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JUNE 2011 | VOL. 27, NO. 2

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

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

ROY NEVES PUBLISHER

DON ZAIDLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CHESTER MOORE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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

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

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVES VICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR SHIELA NELSON • MARKETING MANAGER VIGA HALL • MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE 1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032 PHONE 281/227-3001 • FAX 281/227-3002

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A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

DENNISE CHAVEZ ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. ©Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Contents june not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year $19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries to Texas Fish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for response. Give old and new address and enclose latest mailing address label when writing about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address all subscription inquiries to TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Email change of address to: dhruzek@fishgame.com Email new orders to: dhruzek@fishgame.com Email subscription questions to: dhruzek@fishgame.com.

Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and at additional mailing offices.

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FEATURES

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BAYOU CRAPPIE Highly underrated as fishing destinations, Texas bayous are excellent alternatives for crappie anglers looking for fish that aren’t under constant catch-and-filet fishing pressure.

by Chester Moore

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TER MOOREE PHOTO: CHES

JUNE 2011 • Volume XXVII • NO. 2

ON THE COVER:

SUMMER STRATEGIES FOR BIG REDS Soaring temps and stifling humidity make for a brutal Summer on the Gulf coast. So why head out to fish around noon, when everyone else is coming in? Midday slick-offs, a period of calm water and unique fishing opportunities.

STORY:

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A DECOY FOR ALL SEASONS They are imposters, fakes, doppelgangers—sirens of wild game and fish. Indeed, modern technology and man’s ingenuity has turned wildlife decoys into tricksters for all seasons and applications.

by Chester Moore Also In June:

by Bob Hood

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BULLET BULLETIN

WHY BLACK BASS AREN’T

Since the late 1940s, ammo manufacturers have been working to develop bullets with greater big-game stopping power. Our Firearms Editor provides an in-depth analysis of some of these high-powered rifle rounds

by Steve LaMascus

The term “black bass” is an oxymoron. Not only are largemouth bass not black, they aren’t even bass. Here is a closer look at this and other cases of mistaken identity in fishing.

STORY:

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TF&G SALTWATER QUIZ Texas is home to world-class saltwater fishing, and to some of the most talented, most knowledgable saltwater anglers. Care to test your own salty savvy to see if you belong in that class of fishermen?

by Reavis Wortham

www.FishGame.com

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COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

JUNE 2011 • Volume XXVII • NO. 2

COLUMNS 10 Editor’s Notes

35 Hunt Texas

The Good Old Days

Making a Difference

by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

by BOB HOOD TF&G Hunting Editor

DEPARTMENTS 8 LETTERS

14 Chester’s Notes Upping the Ante

12 TF&G REPORT

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

12 BIG BAGS &

16 Doggett at Large

CATCHES

The Beckoning

32 NEW! TEXAS

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

18 Pike On the Edge 43 Texas Freshwater Best Horse in the Race

A Fish a Day for a Year

by DOUG PIKE TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

by MATT WILLIAMS TF&G Freshwater Editor

20 TexasWild Let There Be Pork

Howling at the Moon

by TED NUGENT TF&G Editor At Large

by CALIXTO GONZALES TF&G Saltwater Editor

56 Open Season

Changing the World

The Fishing Contest

by KENDAL HEMPHILL TF&G Politcal Commentator

by REAVIS WORTHAM TF&G Humor Editor

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44 TRUE GREEN

55 Texas Saltwater

21 Commentary

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

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www.FishGame.com

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Letters to the Editor The Texas Department of Defense I READ THE ARTICLE ON “INTRODUCTION TO Self Defense” in the new Texas Department of Defense section. Wow ! I cannot tell you how great it is to see this kind of article in a major magazine.

Steve LaMascus does a great job of speaking “plain English” and providing direct-to-the-point information on what it means to carry a handgun with a CHL permit or own a gun to protect yourself and your family in your home.

All these issues are things people talk about, but until now, no one has had the guts

to print the facts needed when considering the responsibility of carrying a handgun or having to use a firearm to protect yourself in a critical situation.

Rick Stovall Magnolia, TX YOUR NEW TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE is exactly what we need. The “Introduction to Self Defense” article hit many important aspects of self defense, including the mental aspect. Your straightforward advice on dispelling myths was informative. Your “awareness” states were very effectively communicated.

I am an engineer and currently I don’t own a hand gun, although I’ve been looking.

I am an NRA member (because Ted Nugent told me to join). I wonder if future articles could touch on these topics that I need straight answers to: 1. As an engineer, I feel I’m at a disadvantage in a gun confrontation because I understand what could happen while the drug crazed crook on the other end doesn’t know or care. How can I even the playing field?

2. I was always told that far more people are hurt or killed by handguns by accident or suicide that ever used as home defense.

What reliable statistics are there?

3. For the novice, is a revolver the most reliable type of gun to own?

4. Responsible storage of firearms. My gun-carrying friends say an unloaded gun is

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just a poor club.

5. As a former security guard in college, I dealt will a lot of obnoxious, drunk students. I would hate for them to all have guns.

Many advocate arming students in the wake of the Virginia Tech incident. How should this problem be dealt with?

6. Arming people in general. I know many hotheads who I would not like to have lethal force at their fingertips. What are your thoughts on this?

Rick Andersen Georgetown, TX We will try to cover your questions in future issues, but I will address a couple right now.

No. 5, drunk, obnoxious students carrying guns: Any time you have such a law, you have to understand that it takes some restraint and thought on the part of the participant. If a person drinks he should not carry a gun.

That is just a plain fact and logic. Penal Code section 46.04(d) says it is illegal to carry a gun while intoxicated, whether it is concealed

or not. I think that is very plain and that the college should expel any student found in violation of that statute. If the student is drinking and packing, he or she goes packing. Simple.

However, I would point out that if a few of the students at Virginia Tech had been armed and trained, the nut who killed so many innocent people would not have been nearly as successful. I think it was Spider Man’s uncle who said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

No. 6, arming hot heads: This has not been a problem in any state in which concealed carry laws have been enacted. The anti-gunners were forecasting death and destruction in vast numbers when the handgun laws were being passed, and it simply has not come to pass. Just because a person is a hothead does not mean he will resort to deadly force at the slightest provocation. In fact, that seems to have been disproved many times over. In a free society, every citizen should have the right and means to protect himself from the dregs of society. And I would say, with great freedom comes great responsibility.

Nobody can come up with a law to prevent the odd tragedy. Only those who abide by the laws are bound by the laws, but the ability to protect yourself is necessary, is a highly workable solution, and far outweighs any possible downside. In every case where a concealed carry law was passed, the crime rate plummeted. And in every case I am familiar with wherein guns were completely outlawed, the crime rate skyrocketed. I think those statistics explain the situation with crystal clarity.

We want to address whatever questions the Texas citizenry wants answered. We will do our best to answer questions as honestly and succinctly as possible.

—Steve LaMascus Send Comments and Letters to: Editor, Texas Fish & Game 1745 Greens RD Houston, Texas 77032 Email us at Editor@fishgame.com

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Editor’s Notes

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

The Good Old Days DOUBT THERE IS ANYONE—ESPECIALY among hunters and fishermen—who does not speak of and yearn for the “good old days.” The frequency of “I remember when” in campfire and boat dock conversation defies tabulation; “when I was a kid” gets equal play.

For most of us, the good old days era coincided in some degree with our childhood. Symbolically, it might be a bucketful of chicken necks, a pier or jetty, and crabs that both frightened and delighted with truculence and a comical sideways scuttle. Or perhaps a dock, cane pole, and feisty bluegills that iridesced like jewels twisting in the sun. Maybe it was bullheads, croaker, goggle eyes, rabbits on a crisp winter morning, or some other first exposure, but we all have a special place and time that we secretly yearn for.

In some ways, whether or not we are willing to admit it, many of us have a “Peter Pan complex”—little boys that never grew up, or as Robert Ruark put it, “professional little boys.” Our toys are more expensive, our stated purpose more complex when we go afield, but it all boils down to an attempt to catch a crab or bluegill or pot a rabbit just like the ones in the old times. Sure, we chase trout and bass and bucks and ducks and call ourselves “sportsmen,” but what we really want is to recapture the halcyon days of bare feet, sunshine, and a simpler life.

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PHOTO DEDICATION JONELL JOICE WANTED to dedicate the publication of this photo to her niece Frances (Joy) LeJune, age 19, who died in a tragic auto accident as JoNell was preparing to leave for a fishing trip on Sabine Lake “I didn’t think I was going to be able to 10 |

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The adage “you can never go home again” illustrates the futility of such pursuit, but maybe that is what keeps us going—the pursuit, the “getting there” more than arriving; the fish, fowl, and beasts we chase are embodiments of elusive past and fleet memory.

In dreams and rumination, creaky weather-worn planks of an old dock warm the backside as the bent cane quivers in your hand; and the barren aluminum boat seat allies with the sleet to chill you from the bottom up, competing with the warmth of crappie in the hiss of winter sleet.

The little live oak motte on the hill overlooks a hopeful whitetail pasture, nestled in the creek bend where you set the raccoon traps. The scabbard-worn Model 94 across your knees reassures you, the watchman sitting vigil on a stump, that the buck is yours if he comes...if he comes...

The creek water is cool in summer’s heat, yet warm against your legs as you wade wet; so clear you can see the bass, ponderous torpedoes stalking the scarred wooden plug that dimples the water with each twitch of the absurdly limp hardware-store rod.

The trotline tugs and sways with power unseen somewhere deep in the slough, its source a mystery both thrilling and frightening.

You settle deeper beneath the quilts as cold rain streaks the windows of the ancient cabin, its foundation trembling with the roll of thunder. The ducks will fly tomorrow, and in your dreams tonight.

In his marvelous essay, “The Road to Tinkhamtown,” Corey Ford described the hereafter as “someplace you’ve been where you want to be again” and declared: “The make it, but I felt Joy would have wanted me to go and have a good time. We launched in the Sabine River (Texas waters) and ended up catching all the fish in Sabine Lake (Louisiana waters). I thought it was ironic that Joy's dad is from Lousiana. May Joy rest in peace.”

JoNell was fishing with Captain Chuck Uzzle. The pictured fish was the first catch.

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past never changes. You leave it and go on to the present, but it is still there, waiting for you to come back to it.”

Is the sportsman’s life a quest to find something that does not exist in the “present” as we understand time? Is life itself such a pursuit? I will leave that to philosophers to unravel. This I do know: My quest, like all journeys, had a starting place.

Someone who had been on his quest for many years showed it to me. My grandfather passed on to me something honest, pure, and unpretentious that has always led me to adventure, discovery, and new horizons.

Moreover, along the way I unconsciously gained the knowledge that part of the quest was to pass it on to another.

I have introduced my children and grandchildren to the outdoor life—blooded sons, daughters, grandsons, and even my son-inlaw. Now, I look outside my household, offering to teach, share, and mentor those who have no guide. My hope is to help the young live today the “good old days” of tomorrow and, in the end, return to a place I have been... ...and want to be again.

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

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qualified for the national tournament two years in a row.

The 2010 tournament was officially the largest archery event in the history of North America, featuring over 6800 4th through 12th grade student-archers from across the United States. Poolville placed 61st out of 106 middle school teams of all sizes in that event.

Coaches Andy Anderson and Bill Sanders, and team coordinator, Teresa Nash have high expectations for the 32-member team (there are 115 students at Poolville Junior High) at this year's national tournament. "We're hoping for a top 25 finish, which will give us a birth in the world tournament", said Coach Anderson.

NASP was first introduced to 21 middle schools in Kentucky, in 2002. Since that time, 46 states and four other countries have adopted the program. The NASP program

Rural Texas Junior High Fields NASP State Champion A STUDENT ON THE POOLVILLE JUNIOR HIGH School archery team has taken the 2011 Texas National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Championship and led his team to the national tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.

Eighth-grader Dreyvin Bouyer, a threeyear veteran of the Poolville archery program, won the 2011 Texas NASP State Championship-Middle School Dreyvin Bouyer, Boys Division, firing a remark2011 Texas NASP able score of 288 out of a possi- Middle School ble 300 at the state meet in State Champion.

Waco.

Originating in 2009, the Bow Champ Poolville archery team has now

B IG B AGS&CATCHES Mako Shark Corpus Christi

Red Snapper

Speckled Trout

Matagorda

Matagorda

Gerald Marullo of Huntsville caught this 30-pound red snapper while on an offshore trip with Pesek Charters of Matagorda.

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Cole Hilliard, 7, caught this 5.25-pound, 26.5-inch trout in Lake Austin near Matagorda. He caught the speck on live shrimp under a popping cork drifting working birds. It took Dad Bronson Hilliard 28 years to get one even close to that size!

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Chris Sessions (foreground) caught this 81/2 foot mako shark 50 miles offshore, fishing out of Corpus Christi. Chris caught the mako on live bait. The shark was released after being photographed.

PHOTO: COURTESY POOLVILLE JR. HIGH

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PHOTO: COURTESY POOLVILLE JR. HIGH

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Poolville Jr. High archery team.

Team Photo is designed to teach target archery, during school, to school kids of all backgrounds and physical abilities. Also, all NASP equipment, and rules and regulations are identical from student to student, across the U.S. and

abroad.

In Texas, the NASP program is coordinated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. For more information, contact Burnie Kessner, TPWD archery coordina-

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Chester’s Notes

by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor

Upping the Ante O YOU FISH TO YOUR POTENTIAL? For a long time, I did not. In fact, for much of my career as an outdoor writer, I didn't work as hard at catching fish as on getting stories, shooting photos, and delivering outdoors information to readers.

In an ongoing quest to improve my craft, I came to an impasse a couple of years ago.

I realized in relation to fishing-writing, I had gone as far as I could by simply interviewing anglers, pros, and various experts, and using my current level of skills. I had to dig deep and go to an extremely high level to take my work to places it had never been.

I started by focusing on casting, going out into the yard daily to work on accuracy. I would target the bowls my Doberman pinscher, Storm, habitually dragged out of her kennel. I started a few yards away and then moved out halfway across the yard.

The urgency of this kind of training jumped up a few dozen notches when I had the great blessing of getting to fish with now four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin Van Dam. I saw him do things with a rod and reel that made me feel like a first grader, but at the same time knew it was great education.

"The most important thing an angler can do is learn to make precision casts that land softly,” he told me. “That way you don't spook the fish and your odds of catching

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Learn and Win at TF&G Family Fishing Clinic Chester Moore will be speaking on using his F.L.E.X. Fishing™ system to catch big fish of any species in Texas bays and beyond at the second annual TF&G Family Fishing Clinic at Fishing Tackle Unlimited in Houston Saturday, June 25.

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them go way up."

That stuck, so I took my practice to some nearby ponds, and in short order was able to make long, short, and medium casts, pitches, and flips very quietly. They weren't as smooth as KVD's, but then again, I have no delusions of ever being that good.

The difference on the water was evident soon as I found myself far more focused on actually catching fish, and able to pick up reds running along the shoreline and bass in tight cover that probably would have never had the displeasure of getting hooked by Yours Truly.

The whole time, in my mind I was (and still am) excited by the prospects of being able to take the gift of writing and reporting along with a deep knowledge of fisheries and mesh them with a higher level of angling skill. I hope you have been able to notice and benefit from the difference. I certainly feel a genuine upswing.

This is the beginning of an ongoing journey, with many stops along the way. It has seen me spend much time learning about the intimate details of fishing gear and comparing it to what I understand about things like the visual capabilities of fish, and fishing around various kinds of habitat.

So, I ask again, are you living up to your fishing potential? If you don't know, ask yourself these questions: 1. Am I stuck in the same old routine?

2. Am I catching the same amount or fewer fish than before?

3. Do I feel as if I am always one step behind the fish?

If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then chances are you are not living up to your potential. It might be time to Moore speaks at 1 p.m.

“For those who come to my seminar and sign up for the drawing before it starts there is a chance to win a trophy bass fishing trip with me at Lake Conroe. We’ll be fishing with guide Billy Mills and the trip including photos of you will be documented in a future edition of TF&G,” Moore said.

“Someone in the room will win this trip.

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challenge yourself to work on skills in areas you are lacking, whether it is understanding gear, fish habits, or something else altogether.

A personal challenge should not be about an intense drive to accomplish at all costs that hangs over you like a dark cloud.

That kind of pressure is no fun and is not healthy. Fishing is too much fun to mess up with heaviness.

What I am talking about is allowing your innermost angler to rise up, awaken your senses, break inhibitions, and inspire you to fish up to your potential. In short, feeling alive and regenerated when you hit the water.

I believe you have the potential to do great things in fishing, and the next years are going to be better than all of your previous.

The glory days are now, no matter your age.

There is absolutely nothing special about me, but I have been able to do things with ease now on the water that I had to really stretch myself to do a few years ago; and some things I could not do at all. That has allowed me to realize new fishing aspirations and deliver you a higher level of angling information.

Life is too short not to expect great things of ourselves, no matter where we are in life or where we came from. It is where we are going that counts, and I plan on going to a place where the fish grow big and pull hard.

Always dream big!

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

That is pretty good odds. Plus, you get to learn a unique system for catching big fish of any species so it is a win-win.”

There will be a drawing for a guided bay fishing trip with Capt. George Knighten for those who show up and sign in throughout the day as well as a variety of unique

events for the entire family.

See the ad on page 15 (at right).

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Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

The Beckoning N OLD ATLANTIC SALMON GUIDE IN Canada once told a discouraged and fishless client, “You must have faith and courage to catch a salmon.” Shortly after, the renewed angler caught a salmon.

The incident was recounted by the late outdoor writer Ted Trueblood in his Field & Stream column in the early 1960s. It stuck with me.

The guide’s wisdom was based mainly on the fact that once mature salmon from the ocean re-enter freshwater rivers to spawn, the fish stop feeding. The appetite shuts down, probably to protect the many young salmon still in the river from previous spawns. The baitfish-sized smolt and parr in shallow water would be easy prey for the swarms of ravenous adults.

This abstention makes biological sense but it poses a bit a problem for the fly fisherman poised over a pool containing dozens of big salmon. You make cast after cast, swing after swing, over fish with zero interest in eating.

You throw and throw and hook absolutely squat. The severe skunking can be especially galling when you reflect on the tab of several hundred dollars per day (or more) to fish one of the coveted “beats” on a bigname Atlantic salmon river.

But, now and then, against all reason, a salmon rises to the fly. The little counterfeit swings across the heart of the pool, tracking mere inches below the shimmering surface, and disappears amid a monstrous boil of turning chrome. The line surges tight and— whoa!—you are fast to a 20-pound freshrun Atlantic salmon.

What the hell happened? Against preposterous odds, that fish might have been triggered by impulse to rise and strike.

Maybe it was irritated, maybe it was curious, or perhaps the small fly stirred a vague

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instinct of feeding on insects as a tiny parr years ago in the river.

Or maybe the fish was beckoned. That’s what the old guide was claiming and Trueblood was supporting.

You have the confidence and strength of conviction that the cast you are making and the fly you are swinging are irresistible. They cannot be denied.

Somehow, you summon a particular fish.

Scoff if you will, but that same connection can apply in all angling. You experience it when, with a subtle change, everything feels totally right. It all comes together.

Watch an angler in that zone and you know, absolutely know, he is about to get bit.

Speckled trout on the coast or bass in the lakes, same thing. Except easier than salmon since trout and bass move to eat year-round.

I have no reasonable explanation for this phenomenon, but I’ve seen it and experienced it on various occasions. Of course, logical factors exist—a different lure, a deeper retrieve, a change of lighting. Many things influence the reactions of predatory fish.

But this other business of “faith and courage” gets a bit weird. It is as if by transmitting your will down the line you are commanding a contrary fish to strike. I know this sounds spooky, but I suspect many anglers who play at the higher levels of awareness sense what I’m talking about. (Witness bass pro Rick Clunn and his Zen-like approach.)

My most dramatic example occurred, fittingly enough, on an Atlantic salmon trip six or seven years ago. I was wading at the top of the Gourmet Pool on the York River in Gaspe, Quebec. Downstream, as the gravel bar rounded into a waist-deep funnel of riffling, chopping current, several dozen fish were holding like dark torpedoes near bottom in the green flow. At least two were mondo-giant house-wrecker monsters in the 40-pound class.

The proper drill when wading a salmon pool is to start at the top and make several quartering downstream casts, swinging the floating line and unweighted fly across the current with each presentation. Then you take a step or two down the river and repeat F I S H

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the process. This way, you work the fly through the entire pool while the angler above you follows suits.

This rotation allows each rod a legitimate pass through the fish. You keep rotating until something happens—or you get so tired and disgusted you conclude that salmon fishing is the most frustrating exercise ever conceived over a fishing rod.

I paused and retied with a No. 10 double-hooked royal coachman—a flashy pattern but no bigger than a thumbnail. I made a first cast, then a second; both felt really good, very positive. I was going to move, to shuffle two steps down the bar, when my little voice said, No, Joe, don’t move. Make one more cast exactly the same; you’re going to make it happen. I promise you I heard that voice.

My partner, Ed Cappel, was taking a break on the bank. Time and space were available for another cast from the same position. The line snaked out and the fly turned over on a straight line. The current swung the fly on the same path and I almost had a heart attack. The biggest salmon in the pool rose in a lathering crash and the line pulled tight.

Thirty minutes later the male “hookbill” was landed and released. The guide claimed it was the largest salmon he had seen in 20 years at the Gourmet Club.

You might conclude that, subconsciously, I was aware of an interested fish, perhaps a shifting shadow or a faint flash. Perhaps, but I have no recollection of a telegraphed signal from below the surface. No, I remain convinced that my surge of confidence beckoned that salmon to rise and take.

Maybe you still aren’t buying this. All I can say is, no matter where you are fishing, the next time everything feels right, everything looks perfect, and positive energy seems to shoot like sparks off the reel, do not discount that rare moment. Make one more cast.

E-mail Joe Doggett at JDoggett@fishgame.com

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Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Best Horse in the Race HE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT IS MADE up largely of environ-minded people who are a little bit mental. The planet needs our help to maintain some semblance of planetary health, but long-term history won’t remember us as goats or heroes.

The “Save the Planet” derby is a threehorse race, and each of us sits in one of those saddles.

Standing nervously in the first gate is Live Green or Die, ridden by the aforementioned tambourine bangers who, if suddenly

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crowned kings and queens of the world, would have every one of us riding bicycles to work and reading poetry by the light of candles made from our own earwax.

They are sincere, for the most part, recyclers interested in alternative fuels and willing if asked to change out every light bulb in their homes with something more Earth friendly. They walk the walk, as the cliché‚ goes, more so than does the average animalrights advocate who wears leather shoes to work but swaps on weekends for sandals made from seaweed.

Environmental extremists would have us believe that theirs is the only horse in the race. If we don’t ride with them, arms wrapped around their waists as their majestic steed gallops onward, then we’ve doomed the Earth to expire next Thursday.

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They’re wrong, of course. And so are the folks who sit astride “Who Cares” in the outside position.

At the opposite end of the spectrum (there’s always balance in the world if you know where to look) are people who have no interest in saving anything, conserving anything, or doing anything that might make either of those things happen.

Their motto, “They didn’t leave me any buffalo,” is nothing but a childish excuse for an inexcusable ignorance of how this planet of ours ebbs and flows. They don’t understand ecology or biology and recognize that it’s a lot easier to ignore something than to learn about it.

That our ancestors were ignorant of the exhaustibility of natural resources is something from which we can learn. From which

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we have learned. That’s why our wildlife and fisheries are protected today from people who would say such things, by daily bag limits, size restrictions, and closed seasons.

Which brings us back to that first horse for a minute. Here it comes again, under a hard whip and cries of, “Close the oceans and lock up the woods!”

If that bunch riding the inside rail somehow won the race, we all would be reduced to non-consumptive observers of nature, a human race shielded from the planet’s edible, renewable delights by the illogical notion that if we step aside and do nothing, natural resources will flourish.

Wrong again. We are integral, inexorable parts of nature—each and every one of us who believes in brick homes and concrete and paved roads. Not that there’s anything wrong with those changes to the environment. As the highest-level animals on the planet, we’ve earned the right to live comfortably. And besides, thousands of years ago, we lost most of the fur we need to stay warm in winter.

I’ll acknowledge the purists’ beliefs that

man’s earliest role opposite the rest of nature was no more than that of a link somewhere a littler higher than center in the food chain.

We ate, but also were eaten.

Until we could build fire and touch it to gunpowder, we really lacked a big enough

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As the highest-level animals on the planet, we’ve earned the right to live comfortably.

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environmental footprint to change the course of history. The smarter we got, the faster we changed the planet.

Recently, not proudly, we’ve proved time and again that unchecked harvest can wipe out entire species. The better we’ve become at hunting and fishing, commercially and

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recreationally, the faster we’ve been able to take another species to the brink. And bring it back.

Enter the second horse, the one in the middle, the one ridden by an overwhelming majority of people, including me.

Our ride is lightning fast when spurred ahead, but it also knows to save strength for the stretch. Our horse is allowed to run against a loose rein but puts on the brakes when asked.

For the long-term, smart money is on the No. 2 horse. Its riders recognize that growth and development are inevitable but that everything we do impacts the environment.

There are still a few people riding the nags that either would disconnect us entirely from consumptive interaction with nature or keep shooting until the last animal fell, but it’s time we put both those horses out to pasture.

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E-mail Doug Pike at dpike@fishgame.com

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Ted’s TexasWild

by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor at Large

Let There Be Pork!

DON’T MEAN TO BE PIGGISH, BUT KILLING only one porker will simply not do. When it comes to waylaying wild hogs, I’m a real swine--a game hog, so to speak. Every outing in search of free-range pork is a stone-cold, titillating adventure for me. I crave excitement of the maximum porcine kind, and when I go pigless for very long, I am easily bored.

This little piggy got an arrow, this little piggy got lead, this little piggy got buckshot, all the little piggies got dead. I could sing that love song all day long, I tell you The challenge of outsmarting a mature wild hog is one of this hunter’s greatest thrills. Next to deer hunting, chasing the pork beasts runs a close second in my lifelong pursuit of game. In fact, since pig hunting where you find them is a limitless yearround opportunity, I may very well join my hog addicted brethren and place Old Hog Breath at the top of my list. They are that cool.

And let’s face the facts: As a proud member of the gung ho “take no prisoners” PigKill Army across America, we may think we are some deadly killer dudes, but truth be told, we are failing miserably at keeping up with the exploding wild pig population across the land. Especially here in Texas, where our wildlife biologists are now about to resort to wide scale poisoning campaigns to try to reduce the $400 million annual damage toll these beasts are responsible for just in the Lone Star State.

Pigs breed like pigs.

Night after night, my Bushnell trailcams told me everything I needed to know. My little central Texas ranch was infested with 100 percent nocturnal, RotoTiller bacon machines, and I was going to have to get clever and aggressive. It works on guitar, oughtta work on hogs.

Problem was, the huge sounder of 30-50

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hogs were showing up at random hours, with no set pattern to capitalize on. After years of pouring corn and assorted specialty pig bait to them, I figured it was about time I cashed in on some pork steaks that would honestly cost me a few hundred dollars a pound.

Killing pigs is great sport any way you cut it, but now it was all about vengeance. The wrath-O-Nuge was peaking, and vengeance shall be mine, sayeth the Nuge.

Let there be pork.

A pleasant surprise greeted me one fine December day when a chance inspection of my trail cam showed a first time daylight visit to my swine hole. I figured that after all these years of zero encounters, some young shoats had made their move for a midday snack, and brought the sounder in way early.

With the deer season still on and a perfect wind, I decided to make a stand at this location and try for a pig-deer combo hunt.

That is the makings of a fine afternoon afield and the recipe for the best summer sausage I know of.

Arriving carefully a good three hours before dark, my bow hung from its nail and I was ready to take in another spellbinding day in my beloved Texas wilds. Always wonderful, but before I knew it, my stealthy approach to my tree stand paid off with a nearby deep grunt, when a damn fine handsome black trophy boar made his way to my little clearing in broad daylight. Oh goody.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, but my hands and predator instincts were already in full-on kill mode as I slowly swung my bow and arrow toward my highly desirable target.

This great boar plopped down in the muddy goo just 15 yards before me, then stood to have his snack when my razor sharp broadhead sliced dead center into the crease behind his right leg.

One loud and abrupt squeal and he was gone into the green briar underbrush. His dying thrashing exposed him only 40 yards to my south, where he tipped over for the last time. I was elated. He was dead.

I smiled like a wild-eyed kid into the vidcam lens, but said nothing as I nocked another arrow, ready for more.

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I held back the celebratory giggles, awestruck at accomplishing finally what I had failed at for so many years. I was so ready for more.

Within 30 minutes, I heard the telltale grunts of imminent swine, and here they came.

More than two dozen pigs moved in on me, with a giant calico sow asking for it.

When she turned broadside, I gave it to her nicely, and she blew out of there pig-on-fire.

The rest of the sounder lurched but stopped to watch her run off, when within maybe three seconds another arrow zapped amidships on a nice 90-pound beige porker, causing half the herd to jump toward me, where instantaneously yet another zebra-shafted death ray pierced another fine eater through both shoulders as this fine pig did the death run boogie yonder.

With my Martin bow deadly quiet, I am convinced that these hogs were used to hog noises erupting whenever they fed together, that they had no idea they were being picked off one by one. By the time shooting light was gone, my Alpine seven-arrow quiver was empty (God, I hate running out of ammo!) and I had seven dead pigs strewn about the place. If I were any happier or more excited, I would have stripped naked and plunged into the pig-stink wallow to cool off. The whole deal was spectacular.

Some might say seven pigs in a single set is a bit too much, but the way I look at it, I had killed seven pigs for seven years feeding, hunting, and trying. I had a long way to go to catch up to these pigs, and that’s exactly what I planned.

Wait ‘til you hear what happened a month later!

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

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

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Commentary

by Kendal Hempill | TF&G Political Commentator

HE CENTRAL TEXAS WEATHER IS GENER ally pretty warm at Easter. A few years ago, Central Texas was covered with a blanket of snow on Easter Sunday.

Late in 2010, hackers stole emails from the Climactic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, which is the epicenter of the global warming movement. The emails indicated the scientists have been suppressing or fabricating data for years in order to promote the global warming agenda.

CRU director Phil Jones repeatedly blocked freedom of information requests attempting to obtain data he used to prove global warming exists, and proposed that the requested material be shredded. The material in question evidently disproved a paper Jones wrote for the journal Nature in 1990, in which he made false claims about the validity of climate change data.

Despite dire claims, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change admits the world sea level rose 0.69 millimeters from 1961 to 2003, about 1/32 of an inch. You can draw thicker than that on a piece of paper with a No. 2 pencil.

During the first decade of the current millennium, which NASA claims was the hottest on record, sea levels rose 1.19 mm.

A compact disc is about 1 mm thick.

According to NASA, global average temperatures have risen 1.5 percent since 1880. Not 1980—1880. One hundred and thirty years, one-and-a-half percent.

In light of all the evidence, it seems ludicrous that Al Gore and the Chicken Littles still spend a great deal of time worrying about climate change and a great deal of money trying to convince the rest of us of its validity. They even hold annual conferences to decide what to do about it.

You remember, I’m sure, the climate change summit conference held in

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Sea level rose 0.69 millimeters from 1961 to 1963, about 1/32 of an inch.

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Changing the World

Copenhagen, Denmark early in 2010. That one created an awful lot of pollution, between getting all the delegates there from all over the world and overloading the entire country’s limousine capacity. It was, in the end, a complete and utter failure. Actually, it was far worse than a failure; it did much more harm than good.

If those delegates, who traveled thousands of miles on fossil-fueled conveyances, were honestly interested in improving the planet and seriously cared about carbon emissions, they would throw in the towel right there. Intelligent, sane, forthright human beings would look at each other and

say, “You know what? This isn’t working. We’re causing hundreds of times as much pollution as we would be stopping, even if we could all agree on anything, and we can’t agree on anything.

What we should do is just stay home, and instead of making things a lot worse, we’ll at least not be irritating the people who actually do productive work in the world, such as plumbers.”

But they didn’t say that because they got a free trip to Copenhagen out of the deal.

And when they looked at each other after accomplishing absolutely nothing at the end of the Copenhagen conference, they said, “You know what? We failed here. We really didn’t get a thing done. What we should do is have another conference next year and invite even more deadbeats to it so we can cause even more pollution. And we should have it in Cancun, where the weather will at least be nice and we can sip piña coladas T E X A S

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while we’re spending other peoples’ money to do nothing.”

So, that’s what they did. This year’s Climate Change Conference was held in Cancun, Mexico. Delegates came from all over the world and met for almost two weeks.

And in the end, the Cancun conference was far more successful than the Copenhagen conference. The delegates, finally, agreed that Cancun was sunnier than Copenhagen.

They figured that out by watching the ice melt in their cocktails.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has a website. On the homepage, there’s a little video running that shows a butterfly flying around, and it says, “The beacon of hope has been reignited.”

What that means is that the delegates hope to meet again next year, perhaps in Cozumel, and again accomplish absolutely nothing. Which is okay, since they know climate change is a natural thing, and humans aren’t causing it, and there’s nothing we can do about it, except have a bangin’ time in Cozumel.

The bottom line is that the facts show the planet doesn’t need saving. Consider that when scientists found a huge hole in the ozone layer several years ago, they thought it signaled the end of the world. Within a week of the hole’s detection, a massive thunderstorm built up under the hole and lasted several days. When it was over the hole was gone.

In Young Men and Fire, Norman Maclean said, “It’s hard to understand how the world has survived so long, with so much volunteer help.”

Our planet can take care of itself, if we let it. The question is whether we can survive the problems we cause while trying to solve problems that don’t exist.

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Dead-Calm Strategies for Big Reds

BY CHESTER MOORE SUMMER CAN BE BRUTAL on the Gulf coast. Soaring temperatures and stifling humidity can make the most resilient angler fold, so why on Earth would anyone want to start fishing around 11 a.m. when everyone else is coming in?

The answer is midday slick-offs, a period of calm water, intense temperatures, and unique opportunities to score on fish.

My first clue to the potential fishing bonanza that can occur during this period was while fishing the nearshore Gulf near High Island back in the late 1990s with my friend Bill Killian.

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Spoons are great lures for slick-off fishing because they allow anglers to cast long distances.

Slick-off Lures We pulled up to a small rig about three miles off the beach, hoping to catch trout, and found another angler had beaten us to the punch.

“Catching any?” we asked.

“Nothing but those (expletive deleted) redfish!”

About that time, a couple of hundred yards southwest of the rig, a giant mass rose from the water. It looked like a nuclear submarine about to breach—a school of bull redfish unlike any I have seen before or since, and the fish were slamming big menhaden. To say we were stunned, inspired,

and jumped on the opportunity in front of us is axiomatic.

After that, I welcomed that time during the summer when the wind lays and the bays and nearshore Gulf calm down, allowing anglers to seek the subtle and not-so-subtle clues that specks, reds, and other species are feeding.

Along much of the Texas coast, menhaden school in gigantic “balls” as we call them, and are a favorite target of reds. Many times, it is as simple as setting up in a top area as the waters calm and glassing for a few minutes until you find reds thrashing the surface in feeding frenzy. At other times, it is not so easy.

Pay close attention to wakes. Most are from boats, but some are giant schools of reds pushing water as they move along.

Sometimes, you will notice a murky line as the fish disturb the bottom in their travels, and on other occasions, you simply see an unusual line of bronze in the water. Often, gulls accompany these schools, trying for a free meal in the fracas.

Approaching reds can be the most challenging part, as they often are spooky. The

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best plan is to run toward the fish, gradually show down as you approach, and then cut the motor a minimum 100 yards away.

Drifting into the school is the optimal approach if possible, but in most instances, you will have to drop the trolling motor.

Reds typically aren’t picky during these events. If you can approach them closely with no problem, any sort of plastic bait will do the job. When a close, stealthy approach is not possible, I like to use a 1/2-oz gold Johnson spoon, Bomber Saltwater Grade Walkie Talkie topwater, or Redfish Flasher spinnerbait for the extra casting distance; and with the topwater, there is the bonus of experiencing an amazing blow-up.

Trout purists can use slick-offs to help locate the all-important “emerging slick.”

TF&G has covered this phenomenon extensively on these pages, and there is no better time to find these “good” oil slicks. They form when predatory fishes regurgitate during intense “frenzy” feeding. On windy days, slicks are hard to find. But in a slickoff, they stand out like yellow polka dots on purple.

If you can find a slick the size of a

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garbage can lid, chances are you are right on top of fish. If it is the size of your boat, the fish are probably still in the area. If it is spread out over a large area, make some pattern casts to see if the fish are still around.

My personal preference is to crawl a soft plastic slowly along the bottom. Many of the biggest trout are belly-to-the-bottom, and in the past, I have had good success catching them using this method. Experiment to find your own rhythm for working slicks.

Many anglers make the mistake of looking for too much action. Feeding reds often put on incredible displays of aggression, but trout are often found by looking for the kind of signs visible only when things are perfectly calm.

Last year, my friend Capt. Phillip Samuels fished with our mutual friend Chris Florez on the eastern side of Sabine Lake during one of these slick-offs. Between 10 and 50 yards off the shoreline, we would see big shrimp skipping across the surface, accompanied by a few swirls in the water.

This activity would last maybe 30 seconds, then it was over.

There was little wind, so we set up in a

position to allow the tide move us in the desired direction and then made pattern casts all around the area. Occasionally, we would have fish pop up in casting distance as we drifted toward where we had just seen feeding. Throwing Berkley Gulp!

Swimming Mullet in Smoke colored on 1/4ounce jigheads, we were able to put together a nice box of fish that morning while other anglers were heading in.

Slick-offs do not always occur during the best time to fish. Sometimes, they are caused by high barometric pressure, which tends to shut down the bite. But often enough, slickoff conditions allow anglers the kind of access to focus on visual clues that are virtually impossible to find when the winds are howling.

On the Web Redfish Lure Techniques: www.FishGame.com/video

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Highly Underrated as Fishing Destinations, Texas Bayous are Excellent Alternatives for Crappie Anglers Looking for Fish That Aren’t Under Constant Catch-and-Filet Fishing Pressure

BY CHESTER MOORE

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BAYOUS ARE SLOW-MOVING streams winding through grim bottomlands that house alligators, snakes, and other creepy crawlies. Well, at least that is what they are known for.

Bayous are also highly underrated as fishing venues and among the least pressured for finding quality crappie. Pressure is an immensely important factor in the pursuit of sac-a-lait, as they are known in Cajun country, because in the vast majority of cases, a legal-sized crappie is a dead one.

Catch-and-release is not the norm, so savvy anglers seek out crappie in seldomfished spots where the fish have not experienced the hook or the frying pan.

During summer months, crappie like to hold tight to cover, which bayous have plenty of. Fallen limbs, logjams, sunken boats, and grass beds are common in these systems, and all can produce good numbers of crappie.

As noted in my May 2010 TF&G story, “Breaking Down a Bayou,” water movement is crucial in these areas. Parts of the bayou that have very little movement tend to hold very few fish, whereas locations with lots of water movement hold many. Look for drainage into the bayou system, whether it is a manmade canal or the juncture of another bayou. Where water meets water, you have increased dissolved oxygen.

Finding cover near a drainage can lead to success. If there is a fallen tree just off a pipe with constant flow, that is a great place to start. Tiny baitfishes like shad and various species of minnows will gather around these types of spots and thus attract crappie.

