I for one do not wish to be placed in the position of helplessly watching as some crazy strolls among the pews shooting unarmed innocents without fear of reprisal. I want to have the ability to reprise the hell out of him.

—Steve LaMascus

the weapon system.

It takes a little training to adjust to the red dot presentation. Iron sights might be a bit faster to acquire on the draw, but follow up shots are faster and more precise with the RMR. It also gives you the ultimate night sight as well. Further, focusing on one sight plain (threat/target with a red dot overlaid) is also much more natural to the eye.

The last thing I wanted to do was stipple the grip for greater traction as well as a custom look. ATEi does a great job on this but I didn’t want to take advantage of Doug’s generosity so I finished that part myself in about an hour with a flat-tipped soldering iron.

It might not look as professional as the custom jobs, but while there are several M&P pistols out there, there are none like this one, and it is mine. It is the ultimate tactical blaster. For more video details on how to stipple your polymer guns and gear, check it out in my blog section at www.fishgame.com or to contact ATEi for your custom job visit www.ateiguns.com.

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Two Basic Options: Walk an Area; Glass and Stalk

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I shot my first deer on the white stones of the Nueces River, not 10 miles out of Uvalde. This was before the river was discovered by out-oftowners and turned into a place where they could camp and poach on the surrounding ranches, and before the ranchers, with good reason, persuaded the State to do away with such things as four-wheeling and deer hunting in the river bed. Once again, the law-abiding pay for the sins of the lawbreakers.

Where I really learned to hunt deer was on a 6000-acre ranch on the eastern boundary of Kinney County. It was just at the east end of the Anacacho Mountains–a wondrous place of rocky hills, running creeks, and hidden springs.

There was only one deer stand on the entire place and not a single deer feeder. The stand was for Mr. Turner, the patriarch of

the place. Mr. Turner was very old when my brothers and I first started hunting on his ranch. The stand was there because Mr. Turner could no longer walk or climb the hills. We did not use the blind, ever, not once in the nearly 20 years we hunted there. We walked, stalked, climbed, sat, glassed, and occasionally just drove the barely driveable two-rut roads. It was heaven on earth for us.

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Over the years, we shot a good number of nice bucks on the ranch. We learned that just hiking along did not produce, but that moving along at the pace of a step every two or three minutes often allowed us to see deer before they saw us. This is the true definition of still-hunting.

Today, almost no one still-hunts. Instead, the deer hunters of today have become con-

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vinced that the only way to kill a deer is to sit in a box blind positioned at an easy distance from a deer feeder equipped with an electric motor and a timer that will fling the kernels of corn at a certain time every day. The deer become accustomed to the timing of their dessert and come to the feeder so the deer hunter can shoot one at his convenience.

A few years ago, I wrote in an article that I had shot a deer on the run. I got a nasty email from a reader who thought that taking such a shot was akin to drowning baby kittens or fishing with dynamite. Never, he advised me, had he ever shot at a deer that was not standing still, broadside to him, so he could place the shot exactly. Anything else was unsportsmanlike.

I do not remember if I responded or not, but I feel very sorry for the gentleman, because he has never felt the thrill of making such a shot. He has probably never shot a deer that did not come to his feeder. He has probably never left his vehicle just as the sky was beginning to turn from black to a brighter shade of blue, to slowly stalk along a wooded creek or along the crest of a rocky ridge, enjoying the too few minutes of brilliance that comes just

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as the sun is about to break the horizon, stopping every step or two to glass every nook and cranny of the brush for the shine of a buck’s antlers or the flick of a doe’s tail.

He and too many like him are confined to a wooden, plastic, or steel box, jailed by the modern ideology that demands such precision; imprisoned by the thought that the deer must come to them rather than experiencing the freedom that I felt when I was free to roam the country in search of the single buck that I could shoot on that ranch in that season.

These days, most people do not have the skill to shoot running deer, or take shots beyond 100 yards, because they were reared in a city and went to the country only a couple of weeks a year.

I shot a lot of deer on other places. I sat in blinds and shot deer over oat fields and deer that were eating corn thrown from a feeder, but that was just shooting deer, not hunting.

If and when I could, I went to the Turner Ranch and spent my time free from the confines of blinds, looking for deer that did not know what a feeder was, and that lived on the acorns, pecans, wild persimmons, huajilla, and all the other natural foods that thrived

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on the ranch.

Each year, my brothers and I took a week off from work and set up a tent in a secluded opening in a grove of live oaks near a meandering creek. We slept in the tent, cooked on the ground, and hunted until our legs and backs ached. We climbed the rugged hills, stalked the brush-choked draws, and sat still and quiet over the hidden spring with a pair of binoculars glued to our eyes. Sometimes, we shot a nice buck, sometimes we did not find one that was big enough and just enjoyed the hunt, the camp, and the companionship.

When we left, we left behind not a single man-made thing.

We competed among ourselves to see who shot the biggest buck. The winner received the prize of a free steak dinner at the restaurant of his choice. Even as we competed, however, there was no real competition. If I did not win I still got to eat a steak with the winner, and was just as happy to have been there as I would have been to have shot the big buck. When I did win I often was sad that one of my younger brothers, or in later years, my sister-in-law, Becky, had not shot it instead. The fun was in the hunt, the chal-

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lenge of me against the deer, not me against my siblings.

I loved the hunt because the deer were hard to kill, tough to find, and even tougher to get close enough for a decent shot. It was an even match—me with my rifle and binoculars, and the deer with its sharper senses—a nose that could smell the breakfast bacon on my clothes from a quarter-mile, and eyes that could see the flicker of movement as I sneaked from one bush to another a half-mile away. It was true hunting, not just shooting.

Most of the shots were off-hand, some were from sitting, and a few were at running deer. The running shots were mostly close and quick, like the one that brought the nasty email from my reader. One shot was a long one at a huge old buck. He was standing under a bushy persimmon tree on the crest of a mountain ridge. I made the shot with the rifle rested over my brother, David’s, shoulder, because the brush was too high to sit or kneel and I couldn’t hold steady enough from off-hand.

Those were the days I sometimes sit alone, and contemplate; the days when I was young enough and tough enough to go all day with

nothing more than a canteen and a rifle, clambering around in country so rough that even the angora goats that the ranchers raised avoided it.

I do not care that you hunt from a box blind, or that you shoot all your deer as they come to eat the corn flung from your feeder.

However, I do retain the right to feel sorry for you if you have never tasted the sweet thrill of still-hunting through the early morning fog, of sitting on a high ridge waiting for enough light to begin still-hunting down the canyon in search of the huge old buck you saw there on the last day of last season, but which you couldn’t sneak close enough to get a shot at before the light faded and the season ended; that you have never sat on a rocky mountainside above a hidden spring and mineral lick, waiting for the monstrous old buck you saw there a few weeks before the season opened.

I do care, very much, if you judge me wrong for shooting a running deer through the shoulders at 75 yards on a cold winter day.

In those days, I had the skill to do so. Today, well, today I do not know. It has been many years and I am now past my sixtieth birthday.

I can still shoot as well as most and better than

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a great many, but my speed and reflexes have slowed as they do for everyone, eventually.

I do wish you could have the experiences that I did, but I realize that the way hunting is today that is almost an impossibility. It would be stupidly dangerous for a large group of hunters to all start wandering around in the brush of a modern deer lease. It would be unsportsmanlike for hunters with less skill and experience to try such shots, shots for which they have not practiced time after time for many years on running jackrabbits. Still, I have hope that someday we may find a way to return to those ways of hunting and stack our box blinds behind the barn and let the feeders all rust into unrecognizable piles of rubbish.

And when I write about such wondrous moments of my youth, understand that the times were different and I was different and let it go at that. Don’t condemn something you have never tried; but if you ever have such an opportunity, don’t pass it by, because it is magic—sheer magic.

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Texas Bowhunting

by Lou Marullo | TF&G Bowhunting Editor

Scent Control Makes Good Sense

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oday I will admit that sometimes I might take things a little too far. I will agree that controlling my scent is capital on my hunting “to do” list.

And to control my scent means that certain steps have to be taken to achieve success. My friends think I have lost it…my wife would agree, but I am a firm believer in scent control while hunting a whitetail deer.

Let me start by saying I have a lot of respect for the nose of that elusive animal. I have always said that you can move slightly and you might get a shot. You can make a little noise and you might still bring in that curious deer. But if that animal catches the slightest whiff of your human scent, you will understand why they call them “white-tails.”

The fact of the matter is that this game we call bowhunting is, in part, a mind game.

If you believe in your mind that you have fooled the animal you are hunting, then you have pushed the odds in your favor for a successful hunt. Crazy as that sounds, it is true.

Using scents to both mask your human odor and attract deer to your area is part of this “game.” I firmly believe in using these scents whenever I can. I have had much success with them and, by using them, I feel that the deer have been duped in their own living room.

When you understand the number of scent receptors a deer has, you will agree that it is amazing we can get within bow range of these majestic animals. A human is reported to have 5 million scent receptors.

A dog carries 220 million scent receptors, while the whitetail deer has a whopping 297 million scent receptors.

There are many different companies that offer scent and scent control products. One of my favorites is the Wildlife Research Center. They carry a new magnum scrape dripper that works well for any mock scrape

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you make. You simply fill the dripper with Active Scrape and tie it to a branch so that it hangs over the mock scrape. You need to remember to spray the magnum dripper with Scent Away eliminating spray to make sure most of your human odor is hidden and then just leave it alone.

The concept is that as the temperature goes up, the dripper starts to work.

Conversely, as the temperatures start to fall, the dripper stops. By doing this, it teaches any buck in that area to visit the scrape during daylight hours. Best of all, it will last for a few weeks before you have to re-stock it with more Active Scrape. I really love this product and it works well.

As far as keeping your scent to a minimum, it is essential to shower with a scentfree soap before each hunt. I wash my hunting clothes in a scent-free detergent as well and after they dry, I spray Scent Killer Gold all over my camouflage clothes. I should add that most hunters simply spray a little scent eliminator on their clothes as they leave the truck. Scent Killer Gold will last for 10 days after it dries. The directions tell you to spray freely onto your hunting clothes. I usually use a good amount until my clothes are damp. Then I hang them out to dry and for the next 10 days I do not have to repeat the process.

Rubber boots are a must if you are a bowhunter. They do not hold a scent. Keep in mind that you need to buy your boots well before hunting season begins to lose the “new” rubber smell. It always brings a smile to my face if I walk through Academy the day before the start of bowhunting and I see guys purchasing their new boots. I guarantee they will smell like a Goodyear factory and every deer in the county will steer clear of his tree stand.

Never fill your gas tank wearing the boots

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you are hunting with” to “wear while hunting. I make it a habit to keep my hunting clothes in a plastic bin in the back of the truck. I change into my hunting outfit after I arrive at my hunting location. Some people even go so far as to go to their tree stand locations well before the season and fill a plastic bag with the leaves and dirt from the area they hunt. Then after washing their clothes in a scent-free detergent, and drying them, they store their hunting clothes in that plastic bag with the leaves. By the time they open the bag up on opening day, the scent from the debris left in the bag will permeate your clothes. Not a bad idea. I have tried it and it seems to work. Does it work all the time? The answer is no. Nothing does.

With 297 million scent receptors, you will have a hard time keeping 100 percent of your human scent hidden. However, you might be able to confuse the deer as to your exact location. It may know that a human is or was in the area, but will not be able to find you and stare you down. That is the idea.

Just get the deer to come and look for you and then make the mistake of coming into your known accuracy range.

If you have done your practicing and enough of it, your hunt will soon be over.

The way I see it, if you have decided to play this “game” and get up out of a warm bed to stand in a tree and try to harvest one of these critters, then you should do everything you can to put the odds in your favor… or at least you think you did.

Have fun and hunt safe out there.

Contact Lou Marullo at LMarullo@fishgame.com

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TRUE GREEN TPDW Ups DU Grants

photo: USFW

2013 Duck Breeding Numbers Released

Duck breeding populations are reported to be strong this year.

Duck populations are strong, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 2013 Report on Trends in Duck Breeding Populations.

The preliminary estimate of total duck populations from the traditional survey area (north-central United States, south-central and northern Canada, and Alaska) is 45.6 million birds. This estimate represents a 6 percent decrease from last year’s estimate of 48.6 million birds but is still 33 percent above the long-term average. The total duck estimate excludes scoters, eiders, longtailed ducks, mergansers, and wood ducks.

Despite a delayed spring throughout most of the traditional survey area, habitat conditions during the 2013 survey were generally improved or similar to last year due to above-average precipitation. Most 44 |

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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department increased their $75,000 state grants budget to $250,000 for 2013. This commitment brings Texas’ cumulative contribution to $3 million for habitat conservation on Canadian breeding grounds important to Texas waterfowl. The Association of Fish and Wildlife (AFWA) State Grants Program, established in 1965, is funded primarily through hunting

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of the Canadian portions of the traditional survey area were rated as good to excellent, in contrast to 2012 where drier conditions existed across northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Although the U.S. prairies received record snowfall in April, habitat conditions were still rated only fair to poor, similar to last year. The total pond estimate (prairie Canada and the north-central United States combined) is 6.9 million, 24 percent higher than the 2012 estimate of 5.5 million ponds, and 35 percent above the long-term average.

license sales. Funds must be used for habitat conservation in Canada, but the distribution of available funding is decided by each state’s wildlife agency commission following a request for funding proposals.

Texas has been participating in the program since 1985.

Individual state contributions are combined with other state contributions, matched dollar for dollar by DU Inc. and DU Canada, and then used as match for North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants.

Thanks to Ducks Unlimited’s leveraging ability, Texas’ new commitment will yield a minimum of $1 million for waterfowl habitat conser-

—Staff Report «TG

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8/7/13 6:28 PM

TRUE GREEN Indonesia, India Named Biggest Shark Killers Indonesia and India were named as the world’s biggest catchers of sharks in an EU-backed probe into implementing a new pact to protect seven threatened species of sharks and rays.

Indonesia and India account for more than a fifth of global shark catches, according to the wildlife trade-monitoring network TRAFFIC. They head the list of 20 countries that together account for nearly 80 percent of total shark catch reported between 2002 and 2011.

The others, in descending order, are Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil,

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photo: Phys .org

Twenty countries account for 80% of the world’s shark kills.

Japan, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Yemen.

The report was requested by the EU’s executive European Commission following the listing of seven species of sharks and rays by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Bangkok last March The regulations will take effect in September 2014 to give countries time to determine what a sustainable level of trade in these sharks is and how their industries can adapt to it.

Shark numbers have been decimated

by overfishing, caused in great part by a demand for shark fins in China.

—Staff Report «TG

8/8/13 10:16 AM

TRUE GREEN CONTINUED...

Fighting One Invasive Species with Another Subtropical tamarisk beetles, better known as saltcedar leaf beetles, have made their way to El Paso after first being released along West Texas waterways in 2006 to combat saltcedar, said Dr. Salvador Vitanza, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in El Paso County.

Saltcedar thickets compete for water, increase flooding, and reduce biodiversity, said Dr. Allen Knutson, AgriLife Extension entomologist at Dallas. He said saltcedar was first introduced as an ornamental plant in the early 1800s but escaped and has become a serious invasive species.

“We’ve been working with the U.S.

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Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and other agencies to establish the leaf beetles for biological con-

DU Grants t Continued from page 44 vation in Saskatchewan.

“Ducks Unlimited is very pleased to see the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department continue making wise investments in waterfowl habitat important to the birds that wing

trol of saltcedar,” Knutson said. “We’re now starting to see an area-wide impact as beetles defoliate miles of saltcedar thickets along the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers and in the Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains.”

—Staff Report «TG

their way to the Lone Star state each year,” said DU Director of Conservation Programs Jerry Holden. “As banding data shows us that a large portion of the ducks harvested in Texas come from Saskatchewan, investing the state’s dollars in this region clearly provides the greatest return for Texas waterfowl hunters.”

—Staff Report «TG

8/7/13 6:28 PM

Hunt Texas

by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor

Nature’s Photo Ops

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n a sultry, hot summer morning last July as I sat on the front porch of a Lampasas County ranch while watching two jackrabbits casually eat on grass in a mesquite flat, I marveled about their existence.

If you never have sat in solitude and thought about how animals, birds, and fish deal with everyday life, you have missed out on what all life is about. As humans today, we often worry about things like thieves, airline malfunctions and intoxicated automobile drivers, but what about animals like the jackrabbits?

All creatures of life must deal with something day after day, good or bad, just like us.

I grabbed my camera and left my comfortable chair on the porch of that Lampasas County hunting cabin and took a walk.

I was not surprised to see several fresh tracks of whitetail deer almost immediately after I started down a trail. After all, Lampasas County is in the Hill Country known as the “Deer Capital of Texas” and my hunting cabin is in a remote area with excellent habitat for deer and other wildlife.

I had walked down this trail countless times before, but most of those walks were either in the darkness before daybreak or during the afternoon as I traveled to a hunting blind. You may be surprised how much more you can learn about a trail and the wildlife that uses it by traveling down it once or even twice during the “off season” than you can on numerous treks down the same trail during hunting season.

You miss so much when your main focus is to get to a hunting blind or area without spooking (or seeing) any wildlife that could make your presence known to other wildlife in the area.

In my hands this morning was not a rifle, shotgun, crossbow, compound bow, Photo: Bob Hood

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recurved bow or muzzleloader but my camera. I have carried it down this and many other similar trails to take deer, elk, mountain lion, bobcats, coyotes and other wildlife.

It has “taken” more wildlife than all the weapons I have ever used.

You might be surprised how much more you can learn about a trail on a July morning when the hunting seasons are closed and your attentions are much broader, especially if the only thing in your hands is a camera.

I kept my tracks to one side of the trail as often as possible, something I had learned years ago from a veteran hunter who told me never to walk directly over animal tracks but to keep your tracks, and human scent, to one side so as not to disturb their “natural” path.

In addition to the two jackrabbits at the “head” of the trail, I captured on camera a whitetail doe with twin fawns, one cottontail, two very noisy fox squirrels, an armadillo, a variety of birds and one gray fox which I called up from my hunting blind with a predator call at the “end” of the trail a few hundred yards from the cabin.

The point I want to make here is that if you have the opportunity to explore a farm, ranch, national forest or any other area before or after the major hunting seasons or even during them, take it, but don’t go without a camera.

Not to brag but I have taken literally thousands of photos of wildlife in my 45 years as a professional photographer and writer, plus some years before that. One of the most important things I have learned is that you cannot take a photo of a wildlife scene or animal if you don’t have a camera with you. Secondly, take as many photos of the subject as possible because even if you take 50 photos of the same bird, animal or scene, one will be better than all the rest.

And just as importantly, learn all you can from a photo you have taken. For example, most people know that a mourning dove is a tree-nesting species, but don’t be surprised if you come across a mourning dove on a nest that it and its mate has built on the ground.

Yes, mourning doves will nest on the ground in areas where trees are absent.

Last year while on at an elk hunting camp near Steamboat Springs, Colo., I came across a golden-mantled ground squirrel eating on a thistle plant. Even though the little animal fears for his life from predators like foxes, bobcats, hawks, coyotes, jays and others, it posed for me for several minutes before slowly retreating.

We all love hunting with the numerous types of weapons that we should, as responsible, safe and un-biased hunters use to protect our God-given privileges to harvest wildlife, but I think it is important for us and our future generations to record our trips afield as often as possible with a camera.

And you don’t have to wait until the hunting seasons open to record the wildlife that live and follow along your same trails.

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Contact Bob Hood at BHood@fishgame.com

A golden-mantled ground squirrel eating a thistle plant near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

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INSET PHOTO: MIKE PRICE; BACKGROUND PHOTO: CANSTOCK

8/7/13 5:32 PM

In September, when striped mullet key on shorter days and school up in the surf, fishermen in turn key on the mullet. The mullet are full of roe (eggs) and milt (sperm) and getting ready to go offshore and spawn, and predators like speckled trout feed very aggressively when the surf is loaded with mullet.

Story and Photos by Mike Price Scanning the water, I saw hundreds of golden mullet eyes as schools of the fish traveled from right to left in the calm surf. Mullet feed on surface scum when large amounts of microalgae can be found at the air-water interface. Every now and then, the mullet erupted into a fountain going every which way, obviously being chased by a predator. I waited until I saw the mullet scattering on the surface or in a very tight school, and then I threw my lure in front of that school, allowing it to drop beneath them. The strike came quickly.

Sometimes my line was cut by spanish mackerel, and on other casts beneath mullet, I caught speckled trout.

In addition to speckled trout and Spanish mackerel, crevalle jack will bust a school of mullet. I was fishing off Matagorda Beach from my boat when I saw mullet being scattered. I cast to that spot and hooked a fish that ripped line off my reel, and almost spooled me. Reeling rapidly when the fish ran towards me, and lifting my rod to get slack and reeling when it swam away from me, I would gain a little line on this hard charger, and then it would garner another burst of energy and almost spool me again. Finally I started making progress and brought the fish up to the boat and saw that it was a crevalle jack. Then two sets of shark fins merged on my fish and the line went slack. September is prime time to find crevalle jack in the surf, gorging on mullet. Crevalle jack range in size from five to over thirty pounds. They are not good to eat, but they are sure a challenge to catch and release.

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The most common mullet found in Texas’ waters is the striped mullet. Large schools of striped mullet leave the bays and estuaries in the fall and journey to offshore water where they spawn.

Lance Robinson Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Coastal Fisheries Division in Dickinson said, “The mullet population is doing well in spite of the drought. They can tolerate changes in salinity on both extremes.”

Female mullet produce between 500,000 and two million eggs. Larvae migrate to inshore estuaries where they feed on tiny crustaceans and grow. Juvenile striped mullet (finger mullet) spend the first year in the marshes, estuaries, and bays. Sometimes they move offshore with the adults, but many spend the winter inshore. When mullet are in their second or third year of life, they reach a length of 10 to 14 inches, become mature, and go offshore in the fall to spawn. Mature mullet eat mostly dead plant matter, recycling this waste into energy when fish, birds, and marine mammals eat them.

There are two kinds of mullet jumps.

Individual mullet often jump out of the water and turn on their sides or backs before reentering the water. According to a report compiled in 1995 by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, this behavior moves air into the back of the pharynx and helps the fish dissolve oxygen. When several mullet burst out of the water simultaneously, fishermen should cast to that area because those mullet were being attacked by a predator.

Fishermen targeting speckled trout in

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Mullet being chased by tarpon.

September can be very successful using artificial lures, but there is no substitute for the real thing—live striped mullet. Finger mullet, mullet about the size of a finger, are the ideal size and can usually be found in the surf with the larger, spawning-sized mullet.

If you do not find smaller mullet in the surf, stop at a ditch feeding the bay and throw your cast net there.

To rig your tackle, slide an egg sinker that is one ounce or lighter (depending on the current) onto the line running from your rod. Tie on a small black swivel. Use

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black because the flash of a bright swivel will attract the strike of toothy fish like Spanish mackerel. Attach a 20-pound-test fluorocarbon leader to the swivel and tie on a 2/0 curved Kahle-style hook. Hook the finger mullet in front of its eyes, cast out and let the weight settle; then pop to make the bait fish attract attention. Let the weight settle again and repeat the process slowly bringing the bait in.

Many artificial lures mimic mullet. Jay Everett from Bay City told me, “I live for fishing with topwater lures in the warm summer surf.” He wades out wearSpeckled trout eat mullet up to ½ ing a straw hat to ¾ of their body length. with a large brim festooned with a good selection of MirrOlure Top Dog lures and Heddon Super Spooks, and begins working the lures.

Everett likes to twitch the topwater back and forth

(walk the dog) for about 10 or 12 times and then he stops and lets the lure sit. When he feels like starting to twitch again, he resists the temptation. He said, “Let it sit a little longer; I have had lots of strikes by leaving it sit a little longer.” He uses a very long stringer so sharks bite the fish and not him, and after he has two or three fish, he wades back to his truck and puts them in an ice chest.

Another mullet-like lure is the ED Special. I was introduced to the ED Special when I wrote a story about the fisherman who invented the lure, Eddie Douglas from Bay City. After watching Eddie expertly work his black broken back lure with yellow dots and three very sharp treble hooks in the bay, I tried it in the surf. The trout jumped all over the ED Special, but I learned the hard way that a wiggling 18-inch trout on a lure with 9 sharp hooks is truly hazardous. I pulled hooks out of myself and my shirt several times in the process of catching 14 trout.

I recall that Eddie used a gripper to keep a trout under control while he unhooked it and put it on a stringer. In addition to topwater and broken back lures, soft plastics like the Stanley Wedge tail Mullet or the Storm Wildeye Swim Shad also effectively mimic mullet and draw plenty of strikes in the surf.

When you arrive at the beach as the sun is coming up and see thousands of mullet in the curl of the breaking waves, you can be sure that predator fish are there and you are in for an exciting day of surf-fishing.

What Does Mullet Taste Like?

Wildlife website it describes eating mullet: “In Florida, striped mullet can be found on the menus of many restaurants, but in the western Gulf of Mexico (Texas and Louisiana waters), they take on an oily taste and are generally not eaten.

Instead, mullet are harvested for use as a bait fish.” I had never tasted Texas’ mullet so I put my cast net in my truck and went to a ditch nearby (we live on Matagorda Beach) and caught a mullet.

Then I cleaned it.

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because it is filled with nutrients (and mud).

I took the two little white filets home and an hour later we had put olive oil and Adobo seasoning on them and pan The author and his wife ate this striped mullet.

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fried them. I thought the meat was sweet and good. Janet said, “It tastes slightly muddy, (she saw the intestines) slightly bitter and it does not have the sweetness of trout or redfish.” We both agreed that it was not oily tasting.

Another day we will try smoked mullet.

—Mike Price

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Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Seeing the Plaid

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ne of my favorite students came to me last year after a particularly fast-paced give-and-take about Grendel and Beowulf, and said, “What we love about you, Mr. G, is you don’t see things the way most teachers do.

Most of our teachers look at things in black and white…you look at things in plaid.”

It was an esoteric comment from a very esoteric student (she graduated #2 out of 530 and is in the midst of her first semester at the University of Texas-Austin as I write this), but I got what she was saying. I don’t necessarily look at things from typical angles and perspectives. I come from a long line of thinkers who look at things a bit…differently (if you remember the opening montage of the ‘90’s television show “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and the picture of Vincent Donofrio looking at a suspect sideways, you get what I mean). I’ll throw an Eephus pitch; use a Hook and Ladder on the first play from scrimmage. If being a little different may help me achieve my goal, I’ll do it.

The very nature of successful anglers necessitates an occasional plaid view to their pastime. There are times where the old tricks don’t work. Sometimes, fish want something other than your offering, and you’d better find a solution quick or it’s pizza for dinner.

Walk the Dog doesn’t always work, nor does twitch-twitch-pause. Red and white don’t always treat you right. At times when the orthodox don’t produce, you need to dust off your Eephus and let it rip. In short, look at things a little differently, and try different things, the sort of things your partner will look at and ask, “What in the world are you doing?”

Football Fever

No one can argue the effectiveness of leadhead jigs/plastic tail combos for inshore

species. The biggest trout I’ve ever caught, a 30-inch beast that was lurking around the Brazos-Santiago Jetties back in 1999, inhaled a 4” pink Queen Cocahoe. I’ve caught several limits of trout, redfish, and flounder over the years on a variety of soft plastics, as have many of my counterparts up and down the Texas Coast. We will continue to do so, too.

There doesn’t seem much to the technique: tie on a 1/8-, 1/4-, or even 3/8-ounce jighead, thread on your favorite tail, and go fishing. Honestly, it can actually be that easy. Sometimes, however, it doesn’t hurt to change things up just a bit.

The erudite angler who thinks in plaid can also use football jigheads for bottom huggers such as flounder and redfish. It doesn’t even take very different equipment.

Many smallmouth fishermen use 4-inch tube baits on these jigheads to imitate the action of a mudbug or goby. The same tail works quite well in saltwater. If tube baits aren’t your thing, a shrimp tail works just as well.

My best results have been fishing football jigs around and in sand potholes on flats, and around jetty rocks. The common technique calls for slowly dragging the bait along the bottom by lifting your rod from 9 o’clock to 12, lowering your rod tip and repeating the sequence (reel in the slack as you drop your rod tip). An occasional twitch of the rod will hop the bait and cause a puff of sand or mud.

Of course, this technique isn’t the only way to work a football jig. Use your imagination to vary the retrieve. Who knows what you’ll discover.

Go Big or Go Home

Sometimes, a predator wants a big meal.

In fall and winter, fish look for more protein per meal. Anglers habitually throw big topwaters such as the Super Spook and Top Dog, or Corkies to give what the big trout and redfish want. Even then, most fishermen can probably go bigger.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with swimbaits as big as 9 inches long. The results have been very impressive. Soft plastics such as the Castaic Ayu, Zoom Super Fluke (rigged in tandem on a Logic Lures Texas Twister), and DOA Big Fish Lure have proven very effective for winter trout looking for a XXL meal.

The size of the lures requires a slower retrieve, which is exactly what is needed to get a cold fish to notice and strike Fishing isn’t always a cut and dry endeavor. Sometimes you need to change your views, or at least start seeing the plaid in the colors.

A Different “Rind” of Lure

Sometimes, even the most aggressive fish won’t bite. I have dropped chunks of fresh ballyhoo in front of a pod of redfish and seen them just cruise right by it without even a sniff. Fish with the mulligrubs can leave you talking with yourself.

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rinds in my tackle bag for just such occasions. Nose-hook the pork rind on a 3/0 straight-shank hook, cast it out onto the flat, and work it with a slow up and down retrieve.

The pork rind’s natural buoyancy suspends it just above grass tops, and the strip has a non-mechanical action that slowly wiggles and waves with the slightest rod movement. When the bait is in the middle of a pothole, stop your retrieve and let it suspend and float. If there is a trout or redfish lurking, it’ll come up to investigate. More often than not, it’ll strike.

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Composite Image: Texas Fish & Game

8/7/13 5:37 PM

Autumn is at the door and a cold winter presses hard not too far behind. What should you change in your boat’s gear and rigging to prepare for cold-weather fishing?

by Lenny Rudow

With summer drawing to a close and a bite coming into the air, boating becomes a different experience. Suddenly that breeze that felt so good and cool a month ago turns chilling; the welcome spray on your face is now an unwelcome shock. On the other hand, fish are in their fall feeding frenzy and the ducks are getting ready to fly. The change of seasons may force a change in your comfort level, but now’s an awesome time to be out on the water—if, that is, you’re prepared for the different conditions.

One often overlooked option is floatcoats. These jackets have built-in floatation so you’re always wearing a life jacket when you have one on. Added bonus: the foam is an excellent insulator, and float-coats are every bit as warm as the best winter jackets.

And don’t forget about the importance of hats, gloves, and socks.

Thick Skinned

Those falling temperatures don’t just affect you, they affect the way your boat runs, too. The good news: your boat may run a bit faster, since the air gets denser as it cools and more gets packed into the cylinders. Unfortunately, changing temperatures can also affect the elasticity of rubber.

Where this can impact your boat is in the propeller, specifically in the hub. A rapid drop in water temperature can cause prop hubs to lose their grip, and the prop may “spin out” on the hub. You’ll usually get a warning, in the form of a drop in speed while RPM rises. If you have a spare prop and a prop puller, this is the time to keep them onboard. And if you don’t, and you notice a drop in the usual speeds your boat runs at in any specific RPM range, replace the prop (or have it re-hubbed) before the temperature drops any more.

Dropping temperatures can also take a toll on your battery, and if yours is old or abused, the first cold morning is usually when it fails. This is a good time to pull out the charger and make sure it’s topped-off. If the battery shows any sign of weakness and/ or the engine cranks slowly, consider replacing that battery entirely.

Outboard owners who live in an area where freezing can occur should always use fall as a major land-mark in their yearly maintenance schedule. This is when you should change your lower-unit oil, and eyeball the old oil for water contamination.

If the temperature falls below freezing and there’s water in your lower unit, the results can be catastrophic. Naturally, the same is

Depending on where you live in Texas, you could be in store for anything from a mild cool-off to freezing temperatures. Either way, the first and most obvious change you’ll need to make is in what you wear. Most importantly, remember that hypothermia— the number-one killer of people engaged in outdoor activities. And even when the air is relatively warm, it becomes a danger when you get wet. As a result, when fall arrives you should make sure you have foul-weather gear stowed aboard your boat. Even a set of cheap plastic ponchos (one for every passenger onboard) can become invaluable when spray starts flying or rain starts pouring down. Stow a set of these ponchos, which fold down to the size of a deck of cards and can be crammed into a glove or ammo box, somewhere aboard your boat.

Those in tougher climates, obviously, should plan on wearing tougher gear. Foul weather gear should have adjustable cuffs to seal out the water, welded seams (stitched seams almost always leak), and storm flaps that cover the zippers. If you live in an area with big temperature swings, where it may be in the 40’s at daybreak but go into the 70’s mid-day, stay away from PVC or polyurethane foul-weather gear. It may keep the water out but it doesn’t breathe and when the sun rises you’ll start sweating.

Breathable fabrics, like Gore-Tex or microporous and coated hydrophilics, will allow some air to flow while keeping the spray at bay, and you’ll stay a lot more comfortable.

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true of any system on your boat that holds water. Dump any freshwater tanks, run your raw water washdown and livewell pumps until they gurgle dry after every trip, and if you’re in an area that regularly sees hard freezes, run some anti-freeze through those systems.

Finally, always remember to leave your outboard fully tilted down when you park it on the trailer, or a lift. If you leave it tilted up water can sit in the lower unit, and again, freeze damage is a possibility. There’s no need to run anti-freeze through an outboard since they drain completely when tilted down, but if you leave it up trouble is in store. If you store your boat in the water, even though you usually tilt it up at the end of the day during the summer, again, leave it down now that fall has hit. Barnacle or weed growth slows or stops at this time of year in areas where cool temperatures predominate, and won’t be a problem.

Chilling Out Along with yourself and your boat’s mechanical systems, there are a number

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of other items that can be affected by the cold. Electronics, for example. Most of the season, we’d say it’s best to leave your GPS/ Chartplotters and fishfinders on their mount at the helm because taking them on and off every trip can stress the plugs and connectors.

But at this time of year, warm days followed by cool nights can lead to condensation followed by freezing. Obviously, this isn’t great for your electronics. WARNING: Be very gentle with plastic plug-ends in cold temps, because the plastic can become brittle and break, especially if you wiggle the plug at an awkward angle.

Marine canvass will also be affected by the cooling air. Isinglass is particularly susceptible to damage in the cold, if you fold it.

Instead, always roll up Isinglass and when you stow it, don’t lie anything heavy on top of the roll. And as the temperature swings and materials shrink and expand, it can get tough to zip the Isinglass, canvas Bimini tops, and curtains into place. Make the job easier by lubricating the zippers; running a wax candle over them is a quick and easy way to get it done.

Another item affected by cold temps is

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the vinyl on your boat’s seats and coaming bolsters. It can become rather brittle, and more susceptible to rips and tears. To prevent this from happening, take the time now to treat marine vinyls with a cleaner/ protectant, like Armor All. Even your lines can become brittle and tough to work with at this time of year.

This is partially a result of temperature, and partially the result of a long summer of use.

So make it part of your fall maintenance schedule to treat mooring and anchor lines to keep them supple and flexible. An hourlong soaking in a bucket of water with a cup of fabric softener will do the trick.

Summer may be fleeting, but the chill in the air brings a number of cool weather outdoor activities that we sportsmen love.

So treat your boat right and dress for the weather—you’ll be rewarded with the days of fall fishing and waterfowl hunting that make this time of year great.

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Open Season

by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

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oc came out of the motel bathroom to address the assemblage of the Hunting Club Membership. “I was shaving…”

We cut him off with applause.

“Shut up. I thought I had a new mole on my neck and until I saw it was a tick.”

The rest of us immediately initiated personal inspections, as modesty would permit.

“Y’all aren’t listening to me. I have a confirmed tick. It’s stuck. I need to get it off.”

Wrong Willie ran a hand under his shirt and investigated the opposite arm pit. “Hey, someone come look. Is this one too?”

Doc stepped further into the motel room.

“Guys, pay some attention here. Do we have anything to get this little sucker off my neck?”

“Little sucker.” Jerry Wayne laughed and pulled up his pant leg to examine a mayonnaise-colored leg. I was so bright I turned off one of one of the lamps. “That’s funny, because they’re little blood suckers.”

Willie took off his shirt as his anxiety increased. “Hey. I can’t see. Somebody help me. What is this?”

Doc squinted at the back of Willie’s shoulder. “Could be. I’ll tell you if you’ll help me get this one off my neck.”

“Off,” I said.

“That’s what I said. I want to get it off.”

“No, use Off. The bug spray. That should make it turn loose.”

“Do we have any?”

“No, that’s why you have a tick.”

“Guys I need help here.” Doc assumed a position usually seen in the game, Twister.

“Don’t pull it off!” New Wally shouted.

“You can get Lyme disease that way.”

“No, you get Lyme disease from infected ticks.” I ran a thumb around the inside of my waistband.

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you said Lyme disease comes from

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pulling them off, but the infection comes from what ticks leave behind.”

“Right, Lyme disease.”

I stared at the heavens, but the ceiling offered no relief. “No, the head…let’s start over.”

“Right,” Doc said as if reading from a script. “I have a tick I want to get off my neck.”

I held up a hand before anyone could resume our trek down the wrong road. “Let’s see it.”

He held his collar open.

New Wally squinted at the insect. “I’ve never seen one that high up before. I usually get them…”

“Which is what I need to talk to you guys about,” Wrong Willie said. “I might have one on the back of my shoulder.” He gripped and yanked. “Ow! Nope, it was just a skin tag.”

I sighed with relief. “Doc, I was afraid you were going to want a complete tick check.”

“Off?” he suggested.

“No, leave them on.” I averted my eyes.

“Oh, you mean do we have anything to get rid of your bug?”

“Try this.” New Wally held a canister very close to Doc’s neck and gave it a very, very brief squeeze.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t brief enough.

Instead of insect repellent, it was Officer Wally’s can of pepper spray.

Then Doc went somewhat mad.

Things became exciting for a brief, wonderful moment as Doc performed maneuvers he hadn’t attempted since 1960. He pinged off several walls and then shot toward the door. The fumes quickly filled the room.

Gasping and weeping, I opened the door and staggered outside into the 1950s motor court parking lot.

Four female mule skinners were standing outside their room adjacent to ours, smoking and chewing, because their air conditioner was on the fritz.

One of them looked up at the Hunting Club’s exit. “Hi guys, having a party?”

Jerry Wayne was shocked into an obviously inappropriate answer. “We have ticks.”

“We’ll help you find them.” One par-

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ticularly mustached mule skinner spat a long brown stream. “Sheri, I think our prayers have been answered. There’s five of ‘em.”

Horrified, we stampeded back into the room and slammed the door.

I wrapped a wet towel around my lower face to block the fumes. “Keep that pepper spray ready, Wally. If they get inside, use your pistol. Shoot to kill. Doc, let me see your neck, but only after you wash it with soap and water.”

Five minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom and I perused the offered neck.

Only a red spot remained where said a tick had been attached.

“It’s gone.”

Wally examined the can. “This stuff works?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Wrong Willie dropped to his knees and examined the stained carpet.

“I want to know where the tick went.”

We pondered the problem of a foraging, aggressive, and possibly spicy tick.

“We’ll help you find it!” a mule skinner called from outside. The walls were obviously not soundproofed.

Jerry Wayne looked worried. “So let me get this straight. There’s a wild tick loose in this room, full of Doc’s blood and possibly Lyme disease, and we’re going to sleep here because pioneer women waiting for us outside?”

“Not me.” New Wally cracked the door and stuck his head out, then hurriedly shut the door. “They just asked me for a date.”

“Well now what are we gonna do?”

Willie’s voice cracked.

I grabbed the pepper spray can and went to the door. “On the count of three, I’m gonna hit ‘em with a thick spray of fog, and then we scatter. Who’s with me?”

The guys gathered behind me, I cracked the door and took a peek. “Now I know how Butch and Sundance felt.”

Wrong Willie took a deep breath. “The odds are about the same.”

I fogged and we charged.

Contact Reavis Wortham at RWortham@fishgame.com

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Digital Edition

Public Land Gators I owe my career to an alligator I caught in Texas’s Public Hunt Drawing System. In 1995, I was a student at St. Edward’s University in Austin, doing everything I could to keep the astronomical tuition costs from eating into the rest of my life. To earn money, I worked in the library and at the Catholic cemetery across the street from campus (Yes, I buried people. I’d rather not discuss the matter further. I still have nightmares – about the people I worked with. Not the corpses.).

Photo: Canstock

by gayne c. young

Also, I sold articles to history journals and magazines. This latter job was especially important as I was a history major and wanted to be a writer after graduation. This wasn’t very helpful financially, as history articles then and still pay somewhere between Jack Nothing and Jack Crap.

Later that semester, however, I got my first taste at real financial success via a keyboard when this very magazine purchased my first T F & G

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“outdoor” article, A Lotto Gator. My musings about pulling in a 12-foot, 4-inch swamp dragon from the waters of the Mad Island Wildlife Refuge paid me three times as much (or slightly above Jack Crap) as what my scholarly endeavors had up to that point. This forever cemented the idea that I could make a living writing about a life enjoyed rather than one full of endless research.

My Mad Island adventure came about through perseverance, F i s h

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HOW-TO SECTION

COVER STORY

texas boating • Ten Tips for Buying the Best Boat | by lenny

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texas kayaking • Farm Pond Bass | by greg berlocher

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION

paul’s tips • There’s an App for That | by paul bradshaw

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OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | by TF&G staff

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texas tasted • Cajun Meat Loaf | by bryan slaven

rudow

texas guns & gear • Is It Really Worth It? | by steve lamascus

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texas tested • Yamaha, Cobia, and ThermaCell | by TF&G

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fish and game gear• Hot New Outdoor Gear | by TF&G staff

staff

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Texas Hotspots • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots | by tom behrens, calixto gonzales, & bob hood

luck, and research. I applied to hunt the refuge with my friend Joel O’Shoney. We received word that we weren’t chosen a few weeks after the drawing was held.

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tf&g Photos • Your Action Photos | by TF&G readers

FISHING FORECAST SECTION

COVER STORY • Public Land Gators | by gayne c. young

Author Gayne C. Young with a Texas public gator.

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sportsman’s daybook • Tides & Prime Times | by TF&G

Undeterred by the “no” brought forth in the mail, I called the refuge to beg for the opportunity to hunt.

Although he wouldn’t listen to my plea, Mad Island Head Biologist Dr. Brent Ortega did inform me how the standby policy works. If a drawn hunter fails to show for his or her hunt, or if the biologist in charge of the hunt feels more hunters are needed, an on-the-spot drawing of standby hunters is held.

My friend Joel and I showed up as standby hunters that fateful weekend, but left as the hunters that took the largest alligator in the history of the refuge. I’ve been alligator hunting twice since that first hunt some 18 years ago. I caught a 10-foot alligator at Mad Island the following year when I was actually drawn to hunt and pulled a 9-footer from the refuge’s waters some years later as a standby hunter.

Of course, Mad Island Wildlife Refuge isn’t the only public land in Texas to allow alligator hunting. Texas offers alligator hunting in five other areas: Angelina Neches/Dam B, J. Daughtrey WMA, Gus Engeling WMA, Guadalupe Delta WMA, Murphree WMA. In the 2011 – 2012 hunt season 187 hunters took 134 alligators from these six

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www.FishGame.com areas. An incredible 56 of those hunters were standby hunters. In May 2013, 18-year-old high school senior Braxton Bielski set a monster of a record when he caught an 800-pound, 14-foot, 3-inch gator during his first ever public alligator hunt on the James E. Daughtrey Wildlife Management Area.

Alligator hunting isn’t for the faint of heart. Although generally shy and elusive, alligators are the apex predators of their environment. They’re lightning fast swimmers, almost as fast and dangerous on land, and when disturbed have a nasty disposition.

The 12-foot, 4-inch monster I took so many years ago was thought to have subsisted on a diet of deer, wild boar, and yes, other alligators. Hunting an animal that’s capable of taking down several hundred pounds of prey isn’t something to be taken lightly. Fortunately, all hunters after swamp dragons on public land in Texas are required to sit through a biologist-taught crash course on how to catch (hooked line or bow and arrow), dispatch, and transport these Lone Star dinosaurs.

One thing that always surprises hunters – I know it surprised me – is that

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Texas Boating

by Lenny Rudow | TF&G Boating Editor

Ten Tips to Buying the Best Boat

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or maybe a wood block. But washers don’t provide much surface area, and wood blocks can rot away or weaken over time.

BETTER builders use plates of aluminum, high-density polyboard, or Phenolic backings. Phenolics (multi-layer composites with resin cured under heat and pressure) and polyboards give screws a good bite, but through-bolts are always best and in the case of aluminum plates, are a must.

THE BEST builders laminate the backing plates right into the fiberglass hull, deck, or part, when it’s laid-up. This makes it virtually impossible to shake or break the backing free.