Approaching these areas with a spinning rod rigged with a 1/16ounce Johnson Beetle Spin or Blakemore Road Runner is popular among bayou crappie specialists.

The Dancin’ Crappie produced by Lindy is another solid bait choice.

Designed by fishing legend Bill Dance, they are great for perch as well as small bass. Like the other two recommendations, it mimics a small baitfish while allowing the angler to cover water. Cast parallel to the shore, throwing 10 yards downstream of cover, and work tight 30 |

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toward the main target; this will pick off fish hanging in the periphery and the epicenter.

Bottlenecks are great spots to locate bayou crappie. A bottleneck is where the bayou narrows has the effect of increasing water flow as well as gathering limbs and other debris. Work the same kinds of lures along any cover you find here and pay special attention to eddies. If the water is flowing fast enough to form an eddy, chances are it will draw in baitfishes from the bush, and crappie along with them.

Bridges and railroad trestles can hold the

largest concentrations of fish. The vertical pilings and concrete pads are ideal crappie magnets. If brush or fallen trees are in the vicinity, that is a gigantic bonus that can spell serious fishing action.

The most productive method here is to fish with live shiners or minnows under a popping cork. I like to use my Fenwick Elitetech River Runner rod and ultralight Pflueger Supreme spinning reel spooled with 6-pound Spiderwire Ultracast Fluorocarbon.

Many times, I use this kind of rod/reel

Since crappie love cover, and bayous are loaded with fallen logs, vegetation and other structure, if you find moving water you may also find some bayou crappie.

Bagged on a Bayou

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combination in conjunction with braided line, but it can be frustrating when fishing in cover-thick bayous. You get hung up a lot, and with braid, you end up cutting your line.

Whereas, with a light fluorocarbon, you can break it off easier. This has the added value of not disturbing the fish as badly as wrestling with a branch.

Bayous are usually full of aquatic vegetation, much of which is non-indigenous such water hyacinth and alligator grass. Pay close attention to these areas and look for “popping action” on the water. Largemouth bass will often feed around it and make all kinds of commotion, but crappie produce a more subtle “pop-up” instead of a “blow-up.”

Small spinners and crappie jigs produce fish, but so do tiny topwater plugs. Lures like the 2-inch Sebile Splasher or Tiny Torpedo sometimes elicit surface strikes.

These are also good spots to use the shiner/popping cork combination. If the fish are striking the surface, rig your bait a foot below the surface for starters, and adjust according to your observations.

The most frantic bayou crappie action occurs at night when anglers fish around lit boat docks or under green lights to attract fish. Vertically jigging a live shiner on a small jighead is a killer way to find fish, but there is a drawback to live bait: Bayous are loaded with spotted gar, and small longnose garfish are drawn to lights in large numbers; both will annihilate shiners. Bring some crappie jigs along to help circumvent the gar and focus on crappie.

Using fluorocarbon line is a good idea because the lights will help increase the visibility of the line and crappie can be quite line-shy at times. Fluorocarbon has the same refractive properties as the water itself, so it is virtually invisible under water.

Not all bayous are created equal and some will hold lots of crappie, others few, and some almost none. Look for ecosystems with plenty of potential crappie habitat as well as lots of small baitfishes.

In a time when our budgets are crunched perhaps more than ever, many of us are fishing closer to home. You might have never considered fishing the bayou down the street, and that is a good thing; chances are your neighbors haven’t either, and the lack of pressure has allowed a crappie population to flourish.

That means opportunity for you and your family.

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Texas Department of Defense The New ManStoppers THE .40 S&W IS ONE OF THE BEST SELFdefense cartridges on the market. Designed

by Winchester and Smith & Wesson, its genesis, as I understand it, was a disastrous FBI gunfight in Miami, Florida, in 1986.

This event was the primary reason most law enforcement agencies transitioned from revolvers to semi-autos and from the .38

| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus

Special to more powerful rounds. After this fight, in which two FBI agents were killed and five wounded by two ex-military assailants— even after the primary shooter had received more than one "non-survivable" wound—the FBI began tests to find better man-stopping loads for the 9mm and .45 ACP. The head of the FBI Firearms Training Unit decided to include the 10mm, a hot handgun cartridge

at the time touted as the ultimate man-stopper in a semi-auto handgun. FBI testing determined that the 10mm, loaded down a bit from its blistering 1400 fps velocity, made a very fine, controllable, dependable man-stopper. From this, a shortened version of the 10mm tagged “.40 S&W” was introduced in 1990.

Strangely, the first guns marketed for the cartridge were Glock the models 22 and 23.

Since then, the cartridge has become one of the most popular police and self-defense rounds in the

The problem stemmed from the leather on the inner side of the holster getting soft. A crease formed, which eventually was large enough to extend beyond the trigger.

Manipulate the gun in just the wrong manner and this crease is no different from a finger on the trigger. Boom!

I can’t say I didn’t know the crease had been formed in the holster. I trained myself to

be sure that when holstering, to make sure the gun was fully in the holster, with the trigger protected. On this day, did I forget to do that when I holstered up? Did the leather finally get so soft that a combination of body movements and interference by the cushy leather seat move the Glock enough to create a situation where the trigger was engaged by the holster?

I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure, but I’ll humbly admit to the former as the likely culprit. However, if it was the latter, then those of you who use this type of holster need to be aware of its limitations and the possibil-

Holster Safety Warning AN ANONYMOUS GUN OWNER SENT THESE photos and the story behind them to the itstactical.com website, stating, “Hopefully you can learn from my situation and prevent an accident like this from happening to you.”

My wife and I had just finished breakfast at our favorite café and got into the car.

Me being the passenger, I rotated my torso to the left to fasten my seatbelt like I always do. When I straightened again, my Glock 19 discharged, blowing a 9mm hole through my pants, underwear, the leather seat and bottom of the car’s door frame.

The trusty, comfortable, leather holster I had been using for a year and two weeks had done what a baseball glove does after lots of use; it got soft. This particular holster carries the pistol outside the waistband, but inside the belt. The belt slides through slots in the outer side of the holster.

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U.S., nose-to-nose with the venerated .45 ACP. It is currently used by the U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and dozens if not hundreds more agencies.

“Street data” indicates it is a great manstopper.

Compared to older cartridges like the .45 ACP and .38 Special, the .40 S&W is a high-pressure round. SAAMI specs call for a maximum chamber pressure of 35,000 psi.

With 155-grain bullets, muzzle velocity ranges from around 1150 to near 1300 fps, producing 450 to 550 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.

Bullet weights range from 135 grains to heavyweights of 180 grains. The 155- and 165-grain offerings are best for the job of man-stopping. Lighter bullets can lack penetration and heavier bullets over-penetrate.

In a self-defense round, it is necessary that the bullet hit hard, open fast, and transfer its energy to the target as quickly as possible, yet offer sufficient penetration to get through minor tactical obstacles such as heavy clothing or a car window.

ity of experiencing what I did.

It might have been a very different story had the incident happened while we were dining. That bullet ricocheting off the concrete floor could have done untold damage and just as easily killed somebody.

Fortunately, nobody got hurt and damage to the car was minimal. It will be an interesting conversation with the insurance company to see if they’ll cover the repairs.

—Text and photos courtesy itstactical.com

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A heavy bullet that does not open up fast enough can penetrate completely without dumping its energy into the target,

thus not stopping the bad guy, which is the whole point of a man-stopper round. Simple physics dictates that a heavier bullet must be started slower, all things being equal. In the .40 S&W, I know of no 180-grain load that breaks 1000 fps in a gun with a standard

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Texas Department of Defense concealed carry-length barrel.

The .40 S&W offers higher standard magazine capacity than the .45 ACP. The .40-caliber semi-auto, again assuming all things being equal, has better knockdown power than the 9mm and holds more ammunition than the .45. My little Glock 23, which I carry quite often, holds 13 rounds, and magazines are available that hold 15 or 17.

This cartridge is destined to be one of the greats. Ballistically, the .40 S&W was in the minds of Bill Jordan, Skeeter Skelton, and others when they went to ammo manufacturers requesting a better man-stopper in .41 caliber for the Border Patrol and other police agencies. The .41 Magnum was the result, but it was just too powerful for the average cop to shoot well. The .40 S&W is the answer to those old lawdogs' dream.

The .357 SIG was designed to provide .357 Magnum performance in a semi-auto

handgun. It fires a 125-grain bullet at 13001400 fps. Several agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, depend on the .357 SIG and have found it one of the most effective cartridges for one-shot stops of violent criminals. It is simply the .40 S&W necked down to .357 caliber. Because of its bottlenecked design, it is especially slick-feeding in semi-autos.

The .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and 9mm Luger are the four top semi-auto self-defense cartridges. I recommend the 9mm only in the best +P or +P+ premium hollow point loads. Any one of these cartridges, with the right ammo and in the right handgun, will provide the best handgun protection money can buy.

Before you shoot any +P or +P+ ammo, be certain your handgun is rated for such high-pressure loads. Older guns might not stand the strain.

The following is an excerpt from an arti-

cle written by Massad Ayoob, a well-know gun writer, competition shooter, and handgun expert: High tech bullets are more expensive to manufacture. The bonded core of the Gold Dot, the interlocked bullet body and jacket of the SXT, the post in the center of a HydraShok's hollow point, and the driving band that surrounds the base of a Golden Saber bullet are all more expensive to manufacture and therefore cost more. Why do police departments that buy on bid specify this premium ammunition? Because it works better, and with human life on the line, they cannot afford to economize.

Mr. Ayoob hit the thumb right on the nail. If you carry a gun that you depend on to save your life or that of a loved one, no expense is too great. Buy cheap ammo to practice with, but for self-defense...well, what is your life worth?

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Hunt Texas

by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor

Making a Difference LMOST EVERY DAY, A PLANTED EXPLOsive goes off in Iraq or Afghanistan, far away from the freedom-seeking citizens of the U.S. and other countries, yet tearing through the bodies and hearts of soldiers fighting for freedom.

You and I might never have been there to hear the explosions, but John Chrzanowski of Leonard, Texas, has, and he bears the scars of the many freedom fighters like him who have fallen while fighting for his country and those of others.

Like many of us, Chrzanowski grew up loving to hunt and fish. A native of Detroit, Chrzanowski also grew up loving to cook.

He even spent two years in a culinary school before enlisting in the Army. But his life changed drastically one day in 2005 as he drove a patrol unit through the streets of a town north of Bagdad.

Now at age 27, Chrzanowski looks back at the events of that day with both pride and sorrow. The planted bomb sent a huge wall of fuel and fire into the air surrounding his vehicle. Chrzanowski was thrown from the vehicle. Two other soldiers inside were killed.

The explosion put Chrzanowski in a coma. He awoke in a San Antonio hospital.

He had third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body and suffered from a partial hearing loss as well as loss of most of the functions of his left hand.

Chrzanowski later was transferred to Brooke Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, where he said he learned of the Wounded Warrior Project. The project was organized by Roanoke, Virginia, veteran soldiers to assist wounded veterans re-entering civilian life, including helping those interested to enjoy hunting, fishing, and other sports they took part in before joining the military.

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PHOTO: BOB HOOD

John Chrzanowski, left, with Matt Brown at Brown’s Game Bird Ranch.

Wounded Warrior Matt Brown, operator of the SM Brown Game Bird Ranch near Nocona about two hours west of Chrzanowski’s present home in Leonard, also learned about the Wounded Warrior Project through a friend.

Brown recently invited Chrzanowski to his ranch for a released quail hunt and was amazed at the shooting skills Chrzanowski has maintained.

Chrzanowski said he grew up bird hunting at a young age but hadn’t hunted in years. One would only have had to watch the Army vet operate and shoot his 20-gauge pump shotgun and see the number of quail he downed to appreciate his eagerness and accuracy, especially on the slightly smaller but twice as flighty little speedsters as the quail are on Brown’s ranch.

“This is the most fun I have had in years,” Chrzanowski said. “Just watching the bird dogs work is most of it, but those birds are really fast, too.”

Despite his good shooting, Chrzanowski said the injuries he suffered in Iraq are ongoing and he might have to go through another surgical procedure. Brown is hoping he doesn’t.

“John told me he is thinking about having his left hand amputated because the pain he T E X A S

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gets to it in the wintertime, especially if he bumps it on something, is almost unbearable,” Brown said. “But you saw the way he shot those birds today and how well he still is able to use his left hand. Surely, there is something that can be done for him to not lose his hand. Maybe someone out there knows something that can be done to protect his hand during the winter and at other times.”

“It’s really painful at times,” Chrzanowski said of his left hand. “I know they have a lot of really good things in the way of prosthetics these days, but I also know I will have to make a decision.”

Chrzanowski and his wife, Tanis, also an Army vet, have two children with a third on the way. Both of them are going to college to get masters degrees in social work to help other veterans, whether wounded physically or mentally, to return to civilian life.

“A lot of good men just fall apart when they get their discharge papers and have to go back to civilian life,” Chrzanowski said.

“I have decided to dedicate my life to that. I look forward to getting out there and making a difference.”

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THEY ARE IMPOSTERS, FAKES, doppelgangers — sirens of wild game and fishes. Indeed, modern technology and man’s ingenuity has turned wildlife decoys into tricksters for all seasons and applications, attracting the good and the bad — and sometimes the ugly.

Hunters have used fake birds and animals to coax ducks, geese, turkeys, deer, and other wildlife for decades. Game wardens use deer decoys to lure road-hunting poachers into ticket range. Even fishermen use them. Imposter chubs, minnows, and other fake fishes have been used for decades to trick pike and other northern fish to come within spearing range of ice fishermen.

Learning time-proven decoying methods and developing new strategies for using them go hand in hand. After all, good judgment comes from experience—and a lot of that is spawned from bad judgment. What works in one situation doesn’t always work in another.

Texas game wardens learned that more than 20 years ago when they first began using deer decoys to catch road poachers.

Their first deer decoys were made of plywood. They enlarged photos of deer on a sheet of plywood, cut out the image, and then padded the decoy’s sides with strawfilled burlap to give contours and a more lifelike look.

The wooden decoys were set out on private land with a good backdrop away from structures and livestock, and monitored by wardens.

Wardens also set up two remote-control metal stands topped with reflective tape pasted to a piece of angle-iron on a hinge. They could make it flip up into view and down out of view on each side of a road to simulate a deer crossing the road under a vehicle’s headlights.

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now use full-mounted deer that have moving tails and other body parts.

These poacher-catcher deer decoys were among the first modern “motion decoys,” which just goes to show you how one use of a standard decoy often inspires innovative tactics and strategies by others, especially hunters.

Decoys are, indeed, for all seasons. The designs and types of decoys used by hunters are increasing almost annually. Decoys resembling deer, elk, moose, caribou, and antelope are among the most popular for game animals, while those that look like rabbits, squirrels, rodents, fawns, and coyotes are favored by predator hunters.

Decoys work well under most conditions.

A doe decoy placed in an open field or clearing during the rutting season has tricked

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THEY ARE CALLED CONFIDENCE decoys: fake birds and animals that give wildlife a sense that all is okay so they will be relaxed with their surroundings and often be enticed to stroll closer to a hunter in hiding.

A confidence decoy representing a blue heron, egret, or coot sends a mes-

sage to ducks overhead that all is well; come on down. A seagull decoy placed atop a duck blind or several crow decoys placed near the edge of the water and in nearby bushes send the same message.

And don’t forget the cattle decoys some hunters have used to fool deer, geese and other game into thinking their

surroundings are safe. Many hunters have made their own cow decoys out of plywood and other lumber and painted them to resemble breeds of cattle in the area. Deer and other wildlife that see the cow decoy pay little if any attention to it.

This technique figures in the etymology of the term “stalking horse.� Hunters noticed that many birds would flee immediately on the approach of humans, but would tolerate the close presence of animals such as horses and cattle.

many bucks to coming in close, and in some cases bucks that have attempted to mate with the fake deer.

Single antelope, moose, caribou, and elk decoys set in open areas also are employed by other big game hunters.

Decoys that supply motion are gaining the fastest in popularity for a large number of hunters, especially those after waterfowl, doves, turkeys, and predators.

Waterfowl hunters, for instance, have advanced from rope-and-pulley arrange-

ments to motorized motion decoys. Products such as the MoJo duck decoy with motorized revolving wings inspired the creation of similar motion dove decoys.

When placed on stakes in sunflower or grain fields, the spinning wings of a dove decoy often attract the game birds from long distances. Many doves that fall for the deception often hover at just above the decoys or light on the ground beside them.

Dove hunters are fortunate because they have to purchase only a few stationary dove

decoys and fasten them to fences or branches, or buy one or two of the spinning wing jobs. Goose hunters who want to fool large numbers of birds in groups face an entirely different strategy that requires hundreds of decoys.

A normal goose decoy spread in Northwest and South Texas, for instance, often involves 200 or more silhouette, halfbody, and full-body decoys made to resemble Canada, specklebelly, and snow geese.

While their fake geese do not have motion

The Stalking Horse and Other Confidence Decoys

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Hunters would therefore slowly approach their quarry by walking alongside their horses, keeping their upper bodies out of sight until the flock was within firing range. Animals trained for this purpose were called stalking horses.

(Any hunter who has seen the movie “Jeremiah Johnson” remembers the scene where the old mountain man was teaching Jeremiah how to hide behind a horse to sneak up on elk. When asked, “Won’t they see our feet?” the old mountain man said, “Elk don’t know

how many feet a horse has!”)

Today, there are several “stalking cow” decoys on the market, including the Zebu Shoot-Through Cow Blind/Decoy and the Webfoot Confidence Cow Decoy. Both look like real cows and have viewing and shooting ports.

Coyote decoys, on the other hand, have been used to cause turkeys, deer, and other game animals to avoid certain areas and to move toward concealed hunters. Two or more coyote decoys set

at one end of a field or trail, for example, are sure bets to cause turkeys and other wildlife to change their course and move within shooting range.

Think about natural situations you have experienced while hunting and you likely will think of a confidence decoy and strategy that will increase your success rate afield or on the water.

devices installed inside them, goose-hunting guides nevertheless realize the importance of having motion in their spreads. Many of them wave flags to simulate geese about to land in the setups. Others have hunters dress in white parkas or ponchos to simulate oversized snow geese, thus making the hunters themselves into motion decoys.

Taking the hunter-as-decoy to the next level, a Montana business makes Phantom Goose Flag Hats that a hunter wears on his head. Normally taboo head motion is thus

transformed into game-attracting rather than -spooking motion.

Motion in a decoy set also has appealed to predator hunters. Fake rabbits, squirrels, rodents, and birds that flop back and forth have fooled many coyotes, bobcats, and other varmints into thinking they are about to pounce on an easy meal.

Some enterprising varminters have mounted stuffed toy rabbits or real animal skins on radio-controlled toy trucks that move convincingly over great distances.

Turkey hunters also have growing choices of decoys that move. Among the most popular of these relatively new innovations are those with bobbing heads, real feather fans that blow in the wind, and decoys made to be pulled forward or turned by the pull of a string.

Whatever you plan to hunt, you can just about be assured there is a decoy out there that will help you succeed.

—Bob Hood

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HERE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER is an absolute truth. Bullets are what make every gun work. You can have the best gun, the clearest scope, the finest trigger, and anything else you desire, but if your bullet fails, the rest of the stuff is useless.

The following is from the Nosler Company Website – www.nosler.com: “In the fall of 1946, a stubborn, mud-caked Canadian moose failed to go down, despite a well placed shot from John Nosler’s 300 H&H. On the way home from that trip, John started thinking about a way to make a bullet that would perform well every time, no matter what the size of the game or the shot angle.

“Over the next year, he experimented with bullet design, finally settling on a unique, dual core bullet that was really the first Partition®. The following fall, John and his friend, Clarence Purdie, both killed moose with one shot using John’s new bullet. In 1948 the Nosler Partition Bullet Company was formed.”

Friends and fellow hunters, the Nosler Partition has set the standard for big game bullets for the last half-century and more, and still does. It is one of the best hunting bullets ever made and does its job with almost boring consistency. I learned many years ago that if I wantT E X A S

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ed a bullet that would perform its job every time, without fail, the Nosler Partition was the way to go. While there are now newer and sexier bullets on the market, and some of them are very, very good, the Partition is still Old Dependable.

Another bullet maker that has been around for many years is Barnes. In the past Barnes bullets were renowned for heavy jackets, heavy-for-caliber bullets, and were used for deep penetration on large animals.

They also made big bore solid bullets for use in the big stopping rifles used on Africa's dangerous game.

Then Barnes (Actually Randy Brooks, the owner of Barnes Bullets. Randy was also the first to use the X-Bullet on a game animal) came up with a unique idea. They decided that they could make an entire bullet out of one material and overcome the problem of core/jacket separation that has plagued the shooting community since the first metal jacket was wrapped around a soft lead core. Suddenly the Barnes X-Bullet, made out of solid copper (no lead core), was making waves in the bullet industry and game fields around the world. Seems like sometimes the simplest ideas just take a long time to occur to someone. The newest incarnation of the X-Bullet – the Triple Shock – is accurate, works every time, gives deep penetration and high weight retention. On top of that it is longer than a lead core bullet of the same weight, which is a ballistic advantage.

For accuracy there is another bullet maker out there that has carried the standard for a very long time. Sierra Bullets call themselves the Bulletsmiths. I learned shortly after I began reloading rifle ammunition that if I was looking for accuracy, the place to start was with Sierra bullets.

My first new rifle was a Remington Model 700 ADL in .25-06 that I bought in 1971. I learned to reload because I couldn't afford to buy ammo for that rifle and still shoot as much as I wanted. I kept the rifle for about 7 years. In that time I shot it enough that I wore out the barrel. Before the barrel went south, my .25-06 would consistently put three 87-grain Sierra spitzers loaded over 57.5 grains of Hodgdon # 4831 under a nickle at 100 yards. I used to have a wallet group that I shot with it which was just a single slightly enlarged hole. My newest .2506 is a custom-built job that will consistently shoot groups of around a half-inch. One of its favorite loads is an 87-grain Sierra over 42 |

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55 grains of Reloader 19. Sierra bullets still work and are still darned hard to beat.

The first bullet I ever saw that used a pointy wedge in the nose to promote expansion and provide improved ballistic shape was the Remington Bronze Point. I never shot any of these bullets, so I can't speak about their accuracy. However, the idea must have been valid, because there are a slew of such bullets on the market today.

These include Nosler's Ballistic Tip and Accu-Bond, Hornady's SST and SST InterBond, Sierra's Blitz King, Barnes Tipped bullets, and several more. These are the newest symbols of superior accuracy.

The Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet has gained a reputation for super accuracy. I have shot a lot of Ballistic Tips over the last few years and can The Remington vouch for Bronze Point.

Ballistic Point

their accuracy.

Another of my pet coyote loads in my current .25-06 is an 85-grain Ballistic Tip at warp speed. This load is accurate and explosive. A coyote hit with one of these bombs usually never moves out of his tracks. On top of the explosive bullet action, my newest .25-06 will stack Ballistic Tips into an inch or less until you get tired of shooting. I guess, if the Bronze Point is the father of the genre, the Ballistic Tip is the Heir Apparent, and it deserves the crown it has been given. These are accurate bullets, with a capitol A. Bonded core bullets, where the lead core is chemically bonded to the metal of the jacket (one way of avoiding jacket and core separation), and which are the unquestioned best for big animals such as moose and the great bears, are often overlooked by the deer and hog hunter, which I believe to be a mistake. Bonded core bullets such as the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, give fine accuracy and provide the deep, positive penetration that is necessary in a hunting bullet.

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I regularly shoot bonded core bullets in two of my rifles. One is my .22/250. I use the 55-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw in this caliber for insurance on larger animals.

In Texas, it is not unusual to see a hog while you are hunting something else. When I am out predator calling during deer season with my .22/250, a magazine full of Bear Claws is insurance for just about any eventuality. If you shoot a .22 caliber for deer, this is the bullet I recommend.

The other is my .35 Whelen. The Whelen fires a big bullet at moderate velocity. Standard is 250 grains, but that really reduces the velocity and thus the effective range. I prefer to carry it loaded with 225grain North Fork bonded-core bullets, providing the wonderful penetration and impact energy of the .35 caliber bullet, and giving me the extra velocity and range of the lighter bullet.

As I have said before, when I shoot a hog with that load it sounds like a tennis racket hitting a sack of horse feed. Awesome!

There are other good bullets on the market today, both old technology and new.

Hornady Interlock and Speer Hot-Cor soft points – both old technology – are great for deer. Hornady's SST InterBond and Nosler's similar AccuBond bullets are new technology and are tough to beat for a super-accurate hunting bullet.

Now I understand that there is another revolutionary bullet design on the horizon, but not yet available to the shooter and reloader. It is a bullet that is covered with dimples like a golf ball. This bullet design is being tested by the U.S. Army at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds with the hope that it will be an advantage to our military snipers. The idea is, “to reduce projectile drag, providing a flatter long-range trajectory, and a greater retained energy at the target.” According to the article I read, the jacket material is still classified. What'll they think of next?

It would take a book to cover all the bullets on the market today, but the above are the best of the best, old and new. Good hunting and good shooting.

PHOTO : COURTESY REMINGTON

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Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

A Fish a Day for a Year USED TO THINK MY PASSION FOR FISHING was sickly serious. Then I heard about this cat from Waco who has embarked on a piscatorial crusade that sounds pretty extreme.

While some folks may question his sanity, they certainly cannot doubt his grit.

The cat’s name is Keith Miller, a 35year-old non-practicing attorney whose love for fishing runs deeper than any crankbait can dive or any worm hook can dig.

It has to. Otherwise, it would be next to impossible for him to carry out the ambitious pledge he went public with back in March.

Here’s the deal: On April 1, Miller launched a campaign to catch at least one fish a day, every day, for a full year.

No sweat, you say? Ponder the thought before you judge, keeping in mind that Miller has a day job, a family, a home, a lawn that needs mowing...

Fishing in pleasant weather is always fun.

But fishing in the torrid Texas heat, a driving rainstorm, in high wind, sleet, or and snow can squelch the fun factor in a hurry, not to mention throw the fish into an uncooperative funk.

Miller knows that getting bit isn’t always easy. It is all part of the challenge, which in his eyes makes the whole deal all the more worthwhile.

I caught up with Miller by phone on the morning of March 31, less than 24 hours before he was set to begin casting for his first fish at Barton Creek in Austin’s Zilker Park. He was en route to Academy to pick up a couple of spools of extra fishing line for

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his spinning reel, a few soft plastic grub tails, and other goodies he might need during the early days of the trek.

“I know it’s going to be tough,” Miller said. “I’ve been fishing for most of my life, so I know there are going to be days when it is going to be a real grind, but I’m ready.”

Miller knows accomplishing such a lofty goal will won’t be easy, because he has done it before. He caught at least one fish a day, each day, during 2009.

“That one started off sort of as a joke,” he said. “We were a week or two into January and I made the remark to my wife that I had caught at least one fish every day

A Fish a Day Keith Miller is on a mission.

of the year so far. She asked me how long I thought I could keep it going and I ran with it. The first time was more of a personal challenge than anything else.”

A bass fisherman at heart, Miller caught and released assorted species including sunfishes, catfishes, crappie, and gar during his initial fishing challenge, all on artificial baits paired with a trusty spinning rod. The fish he remembers most is the scrawny largemouth he reeled from a small subdivision lake behind his home one sultry summer night.

“I’ll never forget it,” Miller said. “I was dog tired. It had been one of those 115degree days and I had been fishing for six hours without a bite. Finally, about 11:45 p.m., I caught one. That was a huge relief.”

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launch his second yearlong fishing challenge, only this time with an altogether different purpose. This one, said Miller, is all in the name of kids.

“We’ve seen a noticeable decline in youth participation in outdoor sports over the last decade, and that really concerns me,” Miller said. “My goal is to do whatever I can to change that—to get more kids on the water fishing and away from televisions and video games. Kids are the future of our sport.”

Miller said his plan is to catch fish from as many Texas water bodies as he can visit on the weekends. He will fish close to home during the week, usually at Lake Waco, Tradinghouse Creek, or the Brazos River. He also has two subdivision lakes near his home to fall back on when cramped for time.

“I’ll try to fish those for about an hour each day before I go to work,” Miller said. “Hopefully, that will help keep the monkey off my back.”

Once the folks at the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department caught wind of Miller’s plan, they asked if he would be interested in attending a series of Go Fish! fishing events aimed at introducing more youths and novices to the sport.

Miller saw the opportunity as an ideal platform for sharing his message, and he has since been spreading the word and enticing fishing followers from the shores and piers of state park lakes and community fishing ponds all around the state.

Additionally, he is showcasing his experiences through social media tools like Facebook and Twitter so the public can follow his exploits over the internet at: facebook.com/pages/Catching-a-Fish-a-Daywith-Keith-Miller/178979678799415

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GREEN New Artificial Reef off Port Mansfield THE CCA TEXAS HABITAT TODAY FOR FISH TOMORROW (HTFT) PROGRAM CONTINUES TO PURSUE ITS AGGRESSIVE GOAL TO DEVELOP REEFING PROJECTS IN STATE WATERS ALL ALONG THE COAST AND HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO DROP 4,000 CONCRETE CULVERTS IN A DESIGNATED 160-ACRE REEFING SITE OFF PORT MANSFIELD THIS SUMMER. PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Confirmed: Armadillos Carry Leprosy

BEGIN IN JUNE 2011, HAS BEEN FUNDED WITH $50,000 FROM THE CCA TEXAS HTFT PROGRAM AND IS BEING DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT ARTIFICIAL REEF PROGRAM AND ALAMO CONCRETE.

USING ADVANCED DNA ANALYSIS AND EXTENSIVE FIELD WORK, AN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH TEAM HAS CONFIRMED THE LINK BETWEEN LEPROSY INFECTION IN AMERICANS AND DIRECT CONTACT WITH ARMADILLOS. In a joint collaboration between the Global Health Institute at EPFL in Switzerland and Louisiana State University, clear evidence was found that a neverbefore-seen strain of Mycobacterium leprae has emerged in the Southern United States and that it is transmitted through contact with armadillos carrying the disease. The results will be published on April 28th in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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rosy in the United States each year. Most of these victims have worked abroad in areas in which leprosy is endemic, making it likely that they may have acquired the disease while outside the US. But, to the alarm of health authorities, a third of all patients infected appear to have contracted the disease locally. The hypothesis that the disease is transmitted though contact with armadillos—aside from humans, the only other known carriers of the leprosy-causing bacteria—was confirmed by fine-grained

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“Port Mansfield is an attractive place to fish for Texas anglers as well as the thousands of tourists who travel from other states to spend a few days fishing and taking advantage of our tropical winter weather,” said Robby Byers, executive director of CCA Texas. “This new reef will give anglers another place to fish and help make the Port Mansfield area an even more attractive destination for anglers.”

CCA Texas’s announcement of a new reef along the lower Texas coast is the latest project for the chapter’s habitat program and follows the completion of the Vancouver Reef expansion on the upper coast in the summer of 2010 and the announcement of a $100,000 Continued on page 46

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Why Birds Collide with Man-Made Objects A NEW STUDY OUTLINES A NEW APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING HOW BIRDS SEE THE WORLD AND WHY THEY FIND PYLONS AND TURBINES SO HARD TO AVOID. The problem of bird collisions is a serious concern for conservationists. Research suggests that bird mortality caused by collisions with human artifacts is the largest unintended human cause of avian fatalities worldwide.

“From a human perspective it appears very odd that birds so often collide with large objects as if they don’t see them. It is widely held that flight in birds is primarily controlled by vision, an idea captured by the phrase ‘a bird is a wing guided by an

eye,” said Professor Graham Martin from Birmingham University. “However birds live in a different visual world to humans.”

To get a clearer understanding of how birds view the world Professor Martin turned to sensory ecology, a field of study which investigates how sensory information underlies an animal’s behavior and it’s interactions with the environment.

“Previously most proposed solutions to bird collisions only consider a human perspective of the problem,” said Martin. “Put

simply, it has been a matter of finding a solution to bird collision problems based upon making the perceived hazard more conspicuous to human observers, not birds.”

The research reveals that a subtle set of interrelationships exists between a bird’s visual capacities, the interpretation of sensory information and the behavior of birds when flying in open airspace.

“When in flight, birds may turn their heads to look down, either with the binocular field or with the lateral part of an eye’s visual field,” said Martin. “Such behavior results in certain species being at least temporarily blind in the direction of travel.”

Dr. Martin also explores how avian frontal vision is tuned for the detection of movement, rather than spatial detail. When a bird is hunting this detection may be Continued on page 46

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GREEN Bird Collisions Continued from page 45 more important than simply looking ahead into open airspace. Birds also have a restricted range of flight speeds, for many birds it is simply impossible for them to fly slowly, making it difficult to adjust the rate of information they gain if visibility is reduced by rain, mist or low level lights.

It may also be best to assume that birds are more likely to be looking down and laterally rather than forwards, meaning a signal placed on an obstacle may also be missed. Instead alerting sounds or signals placed a suitable distance from the hazard may be more efficient.

“The human viewpoint provides just

one way of appreciating and understanding the world. Yet such is the difference between human and birds’ eye views that a human perspective on the problem of bird collisions is quite misleading,” concluded Martin. “The evidence outlined in this

Leprosy Continued from page 44 DNA analysis of both armadillo and human samples done at EPFL. It has been known since the 1970s that armadillos are potential carriers of the disease, most likely introduced

by European immigrants 500 years ago. But the current study shows interspecies contamination and the presence of a unique strain. “There is a very strong association between the geographic location of the presence of this particular strain of M. leprae and the presence of armadillos in the Southern US,” explains Stewart Cole, head of the Global Health Institute in Lausanne and world-leader in the field of genomics of leprosy bacilli. “Our research provides clear DNA evidence that the unique strain found in armadillos is the same as the one in certain humans.”

The study included 33 wild armadillos known to have the disease and 50 leprosy patients. The new strain of the bacteria, named 3I, was found in 28 armadillos and in 22 patients who 46 |

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Artificial Reef Continued from page 44 mid-coast reefing project off Matagorda scheduled for completion in the spring of 2012.

The CCA Texas habitat initiative was launched in 2008 and has already set in motion a number of habitat projects important to Texas

reported no foreign residence. The researchers used genome sequencing to identify the new strain and cross check it with other known strains from Europe, Brazil and Asia, and used genotyping to identify and classify the population infected. It became clear that leprosy patients who never travelled outside the US but lived in areas where infected armadillos are prevalent were infected with the same strain as the armadillos. These findings prompted the researchers to state in the article that “Frequent direct contact with armadillos and cooking and consumption of armadillo meat should be discouraged.”

The study also suggests that armadillo range expansion should be monitored.

It is not known exactly why armadillos contract and carry leprosy. While their low body temperature (89 degrees F) makes them perfect incubators for the bacteria, which grow in temperatures between 86 degrees and 89 degrees, there are almost certainly other factors such as immune deficiency that also play a role. Similarly, the bacteria attack the extremities of humans because our core body temperature is F I S H

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study explains why some species are more vulnerable to collisions with obstacles than others, and helps to inform the development of guidelines for reducing collisions.”

—Staff Report TG

recreational anglers. In addition to the nearshore reefs, CCA Texas has also been a part of several marsh restoration projects, including those at Goose Island, Nueces Bay and Snake Island. In its commitment to restore and enhance marine and coastal habitats, CCA Texas has funded more than $350,000 for these and other projects.

—Staff Report TG too high for a generalized infection, and over 90 precent of humans who come into direct contact with the disease spontaneously fight it off. “The last thing we want is to induce panic in the population and incite a slaughter of armadillos. The best way to combat further infection is though education and prudence,” says Cole.

Jos‚ Ramirez, a former migrant worker from Houston who contracted the disease after hunting and eating armadillo meat and took part in the study, has consecrated his life to combating social stigmas. “We need to give leprosy patients a voice and learn to not use the word ‘leper’ that has negative connotations around the world, a stigma that should be replaced with an understanding of the disease and its causes.”

Ramirez is now disease-free after receiving antibiotic treatment. Proving what few know to be true—that leprosy is a bacterial infection that can be cured.

—Staff Report TG

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BY TF&G EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Chester Moore PHOTOS: BACKGROUND, © ROB STEGMANN, DREAMSTIME; INSETS, © TEXAS FISH & GAME

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TEXAS IS HOME TO WORLD-CLASS saltwater fishing—and some of the most talented, knowledgable saltwater anglers. How do you stack up among the greats— stud or dud? Take this quiz and find out.

cream trucks to Gulf king mackerel.

Bob Fuston. These popping corks are famous for catching large trout on the Texas coast.

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11. What jetty system is Texas' largest?

A) Galveston North Jetties B) Sabine C) Port Mansfield D) Port Aransas 12. When was the last major coastwide freeze-related fish kill in Texas?

Herbert Endicott.

18. ANSWER: A) True. Of course, it is preferable to having your catch stolen by a bull shark, especially if you are wading in waist-deep, murky water. |

14. ANSWER: E) The now-74-year-old record was set by Louis Rawalt, fishing in the Gulf.

19. ANSWER: C) Canned — as well as dry — dog food can be used to attract all sorts of fish, fresh and salt.

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15. ANSWER: E) They all love to crush blue crabs in their powerful jaws. Best rigging: Run a circle hook through the shell, at the swim flipper if you cut them in half. If you quarter them, hook through the strongest piece of belly carapace.

Carolina rig with a short leader.

20. ANSWER: A) True. If you are fishing in a river system or estuary that empties into the Gulf of Mexico, you have to be aware of crossing into saltwater-regulated water, which is often farther inland that you might expect.

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16. ANSWER: C) The “tout tail” is a flat, triangluar end on many popular soft-plastic saltwater baits.

A) 50 B) 25 C) 15

A) Aransas B) Lower Laguna Madre C) Sabine D) Upper Laguna Madre E) Matagorda

17. ANSWER: A) The Mansfield Mauler is a cigar-shaped popping cork created by Captain

4. The daily bag limit for sand trout is ___________ .

A) Yes B) No

8. ANSWER: B) Toxic algal bloom.

7. What Texas ecosystem produced both the state record redfish and flounder?

10. Is it legal to gig a limit of flounder at 10 p.m. and stay out past midnight to get a two-day limit of 10 fish?

9. ANSWER: A) Paul Brown invented the slow-sinking, highly prized Corky saltwater lure.

A)True B) False

A) Swimbaits B) Buzzbaits C) Creature Baits D) Jig/Pig Combo E) Spinnerbaits

9. What Texan invented the Corky?

A) Paul Brown B) Sam Houston C) Rick Perry D) William Travis E) Jim Wallace

10. ANSWER: B) No. This potential loophole in the flounder limit has been closed.

6. What kind of lure popularized by bass fishermen is becoming increasingly popular for pursuing redfish on the Texas coast?

3. Largemouth bass are commonly caught alongside redfish along the Upper Coast.

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A) Mullet B) Pinfish C) Shrimp D) Croaker E) Marine Worms

A) Oil Spill B) Toxic Algal Bloom C) Run-off from Red River D) School of Red Snapper E) None of the Above

11. ANSWER: A) Galveston’s north jetty extends five miles into the Gulf. The Army Corps of Engineers built the jetty in the 1890s with huge blocks of Texas Hill Country granite.

A) Clear Water B) Marsh Water C) Murky Water D) Red Tides E) Brackish Water

5. What live bait choice has caused much controversy along the Texas coast over the last two decades?

8. What is a "red tide"?

12. ANSWER: A) 1989 was the last time the entire Texas coast was hit by a prolonged fishkilling freeze.

2. What type of water is fluorocarbon most effective in helping anglers entice fish?

D) 5 E) There is no limit.

13. ANSWER: B) Shrimp boats are like ice

1. After reaching a length of about 20 inches, speckled trout consume primarily _______________ .

A) Shrimp B) Squid C) Krill D) Finfish E) Jellyfish

ANSWERS 1. ANSWER: D) Mature trout prefer finfish.

This is one reason swim baits are becoming more popular for catching specks.

2. ANSWER: A) Flourocarbon is made by combining a carbon base and other materials to form a line that is almost invisible underwater.

Therefore it is very useful in clear water.

3. ANSWER: A) True. In the brackish upper regions of bays and coastal estuaries, largemouth thrive in harmony with reds and other saltwater species.

4. ANSWER: E) Since sand trout are so common and very sensitive to handling mortali-

ty, there is no size, bag, or possession limit.

5. ANSWER: D) Croaker are such an effective bait, especially for speckled trout, that some trophy trout anglers consider their use less than sporting. Others contend that this live bait helps inexperienced anglers have more success, and thus helps the sport in general.

6. ANSWER: E) As they do with bass, spinnerbaits allow you to cover a lot of water quickly when fishing saltwater for reds (and specks, too). Modifications include soft plastic trailers and saltwater-safe hooks and blades.

7. ANSWER: C) Artie Longron caught a 59.50-pound red drum in 2000 in the near-shore Gulf at Sabine Pass. The 13-pound state record flounder was caught on Sabine Lake in 1976 by

A) Another name for speckled trout B) A fisherman’s brag

Flip the Page for the Correct Answers

16. A “tout” is...

A) Black Drum B) Sheepshead C) Redfish D) Ling (Cobia) E) All of the above 15. Blue crab is good bait for the following.

A) 34.3 B) 28.4 C) 91.1 D) 14.8 E) 57.5 14. The Texas state record for snook was caught in 1937 and weighed __________ pounds.

A) Sheepshead B) King Mackerel C) Stingrays D) Alligator Garfish E) Redfish 13. What kind of fish should anglers expect to catch behind culling shrimp boats in the Gulf?

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A)True B) False 20. There is a geographical “salt line” below which a saltwater fishing license is required, even when fishing for freshwater species.

A) As rod guide lubricant B) To add traction to the forward casting deck of a bay boat C) As chum D) For lunch 19. Fishermen sometimes use canned dog food: A)True B) False 18. Porpoises sometimes steal hooked trout right off a fisherman’s line.

A) A fishing float B) A shark that attacks a stringer of fish C) A nickname for tarpon D) A barracuda caught off the Port Mansfield Jetties 17. A Mansfield Mauler is...

C) A soft plastic shrimp tail D) Another name for sand trout 10:03 AM

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BY REAVIS Z. WORTHAM AN OXYMORON IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH that combines contradictory terms. Oxymorons appear in a variety of contexts, including inadvertent errors such as “extremely average” and literary oxymorons crafted to reveal a paradox.

Some interesting examples include: “a little pregnant,” “all-natural artificial flavor,” “dark light,” “virtual reality,” “black blue jeans,” and “black bass.”

That’s right—black bass is an oxymoron. They aren’t black, and they sure aren’t bass, but sunfish. Don’t feel bad for them because they are misnamed, though, because they’re not alone. Their cousins, sand bass and smallmouth bass, are also misidentified.

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Black bass are the largest member of the sunfish family, but as my old daddy would have said, “They don’t look like no sunfish I ever caught.” It makes sense, though. Ounce for ounce, sunfish are among the hardest fighters I’ve ever tangled with. The Old Man said, “If a bream grew to the size of a five or six pound bass, I’d have to use a winch to land them.”

Since the turn of the 20th century, when it became illegal for commercial fishermen to use nets, these muscular fighters became a much sought-after game fish because they grow to such a grand size, and give anglers what they want—a solid tussle.

The fish in question is commonly called largemouth bass, green bass, slough bass, lake bass, bigmouth, bucket- Smallmouth bass mouth, or any number of other identi- are sometimes fying monikers, including green trout. called black bass. (?) They are without question the Misnomers most popular sport fish in this country.

The sundry names local colloquialisms where everyone is kin to everyone else. until the middle of this century when technoAll these Latin/Greek names remind me logical advances and ease of travel allowed of personally significant failures in both high anglers to more readily share information. school and college, so let’s just refer to them Then, as certain names appealed to fisher- as bass from here on out. It was scientists men and, finally, writers they came into com- that gave them those fancy names anyway, mon usage. not fishermen.

Older writers from the early days of outSpeaking of school, my old English door magazines (when the covers from the teacher, Mrs. Murphy, would most likely 1920s and 30s were illustrations of fly-fish- give us a demerit for the improper use of ermen hooking giant bass) referred to sand these terms. Truthfully, the species of this bass as “school bass” or “jump bass.” Those genus is properly written, black basses. references carried through well into the early I imagine anglers started calling them 1970s. black bass because it was easier than saying The largest North American members of those Latin names, and because, depending the sunfish family can be found in a variety on location, Americans prefer to use more of waters warmer than 80 degrees, but I’ve common and familiar names for everyday seen black bass taken from cold-water use. streams teeming with rainbow trout. They Now, other black bass species include flourish in both murky and pure water, and spotted bass, smallmouth bass, and thrive in brackish waters. They can live to a Guadalupe bass, but when anglers refer to ripe old age in sandy shallows and clear black bass, they typically mean the greenish rocky creeks, rivers, lakes, and ponds (read colored fish with somewhat brownish sides “pools” or “tanks” depending on your part that are easily identified by the large jaw that of Texas). extends rearward past the fish’s eye.

Someone with a pocket protector back in Mrs. Murphy would have hated that sen1802 taxonomically classified largemouth tence. bass Micropterus salmoides. This branch is Some have opined that black bass got from a family of diverse fishes called their name from their almost black and Perciformes that include walleye (which is brownish sides, and a dark lateral line that also a perch) white bass, crappie, and as runs along their flanks. Don’t mistake the mentioned, sunfishes. word “line” for a single, linear stripe. This Crappie and sunfishes are line breaks into scattered splotches that Centrarchildae, which is another whole line sprinkle color throughout the fish’s scales all of relatives. It all reminds me of small towns, the way to the tail.

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Physical descriptions get even fuzzier when you realize the fish’s pigmentation directly relates to habitat, and that’s often where the error in identification occurs.

Colors can vary due to water stain or clarity, diet, or even spawning activity. Bass from the discolored swamp waters of the south are almost black. Even their lighter stomachs are stained. Clear water with sandy bottoms produces fish that are much lighter, with contrasting markings and almost pure white bellies.

Largemouth bass are frequently found in the same waters as their cousins, smallmouth bass. Interestingly, due to the same environmental circumstances, both fish can be the same color and sometimes share the name “bronzebacks” though they are distinctly different to the trained eye.

To confuse things even more, smallmouth bass are sometimes called black bass and the largemouth as linesides.

Most folks don’t know or care, but black bass are originally native to the central and southeastern United States. Some anglers mistakenly refer to all largemouth bass as Florida bass, but this subspecies is originally native to Southern Georgia and Florida.

It makes me wonder that we don’t call them Georgia bass, but I bet it’s because they originally covered more area in Florida.

Perhaps the Floridians have a better PR team.

Our penchant for hanging familiar identifiers on fish also extends to other species such as white bass, sand bass, and black and white crappie, which my Old Man called “white perch.” He always thought black crappie grew larger and tasted better.

I have a couple of books on my shelves that outline how to fly-fish for school bass. It was years before I realized they were sandies (still another moniker for sand bass).

So, there you have it. Black bass are not black or bass.

With all that established, I shall put on my black blue jeans, try to be almost safe around the water, make some accurate estimates of where to fish, hope for calm wind, spend a fine and miserable day of anticipated serendipity, and catch a fine mess of sand bass or maybe a black bass.

PHOTO: BEACHNET, ISTOCK

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Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Howling at the Moon O THE HOPELESS ROMANTIC, THE WRITER, and the dreamer, the moon is a landmark on love’s winding journey, the light that shines on this blue gumball while we sleep, or some such pap. The informed angler knows, however, that the moon is also a major influence on the behavior and feeding habits of wildlife and, more specifically, fishes.

Inshore fishermen have long been familiar with the moon’s effect on tides and feeding habits of speckled trout, striped bass, red drum (redfish), flounder, and other bay and near-shore species. Fish habits and tendencies can be predicted with reasonable accuracy with the phases of the moon. You will always find some fisherman sitting at the dock telling stories of 80-fish days during the peak of the full or new moon. They swear that the moon is the pinion that their fishing success turns on.

“You can never underestimate the how the moon affects wildlife,” said Capt. Bruce Shuler, owner/operator of Getaway Adventures Lodge in Port Mansfield.

“Their activity level is certainly affected. If you drive by a cattle pasture during a full moon or new moon, you’ll see that the cattle are either 90 percent bedded down or 90 percent up. If you check a Solunar chart, you can correlate that behavior with the timing of a major or minor feeding movement. The same holds true with saltwater fish.”

“The full moon carries more weight on offshore currents,” said Capt. Richard Bailey. “We can get a pretty good current when we have a full moon.”

Bailey added that bottom fish tend to hold closer to structure when offshore currents are strong. Reef fish don’t like being pushed around by strong currents. Rocks and structure serve as both shelter and a current break. Snapper and grouper will turn head-to into the current and hold in position.

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Amberjack also hold closer to the bottom in heavy currents. The fish are also less active, even the normally hyper-aggressive amberjack.

“When we have a strong current around our amberjack holes, the first thing I do is get depressed,” quipped South Padre Island’s Captain Steve Stromeyer. “Then I start thinking about looking for other spots.”

A new moon, on the other hand, means lighter currents offshore, and reef fish begin feeding more actively and move further from the front porch in search of protein.

“Reef fish are more aggressive when currents are lighter,” said Stromeyer. “Snapper school up, and you’re more likely to chum them up to the surface where you can freeline baits to them. Amberjack are also much more aggressive.”

“There are four movements of fish activity during the day,” said Shuler. “When the moon is rising, there is a minor feeding movement. There is a major feeding movement when the moon is directly overhead.

When you have a full moon, the major feeding movement is strongest in the middle of the day.”

Shuler said that a smart angler will consult a Solunar table (such the TF&G tables in this magazine, or online at fishgame.com/datacenter/solunar.aspx) to determine when the major movements occur.

“When I have an area that has been producing for me, I will make sure that I will be there at the time that the fish are going to be most active,” said Shuler. “It doesn’t matter if it is in the bay or offshore. I’m going to be there, because the fish will be.”

During a full moon, the peak daytime bite comes about midday. The window of activity during the major movements is 2 to 4 hours, and then it begins to slowly taper off over the course of the next hour.

Bailey said fishing during a full moon does in fact improve around midday. The currents also seem to ease up when the moon is at its zenith. Though there might still be a strong current, it is easier to set up over structure and fish.

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feed baits back to the structure while drifting,” he said. “The thing is that you have to put the bait right on top of the structure, where the fish are.”

During the new moon and the first and third lunar quarter, currents are more moderate, and bottom fish can be chummed up to the surface or close to the surface.

Stromeyer prefers to drift-fish rather than anchor. He calls up red snapper and amberjack off structure and to the surface with diced menhaden. Once the fish are up from structure, Stromeyer will have his clients drift back a whole ballyhoo or menhaden on a free-line rig and circle hook. It usually doesn’t take very long before something will grab a hold of the bait. (During one particularly memorable trip, my wife Sandie spotted a big ling behind La Sancha, and cast a fresh ballyhoo at it; before the ling could even spot the bait, a huge school of red snapper came up, and a 3-pound snapper swiped the bait).

The common rule has always been that fish don’t feed during the day of a full moon, except those very narrow windows at midday. Stromeyer recommended anglers flip flop their sleeping habits.

“Something that is really effective during a full moon is night fishing,” said Stromeyer.

“Fish seem to feed more at night when there is a peak moon.”

Snapper are especially aggressive at night, and move closer to the surface to forage, he added, and the same free-lining tactics that work during the day work at night.

Since major movements occur roughly 12- to 12 1/2-hours apart, a full moon evening bite occurs roughly around midnight and could last until 4:00 a.m. Anglers should be familiar with the structure they plan on fishing and set out to anchor over the rocks prior to sunset.

You might lose some sleep, but the payoff could leave you howling at the moon.

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

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Open Season

by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

The Fishing Contest

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RONG WILLIE AND I SWEATED AND compared vacation notes under the large shade tree in the parking lot of Doreen’s 24 HR Eat Gas Now

Cafe.

“After the Virgin Islands, we went to Santa Fe and then Phoenix, but it was so hot there we were ready to leave the next morning,” I said. “The daytime temperature averaged around 115 degrees, and one night it was still 110 at 10 o’clock. Even the swimming pool water was hot.”

Willie frowned. “In what frame of mind did you think it wouldn’t be hot in Phoenix in summer?”

“I was just saying, Santa Fe was cool and then...”

Willie interrupted, obviously tired of my story. “Anyway, I just hung around here those two weeks so I could save the time and go to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally.”

“Was it hot in South Dakota?” I asked.

“What’s this heat fixation with you?” he began and then stopped when the rest of the Hunting Club pulled into the parking lot.

Each member arrived in their own vehicle, and all towed trailered boats.

“Wassup?” I asked when Doc detrucked.

“Glad you boys are back,” Woodrow called. “Y’all can be the judges.”

“Works for me,” I answered. “What are we judging?”

Youngster climbed up the trailer and into his boat. He opened the livewell and peered inside. “We had a fishing contest that just ended at noon today. You guys have to judge who brought in the biggest catch.”

“That shouldn’t be hard,” Willie said.

“Just weigh your bass and that’ll be the winner.”

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the back of his truck. “We wanted to make it interesting. It isn’t fish-specific and there aren’t any rules. We just said the largest catch of the day won.”

Delbert P. Axelrod, never to be confused with a rocket surgeon, drug a cooler along the bed of his truck and stopped when it rested on his open tailgate. “Mine’s in here.”

“Hope it isn’t dead,” Willie said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Doc responded. “No rules. Ready?”

I glanced around at the crowd gathering in the parking lot. Ranchers, truckers, and many other regular customers left the cool interior of Doreen’s so they could better see the contest’s results. Doreen and Potts, the cook, joined us, too.

“Who goes first?” I asked.

“Me, I guess,” Doc said and opened his livewell. He reached in, felt around for a bit, and held up an enormous bass. An audible gasp ripped across the hot parking lot.

Willie opened the door of his truck and retrieved a hand-held scale to weigh the fish.

He also produced a tape measure for insurance purposes. “All right. Rev, you record the results while I take measurements.”

“Why me? Why can’t I do the measuring? Why do I have to write this stuff down?”

“Because you like to write,” he said, giving what he considered a reasonable explanation. Before I could answer, he called out the weight, length, and girth of the bass.

“Next.”

While Doc returned the fish to his livewell, the Cap’n produced a crappie so large it had its own zip code.

“How are we going to do this?” I asked.

“You can’t compare a ginormous crappie to a giant bass.”

“We’ll work out the details later,” Willie said.

“This is ridiculous,” I argued, but Willie called out the particulars and I wrote them down.

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things got weird. Jerry Wayne reached under a tarp stretching across the back of his truck and drug out an interesting item.

“This is a great piece of driftwood I hung up on. It was the largest thing I caught today and look at this interesting shape. Ain’t it beautiful?”

“Now wait a minute,” I said. “This isn’t a fish.”

“We didn’t specify it had to be a fish,” Doc said sadly. “That really is a pretty good looking piece of driftwood.”

“You’re all insane!” I yelled. “There’s no way to rationally judge something like this. It should be all fish of one species.”

“Never mind. I have this thing won,” Jerry Wayne answered.

“I hope you have a hundred-pound catfish in your boat,” I told him.

“How about this?” he asked, holding up the largest swimsuit top we’d ever seen.

Each cup looked as if it could hold a Pecos cantaloupe.

We were stunned speechless.

Doreen eeped, grabbed Potts, and stormed back into the cafe. I turned to Willie. “There’s no way ... hey, where you going?”

He slammed his truck door. “Nowhere. I just decided I wanted to enter the contest. It isn’t over yet, if there are no rules.”

“But...” I started.

“One more thing,” Willie said. “Jerry Wayne, when were you fishing?”

“Just a little while ago.”

“Where?”

“Over by Salt Cove.”

“Okay,” he said and left the parking lot in a screech of tires.

“Waddaya think he’ll come back with,” I wondered aloud.

Doc studied the bathing suit top. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, I bet it’ll win.”

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

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BY GREG BERLOCHER THE GREAT OUTDOORS PRESENTS plenty of opportunities to share fellowship, experiences, and celebrate the majesty of woods and water. If your pursuit of happiness regularly takes you beyond the blacktop, there are a few basic items you should keep in your truck at all times. They don’t take up much space, nor do they cost much, but they can lift your spirits when a good situation turns bad and can turn good outdoor experiences into great ones.

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In This Issue

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: MATAGORDA • Granite Primed for Summer | BY BINK GRIMES

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: ROCKPORT • How Many Fish is Enough? |

BY CAPT. MAC GABLE

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: LOWER COAST • Picking Up the Doormat | BY CALIXTO GONZALES

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SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK • Tides & Prime Times | BY TF&G STAFF

COVER STORY • 10 Things | GREG BERLOCHER

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BY

FISHING FORECAST SECTION TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots |

BY TOM BEHRENS, CALIXTO GONZALES, & BOB HOOD

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER COAST • Sabine Summer |

BY CAPT. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: GALVESTON • June Swoon |

BY CAPT. MIKE HOLMES

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Storage is always a big concern when it comes to extra gear. There isn’t any one right answer when it comes to the size and shape of the container used. You may choose to store these outdoor enhancers under your seat, in the glove box, or in the console of your truck. If your kit is constantly getting in the way and becomes a nuisance it is likely to get pitched like yesterday’s burger wrapper.

The list below is uniquely personal and based on a half-century of outdoor pursuits.

I left several items off the list which you may wish to include, such as a compass or first aid kit. Hopefully my list serves as food for thought in developing your own list of items to keep in your vehicle.

Water A bottle or two of drinking water always comes in handy; a gallon jug is even better if you have the room. Besides slaking a terrible thirst, bottled water is handy for washing off an inadvertent cut and/or scrape, plus it can be poured into your radiator should your engine overheat.

Food Nothing destroys my concentration worse 58 |

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TEXAS TESTED • Biobor, Dura Hub, Survival Straps | BY TF&G STAFF

87 92

INDUSTRY INSIDER TF&G STAFF

• | BY

NEW PRODUCTS • Hot New Outdoor Gear | BY TF&G STAFF

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION

• Souped Up |

104 106

TEXAS TASTED

CUS

BY MATT WILLIAMS

BOWHUNTING TECH • Time to Get Serious | BY LOU MARULLO

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TEXAS BOATING • Green Boating | BY LENNY RUDOW

OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | BY TF&G STAFF

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TF&G PHOTOS • Your Action Photos | BY TF&G READERS

HOW-TO SECTION

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GEARING UP SECTION

TEXAS GUNS & GEAR • Varmint Rifles | BY STEVE LAMAS-

BY BRYAN SLAVEN

FRESHWATER TALES • Falcon vs. Amistad vs. Choke Canyon |

TEXAS KAYAKING • Better Kayak Fishing | BY GREG BERLOCHER

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PAUL’S TIPS • Catching Anything, Anywhere, Anytime | BY

www.FishGame.com

PAUL BRADSHAW

than hunger pains. Instead of focusing on outdoor activities, my brain focuses on the groans coming from my stomach. A tin or two of emergency rations is definitely a welcome site if you are stranded overnight.

Vienna sausages, sardines and crackers are good truck food. Check out the expiration dates on the cans before purchasing and choose items that have several years of shelf life yet to go.

Matches Occasionally trips beyond the blacktop feature extended stays. Electrical and mechanical gremlins have invaded my vehicle at times, and soft gooey mud has enveloped my tires hopelessly trapping my truck in place. A fire will brighten dour spirits, provide warmth, and makes a good signal beacon should you become lost. A pinch of wooden kitchen matches stored inside a plastic pill bottle will stay dry and functional for many years.

Flashlight A flashlight is always a valued ally between dusk and dawn. Hunting and fishing trips usually involve pre-dawn junkets and a dependable flashlight is always welF I S H

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come when trying to knot fishing line or fumbling with small parts. Alkaline batteries are the power source of choice and are definitely worth the price. LED flashlights are small, light, and easy to stow in your vehicle.

Garbage Bag Heavy duty, 40-gallon trash bags are a great catch all, literally. They can be pressed into makeshift duty as ice chests to haul fish and game back home, store wet clothes, and they make good floor mats when your hunting boots are caked with mud. Cut a hole big enough to squeeze your head through and two holes for your arms and the same trash bag can also be pressed into emergency duty as a poncho. It won’t win any style awards but it will help keep you dry.

Tool Kit Fishing reels, rifles, and lanterns are just a few of the items that need occasional mechanical adjustments. Sometimes a simple turn of screw can have a profound impact on your whole weekend. Having a set of tools close at hand can remedy most minor situations. There are a multitude of pre-packages tool kits CONTINUED on the market these SEE PAGE 60

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TIPS: Wade early for big trout cruising the shallows.

UPPER GULF COAST

Everybody Loves Raymond Specks

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Raymond Shoal GPS: N28 40.449, W95 53.898 (28.674150, -95.898300) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater lures or Norton Bull Minnows soft plastics using 1/8 or 1/16-ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Drift fish; look for bait and slicks.

LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Ladies Pass

GPS: N29 28.76388, W94 44.04504 (29.479398, -94.734084) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jigheads with soft plastics in chartreuse, Pearl or Pumpkinseed colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 2 81788-4041 TIPS: Key on slicks.

LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Deep Reef GPS: N29 31.062, W94 41.20602 (29.517700, -94.686767) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jigheads with soft plastics in chartreuse, Pearl or Pumpkinseed colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041

LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Spoil Banks GPS: N26 12.86202, W97 16.20498 (26.214367, -97.270083) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 3/8 jigheads with soft plastics in plum, Pumpkinseed or chicken on a chain colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041 TIPS: Fish between markers 38-72, bouncing soft plastics off the shell pads.

LOCATION: Sabine Jetties HOTSPOT: West Jetty GPS: N29 40.371, W93 50.25 (29.672850, -93.837500) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater baits and soft plastics with 1/4-ounce jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez,

COVER STORY days which include screwdrivers, FROM PG. 58 wrenches, and pliers. The tools come packaged in a plastic clamshell case; the better ones have cases with an O-ring which keeps moisture away from the tools. If you are a minimalist or lack storage space, consider a quality multi-function tool, such as a Leatherman, instead.

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Fish Hooks You never know when the opportunity to go fishing will turn up. A hook, a few feet of line, and a bit of scavenged bait can turn a normal outing into an adventure. A springy, green sapling makes a dandy substitute for a cane pole. An assortment of hooks and a small spool of line don’t require much space.

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plate. Aluminum foil is a cheap and effective reflector on a lantern globe.

Toilet Paper Spend enough time outdoors and nature will eventually call. A roll of toilet paper simply makes matters better. Toilet paper can also be used as a fire starter. To keep that roll fresh, dry and grit free, seal it inside a zip-style freezer bag.

Aluminum Foil Aluminum foil is extremely versatile outdoor aid. A square of foil can be folded and molded into a myriad of shapes, such as a drinking cup. No pot and pan to cook a meal in? Simply wrap those freshly caught fish in foil, fold the edges over several times to completely seal the packet, and then lay the foil packet on hot coals. When the food is finished cooking, gently tear open the top and the sealed packet becomes a dinner F I S H

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Seasonings The most memorable outdoor meal I ever enjoyed was on a quail hunt in South Texas.

At the noon hour we were many miles from a paved road. Our host, Lalo Saenz, pulled a weathered tin of black pepper and a worn paper carton of salt from behind his truck seat. Freshly dispatched quail were seasoned and roasted over a dry twig fire. The memory of the succulent quail remains etched in my mind to this day. A dash of pepper and a screw of salt made all the difference. The paper packets of seasoning found in restaurants are just the ticket for outdoor adventures.

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409-721-5467, or 409-673-3100 TIPS: One of the best places to fish in June; Hernandez likes to fish soft plastics deep.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Blue Buck Point GPS: N29 47.77998, W93 54.43902 (29.796333, -93.907317) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4ounce jighead CONTACT: Capt. Edie Hernandez, 409721-5467, 409-673-3100 TIPS: Fish will be in 3-5 feet of water; bounce soft plastics off the bottom.

LOCATION: Sabine Pass HOTSPOT: Ship Channel GPS: N29 44.96304, W93 53.02656 (29.749384, -93.883776) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez, 409-721-5467, 409-673-3100 TIPS: Fish the east side of the channel.

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Well Pads GPS: N29 40.43502, W94 46.698 (29.673917, -94.778300) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/2-ounces gold spoon CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041 TIPS: Let the spoon settle to the bottom and work it over the well pads.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Bayou GPS: N28 29.88702, W96 14.202 (28.498117, -96.236700) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater lures or Norton Bull Minnows soft plastics using 1/8 or 1/16-ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: wade-fish the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay; concentrate on little cuts and grass beds.

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LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cottons GPS: N28 30.60198, W96 12.603 (28.510033, -96.210050) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater lures or Norton Bull Minnows soft plastics using 1/8 or 1/16-ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Wade fish the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay; concentrate on little cuts and grass beds.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Shamrock Lucky for Corpus Specks

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Shamrock Cove GPS: N27 44.95098, W97 10.00002 (27.749183, -97.166667) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live finger mullet CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: Use a treble hook threaded through the eyes of the fish—works great if you are fishing grass; a mullet will swim near the top of the water.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Traylor Island GPS: N27 55.995, W97 4.494 (27.933250, -97.074900) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Hook the croaker right above the anal fin.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Mud Island GPS: N27 56.63502, W97 1.266 (27.943917, -97.021100) SPECIES: speckled trout F I S H

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BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Fish the inside of the Island.

LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Lap Reef Lake GPS: N28 8.40102, W97 3.14898 (28.140017, -97.052483) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Use croaker hooks with the hook size depending on the size of the croaker.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: East Flats GPS: N27 48.72702, W97 7.67202 (27.812117, -97.127867) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker or finger mullet CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: If the fish are deep, use finger mullet; if the fish are near the top, use croaker.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: JFK Causeway GPS: N27 38.07102, W97 14.46102 (27.634517, -97.241017) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: Fails uses a three-foot shock leader with a 5/0 croaker hook, free lined.

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Contee Lake GPS: N28 18.16998, W96 33.15 (28.302833, -96.552500) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Tested Tackle Factory Flats Minnow in plum/chartreuse with 1/8ounce; jighead CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361785-2686 TIPS: Look for sand saucers in grass.

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Chicken Foot Reef

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GPS: N28 15.82002, W96 47.08002 (28.263667, -96.784667) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Texas Tackle Factory Flats Minnows in plum/chartreuse with 1/8ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361785-2686 TIPS: Wading or drifting for redfish; fish should be right on top of the shell.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Emmords Hole GPS: N27 30.057, W97 19.54602 (27.500950, -97.325767) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: When the temperature start rising, look for trout dropping off into Emmords Hole.

LOWER GULF COAST

Spoiling for Reds on Baffin

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Spoil Banks of Penascal Point GPS: N 27 15.555, W 97 25.154 (27.25925, -97.419233) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: live bait CONTACT: Capt. Mike Hart, Brush Country Charters, 361-985-6089 or 361449-7441 TIPS: Dawn thru Midday; freeline live bait, work east drop-off, work bait slowly.

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Bayside Drive GPS: N26 11.28102, W97 17.81298 (26.188017, -97.296883) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters early, Logic Baits in gold/glitter, wounded mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Fish close to shore when high tide pushes bait up against it. Watch for tails C O A S T A L

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and jumping bait. Fish both topwaters and tandem tails with a fast, erratic retrieve. A logic spinner is a good choice, too.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Causeway Flats GPS: N26 5.85702, W97 10.99698 (26.097617, -97.183283) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, cut mullet or ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white, plum/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Fish the flats between the boat channel and the shoreline on a high tide.

Waders can reach this by walking in by the Causeway. Redfish will strike either live or cut bait, or a shad tail on a 1/8-ounce head. Topwaters are good early.

SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Logic Bait tandems in clear, gold/glitter, red glitter, wounded mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Look for redfish up on the mud flats near the shoreline. Watch for tails, or mud boils. Make long casts parallel to the shoreline along the depth break.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Boca Chica Beach GPS: N26 2.81202, W97 9.23598 (26.046867, -97.153933) SPECIES: tarpon BEST BAITS: live Finger mullet, large shrimp; Topwaters in chrome, silver, smoke CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: You’ll spot large tarpon cruising in the swells of the second gut, and the first gut on a high tide early in the morning.

Topwaters on calmer days make for some spectacular strikes. Live bait on a circle hook is a good bet for fish, too.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 8.83002, W97 17.75502 (26.147167, -97.295917) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live Bait, Logic Bait tandems in clear, red glitter, wounded mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Fish the oil channel for speckled trout. The edges hold trout early in the morning (good topwater fishing). When the trout move deeper, fish a tandem slowly to get down to where the lunkers lurk.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 8.83002, W97 17.75502 (26.147167, -97.295917)

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay Duck Blind GPS: N26 1.665, W97 12.34698 (26.027750, -97.205783) SPECIES: snook BEST BAITS: live shrimp; Logic Baits tandems in gold/meltalflake CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Snook start loitering in this area and will strafe schools of bait to tip you off.

A 5: Tandem in wounded mullet or gold/glitter is lethal, especially if the snook are aggressive early in the morning. Fish with a quick, erratic retrieve.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Rocky Slough GPS: N 27 10.639, W 97 26.445 (27.177317, -97.44075) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Terry Neal, Terry Neal Charters, 956-944-2559; 956-6427357 TIPS: Morning and afternoon; work bait slow early season, work deeper late season LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Community Bar GPS: N26 35.14398, W97 25.644 (26.585733, -97.427400) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, soft plastics in glow/chartreuse, Pearl/glow CONTACT: Captain Steven Devries, 956289-3631

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TIPS: The North end of the top of the bar is a good point to fish for slot reds in June. Topwaters or live bait are good bets early in the morning, while gold spoons and live bait are strong choices later in the day.

LOCATION: South Bay HOTSPOT: The Washing Machine GPS: N26 1.785, W97 11.0298 (26.029750, -97.183830) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live Bait, Gulp shrimp in glow, Pearl CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Salinas, 956551-9581 TIPS: This is a great night fishing spot on a full moon. Anchor off the point for the channels and cast onto the flat. Let the outgoing tide swing your bait into the eddy, where trout are stacked up and feeding.

Fish shrimp tails the same way.

LOCATION: South Bay HOTSPOT: The Washing Machine GPS: N26 1.785, W97 11.0298 (26.029750, -97.183830) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: live Bait, Gulp shrimp in glow, Pearl CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Salinas, 956551-9581 TIPS: You will find great slot-sized drum action in the channel on a running tide.

Anchor on the edge of the channel and cast to points and drop-offs with live bait.

A novel technique is to use a Gulp!

Shrimp on a pink bucktail.

PINEY WOODS

White Bass Flock to Buzzards

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

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SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slab spoons, tail-spinners, Rat-L-Traps, shallow-diving crankbaits CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: The white bass will be holding along the old river channel sand bars.

Throw slab spoons or tail-spinners when the fish are on the bottom. Watch for schooling action along the channel, roadbeds, flats and points and use Rat-LTraps and crankbaits.

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Alligator Bayou GPS: N32 44.20236, W94 6.05778 (32.736706, -94.100963) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas-rigged plastic worms, Flukes, plastic frogs CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide@att.net, 318-455-3437, caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish along the edge of the hydrilla in the bayou with lightly weighed four-inch dark colored Texas-rigged plastic worms, weightless Flukes and frogs. Key on shady areas once the sun is up.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Harmon Creek GPS: N30 45.15198, W95 10.32096 (30.752533, -95.172016) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigging slabs, Pet Spoons CONTACT: Dave Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Key on the old bridge rails and roadbed in 11-15 feet of water. Jig slabs and spoons off the bottom or troll Pet Spoons on a downrigger. Kickapoo Marina off Hwy. 190 in Kickapoo Creek has bank access.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Old Hwy. 190 Roadbed GPS: N30 45.15198, W95 10.32096 (30.752533, -95.172016) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigging slabs, Pet Spoons CONTACT: Dave Cox,

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dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Key on the old bridge rails and roadbed in 11-15 feet of water. Jig slabs and spoons off the bottom or troll Pet Spoons on a downrigger. Kickapoo Marina off Hwy. 190 in Kickapoo Creek has bank access.

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SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, stinkbait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3101, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Fish the rocks on the left side of the point with a slip cork or tight line on a Carolina rig with a 3/4-ounce egg sinker and No.4 treble hook for stinkbait and a 2ought Kahle hook for shad. Chum the area under the boat and fish vertically.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Deep Humps GPS: N31 54.72192, W97 12.3543 (31.912032, -97.205905) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, teamredneck.net TIPS: Use a graph to mark the whites on the humps. Position the boat over the

Rip Rap Bass on Cedar Creek

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Dam Ripraps and Points GPS: N32 10.84146, W96 4.27572 (32.180691, -96.071262) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, plastic worms, jigs, crankbaits CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingcreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903-887-7896, kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish topwater lures early and late.

Fish the plastic worms and jigs in deeper water during the day. Slow-rolling crankbaits in 5-20 feet of water also can produce some catches.

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Dam Rocks GPS: N29 54.9021, W96 43.88226 (29.915035, -96.731371) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, worms, punch bait, perch CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: The water is 20 feet deep with rocks on the bottom. Slip cork or tight line for channel cats to prevent hang-ups. Yellow cats frequent these rocks, too, so use large hooks with perch and cut bait for them. Use a No.4 treble hook for channel cats.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Plumb Creek Point GPS: N30 38.6943, W96 3.03846 (30.644905, -96.050641) C O A S T A L

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schools, drop slabs to the bottom and lift and drop them. The bite will occur on the fall. I tap the side of the boat with a rubber mallet to draw the fish back in if they move.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Main Lake Humps GPS: N33 19.6185, W95 38.65104 (33.326975, -95.644184) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Slabs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifihing@yahoo.com, 903-348-1619, tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: The hybrids will gang up on the main lake humps to feed on gizzard shad.

Locate them with your electronics and fish large spoons and four-inch Sassy Shads.

Watch for shad jumping out of the water to escape the hybrids. White bass will be there, too.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Pump House GPS: N33 2.29866, W96 31.4805 (33.038311, -96.524675) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live shad, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: This pump house and the other two on the lake have good structure, as do all main lake points. Use sonar to locate the structure in 12-25 feet deep. Also try

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trolling spider rigs in 14-25 feet of water off Little Ridge points.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Face of Dam GPS: N33 2.01798, W96 27.62826 (33.033633, -96.460471) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh shrimp CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: Channel cats will be feeding along the face the dam early in the mornings and after dark. Use your trolling motor to move along the face of the dam and cast to the rocks. Use a slow retrieve. The fish should hit hard. Use a No.2 stainless hook.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville HOTSPOT: Main Lake and Secondary Points GPS: N33 5.18538, W96 55.99092 (33.086423, -96.933182) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Secret 7 Dip Bait CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobby-catfishing.com, 817-4552894, bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Anchor your boat and cast to the shallow brush and grass in 1-5 feet of water. Use dip bait on a slip-cork rig with a No.6 treble hook Carolina style. Let wave action carry scent of your bait into the thick brush. Set the hook at the slightest bite.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Saline Bay Coves GPS: N32 10.3578, W95 26.2506 (32.172630, -95.437510) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, BD7 crankbaits CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Largemouth bass will be most active during the early-morning and lateevening hours. Fish the coves and inlets with topwater lures and then switch to crankbaits when the bite slows. The water will be clear in most of these coves.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Henderson Point GPS: N32 11.7438, W95 29.1654 (32.195730, -95.486090) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish Henderson Point during early-morning and late-evening hours. During mid-day, fish the points on the south end of the lake.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Hwy.155 Bridge Brushpiles GPS: N32 8.64876, W95 28.49268 (32.144146, -95.474878) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Mr. Minnows Crappie Jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish the brushpiles placed under the Highway 155 bridge with Mr. Minnows Crappie Jigs in Gobby Green colors.

If the bite slows, move to the FM 315 bridge across Flat Creek and fish the brushpiles there with the same lures vertically.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Rocky Creek Roadbed GPS: N30 18.417, W96 33.8841 (30.306950, -96.564735) SPECIES: catfish

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BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-Guide Service.com TIPS: Anchor in 12-16 feet of water and chum the area around the boat. Set rods out in various directions. Use a slip cork if the wind is light to fish just above the rocks on the bottom. The bite may be light so set the hook at the slightest thump.

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to start. Use a clear Tiny Torpedo. The topwater action may last several hours.

LOCATION: Richland-Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: Three Fingers Lily Pads GPS: N31 59.68764, W96 9.35736 (31.994794, -96.155956) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Xpload Toad buzzbait, other topwater lures, swimbaits, plastic worms

CONTACT: Steve Schmidt, ssteve@steveschmidtsbigbass.com, 682518-, 8252, schmidtsbigbass.com TIPS: Start early with topwater lures around the lily pads and work your way mid-way back until it gets too shallow. The northeast side of Hickey Island also can be productive. Fish roadbeds and points with Carolina rigs and Tru-Life swimbaits.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Rocky Creek Roadbed GPS: N30 18.43062, W96 33.49164 (30.307177, -96.558194) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-Guide Service.com TIPS: Locate bottom drop-off, anchor and cast in all directions. If wind is blowing into the point, cast punch bait to the rocks. Use large cut bait for larger fish.

The lake record blue cat was caught here.

Use tight lines due to winds and lake action.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Mouth of Big Rocky Creek GPS: N31 52.95948, W97 23.46306 (31.882658, -97.391051) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: live gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, teamredneck.com TIPS: The post spawn patterns are here and the big fish bite is on. Anchor your boat and use live gizzard shad on a Carolina rig, dropping the baits down 24 feet.

Quick limits come early and late. There is bank access at Walling Bend.

LOCATION: Richland-Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: Fisherman’s Point Marina GPS: N31 56.42712, W96 7.43808 (31.940452, -96.123968) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Tiny Torpedo CONTACT: Royce Simmons royce@gonefishin.biz., 903-389-4117, gonefishin.biz TIPS: June traditionally kicks off the topwater action on the main lake points. The south shoreline from Fisherman’s Point Marina to Ferguson Point is a good place C O A S T A L

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PANHANDLE

Ivie Largemouths and PK Whites

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N31 33.3999, W99 41.7516 (31.556665, -99.695860) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, large plastic worms CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: With the spawn over, bass will move early on the main lake points chasing shad. Fish the points with topwater lures or dark-colored plastic worms crawled along underwater breaks.

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N32 51.75888, W98 32.90358 (32.862648, -98.548393) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: live shad, jigs, slabs, RatL-Traps CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: Start at the south end of Broadway in front of Bee Creek early. Live shad is the ticket. Jigs and slabs still are producing but topwaters and trolling Rat-L-Traps will work, too. Target drop-offs.