1. Backing plates – Any hardware, from cleats to hinges to T-top posts, needs to be secured with a solid backing.

CHEAP builders will back with washers,

2. Consoles – The key item to look for here is how it’s secured to the deck.

Consoles which aren’t secured properly allow water to leak through, soaking everything inside. They may also shatter or break, when stressed.

CHEAP builders use two or three L-brackets to screw the console to the deck.

Obviously, this will allow water to flow freely under the seam. Deceitful builders may even screw the L-bracket into the deck, then through-bolt the console to the other side of the L-bracket—and advertise the console as being “through-bolted in place”.

f you’re a boat owner, undoubtedly, you’ve had a disappointing experience or two through the years. Some of the pieces and parts boat-builders use simply can’t handle the abuse we dish out; some builders use sub-par construction methods; and some do installation jobs that are no better than what we’d have done in our garages.

So, how can you tell if a boat is going to let you down in the future? Here are 10 things you should always look for, when buying a new boat. Check them all, and you could save yourself a lot of hassle and disappointment through the years.

BETTER builders mold a flange on the bottom of the console, then through-bolt the flange down. This seam is usually sealed with an adhesive/sealant, to keep out water.

And it usually will keep the inside dry… for a while.

THE BEST builders mold a raised section of the deck and/or a lip, for the console to fit over. Then, bolts securing it in place are run through both pieces horizontally.

The entire seam is sealed with adhesive/ sealant or, in the best-case scenario, fiberglassed shut from the inside.

3. Fishboxes – In the fishboxes on a poorly built boat, a 40-pound bag of ice may melt away in an afternoon. On a good one, that same bag will last all weekend.

CHEAP builders simply drop a plastic tub into the space, to create a liner.

BETTER builders mold a fiberglass liner which is cored with foam to provide some insulation.

THE BEST builders don’t mold separate liners because they’re already part of the deck or inner-liner of the boat. And, since the best builders blow foam into all belowdecks voids, there’s a ton of insulation around the fishbox.

cover story: Public Land Gators t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58 alligators are often just as dangerous after they’re dead. That’s why gator jaws should be taped shut and legs and tail tied tight.

My Mad Island bruiser put the hurt on my friend Joel when it slammed him into the side of the boat with its tail.

And that was about a half-hour after the gator was dead.

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backwater areas of the state. In my three alligator hunts to Mad Island, I’ve probably lost a total of eight liters of blood to the mosquitoes, leeches, and flies that call that area outside Palacios, Texas home. I’ve been sunburned, come close to being snapped by blue crabs, bitten by a water moccasin, and run into by feral hogs.

So why would any sane person hunt alligators on public land in Texas? I’m not sure they would.

For me, it’s a hunting adventure unlike any other. It’s always exciting and probably the only true “dangerous game” hunt in the

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state. Not only that, but alligator actually tastes good, and I’ve had the hides from my “smaller” gators turned into some very nice items. I had Russell Moccasins craft me a nice pair of boots and had Walden & Bork make me several wallets, key fobs, and a cigar case.

Of course, the main reason I’ve traveled into the nasty parts of the state after alligators is the fact that I just absolutely love it.

Give the Texas Public Hunting system a shot, and I bet you’ll feel the same as I do about the sport.

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Texas Boating 4. Hatches – Although hatches seem like a small part of your boat, a good fit, light weight, and high-strength set of hatches will ensure few problems through the years.

CHEAP builders use plastic hatches.

These may seem strong enough, but the latches and dogs on them regularly break— especially when you accidentally leave one up, and someone steps on or kicks it.

BETTER builders laminate fiberglass hatches. These are usually strong, but can also be extremely heavy. And you probably already know that a slamming fiberglass hatch can create a banging noise loud enough to spook every fish within a mile.

THE BEST builders mold hatches using either RTM (resin transfer molding) or two-piece mold systems. These hatches are fully-finished on both sides, and since the resin-to-glass ratio is optimized, weigh less while retaining strength. Then, they’re supported with a gas-assist strut.

5. Hulls – Naturally, this is the most important structural part of your boat. So listen up!

CHEAP builders create a shell by shooting glass into a mold with a chopper gun.

BETTER builders hand-lay the glass, and roll in the resin. They also leave the hull in the mold for an extended period of time as they install stringers and bulkheads, to prevent warping.

THE BEST builders use vacuum-bagging or resin infusion techniques to mold the hull. This ensures the optimal resin-to-glass ratio, minimizing weight while maximizing strength.

6. Pumps – Here’s a case where size matters; in a nutshell, bigger is usually better. But beyond that: CHEAP builders use the old-fashioned flip-flop bilge pump switch and nothing more. And when it comes to accessory pumps, they’ll use a Y-valve pump-share arrangement so one pump covers several bases (and wears out quicker).

BETTER builders will use a float switch that’s enclosed in a plastic grate, so items floating around in the bilge can’t interfere with the switch’s operation. Every accessory has its own pump.

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THE BEST builders add a second backup switch for every bilge pump. These are mounted a couple of inches higher than the primary switch, and have a light at the helm that alerts you when they kick on so you know there’s high water in the bilge.

7. Rails – Rail stanchions are a common place for cracking to appear where they meet the fiberglass, because they get stressed quite regularly. Though this is a cosmetic problem in many cases, it can also lead to water intrusion.

CHEAP builders screw down the stanchions, with one or two screws.

BETTER builders use stanchions with three screws.

THE BEST builders use blind-fasteners which come out through the bottom of each support, and are through-bolted into prelaminated backing plates.

8. Stringers – These create the backbone for your boat, and few structural construction details are as important. There are, however, a lot of disagreements as to what type of stringers make for the best boat. Wood-cored stringers, for example, may have the potential for rot but they also deaden sound and vibration better than today’s common foam-cored stringers. So rather than address the construction of the stringers here, we’ll cover some indisputably important mounting details to look for.

CHEAP builders “tab in” stringers, with relatively small or thin strips of fiberglass.

BETTER builders laminate pre-formed logs into the hull. Gluing pre-molded stringer grids in place with a space-age adhesive, such as Plexus, is also an accepted technique. When done properly it’s quite effective, but the potential is there for an inexperienced builder to botch the job.

THE BEST builders pre-mold the stringer grid, then laminate it right into the hull.

When done correctly, after the resin dries the stringers are a part of the hull itself.

CHEAP builders simply screw Lexan or Plexiglas onto the face of the console.

BETTER builders mount a grab rail all around the windshield, so people naturally grab it before they grab for the plastic. They also often incorporate thumb-screws for easy removal.

THE BEST builders do all of the above, but they do it with tempered glass instead of Lexan or Plexiglas.

10. Wiring – When your boat starts having electrical problems—and at some point, it almost certainly will—you’ll be faced with a major repair bill. Boats with excellent wiring may be able to avoid this issue for a decade or two, while poorly built boats may encounter trouble in the first few seasons.

CHEAP builders use cheap wire, secured with crimp connectors and possibly bare wire-ends screwed into a fuse block.

BETTER builders use tinned-copper wires, and protect all connections with heat-shrink tubing. Wires will be secured in bunches, so they don’t vibrate free as you pound through waves.

THE BEST builders have ramrodstraight tinned-copper wires, in pre-made harnesses that have the exact proper length for each wire. They’re firmly secured in place in cushioned clamps every few inches, and are marked for easier troubleshooting.

Connections are protected with heat-shrink tubing, after being sprayed with a corrosion inhibitor.

Will THE BEST boats be more expensive than CHEAP ones? Of course they will; you get what you pay for. But considering how much hassle and heartache THE BEST built boats can save you through the years, it’s worth sacrificing a few accouterments or a foot or two of LOA, and investing the savings in quality.

9. Windshields – These tend to be a problem item because people often use them as a hand-hold, even though they aren’t necessarily designed to support a lot of weight or stress.

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Contact Lenny Rudow at LRudow@fishgame.com Get more boating tips in LENNY RUDOW’s Texas Boating Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs A L M A N A C

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Texas Kayaking

by Greg Berlocher | TF&G Kayaking Editor

Farm Pond Bass

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arm ponds are ideal venues for kayak fishermen, but are often overlooked due to the siren call of large reservoirs. Farm ponds may not get the respect that the big lakes enjoy, but small waters don’t get the fishing pressure large reservoirs receive either. Consequently, fish populations that live in the smaller zip codes rarely see artificial lures and are easier to catch.

Many large bass have been taken from small waters. Don’t shy away from them because you are looking for a wall-hanger.

September is a great month to start keying in on farm ponds. Chilled rainwater from the season’s first cold fronts will drop water temperatures quickly in tanks and ponds, making the fish much more active.

Most farm ponds can be worked thoroughly in an hour or two, a bonus for those of us pulled in too many directions at once.

Don’t overlook tanks and ponds on dove leases. If the birds don’t fly, fishing is a great backup plan. Just make sure that fishing privileges are included in your dove lease.

Although farm ponds receive far less fishing pressure than their larger brethren, don’t think you can spook the fish and expect them to bite. If you drive your kayak in, park a short distance away from the water’s edge and then ease your hull into the pond with a minimum of splashing. Wear muted colors and avoid bright white T-shirts.

Many farm ponds have a thick collar of vegetation growing around the shoreline, making it a challenge to fish from the bank.

A kayak allows you to quietly ease out to the edge of the vegetation and then cast parallel to the bank. Small spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwaters will draw thunderous strikes from bass hidden in the shallows below the

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aquatic growth A fly rod is a deadly tool that shouldn’t be overlooked when targeting farm pond bass. Hair bugs, poppers, and Woolly Buggers will keep the bass busy and wet flies, such as beadhead nymphs and McGinty patterns, will draw the attention of any bream in the neighborhood.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to a farm pond. Even if you are a suburbanite and have no country connections, all is not lost. I have been granted fishing access to many farm ponds simply by asking. As with most ventures in life, a warm referral helps open the door. See if a friend of the landowner will vouch for you.

We live in a litigious society and many folks are scared of the consequences of strangers on their land. Fortunately, not everyone has that opinion. When introducing yourself, explain what you would like to do, how you fish, and by all means be polite. A written introduction by email ahead of time allows people to warm up to the idea. Volunteer to sign a liability release if that puts the landowner at ease.

Bartering labor for fishing privileges can sometimes make a difference. I learned this lesson from my Scoutmasters when I was young. Our scout troop never had to pay camping fees and we were welcomed by many landowners. We did our fair share of good deeds in exchange for camping privileges. It was a win-win situation and we were always welcomed back by the landowners.

Fishermen can learn a valuable lesson here. Ranching and farming is hard work and there are always projects that need to get finished. An offer to haul wood, stack hay,

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or mow the grass around the pond in exchange for fishing privileges would probably be welcome one. As with my scouting days, always leave the area around the lake pristine and in better shape than you found it.

This doesn’t just go for trash. Driving down the water’s edge and leaving a snaking set of ruts in the pasture, or leaving a farm gate open, is just as unwelcome as littering. Bring a kayak cart and walk your kayak down to the pond to avoid tearing up pasture land.

When inquiring about fishing privileges, let the lake owner know that you are happy to release all fish caught. Some will ask you to keep some of the fish to thin out the population and prevent stunting. If you are allowed to keep the fish you catch, offering a freezer bag full of fillets to the farm owner is a nice way to say thank you.

One word of caution: The relationship between the landowner and visiting angler is based on trust. If you mess up, even one time, your fishing privileges will be revoked forever. Beware of taking friends to ponds where you enjoy special access. They may be tempted to take their friends to the pond without your knowledge. I have seen this happen more than a few times, each had disastrous outcomes.

If you are looking for new water to fish and dislike the notion of being the 50th boat of the day to probe a promising shoreline, load up your kayak and head out a farm pond near you.

T F & G

Greg Berlocher can be reached for question or comment at GBerlocher@fishgame.com.

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Paul’s Tips

There’s an App for That

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grew up in the era of video games, but have to admit that, unlike most of that generation, I’m not enamored with technology (not that there’s anything wrong with that). While I do own more electronics than absolutely needed, it’s not an obsession.

I’m a pretty simple person and this column usually reflects that, but not this time. This time we’re going to talk about technology a bit and how using some of the latest and greatest information available can help you while in the woods or on the water.

Don’t turn the page, this won’t hurt.

The first hand held mobile phone was introduced in 1973 (that was before I was born) and was approximately the size of a small dog. I finally ended up getting my first cell phone over 30 years after this initial introduction with a phone that could do one thing, make calls. I know, it sounds ludicrous but I actually just used the phone for talking, and didn’t even do that very much.

Recently I stepped into the world of “smart phones” and while I still rarely use my phone for much more than a paperweight on my desk there are a few things I find it useful for and most of them have nothing to do with talking or playing with angry birds.

I’m not saying I get lost, I’m just saying I’ve been confused in the woods a time or two. Maybe, three. I eventually figured out where I was and how to get home but now I don’t have to worry about it as long as my phone is charged. I downloaded a GPS application (app) that doesn’t do that stupid stuff like giving turn by turn directions in an annoying overbearing voice. Nope, it T F & G

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just simply let’s me mark a point (like my truck) and then show me the way back to it when I get turned around. It’s a free app, as a matter of fact it’s called “Free GPS”

by CodeBurners so it costs nothing and if you just need to get home it will do it for you as long as you plot the waypoint to get to ahead of time.

I initially got the app to mark brushpiles on a local lake for crappie fishing but it’s not that accurate. It won’t get you to within five feet of your destination but in those times when “close enough” counts, it will do the

job.

Guess what I’m

doing right now, besides typing this column on my computer smart guy. I’m checking the tide charts for Honolulu for absolutely no reason. However, right after that I’m going to look at another smart phone app (yes it’s free, I’m not paying for anything I don’t have to) to check the tides for next week on Crystal Beach because I’ll be surf fishing there.

This might not seem like a big deal until you are on the sand with a fishing

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pole in your hand, remember that you forgot to check the tide forecast, and want the peace of mind to know that your truck won’t be swallowed by a rising tide while you’re waist-deep catching fish. The app I use is called Tide Table by Tudormobile LLC and it is simple. You can either let it determine your current location by the GPS locator in your phone or select one of the many locations already loaded. The app then displays the high and low tide times for the amount of time you designate.

No, there isn’t a fancy graph depicting the high and low tides (but that information is provided). However, if you simply want to know the high and low times, and have the common sense to determine whether it is going out or coming in, it is a very useful tool.

The last outdoor app I downloaded is used more for hunting than fishing, but it could keep you from going to jail. When hunting, what time can you legally start shooting? The answer is 30 minutes before official sunrise, which changes daily and by your location. Legal shooting time in El Paso is different than legal shooting time in Texarkana so it helps to know what it is in your exact location. I have The Sun – Rise and Fall by Team Lundsgard which simply takes your current location and tells you the sunrise for any date you pick, including the current date.

While I firmly believe that too much technology can be a bad thing, the above shows that there are a few instances where it could keep you out of trouble.

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illistration by paul bradshaw

by Paul Bradshaw | TF&G Contributing Editor

Contact Paul Bradshaw at PBradshaw@fishgame.com

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Texas Guns

by Steve LaMascus | TF&G Shooting Editor

Is It Really Worth It?

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he .30-06 is 106 years old. It is still the standard by which all other big game rifles are judged. It will fire a 150-grain bullet at 3000 feet per second and a 180-grain at 2800.

I just finished a load workup with my .30-338 Winchester Magnum. This is a wildcat cartridge, the .338 Winchester Magnum necked down to accept a .308-caliber bullet. It is considered one of the best

of the .30-caliber magnums and will easily equal the factory loads of the larger .300 Winchester Magnum. The load I settled on for accuracy and long range target shooting is a 185-grain Berger BTHP at 2900 feet per second.

Now let me ask this: Is the extra 100 feet per second worth all the trouble?

We say the magnums give us more at longer range. Okay, let’s look at that for a moment.

At 600 yards, the .30-06 with a 180grain bullet at 2800 feet per second drops 88.49 inches.

The .30/338 with a 185-grain bullet at 2900 drops 76.21. That’s a difference of a foot at 600 yards, and some of that dif-

ference is in the better ballistic coefficient of the 185-grain bullet. The difference at more reasonable ranges, say at 400 yards, is 26 inches versus 29.7 inches – 3.7 inches.

So you see, if you are looking for the great advantage of your magnum over the .30-06, it does not even begin to appear until you are beyond the 400-yard mark. How often do you shoot at a deer beyond 400 yards?

The truth is that most of us will never shoot at a deer that far, so we have absolutely no need for the magnum. I have never shot at deer at beyond 400 yards and do not expect to.

“ How often do you shoot a deer beyond 400 yards?

“ Here’s another one for you.

The venerable 7mm Remington Magnum shoots a 150-grain bullet at 2950 feet per second.

The even more venerable .270 Winchester shoots a 150-grain bullet at 2850 feet per second.

Once again we have a 100 feet per second difference in bullets of the same weight.

If we did this fairly by looking at the difference between bullets of the same sectional density, the “standard” .270 Winchester would match the larger 7mm Magnum step for step. So, again, tell me if a bigger boom and more recoil are worth the trouble.

The drop of these rounds at 500 yards, using bullets as similar as possible in ballistic coefficient, is even more revealing.

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Photo: Winchester

The .270, according to my computer program, drops 52.7 inches at 500 yards. The 7mm Remington Magnum bests it by a whopping 2.52 inches as it drops 50.18 inches. At common game ranges the two are all but identical, but we see time after time in the Winchester .270 magnum, left, and a 7mm Remington magum, right.

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magazines about how the 7mm Remington Magnum is so much better than the ancient .270 Winchester. Is it flatter shooting? Obviously.

But you figure out by what percentage. The only real advantage of the 7mm Remington Magnum over the .270 Winchester is that the 7mm will shoot heavier bullets. If you are going

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to go after game that requires a 175-grain bullet, then the 7mm Magnum is your cup of tea. Personally, if I found such a requirement I would drag out the .300 Weatherby Magnum, or maybe my .35 Whelen.

To gain any real advantage in ballistic performance, a shooter must step out and get really drastic in his choice of calibers. If, for instance, you are looking for a hot shot .30 caliber that offers true performance advantages over the .30-06, you must step up to something like the .300 Weatherby or the .300 Remington Ultra Mag. With these Atlas-sized cartridges you can push a 180grain bullet at something like 400 to 500 feet per second faster than the .30-06. However, the disadvantage is that you are burning as much as twice the

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powder per shot, and the barrel life and the life of the brass if you reload, is drastically cut. A .30-06 barrel can realistically be expected to last for 3000 or more shots.

A .300 RUM barrel will be lucky to last a thousand rounds. And I have seen the brass from a .300 RUM burn holes in the area where the shoulder meets the neck after only being reloaded two times.

I guess what you should choose depends on how badly you need that extra power. If I were going after Ovis Poli in the Pamirs, and had $20,000 or $30,000 invested in the operation, I would choose the .300 Weatherby, as have a great many experienced hunters in the past. But for deer in Texas, or anywhere else for that matter, and for just about any none dangerous game in the United States, there is no need for a roaring, jarring, magnum. Just thought you should know.

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Contact Steve LaMascus at SLamascus@fishgame.com

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Feel the Surge: Yamaha VMAX SHO 150

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Fish Alert: Cobia 237 CC

Yamaha VMax SHO 150 outboard

Naturally, it all begins working thanks to TCI microcomputer control.

The VMAX SHO 150 comes with the Commandlink system, power trim and tilt, a vibration-

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If you want the ability to go fishing in the bay one day and head through the inlet on the next, you’ll need to find a center console which has enough beef and brawn to take on significant seas. And when I ran the Cobia 237 CC, a stiff 15 to 20 knot wind created all the waves I needed to assure myself that yes—this is a boat you can use to run miles from shore, with confidence.

The 237 CC walks that fine line between offshore capabilities and small boat advantages. It carries 120 gallons of fuel, so range with a Yamaha F250 fourstroke is quite substantial. In fact, you can travel over 300 miles at about 30 mph on a single tank of fuel, while keeping 10-percent of the capacity in reserve. Even if you hit the throttles and cruise at 40 or 45 mph, range will still

Cobia 237 CC

Photos: Yamaha MarinE; Cobia Boats

When Yamaha came out with their SHO engines, those of us looking to power up with the acceleration and weight of a two-stroke, but the clean, quiet power of a four-stroke, were in luck.

At least, we were if we needed a powerplant between 200 and 250 horses. What about those of us who were in the market for a smaller outboard? We were out of luck – until now.

Yamaha now has a 2.8L, in-line-four, 163 cid, 150-hp SHO on the market.

And yes, it has all the advantages of its bigger brethren. The most obvious is weight: at 480-lbs, this engine weighs just 12 pounds more than its two-stroke cousin, the VZ 150. When you add in the weight of a full two-stroke oil tank, and the SHO 150 actually weighs less.

Some heavy-duty technology went into lightening up this engine, first and foremost, by cutting out the need for cylinder sleeves. The SHO engines have thermallyapplied plasma-fused cylinder walls. That eliminates the need for traditional steel sleeves, saving weight and increasing cylinder bore—yet the cylinder walls are 60-percent harder than steel. Additional weight was shaved off with the newlydesigned motor mount and cowl.

Meanwhile, there’s no sacrifice to be made when it comes to performance.

Rigged on a 22 Pathfinder bay boat it provided a head-snapping hole shot, plus excellent mid-range acceleration. Throughout the power-band, it’s as silky smooth as we’ve come to expect from a modern fourstroke. Credit for such performance goes to those slickery cylinder walls, along with double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, variable camshaft timing, a tuned induction system, and an offset crankshaft.

reduction mount, and freshwater flush.

The alternator puts out 50 amps, shaft length is 20”, and a wide range of SHO props are available. For more information, visit the yamaha website: yamahaoutboards.com.

—Lenny Rudow

Photos:

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Photo: Thermacell

be over 200 miles. Yet this boat weighs in at just 3,600 pounds, which means you can also make long trips over dry land without needing a monster of a tow vehicle. And, it won’t break the bank when you go to fill the fuel tanks.

Once you arrive at the fishing grounds, you’ll have plenty of fish-killing tools at your disposal. The 237 has a 28-gallon livewell, twin 80-gallon integrated fishboxes, a raw water washdown, and undergunwale rodracks. When you’re prowling the bay in search of live bait, you’ll be happy to make use of the cast net stowage compartment in the forward deck. And a surprising feature is the transom tuna door. Few boats this small have one, but on the 237 it makes a lot of sense; this boat has unusually high gunwales, which is a big perk for parents who want to feel safe taking their kids through the inlet. But the down-side to tall gunwales is that it can be tough to bring in large fish. The door solves that issue.

The 237 is an all-composite boat, and hardware is backed with Phenolic plates.