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GPS: N29 29.67126, W101 8.2884 (29.494521, -101.138140) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Crank baits, soft plastic worms, topwater lures CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, Amistad Lodge and Adventures, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Fish the major points that drop-off into 20 feet of water on both the Texas and Mexico sides of the lake. The bass will be feeding on crawfish so crawfish-colored lures will produce the best catches. Try topwaters early in the backs of the coves.

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

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Go Long for Falcon Largemouth

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

HILL COUNTRY

Deep Water Bass & Granger Crappie

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Triple Peak Cove GPS: N29 54.26184, W98 16.76652 (29.904364, -98.279442) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Berkley Power Worms, Crème Whackey Stixs, Zoom Tick Worms, Creature Baits CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: The bass are on the move to deeper water. Look for them along bluff edges and flooded timber on the left. Best colors are Watermelon-red, motor oil and blue fleck. Fish the entire point to the entrance of Canyon Park.

BIG BEND

Amistad Bass on the Deep Points

yellow jigs vertically in the brush. When you make contact with the brush, hold the jig still and wait for the thump. If no action in five minutes move to the next brush pile.

LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Open Waters GPS: N30 42.20802, W97 21.10962 (30.703467, -97.351827) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: 1/32-ounce Maribou jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Use your sonar to locate brush piles in 6-15 feet of water. Fish red-blackF I S H

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LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Long Point Brushpiles GPS: N26 40.46598, W99 10.16694 (26.674433, -99.169449) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Fire-tiger crankbaits, Sexy Shad, DD-22, Mans-20 CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the submerged brush piles off Long Point, pausing the bait or ripping it when you come in contact with brush.

Summer bass fishing is at its best so get ready for some big fish.

LOCATION: Lake Calaveras HOTSPOT: Rocky Cove GPS: N29 18.69288, W98 18.27282 (29.311548, -98.304547) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shad, shrimp CONTACT: Steve Nixon, fishhook0823@aol.com, 210-573-1230, sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Locate the creek channel and anchor just off the edge of it. Freeline live shad or shrimp off the bottom.

On the Web Hundreds of Fishing Hotspots, with GPS coordinates & tips: www.FishGame.com/hotspots

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Sabine Summer UMMER HAS FOUND ITS WAY TO THE Texas coast and brought with it an endless array of summertime fishing patterns, techniques, destinations and opportunities. Just about every coastal inshore species will be biting on these hot June days.

Here on Sabine Lake, it’s pretty much a matter of where would I like to go find fish today? That decision can be a little tough as the bite should be on from the Neches River to the Gulf of Mexico.

For those who opt for running the lake finding trout, reds and flounder shouldn’t be that difficult. There are several different paths that will lead you to the fish. The entire eastern side of the lake from Blue

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Buck Point to East Pass should keep you in the action.

Bouncing soft plastics off the bottom or dragging curl tailed grubs, live mud minnow or finger mullet in 2 to 5 feet of water should work well.

One big advantage to fishing this side of the lake is the number of bayous and cuts you’ll encounter as you make your way down the bank. Fishing the mouths of these can be killer on trout, red and flounder as the warm water and bait-fishes move in and out with the tide.

Another option is to run the open bay in search of schooling trout and reds. Whether it’s gulls and terns giving them away, or the tell-tale signs of shrimp skipping along the surface and fish busting the water, this is an exciting way to spend a hot June afternoon.

Rattletraps, spoons, plastics, top-waters and just about anything else you can reach the fish with will get hit The action is fast and furious while it lasts.

Once the fish go down, continue running

the lake slowly, watching the surface for any sign of activity until you locate them again.

A good pair of binoculars will definitely come in hand here.

For those who, like me, can’t resist the allure of the Gulf in the summer months, the action at the short rigs should be just as hot as the temperature. The legs of the rigs as well as other nearby unseen structure are like magnets to bait-fishes and predator fish alike. Serious numbers of solid trout are caught at the rigs every summer and June is the month that it really gets crankin. Chartreuse, Closing Night, and glow/chartreuse are very good color choices if you’re throwing soft plastics.. Most of the time you can get by with 1/4 oz. lead heads but make sure that you bring some at least up to 1/2 oz. because the current can be very strong at times.

Throwing the cast net a few times on your way to the rigs is never a bad idea.

There are times when the fish will absolutely annihilate live bait such as shad and finger mullet, and not even sniff at artificial.

Use a fish-finder rig and experiments with different weights to determine where the fish are holding in the water column.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: McFaddin Beach SPECIES: speckled trout, redfish BAITS/LURES: finger mullet, silver spoons, soft plastics, live shrimp BEST TIMES: moving tide

Contact Eddie Hernandez at, EHernandez@fishgame.com

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just past the surf- line with bait tipped feather jigs, Russelures, or big swimming plugs.

June Swoon UNE IS A MAGICAL MONTH FOR SALTwater anglers on the upper Texas coast. Temperatures are heating up, and so is the fishing action. While it can be sunburn weather in midday, mostly the sun should be your friend, especially in early morning and the afternoons. Fresh tides will bring back species that have often spent the cooler months in deep water offshore, or semi-dormant in deep holes in the bay systems. All systems will be go – not only bay systems, but also the surf, offshore, and the back bays and bayous.

With the younger family members out of school for the most part, this is an excellent time for family camping trips on the beach.

Such a trip can be especially tiring for the adults, however, because there is so much to do around-the-clock, with crabbing, shell hunting, fishing, body surfing, swimming, and just being tidal pool explorers, as Jimmy Buffet says he spent his younger days, that the kids may not sleep much until on the ride home. If Dad, and/or Mom wishes to spend at least part of the night watching the tip of a big surf rod in hopes of a “run” from a big red or small shark – more the better. In calm, green surf, live shrimp under popping corks, silver spoons, and various plugs can entice some really hefty speckled trout.

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June often brings calm days that are perfect for fishing the near shore waters between the breakers and a few miles out in smaller boats perhaps more suited for the bay. Smaller species are also available, like Spanish mackerel, but an occasional king mackerel, ling, or even a school of chicken dolphin could be encountered. Hitting close rigs, weed lines, and floating debris pay off, as does drifting and chumming, or trolling C O A S T A L

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All systems will be go — not only bay systems, but also the surf, offshore and the back bays and bayous.

Middle bay reefs in West Galveston Bay are good for drifting, or anchor up on the edge of a deeper gut and work deep to shallow with lures, then cast across the work deep to shallow. Old timers never wasted dead shrimp; they’d lay them out in the sun to dry and toughen, then use them for redfish bait that often out produced live bait.

The ICW will not be holding fish as it did in cooler water, but flats on either side probably will. This might be the best month for fly fishermen to begin working the bays, as hopefully the winds will not be so brisk every day to make casting difficult to impossible. A flashy streamer fished in a school of small shad or glass minnows should be a killer. Those who have not mastered the long, whippy rod can cheat a bit and rig a fly behind a weighted bubble or even a swimming plug or surface lure to cast it with a spinning rig.

Now that the Texas City Dike is reopened, anglers should be taking advantage of this easy access to good fishing water again. Whether fishing off the rocks on the channel side, wading the sand flats off the “Beach”, or chunking long from the very end, the dike has always had great potential.

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THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Galveston surf will be inviting waders and long rod fishermen alike, whether launching their baits from a pier, jetty, rock groin, or with feet firmly planted on the sand.

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ALTERNATE SPOT: Sandbars behind Galveston Island, reached by traveling behind San Luis Pass, or through Galveston Island State Park.

SPECIES: EVERYTHING should be available! Panfish to tarpon will hunt the surf; specks, reds, flounder and others will roam the bays.

BEST BAITS: Live bait should be plentiful, and easily caught in a cast net. Shrimp, finger mullet, small menhaden, and other schooling fish are tops.

BEST TIMES: Warm days and nights invite fishing around the clock. Green tides ahead of a good Southeast breeze push schools of bait and the predators who follow them into the surf and through the mouth of passes deep into the bay systems. Barring really bad weather, it is hard to find a time in June that is NOT good for fishing.

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

To book a trip, call 979-415-0535.

Email him at mholmes@fishgame.com.

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PHOTO: COURTESY HEIDI SIMMONS

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Granite Primed for Summer Y FIRST CAST BOUNCED OFF THE granite and surfaced in a pod of school of mullet staging against the outgoing tide. I gave it a twitch, walked it about five paces, then saw a spray and felt the weight of a 24-inch speckled trout.

That was 11 years ago, but that morning session remains one of my most memorable topwater affairs since I began plugging as a kid.

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If you haven’t checked water temperatures lately, mercury readings are around 80

Its jetties are the lifeblood of the Matagorda bay system.

Matagorda Rocks degrees, setting off a fire of fishing at the jetties in Matagorda and Port O’Connor.

“There are some good trout to be caught on live bait,” said guide Lynn Smith of Port O’Connor. “Early in the morning and late in the evening is best for lures.”

The jetty is the lifeblood for tides entering and exiting bay estuaries.

“You can compare the jetty to an aorta,” said guide Mike Williams, arguably the most profound jetty captain on the coast.

“Its waters supply life with fresh tidal exchanges and its granite attracts all types of fish.”

Williams said live bait like piggy perch, croakers and live shrimp are the best remedies for coaxing trout this time of year, but expect other species to bite as well. He said free-lined shrimp against the rocks is hard to beat.

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“We fish for trout but catch a lot of Spanish mackerel and sheepshead,” he said. “Go a little deeper and the big redfish are there.”

Of course, tides play a role in success.

The first two hours of the low tide and the last two hours of the incoming are best, according to Williams.

“You never know when you hook a big ling, king or red. You encounter tarpon out there, too.”

Tarpon show often at the Port O jetty, said guide Dan Poffenberger.

“They (tarpon) are there,” said Poffenberger. “There are some big ones, too…

150-200 class fish.”

Big mullet and live crabs are the baits of choice to entice a silver king, but expect the sharks to show as well.

“We fish for sharks and if the tarpon show we adjust,” said Poffenberger. “The sharks will keep you busy all of the time.”

For smaller species like bull redfish and jack crevalle, Poffenberger likes to concentrate in 30 feet of water near Bird Island, especially on the incoming tide. On the outgoing, he might anchor closer to the rocks, nearer the navigational buoys.

“If I am not finding fish on anchor, I will drift with the tide until I do,” he said.

This is the first summer Matagorda anglers will be able to fish the new jetty at the mouth of the Colorado River. For years shoaling has been a problem in Matagorda, with annual dredging a necessity to keep the channel open for Gulf shrimp boats and large offshore vessels.

My GPS sounder indicates 16 feet of water in the jetty channel, which welcomes back the offshore crowd and provides even better opportunities for light-tackle anglers.

I can’t wait to toss a topwater.

Capt. Bink Grimes owns and operates Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay (www.matagordasunriselodge.com).

Contact him at BGrimes@fishgame.com

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Matagorda jetty SPECIES: speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, redfish, sand trout, sharks, tarpon BAITS: finger mullet, live shrimp, topwaters BEST TIME: Incoming tide (Gulf side), falling tide (channel side)

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How Many Fish is Enough? ’M NOT ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM CONtroversial subjects, especially in the fishing and bow hunting world. Over the past year or so, one question I get asked has surpassed all others and that is should the spotted sea trout limit be lowered from 10 to 5 fish on the middle Texas coast?

Arriving at an informed and intelligent answer is no easy task. Enough has been written about this subject to choke a bullfrog. Some articles being well written are open mined, fact finding missions attempting to educate with no end motive. Others have been self serving factual tidbits that protect the authors’ interests. Both should be read and heard and both have valid points. Both cite public surveys as well as gill net surveys and use the data to their advantage like polished political candidates.

Such seems to be the way our fishing and hunting sports are heading. Yes, I have access to the data. Yes, I have read the data and studied the data, and can tell you— much like Holy Scriptures—it can be interpreted a multitude of ways, from justifying raising the limit from 10 to whatever “pick your number” to adopting catch and release only.

As with many issues there is a right and left side as well a middle ground that I like to call the grey zone, which, after all the pulling and gnashing of teeth, is where most controversial subjects seem to land or find the answers, and which seldom results in a complete win for either side. Lowering the trout limit will affect the way people view fishing on our coast and most of that will have a negative impact, especially in the

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short term. Most guides that I have talked with are not in favor of a 5 trout limit, anticipating fewer booked trips in an already suppressed economy. Many seasoned guides are already struggling and decreasing fish limits could put them out of business. Case in point: look what the new limits did to the snapper guides the full length of the gulf coast. Being a guide, I too fear the impacts it will have on my ability to make a living, but I have a deeper fear of what a depleted natural resource due to freezes, harmful tidal blooms, manmade disasters, and yes, over fishing, will do over a much longer period.

Historically, lowering limits has economic impact for up to several years. Again, the data has been bastardized to the point that it’s hard to see if it was the lower fish limits or other issues that caused the decline, but let it be known that if and when the fish stocks for any species in any area of this fair country is low or suffering, the impact lasts much longer with little to no recovery.

Would you hunt grizzly bears in Texas?

Would you fish for tarpon in most of our Texas bays? Probably not—as an informed sportperson you will go where the game is.

Did the redfish limits put in place in the early 1980’s have an impact in the way I described above? Absolutely! I was 24 years old at the time and remember weighing whether the new limits were worth the effort and expense to fish for them. I am thankful that the powers that be had the vision to establish those bag and size limits, for today we have three times if not more redfish than we had 20 years ago. Not a complete apples to apples comparison, granted, for redfish were taken out of the commercial harvest by gaining game fish status. It irks me to no end, though, when people (even close friends) declare that trout resources can never be over fished.

Mankind has proven over and over that without limits we can and do over utilize our natural resources and yes, that can and does include sea trout even with the twenty five F I S H

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million (trout and redfish fingerlings combined) that are released into our bay systems annually. Trout undoubtedly hold at least a half bubble of prestige over the strong shoulder redfish. Of the 27 species listed under the saltwater Bag and Length limits, only four have a daily bag limit. Over half have daily bag limits of 5 or less and that includes mullet, sheepshead, black drum, and trigger fish, all of which breed and reproduce like the proverbial rabbit. Without sounding the war cry on this issue, let me ask you to look at fish limits in a different way: How may fish is enough fish for us anglers?

For me, two 17- to 19-inch trout feeds my wife and me to over flowing. Take away one trout and add a legal redfish and we have fish left over for a fish sandwich the next day. Granted we do have trimmings that help fill us up, but seldom when fishing alone do I bring back more than 3 fish for our personal consumption. First, I can taste the difference in fish that have been frozen and my wife and I prefer fresh fish by a long shot over frozen even if frozen for just 1 or 2 days. Restaurants on average serve from 6 to 8 ounces of fish with a meal, which fills most of us up.

So you’re on a protein kick and eat just meat with no trimmings? Okay, cook three legal trout and see if it’s not running out of your ears by the last bite. As a fishing guide I help put many pounds of fish filets in freezers across central Texas and over the last 3 years or so I have asked repeat clients that I know who will tell me the truth if they and their family consumed all the fish we bagged on the last trip; most have said no. A man that I loved dearly kept his freezer full to over flowing with fish, and annually he culled that freezer and got rid of the old stuff. Even as a youngster I thought something was wrong with that picture. It just seemed like such a waste to me. Have I been guilty of the cardinal sin of letting fish freezer burn? Unfortunately yes. I do try, though, to put all the fish I catch to good use and you can see me asking everyone, be it

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relatives or friends, if they would like fish. If you research freezing fish most agree no matter whether you vacuum seal it or pack it in water (which is the way I prefer) it just doesn’t taste the same as fresh fish. I know most don’t have the luxury of having the saltwater at your doorstep and some aggregation of fish is a must and of course I support that but again ask the question how much do I really need?!

So where do I stand? I support a five trout limit based on the data for certain bays/geographic areas, but I do not support a shot gun approach that one limit fits all areas of our Texas coast. If you have studied this as much as I have the one size fits all approach is just an irresponsible answer.

Trout limits and all game limits for that matter are a tool we should use to help rectify imbalance, but these tools are not one way streets as they have been so widely used— once you lower the limit and sportsmen/women have complied with the limit, raise it back to an equitable level if the resources supports doing so. I mean today it seems to have been a pretty much a one way street, once you go down it never rebounds!

No, I have not drifted over to the dark side. I am and always will be a sportsman and a conservationist. But which comes first? Both... they have the same meaning to me. I would just ask the next time you go fishing or even hunting and the good Lord smiles favorably on you with much abundance, ask yourself the question, how much do I really need? Guess what — that fish you turned loose or the buck you let walk will be out there for your or others’ future enjoyment. Those are pleasant last thoughts as one drifts off to sleep at night.

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needed to get the bait down in the water column. Poverty Reef is holding some black drum and while peeled shrimp is usually the ticket on this reef have had better luck using small live shrimp under a cork, the key is patience setting the hook.

CARLOS BAY — Cedar Dugout is good for reds using cut menhaden. Work the wind and the current in your favor here starting shallow with your cast, then work into deeper water. It is best on a falling tide. Drifting across Carlos Lake is always a good bet this time of year with very late evening being best. Super spooks in bone and red are killer here.

MESQUITE BAY — The points in Cedar Bayou close to the grass is a good place for off season flounder using white grubs on a tandem rig. A medium retrieve with a sharp stop every few feet will entice strikes. When you feel the bump set the hook and don’t be shy about it. The cut going into the ICW is a good place for big reds using mud minnows on a Carolina rig. The current can be swift here so use enough weight to get your bait deep into the water column.

Ayres Bay — The shoreline off of Rattlesnake Island is good for reds and trout using croaker. The sheep head action can be good here as well. Use smaller hooks tipped with squid. Shrimp works as well since they

are masters at getting soft baits off the hook.

ST. CHARLES BAY — The south east pocket close to Bird Island is good for reds on high tide. Free lined shrimp work well here.

Hold tight to your pole as they typically hit hard and run fast. The deep water off of Little Devil Bayou is good for keeper trout with a rattle cork and shrimp. Berkley Gulp jerk shad also work well here under a cork.

THE BANK BITE South end of the LBJ causeway is a good wade for nice trout. Walk to the old fence (east side of causeway) and wade until about waste deep. A gold and red spoon will work well for trout and reds casting 360 degrees as you wade southeast.

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

COPANO BAY — Deep water reefs are the answer as the heat of June comes barreling in. Fish the deep edges adjacent to Swann Lake using Berkley Gulp shrimp on a 1/16 ounce jig head for Trout. Cast into the shallow water working the jig off the edge of the deep water transition. Redfish Point is holding reds using cut mullet, if no hits switch to finger mullet on a Carolina rig.

ARANSAS BAY— Deadman’s Island and adjacent islands are holding trout using croaker, the current here can be strong coming through the cuts so while free lining is preferred switch to a light Carolina rig if C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U N E

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Picking Up the Doormat T’S BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS SINCE Lower Laguna Madre anglers have been excited about flounder. The flatties just seemed to disappear from their regular haunts. At best, a handful of them would come to the dock every month, and rarely more than one on the same stringer.

Things appear to be turning around as of late however. Better and better catches of keeper-sized flounder have been reported since the hard freeze in February. Many of the flounder have also been pretty hefty, too, some over three pounds. Anglers who would like to get a flounder to stuff with crabmeat and bake or pan fry in butter can reasonably hope to succeed.

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. The easiest way to for Mansfield flatties is to work live bait or a soft plastic along the edges. A live shrimp or mullet is an ideal bait. Fish them on a spit-shot or fishfinder rig and a 1/0 short-shanked or Khale hook.

If you are going to hop a shrimp or shad tail (the venerable Norton Bull Minnow is a great standard), use a ¼ ounce jighead and hop the bait. This is akin to fishing for bass with a jig/pig combo. Hop with the rod tip up until you feel the resistance of a pick-up.

Lower the rod tip, reel in the slack, and set

I

76 |

J U N E

2 0 1 1

T E X A S

the hook. Hard. If you miss, start over.

Nothing 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 a fish-finder (Carolina) rig with a ¼ ounce sinker and a live shrimp or finger mullet on a #1/0 short-shanked single hook (the Owner SSW in blood red, for example). If you’d rather fish with lures, then try a 3” Gulp! Shrimp in New Penny or Pearl pinned to a ¼ ounce jighead and bounced along the bottom. If the flounder are there—and they should be—they’ll nail it with gusto.

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 F I S H

&

G A M E ®

tides, or you may be stuck for awhile on the ebb.

The mainland shoreline on the island at 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 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 jig hook 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! curly tail minnow, and I’ve been encouraged with the results.

If live shrimp are hard to come by, try a 3” Gulp! Shrimp or Attrax shrimp tail 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. They make a welcome addition to the summer get-togethers that you usually invite specks and redfish to.

C O A S T A L

Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzales@fishgame.com A L M A N A C

PHOTO: ©TEXAS FISH & GAME

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JUNE 2011

Tides and Prime Times

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

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

T12

T4

T11

T10 T9

TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the upper white boxes on the Calendar Pages. Use the Correction Table below, which is keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times.

T8 T6 T5 T17

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower color boxes of the Calendar pages. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE below to adjust times for points East and West of Galveston Channel.

T14

T15 T16

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

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

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.

AM Minor: 9:11a AM Major: 2:57a PM Minor: 9:40p PM Major: 3:25p Moonrise:9:27a Moon Set: None Moon Overhead:

T21

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below.

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.

T13 T7

T3 T2 T1

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.

4:55p

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for GALVESTON CHANNEL in the calendars.

KEY T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

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

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

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

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

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

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

KEY T12 T13 T14 T15 T16 T17

PLACE Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, W. Bay Alligator Point, W. Bay Christmas Pt Galveston Pleasure Pier

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

KEY T18 T19 T20 T21 T22 T23

PLACE San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor Pass Cavallo Aransas Pass Padre Island (So. End) Port Isabel

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

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:

7:05-9:40 PM

Green: Falling Tide

AM/PM Timeline

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

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

AM/PM Timeline

78 |

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.)

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

6p

12a

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

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p J U N E

2 0 1 1

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

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

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

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

= Peak Fishing Period

7:45-9:40 AM

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

TUESDAY

30

WEDNESDAY

31

THURSDAY

1

FRIDAY

2

3

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 4:34a

Set: 8:12p Set: 6:30p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 5:15a

Set: 8:12p Set: 7:26p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 6:02a

Set: 8:13p Set: 8:22p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 6:54a

Set: 8:13p Set: 9:15p

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 7:50a

AM Minor: 3:42a

PM Minor: 4:05p

AM Minor: 4:26a

PM Minor: 4:51p

AM Minor: 5:15a

PM Minor: 5:41p

AM Minor: 6:08a

PM Minor: 6:35p

AM Major: 9:54a

PM Major: 10:17p

AM Major: 10:39a

PM Major: 11:04p

AM Major: 11:28a

PM Major: 11:55p

AM Major: 11:51a

PM Major: 12:22p

Moon Overhead: 11:29a 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:11p

Moon Overhead: 12:19p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:05p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SATURDAY

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

SUNDAY

4

5

Set: 8:14p Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 10:05p Moonrise: 8:49a

Set: 8:14p Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 10:51p Moonrise: 9:51a

Set: 8:15p Set: 11:33p

AM Minor: 7:05a

PM Minor: 7:32p

AM Minor: 8:03a

PM Minor: 8:30p

AM Minor: 9:02a

PM Minor: 9:28p

AM Major: 12:51p

PM Major: 1:18p

AM Major: 1:50a

PM Major: 2:17p

AM Major: 2:49a

PM Major: 3:15p

Moon Overhead: 3:53p

Moon Overhead: 2:59p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:45p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

12a

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 11:54p +2.0

-1.0

L E V E L S

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:38a

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:32a

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:26a

BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 PM

7:00 — 9:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 4:19a

BEST:

+2.0

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 PM

9:00 — 11:00 PM

T I D E

L E V E L S

0

Moon Underfoot: 12:45a

T I D E

+1.0

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: None

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

5:09 am 11:04 am 12:50 pm 9:26 pm

1.48ft. High Tide: 5:50 am 1.54ft. High Tide: 6:31 am 1.59ft. High Tide: 7:13 am 1.62ft. High Tide: 7:55 am 1.62ft. High Tide: 8:37 am 1.28ft. Low Tide: 10:00 pm -0.16ft. Low Tide: 10:36 pm -0.23ft. Low Tide: 11:14 pm -0.27ft. Low Tide: 11:55 pm -0.27ft.

1.28ft. Jun -0.08ft.

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

1.61ft.

J U N E

Low Tide: 12:38 am -0.22ft.

High Tide: 9:17 am 1.57ft.

2 0 1 1

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+1.0

0

-1.0

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

6 Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:15p Moonrise: 10:54a Set: None

THURSDAY

8

7

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

9

Set: 8:16p Sunrise: 6:19a Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:15p Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 11:56a Set: 12:12a Moonrise: 12:58p Set: 12:49a Moonrise: 2:01p

10

SUNDAY

11

12

Set: 8:16p Set: 1:24a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 3:05p

Set: 8:17p Set: 2:01a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 4:12p

Set: 8:17p Set: 2:40a

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

Set: 8:18p Set: 3:23a

AM Minor: 10:00a

PM Minor: 10:25p

AM Minor: 10:55a

PM Minor: 11:20p

AM Minor: 11:47a

PM Minor: ——-

AM Minor: 12:13p

PM Minor: 12:37p

AM Minor: 12:59p

PM Minor: 1:25p

AM Minor: 1:46a

PM Minor: 2:13p

AM Minor: 2:34a

PM Minor: 3:02p

AM Major: 3:47a

PM Major: 4:12p

AM Major: 4:42a

PM Major: 5:07p

AM Major: 5:35a

PM Major: 5:59p

AM Major: 6:24a

PM Major: 6:49p

AM Major: 7:12a

PM Major: 7:38p

AM Major: 7:59a

PM Major: 8:26p

AM Major: 8:48a

PM Major: 9:16p

Moon Overhead: 5:36p

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:15p

Moon Overhead: 6:26p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:04p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:50p

Moon Overhead: 8:56p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

Moon Overhead: 10:47p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 5:11a +2.0

-1.0

BEST:

BEST:

10:00P — 12:00A 11:00A — 1:00P

L E V E L S

Moon Underfoot: 7:39a

Moon Underfoot: 8:30a

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 9:22a

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 10:18a

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

+2.0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

4:00 — 6:00 PM

T I D E

L E V E L S

0

Moon Underfoot: 6:50a

T I D E

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:01a

Low Tide: 1:22 am High Tide: 9:51 am

80 |

-0.11ft. Low Tide: 1.50ft. High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

J U N E

2:10 am 10:19 am 4:37 pm 8:19 pm

2 0 1 1

0.07ft.

1.42ft.

0.93ft.

1.00ft.

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

T E X A S

3:01 am 10:41 am 5:15 pm 10:48 pm

0.31ft.

1.34ft.

0.66ft.

0.98ft.

F I S H

Low Tide: 3:59 am 0.59ft.

High Tide: 11:01 am 1.29ft.

Low Tide: 5:58 pm 0.35ft.

&

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

G A M E ®

12:50 am 5:08 am 11:16 am 6:44 pm

1.09ft.

0.87ft.

1.27ft.

0.04ft.

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

C O A S T A L

2:31 am 6:40 am 11:31 am 7:31 pm

1.27ft.

1.11ft.

1.29ft.

-0.24ft.

A L M A N A C

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

3:51 am 8:35 am 11:44 am 8:20 pm

1.45ft.

1.28ft.

1.33ft.

-0.46ft.

+1.0

0

-1.0

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

= Peak Fishing Period

7:45-9:40 AM

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

14

13

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

16

15

SATURDAY

17

18

19

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 6:26p

Set: 8:18p Set: 4:10a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 7:30p

Set: 8:18p Set: 5:04a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 8:28p

Set: 8:19p Set: 6:01a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 9:21p

Set: 8:19p Set: 7:02a

AM Minor: 3:24a

PM Minor: 3:54p

AM Minor: 4:19a

PM Minor: 4:48p

AM Minor: 5:16a

PM Minor: 5:45p

AM Minor: 6:15a

PM Minor: 6:43p

AM Minor: 7:14a

PM Minor: 7:41p

AM Minor: 8:11a

PM Minor: 8:37p

AM Minor: 9:06a

PM Minor: 9:29p

AM Major: 9:39a

PM Major: 10:09p

AM Major: 10:34a

PM Major: 11:03p

AM Major: 11:31a

PM Major: ——-

AM Major: 12:01p

PM Major: 12:29p

AM Major: 1:00a

PM Major: 1:27p

AM Major: 1:59a

PM Major: 2:24p

AM Major: 2:54a

PM Major: 3:18p

Moon Overhead: 11:46p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:46a

Moon Overhead: None

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:19p Moonrise: 10:06p Set: 8:04a

SUNDAY

Moon Overhead: 1:45a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:19p Moonrise: 10:46p Set: 9:05a

Moon Overhead: 3:34a

Moon Overhead: 2:41a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:20p Moonrise: 11:21p Set: 10:03a

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:23a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 11:16a +2.0

-1.0

BEST:

L E V E L S

5:30 — 7:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:13p

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

BEST:

7:00 — 9:00 PM

8:00 — 9:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:08p

Moon Underfoot: 3:59p

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 4:46p

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 PM

+2.0

BEST:

9:30 — 11:30 PM

10:00P — 12:00A

T I D E

L E V E L S

0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:15p

T I D E

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 12:16p

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

82 |

4:55 am 10:24 am 12:00 pm 9:09 pm

1.58ft.

1.37ft.

1.38ft.

-0.61ft.

J U N E

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

5:50 am 11:41 am 12:29 pm 9:57 pm

2 0 1 1

1.64ft.

1.41ft.

1.41ft.

-0.67ft.

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

T E X A S

6:38 am 12:17 pm 1:29 pm 10:46 pm

1.64ft.

1.41ft.

1.41ft.

-0.64ft.

F I S H

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

&

7:21 am 12:45 pm 2:35 pm 11:33 pm

1.60ft. High Tide: 8:00 am 1.37ft. Low Tide: 1:20 pm 1.38ft. High Tide: 3:40 pm -0.55ft.

G A M E ®

1.52ft.

1.29ft.

1.31ft.

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

C O A S T A L

12:18 am 8:36 am 2:05 pm 4:47 pm

-0.40ft.

1.44ft.

1.18ft.

1.21ft.

A L M A N A C

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

1:01 am 9:07 am 2:58 pm 6:03 pm

-0.20ft.

1.35ft.

1.04ft.

1.09ft.

+1.0

0

-1.0

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Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011 TUESDAY

20

21

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:20p Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 11:53p Set: 10:59a Moonrise: None

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

23

22

Set: 8:20p Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:20p Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:21p Set: 11:53a Moonrise: 12:24a Set: 12:45p Moonrise: 12:53a Set: 1:37p

24

SUNDAY

25

26

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 1:23a

Set: 8:21p Set: 2:29p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 1:55a

Set: 8:21p Set: 3:23p

Sunrise: 6:21a Moonrise: 2:31a

Set: 8:21p Set: 4:18p

AM Minor: 9:57a

PM Minor: 10:19p

AM Minor: 10:44a

PM Minor: 11:05p

AM Minor: 11:28a

PM Minor: 11:49p

AM Minor: ——-

PM Minor: 12:10p

AM Minor: 12:29p

PM Minor: 12:50p

AM Minor: 1:09a

PM Minor: 1:31p

AM Minor: 1:48a

PM Minor: 2:12p

AM Major: 3:46a

PM Major: 4:08p

AM Major: 4:34a

PM Major: 4:55p

AM Major: 5:18a

PM Major: 5:38p

AM Major: 6:00a

PM Major: 6:20p

AM Major: 6:40a

PM Major: 7:01p

AM Major: 7:20a

PM Major: 7:42p

AM Major: 8:00a

PM Major: 8:23p

Moon Overhead: 5:08a

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:32a

Moon Overhead: 5:50a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:12a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:36a

Moon Overhead: 7:53a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:22a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

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

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 5:29p +2.0

-1.0

BEST:

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10:30P — 12:30A 11:00A — 1:00P

Moon Underfoot: 7:33p

Moon Underfoot: 8:15p

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 8:59p

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 PM

BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 PM

2:00 — 4:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 9:46p +2.0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

T I D E

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0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:52p

T I D E

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BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:11p

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

1:42 am 9:34 am 3:54 pm 7:34 pm

0.02ft.

1.27ft.

0.88ft.

0.97ft.

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

2:19 am 9:57 am 4:44 pm 9:20 pm

0.26ft.

1.20ft.

0.71ft.

0.88ft.

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

2:55 am 10:17 am 5:27 pm 11:15 pm

0.50ft.

1.15ft.

0.54ft.

0.88ft.

Low Tide: 3:28 am 0.73ft.

High Tide: 10:32 am 1.13ft.

Low Tide: 6:05 pm 0.37ft.

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

1:15 am 4:00 am 10:42 am 6:41 pm

0.96ft.

0.93ft.

1.12ft.

0.21ft.

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

3:13 am 4:49 am 10:42 am 7:16 pm

1.10ft.

1.09ft.

1.15ft.

0.07ft.

High Tide: 4:20 am Low Tide: 7:51 pm

1.23ft.

-0.06ft.

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

27

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

29

28

FRIDAY

30

SATURDAY

JUL 1

SUNDAY

2

3

Sunrise: 6:21a Moonrise: 3:10a

Set: 8:21p Set: 5:14p

Sunrise: 6:21a Moonrise: 3:54a

Set: 8:21p Set: 6:11p

Sunrise: 6:22a Moonrise: 4:44a

Set: 8:21p Set: 7:06p

Sunrise: 6:22a Moonrise: 5:39a

Set: 8:21p Set: 7:58p

Sunrise: 6:22a Moonrise: 6:39a

Set: 8:21p Set: 8:47p

Sunrise: 6:23a Moonrise: 7:41a

Set: 8:21p Set: 9:31p

Sunrise: 6:23a Moonrise: 8:45a

AM Minor: 2:30a

PM Minor: 2:55p

AM Minor: 3:14a

PM Minor: 3:40p

AM Minor: 4:02a

PM Minor: 4:29p

AM Minor: 4:53a

PM Minor: 5:21p

AM Minor: 5:47a

PM Minor: 6:15p

AM Minor: 6:43a

PM Minor: 7:10p

AM Minor: 7:41a

PM Minor: 8:07p

AM Major: 8:42a

PM Major: 9:07p

AM Major: 9:27a

PM Major: 9:53p

AM Major: 10:16a

PM Major: 10:43p

AM Major: 11:07a

PM Major: 11:34p

AM Major: ——-

PM Major: 12:28p

AM Major: 12:30p

PM Major: 12:57p

AM Major: 1:28a

PM Major: 1:54p

Moon Overhead: 10:10a

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:55a

Moon Overhead: 11:01a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:50p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:39p

Moon Overhead: 1:45p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Set: 8:21p Set: 10:12p

Moon Overhead: 3:32p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 10:35p +2.0

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BEST:

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4:00 — 6:00 PM

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 12:22a

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:17a

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:12a

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

BEST:

7:00 — 9:00 PM

8:00 — 10:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:06a +2.0

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 PM

T I D E

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BEST:

Moon Underfoot: None

T I D E

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 11:28p

High Tide: 4:53 am Low Tide: 8:27 pm

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1.52ft.

1.31ft.

1.32ft.

-0.44ft.

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7:25 am 12:17 pm 2:58 pm 11:40 pm

1.51ft. High Tide: 7:55 am 1.47ft.

1.24ft. Low Tide: 12:56 pm 1.13ft.

1.28ft. High Tide: 4:16 pm 1.20ft.

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Ethanol Buster: Biobor EB YOUR OUTBOARD IS RUNNING ROUGH, your lawn mower won’t start, and your ATV has a clogged carburetor? Bad things seem to happen in threes and all of these problems are connected, but they don’t have anything to do with bad luck—phase separation is probably the culprit. You have ethanol to thank for increasing the likelihood that the fuel in your tanks and cans will separate out.

Then the ethanol can mix with water in the tank, leading to power loss, poor starting, a drop in efficiency, and in some cases, severe internal engine damage. That’s why Hammonds Fuel Additives formulated Biobor EB, an ethanol-busting gasoline treatment that puts the oomph back in your octane.

Biobor EB prevents phase separation for up to two years, and one ounce treats 15 gallons. That means you get better efficiency, more power, improved lubricity, and over the long haul, reduced maintenance cost as well. This stuff also cleans and disburses sludge.

The biggest phase separation problems come when fuel sits for extended periods of time, so in order to find out how well it worked, I gave it a shot in my lawn mower (which sits for weeks or even months, until my wife yells at me) and the outboard on my duck boat (which sits idle during most of the off-season). In both cases, the engines ran like tops and phase separation was a non-issue.

One thing I really liked about Biobor 86 |

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EB was the squeeze bottle it comes in, which has a built-in measuring section on top. That made it easy to figure out exactly how much of the additive to add to the tanks; with some competing products, you have to use the pour-and-pray method of guessing how many ounces you’re adding.

The price is another up-side. At $20 for a 16-ounce bottle, it only costs about eight cents a gallon—a worthy expenditure, to keep ethanol issues at bay.

Check this stuff out at www.biobor.com, and while you’re at it, if you also have a diesel or two in the fleet you might also want to have a look-see at Hammond’s microbiocides, microbial detection kit, and lubricity agents for low-sulfur diesel.

—Lenny Rudow

Trailer Tailor AREN’T YOU SICK AND TIRED OF THOSE chintzy bearing protectors that corrode away, bend out of shape, and fall off when you hit the first bump? I know I was, until I found Dura Hub Extreme bearing protectors.

Bearing protectors are your first line of defense, when you dunk a trailer in and out of the water regularly. Unfortunately, cheap

mon failure point on many boat trailers.

But the “dura” in Dura Hub obviously comes from the anodized aluminum body, which is thoroughly rugged—you can bend most bearing protectors with your hands, but not this one.

Dura Hubs have a clear lens on the outside, which makes them great for oil bath hubs as well as grease, because it allows you to check on oil levels at a glance (or check for water intrusion, in the case of grease bearings). There’s also a removable top cap so you can add oil when necessary, and they can be used with 80/90W gear oil or combined 80/90W gear oil and grease lubricants.

Installing the Dura Hubs was relatively easy: First I had to disassemble the hubs and degrease the parts. Next, I had to use Emery tape to sand the axel where the rear seal sits. Then it was just a matter of reassembling and repacking the hub, ringing the Dura Hub with a dose of Loctite 515 Flange sealer, and banging the protector into place with a block of wood and a hammer.

Four different hub cap sizes are available, including 1.781”, 1.980”, 2.441”, and 2.500”. Prices range from $49.95 to $89.95 per pair. Check them out at www.durahub.com.

—LR

Survival Bracelet Extreme protection for trailer bearings.

versions can allow water inside your Dura Hub bearings; when the hot hubs hit cool water a vacuum is formed, sucking water and dirt in. That’s why Dura Hubs have a flexible membrane, which seals the bearing and maintains internal pressure regardless of the outside environment. That flexible membrane also reduced the load on the rear seal, a comF I S H

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TELL ME, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU been in the brush or woods or mountains and needed a piece of rope or cord?

If you are an outdoorsman, I suspect the answer to that question would be, many times. I know that I have wished for a piece of rope, cord, or string many times. The uses for a few feet of strong cord are almost endless.