Hatches are finished inside and out, are guttered, gasketed, and supported by gasassist struts. Another construction highlight is double-clamping on the hoses and fittings below the waterline.

Although this boat clearly is intended to whet the appetite of anglers, it also does have some creature-comforts built-in. The transom fold-out bench seat, for example, and the portable head inside the console.

The forward gunwale bolsters are also a nice perk, and when you put in the bow cushions, they add plenty of seating for cocktail-cruises. Nah. On the other hand, leave those cushions in the garage—let’s point the bow for the inlet, instead.

To find out more, go to cobiaboats.com.

covered ThermaCell…and I will never be without one again.

For years, ThermaCell, has been the premier product for protection against mosquitoes, black flies and other pesky creatures that bite. I have been a fan of ThermaCell for years now. Their handheld device (which also has a handy carrying case that attaches to your belt) is the best defense one

could have against these blood-thirsty bugs.

I field tested one of the lanterns that ThermaCell now has. Like it’s predecessors, this product will soon be a prize possession of any outdoor enthusiast.

Not only does this lantern protect you from mosquitoes, but it also has a light that is powered by 4 double A batteries. It is perfect for the campers out there that want a little campfire light or to use on an evening walk through the campground.

This ThermaCell lantern is also great for picnics and any of those outdoor activities at home. We bring ours to baseball games, drive-in movies and just about any other activity that brings us outdoors. This extremely light –weight lantern is also a must when you take the kids fishing at night.

One ThermaCell Lantern will protect you from hungry mosquitoes as far as 15 feet away in circumference. Personally, I would not be without one of the ThermaCell units if I am going to be outside.

As a hunter, I always have my hand held ThermaCell in my backpack, but my wife really loves the convenience of having a lantern while still being under a blanket of protection from those darn mosquitoes.

For further information, check them out at www.thermacell.com.

—Lou Marullo

ThermaCell Lantern

—Lenny Rudow

ThermaCell Lantern I am an outdoor enthusiast. Anything to do with outdoor activities at all…and I’ll be there. In the past, I have had some of my outdoor fun ruined by swarms of mosquitoes. Not so any longer. I have disT F & G

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Versatile Backpack for Hunting Easton® Outfitters, innovators of groundbreaking hunting packs, tents and accessories designed for outdoor adventures and serious hunting, introduces the new Stake Out Pack. The Stake Out is a fullfeatured daypack with an innovative retract-

able, integrated seat pad.

The Stake Out is the perfect match for day hunts when mobility is key. This pack is tailored for “run and gun” turkey hunting, but is equally at home in the treestand or ground blind. The Stake Out is lightweight and with a capacity of 1800 cubic inches, can handle a decent amount of weight when needed. The pack has a padded waist belt for added comfort that can fit up to a 52-inch waist. The quick-stash hip pockets are handy for calls, a wind indicator, or other small items needed for quick access. The Stake Out is Hydration Bladder compatible, making it easy to stay hydrated in the field.

The pack is equipped with six internal and six external pockets for plenty of storage. A rollaway rain cover

Easton’s new Stake Out Pack.

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carry extra layers securely.

The Stake Out features a key ring hook, double-stitched, reinforced seams throughout, a safety whistle conveniently located on the chest strap, reflective cords and oversized zipper pulls for easy access with gloves. Constructed of quiet-brushed, water-resistant material in Realtree® X-tra® and accented in nylon khaki.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $139.99 For more information on the Stake Out pack by Easton Outfitters, please visit www.EastonOutfitters.com or call (800) 800-6686.

Photos: Easton Outdoors

Fish and Game Gear

LensPen for Smartphones and Tablets “Every day more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera.”

Those are the only words spoken during a 60-second TV ad for the iPhone in their current campaign. One minute of people touching their iPhone screen as they take photos of everyday life. What the ad doesn’t say is that taking all those photos – along with editing, texting and Tweeting – will cover the screen with fingerprints.

That’s where LensPen steps in.

“LensPen has the products to keep smartphone touchscreens and lenses clean,” said Ryan Keating, vice president of marketing for the LensPen Group. “Our carbon technology that has been used to clean lenses and filters for more than 20 years is also great for removing fingerprints from smartphone touchscreens and lenses.”

SmartKlear™ is designed to remove fingerprints from iPhone and Android phone touchscreens. Its cleaning pad is impregnated with the same carbon compound used in other LensPen products. No liquids, cloths or sprays. Replaceable cleaning pads give

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Photos: LensPen

unprotected in a pocket or purse, and sooner or later, it will be covered by fingerprints. CellKlear features the same carbonimpregnated cleaning

SmartKlear from LensPen

300 cleanings per pad.

While an idle DSLR camera lens is usually covered, the lens on a phone sits

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tip as other LensPen models, and is sized perfectly to clean a smartphone lens. iPads and tablets are also very popular cameras. SideKick, the original LensPen touchscreen cleaner, has a cleaning pad twice the size of SmartKlear’s, and it is perfect for removing fingerprints from larger-sized touchscreens.

SmartKlear, SideKick and CellKlear are available at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and other fine retailers. For more information on LensPen products, go to www.lenspen.com.

ONLINE STORE Shop for innovative, new and hard-to-find outdoor gear at

www.FishandGameGear.com

8/20/13 7:33 PM

Hotspots Focus: Upper Coast

by Capt. Eddie Hernandez

Beginning of the End of Summer

eptember brings a unique excitement to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Outdoorsmen will be entertaining thoughts of seasonal changes in fishing patterns and techniques, as well as opening the gun safe, stocking up on dove loads and getting some bow practice in the backyard.

Knowing that these changes are in our very near future just adds to the excitement. On Sabine Lake we are now in the beginning stages of a very gradual transition period as we slowly wean ourselves off traditional summer patterns and shift our focus to thoughts geared more toward fall.

Flounders, trout, and redfish are feeding aggressively and will attack a variety of artificial lures as well as the real thing. It’s as if they can sense change in the air well

“ Flounders, trout, and redfish are feeding aggressively.

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before it shows on the thermometer. The dog days are still upon us but those days are numbered. Knowing what the coming weeks will bring is enough to get us, as well as the bait and fish excited.

Fishing in and around the mouths of the numerous bayous on the eastern side of the Sabine Lake should yield some impressive stringers. These areas have a long history of attracting and holding baitfish.

Good tidal flow continuously moves shrimp, shad and mullet in and out of these bayous and creates very good ambush points for predators. Fishing with live bait such as finger mullet or live shrimp is never a bad idea. The fish will jump at the chance to

gobble these up as well as an assortment of of artificials.

Good choices for soft plastics include CT Shad by Flounder Pounder, Zoom Super Fluke Jr, and Gulp Shrimp. Glow, LSU and limetreuse are killer color choices.

Proven surface walkers such as Skitterwalks, She Dogs and Super Spooks in pink, black/ chartreuse and bone should also result in some major blowups. Hit it when there’s good tidal movement, especially early or late for best results. If there is bait present you should be in the money.

Flounders have a hard time resisting a soft plastic tipped with fresh shrimp or a Gulp Jerk Shad or Shrimp slowly dragged on the bottom. Rig it on an 1/8 oz. lead head and give it a good pop when you feel the thump. Trout and redfish usually prefer it worked a little faster. Just bounce it off the bottom or work it a little higher in the water column.

Remember to key on areas that are holding bait with good tide movement and you should be in business. I will definitely put in my time hunting as usual, but right now, A Man’s Gotta Fish!

the bank bite Location: Walter Umphrey State Park fishing pier, South end of Sabine Lake at Mesquite Point.

Species: Trout, Redfish, Flounder, Black Drum & Croaker Baits/Lures: Soft Plastics, Live Shrimp Best Times: Moving tides and at night under the lights.

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Hotspots Focus: Galveston

by Capt. Mike Holmes

FALLing Into Place

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eptember is usually the end of hurricane season. So here’s hoping we made it through another one untouched. Although storms normally help the bay systems by flushing out pollution and opening things like channels and passes that have gotten closed, they also cause a lot of damage to property – and lives.

With the government subsidized flood and windstorm insurance programs in trouble, coastal residents and property owners have even more reason to dread the next storm.

For boat owners, it is even worse. When Jimmy Buffet wrote, “If a hurricane doesn’t kill you, it will surely make you strong,” he may have been using more insight than even he realized.

A September without storm residue is a great month to be on the upper Texas coast.

Weather is usually temperate and friendly, a great time to be in a boat inshore—or offshore. Of course, as I write this, red snapper regulations are in more turmoil than is usual for this species, and the various Gulf State’s marine fisheries divisions seem to be closer to war with the federal government than the gun rights advocates (of which I am one).

As I write this column I do not know yet whether the red snapper season in federal waters off the Texas coast will be 11 days or 2 days, or 0 days. but the current economic situation is almost as damaging to coastal communities in some ways as a storm might have been. Red snappers can still be caught in Texas waters no more than nine miles from the coast all year long. This is a large part of the reason the Feds are “punishing” us (that is the exact term used in Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council meetings by the NMFS representative to the Council) by limiting our access in deeper water where C O A S T A L

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more and larger snapper will be found – even though the species is in a strong recovery and is in no danger of being overfished. Also, snappers are not notoriously migratory, so it is doubtful that those fish caught in Texas waters have any serious effect on the overall Gulf population.

The struggling offshore charter fishing industry will suffer the most from this short federal season. Recreational fishermen can still catch snappers in Texas waters, although they may have to try a bit harder – and they may even save fuel by fishing closer to port.

The charter captain who holds a Federal Reef Fish Permit must follow the stricter of the state or federal regulations, even when he is fishing in state waters. This equates to virtually NO snapper season for recreationalfor-hire boats, or their customers. The larger “party boats” will not be fishing for snappers, so the fish in state waters will be left to purely recreational fishermen, or those booking a trip with a guide/captain who does not hold a Federal permit. This will mean a slow year

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for businesses that benefit from offshore fishing.

For those who love to fish for fishing sake, for the sport of feeling a strong fish tug on a tight line, September is still a good month to be out. All the “Trash Can Slam” species will be available — “bonito,” bluefish and jack crevalle chief among them. All three are great sport fish, and bluefish are good on the table when prepared correctly. None of these species is under any bag or catch restrictions as of now, and all can be caught within sight of land. Spanish mackerel will often be found in mixed schools with bluefish or bonito, and the bag limits on Spanish Macks are very liberal. Further out, dolphin (mahi-mahi) are still unregulated, as are blackfin tuna and wahoo. Since most reef fish, including amberjack and grouper, are under regulations almost as restrictive as those for snapper, it may be best to fish the top of the water column.

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Hotspots Focus: Matagorda

by Mike Price

The Feed is On

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aaah, September — the month when fishing in Matagorda gets even better; and, thanks to hunting and football seasons, fewer people are on the water. In late September, flounders feed up so that they are in peak condition when they go offshore and spawn. I was kayak fishing in a cove on the east side of West Matagorda Bay when a flounder hit my pumpkinseed/chartreuse Bass Assassin so hard that the reverberation shot through the rod and up to my shoulder.

I am a slow learner, as this happened six times, and every time I lost the fish because my automatic reaction to the heavy hit was to set the hook. The water was 70°F, brownish with only about eight inches of visibility, and

the tide was ebbing. The flounder would smack the lure with tremendous force. After it happened twice, I realized that I should just let the flounder “stun” its prey. Or put another way, I should have just slacked off.

Had I done that, the flounder most likely would have turned the lure around in its mouth (they hit between the center and the tail of the bait) so it could eat the bait, head first. Once the flounder has the prey positioned in its mouth with the head towards its stomach, it swims off. Then it is time to really set the hook hard. Flounders have a bony mouth, and you really have to get serious about setting the hook to drive it through the fish’s mouth. I got truly floundered on that day, but vowed to return on another day when conditions were similar, and try again.

In early September, Jeff Wiley and I were fishing near Burkhart Cove on the southwest side of East Matagorda Bay when we saw schooling redfish. Jeff was wading towards the shoreline and he said, “I must be looking at 100 tailing redfish.”

Even though the reds were there in large numbers all we got was a couple of hook ups. We were using soft plastics and gold spoons, and our offerings were not tempting enough to lure the reds away from bottom feeding. No doubt, had we been using live shrimp under popping corks, we would have filled the cooler.

Like flounders, redfish get serious enough about eating in late September to hit artificial lures. I was in a cove on the south side of West Matagorda Bay when I saw eight or ten redfish splashing their way

“

Like flounders, redfish get serious enough about eating in late September to hit artificial lures.

“

along the shoreline chasing crabs, shrimp, and baitfish. I dropped a black and yellow Bass Assassin about six feet in front of them and let it lie on the sand and waited until they were a couple of feet away before swimming the lure. It was pounced on by a 23-inch redfish.

You may have plans to fish East or West Matagorda Bays in September, but if the Gulf of Mexico is calm, and the tide is incoming, try the surf. In early September with the wind from the south at eight mph, clear water, an incoming tide, and waves that I could walk out in without getting knocked over, I waded into the surf.

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Galveston focus hesitation.

September is a transition time for trout, redfish, and flounder. As the days become shorter and the water cools, the fish eat vigorously so that they are in good shape for the winter. This increased feeding activity creates great fishing opportunities, both in the bays and on the beach.

the bank bite Little Boggy Bayou connects to a marsh north of the Intracoastal Waterway. Water flowing out of the marsh creates a good place for predator fish to ambush shrimp, crabs, and bait fish. To get to this prime fishing spot take FM 259, the road going east from the village of Matagorda, next to the cemetery. Continue until you go over the bridge, then park and walk to the intersection of the Intracoastal Waterway and the bayou connecting to the marsh. If you do not have an outgoing tidal flow, try the Intracoastal Waterway anyplace along FM 259.

Contact Mike Price at MPrice@fishgame.com

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t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 67 The surf this month should see bull reds in numbers worth fishing for, and plans are to let anglers get and fish with their “bonus” bull red tag before filling out their first one and sending it to Austin. This is because tighter restrictions on redfish have increased their numbers, and the state feels it is appropriate to “reward’ fishermen for helping in this effort, instead of further punishing them. Mild weather makes wade fishing the bays or the surf a pleasant experience, and those tossing lures should be well rewarded with speckled trout and reds on reefs and in deeper guts, depending on technique and lure selection. Tidal bayous and creeks should pay off with the same species, as well as flounder, and night fishing under lights at marinas, piers — even chemical plant dock areas (where allowed) is picking up.

An annual summary of September might read: weather is good, kids are back in school, no major hunting seasons have begun – and professional sports are barely

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worth watching anymore. Get out on, over, or in the water and have some good, clean fun!

the bank bite Location: Wadefishing the surf. Work from the top of the second sandbar in the surf, casting into the seaward gut. Also try running lures parallel to the bar. The north shore of Galveston Island has accessible areas for waders, also the flats off the Texas City Dike and in the Seabrook area.

Species: Trout, reds, pan fish - even flounder can be taken by waders.

Best Baits: Soft plastics and spoons are good for prospecting, topwaters are fun when fish are found actively chasing mullet. Natural bait is always, “the reel deal”.

Best Times: Early and late in the day, especially with cooperating tides.

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Contact Mike Holmes at MHolmes@fishgame.com.

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Hotspots Focus: Rockport

by Capt. Mac Gable

Family, Friends, Fishing and Fun

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s we close on the summer, school is underway and the boat ramp on St. Charles Bay isn’t as busy. Bait seems to be a little more available, and there’s no more waiting in line to fuel my boat.

After the hustle and bustle of the summer crowd, our little corner here in Lamar can get almost lonely. Well, not quite, but those who live in the coastal regions can tell that the pace of life has slowed down. Visitors to our area of the world seem to focus on other things this time of year, be it football, getting hunting items for the hunting season in order or probably focusing on school and all it requires. The heat is still with us but one senses that the wisps of cooler days are

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not too far off.

The three magical months of summer, June, July, and August, are no doubt most guides’ busiest time. Seems each year the summers get hotter. I am not sure whether it’s me getting older or it’s just warmer these days but I suspect it’s both with the heavy side being my accumulated years.

Still, I enjoy fishing these hot summer months, and I think the main reason is that I have more moms and dads, more brothers and sisters and close friends that seem to get on the same schedule to go fishing.

Looking back, most of the calls I get this time of year seems to go something like “Capt. Mac, I wanted to see if your calendar is booked for such and such a date. I want

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to take my son fishing,” or “I want to go fishing with my wife,” or “I want to take my daughter and her friend,” or “I want to spend some time with my aging Mom (or Dad),” “I want to take my husband. He is on leave from Afghanistan,” or “I just got out of the hospital and am cleared for some active duty (fishing) and needed to spend some time with my best friend.”

It just seems summer is family and friends time. Although my boat gets very crowded with more than three people, it’s always good to see families enjoying a day’s fishing.

As many know, I do other types of guiding (bow etc.) but it seems families, friends and loved ones congregate more for a day on the water than just about any other outdoor sport. Call it a homecoming if you are so inclined. Whatever it is many feel an immediate peace as they breathe the saltwater air.

Unlike other outdoor sports, fishing requires very little action: you don’t have to sit numb butt still as with hunting, or hear the loud boom as in wing shooting or watch your scent etc., etc., etc... You can grab a Coke, a beer, a sandwich or a breakfast taco and just enjoy the time talking and sharing.

Good Lord willing you’ll also see some polebending action.

I have one client who is one of my favorite customers for a lot of reasons, Mainly it’s because he knows better than almost anyone I know how to enjoy the moment. On our first trip I went right at the fish, and we had a good cooler of fillets when we returned, but I sensed the pace was a bit quick for him.

So the next time he booked me, I slowed way down in my approach. I eased my seat box open, pulled out a thermos of coffee and asked if he’d like a cup. He quickly said yes and requested that I join him. Wth no pole (Oh My God!) in the water, we sat and drank some coffee, just watching the sun ease up off the horizon.

He said “I love to fish, but I love that just as much” (pointing to the rising sun).

He and I watched our side of mother earth awaken, adding another day to its 1.67

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trillion days of existence. Fishing gives loved ones and friends an opportunity to share the day’s experience of catching a big fish, watching one battle the biggest fish of his/her life even if in vain. Either way it’s a memory shared and not soon forgotten.

Sibling rivalries seem to not matter as much with the common goal of fishing.

Buddies who compete at everything, work together to get a good box of fish for the table.

Husbands and wives seem to hug more.

Fathers and sons seem to shake hands more, congratulating each other on a good fish.

Moms and Dads realize just how capable and beautiful their daughters are gettingas they apply the day’s fishing techniques.

Sons and daughters see the time clock of age ticking on their parents, as they realize mom and dad are not going to be here forever. We the anglers can take the time that only fishing seems to allow to see these things in other people and ourselves. Why? Because it’s fun, and in a world that expects much it expects very little after all it’s just fishing!

Tip: The bays have had every bait known to man thrown at them for close to four months, so now is a good time to practice diversity fishing. Bait absolutely, but not a bunch of just one type. Try a little of it all and remember what works because it will more than likely continue to catch fish up to the first real cold front.

This is top water heaven as well, given the right conditions. So dust off that old broken back, and super spook and cast far and often.

• • • Copano Bay – This bay seems to hold fish longer into the cooler months than just about any of our adjoining bays. The reason is the diversity of the system itself.

Look on a map and you will see many feeder creeks and rivers that complement this body of water. It is very protected, and I, for one, believe that is the key to its ability to hold fish.

Live shrimp is the ticket here over the deep water shell. A slow drift through Smith Channel using free lined live shrimp is good for trout and reds and a few line busting black drum.

Aransas Bay – I like to call this bay the transition bay especially with Cedar Bayou still plugged up. As bait and predator fish (flounder, reds, trout) prepare to exit the bay system for the deeper water of the gulf, C O A S T A L

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this system is their one if not only exit for more than four major bays. The smart angler will take advantage of this as September starts to come to a close. I like piggy perch and mud minnows free lined in about three feet of water close to shell. Early in the month Grass Island Reef is a good spot for this as well as Halfmoon Reef.

respectful of the new causeway construction). Bone and red colors or anything with electric gold and red colors work well here. Some good trout hang in this area as well as some oversized reds. Wade as far out as you feel comfortable and move slow casting 360 degrees.

St. Charles Bay – The fish are either here or they are not. This bay has very little turn over in its water exchange, and this time of year it can be feast or famine. If the rains have been numerous, fish the back parts of the bay close to Twin’s Creek. Top waters in bone/white and Okie Shad are good bets here. Peeled shrimp on a light Carolina rig are still catching black drum close to the mouth of Cavasso Creek.

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

Carlos Bay – If the days stay hot then the shallow shell off of Cedar Reef is the place to be using croaker or finger mullet free lined. A good cut bait like sardines or menhaden is good for reds on tide exchange periods at either end of Carlos Trench.

Mesquite Bay – The shoreline south of Cedar Bayou is a good wade for black drum using a silent cork and peeled shrimp. This water can fall out from under a boat fast during tide changes so anchor out and wade in. You would be surprised the size of some of the drum in this shallow water.

There are some gator trout in here as well so fight any hook ups with finesse as that hard pull might be a yellow mouthed sow that will spit the hook if you crank too hard.

Ayers Bay – Croaker here are hard to beat on the south edges of Ayers Reef. Free line is the way to go and anchor out further than you think from the reef for the shell here is quite extensive (reaches way out). Big monster black drum like this bay this time of year, so a big fresh dead shrimp on a 2/0 wide gap hook is a good bet for some eating size as well as some oversized drum.. Think shallow - the east shell reefs in this bay are the place they frequent.

the bank bite Take as many topwater lures as you can carry and wade out on Live Oak Point close to the south end of the LBJ causeway (be careful and

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Hotspots Focus: Lower Coast

by Calixto Gonzales

Hidden Treasure

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lounder have been on a steady comeback on Lower Laguna Madre since 2011. The tasty flatfish have moved from incidental catch to a species on which anlgers in the know can focus their efforts on. September is an underrated season for flounder since most sportsmen are out in the sunflower fields and orange groves shooting whitewing and mourning doves.

The anglers who decide to head out into LLM are usually targeting the schools of redfish that form and roam the flats during back-to-school season.

Flounder also begin to stage during fall and move to the edges of guts and channels to feed actively in anticipation of winter. Some captains such as Jimmy Martinez (956-5519581, captjimmmtz@aol.com) prefer to fish for flounder in the fall.

Anglers who pick up their mail in Port Mansfield won’t burn too much gas looking for flounder. There are plenty of spots a short run across Lower Laguna Madre in the East Cut. The side channels that feed into the back bays attract flounder on both the incoming and outgoing tides. The fish settle on thin drop-offs along the pass on an outgoing tide, then work their way into the inside edges on an incoming tide. Watch for the light-colored strip of mud that marks the gut from one of these little bays, and work live bait or a soft plastic along the edges. A live shrimp or mullet are ideal baits. Fish them on a spit-shot or fishfinder rig and a 1/0 short-shanked (such as a Daichi Flounder or Khale hook).

If you are going to hop a shrimp or shad tail (Kelly Wiggler’s Shrimp tail in the Sand or root beer/chartreuse patterns are excellent choices), use a ¼ ounce football jighead and hop the bait. This is akin to fishing for bass

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with a jig/pig combo. Hop with the rod tip up until you feel the tell-tail “thump” or mushy resistance of a pick-up. Lower the rod tip, reel in the slack, and set the hook. Hard.

If you miss, start over. Nothinig to it, right?

The channels that lead into the back of Cullen Bay hold flounder around the edges in June. Fishing for them is very straightforward. Use the same sorto of live bait rigs that you would for Mansfield flounder. If you’d rather fish with lures, then the same Kelly Wiggler or similar shrimp tail works. There are times, however, when flounder are short striking conventional plastics. In that case,try a 3” Gulp! Shrimp in New Penny or Pearl pinned to a ¼ ounce jighead and bounced along the bottom. Even the snarkiest of flounder would be hard-pressed to ignore it.

Moving south, an underutilized flounder area is the channel into South Bay. Most ignore the gateway for the riches on the other side, but they miss out on the treasure that abounds. On a flood tide, the narrow flats on either side (especially the ones on the south side) hold plenty of flounder to keep you happy. This is an especially effective area to fish at night under a full moon. The only problem is to pay attention to the tides, or you may be stuck for awhile on the ebb.

If you target South Bay flounder with live bait, you take a different approach. Rather than the fish-finder rig, use a free-shrimp rig with a #3 split shot sinker. Pitch your bait onto the flats adjacent to the channel and ease it onto the drop-off. Finger mullet are also very good baits and will attract some jarring strikes from the flatties, and any redfish that may be nosing about and looking for mischief.

The mainland shoreline on the island that splits the intersection of the Brownsville Ship Channel and the Port Isabel Channel (also known as the Y) is another good flounder hole. A trolling motor allows you to fish this area the most effectively. Work parallel to the dropoff and cast your bait or lure towards shore and work back to the boat slowly.

Again, either live baits on a Carolina rig or

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soft plastics are the trick. Don’t be surprised to latch onto some trout and the occasional redfish. These fish tend to share space with the flounder.

A classic, but unused technique for working these shoreline edges is the classic bucktail jig. A ¼ ounce pink bucktail, such as the one produced by Bomber Saltwater Grade, with a live shrimp to sweeten the deal is one of the most effective combos I’ve ever used for flounder. Break the horn off the shrimp so that it will ride straight on the hook, then pass the jighook through the bug’s head from bottom to top (as usual, avoid the black spot on the shrimp’s head, or you’ll kill it instantly). If you want to add scent, snip the tailfan off. Cast the rig up to the shallows, and bounce it back to you. When you feel the heavy “thump!,” set the hook hard. I’ve been experimenting with the hot pink Gulp! curlytail minnow, and I’ve been encouraged with the results.

If live shrimp are hard to come by, try a 3-inch Gulp! Shrimp or Kelly Wiggler as alternatives to real meat. Flounder don’t seem to be very discriminating when they’re on the feed. Adherents to the DOA brand will find that the CAL Minnow is a deadly weapon during flounder missions.

Don’t overlook flounder when you are on Lower Laguna Madre in September. They make a welcome addition to the fall festivals that you usually invite specks and redfish to.

the bank bite Location: Lower Laguna Madre Hot Spot: Mansfield North Jetties Species: Redfish, shark.

Techniques: Use live or cut mullet fished on the bottom near the rocks.

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Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzales@fishgame.com

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UPPER GULF COAST

Galveston Specks are Well Oriented

by George Knighten LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: A Lease Wells GPS: N29 32.12382

W4 50.33262

(29.535397, -94.838877) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mirro-Lure 5” soft mullet, bass assassins or similar soft plastic jerkbaits CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Work your lure close to the bottom on the down current side of the well. Beware of broken gas pipes at the surface in this area, GO SLOW! LOCATION: East Galveston HOTSPOT: Deep Reef GPS: N29 31.61526

W4 40.57938

(29.526921, -94.676323) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastic lures, Mirro-Lures 5” Provoker, Bass Assassins, or similar lures CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Drift the reef, work the water column from top to bottom. Key on slicks and bait.

LOCATION: East Galveston HOTSPOT: Lady’s Pass GPS: N29 28.66932

W4 44.1141

(29.477822, -94.735235) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mirro Lures 4” Soft Shad, Bass Assassins or other soft plastic lures CONTACT: C O A S T A L

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GPS COORDINATES are provided in two formats: “Decimal Degrees” (degrees.degrees) and “Degrees and Minutes” sometimes called “GPS Format” (degrees minutes. minutes). Examples (for Downtown Austin): Decimal Degrees: N30.2777, W97.7379; Degrees and Minutes: N30 16.6662, W97 44.2739. Consult your manual for information specific to your GPS device.

Capt. Thomas Barlow 281-827-6815 Notoriosguideservice.com TIPS: Great drifting area, shell bottom. Watch for slick and bait.

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Halfmoon Shoal GPS: N28 43.33686

W5 46.39884

(28.722281, -95.773314) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins, Top dogs CONTACT: Capt. Bill Pustejovsky 979-863-7353 www.goldtipguideservice.com TIPS: Drift fish using soft plastic lures & topwaters. 1/8 to 1/4-ounce. leadheads. Best bite will be early, incoming tide will help.

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Kain Cove GPS: N28 39.72696

W5 51.2148

(28.662116, -95.853580) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Top Dogs, Super Spooks & Norton sand eels CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 TIPS: Wade the South shoreline coves. topwater lures and soft plastics both will work. Fish coves with active bait fish. (mullet).

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: C Lease Wells GPS: N29 40.70154

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(29.678359, -94.756350) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mirro-Lure 5”Provoker, Bass Assassins, Mirro-Lure Lil John’s CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Drift or troll around the platform working the baits close to the bottom, pop it up and let it flutter down like a wounded bait.

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: East Shoreline GPS: N29 35.47332

W4 43.65324

(29.591222, -94.727554) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Top Dogs or He Dogs, 51M Mirro-Lures, CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Good wading spot, look for the presents of baitfish. Look for slicks and signs of feeding fish.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Lake GPS: N29 16.37538

W4 59.80314

(29.272923, -94.996719) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: topwaters, soft plastic shad bodies CONTACT: Capt. Thomas Barlow 281-827-6815 Texxan2000@yahoo.com TIPS: Troll or drift the shorelines and work the edge of the grass.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Snake Island GPS: N29 9.58842

W5 2.57376

(29.159807, -95.042896) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Super spooks, Top dogs, Bass Assassins CONTACT:

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Texas Hotspots Wade the edges of the ridges and the tips of the ridges, drift the guts between the ridges. This area is loaded with shell, great structure.

Captain Greg Francis 409-939-1684 captgreg@saltwaterassault.net TIPS: Can be waded or drift fished. Good shell bottom. Fish it on a moving tide, look for bait fish and signs of feeding like slicks.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cotton’s Bayou GPS: N28 30.56124

W6 12.61326

(28.509354, -96.210221) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: topwater lures or soft plastic CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 TIPS: Fish topwaters over grass beds and soft plastics like the Norton minnow in the guts, behind the sandbars.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Take a ‘Bight’ out of Aransas Reds

by Dustin Warncke LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Allyns Bight GPS: N27 58.61808

W6 58.81086

(27.976968, -96.980181) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Bass Assassin, Mirro-lures 5” Provoker CONTACT: Capt. Ben Wells 361-790-8107 TIPS: Work the shorelines close to the grass and drift the open water in the back end of the cove.

LOCATION: Port O’Connor HOTSPOT: Third Chain Islands GPS: N28 11.63616

W6 48.5571

(28.193936, -96.809285) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastic baits CONTACT: Captain Lynn Smith 361-983-4434 backbayguideservice.com TIPS: This area can be waded or drift fished.

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LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Emmord’s Hole GPS: N27 30.057

W7 19.546

(27.50095, -97.325767) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, pinfish, croaker; soft plastics in Tequila Gold CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: The grasslines in Emmord’s are still productive in September. Redfish become more active as their time for migration into the Gulf of Mexico. They are aggressive, and hungry. Work live pinfish under a Paradise Popper around the grasslines early in the morning. There will be speckled trout lurking and waiting for the sort of meal a noisy pin will provide. Late afternoon means tailing redfish, which means you can sight cast with soft plastics on light (1/8-ounce) jighead.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: King Ranch Shoreline GPS: N 27 32.478

W97 19.776

(27.541306, -97.329597) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, pinfish, croaker; Gulp! Baits/Paradise Popper CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 TIPS: Fish the area slowly and thoroughly. If you are fishing a weedline, then use a live pinfish or shrimp without a cork. If you’re drifting potholes, then rig a live shrimp or 3-inch Gulp! or Bayside Shrimp under an Old Bayside Paradise Popper.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: ICW GPS: N27 37.167

W7 15.004

(27.61945, -97.250067) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: topwaters in Bone; soft plastics in Tequila Gold CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 TIPS: Redfish will be prowling the shallows along the ICW in the afternoon. Work the shallows (as in 1 inch deep) with topwaters to get these fish’s

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attention. If the wind is up, back off and fish the edges of the ditch with jerkbaits and soft plastics.

Gold and chartreuse are good colors.

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Green Island GPS: N26 23.61798

W7 19.01022

(26.393633, -97.316837) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, gold spoons, cut ballyhoo or mullet, live shrimp or piggy perch under a popping cork, Gulp! shrimp under popping cork CONTACT: Captain Richard Lopez, 956-207-4715 TIPS: Tides are back up from their typical summer lows by around the second week, and the flats around Green Island are in deeper water during flood tides. Try topwaters early, live bait if the fish are scattered.

LOWER GULF COAST

Longing for Lower Laguna Trout

by Calixto Gonzales LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Long Bar GPS: N26 12.16398

W97 15.95694

(26.202733, -97.265949) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics in red/white, Root Beer/Chartreuse, Bone. Topwaters in Bone, Chrome/Blue. Gold spoons.

CONTACT: Captain Layne Levens 713-444-0992 LayneLevens@yahoo.com TIPS: Trout congregate around the dropoffs in winter, and come up on the top of the bar on warm days. If the tide is down, or cooler weather is prevailing, the fish the edges and deeper water.A slower, more methodical retrieve keeps the bait in the fish’s face longer and may prompt it to strike. Glow and pearl are good choices to fish this time of year.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Salada Rocks GPS: N27 16.31898

W97 42.96096

(27.271983, -97.716016)

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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Live Shrmip, Gulp! Shrimp in rootbeer/chartreuse, New Penny, Kelly Wiggler shrimp tails.

CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Fish live shrimp under a popping cork around the rocks. Shrimp tails are good alternatives when live bait is tough to come by. Fish them under a Texas Rattling Float on a 1/8 ounce jighead. Fish early the morning or later in the afternoon.

W97 25.51392

(26.69685, -97.425232) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters in chrom/blue, Baby Trout. Soft plastics in LSU, red/white, Smoke.

CONTACT: Captain Danny Neu 979-942-0165 danny.neu.39@facebook.com TIPS: There is a long, hard-bottomed grass flat in five feet of water along here. Drifting with soft plastics is an excellent trout killing tactic around this area. On a windy day, the water along the shoreline will remain relatively clear and will hold fish.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 8.83002

W97 17.75502

(26.147167, -97.295917) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp, cut bait. Soft Plastic Shad Tails in root beer/chartreuse, Green Apple, Motor Oil. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 capjimmymtz@aol.com TIPS: Redfish also cruise the flats for some hapless meal. Fish the potholes with live or cut bait. Work closer to the shoreline on high tide conditions. You can sometimes spot schools scaring baitfish and shrimp onto the shore near the old drainage canal mouth. Soft plastics work well in deeper water. Use shad- or eel-tails for best results.

LOCATION: South Bay HOTSPOT: South Bay Shoreline GPS: N26 1.665

W97 12.34698

(26.02775, -97.205783) SPECIES: snook BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, finger mullet.

Topwaters in Bone; soft plastics in red/white, pearl/glow, pearl/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 captjimmymtz@aol.com TIPS: Watch for snook chasing bait near the mangroves lining the shoreline. Pitch a live mullet or shrimp (the larger the better) near the roots and hang on. Braided line helps keep cut-offs to a minimum. Large poppers such as Strike Pro’s 5” Thunder Pop or Storm’s Big Bug are also very effective. Alternate little pops with one big “chug!” and watch the corresponding explosion.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Brownsville Ship Channel GPS: N26 2.30202

W97 12.79902

(26.038367, -97.213317) SPECIES: mangrove snapper BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, fresh shrimp.

CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 capjimmymtz@aol.com TIPS: Deeper water holds a plethora of species that will bite eagerly when more popular game species are more reluctant. Locate the edges and dropoffs along points in the Ship Channel and fish them with live or dead shrimp on a free-line rig. Braided line is recommended, because most fish strike lightly; except the mangrove snapper, of course. They’ll try and rip the rod out of your hands.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Marker 620 GPS: N26 41.811 T F & G

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PINEY WOODS

Don’t Get Stumped

by Conroe Cats

by Bob Hood and Dustin Warncke LOCATION: Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake Stumps GPS: N30 26.73384

W5 35.74638

(30.445564, -95.595773) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Primos dipping bait CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-661-2920 admin@fishdudetx.com fishdudetx.com

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LOCATION: Caddo HOTSPOT: Buzzard Bay GPS: N32 40.2351

W4 2.26236

(32.670585, -94.037706) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, floating frogs, stick baits CONTACT: Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish the outside edges of the moss beds with floating frogs and weightless soft plastic worms and lizards early in the mornings and then target any isolated cypress trees in the area with moss around their bases with Texas-rigged plastic worms or lizards. You may also find some good action on topwater stick baits early, especially if there is some good cloud cover or just after a rain.

LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Schoolhouse Cove GPS: N32 50.07

W5 32.76

(32.834500, -95.546000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: spinnerbaits, topwaters; frogs in the pads and grass; weightless worms and flukes CONTACT: Michael Rogge 903-383-3406 microg@texascellnet.com www.lake-fork-guides.com TIPS: September is topwater time on Fork. Fish each area thoroughly, taking your time. When fishing topwaters, get ready for a bone-jarring strike, but don’t set the hook until you feel the fish. This is particularly true for buzzbaits.

LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Wolf Creek Ridge GPS: N32 50.292

W5 35.1

(32.838200, -95.585000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: spinner bugs, large spoons, Carolina rigs, drop-shot rigs

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Texas Hotspots CONTACT: Michael Rogge www.lake-fork-guides.com 903-383-3406 microg@texascellnet.com TIPS: There will still be some bass that are deep.

Use your electronics to find the fish. When you do find them, they might be stacked up like cordwood.

Fish slow and thoroughly.

LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Pipe Island GPS: N32 55.086

W5 40.74

(32.918100, -95.679000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: topwaters, spinnerbaits, and jerk baits CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-530-2201 TIPS: Get on the lake early for the topwater bite will usually end around 8-9 a.m. Cast topwaters, jerk baits and Rat-L-Traps to submerged sides of island, changing bait and presentation frequently until you hit the right combination.

Use your electronics to find the fish. When you do find them, they might be stacked up like cordwood.

Fish slow and thoroughly.

LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Chaney Point GPS: N32 48.306

W5 33.42

(32.805100, -95.557000) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: prepared commercial stinkbait CONTACT: Michael Rogge 903-383-3406 microg@texascellnet.com www.lake-fork-guides.com TIPS: Soak stinkbait on a treble hook rigged Carolina style. Be patient.

LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Board Tree Branch GPS: N32 53.838

W5 40.32

(32.897300, -95.672000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: spinnerbaits, topwaters; frogs in the pads and grass; weightless worms and flukes CONTACT: Michael Rogge 903-383-3406 microg@texascellnet.com www.lake-fork-guides.com TIPS: September is topwater time on Fork. Fish each area thoroughly, taking your time. When fishing topwaters, get ready for a bone-jarring strike, but don’t set the hook until you feel the fish. This is particularly true for buzzbaits.

LOCATION: Lake O the Pines HOTSPOT: The Dam Area GPS: N32 44.9742

W4 30.57006

(32.74957, -94.509501) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters, shallow diving baits, soft plastics CONTACT: Sonny Kopech 903-592-8221 Marion.Kopech@HDSupply.com TIPS: Start at the south end of the dam with a topwater lure or shallow-diving crank bait, casting as close to the rocks as possible and working it back to the boat. Most of the strikes should come within five feet of the rocks but an occasional fish might follow the lure almost to the boat before striking so keep your rod tip low for a last-second strike. Once the sun has risen or the bite has slowed, head back up the lake to Johnson Creek and fish the rip-rap on either side of the bridge.

Next, try the lily pads above the Highway 155 bridge with floating frogs, lizards and small Texasrigged worms.

LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Old 2946 Road Bed GPS: N32 54.15

W5 39.72

(32.902500, -95.662000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: spinner bugs, large spoons, Carolina rigs, drop-shot rigs CONTACT: Michael Rogge www.lake-fork-guides.com 903-383-3406 microg@texascellnet.com TIPS: There will still be some bass that are deep.

LOCATION: Livingston HOTSPOT: Ben Shot Lake GPS: N30 45.3

W5 8.05014

(30.755, -95.134169) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Live shad, Spoons, Tsunami Slim Wade CONTACT: Dave Cox 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com palmettoguideservce,cin

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TIPS: The best time to catch striped bass at this time of the year when the water temperature is high and awaiting cooler times is to concentrate your efforts during the early-morning and lateevening hours. Bounce the lures off the bottom in the Ben Shot Lake area but also keep an eye out for schooling fish at the surface. The action usually is best with a north wind less than 10 m.p.h. or no wind at all.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Martinez Creek-Bone Ridge GPS: N31 35.39094

W3 50.67996

(31.589849, -93.844666) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, shallow-diving crank baits, soft plastics, topwater lures CONTACT: Greg Crafts 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com toledobendguide.com TIPS: Fish topwater lures and shallow-divers on top of the ridge early, then use deep-divers, Carolina or Texas-rigged soft plastics, or drop shot rigs along the drop-offs on the edge of the ridge.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Bayou Siepe GPS: N31 43.824

W3 49.8

(31.730400, -93.830000) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: jigs, live minnows CONTACT: Mark Robinson 936-366-2211 rlodge@eastex.net rlodge@eastex.net TIPS: Fish the edges of the main creek channel 12 to 15 feet deep, working slowly from the bottom up.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Six Mile Flat GPS: N31 14.226

W3 42.12

(31.237100, -93.702000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Carolina rig using Watermelon Red or Strawberry/metal flake worm CONTACT: Jim Morris 409-579-3485 cypresscreekmarina@valornet.com TIPS: Look for spotty grass in water 12 to 14 feet deep. Work C-rig all around and through grass,

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holding rod tip high and line tight so you can feel the slightest take/strike. When you feel the take, set the hook quickly, before the bass spits the worm out.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Fish BASStrop for Summer Action

by Bob Hood and Dustin Warncke LOCATION: Bastrop HOTSPOT: 1441 Cove GPS: N30 9.94896

W7 17.20146

(30.165816, -97.286691) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas-rigged Mister Twister Poc’it Craws in bull-bream color, Carolina-rigged plastics, Shad-colored crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, topwaters.

CONTACT: Robert Brown - BassMan Austin

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512-658-5530 ciscobb@yahoo.com www.bassmanaustin.com/  TIPS: Focus on the outside edges of grass any time of the year. During the schooling months in the late summer months, target the schools around the main lake and dam areas. Use Carolina and Texas rigs on main lake humps and on any ledges you can find as well as outside edges of the grass.

LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: The Dam GPS: N31 54.02946

W7 12.1986

(31.900491, -97.203310) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad jigs, Slabs, spoons CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com teamredneck01.net TIPS: Start as early as possible, just at daybreak is best for me. Keep an eye out for surfacing fish but don’t wait for surface action. Start on the point here and cast Sassy Shad jigs, Slabs and even topwater lures as close to the dam as possible

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and over the points at both ends of the dam. The white bass work up and down the dam chasing after schools of shad. Look for feeding action but keep your lures in the water as much as possible.

LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: Triplett Point GPS: N31 54.528

W7 12.36

(31.908800, -97.206000) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Tail Hummers, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 TIPS: Watch for early and late surface action around Triplett Point, Snake Island, and dam rip rap. Tail Hummers and Rat-L-Traps work best on schooling fish. On cloudy days, the schooling will last longer, sometimes all day. After sunrise, back off to the deep LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam Riprap at Spillway GPS: N31 53.982

W7 12.54

(31.899700, -97.209000) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Kastmaster spoons, Lil

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Texas Hotspots CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 TIPS: Work the riprap along the dam, moving up and down the dam early and late. Don’t be surprised at catching a mixed bag of white bass and crappie, as both species are along the riprap this time of year.

LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: Triplett Point GPS: N31 54.528

W7 12.36

(31.908800, -97.206000) SPECIES: smallmouth bass BEST BAITS: chrome Rat-L-Trap with blue back CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-285 6113 teamredneck.net TIPS: Look for schooling sand bass early in the morning and again in the late evening.

LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: Bubbler Aerator GPS: N31 54.966

W7 11.64

(31.916100, -97.194000) SPECIES: smallmouth bass BEST BAITS: Little George, Tail Hummer CONTACT:

Randy Routh 817-285 6113 teamredneck.net TIPS: Throw lures into the bubbles and use a medium retrieve. Expect fast action all day.

LOCATION: Bastrop HOTSPOT: Dam Area GPS: N30 9.4026

W7 17.43678

(30.15671, -97.290613) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Small, clear topwaters, Launcher long distance casting cork with 3” shad imitating soft plastic nose hooked on 4’ leader, Jr. size shad-colored soft plastic jerkbait, 1/4 oz. tailspinners.

CONTACT: Mike Hastings 512-773-7401 gitbit@austin.rr.com www.gitbitguideservice.com TIPS: Look for surface schooling bass throughout the main lake. Most bass are randomly concentrated from South Shore to North Shore. Most consistent concentrations are along the dam in 20+ feet of water.

LOCATION: Bastrop HOTSPOT: Grass Bed GPS: N30 9.354

W7 17.16

(30.155900, -97.286000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: jigs, worms, flukes, Senkos CONTACT: Mike Hastings 512-773-7401 gitbit@austin.rr.com www.gitbitfishing.com TIPS: Work flukes and Senkos over the top of hydrilla, or flip jigs and worms along the outside edges.