When I was active duty Border Patrol, I carried a long piece CONTINUED of parachute cord SEE PAGE 88

C O A S T A L

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PHOTOS: BIOBOR, DURA HUB

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PHOTO: QUALITY MARINE

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‘Service Built our Business’ QUALITY MARINE ON US HWY 190 WEST in Onalaka is a story of a business starting small, probably with no aspirations of growing big, but events and customer needs slowly turned the business into what it is today.

Quality Marine is a Tracker Elite dealership, meaning that Quality has chosen to commit their dealership exclusively to the sale of Tracker Boats in the aluminum fishing boat category, Sun Tracker in the pontoon boat category, and Nitro in the performance fishing boat category.

“We handle the Tracker line of boats for the quality and the fact they have nation-wide no hassle pricing, everyone sells for the same price,” said Steve Loy, owner and president of the dealership. Quality Marine also has a Platinum rating from Mercury and a 5 Star rating from Yamaha.

These two awards identify a dealer who adheres to the highest service standards.

Steve Loy wasn’t even thinking about earning all these rewards when he began Quality Marine in 1986. “I moved to Texas for the warmer weather,” said Loy. My father was in the marine and gun business in Illinois and I grew up in the marine and sporting goods types of businesses. It is all I have ever done.

“We started out as a service only shop with four service technicians. That lasted for about four years. It got to where outboards were too dependable; service work just wasn’t there like it used to be.” Sometimes service customers would from time to time ask if he sold outboard engines.

“The first thing we started handling were new outboard motors,” continued Loy. Then we kind of got into the power sport watercraft. About 1995 Quality Marine started selling Polaris ATVs, Rangers, sport vehicles and Tracker boat line.

C O A S T A L

Showroom of the Onalaska-based dealership.

Quality Marine

“It wasn’t my intent to get back into the major retail end of the business. I had three stores and 20 people in Illinois. I sold the stores and was ready to get out of that end of it. I wanted to open just a little marine engine service shop. One thing led to another and here I am again.”

Loy opened a new and expanded store June 1, 2010, still at the same location of the original store. “We tore the old store down when the new one was finished.”

The old location was about 3,500 square feet; the new store is 12,500 square feet, almost tripling the space. We pretty much still have the same products.”

“Everything has changed a lot for 2011,” commented Loy. Some of the more noticeable changes include wider Sun Tracker pontoon boats. Polaris has a new diesel Ranger. The dealership is still well known for its quality marine service.

Quality Marine service department works on approximately 1,800 units a year.

“This town only has 1,100 people,” said Loy. “We handle service needs from all over. We have seven fulltime mechanics that

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are highly trained; service is a big deal with us.”

Bob Downing with over 35 years in the marine service business oversees all service related operations. “Being a Mercury and Mercruiser Master Mechanic, he brings a wealth of knowledge to our operations,” says Loy. Downing started at Mercury’s Lake X Proving Grounds and went on to become a technical rep. traveling the roads repairing engines dealers could not figure out. He is one of the founders of Quality Marine.

Bud Loy, Steve Loys younger brother cut his teeth in the marine business. He has been in the Mercruiser and Mercury service business for over 40 years. He is also a Mercury & Mercruiser Master Mechanic. “Both Bud, Bob, along with myself are avid hunters and fishermen spending all the time we can in the outdoors,” said Steve. “Robert Loy, my Father, was also one of the founders of Quality Marine. He retired several years ago but is still very active for being 79 years old.”

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Great, reliable service and solid product line has helped Quality Marine weather economic downturn.

“In the boating industry we have lost 1,500 dealers in the United States,” stated Loy. “We at Quality actually had growth this past year which is practically unheard of in this market. I figured I might be off 30 percent, but I am actually up about 10 percent.

“I think service has a lot to do with it.

It’s like Tracker. You can buy a Tracker boat any place…nationwide, no haggle pricing. It doesn’t matter if you buy it from me, somebody in New York or right at Bass Pro Shop…it’s all the same price wise. The only thing you have to sell is yourself, the dealership.

Quality Marine started in the service business; “We were real service oriented to begin with and we still are.” For more information on Quality Marine service and products please call 936-646-4916 or 877-ATV-POLA. The fax number is 936-646-2744. Their web address is: www.qualitymarineservice.com.

—Tom Behrens

Leupold Scopes Now with Mossy Oak Finishes UTILIZING AN EXCLUSIVE CAMOUFLAGE application technology for superior durability, Leupold now offers the popular

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Mossy Oak Break-Up and Mossy Oak Treestand hunting patterns on VX-I and UltimateSlam 3-9x40mm scope models.

Leupold’s advanced anodization process bonds the camo pattern directly to the scope body, ensuring an extremely tough and long-lasting finish, without adding thickness to the maintube diameter.

The VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are the first to feature this process.

One of the most versatile camo patterns, Mossy Oak Break-Up is effective in various hunting environments, from flooded timber to deep woods. Mossy Oak Treestand is designed specifically for whitetail deer hunters who shoot from an elevated position, providing concealment among the bare limbs of a tree in late fall.

“With these field-proven camo patterns, our VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are a great choice for deer hunters concerned with concealment, whether they use a rifle,

performance, season after season.”

The VX-I camo riflescopes have the time-tested Duplex reticle, micro-friction dials marked in ¼-MOA increments for easy windage and elevation adjustments, and Leupold’s classic lockable eyepiece for a secure focus. UltimateSlam scopes are designed to enhance accuracy with muzzleloaders and shotguns. Each UltimateSlam pairs Leupold’s exclusive Sabot Ballistics Reticle (SA.B.R.) with an innovative power selector ring that allows hunters to synchronize their gun with their preferred load.

In addition, VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes feature Leupold’s Standard Multicoat lens system for a bright, clear image. Like all Golden Ring scopes, they are VX-1 and Ultimate waterproof and fog proof, and testSlam scopes with ed under extreme conditions to Mossy Oak camo. ensure ruggedness and durability.

VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are Leupold backed by Leupold’s Full Lifetime muzzleloader or Guarantee. For more information, visit a shotgun,” commentlocal dealer, go to www.leupold.com or call ed Pat Mundy, com1-800-LEUPOLD. munications manager for Leupold also announced that its VariLeupold & Stevens, Inc. able Scout Scope is now vailable through “Our unique anodization process, the Leupold Custom Shop and that addicombined with the ruggedness typical of all tional Custom Shop offerings are planned our scopes, will deliver years of reliable in 2011.

TEXAS TESTED in the bag that I carried to work FROM PG. 86 every day. The bag -- we called them by the Spanish “trique bag”, trique meaning thing, as in a bag that held a bunch of things you might need during the day. The old mountain men called their version a possibles bag, a bag that held the things they might possibly need. These days everybody is carrying a backpack or nap sack.

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Anyway, the parachute cord served me well over the years for everything from making emergency repairs to a saddle to tying a piece of camouflage netting between two bushes for a makeshift blind.

There is now a better way to take your parachute cord with you than to ball it up in a knot that requires an hour to unravel when you need it. I'm talking about Survival Straps, www.survivalstraps.com, 800971-3360. These are tasteful bracelets, F I S H

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anklets, belts, watch straps, and more, that are made of parachute cord. They are fashionable, and if you get in a bind, you simply unravel the bracelet into several feet of life saving nylon cord.

If you are an outdoorsman or woman, you really should check out Survival Straps. I think they should be standard issue equipment to every soldier, Border Patrol agent, and police officer.

—Steve LaMascus

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Hunters and shooters can now order a VX-II 1.5-4x28mm scout riflescope through the Leupold Custom Shop.

Ideal for scout rifles, lever action rifles or any rig that calls for mounting optics in front of the receiver, the VX-II variable scout scope helps the shooter quickly get on target with 8.75 inches of optimum eye relief on low power (7.75 inches on high power). Numerous reticle options are available.

The VX-II variable scout scope is among the first of a series of products that will be launched exclusively through the Leupold Custom Shop. It joins a 3x20mm fixed-power riflescope that was introduced earlier this year.

“We have already seen a lot of interest in the variable scout scope, even though it is not in our regular line,” said Pat Mundy, communications manager for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “Those who want more information on this and other new offerings should contact our custom shop directly.”

Other key features of the VX-II variable scout scope include Leupold’s proprietary Multicoat 4 lens system for a bright, clear image, and ¼-MOA field click adjustments for windage and elevation.

The scope has a one-inch maintube, measures nearly 11 inches in length and weighs only 8.8 ounces. Field of view at 100 yards on the lowest magnification is 41.7 feet (16.5 feet on the highest magnification).

Like all Golden Ring optics, the VX-II 1.5-4x28mm scout scope is waterproof and fog proof, and is backed by Leupold’s Full Lifetime Guarantee. For more information, call 1-800-LEUPOLD. Additional information on the Leupold Custom Shop is available at www.leupold.com.

—Staff Report

Sea Fox XT Series Engineered for Texas Saltwater SEA FOX’S “XT SERIES” BAY BOATS ARE designed and CAD Drawn by an industry leading nautical engineer. Each XT is designed using a combination of extensive engineering experience, a team of avid C O A S T A L

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Texas fishermen helped design the new XT Series

Sea Fox Texas fishermen, and the finest CAD designing tools available today.

WHAT A RIDE: The XT Series bay boats start with a wave busting deep V entry for that soft ride which transitions to a 15degree dead rise with a step at the stern for shallow water performance. The extreme flare at the bow will definitely keep you and your team dry in even the roughest of conditions. For extra skinny water, a tunnel hull option is available.

A UNIQUE HULL FEATURE: VIPER (Vented Integral Plane Extended Running surface) offers multiple enhancements over conventional hull designs. At rest, VIPER increases the displacement (floatation) of the hull improving stability and support for the additional weight of today’s 4 stroke engines. Coming on plane, VIPER serves as two large fixed planing tabs that virtually eliminates bow rise, reduces planning time, and improves shallow water performance. Up and running, VIPER’s vented step design reduces drag by shortening the running surface providing you with better performance and increased fuel efficiency.

THE CONSOLE: It’s tall and wide enough for two to tuck behind on a cold or rainy day. There’s room to flush mount up to a 12” screen GPS/Depth Finder right in front of you where it belongs. It includes full instrumentation, lighted rocker switches and dash mounted circuit breakers. Six vertical rod holders provide lots of space to store rods when not in use. Aft, there is

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protected storage area for your keys, wallet, etc. A protected stereo or VHF mounting area has a 12-volt receptacle for charging your IPod or cell phone. Cranking and trolling motor batteries are stored in an isolated storage area with cross ventilation. A locking tackle box storage compartment is accessible from the front.

COMFORTABLE SEATING: At the helm you will find an elevated stainless steel flip back seat with a backrest that locks in to five different positions. A large removable cooler or an optional leaning post comes standard with a removable backrest, a flip down footrest, rocket launchers and a large removable cooler. Integrated into the rear deck are two oversized flip up jump seats with drink holders that disappear into the deck when not in use. Additional seating is available with backrest forward on the console. Fore and aft removable pedestal fishing chairs are an available option.

FOR FISHING: Vast fore and aft casting decks have large oval aerated livewells with high speed pickups. Dedicated storage in the floor has room for a five-gallon bucket and cast net. Locking rod boxes hold up to 10 rods. Walk around gunwales have a non-skid finish. The trolling motor installation features a dedicated reinforced landing for the trolling motor and a 12/24/36 volt heavy duty trolling motor harness and receptacle.

THE ANCHOR LOCKER: Due to the extreme high winds we often experience and the diverse bottom conditions found G A M E ®

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along the Gulf Coast, it seems like you can never have too much anchor. These XT Series bay boats have an extremely large and impressive anchor locker with enough room for a 13lb Danforth style anchor, 6 feet of chain and 100 feet of 3/8” rope.

BUILT FOR A LIFETIME OF SERVICE: Every Sea Fox boat is built to the highest standards. All composite construction means “NO WOOD = NO ROT” Premium Cook isothalic gelcoats featuring a high flex rate and extreme UV protection keep boats looking like new. Transoms are made of 2 ¼” Penske composite board and have an aluminum plate glassed in for added strength needed to support high horsepower and heavier 4 stroke engines. Stringer system is CAD designed and precision cut by an automated router then totally encapsulated in fiberglass when installed in the hull. All thru hull fittings are stainless steel, not plastic, and below waterline thru hulls have safety seacock valves. Wiring harnesses are custom made, color-coded to NMMA specs. All connections are waterproof and are made by way of Deutsch connectors or heat shrink protected connectors. Fiberglass hatches, not plastic, are gasketed, have a drain channeling system, and compression latches to keep stored items dry and eliminate rattling when running through the chop. Seven pull up cleats retract for safety.

THEY’VE GOT YOU COVERED: Sea Fox boats are USCG and NMMA certified and backed by a “Limited Lifetime Hull Warranty.”

Go to www.seafoxboats.com or better yet, go see one in person at a Sea Fox dealer near you.

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March 11, 2011. Shimano has committed to 100 million yen (approximately $1.2 mil USD) in monetary contributions and donations of 30 million yen (~$362K USD) in Shimano winter clothes and undergarments to support the disaster victims.

Shimano’s staff worldwide wishes to express our heartfelt sympathy to the many thousands of people affected by the devastating earthquake and sincerely hope for a safe and swift recovery.

Texas-Made Trophy Tools NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENtion. We’ve all heard the old saying, but Trophy Tools owner, Lon Krieger, took it far beyond invention to a thriving business catering mainly to hunters in Texas and throughout North America. The invention was the Scope Clamp, which is basically a camera tripod without legs, allowing the user to put a video camera or spotting scope in action in a matter of seconds where a tripod is impractical, like in most hunting situations.

“I ran a hunting operation in Webb County and part of our management plan dictated using a spotting scope before allowing a hunter to take a buck. Tripods didn’t work so I came up with the Scope Clamp for all my guides, which I thought was the end of my problem, but then our hunting clients started asking me to make one for them, too. Finally, I figured I’d make one for everyone.” Krieger explained.

That was in 2002, and since then, Trophy Tools has refined the Scope Clamp through five versions and produces the Sportsman model for most hunters and the premium grade Professional model for guides and others wanting greater strength and durability. “For a while, we had them manufactured overseas, but now we make them right here in Texas and the quality really went up.” said Krieger.

Along the way, Trophy Tools added Vortex Optics and Alpen Optics to their product line. Krieger feels both companies represent outstanding quality at very good price levels and compliments the Scope Clamp by offering several spotting scopes as well as binoculars and rifle scopes.

Krieger tries to work with every optics buyer to help them find the right tool for PHOTO: TROPHY TOOLS

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—Tom Behrens

Shimano Helps Victims of Japan Earthquake

This quick-action clamp replaces the tripod.

SHIMANO INC, LOCATED NEAR OSAKA, Japan, has made a donation to victims of the massive Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on 90 |

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their needs. “I try to use every item I carry so I can tell my clients about them first hand, then apply that experience to help them get the best glass for their needs and budget. Sometimes a buyer will have some features in mind based on advertising or what he’s seen, but would be a hindrance to what he wants to accomplish. I prefer to show him all the alternatives and help him decide what he really needs and have him come back to me happy the next time he needs optics.”

Personal service, expertise, and great products have been the keys to the success of Trophy Tools and Krieger has no intentions of changing that mix. “A good scope or binocular should last 20 years or more.

It’s important to help a client find exactly what he will be happy with because he’ll use it for so long.” Krieger went on, “Most optics manufacturers are coming out with sizes and features that are rarely needed, to one-up their competition. Who really needs a scope to shoot 1000 yards?

Rather than concentrate on gimmicks, we focus on quality optics that will do a great job and hold up for a long time.”

Helping their clients find the right tool for the job is what put Trophy Tools on the map and they are not about to change that driving principle anytime soon. Lon Krieger can be reached at Trophy Tools lon@trophytools.com or 512-618-8880.

—Staff Report

Paralyzed Vets Cast & Blast with Wiley X VETERAN-OWNED WILEY X EYEWEAR has announced its 2011 sponsorship of two important programs that allow paralyzed veterans to compete against each other and other outdoor sportsmen in exciting shooting and bass fishing events around the country.

Wiley X will be providing thousands of dollars worth of its performance protective sunglasses to both the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) National Trapshoot Circuit and the PVA National Bass Tour.

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events throughout the 2011 season.

In PVA National Trapshoot Circuit events, shooters with disabilities and ablebodied shooters compete as equals in the fun and competitive sport of trapshooting—shooting at clay targets hurled upwards to simulate the flight of a game bird. This year’s schedule of events around the country marks the 15th annual circuit for this exciting and tightly competitive event. Among the other notable sponsors for this unique series of shooting competitions are Cabela’s, Winchester Ammo, SKB Shotguns and Leupold Optics.

Wiley X will be providing winners, staff, directors and volunteers for the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit with its new Wiley X Guard and Wiley X Saber Advanced tactical eyewear. Wiley X will also be part of the prize package recognition for the season’s high-scoring overall shooter, high-scoring wheelchair shooter, and the winner of the Chad Crowley Award, for the highest overall PVA Voting member who is a veteran.

Both the Wiley X Guard and Wiley X Saber Advanced combine unparalleled protection with the ability to quickly change lenses to match shooting conditions. This advanced eyewear meets stringent MILPRF-31013 military ballistic standards (U.S. Military Combat Eye Protection) as well as ANSI Z87.1-2003 high impact certification (OSHA Occupational Eye Protection). In addition to advanced impact protection, Wiley X’s lenses also provide 100% UVA and UVB protection.

This level of performance and protection has made Wiley X a leading supplier of eyewear to elite military units around the globe. Because Wiley X is the only premium sunglass brand that certifies its entire line to exceed ANSI Z87 standards for safety, every pair of Wiley X glasses provides the same high standard of protection.

Wiley X will also be joining organizations like B.A.S.S., Bass Pro Shops, Minn Kota, Tracker Boats and Humminbird in its sponsorship of the PVA National Bass Tour. Wiley X will provide its polarized protective eyewear for tournament staff, directors and volunteers, as well as tournament winning anglers and the overall Angler of the Year. The PVA Tour consists of seven tournaments, each consist-

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ing of an Open/Team competition for anglers who wish to compete from a boat and a Bank Competition for anglers who prefer to fish from shore.

Wiley X polarized sunglasses provide the same level of protection found in its tactical eyewear, protecting anglers against everything from airborne debris and lowhanging limbs to flying lures. The advanced fish-spotting performance of these glasses have made Wiley X the choice of many top professional anglers, including Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese and 2010 Angler of the Year runner-up Edwin Evers.

“As a veteran owned company, we’re very proud to support Paralyzed Veterans of America and all of its efforts,” said Wiley X President of Sales Myles Freeman, Jr. “Shooting and fishing are two great American pastimes and an excellent way for people to enjoy the great outdoors.

These events put on by PVA provide disabled veterans and others with a chance to share and enjoy these life-affirming activities, all in the spirit of healthy competition.

We’re honored to present these brave sportsmen and event organizers with our products,” added Freeman.

To learn more about the PVA Bass Tour and the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit, visit www.pva.org/sports.

For more information about Wiley X’s full line of high performance eyewear for work and play — visit Wiley X Eyewear at 7800 Patterson Pass Road, Livermore, CA 94550 • Telephone: (800) 7767842, or visit online at www.wileyx.com.

—Staff Report

On the Web www.qualitymarineservice.com www.seafoxboats.com www.fish.shimano.com www.trophytools.com www.wileyx.com

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Bob-Cat Offers 26 New Features FROM REQUIRED TO INSPIRED...THE 2011 line of BOB-CAT zero-turn riding mowers not only meet 2011 EPA emission/evaporative requirements, the line offers an advanced operator comfort experience and many performance enhancing features.

Green Sense: A non-permeable tank and fuel cap gasket eliminate vapor release while a patent pending vapor retract feed recycles vapors through the carburetor – a green design that meets 2011 EPA emission/evaporative requirements without inhibiting fueling or unit fuel capacity.

Operation & Performance: BOBCAT’s exclusive new ISORide

Zero-turn mowers with advanced featurs for 2011.

Bob-Cat Comfort System isolates the operator from vibration at all touch points. The line’s new lower platform provides a balanced center of gravity for exceptional stability on slopped and undulating terrain. An extra wide dis92 |

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charge deck increases airflow to lift and dry grass blades eliminating clumping under the deck while a new oversized chute with unique fanning groves discharges clippings in a wide fine pattern.

For more information about all of the new features incorporating into the 2011 BOB-CAT Mower Line or to find a dealer in your area, visit www.bobcatturf.com or call BOB-CAT toll-free at 866-4691242.

ValvTect Helps Prevent Ethanol Problems VALVTECT ETHANOL GASOLINE TREATment can help boat owners avoid problems that can be caused by ethanol blended gasoline. Ethanol gasoline can destabilize very quickly, cause corrosion and some problems to the fuel delivery systems and engine components.

Many gasoline stabilizers provide improved stabilization, but they don’t provide protection against corrosion and phase separation.

To help prevent the damaging effects of ethanol, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment is specially formulated to provide stabilization (for up to two years), prevent corrosion of internal engine components and help prevent phase separation.

In independent laboratory tests, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment improved the stability of E10 gasoline (10% ethanol F I S H

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and 90% gasoline) by 186%, received a perfect A rating (the best possible rating) for corrosion prevention and showed the ability to retain moisture and ethanol in E10 fuel that can help preProtects engines from ethanol dam- vent phase age. separaValvTect tion.

VT8000 gasoline detergent cleans injectors and intake valves to restore power and decrease fuel consumption.

For more information about ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment and other ValvTect products, visit www.valvtect.com/ethanol.asp, call 1+800.728.8258 (US) or email valvtect@valvtect.com.

Seeker React Series Freshwater and Bay Rods AFTER 2 YEARS OF TESTING WITH PRO Anglers, Seeker announces the “React Series” line of ‘Technique Specific’ Freshwater Bass and Bay Rods. There are 11 models in four different actions for all reaction bait fishing.

Seeker Rods are proudly manufactured and assembled in the U.S. FEATURES: Nine models are built on Seeker’s graphite/’S’ glass composite blanks. These blanks are similar to Seeker’s popular “Inshore” series blanks. Two models are built on 100% ‘S’ glass blanks.

All models have Grade A Portuguese cork grips, Fuji reel seats, and Fuji Hardaloy guides. Each rod also features a hook keeper to store baits not in use. All rods are wrapped in elegant black with metallic purple inlays.

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Check out Seeker Rods and other high quality fishing tackle at Titan Tackle, an authorized dealer of Seeker Rods. Visit our store at www.titantackle.com.

Protect Guns and Gear from Rust and Dust DUST AND RUST ARE TWO OF THE biggest problems outdoor enthusiasts have after cleaning expensive firearms and other gear. ZipVac, the portable vacuum packaging system made in the U.S.A., which offers a variety of vacuum packaging bags can help prevent damage to gear.

For example, the King Fillet bag, which measures 14”x30”, can accommodate an AR-15 sporting rifle when broken down into two sections. Place the two cleaned sections of the rifle in the bag and use the rechargeable or manual evacuation pumps to extract rust-causing air and prevent dust and fuzz from settling on the parts, gumming the works. The same approach applies to compasses,

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viding component interchangeability and compact storage. “We have worked hard to bring meaningful innovation to the landing net and fishing accessories market and are extremely pleased with significant value that the EGO S2 Slider product system offers the recreational and professional fisherman”, said Grant Corbett, President of Adventure Products, Inc. “Our primary goal in developing the EGO S2 Slider product line was to change the current paradigm in landing net and fishing accessory Technique-specific functionality while incorporating all of the bass and bay fishunique brand characteristics and features ing rods. ensures the right that so distinctly defined the original EGO Seeker React one is available S1 landing net series.” for the best fit.

As part of the revolutionary S2 prodFor more tips on how to get the best use uct system, savvy anglers have the option of out of the ZipVac system, visit zipvac.net. three handle lengths, three hoop sizes and The ZipVac is available on line or at leadfour mesh types. Also available, are the S2 ing outdoor stores.

Boat Hook, the S2 Gaff Hook (available in two sizes) and the S2 Slider Knife.

Each accessory product has been carefully designed to provide the best in funcRECOGNIZED AS THE INNOVATION LEADER tionalin the sport fishing landing market, ity as EGO sets a new standard with the stand introduction of an all new landalone ing net and fishing accestools or sories product line. combined The revoEGO S2 Slider with the S2 lutionary landing net sets a Slider handle. new standard.

The S2 landing EGO nets float, incorporate the EGO Net S2 Slider unique EGO grip for added strength landing net and and offer a compact solution for storage, fishing accessories prodtravel and shipping. uct system features the For additional information about these most advanced hanexciting new products and Adventure dle extension Products, Inc., please visit technology www.egos2slider.com.

Let the revolution available. With begin! a simple pull

A Paradigm Shift in Landing Nets

or push of the S2 Slider grip, the savvy angler Vacuum bags now has complete control offer protection of the handle extension for guns & gear. length during the fish Zip Vac capturing process. The innovative modular platform also allows the handle to detach, pro-

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On the Web www.bobcatturf.com www.valvtect.com/ethanol.asp www.titantackle.com www.zipvac.net www.ego2slider.com G A M E ®

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Varmint Rifles ACK IN THE '60S AND '70S REMINGton didn't produce as many different models as they do now. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the choice was considerably easier. One model they did make, that I always admired, was the Model 700 BDL Varmint. It was just a Model 700 BDL with a heavy barrel.

The only one I ever owned was a 6mm-284.

A friend had it, and I lusted for it. Finally

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we came to an agreement and I traded a Smith and Wesson Model 41 target pistol for it.

The 6mm-284 had begun life as a standard .243 and a previous owner had reamed it out to the larger caliber. I was in my “faster is always better” stage at the time and was trying to push every bullet as near as possible to the speed of light. I had a load in the .22-250, using 45-grain bullets intended for the .22 Hornet, that was so hot that the bullet didn't reach 100 yards; they burned up, leaving a trail of blue smoke for about 50 yards.

The 6mm-284 was somewhat of a disappointment. I found that all that extra powder really didn't push the bullets that much

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faster, but it did cost more and burn the barrel up faster. I finally traded the 6mm-284 for something else – a Savage Model 99 in .219 Zipper, I think.

It took me about 30 years to realize that pretty much everything that can be done with varmint calibers has already been done.

P.O. Ackley and dozens of inventive gunsmiths, reloaders, and tinkerers of the early to middle 20th Century tried every possible combination of bullet and cartridge case that they could find. They determined that the velocity of a cartridge is controlled by the size of the bore, the volume of the cartridge case, the weight of the projectile, and the burn rate of the powder. Pushing beyond the bore capacity of a cartridge runs head on into the Law of Diminishing Returns. At some point, putting more powder behind the bullet doesn't produce much more velocity and increases pressure and barrel wear exponentially.

Way back in 1935, the .220 Swift broke the 4000 feet per second barrier, and we haven't done much better since. In the 1970s and early 1980s the .17 Remington was the darling of the high velocity set, but they soon found out that it only shot bullets and burned rifle powder. It eventually lost much of its allure and is now only popular with a small sector of the shooting fraternity.

Here is a Reader's Digest version of what I have learned over the last 40 years.

I like the .17s (not including the rimfires, which I think are totally useless for anything but plinking at tin cans), but I don't trust them. The bullet is just too small and frangible to be effective on game any larger than about 25 pounds. They are fun and easy to shoot. I would use one on gray foxes or prairie dogs, but prefer larger calibers for anything larger.

The .20 calibers are too new for me to pontificate on to any extent, but that is my job, so here it is. I used the .204 Ruger on one hunt in Wyoming and one hunt in North Texas and it performed wonderfully both times. I shot both prairie dogs and rock

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chucks with it in a Smith @ Wesson M&P 15 in Wyoming and never had a failure to anchor the target. I also shot coyotes and hogs with one in a T/C Encore Pro Hunter in North Texas and, again, it performed well. I was, however, ultra-careful of my shot placement on the hog, and placed the bullet behind its left ear. The result was, ZAP, one dead hog. I have a young friend who uses one almost exclusively on varmints in West Texas, including coyotes and sings its praises.

It should be okay for most uses on animals up to about 60 pounds, but I honestly don't see the need for it. Step up to the .22s and you have more bullet and almost as much velocity.

Any time you trade bullet weight for velocity, you are trading with the devil.

For foxes and bobcats the smaller .22 calibers, such as the .22 Hornet and .218 Bee, are effective up to about 100 yards. They are, in my opinion, just toys and not serious hunting tools. I use a .22 Hornet sometimes when I am hunting gray foxes or bobcats and I am certain the shots will be short.

The hot-shot .22s, beginning with the now sadly obsolescent .222 Remington are

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effective for somewhat larger game, or somewhat longer ranges. I use the .222, .223, and such on coyotes when I am certain the shots will not be far or fast. I never use bullets smaller than 50 grains, and almost never use anything but 55-grain bullets. Why? Because I have learned from sad experience that bullets less than 50 grains tend to detonate on the surface when pushed at high velocity; and that bullets over 55 grains do not have the velocity to kill cleanly at extended ranges in the smaller .22s.

The real fireballs are the .22-250, .220 Swift, .223 WSSM, and a few others, using 55-grain bullets, and in some cases bullets of up to 70 grains. These are effective out to pretty extended ranges on coyotes, and as far as you can hit one on foxes and bobcats, assuming the shot is in a vital area. Still, in many situations, more bullet is called for.

The all-occasion varmint rifles start with the .243 Winchester and go up as far as you care to go. My brother David wore the barrel completely out on a .270 shooting 90grain hollow points for varmints. It was most

effective. I did the same shooting 87-grain bullets in a .25-06. I believed in that gun almost to the point of worship. I was devastated when the original Remington barrel finally gave up the ghost.

The old .257 Roberts or its 6mm counterpart, the 6mm Remington (they use the same 7mm Mauser parent cartridge), may be the best all-around varmint calibers made. I say “may be� for the simple reason that every shooter thinks his pet caliber is the best and I am no different. I have pets. I admit it.

I have tried, here, to be as reasonable and unbiased as I can in evaluating the performance of the various calibers. I have shot, literally, hundred of coyotes, foxes, bobcats, gophers, prairie dogs, and even rock chucks.

The conclusions I have reached, were reached by field experience, not from a book or computer program, and not from someone else's questionable experience or opinion. Take it or leave it. It is your choice.

E-mail Steve LaMascus at guns@fishgame.com

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Time to Get Serious T IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT JUNE IS here already! For some bowhunters, June is the month to get serious about their practice time.

I have written many times before about how important I think practice is. Usually, the bowhunters that are successful every year have already been flinging a few arrows just to keep the muscles they use in tune. It makes it much easier to pull a bowstring back so that it is a more natural thing to do if you practice year round. Whether you are the occasional shooter or a person who shoots most every night, now is the time to

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get very serious about how you practice while trying to make every shot count.

Last year I wrote about changing your gear and getting accustomed to the new gadgets you might want to hunt with. I will simply remind the readers out there to give themselves time to adapt to their new equipment. Give yourself the time needed to know inside and out how your new gear works and how to make adjustments if needed.

As hunting season draws near, remember to practice with the hunting clothes you plan to wear during your actual hunt. I know it can be a little toasty for us here in Texas to be wearing a jacket in June, but if that is the jacket you are wearing during the season, now is the time to make sure your bowstring is not going to catch on your sleeve upon release. I am not asking you to dress up in all of you hunting clothes for any length of time at all…but enough time should be spent to see if you have a potential problem with your release and the arrow flight. If you find that your string occasionJune is the month for bowhunters to get down to serious preparation.

Drawing Near ally hits your jacket sleeve, an arm guard will fix that problem.

You have been shooting with your field tips and have become quite proficient. You also will need to “fine-tune” your arrow groups by shooting with the broadhead you plan to hunt with. Even though some broadhead companies (Muzzy comes to mind) include a practice head in the package with their new broadheads, I still believe you should take one of the real ones and see if it shoots the same. It probably will…but I like to cover my bases. I need to make sure and double check as much as I can before I go out on my actual hunt.

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types of broadheads. You may find one that you never knew existed and is the best thing since sliced bread!

I plan on shooting both mechanical and fixed bladed broadheads this month and will give my report for your next read. I can make suggestions, but you really need to try a few for yourself to see what works best for you and the game you are hunting. Right now, my hunting set-up includes NAP’s 100 grain Thunderheads. I love them…and they do a fantastic job. I have found that they fly true and I am very happy using them…have been for years, but that does not mean I should not try something else.

One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is shooting from 20 yards over and over again. This practice is all right as long as the deer are aware of that and stand right at 20 yards from you, but it probably will not be like that.

Shoot from many unknown distances.

As the season draws closer, I limit myself to one arrow and while I am at full draw, I really am concentrating because I know this is my only shot! I have to try to make it count.

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After all, that is the way it is when you are in the field so why not practice like that. A range finder will certainly help when it comes to judging distance. Leupold offers a fantastic range finder called the “Vendetta”.

I have tried it and I can tell you it works and works well. Still, you need to take time to practice with this addition to your bow. You will not be disappointed.

Another good idea is to get yourself out to a 3 D shoot. Many sporting clubs and different sport facilities sponsor 3 D shoots, especially just before the season. You may be able to find a facility that offers 3 D shooting year round. Believe it or not, shooting at a 3 D animal target is much different than shooting at a foam square with dots on it.

You will get used to shooting at the vitals, and with an arrow, that is what we are aiming for. This is the area with the most blood flow and after all, an arrow works by causing severe hemorrhaging which in turn will cause the deer to expire quickly and humanely.

Some 3 D courses actually take away points if you miss the vital area, which is out-

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lined by 2 or 3 sets of ring indentations in the target. If an arrow strikes anywhere else on the target, it is considered a wound, and your score will tell the tale.

I prefer to practice with a friend. I consider myself a competitive person and by shooting with a friend, I seem to concentrate more. I always let him shoot first…then I aim for his nock! Oh…he gets his turn too.

Another benefit of practicing with a friend is that when (I mean if) you miss the target someone is there to help you find your arrow.

So practice and practice often. Make it fun and make it competitive.

If you practice like this, you will soon find that you will be more proficient and that, in turn, will give you the confidence you need in this sport.

E-mail Lou Marullo at lmarullo@fishgame.com

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Green Boating (It’s Not What You Think It Is) O HECK WITH THE ENVIRONMENT— there’s another kind of “green” we boaters are concerned about, and it usually results in half-digested foods getting sprayed across the deck. Yes that’s right, I’m talking about seasickness. According to the US Navy, a mere one percent of the population is completely immune to seasickness, about 10 percent suffers from it virtually every time they step aboard a boat, and the rest of us fall somewhere in-between these two extremes. One hundred percent of

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the time, however, seasickness has the potential to ruin a perfectly good fishing trip.

This ailment is, of course, nothing new.

In fact, seasickness is where the word “nausea” comes from—in Greek “naus” means “boat”. But there are some new ways to combat it. The affliction is triggered when your brain is unable to coordinate your intentional motions with conflicting sensory inputs. Motion is sensed via the inner ear, and the eyes. But aboard a moving boat, your gray matter can’t put the motion your eyes see together with the motion your inner ear senses and the motion your body is attempting to create on its own. As a result, your scrambled brain is likely to send that scrambled egg breakfast sailing through the air.

Few non-life-threatening sicknesses are as uncomfortable, miserable, and horrid as seasickness. Yet in at least one way, getting seasick is a good thing: the gooey food bits thoroughly enhance your chum slick. Still, you probably don’t want to puke in the pass,

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up-chuck at the upwelling, or barf on the bay.

Some of the old stand-by remedies are effective, for most people, most of the time.

Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) is one of the most common, and was invented by a pair of Baltimore doctors in the late 40’s. It’s usually administered as a pill, but can also be found as a liquid, in chewable tablets, as a patch, or even as a suppository (I’ll take throwing up, thank you very much). It is an antihistamine, and although there’s some disagreement as to why exactly it works, it does prevent seasickness for most people, most of the time, depending on the severity of the conditions. But there’s a down-side: this stuff makes you sleepy, and after choking down a Dramamine or two, you might end up snoozing on the deck for half the day. Non-drowsy formula is available, but still puts many would-be boaters to sleep.

Bonine is another standard-issue cure that enjoys a high success rate, and is also most commonly taken in pill form. Some people find it slightly less effective than Dramamine, but it also seems to make people slightly less drowsy. In the case of both Bonine and Dramamine, however, you must take the pill well before getting on the boat.

At least an hour in advance is advisable, and people who fall into the unlucky 10 percent should take one the night before they plan to go boating as well as one in the morning, to get the medicine into their system well in advance.

Scopolamine is the latest and greatest in preventing motion sickness, and it’s said to be the most effective anti-seasickness drug around. In recent clinical trials it was found to be between 74 and 39 percent effective at eliminating all symptoms of seasickness depending on sea conditions and the duration of exposure, and in a review of multiple studies, was found to be just over 80 percent effective at preventing vomiting. Scopolamine is usually administered via a transdermal patch, and lasts for up to three days.

The down-side? You’ll need a prescription

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to get it, and common side effects include blurred vision, drowsiness, dizziness, and dry mouth.

A more ancient cure is ginger, which was used by the Vikings to quell nervous stomachs, so they wouldn’t puke while preparing to pillage. That’s why Ginger-ale is commonly given to seasickness sufferers, and chewing on ginger root is also rumored to help. In my real-world experience, however, the effects are negligible and it’s most likely a psychosomatic effect as much as anything else.

Dittos for pressure-point wrist bands, another iffy-maybe seasickness cure. Some users claim it helps… right up until they heave-ho. Taking one’s shoes off and going barefoot, odd as it may sound, is another alleged “cure” which has mixed results.

There’s one big common problem associated with all of these seasickness cures: they aren’t really cures at all, they’re methods of prevention. Once that ill feeling hits you, taking any of these measures is more or less useless. There are, however, two ways to go from chunk-blower to fish-battler in a

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matter of moments. The first is to simply get off of the boat, and into the water. This isn’t always preferable to being seasick—if you’re on a small boat in rough seas, the last thing you want to do is go overboard. But in safe conditions, treading water next to the boat for a minute or two is almost always effective at relieving your symptoms. The bad news?

When you climb back aboard, the ailment often returns. The second option is inhaling the mixed aroma of spearmint, peppermint, ginger and lavender oils, combined in a product called “QueaseEase,” which was originally developed as a drug-free alternative to relieve post-operative nausea due to anesthesia. Studies have shown an immediate relief success rate of 83 percent, and my personal experience backs up its usefulness, though I’d guess it’s closer to 50 or 60 percent effective. And there’s one other downside to using QueaseEase: from what I’ve seen the effects are temporary, and on rough days, those who feel ill are likely to end up huffing the stuff every five minutes.

No matter which approach you choose, remember that certain situations are more

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likely than others to perpetuate peptic purging. Rough seas, of course, are number one.

But the sight and smell of one person vomiting often triggers the same response in multiple crewmembers. The smell of chum or fish oil has also been known to trigger many a Technicolor yawn, and the same goes for the scent of diesel fumes and cigarette smoke. Drinking alcohol—especially in mass quantities the night before a boat ride—is another sure way to up the odds of losing your lunch.

Hopefully, if and when that queasy feeling hits you’ll find that one or another of these treatments quells your misery. But in the long run, there’s only one sure cure to eliminating seasickness altogether: sitting in the shade of an oak tree.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

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Tips for Better Kayak Fishing ISHING GUIDES SPEND MORE DAYS ON the water in a single year than casual anglers log over an entire decade.