LOCATION: Cedar Creek HOTSPOT: Lighted Docks GPS: N32 12.84534

W6 3.73902

(32.214089, -96.062317) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Crank bait. Rat-L-Trap, Sassy Shad CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-887-7896 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: Use standard casting tackle or spinning tackle with 8-12-Cast away from the lights just beyond the brightest parts of the light and retrieve your lure at a medium, steady pace through the light. Try small crankbaits or Rat-L-Traps and swimbaits and hair jigs. This is a very productive way to catch white bass, striped bass and hybrid striped bass in the same area. This is a great way to beat the heat while fishing at night.

LOCATION: Cooper HOTSPOT: Main Lake Humps GPS: N33 19.1358

W5 41.97324

(33.31893, -95.699554) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: Sassy Shads, Spoons CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: Be on the lake at daybreak and watch for any shad action at the surface. The hybrids will be chasing the shad onto the shallow tops of the humps and points in this area. Cast four-inch spoons or Sassy Shad jigs toward any surfacing action you see. Otherwise, cast the lures onto the tops of the humps and points and work the lures slowly back to the boat. Chrome spoons or chartreuse Sassy Shads usually work best. Later in the day, move out to the deeper sides of the humps and troll the lures slowly with your trolling motor.

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LOCATION: Fairfield HOTSPOT: The Hump GPS: N31 47.838

W6 3.96

(31.797300, -96.066000) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: deep diving crankbaits and spoons CONTACT: Lex Hayes 903-641-9609 TIPS: Troll the deep diving crankbaits to get them to the depth that the reds are using. The water will still be warm in September and deep trolling will put your baits in the cooler water. The Hump is straight across from the second boat ramp and is usually a LOCATION: Fayette County HOTSPOT: Southeast Trees GPS: N29 54.9798

W6 42.954

(29.91633, -96.715900) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, shad, chicken livers CONTACT: Weldon Kirk

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979-229-3101 weldon_edna@hotmail.com FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: The trees in this area are right off the old road bed. Tie off or anchor. Most of the trees are cedar so be careful casting. You might prefer fishing straight down in 10-12 feet of water. The water has not cooled yet so the fish will be close to the bottom. The fish follow the road bed as well as feed in the trees here. Fish close to shallow water during the morning and late evening hours. The fish will be eating moss/algae along with the coots.

Chumming will bring the catfish to your area.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek.

HOTSPOT: Eagle Point South GPS: N30 37.9188

W6 2.78874

(30.63198, -96.046479) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, worms, stink bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: You will be anchoring in about seven feet of water here. Fish are moving to and from the

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main lake to Sulphur Creek and pass through this shallow water. Use a tight line on a Carolina rig, 2/0 Kahle hook for shad with a one-ounce egg sinker. Set out several rods and try different baits on them. Blue, yellow and channel catfish are possible here. If targeting channel cats, use range cubes or soured maize to chum the area LOCATION: Gibbons Creek.

HOTSPOT: Sulphur Creek (creek Bed) GPS: N30 37.608

W6 3.06

(30.626800, -96.051000) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: shad, shrimp, worms, stinkbait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 TIPS: You’ll be anchoring in about 16-foot water.

Fish moving to and from main lake to Sulphur Creek pass through this area. Use tight line Carolina rig, 2/0 Kahle hook for shad with 1-ounce egg sinker. Set out several rods around the boat and try different types of bait.

LOCATION: Joe Pool HOTSPOT: Grass Lines by Marinas GPS: N32 37.656

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Texas Hotspots

W7 2.22

(32.627600, -97.037000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Chomper Salty Sinkers; flukes; small white spinners; worms in Watermelon, Green Pumpkin CONTACT: Randy Maxwell 817-313-2878 TIPS: Start at either marina and work that bank all the way to the dam, concentrating on points and any timber you can find. Throw Chompers, flukes, and spinners shallow; drop shot, Carolina, and Texas rigs deep.

LOCATION: Joe Pool HOTSPOT: Secondary Points of Lynn & Walnut Creeks GPS: N32 36.456

W7 3.66

(32.607600, -97.061000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, small spinnerbaits; shallow running crankbaits in shad patterns.

CONTACT: Randy Maxwell 817-313-2878 TIPS: Early evening is starting to be the best time to fish. All you need remember is moving baits around shad activity. Watching wind direction for a few days before you head to the lake will give you a good place to start. Fish the windblown shores from the d LOCATION: Lavon HOTSPOT: Ticky Creek GPS: N33 5.2854

W6 28.13322

(33.08809, -96.468887) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Black-blue jigs, medium-sized minnows CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick 214-232-7847 Straightlineguide@yahoo.com TIPS: Crappie will be biting in 14-20 feet of water with black and blue jigs or medium-sized minnows working best. Face the dam 100-150 yards off the face of the dam and use spider rigging one to four feet off the bottom. Slow troll the trees off Ticky Creek Park. The fish will be in this area all summer. Start near the bottom and work your way up the trees to find the suspended fish at various depths. One to three feet off the bottom always works for me.

LOCATION: Lewisville

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HOTSPOT: Dead Man’s Point GPS: N33 7.53498

W6 58.43994

(33.125583, -96.973999) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh shad, cut buffalo fish, punch bait CONTACT: Bobby Kubin 817-455-2894 bobby@bobby-catfishing.com bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Blue catfish still are hitting very good for anglers drift fishing across the main-lake points.

Dead Man’s Point is producing plenty of eatingsized fish and an occasional trophy fish. Drift 15-30 feet deep with fresh dead shad or cut buffalo fish using 3/0 to 5/0 hooks for eating-sized fish and 8/0 hooks for trophy fish on a SanteeCooper rig. For channel cats, chum several areas with range cubes or soured maize in 15-20 feet of water. Expect bites to be light.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N32 5.30652

W5 26.19714

(32.088442, -95.436619) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Slabs, Sassy Shad jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Start at daybreak and target the main lake points by casting and slowly jigging the spoons and Sassy Shads near the bottom on the retrieve.

Cast as close to the point as possible early and then work out into deeper water as the sun rises.

Keep a close eye out for bird activity and go to it when you see a bird picking up shad. Go from point to point until you locate the fish.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Highway 155 Bridge GPS: N32 8.79588

W5 28.29054

(32.146598, -95.471509) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: 1/16-ounce crappie jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-72999 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: The Highway 155 bridge is a favorite among many summertime crappie anglers on

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this lake so if there are boats under the bridge, approach it very slowly out of courtesy. Jig pink and white jigs around the pilings and feel for brush with your lures. Work the jigs very slowly on top of the brush piles. The bite may be very light so set the hook at the slightest tap. Also keep a close eye on your line for any slight movement you aren’t giving it.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Flat Creek GPS: N32 13.14312

W5 32.61648

(32.219052, -95.543608) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Yellow Magic topwater lures, Big Eye jigs, Shimmy Shakers CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: The main lake is clear but the water in the back of Flat Creek is stained. Fish the standing timber along the creek channel with black-blue and amber Shimmy Shakers or blue heron-colored, 3/8-ounce Big Eye jigs early in the mornings.

If you see grass, work over it with Yellow Magic topwater lures. Fish very slow. You are likely to catch bass weighing from five to seven pounds here. The larger fish will be in the heaviest cover.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Henderson Point GPS: N32 11.568

W5 29.28

(32.192800, -95.488000) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: topwaters; 1/4-ounce chrome/ blue Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-530-2201 TIPS: white bass and hybrid stripers can be found visibly schooling on the main lake points early and late. Ease up to the school, throw your lure over and beyond the school, and quickly reel in. Around 9:00 a.m., they will move out to the nearest drop-off.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: Highway 287 Pilings GPS: N32 0.42558

W6 12.19962

(32.007093, -96.203327) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Medium minnows, crappie jigs CONTACT:

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Bob Holmes 214-728-3310 bob@texasfishing.net texasfishing.net TIPS: Several of the bridge pilings beneath the Highway 287 bridge have brush around them that has been added by anglers. These brushed areas hold lots of crappie but the bite may be slow. Use ultra-light spinning gear and mediumsized minnows or small crappie jigs and feel for the brush, keeping the baits just above the brush.

Thee cross-members between the bridge pilings also will hold crappie, so work your bait on top and beside these cross-members. Some of the brushed areas can be located by looking for pieces of ropes tied to the pilings by anglers.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: 294 Point GPS: N31 59.39046

W6 12.43644

(31.989841, -96.207274) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Heddon Tiny Torpedoes, Slabs CONTACT: Bob Holmes 214-728-3310 bob@texasfishingguide.net texasfishing.net TIPS: Work clear Heddon Tiny Torpedoes off the point, keeping an eye out for surfacing fish. If the fish aren’t here early, move on around the point and look for surfacing action. Be willing to stay on the move to locate the schooling fish. Hybrid stripers are separating from the white bass and are moving to the deeper drop-offs. Use your electronics to locate them but have patience to await a bite. The 309 Flats and Hickey Island also should hold lots of white bass and some hybrids off the edges of the flats and points.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: Magic Tree Hump GPS: N31 58.23

W6 18.06

(31.970500, -96.301000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Carolina rig or drop-shot rigged with stickbait in Watermelon or Pumpkin colors CONTACT: Steve Schmidt 817-929-0675-cell TIPS: The Magic Tree Hump is at the mouth of Crab Creek. It has a nice creek channel on the west side, and the key setup is on the side next to the tree line and creek. Throw up the hump with C-rig or drop-shot. I use an 18-inch leader with a 3/0 hook, and a 3/

W6 32.7

(30.331000, -96.545000) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: shad, worms, stinkbait, chicken livers CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 TIPS: Use Carolina rig, 3/4-ounce egg sinker, 1/0 Kahle hook with shad; No. 4 treble hook with other baits. Water is shallow here and drops off into the roadbed. Fish the drop off. Baitfish frequent the drop-off area and the catfish move in to feed on them.

LOCATION: Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Squirrel Cove Area GPS: N32 53.3469

W5 57.3114

(32.889115, -95.955190) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad jigs, Slabs, spoons CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: Locate the drop-off on the underwater point and drop Slabs, Sassy Shad jigs or spoons to the bottom and retrieve with a slow, up and down motion with the rod. Once you get a strike, try to work the level where the strike came from. Be prepared to see some surfacing action and keep a Rat-L-Trap or topwater lure ready. Later in the day, move out to deeper water. The fish often will quit their active feeding once the sun is high and suspend further out in deeper water. Chartreuse, chrome and white usually are the best colors.

LOCATION: Texoma HOTSPOT: Highport Islands GPS: N33 51.74382

W6 41.98908

(33.862397, -96.699818)

SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Pencil Poppers, Zara Spooks, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Bill Carey 877-786-4477 bigfish@striperexpress.com striperexpress.com TIPS: Some stripers will be feeding on shad around the islands in this area of the lake very early in the morning. Cast as close to the bank as possible and work the topwater lures back to the boat slowly. Once the sun rises, move out to deeper water with the topwaters or slow-roll Sassy Shads, Slabs and similar lures back to the boat, varying the depths that you allow the lure to sink to. Watch for any bird activity to help you locate feeding stripers.

LOCATION: Texoma HOTSPOT: The Islands GPS: N33 51.078

W6 42.48

(33.851300, -96.708000) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: RipTide Curltailers, and topwaters CONTACT: Bill Carey 903-647-4022 Cell TIPS: The big fish move onto the flats during September. Early mornings cast pencil poppers and chug bugs on the shallow banks. Mid-morning change your lures to Rip Tide Curltailers and Sassy Shad soft plastics. Concentrate on the flats.

LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: State Park Area GPS: N31 54.74118

W7 22.6674

(31.912353, -97.37779) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad jigs, Slabs, spoons, fresh shad

LOCATION: Somerville HOTSPOT: Welch Park Roadbed GPS: N30 19.86 T F & G

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Texas Hotspots CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-455-2894 teamredneck01@hotmail.com teamredneck01;net TIPS: Begin during the early-morning hours with bottom bumpers like Slabs, Sassy Shad jigs and spoons or fresh live shad. Fish the tops of the points in 15-20 feet of water keeping your lures close to the bottom. Move out to deeper water as the sun begins to rise. During the hottest days, the deep water off the sand flats south of the island here also is a good place to find striped bass, as is the mouth of Whitney and Towash creeks.

LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: Whitney Point GPS: N31 54.672

W7 20.82

(31.911200, -97.347000) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Tail Hummers, Kastmaster spoons and chrome Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 TIPS: Watch for schooling activity at Whitney Point, Island Flats, and Sand Point early and late.

Work the above baits by making long casts to schooling fish. Use medium retrieve.

LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: Mouth of Frazier Creek GPS: N31 54.786

W7 22.68

(31.913100, -97.378000) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: live shad; white jigs with white trailers CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-285 6113 teamredneck.net TIPS: Fish shad down to 18 feet in water 30-33 feet deep on the point at the mouth of Frazier Creek.

LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: McCowan Flats GPS: N31 55.782

W7 24.84

(31.929700, -97.414000) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: chrome Rat-L-Trap, white jigs; live shad CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-285 6113

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BEST BAITS: Zara spooks, Odom football jigs, plastic lizards CONTACT: James Burkeen 830-734-9652 jjburkeen@gmail.com amistadbassin.com TIPS: The hydrilla is scattered in this area but thickening. Use Zara Spooks early, especially on cloudy days, and fish the points below the highways. At mid-morning, move out to the hydrilla where it drops off into deep water and work Odom football jigs in green-pumpkin or Falcon Craw colors. Texas-rigged plastic lizards also work good in the hydrilla.

teamredneck.net TIPS: After the sun comes up, troll white jigs with white trailers from 12 feet to 22 feet deep on McCowan Flats.

PANHANDLE

Broadway: PK’s Great White Way

by Bob Hood and Dustin Warncke LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N32 52.59642

W8 31.78434

(32.876607, -98.529739) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Live threadfin shad, Sassy Shad jigs, Slabs CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav77340@aceweb.com TIPS: This is a great month to catch white. bass, hybrids and striped bass in the mid-lake area. The fish will stay in this area until the water temperature begins to cool down. Small threadfin shad rigged on single hooks with small pinch-on weights about 8-10 inches above the shad is my best rig for them. You also may catch catfish in these same areas as well as crappie and largemouth bass in the stickups. Target the mouths of Caddo and Cedar Creek and keep and eye out for bird activity that will lead you to the action.

BIG BEND

Highway Bassery at Amistad

by Bob Hood and Dustin Warncke LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Highways 277-377 Area GPS: N29 30.32178

W100 54.9906

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Buchanan Stipers Stick to Main Lake

by Bob Hood and Dustin Warncke LOCATION: Austin HOTSPOT: Bull Creek GPS: N30 20.8149

W7 47.45538

(30.346915, -97.790923) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastic swimbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits, lightweight Carolina and Texas rigged soft plastics.

CONTACT: Mike Hastings 512-773-7401 gitbit@austin.rr.com www.gitbitguideservice.com TIPS: Concentrate on working lures on the flat adjacent to Austin Country Club golf course and the flat located between the Walsh boat ramp and Tom Miller Dam. LOCATION: Austin HOTSPOT: 360 Bridge Bass on Lake Austin GPS: N30 21.05412

W7 47.8329

(30.350902, -97.797215) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Clear and shad-colored topwater lures, smoke glitter or white grub rigged on a jighead, soft plastic jerkbaits, soft plastic swimbaits.

CONTACT: Mike Hastings 512-773-7401

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gitbit@austin.rr.com www.gitbitguideservice.com TIPS: Look for surface schooling Bass upstream and downstream in areas bordering Emma Long Park, Panther Creek area, and beneath the Highway 360 bridge.

LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Rocky Point GPS: N30 48.516

W8 23.82

(30.808600, -98.397000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Green Pumpkin colored finesse worms by Cr CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria 210-823-2153 kandie@gvtc.com TIPS: Drop-shot finesse worm in 15 to 20 feet, using Standout hooks. Also use Shakeyhead jigs on 10-pound-test line with finesse worms. A fast rod tip works best.

LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Condos GPS: N30 46.776

W8 26.88

(30.779600, -98.448000) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Carolina rigs, live shad, large minnows CONTACT: Ray Williamson 512-825-8746 iwannagofishing@raysstriperguideservice.com TIPS: Drift over humps and structure with live shad and large minnows. Drift over treetops with live shad. Flat-line with one rod.

LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Soup Bowl GPS: N 30 44.789

W98 25.411

(30.746483, -98.42351) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Live Shad CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasfishing@yahoo.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: Target stripers early in the morning, about daylight from the east side near the dam in the “soup bowl. Striper Island to the dam is also good.

With the lake this low, be cautious as shallow spots are present even out in the middle of the lake and trees on and just under the surface are hazards to watch. Fish in clean water (no trees showing on the fish finder) in 25 to 40 foot of water as close to the trees as you can get without being in them. Drop anchor with plenty of line out.

Bring plenty of bait as small catfish have been T F & G

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LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Red Rock GPS: N30 47.382

W8 26.58

(30.789700, -98.443000) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Carolina rigs, live shad, large minnows CONTACT: Ray Williamson 512-825-8746 iwannagofishing@raysstriperguideservice.com TIPS: Drift over humps and structure with live shad and large minnows. Drift over treetops with live shad. Flat-line with one rod.

GPS: N30 41.274

W7 20.58

(30.687900, -97.343000) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: chartreuse jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-465-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.txfishing.com/tidwell TIPS: Fish slow in the top of the brush.

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Jacobs Creek GPS: N29 52.89312

W8 13.63278

(29.881552, -98.227213) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Zara Spooks CONTACT: Capt. Steve Nixon 210-573-1230 steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Start early off the points of this creek and keep a close watch for surface action. Both white bass and striped bass feed heavily in this area.

Use chrome or blue Zara Spooks when the sky is clear and firetiger colors on cloudy days.

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Canyon Lake Marina GPS: N29 54.02424

W8 14.17698

(29.900404, -98.236283) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Picasso Shakey Head, Flukes, Bass Kandie Sticks CONTACT: Kandie Canderlaria 210-823-2153 kandie@gvtc.com TIPS: Fish the point near the drop-off slowly.

Work the shallows early and then move into deeper water. The bass are in their summer patterns and not likely to be aggressive. Use a good rod like a Castaway heavy-weight 7-footer for Carolina rigging watermelon flukes with 1/2-ounce or 1/4-ounce Picasso tungsten weights. Best summertime colors are watermelon-red, blue fleck, June bug and watermelon candy dip in chartreuse.

Remember to protect yourself from the hot summertime temperatures and water reflections.

LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Brush Piles

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Texas Hotspots LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: The Road Bed GPS: N30 42.114

W7 20.88

(30.701900, -97.348000) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: 1/32-ounce chartreuse marabou jig for crappie; white slab spoons for white bass CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 TIPS: For white bass, fish slab spoons on top of roadbeds and ridges in areas where shad are working. Use electronics to find fish then jig the slab spoon off the bottom by hopping it 2 to 3 feet off the bottom. For crappie, fish brush piles at dam, in 8 to 15 LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: Brush Piles GPS: N30 41.69946

W7 21.35334

(30.694991, -97.355889) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Berkley Crappie Nibbles, Marabou jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com gotcrappie.com TIPS: This is one of the best months for crappie at Granger Lake. With a lot of people dove hunting or getting ready for the other hunting seasons, you may have the lake to yourself. Many fish that were just short of the keeper size two months ago will be fat keepers now. Fish a marabou jig tipped with a Berkley Crappie Nibble and fish the brush piles in 5-15 feet of water.

LOCATION: Travis HOTSPOT: Sandy Creek Arm GPS: N 30 28.804

W97 55.085

(30.480069, -97.918085) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Lures: 1/8-1/4 oz. jigheads rigged with grubs or shad shaped soft plastics and small jigging spoons for Largemouth, Guadalupe, White & Striped Bass as well as Crappie CONTACT: Mike Hastings 512-773-7401 gitbit@austin.rr.com www.gitbitguideservice.com TIPS: Night fishing isolated boat docks (with bright lights aimed at the water) located on the main lake and in the mouths of major creeks: Briarcliff, Bee Creek, Hurst Creek, Sandy Creek, and Cypress Creek.

LOCATION: Travis HOTSPOT: Lake Point GPS: N30 22.602

W8 1.26

(30.376700, -98.021000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas rig, Carolina rig, deepdiving crankbait, jig-and-pig CONTACT: Mike Hastings 512-773-7401 gitbit@austin.rr.com www.gitbitfishing.com TIPS: This area has lots of submerged brush.

Work slowly. It might take a while, but well worth the wait.

LOCATION: Travis HOTSPOT: Rock Ledge GPS: N30 24.912

W8 0.6

(30.415200, -98.010000) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: drop-shot rig, deep-diving crankbait, C-rig CONTACT: Mike Hastings 512-773-7401 gitbit@austin.rr.com www.gitbitfishing.com TIPS: Take your time and fish the ledges slowly and thoroughly. Keep a rod with a topwater lure handy in case schooling bass appear on the surface.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Take in Some Stray Braunig Cats

by Bob Hood and Dustin Warncke LOCATION: Braunig HOTSPOT: Intake Channel GPS: N29 15.66

W8 22.32

(29.261000, -98.372000) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: crawfish, shrimp, chicken livers CONTACT: Jeff Snyder 210-649-2435 TIPS: Fish the deeper water. Carolina rigs with crawfish or crawfish flavored prepared baits is a good technique, but chicken lives are always good. You never know when a hybrid or red will take your bait.

LOCATION: Braunig HOTSPOT: West Side Jetty GPS: N29 14.94

W8 22.62

(29.249000, -98.377000) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live bait; gold spoons; swimbaits in perch, shad, and sunfish patterns CONTACT: Jeff Snyder 210-649-2435 TIPS: Redfish are spawning around the jetties, and they’re aggressive. Any live bait, whether it’s shad, bream, tilapia, or crawfish, will work. Use rigs that won’t snag up in the riprap (balloon rigs

90 |

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should do the trick). Swim soft plastics in deeper water. Us LOCATION: Calaveras HOTSPOT: West Hump GPS: N29 17.034

W8 19.5

(29.283900, -98.325000) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: live shad; shrimp, chicken livers; white jigs CONTACT: Jeff Snyder 210-649-2435 TIPS: Fish the deeper (18-30 feet) holes for both catfish and hybrids that will be collecting under shad balls. An effective technique is to drift through the school from upwind. Use your electronics to locate the fish, and then drift a bait or white bucktail.

(26.718446, -99.154879) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Zara Spooks, 3/8-ounce jigs, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robertsfishntackle@gmail.com robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: The best action in the brush close to the shore will come early unless there is cloud cover

with will extend the action longer into the morning. Fish Zara Spooks or similar lures close to the bank in the pockets between the brush and stickups. Once the sun begins to rise, pitch blackbrown or black-blue jigs into the brush and work them slowly. Texas-rigged soft plastics also will work well in and around the brush and stickups.

LOCATION: Calaveras HOTSPOT: Crappie Wall GPS: N29 17.382

W8 19.08

(29.289700, -98.318000) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shad under a balloon; gold spoons; slabs; swimbaits in clear/glitter, purple, chartreuse CONTACT: Jeff Snyder 210-649-2435 TIPS: Watch the weather patterns. The Wall is an excellent place to fish, and especially so on sunny days with a wind-driven chop. Fish the deeper water with slabs and plastics that simulate the two primary forage: shad and tilapia. Use a short wire leader.

LOCATION: Choke Canyon HOTSPOT: Three Fingers Cove GPS: N28 31.68

W8 19.92

(28.528000, -98.332000) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: cut shad, cheese baits; Fish Bites in shrimp; chicken livers CONTACT: Wallace Gee 361-786-2749 TIPS: Summertime patterns will hold through September until the first front oozes down toward the end of the month. Catfish will still be foraging around hydrilla beds in the shallows. Use the typical array of catfish baits with just enough lead to hold bottom.

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Big Tiger GPS: N26 43.10676

W9 9.29274 T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 91

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Sportsman’s Daybook Tides and Prime Times

SEPTEMBER 2013

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.

T3 T2 T1

T9 T8 T7

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.

T17

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.

T13 T5

T14

T15 T16

T6

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below.

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

T18

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

T19

T20

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month.

PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.

T21

Tide Correction Table

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for Galveston Channel in the calendars.

KEY PLACE T1 Sabine Bank Lighthouse T2 Sabine Pass Jetty T3 Sabine Pass T4 Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass T5 Galveston Bay, S. Jetty T6 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 Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 T11

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

KEY PLACE

Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay T12

Gilchrist, East Bay T13 Jamaica Beach, W. Bay T14

Alligator Point, W. Bay T15

Christmas Pt T16

Galveston Pleasure Pier T17

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 PLACE

San Luis Pass T18

Freeport Harbor T19

Pass Cavallo T20

Aransas Pass T21

Padre Island (So. End) T22

Port Isabel T23

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

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE GRAPH:

Yellow: Daylight

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

6a

12p

6p

12a

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Green: Falling Tide

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

MINOR Feeding Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Time Moon is at its Highest Point in the Sky

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY:

12a

AM/PM Timeline

92 |

AM/PM Timeline

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

6p

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p

S E P T E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 92

12a

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.) Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)

2 0 1 3

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A L M A N A C

8/20/13 7:33 PM

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

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

26

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

27

28 »

Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 7:48p Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 7:47p Moonrise: 11:32p Set: 12:24p Moonrise: None Set: 1:19p

FRIDAY

29

Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 7:46p Moonrise: 12:16a Set: 2:11p

SATURDAY

30

Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 7:45p Moonrise: 1:02a Set: 3:00p

31

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 7:44p Moonrise: 1:49a Set: 3:46p

Sep 1

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 7:42p Moonrise: 2:39a Set: 4:29p

Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 7:41p Moonrise: 3:31a Set: 5:10p

AM Minor: 10:29a

PM Minor: 10:53p

AM Minor: 11:21a

PM Minor: 11:45p

AM Minor: -----

PM Minor: 12:10p

AM Minor: 12:33a

PM Minor: 12:57p

AM Minor: 1:18a

PM Minor: 1:42p

AM Minor: 2:01a

PM Minor: 2:25p

AM Minor: 2:43a

PM Minor: 3:06p

AM Major: 4:17a

PM Major: 4:41p

AM Major: 5:08a

PM Major: 5:33p

AM Major: 5:58a

PM Major: 6:22p

AM Major: 6:45a

PM Major: 7:09p

AM Major: 7:30a

PM Major: 7:54p

AM Major: 8:13a

PM Major: 8:36p

AM Major: 8:54a

PM Major: 9:17p

Moon Overhead: 5:35a

12a

THURSDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:12a

Moon Overhead: 6:24a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:01a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:36a

Moon Overhead: 8:48a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2013

Moon Overhead: 10:22a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 5:59p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

Low Tide: 2:00 AM High Tide: 7:35 AM Low Tide: 3:16 PM High Tide: 11:34 PM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 93

7:30 — 9:30 PM

1.09ft.

1.33ft.

0.23ft.

1.29ft.

Low Tide: 2:24 AM High Tide: 7:44 AM Low Tide: 4:22 PM

1.26ft.

1.33ft.

0.22ft.

Moon Underfoot: 7:37p BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 PM

High Tide: 4:29 AM Low Tide: 5:31 PM

1.37ft.

0.22ft.

Moon Underfoot: 8:25p BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

High Tide: 4:07 AM Low Tide: 6:35 PM

1.44ft.

0.22ft.

Moon Underfoot: 9:12p BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 PM

High Tide: 4:10 AM Low Tide: 7:29 PM

1.47ft.

0.22ft.

Moon Underfoot: 9:59p BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 PM

High Tide: 4:11 AM Low Tide: 9:49 AM High Tide: 11:47 AM Low Tide: 8:13 PM

1.47ft.

1.34ft.

1.36ft.

0.23ft.

Moon Underfoot: 10:45p

+2.0

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 PM

High Tide: 4:16 AM Low Tide: 9:40 AM High Tide: 1:01 PM Low Tide: 8:49 PM

1.47ft.

1.31ft.

1.39ft.

0.26ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:48p

+1.0 0 -1.0

8/20/13 7:33 PM

Sportsman’s Daybook

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

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 2nd Score Graph Score Best

TUESDAY

2

3 «

Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 7:40p Moonrise: 4:24a Set: 5:48p

THURSDAY

4 «

Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 7:39p Moonrise: 5:17a Set: 6:24p

5 l

Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 7:38p Moonrise: 6:11a Set: 6:59p

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 7:37p Moonrise: 7:06a Set: 7:34p

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

6 «

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 7:35p Moonrise: 8:02a Set: 8:10p

7 «

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 7:34p Moonrise: 9:00a Set: 8:48p

8

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 7:33p Moonrise: 9:58a Set: 9:29p

AM Minor: 3:24a

PM Minor: 3:47p

AM Minor: 4:05a

PM Minor: 4:27p

AM Minor: 4:47a

PM Minor: 5:09p

AM Minor: 5:31a

PM Minor: 5:53p

AM Minor: 6:17a

PM Minor: 6:40p

AM Minor: 7:07a

PM Minor: 7:31p

AM Minor: 8:00a

PM Minor: 8:25p

AM Major: 9:35a

PM Major: 9:58p

AM Major: 10:16a

PM Major: 10:39p

AM Major: 10:58a

PM Major: 11:20p

AM Major: 11:42a

PM Major: 12:04p

AM Major: 12:06a

PM Major: 12:29p

AM Major: 12:55a

PM Major: 1:19p

AM Major: 1:48a

PM Major: 2:13p

Moon Overhead: 11:08a

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:38p

Moon Overhead: 11:53a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:23p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:56p

Moon Overhead: 2:09p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 3:46p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2013

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 11:31p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

High Tide: 4:26 AM Low Tide: 9:38 AM High Tide: 2:01 PM Low Tide: 9:21 PM

94 |

1.47ft.

1.24ft.

1.42ft.

0.31ft.

5:30 — 7:30 PM

High Tide: 4:40 AM Low Tide: 9:50 AM High Tide: 2:55 PM Low Tide: 9:51 PM

S E P T E M B E R

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1.48ft.

1.14ft.

1.44ft.

0.38ft.

2 0 1 3

Moon Underfoot: 12:16a

Moon Underfoot: 1:00a

BEST:

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

High Tide: 4:56 AM Low Tide: 10:12 AM High Tide: 3:47 PM Low Tide: 10:20 PM

T e x a S

1.48ft.

1.03ft.

1.46ft.

0.47ft.

Moon Underfoot: 1:46a BEST:

BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 PM 7:00 — 9:00 AM

High Tide: 5:14 AM Low Tide: 10:41 AM High Tide: 4:40 PM Low Tide: 10:51 PM

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1.48ft.

0.90ft.

1.47ft.

0.59ft.

1.48ft.

0.76ft.

1.48ft.

0.73ft.

T F & G

High Tide: 5:47 AM Low Tide: 11:49 AM High Tide: 6:37 PM Low Tide: 11:58 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:21a

+2.0

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 AM

High Tide: 5:31 AM Low Tide: 11:13 AM High Tide: 5:36 PM Low Tide: 11:24 PM

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 2:32a

9:00 — 11:00 AM

1.47ft.

0.61ft.

1.48ft.

0.91ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: None

High Tide: 6:00 AM 1.47ft.

Low Tide: 12:30 PM 0.47ft.

High Tide: 7:47 PM 1.48ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A L M A N A C

8/20/13 7:33 PM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 95

8/20/13 7:33 PM

Sportsman’s Daybook

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 2nd Score Graph Score Best

9

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

10

THURSDAY

11

FRIDAY

12 º

13

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 7:32p Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 7:31p Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 7:29p Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 7:28p Moonrise: 10:59a Set: 10:13p Moonrise: 12:00p Set: 11:02p Moonrise: 1:02p Set: 11:55p Moonrise: 2:02p Set: None

SUNDAY

14

15

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 7:27p Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 7:26p Moonrise: 2:58p Set: 12:53a Moonrise: 3:51p Set: 1:55a

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 7:25p Moonrise: 4:39p Set: 2:59a

AM Minor: 8:57a

PM Minor: 9:23p

AM Minor: 9:56a

PM Minor: 10:23p

AM Minor: 10:56a

PM Minor: 11:24p

AM Minor: 11:56a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:24a

PM Minor: 12:53p

AM Minor: 1:19a

PM Minor: 1:48p

AM Minor: 2:11a

PM Minor: 2:39p

AM Major: 2:44a

PM Major: 3:10p

AM Major: 3:42a

PM Major: 4:10p

AM Major: 4:42a

PM Major: 5:10p

AM Major: 5:41a

PM Major: 6:10p

AM Major: 6:39a

PM Major: 7:08p

AM Major: 7:33a

PM Major: 8:02p

AM Major: 8:25a

PM Major: 8:53p

Moon Overhead: 4:38p

12a

SATURDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:29p

Moon Overhead: 5:32p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 7:27p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:23p

Moon Overhead: 8:26p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2013

Moon Overhead: 10:19p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 4:11a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

10:00A — 12:00P

96 |

1.09ft.

1.48ft.

0.35ft.

1.50ft.

ALMANAC Digital.indd 96

1.28ft.

1.52ft.

0.24ft.

1.53ft.

2 0 1 3

Low Tide: 1:51 AM High Tide: 6:09 AM Low Tide: 3:14 PM

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1.45ft.

1.57ft.

0.16ft.

Moon Underfoot: 7:56a

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM

Low Tide: 1:11 AM High Tide: 6:12 AM Low Tide: 2:11 PM High Tide: 10:44 PM

S E P T E M B E R

Moon Underfoot: 6:58a

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

Low Tide: 12:34 AM High Tide: 6:09 AM Low Tide: 1:17 PM High Tide: 9:08 PM

Moon Underfoot: 6:01a

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 PM

High Tide: 12:29 AM Low Tide: 2:47 AM High Tide: 6:01 AM Low Tide: 4:24 PM

F i s h

&

1.60ft.

1.58ft.

1.62ft.

0.11ft.

1:30 — 3:30 PM

High Tide: 1:51 AM Low Tide: 5:38 PM

G a m e ®

1.67ft.

0.08ft.

T F & G

Moon Underfoot: 8:55a BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 PM

High Tide: 2:34 AM Low Tide: 6:48 PM

1.70ft.

0.08ft.

Moon Underfoot: 9:51a

+2.0

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 PM

High Tide: 3:04 AM Low Tide: 8:32 AM High Tide: 12:00 PM Low Tide: 7:51 PM

1.68ft.

1.43ft.

1.52ft.

0.13ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 5:05a

+1.0 0 -1.0

A L M A N A C

8/20/13 7:33 PM

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2013 TUESDAY

16

17

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 7:23p Moonrise: 5:23p Set: 4:03a

THURSDAY

18 «

Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 7:22p Moonrise: 6:05p Set: 5:07a

FRIDAY

19 «

Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 7:21p Moonrise: 6:44p Set: 6:10a

SATURDAY

20 ¡

Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 7:20p Moonrise: 7:23p Set: 7:12a

Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 7:19p Moonrise: 8:03p Set: 8:12a

21 «

22 «

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 7:17p Moonrise: 8:43p Set: 9:12a

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 7:16p Moonrise: 9:25p Set: 10:10a

AM Minor: 3:00a

PM Minor: 3:28p

AM Minor: 3:48a

PM Minor: 4:15p

AM Minor: 4:36a

PM Minor: 5:02p

AM Minor: 5:25a

PM Minor: 5:50p

AM Minor: 6:16a

PM Minor: 6:41p

AM Minor: 7:10a

PM Minor: 7:34p

AM Minor: 8:04a

PM Minor: 8:29p

AM Major: 9:14a

PM Major: 9:41p

AM Major: 10:01a

PM Major: 10:28p

AM Major: 10:49a

PM Major: 11:14p

AM Major: 11:38a

PM Major: -----

AM Major: 12:04a

PM Major: 12:29p

AM Major: 12:57a

PM Major: 1:22p

AM Major: 1:52a

PM Major: 2:17p

Moon Overhead: 11:13p

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:05a

Moon Overhead: None

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 12:55a

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:35a

Moon Overhead: 1:45a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Overhead: 3:24a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 10:46a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

High Tide: 3:30 AM Low Tide: 8:51 AM High Tide: 1:33 PM Low Tide: 8:47 PM

1.64ft.

1.26ft.

1.56ft.

0.23ft.

BEST:

High Tide: 3:53 AM Low Tide: 9:22 AM High Tide: 2:50 PM Low Tide: 9:38 PM

1.60ft.

1.05ft.

1.61ft.

0.39ft.

Moon Underfoot: 1:20p

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 PM

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 97

Moon Underfoot: 12:30p

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

High Tide: 4:15 AM Low Tide: 9:58 AM High Tide: 4:00 PM Low Tide: 10:25 PM

A L M A N A C

1.56ft.

0.83ft.

1.64ft.

0.58ft.

Moon Underfoot: 2:10p BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

High Tide: 4:37 AM Low Tide: 10:36 AM High Tide: 5:05 PM Low Tide: 11:08 PM

T e x a S

1.53ft.

0.63ft.

1.66ft.

0.79ft.

F i s h

Moon Underfoot: 2:59p BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 PM 1:30 — 3:30 AM

High Tide: 4:59 AM Low Tide: 11:16 AM High Tide: 6:08 PM Low Tide: 11:49 PM

&

1.52ft.

0.48ft.

1.66ft.

0.99ft.

G a m e ®

High Tide: 5:20 AM 1.51ft.

Low Tide: 11:58 AM 0.37ft.

High Tide: 7:13 PM 1.64ft.

S E P T E M B E R

Moon Underfoot: 3:49p

+2.0

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 11:39a

Low Tide: 12:28 AM High Tide: 5:40 AM Low Tide: 12:41 PM High Tide: 8:21 PM

2 0 1 3

|

1.18ft.

1.52ft.

0.33ft.

1.61ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

97

8/20/13 7:33 PM

Sportsman’s Daybook

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

23

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

24

THURSDAY

25

26

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 7:15p Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 7:14p Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 7:12p Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 7:11p Moonrise: 10:09p Set: 11:07a Moonrise: 10:54p Set: 12:01p Moonrise: 11:42p Set: 12:52p Moonrise: None Set: 1:40p

SATURDAY

27 »

SUNDAY

28

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 7:10p Moonrise: 12:31a Set: 2:24p

29

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 7:09p Moonrise: 1:22a Set: 3:06p

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 7:08p Moonrise: 2:14a Set: 3:44p

AM Minor: 9:00a

PM Minor: 9:25p

AM Minor: 9:55a

PM Minor: 10:19p

AM Minor: 10:48a

PM Minor: 11:12p

AM Minor: 11:38a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:02a

PM Minor: 12:26p

AM Minor: 12:48a

PM Minor: 1:11p

AM Minor: 1:31a

PM Minor: 1:54p

AM Major: 2:47a

PM Major: 3:12p

AM Major: 3:42a

PM Major: 4:07p

AM Major: 4:36a

PM Major: 5:00p

AM Major: 5:26a

PM Major: 5:50p

AM Major: 6:14a

PM Major: 6:38p

AM Major: 7:00a

PM Major: 7:23p

AM Major: 7:42a

PM Major: 8:05p

Moon Overhead: 4:14a

12a

FRIDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:53a

Moon Overhead: 5:04a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:41a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:15a

Moon Overhead: 7:29a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2013

Moon Overhead: 9:01a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 4:39p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 AM

98 |

1.33ft.

1.52ft.

0.33ft.

1.58ft.

ALMANAC Digital.indd 98

1.46ft.

1.53ft.

0.37ft.

1.58ft.

2 0 1 3

Low Tide: 2:03 AM High Tide: 4:21 AM Low Tide: 3:18 PM

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 7:52p

BEST:

10:30A — 12:30P

Low Tide: 1:35 AM High Tide: 5:55 AM Low Tide: 2:19 PM High Tide: 11:09 PM

S E P T E M B E R

Moon Underfoot: 7:05p

BEST:

9:30 — 11:30 AM

Low Tide: 1:03 AM High Tide: 5:54 AM Low Tide: 1:27 PM High Tide: 9:37 PM

Moon Underfoot: 6:17p

BEST:

11:30A — 1:30P

1.54ft.

1.55ft.

0.42ft.

12:30 — 2:30 PM

High Tide: 1:14 AM Low Tide: 4:26 PM

F i s h

&

1.59ft.

0.48ft.

High Tide: 2:20 AM Low Tide: 5:36 PM

G a m e ®

1.61ft.

0.53ft.

T F & G

Moon Underfoot: 8:38p BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

High Tide: 2:32 AM Low Tide: 6:36 PM

1.62ft.

0.57ft.

Moon Underfoot: 9:24p

+2.0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

High Tide: 2:44 AM Low Tide: 9:06 AM High Tide: 11:49 AM Low Tide: 7:25 PM

1.61ft.

1.40ft.

1.44ft.

0.61ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 5:28p

+1.0 0 -1.0

A L M A N A C

8/20/13 7:34 PM

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2013 TUESDAY

30

Oct 1

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 7:06p Moonrise: 3:07a Set: 4:21p

THURSDAY

2

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 7:05p Moonrise: 4:01a Set: 4:57p

3 «

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 7:04p Moonrise: 4:55a Set: 5:32p

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 7:03p Moonrise: 5:51a Set: 6:08p

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

4 l

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 7:02p Moonrise: 6:48a Set: 6:46p

5 «

6 «

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 7:00p Moonrise: 7:48a Set: 7:26p

Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 6:59p Moonrise: 8:49a Set: 8:10p

AM Minor: 2:12a

PM Minor: 2:34p

AM Minor: 2:51a

PM Minor: 3:14p

AM Minor: 3:31a

PM Minor: 3:54p

AM Minor: 4:12a

PM Minor: 4:35p

AM Minor: 4:56a

PM Minor: 5:20p

AM Minor: 5:44a

PM Minor: 6:10p

AM Minor: 6:38a

PM Minor: 7:04p

AM Major: 8:23a

PM Major: 8:45p

AM Major: 9:03a

PM Major: 9:25p

AM Major: 9:42a

PM Major: 10:05p

AM Major: 10:24a

PM Major: 10:47p

AM Major: 11:08a

PM Major: 11:32p

AM Major: 11:57a

PM Major: 12:22p

AM Major: 12:25a

PM Major: 12:51p

Moon Overhead: 9:46a

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:16a

Moon Overhead: 10:31a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:02p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:39p

Moon Overhead: 12:49p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Overhead: 2:31p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 10:09p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

High Tide: 2:57 AM Low Tide: 8:54 AM High Tide: 1:07 PM Low Tide: 8:06 PM

1.60ft.

1.31ft.

1.48ft.

0.67ft.

BEST:

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 PM

High Tide: 3:11 AM Low Tide: 8:56 AM High Tide: 2:10 PM Low Tide: 8:42 PM

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 99

Moon Underfoot: 11:39p

1.60ft.

1.19ft.

1.53ft.

0.74ft.

Moon Underfoot: None BEST:

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 PM 4:30 — 6:30 AM

High Tide: 3:27 AM Low Tide: 9:11 AM High Tide: 3:07 PM Low Tide: 9:16 PM

A L M A N A C

1.60ft.

1.05ft.

1.59ft.

0.82ft.

1.60ft.

0.88ft.

1.65ft.

0.93ft.

F i s h

High Tide: 3:59 AM Low Tide: 10:05 AM High Tide: 4:56 PM Low Tide: 10:28 PM

&

Moon Underfoot: 1:14a BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

High Tide: 3:43 AM Low Tide: 9:35 AM High Tide: 4:01 PM Low Tide: 9:51 PM

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 12:26a

G a m e ®

High Tide: 4:15 AM Low Tide: 10:40 AM High Tide: 5:53 PM Low Tide: 11:07 PM

+2.0

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 AM

1.60ft.

0.70ft.

1.71ft.

1.06ft.

Moon Underfoot: 2:05a 7:30 — 9:30 AM

1.61ft.

0.53ft.

1.76ft.

1.20ft.

S E P T E M B E R

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 10:54p

High Tide: 4:29 AM Low Tide: 11:19 AM High Tide: 6:55 PM Low Tide: 11:47 PM

2 0 1 3

|

1.62ft.

0.37ft.

1.79ft.

1.36ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

99

8/20/13 7:34 PM

Sportsman’s Daybook Tides and Prime Times

SEPTEMBER 2013

TIDE forecast for GALVESTON CHANNEL (29.3166° N, 94.88° W) SOLUNAR forecast for TEXAS CENTER (31.14° N, 99.39° W) MONDAY

Aug 26

Low Tide: 2:00 AM High Tide: 7:35 AM Low Tide: 3:16 PM High Tide: 11:34 PM

TUESDAY PRIME TIME

1.09ft.

1.33ft.

0.23ft.

1.29ft.

4:30 — 6:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 8:08p Moonrise: 11:47p Set: 12:46p AM Minor: 10:47a AM Major: 4:35a PM Minor: 11:11p PM Major: 4:59p Moon Overhead: 5:54a Moon Underfoot: 6:18p

2 High Tide: 4:26 AM Low Tide: 9:38 AM High Tide: 2:01 PM Low Tide: 9:21 PM

1.47ft.