Good guides are keen observers of nature and are often the best teachers when it comes to outdoor-related subjects. I spoke recently with a several current and former kayak guides and asked their advice on how kayakers can become better fishermen.

Dean Thomas, owner of Slow Ride Guide Service, is a sharp shooter that spe-

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cializes in saltwater fishing. Thomas is based in Aransas Pass and this light tackle guides fishermen targeting spots and specks along the Coastal Bend.

When queried about things kayak fishermen can do to improve their craft, the likeable Thomas didn’t pause a beat before saying: “Kayak fishermen in general try to carry too much gear on their boats. They are kayaks, not bass boats. All fishermen tend to be gear freaks and kayakers are no different. We all like ‘fishing stuff ’ and we all like to trick out our boats, but all that extra stuff won’t necessarily make you a better fisherman.”

Thomas’s comments ring true and brought a chuckle from the other end of the phone line. Outdoor writers are the world’s worst gear hogs. I carry all sorts of extra gear, like camera bags and duffels of new equipment to test, on most trips.

Another bit of advice Thomas offered related to proper footwear for coastal fishing. “If you get out of your kayak for any

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reason, you need to have good footwear,” said Thomas. “We have oyster shell littering the bottom and you shouldn’t walk barefoot.

Without the right footwear you can cut your feet very badly. Even if you didn’t intend on getting out of the boat, you may inadvertently get separated from your kayak and have to walk a ways.”

Thomas suggests wading booties for kayak duty, dismissing other forms of footwear. “Strap-on shoes and flip flops are OK if you never get out of your kayak but they are a bad choice for flats duty. A mud bottom will suck those shoes off your feet and you are back to wading barefoot.”

Kelly Watson, the former owner of Texas River Bass, has wandered to the other side of the Sabine River and it now the national sales manager for tackle manufacturer Marsh Works. For a decade, Watson plied the Blanco and San Marcos Rivers with clients in tow. Although he currently isn’t guiding, Watson still offered plenty of valuable advice to kayak fishermen who want to elevate their game.

“Always paddle into the wind for as far as you want to go before you start fishing,” said Watson. “Then turn around and start fishing your way back. This let’s you concentrate and put all of your energy into fishing.”

“Conditions can change quickly on the water. Calm days can become windy very quickly. If the wind pick up at the end of your day, you may have to paddle two miles into the teeth of a strong wind with the sun going down. It is always better to paddle into the wind first. If all else fails, you can drift back to your vehicle.”

Watson also likes to use any available cover, such as spoil islands and mangroves, to cheat the wind. “I try to use all available cover to hide from the wind and sneak up on the fish.” he added.

Watson never fishes more than a mile for his launching point. “You typically are running over millions of fish to get to fish,” he counseled. “You obviously don’t want to fish

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Don’t try to carry too much gear... it’s a kayak, not a bass boat.

barren water but, within reason, there are lots of places you can paddle to within one mile of the ramp. One way to become a better fisherman is to spend more time with your lure in the water.”

His self imposed one mile range limit has influenced his choice of hulls – that and his love of sight casting. “I like big wide boats.

I like to stand up while sight casting because it is easier to see the fish. Although they aren’t as efficient in the water as narrow hulls, big, wide hulls make the best fishing platforms. I believe in fishing better and smarter rather than fishing faster and farther.”

Watson suggested that kayaker anglers look to shallow water for greater success.

“Shallow water fish are often undisturbed.

Power boats can’t go in these waters and the fish are less spooky. You can sneak right up on them in a kayak,” Watson concluded.

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

Fishing Tips

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Catch Anything, Anywhere, Anytime Name the one type of artificial lure you think you can use to catch any fish, anywhere, anytime. I mean any fish (from six ounce bream, to bull red fish, to 300 pound halibut) in any water conditions (a muddy creek in East Texas or 100 feet deep on a reef in the gulf) at any time of year (100 degrees in August or freezing in January).

In my opinion, the only artificial lure that meets the anything/anywhere/anytime criteria is the jig. As a matter of fact, just two

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days ago I took half the

neighborhood kids to the lake and in an hour they caught crappie, bass, and chain pickerel all on jigs.

The jigs effectiveness on bass becomes apparent when you look at the bass entered into the Share-A-Lunker program over the past 20 plus years. Of the over 500 fish donated to the program nearly 1/5th of these 13 pound behemoths were caught on jigs. Heck, two of my top three bass were caught on jigs. One in 25 feet of water on a submerged road bed in August, the other in three feet of water in January (no it doesn’t make sense for a bass to be that shallow in January). Knowing you should be using jigs and actually

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knowing how to use them are two different things so let’s look at a few ways of rigging the ultimate anything/anywhere/anytime bait.

One of my all time favorite ways to fish a jig is the venerable jig and bobber rig. As a matter of fact, this is the rig the kids were using to catch the fish mentioned earlier and I’ve used it countless times on dozens of species. The jig and bobber rig is fairly straightforward.

If you’re fishing for smaller fish species (crappie) tie a small jig (1/8th, 1/16th) on the end of the line. Lately my crappie rig of choice has come from a little known tackle supplier based in right here in Texas. I picked up a Pocket Pack from Crazy Angler Tackle (crazyanglertackle.com) and have been using the pink headed jig; yes I said pink, with a Slab Bandit body in their Joker’s Wild color pattern.

About a foot or two above the jig attach a small bobber, small enough to not make a large splash when cast but big enough not to be pulled under by the jig, and that’s it. This rig is especially deadly on crappie hanging around boat houses in the spring.

Throw it near cover in shallow water and let it settle. If a fish doesn’t take it on the initial cast then give the line

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a little jerk causing the jig to swim before settling again.

You’ll be surprised how many bass you catch on this little rig while crappie fishing and if you want to specifically target bass, red fish, or speckled sea trout you can use this same set-up, just upgrade the size of everything and move the bobber a few feet up the line so that the jig will suspend deeper. Drift this rig across a hump or over a brush pile and hang on. On the other end of the spectrum, you can downsize the jig, (1/32nd, 1/64th) and chase bream in lakes or trout in stream.

One of the most popular methods of fishing a jig over the past few years has been to match it with a soft plastic topwater frog and swim it through thick cover. Most of us learned to bass fish with a jig by dragging it along the bottom so swimming one is a foreign concept but is simple to master with a little practice and can often be used in the place of a swim bait.

To swim the jig, cast it out near likely fish holding cover, let it sink for a second or two and start reeling it in slowly. Give the rod

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tip a twitch to give the jig more erratic movement to entice strikes.

While the first two methods we discussed are for chasing fish in shallow water, the easiest way to rig one is for horizontally probing deep water brush piles. Simply tie a jig on the end of your line, put a split shot on the line, about a foot above it, and you’re done.

Drop this into the brush and you will get bit.

I’ve used this to catch crappie, white bass,

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catfish, and black bass.

There are thousands of baits on the market for catching every type of fish possible but if you have a box or two full of jigs you will put just as many fish in the boat as just about anyone on the water.

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E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

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Souped Up OMETIMES ON THE WEEKEND, WE like to make up some type of a soup, or a gumbo and just kind of graze on it all afternoon with a good cold and relaxing cocktail. This is a recipe I found while searching for something fresh and flavorful that I could prepare at an invitational cookoff on a friends ranch in Schulenburg. Well, it turned out so good, that I felt I had to share it with all of my loyal readers. The margarita recipe is really tasty as well!

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Corn and Crab Bisque THIS RECIPE IS BY CHEF JOHN FOLSE, OF Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in Donald-

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sonville, Louisiana, and of Chef John Folse Culinary Institute in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It's a gold medal winner in culinary competition. I made it for a soup cookoff on a ranch in Schulenburg, Tx. They all loved it, and I hope all of you guys out there will to. It takes a little time to prepare, but the results are well worth the effort! I added a little zesty flavor with my spice, but otherwise it’s awesome.

3 cups fresh-cut whole kernel corn, plus milk from cobs 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat 1 cup butter 1 cup onions, small dice 1 cup celery, small dice 1 cup red bell pepper, small dice 1/4 cup minced garlic 1 cup flour 5 cups crab or fish stock 4 cups corn cob stock 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped parsley 2 teaspoons Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice Salt and white pepper to taste Make a stock with the corn cobs and 56 cups water, reducing until 4 cups remain.

In an 8-quart stockpot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the corn, onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic.

Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add the flour and whisk until a white roux is achieved. Do not brown.

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heavy cream, green onions and parsley, and cook an additional 3 minutes. Gently fold in the lump crabmeat, being careful not to break up the lumps Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

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crackers a small amount at a time, stopping to turn the bag to coat the crackers as you go. Seal up the bag and gently shake until all of the crackers are coated.

Let the bag sit closed up for an hour,

YIELD: 12 servings

Slaven’s Southern Style Margarita

gently turning every 20 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at texas-tasted@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!

IF YOU LOVE A GOOD FRESH FLAVORED margarita, then you will love this version we make at home. We put it in the shaker and mix it until your hand is almost frozen, then serve it up in a lime/salt rimmed and chilled martini glass. It’s pretty good!

1 to 1 ½ ounces of your favorite silver tequila 2 limes – juiced (approx. 1/3 cup) 1 – shot – Lemoncello Place all ingredients into a shaker, along with about a cup of crushed ice Put the lid on, shake it really good or until your hand is numb from the coldness of the shaker, then strain into a chilled and lime/salt rimmed martini glass. Enjoy with your friends and family, then repeat.

Spicy Snack Crackers THIS IS A GREAT SNACK THAT IS NOT baked, but it is absolutely awesome. Make some up for a party or just for snacking with the family.

1 whole box of Premium Saltine (or your favorite brand) crackers

Mix the following: 1 Pkg. Ranch dressing Powder mix(not the dip) 1 ¼ cup canola oil 2-4 teaspoons red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it) 1 tablespoon Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice Mix the red pepper flakes, Searing Spice, dry dressing mix and canola oil Place the crackers in a large (gallon) Ziploc bag and pour the mixture over the C O A S T A L

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Falcon vs.

Amistad vs.

Choke Canyon

BY MATT WILLIAMS FOR YEARS, BASS ANGLERS across Texas and beyond have been looking east of I-45 to find the state’s very best bass lakes. But that is not necessarily the case anymore. South Texas reservoirs such as Falcon, Choke Canyon and Amistad have grabbed the lunker limelight and run with it in recent times, rekindling the belief that there is something in the brush country soil and water that brings out the monster in all things wild.

Which is heaviest hitter of them all? That depends entirely on who you talk to.

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Tye Blackshear’s handle on the Texas Fishing Forum.

Last October, Blackshear made an Internet photo post on the popular website Texas

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Fishing Forum depicting himself holding a whale of a bass that tipped the scales to 11.7 pounds.

The 27 1/4 inch long fish was reported-

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Bryan Aubin with 14.4-pound Toyota Sharelunker 476.

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ly caught from a Hobie kayak on a Falcon Senko-style bait in about five feet of water. To date, it is his personal best.

News of the banner catch will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the 26,000acre reservoir near Three Rivers. After several slow years, “Choke” caught fire in 2007 and has been sizzling ever since. It was the leading producer for the Toyota ShareLunker program in 2009 with six entries, including three that weighed in excess of 15 pounds.

Amazingly, state fisheries biologists documented five more 15 pounders caught from the lake the same year, and several in excess of 13 pounds.

Good as Choke is “Uncle J,” would probably label Falcon as his favorite lake after the remarkable day he spent on the water last Fall with fishing guide Charlie Haralson of Laredo. Uncle J’s TFF post indicates the two men caught a boat load of big ones. Their heaviest five weighed nearly 43 pounds, better than an eight pound average!

Crazy as it sounds, Haralson says days like those are commonplace on the 84,000acre Texas/Mexico border lake.

“Yeah, we had a pretty good day, but I’ve had better,” said Haralson. “Falcon is just a special place. “I don’t know of many lakes where you can weigh in 25 pounds in a bass tournament and not even get a check, but I have seen it happen here more than once. To me, a bad day on Falcon is catching five bass that will weigh 20-25 pounds, and having to work to get them. A 30-pound bag is an everyday occurrence when the bite is on.”

Ray Hanselman is a well known bass pro and fishing guide from Del Rio who has logged some great days on both of the aforeC O A S T A L

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Joseph Burgi with ShareLunker 497, a 13.37 pounder.

mentioned lakes. But he was Amistad quick to point out that Lake Amistad is no slouch when it comes to kicking out lunker largemouths along with big numbers of quality size fish.

The 65,000-acre border lake was the second leading producer of Toyota ShareLunkers last year (4) and continues to kick out scads of quality fish.

“There are probably more 3-5 pound fish swimming around in Amistad right now than there has ever been,” said Hanselman.

“Give it another year or two and this lake could shock some people.”

Truth be known, either of the South Texas jewels is prone to bust wide open at any time. In fact, many Texas bass fishing junkies like myself consider these three lakes to be among the most likely candidates to produce the next Texas state record largemouth. Maybe even a newworld record.

What is it that makes the Texas’ golden triangle of bass lakes so good?

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Randy Myers of Del Rio attributes the boom to a number of factors: Florida bass, mild weather climates to promote longer growing seasons and, most importantly, the ebb and flow water cycles that are a huge part of each reservoir’s history.

According to Myers, when water levels drop, brush and other terrestrial vegetation sprout in areas normally covered by water.

When the lake refills, it creates a “new lake effect” that causes fish populations to thrive.

“The high and low water cycles are a big part of the reason why these three lakes are so good today,” Myers said. “All the new habitat benefits the bass directly, because it provides them plenty of cover for optimum reproduction, survival and recruitment. It

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Richard Flores with 15.09-pound ShareLunker 478.

also benefits them indirectly by making Choke Canyon the reproduction and survival conditions ideal for the forage species on which they feed. It is a good deal all the way around.”

While each lake can be good year-round, late winter through April ranks as one of the best times to catch a heavyweight.

Here’s synopsis of each fishery:

FALCON • Location: Zapata, Texas, on Texas/Mexico border.

• Distance: 361 miles from Houston; 479 miles from Dallas • Size: 85,000 acres • Noteable: Falcon can turn nasty in high winds, so keep an eye on the weather.

Also, state and local authorities are urging American anglers to stay on the U.S. side of the lake to avoid possible confrontations with warring drug cartels.

CHOKE CANYON • Location: Three Rivers, Texas.

• Distance: 343 miles from Dallas; 219 miles from Houston.

• Size: 26,000 acres

AMISTAD • Location: Del Rio, Texas, on Texas/Mexico border • Distance: 348 miles from Houston; 417 miles from Dallas • Size: 64,000 acres • Notable: Amistad is a scenic lake with steep, rocky banks and extremely clear water. It can be dangerous when the wind blows, so be sure to pay attention to weather forecasts.

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Juaniece Miller Redfish Charters

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SPOTLIGHT: Redfish Charters Redfish Charters in Rockport, TX offers you the ultimate in saltwater fishing on the Texas Gulf Coast. Fishing Aransas Bay, Estes Flats, Redfish Bay, and California Hole in the Rockport area, Capt. Charlie will fish with young and old alike - experienced or first-timers! 26 years of professional guiding experience along the Texas Coastal Bend Bay systems on the Gulf Coast!

Capt. Charlie loves to take kids fishing. By “ruining” them, he figures they will grow up to love fishing instead of getting into trouble. Of course he likes to take adults also. Many consider his good-nature to be one of his best qualities - one that he shares so freely with people from all walks of life!

Although he specialized in catching redfish as the name suggests, don’t be surprised when you catch a speckled trout, black drum or flounder!

With Capt. Charlie Newton you’re in the best of hands! Travel in comfort and style, safely aboard this 24’ DLX Carolina Skiff/115 hp 4-stoke Suzuki.

It’s A Fishing Machine!

Redfish Charters has received two prestigious awards this past year; “Business of the Month” October 2010 from The Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce and “2010 Best of Fulton Award” in Excursion Boat Operators category by the US Commerce Association. The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses through out the country. We were very honored and proud to receive these awards.

For an unforgettable fishing trip in Rockport, TX on the fabulous Texas Gulf Coast call Redfish Charters today at 361-729-8220. Or check out our website www.redfishcharters.com C O A S T A L

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CATFISH New Waverly

REDFISH | Galveston Arianna Wimberly caught a 27inch redfish and two 25-inch reds on her 10th birthday, fishing with Grandpa Louie Weiss at Galveston.

WHITETAIL BUCK | San Angelo Brett Ferro, age 7, of Sugar Land shot his first buck on opening day of the Youth Season while hunting in San Angelo. Brett took his 10-point trophy with a 7mm .08 rifle.

Alan Gehovak caught a 10-pound and an 8-pound blue catfish on a private pond near New Waverly. He was using spinnerbaits and fishing for crappie (one of which is on the stringer with his two blue cats).

COBIA Port Aransas Don Kirkham caught this 40pound cobia out of Port Aransas. A deckhand is holding the fish because after fighting and landing it, Don didn’t have the strength to lift it.

ALLIGATOR GAR Brazos River SPECKLED TROUT | Port Mansfield Chris Curl of McAllen and his cousin Dave “the Trout Master” caught this nice stringer of specks wadefishing at Port Mansfield.

Pictured left to right, Brian Bownds, Allen Macha, Randy Gauny, and Lawrence Macha show off a 130-pound, 6-foot 6-inch alligator gar they caught on the Brazos River at Booth, Texas.

DRUM Port Lavaca

CRAPPIE

SNAPPER

Lake Lavon

Port Isabel

Christian Pivarnik, 8, of McKinney caught a 2pound, 14-inch and a 1.25pound, 11-inch crappie—his first—at Lake Lavon.

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Javen Limon, age 4, caught his first fish ever, a small snapper, while fishing at Port Isabel with grandparents Rolando and Dolores Velez of Brownsville. Javen was so proud he stopped people all the way back to the car to tell them, “I caught a fish.”

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Marina Armola Flores of Port Lavaca caught this black drum using crab as bait. The fish was released shortly after the picture was taken.

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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.

RAM Daingerfield Matt Mayo shot his first Painted Desert ram, while hunting on the Working Man’s Bow Ranch at Daingerfield in northeast Texas.

BASS & CATFISH Grandview CRAPPIE | Lampasas County Kylie McCord caught her first crappie at a private lake in Lampasas County. Kylie is 6 years old. She is pictured with her “Pop.”

Rafe Kirkpatrick, age 8, caught a 6-pound bass while his six-yearold brother Luke caught a 4.5pound channel catfish, on a private lake near Grandview.

CATFISH | Guadalupe River CATFISH

Luke Tinsley, Kyle Day, Ty Tinsley, Zach Lopez and Matt Hillman had a great spring break fishing on the Guadalupe River at Gonzales.

Stockdale JW and Patricia Rice put on a fishing tournament for their great grandkids at Stockdale. Pictured with a stringer of catfish are Tyler, Jeep, Nate and Dylan.

SPECKLED TROUT | Matagorda Jeffrey David age 9 of Georgetown with a nice 21-inch Speckled Trout he caught over some shell at a rig in Matagorda Bay.

LARGEMOUTH BASS Tyler Robert Quiroga, age 9, caught this 9.5-pound largemouth while fishing at the Howell Lake Club in Tyler.

WHITETAIL BUCK Live Oak County Colton Wheeler, 13, of Beach City shot this 10-point buck in Live Oak County. Colton brought the buck down with one shot, using a .243 Rossi.

LARGEMOUTH BASS | Sam Rayburn Sonja Gregory of Amarillo caught this 6.13-pound largemouth bass on Sam Rayburn. Her son Jarrod caught a 5-pounder the day before.

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BY GREG BERLOCHER THE GREAT OUTDOORS PRESENTS plenty of opportunities to share fellowship, experiences, and celebrate the majesty of woods and water. If your pursuit of happiness regularly takes you beyond the blacktop, there are a few basic items you should keep in your truck at all times. They don’t take up much space, nor do they cost much, but they can lift your spirits when a good situation turns bad and can turn good outdoor experiences into great ones.

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In This Issue HOW-TO SECTION

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TEXAS GUNS & GEAR • Varmint Rifles | BY STEVE LAMASCUS

88 90 92

BOWHUNTING TECH • Time to Get Serious | BY LOU MARULLO TEXAS BOATING • Green Boating | BY LENNY RUDOW TEXAS KAYAKING • Better Kayak Fishing | BY GREG

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION TEXAS TASTED

BY BRYAN SLAVEN

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FRESHWATER TALES • Falcon vs. Amistad vs. Choke Canyon |

BY MATT WILLIAMS

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OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | BY TF&G STAFF

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TF&G PHOTOS • Your Action Photos | BY TF&G READERS

BERLOCHER

94 FISHING FORECAST SECTION TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots |

BY TOM BEHRENS, CALIXTO GONZALES, & BOB HOOD

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SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK • Tides & Prime Times | BY TF&G

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STAFF

Storage is always a big concern when it comes to extra gear. There isn’t any one right answer when it comes to the size and shape of the container used. You may choose to store these outdoor enhancers under your seat, in the glove box, or in the console of your truck. If your kit is constantly getting in the way and becomes a nuisance it is likely to get pitched like yesterday’s burger wrapper.

The list below is uniquely personal and based on a half-century of outdoor pursuits.

I left several items off the list which you may wish to include, such as a compass or first aid kit. Hopefully my list serves as food for thought in developing your own list of items to keep in your vehicle.

Water A bottle or two of drinking water always comes in handy; a gallon jug is even better if you have the room. Besides slaking a terrible thirst, bottled water is handy for washing off an inadvertent cut and/or scrape, plus it can be poured into your radiator should your engine overheat.

Food Nothing destroys my concentration worse 58 |

PAUL BRADSHAW

COVER STORY • 10 Things |

BY GREG BERLOCHER

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PAUL’S TIPS • Catching Anything, Anywhere, Anytime | BY

• Souped Up |

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GEARING UP SECTION

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TEXAS TESTED • Biobor, Dura Hub, Survival Straps | BY TF&G STAFF

• | BY

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INDUSTRY INSIDER TF&G STAFF

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NEW PRODUCTS • Hot New Outdoor Gear | BY TF&G STAFF

than hunger pains. Instead of focusing on outdoor activities, my brain focuses on the groans coming from my stomach. A tin or two of emergency rations is definitely a welcome site if you are stranded overnight.

Vienna sausages, sardines and crackers are good truck food. Check out the expiration dates on the cans before purchasing and choose items that have several years of shelf life yet to go.

Matches Occasionally trips beyond the blacktop feature extended stays. Electrical and mechanical gremlins have invaded my vehicle at times, and soft gooey mud has enveloped my tires hopelessly trapping my truck in place. A fire will brighten dour spirits, provide warmth, and makes a good signal beacon should you become lost. A pinch of wooden kitchen matches stored inside a plastic pill bottle will stay dry and functional for many years.

Flashlight A flashlight is always a valued ally between dusk and dawn. Hunting and fishing trips usually involve pre-dawn junkets and a dependable flashlight is always welF I S H

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www.FishGame.com come when trying to knot fishing line or fumbling with small parts. Alkaline batteries are the power source of choice and are definitely worth the price. LED flashlights are small, light, and easy to stow in your vehicle.

Garbage Bag Heavy duty, 40-gallon trash bags are a great catch all, literally. They can be pressed into makeshift duty as ice chests to haul fish and game back home, store wet clothes, and they make good floor mats when your hunting boots are caked with mud. Cut a hole big enough to squeeze your head through and two holes for your arms and the same trash bag can also be pressed into emergency duty as a poncho. It won’t win any style awards but it will help keep you dry.

Tool Kit Fishing reels, rifles, and lanterns are just a few of the items that need occasional mechanical adjustments. Sometimes a simple turn of screw can have a profound impact on your whole weekend. Having a set of tools close at hand can remedy most minor situations. There are a multitude of pre-packages tool kits CONTINUED on the market these SEE PAGE 60

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TIPS: Wade early for big trout cruising the shallows.

UPPER GULF COAST

Everybody Loves Raymond Specks

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Raymond Shoal GPS: N28 40.449, W95 53.898 (28.674150, -95.898300) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater lures or Norton Bull Minnows soft plastics using 1/8 or 1/16-ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Drift fish; look for bait and slicks.

LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Ladies Pass

GPS: N29 28.76388, W94 44.04504 (29.479398, -94.734084) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jigheads with soft plastics in chartreuse, Pearl or Pumpkinseed colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 2 81788-4041 TIPS: Key on slicks.

LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Deep Reef GPS: N29 31.062, W94 41.20602 (29.517700, -94.686767) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jigheads with soft plastics in chartreuse, Pearl or Pumpkinseed colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041

LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Spoil Banks GPS: N26 12.86202, W97 16.20498 (26.214367, -97.270083) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 3/8 jigheads with soft plastics in plum, Pumpkinseed or chicken on a chain colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041 TIPS: Fish between markers 38-72, bouncing soft plastics off the shell pads.

LOCATION: Sabine Jetties HOTSPOT: West Jetty GPS: N29 40.371, W93 50.25 (29.672850, -93.837500) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater baits and soft plastics with 1/4-ounce jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez,

COVER STORY days which include screwdrivers, FROM PG. 58 wrenches, and pliers. The tools come packaged in a plastic clamshell case; the better ones have cases with an O-ring which keeps moisture away from the tools. If you are a minimalist or lack storage space, consider a quality multi-function tool, such as a Leatherman, instead.

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Fish Hooks You never know when the opportunity to go fishing will turn up. A hook, a few feet of line, and a bit of scavenged bait can turn a normal outing into an adventure. A springy, green sapling makes a dandy substitute for a cane pole. An assortment of hooks and a small spool of line don’t require much space.

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plate. Aluminum foil is a cheap and effective reflector on a lantern globe.

Toilet Paper Spend enough time outdoors and nature will eventually call. A roll of toilet paper simply makes matters better. Toilet paper can also be used as a fire starter. To keep that roll fresh, dry and grit free, seal it inside a zip-style freezer bag.

Aluminum Foil Aluminum foil is extremely versatile outdoor aid. A square of foil can be folded and molded into a myriad of shapes, such as a drinking cup. No pot and pan to cook a meal in? Simply wrap those freshly caught fish in foil, fold the edges over several times to completely seal the packet, and then lay the foil packet on hot coals. When the food is finished cooking, gently tear open the top and the sealed packet becomes a dinner F I S H

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Seasonings The most memorable outdoor meal I ever enjoyed was on a quail hunt in South Texas.

At the noon hour we were many miles from a paved road. Our host, Lalo Saenz, pulled a weathered tin of black pepper and a worn paper carton of salt from behind his truck seat. Freshly dispatched quail were seasoned and roasted over a dry twig fire. The memory of the succulent quail remains etched in my mind to this day. A dash of pepper and a screw of salt made all the difference. The paper packets of seasoning found in restaurants are just the ticket for outdoor adventures.

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409-721-5467, or 409-673-3100 TIPS: One of the best places to fish in June; Hernandez likes to fish soft plastics deep.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Blue Buck Point GPS: N29 47.77998, W93 54.43902 (29.796333, -93.907317) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4ounce jighead CONTACT: Capt. Edie Hernandez, 409721-5467, 409-673-3100 TIPS: Fish will be in 3-5 feet of water; bounce soft plastics off the bottom.

LOCATION: Sabine Pass HOTSPOT: Ship Channel GPS: N29 44.96304, W93 53.02656 (29.749384, -93.883776) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez, 409-721-5467, 409-673-3100 TIPS: Fish the east side of the channel.

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Well Pads GPS: N29 40.43502, W94 46.698 (29.673917, -94.778300) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/2-ounces gold spoon CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041 TIPS: Let the spoon settle to the bottom and work it over the well pads.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Bayou GPS: N28 29.88702, W96 14.202 (28.498117, -96.236700) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater lures or Norton Bull Minnows soft plastics using 1/8 or 1/16-ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: wade-fish the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay; concentrate on little cuts and grass beds.

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LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cottons GPS: N28 30.60198, W96 12.603 (28.510033, -96.210050) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater lures or Norton Bull Minnows soft plastics using 1/8 or 1/16-ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Wade fish the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay; concentrate on little cuts and grass beds.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Shamrock Lucky for Corpus Specks

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Shamrock Cove GPS: N27 44.95098, W97 10.00002 (27.749183, -97.166667) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live finger mullet CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: Use a treble hook threaded through the eyes of the fish—works great if you are fishing grass; a mullet will swim near the top of the water.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Traylor Island GPS: N27 55.995, W97 4.494 (27.933250, -97.074900) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Hook the croaker right above the anal fin.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Mud Island GPS: N27 56.63502, W97 1.266 (27.943917, -97.021100) SPECIES: speckled trout F I S H

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BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Fish the inside of the Island.

LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Lap Reef Lake GPS: N28 8.40102, W97 3.14898 (28.140017, -97.052483) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Use croaker hooks with the hook size depending on the size of the croaker.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: East Flats GPS: N27 48.72702, W97 7.67202 (27.812117, -97.127867) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker or finger mullet CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: If the fish are deep, use finger mullet; if the fish are near the top, use croaker.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: JFK Causeway GPS: N27 38.07102, W97 14.46102 (27.634517, -97.241017) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: Fails uses a three-foot shock leader with a 5/0 croaker hook, free lined.

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Contee Lake GPS: N28 18.16998, W96 33.15 (28.302833, -96.552500) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Tested Tackle Factory Flats Minnow in plum/chartreuse with 1/8ounce; jighead CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361785-2686 TIPS: Look for sand saucers in grass.

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GPS: N28 15.82002, W96 47.08002 (28.263667, -96.784667) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Texas Tackle Factory Flats Minnows in plum/chartreuse with 1/8ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361785-2686 TIPS: Wading or drifting for redfish; fish should be right on top of the shell.

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and jumping bait. Fish both topwaters and tandem tails with a fast, erratic retrieve. A logic spinner is a good choice, too.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Causeway Flats GPS: N26 5.85702, W97 10.99698 (26.097617, -97.183283) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, cut mullet or ballyhoo, soft plastics in red/white,

plum/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Fish the flats between the boat channel and the shoreline on a high tide.

Waders can reach this by walking in by the Causeway. Redfish will strike either live or cut bait, or a shad tail on a 1/8-ounce head. Topwaters are good early.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Emmords Hole GPS: N27 30.057, W97 19.54602 (27.500950, -97.325767) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-9490133 TIPS: When the temperature start rising, look for trout dropping off into Emmords Hole.

LOWER GULF COAST

Spoiling for Reds on Baffin

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Spoil Banks of Penascal Point GPS: N 27 15.555, W 97 25.154 (27.25925, -97.419233) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: live bait CONTACT: Capt. Mike Hart, Brush Country Charters, 361-985-6089 or 361449-7441 TIPS: Dawn thru Midday; freeline live bait, work east drop-off, work bait slowly.

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Bayside Drive GPS: N26 11.28102, W97 17.81298 (26.188017, -97.296883) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters early, Logic Baits in gold/glitter, wounded mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Fish close to shore when high tide pushes bait up against it. Watch for tails I N L A N D

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HOTSPOT: Boca Chica Beach GPS: N26 2.81202, W97 9.23598 (26.046867, -97.153933) SPECIES: tarpon BEST BAITS: live Finger mullet, large shrimp; Topwaters in chrome, silver, smoke CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: You’ll spot large tarpon cruising in the swells of the second gut, and the first gut on a high tide early in the morning.

Topwaters on calmer days make for some spectacular strikes. Live bait on a circle hook is a good bet for fish, too.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 8.83002, W97 17.75502 (26.147167, -97.295917) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live Bait, Logic Bait tandems in clear, red glitter, wounded mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Fish the oil channel for speckled trout. The edges hold trout early in the morning (good topwater fishing). When the trout move deeper, fish a tandem slowly to get down to where the lunkers lurk.

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 8.83002, W97 17.75502 (26.147167, -97.295917) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Logic Bait tandems in clear, gold/glitter, red glitter, wounded mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Look for redfish up on the mud flats near the shoreline. Watch for tails, or mud boils. Make long casts parallel to the shoreline along the depth break.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay Duck Blind GPS: N26 1.665, W97 12.34698 (26.027750, -97.205783) SPECIES: snook BEST BAITS: live shrimp; Logic Baits tandems in gold/meltalflake CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Snook start loitering in this area and will strafe schools of bait to tip you off.

A 5: Tandem in wounded mullet or gold/glitter is lethal, especially if the snook

are aggressive early in the morning. Fish with a quick, erratic retrieve.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Rocky Slough GPS: N 27 10.639, W 97 26.445 (27.177317, -97.44075) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Terry Neal, Terry Neal Charters, 956-944-2559; 956-6427357 TIPS: Morning and afternoon; work bait slow early season, work deeper late season LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Community Bar GPS: N26 35.14398, W97 25.644 (26.585733, -97.427400) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, soft plastics in glow/chartreuse, Pearl/glow CONTACT: Captain Steven Devries, 956289-3631 TIPS: The North end of the top of the bar is a good point to fish for slot reds in June. Topwaters or live bait are good bets early in the morning, while gold spoons and live bait are strong choices later in the day.

LOCATION: South Bay HOTSPOT: The Washing Machine GPS: N26 1.785, W97 11.0298 (26.029750, -97.183830) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live Bait, Gulp shrimp in glow, Pearl CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Salinas, 956551-9581 TIPS: This is a great night fishing spot on a full moon. Anchor off the point for the channels and cast onto the flat. Let the outgoing tide swing your bait into the eddy, where trout are stacked up and feeding.

Fish shrimp tails the same way.

LOCATION: South Bay HOTSPOT: The Washing Machine GPS: N26 1.785, W97 11.0298 (26.029750, -97.183830) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: live Bait, Gulp shrimp in

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glow, Pearl CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Salinas, 956551-9581 TIPS: You will find great slot-sized drum action in the channel on a running tide.

Anchor on the edge of the channel and cast to points and drop-offs with live bait.

A novel technique is to use a Gulp!

Shrimp on a pink bucktail.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend Res.

PINEY WOODS

White Bass Flock to Buzzards

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

HOTSPOT: Buzzards Bend GPS: N31 38.93694, W93 48.582 (31.648949, -93.809700) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slab spoons, tail-spinners, Rat-L-Traps, shallow-diving crankbaits CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: The white bass will be holding along the old river channel sand bars.

Throw slab spoons or tail-spinners when the fish are on the bottom. Watch for schooling action along the channel, roadbeds, flats and points and use Rat-LTraps and crankbaits.

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(30.752533, -95.172016) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigging slabs, Pet Spoons CONTACT: Dave Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Key on the old bridge rails and roadbed in 11-15 feet of water. Jig slabs and spoons off the bottom or troll Pet Spoons on a downrigger. Kickapoo Marina off Hwy. 190 in Kickapoo Creek has bank access.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Old Hwy. 190 Roadbed GPS: N30 45.15198, W95 10.32096 (30.752533, -95.172016) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigging slabs, Pet Spoons CONTACT: Dave Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Key on the old bridge rails and roadbed in 11-15 feet of water. Jig slabs and spoons off the bottom or troll Pet Spoons on a downrigger. Kickapoo Marina off Hwy. 190 in Kickapoo Creek has bank access.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Rip Rap Bass on Cedar Creek

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Dam Ripraps and Points GPS: N32 10.84146, W96 4.27572 (32.180691, -96.071262) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, plastic worms, jigs, crankbaits CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingcreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903-887-7896, kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish topwater lures early and late.

Fish the plastic worms and jigs in deeper water during the day. Slow-rolling crankbaits in 5-20 feet of water also can produce some catches.

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Dam Rocks GPS: N29 54.9021, W96 43.88226 (29.915035, -96.731371) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, worms, punch bait, perch

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Alligator Bayou GPS: N32 44.20236, W94 6.05778 (32.736706, -94.100963) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas-rigged plastic worms, Flukes, plastic frogs CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide@att.net, 318-455-3437, caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish along the edge of the hydrilla in the bayou with lightly weighed four-inch dark colored Texas-rigged plastic worms, weightless Flukes and frogs. Key on shady areas once the sun is up.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Harmon Creek GPS: N30 45.15198, W95 10.32096 I N L A N D

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CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: The water is 20 feet deep with rocks on the bottom. Slip cork or tight line for channel cats to prevent hang-ups. Yellow cats frequent these rocks, too, so use large hooks with perch and cut bait for them. Use a No.4 treble hook for channel cats.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Plumb Creek Point GPS: N30 38.6943, W96 3.03846 (30.644905, -96.050641) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, stinkbait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3101, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Fish the rocks on the left side of the point with a slip cork or tight line on a Carolina rig with a 3/4-ounce egg sinker and No.4 treble hook for stinkbait and a 2ought Kahle hook for shad. Chum the area under the boat and fish vertically.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Deep Humps GPS: N31 54.72192, W97 12.3543

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(31.912032, -97.205905) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, teamredneck.net TIPS: Use a graph to mark the whites on the humps. Position the boat over the schools, drop slabs to the bottom and lift and drop them. The bite will occur on the fall. I tap the side of the boat with a rubber mallet to draw the fish back in if they move.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Main Lake Humps GPS: N33 19.6185, W95 38.65104 (33.326975, -95.644184) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Slabs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifihing@yahoo.com, 903-348-1619, tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: The hybrids will gang up on the main lake humps to feed on gizzard shad.

Locate them with your electronics and fish large spoons and four-inch Sassy Shads.

Watch for shad jumping out of the water to escape the hybrids. White bass will be

there, too.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Pump House GPS: N33 2.29866, W96 31.4805 (33.038311, -96.524675) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live shad, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: This pump house and the other two on the lake have good structure, as do all main lake points. Use sonar to locate the structure in 12-25 feet deep. Also try trolling spider rigs in 14-25 feet of water off Little Ridge points.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Face of Dam GPS: N33 2.01798, W96 27.62826 (33.033633, -96.460471) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh shrimp CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: Channel cats will be feeding along the face the dam early in the mornings and after dark. Use your trolling motor to move along the face of the dam and cast to the rocks. Use a slow retrieve. The fish should hit hard. Use a No.2 stainless hook.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville HOTSPOT: Main Lake and Secondary Points GPS: N33 5.18538, W96 55.99092 (33.086423, -96.933182) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Secret 7 Dip Bait CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobby-catfishing.com, 817-4552894, bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Anchor your boat and cast to the shallow brush and grass in 1-5 feet of water. Use dip bait on a slip-cork rig with a No.6 treble hook Carolina style. Let wave action carry scent of your bait into the thick brush. Set the hook at the slightest bite.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine

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HOTSPOT: Saline Bay Coves GPS: N32 10.3578, W95 26.2506 (32.172630, -95.437510) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, BD7 crankbaits CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Largemouth bass will be most active during the early-morning and lateevening hours. Fish the coves and inlets with topwater lures and then switch to crankbaits when the bite slows. The water will be clear in most of these coves.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Henderson Point GPS: N32 11.7438, W95 29.1654 (32.195730, -95.486090) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish Henderson Point during early-morning and late-evening hours. During mid-day, fish the points on the south end of the lake. The best points will be those on the west side all the way to the dam.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Rocky Creek Roadbed GPS: N30 18.417, W96 33.8841 (30.306950, -96.564735) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-Guide Service.com TIPS: Anchor in 12-16 feet of water and chum the area around the boat. Set rods out in various directions. Use a slip cork if the wind is light to fish just above the rocks on the bottom. The bite may be light so set the hook at the slightest thump.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Rocky Creek Roadbed GPS: N30 18.43062, W96 33.49164 (30.307177, -96.558194) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-Guide Service.com I N L A N D

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TIPS: Locate bottom drop-off, anchor and cast in all directions. If wind is blowing into the point, cast punch bait to the rocks. Use large cut bait for larger fish.

The lake record blue cat was caught here.

Use tight lines due to winds and lake action.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Mouth of Big Rocky Creek GPS: N31 52.95948, W97 23.46306 (31.882658, -97.391051) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: live gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, teamredneck.com TIPS: The post spawn patterns are here and the big fish bite is on. Anchor your boat and use live gizzard shad on a Carolina rig, dropping the baits down 24 feet.

Quick limits come early and late. There is bank access at Walling Bend.

CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: With the spawn over, bass will move early on the main lake points chasing shad. Fish the points with topwater lures or dark-colored plastic worms crawled along underwater breaks. The North Island and Colorado River channel also will hold bass.

LOCATION: Richland-Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: Fisherman’s Point Marina GPS: N31 56.42712, W96 7.43808 (31.940452, -96.123968) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Tiny Torpedo CONTACT: Royce Simmons royce@gonefishin.biz., 903-389-4117, gonefishin.biz TIPS: June traditionally kicks off the topwater action on the main lake points. The south shoreline from Fisherman’s Point Marina to Ferguson Point is a good place to start. Use a clear Tiny Torpedo. The topwater action may last several hours.

PANHANDLE

Ivie Largemouths and PK Whites

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N31 33.3999, W99 41.7516 (31.556665, -99.695860) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, large plastic worms

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

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LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N32 51.75888, W98 32.90358 (32.862648, -98.548393) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: live shad, jigs, slabs, RatL-Traps

Page 68

CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: Start at the south end of Broadway in front of Bee Creek early. Live shad is the ticket. Jigs and slabs still are producing but topwaters and trolling Rat-L-Traps will work, too. Target drop-offs.

BIG BEND

Amistad Bass on the Deep Points

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: Deep Water Points GPS: N29 29.67126, W101 8.2884 (29.494521, -101.138140) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Crank baits, soft plastic worms, topwater lures CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, Amistad Lodge and Adventures, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Fish the major points that drop-off into 20 feet of water on both the Texas and Mexico sides of the lake. The bass will be feeding on crawfish so crawfish-colored lures will produce the best catches.

HILL COUNTRY

Deep Water Bass & Granger Crappie

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Triple Peak Cove GPS: N29 54.26184, W98 16.76652 (29.904364, -98.279442) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Berkley Power Worms, Crème Whackey Stixs, Zoom Tick Worms, Creature Baits CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: The bass are on the move to deeper water. Look for them along bluff edges and flooded timber on the left. Best colors are Watermelon-red, motor oil and blue fleck. Fish the entire point to the entrance of Canyon Park.

68 |

J U N E

2 0 1 1

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

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LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Open Waters GPS: N30 42.20802, W97 21.10962 (30.703467, -97.351827) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: 1/32-ounce Maribou jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Use your sonar to locate brush piles in 6-15 feet of water. Fish red-blackyellow jigs vertically in the brush. When you make contact with the brush, hold the jig still and wait for the thump. If no action in five minutes move to the next brush pile.

Page 69

LOCATION: Lake Calaveras HOTSPOT: Rocky Cove GPS: N29 18.69288, W98 18.27282 (29.311548, -98.304547) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shad, shrimp CONTACT: Steve Nixon, fishhook0823@aol.com, 210-573-1230, sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Locate the creek channel and

anchor just off the edge of it. Freeline live shad or shrimp off the bottom.

On the Web Hundreds more Hotspots: www.FishGame.com/hotspots

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Go Long for Falcon Largemouth

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Long Point Brushpiles GPS: N26 40.46598, W99 10.16694 (26.674433, -99.169449) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Fire-tiger crankbaits, Sexy Shad, DD-22, Mans-20 CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the submerged brush piles off Long Point, pausing the bait or ripping it when you come in contact with brush.

Summer bass fishing is at its best so get ready for some big fish.

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

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JUNE 2011

Tides and Prime Times

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

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

T12

T4

T11

T10

T3 T2 T1

T9

TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the upper white boxes on the Calendar Pages. Use the Correction Table below, which is keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times.

T8

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 T7

T6 T5 T17

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower color boxes of the Calendar pages. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE below to adjust times for points East and West of Galveston Channel.

T14

T15 T16

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

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

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.

AM Minor: 9:11a AM Major: 2:57a PM Minor: 9:40p PM Major: 3:25p Moonrise:9:27a Moon Set: None Moon Overhead:

T21

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below.

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.

4:55p

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for GALVESTON CHANNEL in the calendars.

KEY T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

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

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

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

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

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

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

KEY T12 T13 T14 T15 T16 T17

PLACE Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, W. Bay Alligator Point, W. Bay Christmas Pt Galveston Pleasure Pier

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

KEY T18 T19 T20 T21 T22 T23

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

T22 T23

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

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

6a

12p

6p

12a

Green: Falling Tide

AM/PM Timeline Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

7:05-9:40 PM

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

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

AM/PM Timeline

70 |

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.)

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

6p

12a

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

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p J U N E

2 0 1 1

T E X A S

PLACE San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor Pass Cavallo Aransas Pass Padre Island (So. End) Port Isabel

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

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

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

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

= Peak Fishing Period

7:45-9:40 AM

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

TUESDAY

30

WEDNESDAY

31

THURSDAY

1

FRIDAY

2

3

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 4:34a

Set: 8:12p Set: 6:30p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 5:15a

Set: 8:12p Set: 7:26p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 6:02a

Set: 8:13p Set: 8:22p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 6:54a

Set: 8:13p Set: 9:15p

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 7:50a

AM Minor: 3:42a

PM Minor: 4:05p

AM Minor: 4:26a

PM Minor: 4:51p

AM Minor: 5:15a

PM Minor: 5:41p

AM Minor: 6:08a

PM Minor: 6:35p

AM Major: 9:54a

PM Major: 10:17p

AM Major: 10:39a

PM Major: 11:04p

AM Major: 11:28a

PM Major: 11:55p

AM Major: 11:51a

PM Major: 12:22p

Moon Overhead: 11:29a 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:11p

Moon Overhead: 12:19p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:05p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SATURDAY

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

SUNDAY

4

5

Set: 8:14p Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 10:05p Moonrise: 8:49a

Set: 8:14p Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 10:51p Moonrise: 9:51a

Set: 8:15p Set: 11:33p

AM Minor: 7:05a

PM Minor: 7:32p

AM Minor: 8:03a

PM Minor: 8:30p

AM Minor: 9:02a

PM Minor: 9:28p

AM Major: 12:51p

PM Major: 1:18p

AM Major: 1:50a

PM Major: 2:17p

AM Major: 2:49a

PM Major: 3:15p

Moon Overhead: 3:53p

Moon Overhead: 2:59p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:45p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

12a

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 11:54p +2.0

-1.0

L E V E L S

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:38a

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:32a

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:26a

BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 PM

7:00 — 9:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 4:19a

BEST:

+2.0

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 PM

9:00 — 11:00 PM

T I D E

L E V E L S

0

Moon Underfoot: 12:45a

T I D E

+1.0

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: None

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

5:09 am 11:04 am 12:50 pm 9:26 pm

1.48ft. High Tide: 5:50 am 1.54ft. High Tide: 6:31 am 1.59ft. High Tide: 7:13 am 1.62ft. High Tide: 7:55 am 1.62ft. High Tide: 8:37 am 1.28ft. Low Tide: 10:00 pm -0.16ft. Low Tide: 10:36 pm -0.23ft. Low Tide: 11:14 pm -0.27ft. Low Tide: 11:55 pm -0.27ft.

1.28ft. Jun -0.08ft.

I N L A N D

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

1.61ft.

J U N E

Low Tide: 12:38 am -0.22ft.

High Tide: 9:17 am 1.57ft.

2 0 1 1

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+1.0

0

-1.0

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

6 Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:15p Moonrise: 10:54a Set: None

THURSDAY

8

7

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

9

Set: 8:16p Sunrise: 6:19a Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:15p Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 11:56a Set: 12:12a Moonrise: 12:58p Set: 12:49a Moonrise: 2:01p

10

SUNDAY

11

12

Set: 8:16p Set: 1:24a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 3:05p

Set: 8:17p Set: 2:01a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 4:12p

Set: 8:17p Set: 2:40a

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

Set: 8:18p Set: 3:23a

AM Minor: 10:00a

PM Minor: 10:25p

AM Minor: 10:55a

PM Minor: 11:20p

AM Minor: 11:47a

PM Minor: ——-

AM Minor: 12:13p

PM Minor: 12:37p

AM Minor: 12:59p

PM Minor: 1:25p

AM Minor: 1:46a

PM Minor: 2:13p

AM Minor: 2:34a

PM Minor: 3:02p

AM Major: 3:47a

PM Major: 4:12p

AM Major: 4:42a

PM Major: 5:07p

AM Major: 5:35a

PM Major: 5:59p

AM Major: 6:24a

PM Major: 6:49p

AM Major: 7:12a

PM Major: 7:38p

AM Major: 7:59a

PM Major: 8:26p

AM Major: 8:48a

PM Major: 9:16p

Moon Overhead: 5:36p

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:15p

Moon Overhead: 6:26p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:04p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:50p

Moon Overhead: 8:56p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

Moon Overhead: 10:47p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 5:11a +2.0

-1.0

BEST:

BEST:

10:00P — 12:00A 11:00A — 1:00P

L E V E L S

Moon Underfoot: 7:39a

Moon Underfoot: 8:30a

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 9:22a

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 10:18a

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

+2.0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

4:00 — 6:00 PM

T I D E

L E V E L S

0

Moon Underfoot: 6:50a

T I D E

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:01a

Low Tide: 1:22 am High Tide: 9:51 am

72 |

-0.11ft. Low Tide: 1.50ft. High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

J U N E

2:10 am 10:19 am 4:37 pm 8:19 pm

2 0 1 1

0.07ft.

1.42ft.

0.93ft.

1.00ft.

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

T E X A S

3:01 am 10:41 am 5:15 pm 10:48 pm

0.31ft.

1.34ft.

0.66ft.

0.98ft.

F I S H

Low Tide: 3:59 am 0.59ft.

High Tide: 11:01 am 1.29ft.

Low Tide: 5:58 pm 0.35ft.

&

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

G A M E ®

12:50 am 5:08 am 11:16 am 6:44 pm

1.09ft.

0.87ft.

1.27ft.

0.04ft.

I N L A N D

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

2:31 am 6:40 am 11:31 am 7:31 pm

1.27ft.

1.11ft.

1.29ft.

-0.24ft.

A L M A N A C

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

3:51 am 8:35 am 11:44 am 8:20 pm

1.45ft.

1.28ft.

1.33ft.

-0.46ft.

+1.0

0

-1.0

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

= Peak Fishing Period

7:45-9:40 AM

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

14

13

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

16

15

SATURDAY

17

18

19

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 6:26p

Set: 8:18p Set: 4:10a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 7:30p

Set: 8:18p Set: 5:04a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 8:28p

Set: 8:19p Set: 6:01a

Sunrise: 6:19a Moonrise: 9:21p

Set: 8:19p Set: 7:02a

AM Minor: 3:24a

PM Minor: 3:54p

AM Minor: 4:19a

PM Minor: 4:48p

AM Minor: 5:16a

PM Minor: 5:45p

AM Minor: 6:15a

PM Minor: 6:43p

AM Minor: 7:14a

PM Minor: 7:41p

AM Minor: 8:11a

PM Minor: 8:37p

AM Minor: 9:06a

PM Minor: 9:29p

AM Major: 9:39a

PM Major: 10:09p

AM Major: 10:34a

PM Major: 11:03p

AM Major: 11:31a

PM Major: ——-

AM Major: 12:01p

PM Major: 12:29p

AM Major: 1:00a

PM Major: 1:27p

AM Major: 1:59a

PM Major: 2:24p

AM Major: 2:54a

PM Major: 3:18p

Moon Overhead: 11:46p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:46a

Moon Overhead: None

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:19p Moonrise: 10:06p Set: 8:04a

SUNDAY

Moon Overhead: 1:45a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:19p Moonrise: 10:46p Set: 9:05a

Moon Overhead: 3:34a

Moon Overhead: 2:41a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:20p Moonrise: 11:21p Set: 10:03a

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:23a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 11:16a +2.0

-1.0

BEST:

L E V E L S

5:30 — 7:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:13p

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

BEST:

7:00 — 9:00 PM

8:00 — 9:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:08p

Moon Underfoot: 3:59p

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 4:46p

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 PM

+2.0

BEST:

9:30 — 11:30 PM

10:00P — 12:00A

T I D E

L E V E L S

0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:15p

T I D E

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 12:16p

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

74 |

4:55 am 10:24 am 12:00 pm 9:09 pm

1.58ft.

1.37ft.

1.38ft.

-0.61ft.

J U N E

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

5:50 am 11:41 am 12:29 pm 9:57 pm

2 0 1 1

1.64ft.

1.41ft.

1.41ft.

-0.67ft.

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

T E X A S

6:38 am 12:17 pm 1:29 pm 10:46 pm

1.64ft.

1.41ft.

1.41ft.

-0.64ft.

F I S H

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

&

7:21 am 12:45 pm 2:35 pm 11:33 pm

1.60ft. High Tide: 8:00 am 1.37ft. Low Tide: 1:20 pm 1.38ft. High Tide: 3:40 pm -0.55ft.

G A M E ®

1.52ft.

1.29ft.

1.31ft.

I N L A N D

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

12:18 am 8:36 am 2:05 pm 4:47 pm

-0.40ft.

1.44ft.

1.18ft.

1.21ft.

A L M A N A C

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

1:01 am 9:07 am 2:58 pm 6:03 pm

-0.20ft.

1.35ft.

1.04ft.

1.09ft.

+1.0

0

-1.0

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Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011 TUESDAY

20

21

Sunrise: 6:19a Set: 8:20p Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 11:53p Set: 10:59a Moonrise: None

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

23

22

Set: 8:20p Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:20p Sunrise: 6:20a Set: 8:21p Set: 11:53a Moonrise: 12:24a Set: 12:45p Moonrise: 12:53a Set: 1:37p

24

SUNDAY

25

26

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 1:23a

Set: 8:21p Set: 2:29p

Sunrise: 6:20a Moonrise: 1:55a

Set: 8:21p Set: 3:23p

Sunrise: 6:21a Moonrise: 2:31a

Set: 8:21p Set: 4:18p

AM Minor: 9:57a

PM Minor: 10:19p

AM Minor: 10:44a

PM Minor: 11:05p

AM Minor: 11:28a

PM Minor: 11:49p

AM Minor: ——-

PM Minor: 12:10p

AM Minor: 12:29p

PM Minor: 12:50p

AM Minor: 1:09a

PM Minor: 1:31p

AM Minor: 1:48a

PM Minor: 2:12p

AM Major: 3:46a

PM Major: 4:08p

AM Major: 4:34a

PM Major: 4:55p

AM Major: 5:18a

PM Major: 5:38p

AM Major: 6:00a

PM Major: 6:20p

AM Major: 6:40a

PM Major: 7:01p

AM Major: 7:20a

PM Major: 7:42p

AM Major: 8:00a

PM Major: 8:23p

Moon Overhead: 5:08a

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:32a

Moon Overhead: 5:50a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:12a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:36a

Moon Overhead: 7:53a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:22a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

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

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 5:29p +2.0

-1.0

BEST:

L E V E L S

10:30P — 12:30A 11:00A — 1:00P

Moon Underfoot: 7:33p

Moon Underfoot: 8:15p

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 8:59p

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 PM

BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 PM

2:00 — 4:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 9:46p +2.0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

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0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:52p

T I D E

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:11p

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

1:42 am 9:34 am 3:54 pm 7:34 pm

0.02ft.

1.27ft.

0.88ft.

0.97ft.

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

2:19 am 9:57 am 4:44 pm 9:20 pm

0.26ft.

1.20ft.

0.71ft.

0.88ft.

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

2:55 am 10:17 am 5:27 pm 11:15 pm

0.50ft.

1.15ft.

0.54ft.

0.88ft.

Low Tide: 3:28 am 0.73ft.

High Tide: 10:32 am 1.13ft.

Low Tide: 6:05 pm 0.37ft.

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

1:15 am 4:00 am 10:42 am 6:41 pm

0.96ft.

0.93ft.

1.12ft.

0.21ft.

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

3:13 am 4:49 am 10:42 am 7:16 pm

1.10ft.

1.09ft.

1.15ft.

0.07ft.

High Tide: 4:20 am Low Tide: 7:51 pm

1.23ft.

-0.06ft.

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

27

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

29

28

FRIDAY

30

SATURDAY

JUL 1

SUNDAY

2

3

Sunrise: 6:21a Moonrise: 3:10a

Set: 8:21p Set: 5:14p

Sunrise: 6:21a Moonrise: 3:54a

Set: 8:21p Set: 6:11p

Sunrise: 6:22a Moonrise: 4:44a

Set: 8:21p Set: 7:06p

Sunrise: 6:22a Moonrise: 5:39a

Set: 8:21p Set: 7:58p

Sunrise: 6:22a Moonrise: 6:39a

Set: 8:21p Set: 8:47p

Sunrise: 6:23a Moonrise: 7:41a

Set: 8:21p Set: 9:31p

Sunrise: 6:23a Moonrise: 8:45a

AM Minor: 2:30a

PM Minor: 2:55p

AM Minor: 3:14a

PM Minor: 3:40p

AM Minor: 4:02a

PM Minor: 4:29p

AM Minor: 4:53a

PM Minor: 5:21p

AM Minor: 5:47a

PM Minor: 6:15p

AM Minor: 6:43a

PM Minor: 7:10p

AM Minor: 7:41a

PM Minor: 8:07p

AM Major: 8:42a

PM Major: 9:07p

AM Major: 9:27a

PM Major: 9:53p

AM Major: 10:16a

PM Major: 10:43p

AM Major: 11:07a

PM Major: 11:34p

AM Major: ——-

PM Major: 12:28p

AM Major: 12:30p

PM Major: 12:57p

AM Major: 1:28a

PM Major: 1:54p

Moon Overhead: 10:10a

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:55a

Moon Overhead: 11:01a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:50p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:39p

Moon Overhead: 1:45p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Set: 8:21p Set: 10:12p

Moon Overhead: 3:32p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JUNE 2011

12a

FEET

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 10:35p +2.0

-1.0

BEST:

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4:00 — 6:00 PM

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 12:22a

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:17a

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:12a

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

BEST:

7:00 — 9:00 PM

8:00 — 10:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:06a +2.0

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 PM

T I D E

L E V E L S

0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: None

T I D E

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 11:28p

High Tide: 4:53 am Low Tide: 8:27 pm

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1.33ft. High Tide: 5:21 am -0.18ft. Low Tide: 9:03 pm

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1.46ft. High Tide: 6:23 am 1.50ft. High Tide: -0.37ft. Low Tide: 10:20 pm -0.43ft. Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

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6:54 am 11:49 am 1:43 pm 10:59 pm

1.52ft.

1.31ft.

1.32ft.

-0.44ft.

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

7:25 am 12:17 pm 2:58 pm 11:40 pm

1.51ft. High Tide: 7:55 am 1.47ft.

1.24ft. Low Tide: 12:56 pm 1.13ft.

1.28ft. High Tide: 4:16 pm 1.20ft.

-0.39ft.

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5/3/11

12:48 PM

Ethanol Buster: Biobor EB YOUR OUTBOARD IS RUNNING ROUGH, your lawn mower won’t start, and your ATV has a clogged carburetor? Bad things seem to happen in threes and all of these problems are connected, but they don’t have anything to do with bad luck—phase separation is probably the culprit. You have ethanol to thank for increasing the likelihood that the fuel in your tanks and cans will separate out.

Then the ethanol can mix with water in the tank, leading to power loss, poor starting, a drop in efficiency, and in some cases, severe internal engine damage. That’s why Hammonds Fuel Additives formulated Biobor EB, an ethanol-busting gasoline treatment that puts the oomph back in your octane.

Biobor EB prevents phase separation for up to two years, and one ounce treats 15 gallons. That means you get better efficiency, more power, improved lubricity, and over the long haul, reduced maintenance cost as well. This stuff also cleans and disburses sludge.

The biggest phase separation problems come when fuel sits for extended periods of time, so in order to find out how well it worked, I gave it a shot in my lawn mower (which sits for weeks or even months, until my wife yells at me) and the outboard on my duck boat (which sits idle during most of the off-season). In both cases, the engines ran like tops and phase separation was a non-issue.

One thing I really liked about Biobor 78 |

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EB was the squeeze bottle it comes in, which has a built-in measuring section on top. That made it easy to figure out exactly how much of the additive to add to the tanks; with some competing products, you have to use the pour-and-pray method of guessing how many ounces you’re adding.

The price is another up-side. At $20 for a 16-ounce bottle, it only costs about eight cents a gallon—a worthy expenditure, to keep ethanol issues at bay.

Check this stuff out at www.biobor.com, and while you’re at it, if you also have a diesel or two in the fleet you might also want to have a look-see at Hammond’s microbiocides, microbial detection kit, and lubricity agents for low-sulfur diesel.

—Lenny Rudow

Trailer Tailor AREN’T YOU SICK AND TIRED OF THOSE chintzy bearing protectors that corrode away, bend out of shape, and fall off when you hit the first bump? I know I was, until I found Dura Hub Extreme bearing protectors.

Bearing protectors are your first line of defense, when you dunk a trailer in and out of the water regularly. Unfortunately, cheap

mon failure point on many boat trailers.

But the “dura” in Dura Hub obviously comes from the anodized aluminum body, which is thoroughly rugged—you can bend most bearing protectors with your hands, but not this one.

Dura Hubs have a clear lens on the outside, which makes them great for oil bath hubs as well as grease, because it allows you to check on oil levels at a glance (or check for water intrusion, in the case of grease bearings). There’s also a removable top cap so you can add oil when necessary, and they can be used with 80/90W gear oil or combined 80/90W gear oil and grease lubricants.

Installing the Dura Hubs was relatively easy: First I had to disassemble the hubs and degrease the parts. Next, I had to use Emery tape to sand the axel where the rear seal sits. Then it was just a matter of reassembling and repacking the hub, ringing the Dura Hub with a dose of Loctite 515 Flange sealer, and banging the protector into place with a block of wood and a hammer.

Four different hub cap sizes are available, including 1.781”, 1.980”, 2.441”, and 2.500”. Prices range from $49.95 to $89.95 per pair. Check them out at www.durahub.com.

—LR

Survival Bracelet Extreme protection for trailer bearings.

versions can allow water inside your Dura Hub bearings; when the hot hubs hit cool water a vacuum is formed, sucking water and dirt in. That’s why Dura Hubs have a flexible membrane, which seals the bearing and maintains internal pressure regardless of the outside environment. That flexible membrane also reduced the load on the rear seal, a comF I S H

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TELL ME, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU been in the brush or woods or mountains and needed a piece of rope or cord?

If you are an outdoorsman, I suspect the answer to that question would be, many times. I know that I have wished for a piece of rope, cord, or string many times. The uses for a few feet of strong cord are almost endless.

When I was active duty Border Patrol, I carried a long piece CONTINUED of parachute cord SEE PAGE 80

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PHOTOS: BIOBOR, DURA HUB

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PHOTO: QUALITY MARINE

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‘Service Built our Business’ QUALITY MARINE ON US HWY 190 WEST in Onalaka is a story of a business starting small, probably with no aspirations of growing big, but events and customer needs slowly turned the business into what it is today.

Quality Marine is a Tracker Elite dealership, meaning that Quality has chosen to commit their dealership exclusively to the sale of Tracker Boats in the aluminum fishing boat category, Sun Tracker in the pontoon boat category, and Nitro in the performance fishing boat category.

“We handle the Tracker line of boats for the quality and the fact they have nation-wide no hassle pricing, everyone sells for the same price,” said Steve Loy, owner and president of the dealership. Quality Marine also has a Platinum rating from Mercury and a 5 Star rating from Yamaha.

These two awards identify a dealer who adheres to the highest service standards.

Steve Loy wasn’t even thinking about earning all these rewards when he began Quality Marine in 1986. “I moved to Texas for the warmer weather,” said Loy. My father was in the marine and gun business in Illinois and I grew up in the marine and sporting goods types of businesses. It is all I have ever done.

“We started out as a service only shop with four service technicians. That lasted for about four years. It got to where outboards were too dependable; service work just wasn’t there like it used to be.” Sometimes service customers would from time to time ask if he sold outboard engines.

“The first thing we started handling were new outboard motors,” continued Loy. Then we kind of got into the power sport watercraft. About 1995 Quality Marine started selling Polaris ATVs, Rangers, sport vehicles and Tracker boat line.

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Showroom of the Onalaska-based dealership.

Quality Marine

“It wasn’t my intent to get back into the major retail end of the business. I had three stores and 20 people in Illinois. I sold the stores and was ready to get out of that end of it. I wanted to open just a little marine engine service shop. One thing led to another and here I am again.”

Loy opened a new and expanded store June 1, 2010, still at the same location of the original store. “We tore the old store down when the new one was finished.”

The old location was about 3,500 square feet; the new store is 12,500 square feet, almost tripling the space. We pretty much still have the same products.”

“Everything has changed a lot for 2011,” commented Loy. Some of the more noticeable changes include wider Sun Tracker pontoon boats. Polaris has a new diesel Ranger. The dealership is still well known for its quality marine service.

Quality Marine service department works on approximately 1,800 units a year.

“This town only has 1,100 people,” said Loy. “We handle service needs from all over. We have seven fulltime mechanics that

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are highly trained; service is a big deal with us.”

Bob Downing with over 35 years in the marine service business oversees all service related operations. “Being a Mercury and Mercruiser Master Mechanic, he brings a wealth of knowledge to our operations,” says Loy. Downing started at Mercury’s Lake X Proving Grounds and went on to become a technical rep. traveling the roads repairing engines dealers could not figure out. He is one of the founders of Quality Marine.

Bud Loy, Steve Loys younger brother cut his teeth in the marine business. He has been in the Mercruiser and Mercury service business for over 40 years. He is also a Mercury & Mercruiser Master Mechanic. “Both Bud, Bob, along with myself are avid hunters and fishermen spending all the time we can in the outdoors,” said Steve. “Robert Loy, my Father, was also one of the founders of Quality Marine. He retired several years ago but is still very active for being 79 years old.”

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Great, reliable service and solid product line has helped Quality Marine weather economic downturn.

“In the boating industry we have lost 1,500 dealers in the United States,” stated Loy. “We at Quality actually had growth this past year which is practically unheard of in this market. I figured I might be off 30 percent, but I am actually up about 10 percent.

“I think service has a lot to do with it.

It’s like Tracker. You can buy a Tracker boat any place…nationwide, no haggle pricing. It doesn’t matter if you buy it from me, somebody in New York or right at Bass Pro Shop…it’s all the same price wise. The only thing you have to sell is yourself, the dealership.

Quality Marine started in the service business; “We were real service oriented to begin with and we still are.” For more information on Quality Marine service and products please call 936-646-4916 or 877-ATV-POLA. The fax number is 936-646-2744. Their web address is: www.qualitymarineservice.com.

—Tom Behrens

Leupold Scopes Now with Mossy Oak Finishes UTILIZING AN EXCLUSIVE CAMOUFLAGE application technology for superior durability, Leupold now offers the popular

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Mossy Oak Break-Up and Mossy Oak Treestand hunting patterns on VX-I and UltimateSlam 3-9x40mm scope models.

Leupold’s advanced anodization process bonds the camo pattern directly to the scope body, ensuring an extremely tough and long-lasting finish, without adding thickness to the maintube diameter.

The VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are the first to feature this process.

One of the most versatile camo patterns, Mossy Oak Break-Up is effective in various hunting environments, from flooded timber to deep woods. Mossy Oak Treestand is designed specifically for whitetail deer hunters who shoot from an elevated position, providing concealment among the bare limbs of a tree in late fall.

“With these field-proven camo patterns, our VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are a great choice for deer hunters concerned with concealment, whether they use a rifle,

performance, season after season.”

The VX-I camo riflescopes have the time-tested Duplex reticle, micro-friction dials marked in ¼-MOA increments for easy windage and elevation adjustments, and Leupold’s classic lockable eyepiece for a secure focus. UltimateSlam scopes are designed to enhance accuracy with muzzleloaders and shotguns. Each UltimateSlam pairs Leupold’s exclusive Sabot Ballistics Reticle (SA.B.R.) with an innovative power selector ring that allows hunters to synchronize their gun with their preferred load.

In addition, VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes feature Leupold’s Standard Multicoat lens system for a bright, clear image. Like all Golden Ring scopes, they are VX-1 and Ultimate waterproof and fog proof, and testSlam scopes with ed under extreme conditions to Mossy Oak camo. ensure ruggedness and durability.

VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are Leupold backed by Leupold’s Full Lifetime muzzleloader or Guarantee. For more information, visit a shotgun,” commentlocal dealer, go to www.leupold.com or call ed Pat Mundy, com1-800-LEUPOLD. munications manager for Leupold also announced that its VariLeupold & Stevens, Inc. able Scout Scope is now vailable through “Our unique anodization process, the Leupold Custom Shop and that addicombined with the ruggedness typical of all tional Custom Shop offerings are planned our scopes, will deliver years of reliable in 2011.

TEXAS TESTED in the bag that I carried to work FROM PG. 78 every day. The bag -- we called them by the Spanish “trique bag”, trique meaning thing, as in a bag that held a bunch of things you might need during the day. The old mountain men called their version a possibles bag, a bag that held the things they might possibly need. These days everybody is carrying a backpack or nap sack.

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Anyway, the parachute cord served me well over the years for everything from making emergency repairs to a saddle to tying a piece of camouflage netting between two bushes for a makeshift blind.

There is now a better way to take your parachute cord with you than to ball it up in a knot that requires an hour to unravel when you need it. I'm talking about Survival Straps, www.survivalstraps.com, 800971-3360. These are tasteful bracelets, F I S H

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anklets, belts, watch straps, and more, that are made of parachute cord. They are fashionable, and if you get in a bind, you simply unravel the bracelet into several feet of life saving nylon cord.

If you are an outdoorsman or woman, you really should check out Survival Straps. I think they should be standard issue equipment to every soldier, Border Patrol agent, and police officer.

—Steve LaMascus

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Hunters and shooters can now order a VX-II 1.5-4x28mm scout riflescope through the Leupold Custom Shop.

Ideal for scout rifles, lever action rifles or any rig that calls for mounting optics in front of the receiver, the VX-II variable scout scope helps the shooter quickly get on target with 8.75 inches of optimum eye relief on low power (7.75 inches on high power). Numerous reticle options are available.

The VX-II variable scout scope is among the first of a series of products that will be launched exclusively through the Leupold Custom Shop. It joins a 3x20mm fixed-power riflescope that was introduced earlier this year.

“We have already seen a lot of interest in the variable scout scope, even though it is not in our regular line,” said Pat Mundy, communications manager for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “Those who want more information on this and other new offerings should contact our custom shop directly.”

Other key features of the VX-II variable scout scope include Leupold’s proprietary Multicoat 4 lens system for a bright, clear image, and ¼-MOA field click adjustments for windage and elevation.

The scope has a one-inch maintube, measures nearly 11 inches in length and weighs only 8.8 ounces. Field of view at 100 yards on the lowest magnification is 41.7 feet (16.5 feet on the highest magnification).

Like all Golden Ring optics, the VX-II 1.5-4x28mm scout scope is waterproof and fog proof, and is backed by Leupold’s Full Lifetime Guarantee. For more information, call 1-800-LEUPOLD. Additional information on the Leupold Custom Shop is available at www.leupold.com.

—Staff Report

Sea Fox XT Series Engineered for Texas Saltwater SEA FOX’S “XT SERIES” BAY BOATS ARE designed and CAD Drawn by an industry leading nautical engineer. Each XT is designed using a combination of extensive engineering experience, a team of avid I N L A N D

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PHOTO: SEA FOX BOATS

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Texas fishermen helped design the new XT Series

Sea Fox Texas fishermen, and the finest CAD designing tools available today.

WHAT A RIDE: The XT Series bay boats start with a wave busting deep V entry for that soft ride which transitions to a 15degree dead rise with a step at the stern for shallow water performance. The extreme flare at the bow will definitely keep you and your team dry in even the roughest of conditions. For extra skinny water, a tunnel hull option is available.

A UNIQUE HULL FEATURE: VIPER (Vented Integral Plane Extended Running surface) offers multiple enhancements over conventional hull designs. At rest, VIPER increases the displacement (floatation) of the hull improving stability and support for the additional weight of today’s 4 stroke engines. Coming on plane, VIPER serves as two large fixed planing tabs that virtually eliminates bow rise, reduces planning time, and improves shallow water performance. Up and running, VIPER’s vented step design reduces drag by shortening the running surface providing you with better performance and increased fuel efficiency.

THE CONSOLE: It’s tall and wide enough for two to tuck behind on a cold or rainy day. There’s room to flush mount up to a 12” screen GPS/Depth Finder right in front of you where it belongs. It includes full instrumentation, lighted rocker switches and dash mounted circuit breakers. Six vertical rod holders provide lots of space to store rods when not in use. Aft, there is

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protected storage area for your keys, wallet, etc. A protected stereo or VHF mounting area has a 12-volt receptacle for charging your IPod or cell phone. Cranking and trolling motor batteries are stored in an isolated storage area with cross ventilation. A locking tackle box storage compartment is accessible from the front.

COMFORTABLE SEATING: At the helm you will find an elevated stainless steel flip back seat with a backrest that locks in to five different positions. A large removable cooler or an optional leaning post comes standard with a removable backrest, a flip down footrest, rocket launchers and a large removable cooler. Integrated into the rear deck are two oversized flip up jump seats with drink holders that disappear into the deck when not in use. Additional seating is available with backrest forward on the console. Fore and aft removable pedestal fishing chairs are an available option.

FOR FISHING: Vast fore and aft casting decks have large oval aerated livewells with high speed pickups. Dedicated storage in the floor has room for a five-gallon bucket and cast net. Locking rod boxes hold up to 10 rods. Walk around gunwales have a non-skid finish. The trolling motor installation features a dedicated reinforced landing for the trolling motor and a 12/24/36 volt heavy duty trolling motor harness and receptacle.

THE ANCHOR LOCKER: Due to the extreme high winds we often experience and the diverse bottom conditions found G A M E ®

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along the Gulf Coast, it seems like you can never have too much anchor. These XT Series bay boats have an extremely large and impressive anchor locker with enough room for a 13lb Danforth style anchor, 6 feet of chain and 100 feet of 3/8” rope.

BUILT FOR A LIFETIME OF SERVICE: Every Sea Fox boat is built to the highest standards. All composite construction means “NO WOOD = NO ROT” Premium Cook isothalic gelcoats featuring a high flex rate and extreme UV protection keep boats looking like new. Transoms are made of 2 ¼” Penske composite board and have an aluminum plate glassed in for added strength needed to support high horsepower and heavier 4 stroke engines. Stringer system is CAD designed and precision cut by an automated router then totally encapsulated in fiberglass when installed in the hull. All thru hull fittings are stainless steel, not plastic, and below waterline thru hulls have safety seacock valves. Wiring harnesses are custom made, color-coded to NMMA specs. All connections are waterproof and are made by way of Deutsch connectors or heat shrink protected connectors. Fiberglass hatches, not plastic, are gasketed, have a drain channeling system, and compression latches to keep stored items dry and eliminate rattling when running through the chop. Seven pull up cleats retract for safety.

THEY’VE GOT YOU COVERED: Sea Fox boats are USCG and NMMA certified and backed by a “Limited Lifetime Hull Warranty.”

Go to www.seafoxboats.com or better yet, go see one in person at a Sea Fox dealer near you.

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March 11, 2011. Shimano has committed to 100 million yen (approximately $1.2 mil USD) in monetary contributions and donations of 30 million yen (~$362K USD) in Shimano winter clothes and undergarments to support the disaster victims.

Shimano’s staff worldwide wishes to express our heartfelt sympathy to the many thousands of people affected by the devastating earthquake and sincerely hope for a safe and swift recovery.

Texas-Made Trophy Tools NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENtion. We’ve all heard the old saying, but Trophy Tools owner, Lon Krieger, took it far beyond invention to a thriving business catering mainly to hunters in Texas and throughout North America. The invention was the Scope Clamp, which is basically a camera tripod without legs, allowing the user to put a video camera or spotting scope in action in a matter of seconds where a tripod is impractical, like in most hunting situations.

“I ran a hunting operation in Webb County and part of our management plan dictated using a spotting scope before allowing a hunter to take a buck. Tripods didn’t work so I came up with the Scope Clamp for all my guides, which I thought was the end of my problem, but then our hunting clients started asking me to make one for them, too. Finally, I figured I’d make one for everyone.” Krieger explained.

That was in 2002, and since then, Trophy Tools has refined the Scope Clamp through five versions and produces the Sportsman model for most hunters and the premium grade Professional model for guides and others wanting greater strength and durability. “For a while, we had them manufactured overseas, but now we make them right here in Texas and the quality really went up.” said Krieger.

Along the way, Trophy Tools added Vortex Optics and Alpen Optics to their product line. Krieger feels both companies represent outstanding quality at very good price levels and compliments the Scope Clamp by offering several spotting scopes as well as binoculars and rifle scopes.

Krieger tries to work with every optics buyer to help them find the right tool for PHOTO: TROPHY TOOLS

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—Tom Behrens

Shimano Helps Victims of Japan Earthquake

This quick-action clamp replaces the tripod.

SHIMANO INC, LOCATED NEAR OSAKA, Japan, has made a donation to victims of the massive Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on 82 |

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their needs. “I try to use every item I carry so I can tell my clients about them first hand, then apply that experience to help them get the best glass for their needs and budget. Sometimes a buyer will have some features in mind based on advertising or what he’s seen, but would be a hindrance to what he wants to accomplish. I prefer to show him all the alternatives and help him decide what he really needs and have him come back to me happy the next time he needs optics.”

Personal service, expertise, and great products have been the keys to the success of Trophy Tools and Krieger has no intentions of changing that mix. “A good scope or binocular should last 20 years or more.

It’s important to help a client find exactly what he will be happy with because he’ll use it for so long.” Krieger went on, “Most optics manufacturers are coming out with sizes and features that are rarely needed, to one-up their competition. Who really needs a scope to shoot 1000 yards?

Rather than concentrate on gimmicks, we focus on quality optics that will do a great job and hold up for a long time.”

Helping their clients find the right tool for the job is what put Trophy Tools on the map and they are not about to change that driving principle anytime soon. Lon Krieger can be reached at Trophy Tools lon@trophytools.com or 512-618-8880.

—Staff Report

Paralyzed Vets Cast & Blast with Wiley X VETERAN-OWNED WILEY X EYEWEAR has announced its 2011 sponsorship of two important programs that allow paralyzed veterans to compete against each other and other outdoor sportsmen in exciting shooting and bass fishing events around the country.

Wiley X will be providing thousands of dollars worth of its performance protective sunglasses to both the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) National Trapshoot Circuit and the PVA National Bass Tour.

Wiley X glasses will be featured prizes at prominent PVA shooting and bass fishing I N L A N D

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events throughout the 2011 season.