1.24ft.

1.42ft.

0.31ft.

PRIME TIME 5:00 — 7:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 8:00p Moonrise: 4:40a Set: 6:09p AM Minor: 3:42a AM Major: 9:53a PM Minor: 4:05p PM Major: 10:16p Moon Overhead: 11:26a Moon Underfoot: 11:49p

9 Low Tide: 12:34 AM High Tide: 6:09 AM Low Tide: 1:17 PM High Tide: 9:08 PM

1.09ft.

1.48ft.

0.35ft.

1.50ft.

PRIME TIME 10:00A — 12:00P

Sunrise: 7:17a Set: 7:51p Moonrise: 11:20a Set: 10:29p AM Minor: 9:15a AM Major: 3:02a PM Minor: 9:41p PM Major: 3:28p Moon Overhead: 4:56p Moon Underfoot: 4:30a

16 High Tide: 3:30 AM Low Tide: 8:51 AM High Tide: 1:33 PM Low Tide: 8:47 PM

1.64ft.

1.26ft.

1.56ft.

0.23ft.

PRIME TIME 4:00 — 6:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 7:42p Moonrise: 5:44p Set: 4:20a AM Minor: 3:19a AM Major: 9:32a PM Minor: 3:46p PM Major: 9:59p Moon Overhead: 11:31p Moon Underfoot: 11:05a

23 Low Tide: 1:03 AM High Tide: 5:54 AM Low Tide: 1:27 PM High Tide: 9:37 PM

1.33ft.

1.52ft.

0.33ft.

1.58ft.

PRIME TIME 3:00 — 5:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:25a Set: 7:33p Moonrise: 10:24p Set: 11:29a AM Minor: 9:18a AM Major: 3:05a PM Minor: 9:43p PM Major: 3:30p Moon Overhead: 4:33a Moon Underfoot: 4:58p

100 |

S E P T E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 100

27 Low Tide: 2:24 AM High Tide: 7:44 AM Low Tide: 4:22 PM

1.26ft.

1.33ft.

0.22ft.

WEDNESDAY PRIME TIME 7:30 — 9:30 PM

Set: 8:07p Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: None Set: 1:41p AM Minor: 11:39a AM Major: 5:27a PM Minor: ----- PM Major: 5:51p Moon Overhead: 6:43a Moon Underfoot: 7:07p

3 «

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 4:40 AM Low Tide: 9:50 AM High Tide: 2:55 PM Low Tide: 9:51 PM

1.48ft.

1.14ft.

1.44ft.

0.38ft.

5:30 — 7:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 7:58p Moonrise: 5:34a Set: 6:44p AM Minor: 4:23a AM Major: 10:34a PM Minor: 4:45p PM Major: 10:57p Moon Overhead: 12:12p Moon Underfoot: None

10 Low Tide: 1:11 AM High Tide: 6:12 AM Low Tide: 2:11 PM High Tide: 10:44 PM

1.28ft.

1.52ft.

0.24ft.

1.53ft.

PRIME TIME 11:00A — 1:00P

Sunrise: 7:18a Set: 7:50p Moonrise: 12:22p Set: 11:17p AM Minor: 10:14a AM Major: 4:00a PM Minor: 10:41p PM Major: 4:28p Moon Overhead: 5:51p Moon Underfoot: 5:23a

17 High Tide: 3:53 AM Low Tide: 9:22 AM High Tide: 2:50 PM Low Tide: 9:38 PM

1.60ft.

1.05ft.

1.61ft.

0.39ft.

PRIME TIME 4:30 — 6:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 7:41p Moonrise: 6:24p Set: 5:25a AM Minor: 4:06a AM Major: 10:20a PM Minor: 4:33p PM Major: 10:46p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 11:58a

24 Low Tide: 1:35 AM High Tide: 5:55 AM Low Tide: 2:19 PM High Tide: 11:09 PM

1.46ft.

1.53ft.

0.37ft.

1.58ft.

PRIME TIME 9:30 — 11:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:25a Set: 7:32p Moonrise: 11:09p Set: 12:23p AM Minor: 10:13a AM Major: 4:00a PM Minor: 10:37p PM Major: 4:25p Moon Overhead: 5:22a Moon Underfoot: 5:47p

2 0 1 3

T e x a S

F i s h

28 »

High Tide: 4:29 AM Low Tide: 5:31 PM

THURSDAY

PRIME TIME 1.37ft.

0.22ft.

12:30 — 2:30 PM

High Tide: 4:07 AM Low Tide: 6:35 PM

High Tide: 4:56 AM Low Tide: 10:12 AM High Tide: 3:47 PM Low Tide: 10:20 PM

PRIME TIME 1.48ft.

1.03ft.

1.46ft.

0.47ft.

6:00 — 8:00 PM

Low Tide: 1:51 AM High Tide: 6:09 AM Low Tide: 3:14 PM

1.45ft.

1.57ft.

0.16ft.

High Tide: 4:15 AM Low Tide: 9:58 AM High Tide: 4:00 PM Low Tide: 10:25 PM

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 2:03 AM High Tide: 4:21 AM Low Tide: 3:18 PM

1.54ft.

1.55ft.

0.42ft.

&

G a m e ®

T F & G

PRIME TIME 1.48ft.

0.90ft.

1.47ft.

0.59ft.

6:30 — 8:30 PM

PRIME TIME 1.60ft.

1.58ft.

1.62ft.

0.11ft.

1:00 — 3:00 PM

PRIME TIME 1.53ft.

0.63ft.

1.66ft.

0.79ft.

6:00 — 8:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:23a Set: 7:38p Moonrise: 7:41p Set: 7:31a AM Minor: 5:43a AM Major: 11:56a PM Minor: 6:08p PM Major: ----Moon Overhead: 1:14a Moon Underfoot: 1:39p

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:26a Set: 7:30p Moonrise: 11:57p Set: 1:14p AM Minor: 11:06a AM Major: 4:54a PM Minor: 11:30p PM Major: 5:18p Moon Overhead: 6:11a Moon Underfoot: 6:36p

19 «

High Tide: 4:37 AM Low Tide: 10:36 AM High Tide: 5:05 PM Low Tide: 11:08 PM

5:00 — 7:00 PM

10:30A — 12:30P

2:00 — 4:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:19a Set: 7:47p Moonrise: 2:24p Set: 12:10a AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 5:59a PM Minor: 12:14p PM Major: 6:28p Moon Overhead: 7:46p Moon Underfoot: 7:17a

Sunrise: 7:22a Set: 7:39p Moonrise: 7:03p Set: 6:29a AM Minor: 4:54a AM Major: 11:07a PM Minor: 5:20p PM Major: 11:32p Moon Overhead: 12:23a Moon Underfoot: 12:49p

25

12 º

High Tide: 12:29 AM Low Tide: 2:47 AM High Tide: 6:01 AM Low Tide: 4:24 PM

12:00 — 2:00 PM

PRIME TIME 1.56ft.

0.83ft.

1.64ft.

0.58ft.

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 7:56p Moonrise: 7:25a Set: 7:53p AM Minor: 5:49a AM Major: ----PM Minor: 6:11p PM Major: 12:23p Moon Overhead: 1:42p Moon Underfoot: 1:19a

Sunrise: 7:18a Set: 7:48p Moonrise: 1:24p Set: None AM Minor: 11:14a AM Major: 5:00a PM Minor: 11:42p PM Major: 5:28p Moon Overhead: 6:48p Moon Underfoot: 6:19a

18 «

5 l

High Tide: 5:14 AM Low Tide: 10:41 AM High Tide: 4:40 PM Low Tide: 10:51 PM

Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 7:57p Moonrise: 6:29a Set: 7:19p AM Minor: 5:05a AM Major: 11:16a PM Minor: 5:27p PM Major: 11:38p Moon Overhead: 12:57p Moon Underfoot: 12:34a

11

1.44ft.

0.22ft.

Set: 8:04p Sunrise: 7:11a Moonrise: 1:17a Set: 3:22p AM Minor: 12:51a AM Major: 7:03a PM Minor: 1:15p PM Major: 7:27p Moon Overhead: 8:19a Moon Underfoot: 8:43p

Set: 8:05p Sunrise: 7:10a Moonrise: 12:31a Set: 2:33p AM Minor: 12:04a AM Major: 6:16a PM Minor: 12:28p PM Major: 6:40p Moon Overhead: 7:31a Moon Underfoot: 7:55p

4«

29

26

High Tide: 1:14 AM Low Tide: 4:26 PM

1.59ft.

0.48ft.

PRIME TIME 11:30A — 1:30P

Sunrise: 7:27a Set: 7:29p Moonrise: None Set: 2:02p AM Minor: 11:56a AM Major: 5:44a PM Minor: ----- PM Major: 6:08p Moon Overhead: 7:00a Moon Underfoot: 7:24p

A L M A N A C

8/20/13 7:34 PM

SYMBOL KEY

l

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for Galveston Channel in the calendars.

KEY PLACE

Sabine Bank Lighthouse

Sabine Pass Jetty

Sabine Pass

Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass

Galveston Bay, S. Jetty

Port Bolivar

FRIDAY

30 High Tide: 4:10 AM Low Tide: 7:29 PM

1.47ft.

0.22ft.

2:30 — 4:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 8:03p Moonrise: 2:04a Set: 4:08p AM Minor: 1:36a AM Major: 7:48a PM Minor: 2:00p PM Major: 8:12p Moon Overhead: 9:07a Moon Underfoot: 9:31p

6 «

High Tide: 5:31 AM Low Tide: 11:13 AM High Tide: 5:36 PM Low Tide: 11:24 PM

PRIME TIME 1.48ft.

0.76ft.

1.48ft.

0.73ft.

7:00 — 9:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 7:55p Moonrise: 8:21a Set: 8:28p AM Minor: 6:35a AM Major: 12:24a PM Minor: 6:58p PM Major: 12:47p Moon Overhead: 2:27p Moon Underfoot: 2:04a

13 High Tide: 1:51 AM Low Tide: 5:38 PM

1.67ft.

0.08ft.

PRIME TIME 1:30 — 3:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:19a Set: 7:46p Moonrise: 3:21p Set: 1:08a AM Minor: 12:42a AM Major: 6:57a PM Minor: 1:11p PM Major: 7:26p Moon Overhead: 8:44p Moon Underfoot: 8:15a

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High Tide: 4:59 AM Low Tide: 11:16 AM High Tide: 6:08 PM Low Tide: 11:49 PM

PRIME TIME 1.52ft.

0.48ft.

1.66ft.

0.99ft.

6:30 — 8:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:23a Set: 7:37p Moonrise: 8:20p Set: 8:32a AM Minor: 6:34a AM Major: 12:22a PM Minor: 6:59p PM Major: 12:47p Moon Overhead: 2:04a Moon Underfoot: 2:29p

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High Tide: 2:20 AM Low Tide: 5:36 PM

PRIME TIME 1.61ft.

0.53ft.

12:30 — 2:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:27a Set: 7:28p Moonrise: 12:46a Set: 2:46p AM Minor: 12:20a AM Major: 6:32a PM Minor: 12:44p PM Major: 6:56p Moon Overhead: 7:47a Moon Underfoot: 8:11p

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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 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 Eagle Point +3:54 Clear Lake +6:05 Morgans Point +10:21 Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39

LOW

31 High Tide: 4:11 AM Low Tide: 9:49 AM High Tide: 11:47 AM Low Tide: 8:13 PM

3:30 — 5:30 PM

High Tide: 5:47 AM Low Tide: 11:49 AM High Tide: 6:37 PM Low Tide: 11:58 PM

High Tide: 2:34 AM Low Tide: 6:48 PM

High Tide: 2:32 AM Low Tide: 6:36 PM

2:00 — 4:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 7:26p Moonrise: 1:37a Set: 3:27p AM Minor: 1:06a AM Major: 7:18a PM Minor: 1:29p PM Major: 7:41p Moon Overhead: 8:34a Moon Underfoot: 8:57p

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9:00 — 11:00 AM

1.68ft.

1.43ft.

1.52ft.

0.13ft.

PRIME TIME 4:00 — 6:00 PM

PRIME TIME 1.18ft.

1.52ft.

0.33ft.

1.61ft.

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:24a Set: 7:34p Moonrise: 9:41p Set: 10:32a AM Minor: 8:22a AM Major: 2:10a PM Minor: 8:47p PM Major: 2:35p Moon Overhead: 3:43a Moon Underfoot: 4:08p

PRIME TIME

1.62ft.

0.57ft.

22 «

Low Tide: 12:28 AM High Tide: 5:40 AM Low Tide: 12:41 PM High Tide: 8:21 PM

1:30 — 3:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:24a Set: 7:35p Moonrise: 8:59p Set: 9:33a AM Minor: 7:28a AM Major: 1:15a PM Minor: 7:52p PM Major: 1:40p Moon Overhead: 2:53a Moon Underfoot: 3:18p

28

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:20a Set: 7:43p Moonrise: 5:00p Set: 3:15a AM Minor: 2:29a AM Major: 8:43a PM Minor: 2:57p PM Major: 9:11p Moon Overhead: 10:38p Moon Underfoot: 10:10a

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 5:20 AM 1.51ft.

Low Tide: 11:58 AM 0.37ft.

High Tide: 7:13 PM 1.64ft.

15

High Tide: 3:04 AM Low Tide: 8:32 AM High Tide: 12:00 PM Low Tide: 7:51 PM

2:30 — 4:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:20a Set: 7:44p Moonrise: 4:13p Set: 2:10a AM Minor: 1:37a AM Major: 7:51a PM Minor: 2:06p PM Major: 8:20p Moon Overhead: 9:42p Moon Underfoot: 9:13a

21 «

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 7:52p Moonrise: 10:19a Set: 9:45p AM Minor: 8:18a AM Major: 2:06a PM Minor: 8:43p PM Major: 2:31p Moon Overhead: 4:04p Moon Underfoot: 3:39a

PRIME TIME

1.70ft.

0.08ft.

8

High Tide: 6:00 AM 1.47ft.

Low Tide: 12:30 PM 0.47ft.

High Tide: 7:47 PM 1.48ft.

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 7:53p Moonrise: 9:20a Set: 9:05p AM Minor: 7:25a AM Major: 1:13a PM Minor: 7:49p PM Major: 1:37p Moon Overhead: 3:15p Moon Underfoot: 2:51a

14

PRIME TIME 1.47ft.

1.31ft.

1.39ft.

0.26ft.

Set: 8:01p Sunrise: 7:13a Moonrise: 3:46a Set: 5:31p AM Minor: 3:01a AM Major: 9:12a PM Minor: 3:24p PM Major: 9:35p Moon Overhead: 10:41a Moon Underfoot: 11:04p

PRIME TIME 1.47ft.

0.61ft.

1.48ft.

0.91ft.

Sep 1

High Tide: 4:16 AM Low Tide: 9:40 AM High Tide: 1:01 PM Low Tide: 8:49 PM

Set: 8:02p Sunrise: 7:12a Moonrise: 2:54a Set: 4:51p AM Minor: 2:19a AM Major: 8:31a PM Minor: 2:43p PM Major: 8:54p Moon Overhead: 9:54a Moon Underfoot: 10:18p

7 «

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

SUNDAY

PRIME TIME

1.47ft.

1.34ft.

1.36ft.

0.23ft.

KEY PLACE

Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay

Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, W. Bay

Alligator Point, W. Bay

Christmas Pt

Galveston Pleasure Pier

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

SATURDAY PRIME TIME

»

«

PRIME TIME

New First Full Last Good Moon Qtr Moon Qtr Day

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

Tide Correction Table

¡

º

29

High Tide: 2:44 AM Low Tide: 9:06 AM High Tide: 11:49 AM Low Tide: 7:25 PM

1.61ft.

1.40ft.

1.44ft.

0.61ft.

PRIME TIME 3:00 — 5:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 7:25p Moonrise: 2:30a Set: 4:05p AM Minor: 1:49a AM Major: 8:00a PM Minor: 2:12p PM Major: 8:23p Moon Overhead: 9:20a Moon Underfoot: 9:42p

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LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

best days

KEY 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

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

using the prime times calendar

The facing pages contain TIDE predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W) and SOLUNAR forecast for TEXAS CENTER (31.14° N, 99.39° W) TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the upper white boxes on the Calendar Pages. Use the Correction Table above, which is keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times.

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower green boxes of the Calendar pages.

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.

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

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month.

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.

MONDAY

30

High Tide: 2:57 AM Low Tide: 8:54 AM High Tide: 1:07 PM Low Tide: 8:06 PM

PRIME TIME

1.60ft.

1.31ft.

1.48ft.

0.67ft.

3:00 — 5:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:29a Set: 7:24p Moonrise: 3:23a Set: 4:42p AM Minor: 2:30a AM Major: 8:41a PM Minor: 2:52p PM Major: 9:03p Moon Overhead: 10:05a Moon Underfoot: 10:27p

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TEXAS FRESHWATER

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HUNTING

LAKE TEXOMA

Upper Coast (Sabine Lake)

SOUTH TEXAS

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OUTDOOR SHOPPER HUNTING & FISHING GEAR

DFW METROPLEX MIDDLE Coast

NEW 2013-14 EDITION

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Texas Tasted

by Bryan Slaven | The Texas Gourmet

O

ne of my favorite meals growing up was meatloaf. This is my spicy grown up version, if you do not want it spicy, then simply leave out the jalapeno and cayenne pepper.

Cajun Meatloaf 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped 2 green onions, minced 2 large jalapenos, seeded, and chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 bay leaves 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbs Texas Gourmet’s Sweet Chipotle Season All 2 Tbs unsalted butter 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup catsup 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, fine, dry 1 lb. lean ground beef 1/2 lb. lean ground pork shoulder 2 eggs, slightly beaten Preheat the oven to 375. Mix the onion, celery, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Sweet Chipotle Season All , nutmeg, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium sized bowl.

Melt the butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet over moderate heat. Add the vegetable/spice mixture and cook uncovered for 6 minutes, T F & G

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Cajun Meatloaf with Squash Casserole stirring constantly until the onions and peppers are soft. Remove from the heat and let cool until warm to the touch. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the milk, catsup, and breadcrumbs.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, eggs, and the breadcrumb mixture. Pack the meat mixture into a greased, 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

(At this point, the meatloaf can be covered tightly with aluminum foil and stored.

Refrigerate for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months. Place the covered meatloaf in the freezer; when frozen, remove from the pan, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil, label, and return to freezer. If you intend to microwave the frozen meatloaf, shape the meatloaf in an 8-inch round then cut in half, freeze, etc.)

Bake the meatloaf, uncovered, 50-55 minutes or until it is dark brown and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Slice to desired thickness and serve with boiled redskin potatoes and zucchini, pepper, and tomato gratin—or yellow squash casserole.

Yellow Squash Casserole 5 to 6 yellow squash (or combination of yellow and zucchini squash) sliced into 1/4-inch rounds 1 white or yellow sweet onion- chopped 2-3/4 sticks of unsalted butter- (or 6 Tbs margarine) 3 tsp olive oil

A L M A N A C

The Gourmet’s meatloaf recipe is made with beef and pork.

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed fine 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 tsp Beau Monde (spice found in the spice section of your favorite grocery store) 3/4 cup milk 1 cup mozzarella, grated 1/2 tsp black pepper Sauté onion in butter until clear. Add squash, season with Beau Monde Seasoning and black pepper. Sauté until softened, remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl, add Ritz cracker crumbs, eggs, milk, olive oil, mozzarella cheese; stir well to combine.

Place in a greased 9x9 baking dish and bake in a preheated 325 oven uncovered for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at BSlaven@fishgame.com

Join the Texas Gourmet Fanclub on Facebook, at http:// www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=152165096156. Come and share your favorite recipes, restaurants, and hangouts.

The Texas Gourmet is waiting on you!

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Feral hog Bandera Tyler Laney, 13, shot this boar with a .308 while hunting on a lease in Bandera. He is a member of Kids Outdoor Zone.

Redfish Rockport

Bream

Luke George Davis, age 4, of Southlake caught his first redfish on live shrimp in Salt Lake at Rockport while spending Spring Break with his grandparents.

Canyon Lake Two-year-old Hayden Guillory caught her first fish while fishing with her Dad, Michael Guillory, at Canyon Lake.

Speckled Trout

Speckled Trout

South Padre Island

Rockport Gibby Lambert, 8, caught this 24-inch speckled trout while fishing in Rockport with his dad, Jim Lambert and their guide, Captain Rhett Price.

Ryan G. Diaz of Brownsville caught this 27-1/2 inch speckled trout with live shrimp at South Padre Island. Ryan was fishing with his dad Gilbert and his brother Jonathan.

Whitetail Aspermont Evan Janson of Dallas shot this six point buck in Stonewall County near Aspermont.

The deer was Evan’s first and he shot it with his. 243 Remington from 110 yards.

Speckled Trout

Redfish

Corpus Christi

Estes Flats

Matthew Rodriguez caught this 26-inch speckled trout while fishing in Corpus Christi Bay. It weighed 5.9 pounds.

Brett Cummings of Keller caught a 31-inch redfish on cut mullet while fishing on Estes Flats with Ace in the Hole Guide Brent Hopkins.

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MAIL TO: TFG PHOTOS 1745 Greens Rd, Houston TX 77032 NOTE: Print photos can not be returned.

EMAIL: photos@FishGame.com

For best results, send MED to HIGH quality JPEG digital files only, please.

No guarantee can be made as to when, or if, a submitted photo will be published.

Speckled Trout

Whitetail

Matagorda

San Saba

Jackson Brantly-Zwahr, 9, caught his first speckled trout--19 inches and 3 pounds--while fishing at Matagorda with his Mom and Dad… all of whom are CCA members.

Brady Bains, age 5, shot his first deer, using a .223 Rem at 100 yards. He was hunting in San Saba County.

Whitetail South Texas Debbie Johnson of Corpus Christi with her first deer. Proud husband Harold had the deer mounted for her.

Black Drum High Island

redfish

Mike Smith of Baytown caught this 34-inch, 18.5-pound black drum at High Island on Bolivar Peninsula.

Speckled Trout Matagorda Rachel Froehlich with her first keeper trout.

She caught the 23-inch speck all by herself on live shrimp while fishing in East Matagorda Bay. Her dad netted it for her.

Bobcat Lexington Jake Fritsche of Houston shot this bobcat at his aunt’s farm in Lexington.

He took it down with a .243 from approximately 80 yards.

Port Mansfield Twelve-year-old Sierra Peirsol caught her first red drum while fishing in Port Mansfield. She landed two more for the day.

Redfish Galveston Michael Losoya caught this redfish in West Galveston Bay, during a fishing trip with his dad. It weighed 21 pounds.

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