In PVA National Trapshoot Circuit events, shooters with disabilities and ablebodied shooters compete as equals in the fun and competitive sport of trapshooting—shooting at clay targets hurled upwards to simulate the flight of a game bird. This year’s schedule of events around the country marks the 15th annual circuit for this exciting and tightly competitive event. Among the other notable sponsors for this unique series of shooting competitions are Cabela’s, Winchester Ammo, SKB Shotguns and Leupold Optics.

Wiley X will be providing winners, staff, directors and volunteers for the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit with its new Wiley X Guard and Wiley X Saber Advanced tactical eyewear. Wiley X will also be part of the prize package recognition for the season’s high-scoring overall shooter, high-scoring wheelchair shooter, and the winner of the Chad Crowley Award, for the highest overall PVA Voting member who is a veteran.

Both the Wiley X Guard and Wiley X Saber Advanced combine unparalleled protection with the ability to quickly change lenses to match shooting conditions. This advanced eyewear meets stringent MILPRF-31013 military ballistic standards (U.S. Military Combat Eye Protection) as well as ANSI Z87.1-2003 high impact certification (OSHA Occupational Eye Protection). In addition to advanced impact protection, Wiley X’s lenses also provide 100% UVA and UVB protection.

This level of performance and protection has made Wiley X a leading supplier of eyewear to elite military units around the globe. Because Wiley X is the only premium sunglass brand that certifies its entire line to exceed ANSI Z87 standards for safety, every pair of Wiley X glasses provides the same high standard of protection.

Wiley X will also be joining organizations like B.A.S.S., Bass Pro Shops, Minn Kota, Tracker Boats and Humminbird in its sponsorship of the PVA National Bass Tour. Wiley X will provide its polarized protective eyewear for tournament staff, directors and volunteers, as well as tournament winning anglers and the overall Angler of the Year. The PVA Tour consists of seven tournaments, each consist-

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ing of an Open/Team competition for anglers who wish to compete from a boat and a Bank Competition for anglers who prefer to fish from shore.

Wiley X polarized sunglasses provide the same level of protection found in its tactical eyewear, protecting anglers against everything from airborne debris and lowhanging limbs to flying lures. The advanced fish-spotting performance of these glasses have made Wiley X the choice of many top professional anglers, including Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese and 2010 Angler of the Year runner-up Edwin Evers.

“As a veteran owned company, we’re very proud to support Paralyzed Veterans of America and all of its efforts,” said Wiley X President of Sales Myles Freeman, Jr. “Shooting and fishing are two great American pastimes and an excellent way for people to enjoy the great outdoors.

These events put on by PVA provide disabled veterans and others with a chance to share and enjoy these life-affirming activities, all in the spirit of healthy competition.

We’re honored to present these brave sportsmen and event organizers with our products,” added Freeman.

To learn more about the PVA Bass Tour and the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit, visit www.pva.org/sports.

For more information about Wiley X’s full line of high performance eyewear for work and play — visit Wiley X Eyewear at 7800 Patterson Pass Road, Livermore, CA 94550 • Telephone: (800) 7767842, or visit online at www.wileyx.com.

—Staff Report

On the Web www.qualitymarineservice.com www.seafoxboats.com www.fish.shimano.com www.trophytools.com www.wileyx.com

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Bob-Cat Offers 26 New Features FROM REQUIRED TO INSPIRED...THE 2011 line of BOB-CAT zero-turn riding mowers not only meet 2011 EPA emission/evaporative requirements, the line offers an advanced operator comfort experience and many performance enhancing features.

Green Sense: A non-permeable tank and fuel cap gasket eliminate vapor release while a patent pending vapor retract feed recycles vapors through the carburetor – a green design that meets 2011 EPA emission/evaporative requirements without inhibiting fueling or unit fuel capacity.

Operation & Performance: BOBCAT’s exclusive new ISORide

Zero-turn mowers with advanced featurs for 2011.

Bob-Cat Comfort System isolates the operator from vibration at all touch points. The line’s new lower platform provides a balanced center of gravity for exceptional stability on slopped and undulating terrain. An extra wide dis84 |

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charge deck increases airflow to lift and dry grass blades eliminating clumping under the deck while a new oversized chute with unique fanning groves discharges clippings in a wide fine pattern.

For more information about all of the new features incorporating into the 2011 BOB-CAT Mower Line or to find a dealer in your area, visit www.bobcatturf.com or call BOB-CAT toll-free at 866-4691242.

ValvTect Helps Prevent Ethanol Problems VALVTECT ETHANOL GASOLINE TREATment can help boat owners avoid problems that can be caused by ethanol blended gasoline. Ethanol gasoline can destabilize very quickly, cause corrosion and some problems to the fuel delivery systems and engine components.

Many gasoline stabilizers provide improved stabilization, but they don’t provide protection against corrosion and phase separation.

To help prevent the damaging effects of ethanol, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment is specially formulated to provide stabilization (for up to two years), prevent corrosion of internal engine components and help prevent phase separation.

In independent laboratory tests, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment improved the stability of E10 gasoline (10% ethanol F I S H

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and 90% gasoline) by 186%, received a perfect A rating (the best possible rating) for corrosion prevention and showed the ability to retain moisture and ethanol in E10 fuel that can help preProtects engines from ethanol dam- vent phase age. separaValvTect tion.

VT8000 gasoline detergent cleans injectors and intake valves to restore power and decrease fuel consumption.

For more information about ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment and other ValvTect products, visit www.valvtect.com/ethanol.asp, call 1+800.728.8258 (US) or email valvtect@valvtect.com.

Seeker React Series Freshwater and Bay Rods AFTER 2 YEARS OF TESTING WITH PRO Anglers, Seeker announces the “React Series” line of ‘Technique Specific’ Freshwater Bass and Bay Rods. There are 11 models in four different actions for all reaction bait fishing.

Seeker Rods are proudly manufactured and assembled in the U.S. FEATURES: Nine models are built on Seeker’s graphite/’S’ glass composite blanks. These blanks are similar to Seeker’s popular “Inshore” series blanks. Two models are built on 100% ‘S’ glass blanks.

All models have Grade A Portuguese cork grips, Fuji reel seats, and Fuji Hardaloy guides. Each rod also features a hook keeper to store baits not in use. All rods are wrapped in elegant black with metallic purple inlays.

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Check out Seeker Rods and other high quality fishing tackle at Titan Tackle, an authorized dealer of Seeker Rods. Visit our store at www.titantackle.com.

Protect Guns and Gear from Rust and Dust DUST AND RUST ARE TWO OF THE biggest problems outdoor enthusiasts have after cleaning expensive firearms and other gear. ZipVac, the portable vacuum packaging system made in the U.S.A., which offers a variety of vacuum packaging bags can help prevent damage to gear.

For example, the King Fillet bag, which measures 14”x30”, can accommodate an AR-15 sporting rifle when broken down into two sections. Place the two cleaned sections of the rifle in the bag and use the rechargeable or manual evacuation pumps to extract rust-causing air and prevent dust and fuzz from settling on the parts, gumming the works. The same approach applies to compasses,

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viding component interchangeability and compact storage. “We have worked hard to bring meaningful innovation to the landing net and fishing accessories market and are extremely pleased with significant value that the EGO S2 Slider product system offers the recreational and professional fisherman”, said Grant Corbett, President of Adventure Products, Inc. “Our primary goal in developing the EGO S2 Slider product line was to change the current paradigm in landing net and fishing accessory Technique-specific functionality while incorporating all of the bass and bay fishunique brand characteristics and features ing rods. ensures the right that so distinctly defined the original EGO Seeker React one is available S1 landing net series.” for the best fit.

As part of the revolutionary S2 prodFor more tips on how to get the best use uct system, savvy anglers have the option of out of the ZipVac system, visit zipvac.net. three handle lengths, three hoop sizes and The ZipVac is available on line or at leadfour mesh types. Also available, are the S2 ing outdoor stores.

Boat Hook, the S2 Gaff Hook (available in two sizes) and the S2 Slider Knife.

Each accessory product has been carefully designed to provide the best in funcRECOGNIZED AS THE INNOVATION LEADER tionalin the sport fishing landing market, ity as EGO sets a new standard with the stand introduction of an all new landalone ing net and fishing accestools or sories product line. combined The revoEGO S2 Slider with the S2 lutionary landing net sets a Slider handle. new standard.

The S2 landing EGO nets float, incorporate the EGO Net S2 Slider unique EGO grip for added strength landing net and and offer a compact solution for storage, fishing accessories prodtravel and shipping. uct system features the For additional information about these most advanced hanexciting new products and Adventure dle extension Products, Inc., please visit technology www.egos2slider.com.

Let the revolution available. With begin! a simple pull

A Paradigm Shift in Landing Nets

or push of the S2 Slider grip, the savvy angler Vacuum bags now has complete control offer protection of the handle extension for guns & gear. length during the fish Zip Vac capturing process. The innovative modular platform also allows the handle to detach, pro-

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On the Web www.bobcatturf.com www.valvtect.com/ethanol.asp www.titantackle.com www.zipvac.net www.ego2slider.com G A M E ®

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Varmint Rifles ACK IN THE '60S AND '70S REMINGton didn't produce as many different models as they do now. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the choice was considerably easier. One model they did make, that I always admired, was the Model 700 BDL Varmint. It was just a Model 700 BDL with a heavy barrel.

The only one I ever owned was a 6mm-284.

A friend had it, and I lusted for it. Finally

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we came to an agreement and I traded a Smith and Wesson Model 41 target pistol for it.

The 6mm-284 had begun life as a standard .243 and a previous owner had reamed it out to the larger caliber. I was in my “faster is always better” stage at the time and was trying to push every bullet as near as possible to the speed of light. I had a load in the .22-250, using 45-grain bullets intended for the .22 Hornet, that was so hot that the bullet didn't reach 100 yards; they burned up, leaving a trail of blue smoke for about 50 yards.

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faster, but it did cost more and burn the barrel up faster. I finally traded the 6mm-284 for something else – a Savage Model 99 in .219 Zipper, I think.

It took me about 30 years to realize that pretty much everything that can be done with varmint calibers has already been done.

P.O. Ackley and dozens of inventive gunsmiths, reloaders, and tinkerers of the early to middle 20th Century tried every possible combination of bullet and cartridge case that they could find. They determined that the velocity of a cartridge is controlled by the size of the bore, the volume of the cartridge case, the weight of the projectile, and the burn rate of the powder. Pushing beyond the bore capacity of a cartridge runs head on into the Law of Diminishing Returns. At some point, putting more powder behind the bullet doesn't produce much more velocity and increases pressure and barrel wear exponentially.

Way back in 1935, the .220 Swift broke the 4000 feet per second barrier, and we haven't done much better since. In the 1970s and early 1980s the .17 Remington was the darling of the high velocity set, but they soon found out that it only shot bullets and burned rifle powder. It eventually lost much of its allure and is now only popular with a small sector of the shooting fraternity.

Here is a Reader's Digest version of what I have learned over the last 40 years.

I like the .17s (not including the rimfires, which I think are totally useless for anything but plinking at tin cans), but I don't trust them. The bullet is just too small and frangible to be effective on game any larger than about 25 pounds. They are fun and easy to shoot. I would use one on gray foxes or prairie dogs, but prefer larger calibers for anything larger.

The .20 calibers are too new for me to pontificate on to any extent, but that is my job, so here it is. I used the .204 Ruger on one hunt in Wyoming and one hunt in North Texas and it performed wonderfully both times. I shot both prairie dogs and rock

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chucks with it in a Smith @ Wesson M&P 15 in Wyoming and never had a failure to anchor the target. I also shot coyotes and hogs with one in a T/C Encore Pro Hunter in North Texas and, again, it performed well. I was, however, ultra-careful of my shot placement on the hog, and placed the bullet behind its left ear. The result was, ZAP, one dead hog. I have a young friend who uses one almost exclusively on varmints in West Texas, including coyotes and sings its praises.

It should be okay for most uses on animals up to about 60 pounds, but I honestly don't see the need for it. Step up to the .22s and you have more bullet and almost as much velocity.

Any time you trade bullet weight for velocity, you are trading with the devil.

For foxes and bobcats the smaller .22 calibers, such as the .22 Hornet and .218 Bee, are effective up to about 100 yards. They are, in my opinion, just toys and not serious hunting tools. I use a .22 Hornet sometimes when I am hunting gray foxes or bobcats and I am certain the shots will be short.

The hot-shot .22s, beginning with the now sadly obsolescent .222 Remington are

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effective for somewhat larger game, or somewhat longer ranges. I use the .222, .223, and such on coyotes when I am certain the shots will not be far or fast. I never use bullets smaller than 50 grains, and almost never use anything but 55-grain bullets. Why? Because I have learned from sad experience that bullets less than 50 grains tend to detonate on the surface when pushed at high velocity; and that bullets over 55 grains do not have the velocity to kill cleanly at extended ranges in the smaller .22s.

The real fireballs are the .22-250, .220 Swift, .223 WSSM, and a few others, using 55-grain bullets, and in some cases bullets of up to 70 grains. These are effective out to pretty extended ranges on coyotes, and as far as you can hit one on foxes and bobcats, assuming the shot is in a vital area. Still, in many situations, more bullet is called for.

The all-occasion varmint rifles start with the .243 Winchester and go up as far as you care to go. My brother David wore the barrel completely out on a .270 shooting 90grain hollow points for varmints. It was most

effective. I did the same shooting 87-grain bullets in a .25-06. I believed in that gun almost to the point of worship. I was devastated when the original Remington barrel finally gave up the ghost.

The old .257 Roberts or its 6mm counterpart, the 6mm Remington (they use the same 7mm Mauser parent cartridge), may be the best all-around varmint calibers made. I say “may be� for the simple reason that every shooter thinks his pet caliber is the best and I am no different. I have pets. I admit it.

I have tried, here, to be as reasonable and unbiased as I can in evaluating the performance of the various calibers. I have shot, literally, hundred of coyotes, foxes, bobcats, gophers, prairie dogs, and even rock chucks.

The conclusions I have reached, were reached by field experience, not from a book or computer program, and not from someone else's questionable experience or opinion. Take it or leave it. It is your choice.

E-mail Steve LaMascus at guns@fishgame.com

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Time to Get Serious T IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT JUNE IS here already! For some bowhunters, June is the month to get serious about their practice time.

I have written many times before about how important I think practice is. Usually, the bowhunters that are successful every year have already been flinging a few arrows just to keep the muscles they use in tune. It makes it much easier to pull a bowstring back so that it is a more natural thing to do if you practice year round. Whether you are the occasional shooter or a person who shoots most every night, now is the time to

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get very serious about how you practice while trying to make every shot count.

Last year I wrote about changing your gear and getting accustomed to the new gadgets you might want to hunt with. I will simply remind the readers out there to give themselves time to adapt to their new equipment. Give yourself the time needed to know inside and out how your new gear works and how to make adjustments if needed.

As hunting season draws near, remember to practice with the hunting clothes you plan to wear during your actual hunt. I know it can be a little toasty for us here in Texas to be wearing a jacket in June, but if that is the jacket you are wearing during the season, now is the time to make sure your bowstring is not going to catch on your sleeve upon release. I am not asking you to dress up in all of you hunting clothes for any length of time at all…but enough time should be spent to see if you have a potential problem with your release and the arrow flight. If you find that your string occasionJune is the month for bowhunters to get down to serious preparation.

Drawing Near ally hits your jacket sleeve, an arm guard will fix that problem.

You have been shooting with your field tips and have become quite proficient. You also will need to “fine-tune” your arrow groups by shooting with the broadhead you plan to hunt with. Even though some broadhead companies (Muzzy comes to mind) include a practice head in the package with their new broadheads, I still believe you should take one of the real ones and see if it shoots the same. It probably will…but I like to cover my bases. I need to make sure and double check as much as I can before I go out on my actual hunt.

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types of broadheads. You may find one that you never knew existed and is the best thing since sliced bread!

I plan on shooting both mechanical and fixed bladed broadheads this month and will give my report for your next read. I can make suggestions, but you really need to try a few for yourself to see what works best for you and the game you are hunting. Right now, my hunting set-up includes NAP’s 100 grain Thunderheads. I love them…and they do a fantastic job. I have found that they fly true and I am very happy using them…have been for years, but that does not mean I should not try something else.

One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is shooting from 20 yards over and over again. This practice is all right as long as the deer are aware of that and stand right at 20 yards from you, but it probably will not be like that.

Shoot from many unknown distances.

As the season draws closer, I limit myself to one arrow and while I am at full draw, I really am concentrating because I know this is my only shot! I have to try to make it count.

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After all, that is the way it is when you are in the field so why not practice like that. A range finder will certainly help when it comes to judging distance. Leupold offers a fantastic range finder called the “Vendetta”.

I have tried it and I can tell you it works and works well. Still, you need to take time to practice with this addition to your bow. You will not be disappointed.

Another good idea is to get yourself out to a 3 D shoot. Many sporting clubs and different sport facilities sponsor 3 D shoots, especially just before the season. You may be able to find a facility that offers 3 D shooting year round. Believe it or not, shooting at a 3 D animal target is much different than shooting at a foam square with dots on it.

You will get used to shooting at the vitals, and with an arrow, that is what we are aiming for. This is the area with the most blood flow and after all, an arrow works by causing severe hemorrhaging which in turn will cause the deer to expire quickly and humanely.

Some 3 D courses actually take away points if you miss the vital area, which is out-

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lined by 2 or 3 sets of ring indentations in the target. If an arrow strikes anywhere else on the target, it is considered a wound, and your score will tell the tale.

I prefer to practice with a friend. I consider myself a competitive person and by shooting with a friend, I seem to concentrate more. I always let him shoot first…then I aim for his nock! Oh…he gets his turn too.

Another benefit of practicing with a friend is that when (I mean if) you miss the target someone is there to help you find your arrow.

So practice and practice often. Make it fun and make it competitive.

If you practice like this, you will soon find that you will be more proficient and that, in turn, will give you the confidence you need in this sport.

E-mail Lou Marullo at lmarullo@fishgame.com

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Green Boating (It’s Not What You Think It Is) O HECK WITH THE ENVIRONMENT— there’s another kind of “green” we boaters are concerned about, and it usually results in half-digested foods getting sprayed across the deck. Yes that’s right, I’m talking about seasickness. According to the US Navy, a mere one percent of the population is completely immune to seasickness, about 10 percent suffers from it virtually every time they step aboard a boat, and the rest of us fall somewhere in-between these two extremes. One hundred percent of

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the time, however, seasickness has the potential to ruin a perfectly good fishing trip.

This ailment is, of course, nothing new.

In fact, seasickness is where the word “nausea” comes from—in Greek “naus” means “boat”. But there are some new ways to combat it. The affliction is triggered when your brain is unable to coordinate your intentional motions with conflicting sensory inputs. Motion is sensed via the inner ear, and the eyes. But aboard a moving boat, your gray matter can’t put the motion your eyes see together with the motion your inner ear senses and the motion your body is attempting to create on its own. As a result, your scrambled brain is likely to send that scrambled egg breakfast sailing through the air.

Few non-life-threatening sicknesses are as uncomfortable, miserable, and horrid as seasickness. Yet in at least one way, getting seasick is a good thing: the gooey food bits thoroughly enhance your chum slick. Still, you probably don’t want to puke in the pass,

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up-chuck at the upwelling, or barf on the bay.

Some of the old stand-by remedies are effective, for most people, most of the time.

Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) is one of the most common, and was invented by a pair of Baltimore doctors in the late 40’s. It’s usually administered as a pill, but can also be found as a liquid, in chewable tablets, as a patch, or even as a suppository (I’ll take throwing up, thank you very much). It is an antihistamine, and although there’s some disagreement as to why exactly it works, it does prevent seasickness for most people, most of the time, depending on the severity of the conditions. But there’s a down-side: this stuff makes you sleepy, and after choking down a Dramamine or two, you might end up snoozing on the deck for half the day. Non-drowsy formula is available, but still puts many would-be boaters to sleep.

Bonine is another standard-issue cure that enjoys a high success rate, and is also most commonly taken in pill form. Some people find it slightly less effective than Dramamine, but it also seems to make people slightly less drowsy. In the case of both Bonine and Dramamine, however, you must take the pill well before getting on the boat.

At least an hour in advance is advisable, and people who fall into the unlucky 10 percent should take one the night before they plan to go boating as well as one in the morning, to get the medicine into their system well in advance.

Scopolamine is the latest and greatest in preventing motion sickness, and it’s said to be the most effective anti-seasickness drug around. In recent clinical trials it was found to be between 74 and 39 percent effective at eliminating all symptoms of seasickness depending on sea conditions and the duration of exposure, and in a review of multiple studies, was found to be just over 80 percent effective at preventing vomiting. Scopolamine is usually administered via a transdermal patch, and lasts for up to three days.

The down-side? You’ll need a prescription

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to get it, and common side effects include blurred vision, drowsiness, dizziness, and dry mouth.

A more ancient cure is ginger, which was used by the Vikings to quell nervous stomachs, so they wouldn’t puke while preparing to pillage. That’s why Ginger-ale is commonly given to seasickness sufferers, and chewing on ginger root is also rumored to help. In my real-world experience, however, the effects are negligible and it’s most likely a psychosomatic effect as much as anything else.

Dittos for pressure-point wrist bands, another iffy-maybe seasickness cure. Some users claim it helps… right up until they heave-ho. Taking one’s shoes off and going barefoot, odd as it may sound, is another alleged “cure” which has mixed results.

There’s one big common problem associated with all of these seasickness cures: they aren’t really cures at all, they’re methods of prevention. Once that ill feeling hits you, taking any of these measures is more or less useless. There are, however, two ways to go from chunk-blower to fish-battler in a matter of moments. The first is to simply get off of the boat, and into the water. This isn’t always preferable to being seasick—if you’re on a small boat in rough seas, the last thing you want to do is go overboard. But in safe conditions, treading water next to the boat for a minute or two is almost always effective at relieving your symptoms. The bad news?

When you climb back aboard, the ailment often returns. The second option is inhaling the mixed aroma of spearmint, peppermint, ginger and lavender oils, combined in a product called “QueaseEase,” which was originally developed as a drug-free alternative to relieve post-operative nausea due to anesthesia. Studies have shown an immediate relief success rate of 83 percent, and my personal experience backs up its usefulness, though I’d guess it’s closer to 50 or 60 percent effective. And there’s one other downside to using QueaseEase: from what I’ve seen the effects are temporary, and on rough days, those who feel ill are likely to end up huffing the stuff every five minutes.

No matter which approach you choose, remember that certain situations are more likely than others to perpetuate peptic purging. Rough seas, of course, are number one.

But the sight and smell of one person vomiting often triggers the same response in multiple crewmembers. The smell of chum or I N L A N D

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fish oil has also been known to trigger many a Technicolor yawn, and the same goes for the scent of diesel fumes and cigarette smoke. Drinking alcohol—especially in mass quantities the night before a boat ride—is another sure way to up the odds of losing your lunch.

Hopefully, if and when that queasy feeling hits you’ll find that one or another of these treatments quells your misery. But in the long run, there’s only one sure cure to

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eliminating seasickness altogether: sitting in the shade of an oak tree.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

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Tips for Better Kayak Fishing ISHING GUIDES SPEND MORE DAYS ON the water in a single year than casual anglers log over an entire decade.

Good guides are keen observers of nature and are often the best teachers when it comes to outdoor-related subjects. I spoke recently with a several current and former kayak guides and asked their advice on how kayakers can become better fishermen.

Dean Thomas, owner of Slow Ride Guide Service, is a sharp shooter that spe-

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cializes in saltwater fishing. Thomas is based in Aransas Pass and this light tackle guides fishermen targeting spots and specks along the Coastal Bend.

When queried about things kayak fishermen can do to improve their craft, the likeable Thomas didn’t pause a beat before saying: “Kayak fishermen in general try to carry too much gear on their boats. They are kayaks, not bass boats. All fishermen tend to be gear freaks and kayakers are no different. We all like ‘fishing stuff ’ and we all like to trick out our boats, but all that extra stuff won’t necessarily make you a better fisherman.”

Thomas’s comments ring true and brought a chuckle from the other end of the phone line. Outdoor writers are the world’s worst gear hogs. I carry all sorts of extra gear, like camera bags and duffels of new equipment to test, on most trips.

Another bit of advice Thomas offered related to proper footwear for coastal fishing. “If you get out of your kayak for any

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reason, you need to have good footwear,” said Thomas. “We have oyster shell littering the bottom and you shouldn’t walk barefoot.

Without the right footwear you can cut your feet very badly. Even if you didn’t intend on getting out of the boat, you may inadvertently get separated from your kayak and have to walk a ways.”

Thomas suggests wading booties for kayak duty, dismissing other forms of footwear. “Strap-on shoes and flip flops are OK if you never get out of your kayak but they are a bad choice for flats duty. A mud bottom will suck those shoes off your feet and you are back to wading barefoot.”

Kelly Watson, the former owner of Texas River Bass, has wandered to the other side of the Sabine River and it now the national sales manager for tackle manufacturer Marsh Works. For a decade, Watson plied the Blanco and San Marcos Rivers with clients in tow. Although he currently isn’t guiding, Watson still offered plenty of valuable advice to kayak fishermen who want to elevate their game.

“Always paddle into the wind for as far as you want to go before you start fishing,” said Watson. “Then turn around and start fishing your way back. This let’s you concentrate and put all of your energy into fishing.”

“Conditions can change quickly on the water. Calm days can become windy very quickly. If the wind pick up at the end of your day, you may have to paddle two miles into the teeth of a strong wind with the sun going down. It is always better to paddle into the wind first. If all else fails, you can drift back to your vehicle.”

Watson also likes to use any available cover, such as spoil islands and mangroves, to cheat the wind. “I try to use all available cover to hide from the wind and sneak up on the fish.” he added.

Watson never fishes more than a mile for his launching point. “You typically are running over millions of fish to get to fish,” he counseled. “You obviously don’t want to fish

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Don’t try to carry too much gear... it’s a kayak, not a bass boat.

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

Fishing Tips

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barren water but, within reason, there are lots of places you can paddle to within one mile of the ramp. One way to become a better fisherman is to spend more time with your lure in the water.”

His self imposed one mile range limit has influenced his choice of hulls – that and his love of sight casting. “I like big wide boats.

I like to stand up while sight casting because it is easier to see the fish. Although they aren’t as efficient in the water as narrow hulls, big, wide hulls make the best fishing platforms. I believe in fishing better and smarter rather than fishing faster and farther.”

Watson suggested that kayaker anglers look to shallow water for greater success.

“Shallow water fish are often undisturbed.

Power boats can’t go in these waters and the fish are less spooky. You can sneak right up on them in a kayak,” Watson concluded.

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Catch Anything, Anywhere, Anytime Name the one type of artificial lure you think you can use to catch any fish, anywhere, anytime. I mean any fish (from six ounce bream, to bull red fish, to 300 pound halibut) in any water conditions (a muddy creek in East Texas or 100 feet deep on a reef in the gulf) at any time of year (100 degrees in August or freezing in January).

In my opinion, the only artificial lure that meets the anything/anywhere/anytime criteria is the jig. As a matter of fact, just two

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days ago I took half the

neighborhood kids to the lake and in an hour they caught crappie, bass, and chain pickerel all on jigs.

The jigs effectiveness on bass becomes apparent when you look at the bass entered into the Share-A-Lunker program over the past 20 plus years. Of the over 500 fish donated to the program nearly 1/5th of these 13 pound behemoths were caught on jigs. Heck, two of my top three bass were caught on jigs. One in 25 feet of water on a submerged road bed in August, the other in three feet of water in January (no it doesn’t make sense for a bass to be that shallow in January). Knowing you should be using jigs and actually

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knowing how to use them are two different things so let’s look at a few ways of rigging the ultimate anything/anywhere/anytime bait.

One of my all time favorite ways to fish a jig is the venerable jig and bobber rig. As a matter of fact, this is the rig the kids were using to catch the fish mentioned earlier and I’ve used it countless times on dozens of species. The jig and bobber rig is fairly straightforward.

If you’re fishing for smaller fish species (crappie) tie a small jig (1/8th, 1/16th) on the end of the line. Lately my crappie rig of choice has come from a little known tackle supplier based in right here in Texas. I picked up a Pocket Pack from Crazy Angler Tackle (crazyanglertackle.com) and have been using the pink headed jig; yes I said pink, with a Slab Bandit body in their Joker’s Wild color pattern.

About a foot or two above the jig attach a small bobber, small enough to not make a large splash when cast but big enough not to be pulled under by the jig, and that’s it. This rig is especially deadly on crappie hanging around boat houses in the spring.

Throw it near cover in shallow water and let it settle. If a fish doesn’t take it on the initial cast then give the line

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a little jerk causing the jig to swim before settling again.

You’ll be surprised how many bass you catch on this little rig while crappie fishing and if you want to specifically target bass, red fish, or speckled sea trout you can use this same set-up, just upgrade the size of everything and move the bobber a few feet up the line so that the jig will suspend deeper. Drift this rig across a hump or over a brush pile and hang on. On the other end of the spectrum, you can downsize the jig, (1/32nd, 1/64th) and chase bream in lakes or trout in stream.

One of the most popular methods of fishing a jig over the past few years has been to match it with a soft plastic topwater frog and swim it through thick cover. Most of us learned to bass fish with a jig by dragging it along the bottom so swimming one is a foreign concept but is simple to master with a little practice and can often be used in the place of a swim bait.

To swim the jig, cast it out near likely fish holding cover, let it sink for a second or two and start reeling it in slowly. Give the rod

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tip a twitch to give the jig more erratic movement to entice strikes.

While the first two methods we discussed are for chasing fish in shallow water, the easiest way to rig one is for horizontally probing deep water brush piles. Simply tie a jig on the end of your line, put a split shot on the line, about a foot above it, and you’re done.

Drop this into the brush and you will get bit.

I’ve used this to catch crappie, white bass,

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catfish, and black bass.

There are thousands of baits on the market for catching every type of fish possible but if you have a box or two full of jigs you will put just as many fish in the boat as just about anyone on the water.

E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

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Souped Up OMETIMES ON THE WEEKEND, WE like to make up some type of a soup, or a gumbo and just kind of graze on it all afternoon with a good cold and relaxing cocktail. This is a recipe I found while searching for something fresh and flavorful that I could prepare at an invitational cookoff on a friends ranch in Schulenburg. Well, it turned out so good, that I felt I had to share it with all of my loyal readers. The margarita recipe is really tasty as well!

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Corn and Crab Bisque THIS RECIPE IS BY CHEF JOHN FOLSE, OF Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and of Chef John Folse Culinary Institute in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It's a gold medal winner in culinary competition. I made it for a soup cookoff on a ranch in Schulenburg, Tx. They all loved it, and I hope all of you guys out there will to. It takes a little time to prepare, but the results are well worth the effort! I added a little zesty flavor with my spice, but otherwise it’s awesome.

3 cups fresh-cut whole kernel corn, plus milk from cobs 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat 1 cup butter 1 cup onions, small dice 1 cup celery, small dice 1 cup red bell pepper, small dice 1/4 cup minced garlic 1 cup flour 5 cups crab or fish stock 4 cups corn cob stock 2 cups heavy cream 96 |

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1/2 cup sliced green onions 1/2 cup chopped parsley 2 teaspoons Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice Salt and white pepper to taste Make a stock with the corn cobs and 56 cups water, reducing until 4 cups remain.

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over medium high heat. Add the corn, onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic.

Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add the flour and whisk until a white roux is achieved. Do not brown.

Add the stocks, one ladle full at a time, stirring constantly until all the stock is incorporated. Bring to a low boil, reduce to

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a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add heavy cream, green onions and parsley, and cook an additional 3 minutes. Gently fold in the lump crabmeat, being careful not to break up the lumps Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

YIELD: 12 servings

Slaven’s Southern Style Margarita IF YOU LOVE A GOOD FRESH FLAVORED margarita, then you will love this version we make at home. We put it in the shaker and mix it until your hand is almost frozen, then serve it up in a lime/salt rimmed and chilled martini glass. It’s pretty good!

1 to 1 ½ ounces of your favorite silver tequila 2 limes – juiced (approx. 1/3 cup) 1 – shot – Lemoncello Place all ingredients into a shaker, along with about a cup of crushed ice Put the lid on, shake it really good or until your hand is numb from the coldness of the shaker, then strain into a chilled and lime/salt rimmed martini glass. Enjoy with your friends and family, then repeat.

Spicy Snack Crackers THIS IS A GREAT SNACK THAT IS NOT baked, but it is absolutely awesome. Make some up for a party or just for snacking with the family.

1 whole box of Premium Saltine (or your favorite brand) crackers

Mix the following: 1 Pkg. Ranch dressing Powder mix(not the dip) 1 ¼ cup canola oil 2-4 teaspoons red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it) 1 tablespoon Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice Mix the red pepper flakes, Searing Spice, dry dressing mix and canola oil Place the crackers in a large (gallon) Ziploc bag and pour the mixture over the

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crackers a small amount at a time, stopping to turn the bag to coat the crackers as you go. Seal up the bag and gently shake until all of the crackers are coated.

Let the bag sit closed up for an hour,

gently turning every 20 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at texas-tasted@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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Falcon vs.

Amistad vs.

Choke Canyon

BY MATT WILLIAMS FOR YEARS, BASS ANGLERS across Texas and beyond have been looking east of I-45 to find the state’s very best bass lakes. But that is not necessarily the case anymore. South Texas reservoirs such as Falcon, Choke Canyon and Amistad have grabbed the lunker limelight and run with it in recent times, rekindling the belief that there is something in the brush country soil and water that brings out the monster in all things wild.

Which is heaviest hitter of them all? That depends entirely on who you talk to.

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Tye Blackshear’s handle on the Texas Fishing Forum.

Last October, Blackshear made an Internet photo post on the popular website Texas F I S H

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Fishing Forum depicting himself holding a whale of a bass that tipped the scales to 11.7 pounds.

The 27 1/4 inch long fish was reported-

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Bryan Aubin with 14.4-pound Toyota Sharelunker 476.

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ly caught from a Hobie kayak on a Falcon Senko-style bait in about five feet of water. To date, it is his personal best.

News of the banner catch will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the 26,000acre reservoir near Three Rivers. After several slow years, “Choke” caught fire in 2007 and has been sizzling ever since. It was the leading producer for the Toyota ShareLunker program in 2009 with six entries, including three that weighed in excess of 15 pounds.

Amazingly, state fisheries biologists documented five more 15 pounders caught from the lake the same year, and several in excess of 13 pounds.

Good as Choke is “Uncle J,” would probably label Falcon as his favorite lake after the remarkable day he spent on the water last Fall with fishing guide Charlie Haralson of Laredo. Uncle J’s TFF post indicates the two men caught a boat load of big ones. Their heaviest five weighed nearly 43 pounds, better than an eight pound average!

Crazy as it sounds, Haralson says days like those are commonplace on the 84,000acre Texas/Mexico border lake.

“Yeah, we had a pretty good day, but I’ve had better,” said Haralson. “Falcon is just a special place. “I don’t know of many lakes where you can weigh in 25 pounds in a bass tournament and not even get a check, but I have seen it happen here more than once. To me, a bad day on Falcon is catching five bass that will weigh 20-25 pounds, and having to work to get them. A 30-pound bag is an everyday occurrence when the bite is on.”

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Joseph Burgi with ShareLunker 497, a 13.37 pounder.

mentioned lakes. But he was Amistad quick to point out that Lake Amistad is no slouch when it comes to kicking out lunker largemouths along with big numbers of quality size fish.

The 65,000-acre border lake was the second leading producer of Toyota ShareLunkers last year (4) and continues to kick out scads of quality fish.

“There are probably more 3-5 pound fish swimming around in Amistad right now than there has ever been,” said Hanselman.

“Give it another year or two and this lake could shock some people.”

Truth be known, either of the South Texas jewels is prone to bust wide open at any time. In fact, many Texas bass fishing junkies like myself consider these three lakes to be among the most likely candidates to produce the next Texas state record largemouth. Maybe even a newworld record.

What is it that makes the Texas’ golden triangle of bass lakes so good?

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Randy Myers of Del Rio attributes the boom to a number of factors: Florida bass, mild weather climates to promote longer growing seasons and, most importantly, the ebb and flow water cycles that are a huge part of each reservoir’s history.

According to Myers, when water levels drop, brush and other terrestrial vegetation sprout in areas normally covered by water.

When the lake refills, it creates a “new lake effect” that causes fish populations to thrive.

“The high and low water cycles are a big part of the reason why these three lakes are so good today,” Myers said. “All the new habitat benefits the bass directly, because it provides them plenty of cover for optimum reproduction, survival and recruitment. It

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Richard Flores with 15.09-pound ShareLunker 478.

also benefits them indirectly by making Choke Canyon the reproduction and survival conditions ideal for the forage species on which they feed. It is a good deal all the way around.”

While each lake can be good year-round, late winter through April ranks as one of the best times to catch a heavyweight.

Here’s synopsis of each fishery:

FALCON • Location: Zapata, Texas, on Texas/Mexico border.

• Distance: 361 miles from Houston; 479 miles from Dallas • Size: 85,000 acres • Noteable: Falcon can turn nasty in high winds, so keep an eye on the weather.

Also, state and local authorities are urging American anglers to stay on the U.S. side of the lake to avoid possible confrontations with warring drug cartels.

CHOKE CANYON • Location: Three Rivers, Texas.

• Distance: 343 miles from Dallas; 219 miles from Houston.

• Size: 26,000 acres

AMISTAD • Location: Del Rio, Texas, on Texas/Mexico border • Distance: 348 miles from Houston; 417 miles from Dallas • Size: 64,000 acres • Notable: Amistad is a scenic lake with steep, rocky banks and extremely clear water. It can be dangerous when the wind blows, so be sure to pay attention to weather forecasts.

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Juaniece Miller Redfish Charters

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SOUTH TEXAS FOR ADVERTISING RATES AND INFORMATION CALL 281.869.5519

SPOTLIGHT: Redfish Charters Redfish Charters in Rockport, TX offers you the ultimate in saltwater fishing on the Texas Gulf Coast. Fishing Aransas Bay, Estes Flats, Redfish Bay, and California Hole in the Rockport area, Capt. Charlie will fish with young and old alike - experienced or first-timers! 26 years of professional guiding experience along the Texas Coastal Bend Bay systems on the Gulf Coast!

Capt. Charlie loves to take kids fishing. By “ruining” them, he figures they will grow up to love fishing instead of getting into trouble. Of course he likes to take adults also. Many consider his good-nature to be one of his best qualities - one that he shares so freely with people from all walks of life!

Although he specialized in catching redfish as the name suggests, don’t be surprised when you catch a speckled trout, black drum or flounder!

With Capt. Charlie Newton you’re in the best of hands! Travel in comfort and style, safely aboard this 24’ DLX Carolina Skiff/115 hp 4-stoke Suzuki.

It’s A Fishing Machine!

Redfish Charters has received two prestigious awards this past year; “Business of the Month” October 2010 from The Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce and “2010 Best of Fulton Award” in Excursion Boat Operators category by the US Commerce Association. The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses through out the country. We were very honored and proud to receive these awards.

For an unforgettable fishing trip in Rockport, TX on the fabulous Texas Gulf Coast call Redfish Charters today at 361-729-8220. Or check out our website www.redfishcharters.com I N L A N D

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CATFISH New Waverly

REDFISH | Galveston Arianna Wimberly caught a 27inch redfish and two 25-inch reds on her 10th birthday, fishing with Grandpa Louie Weiss at Galveston.

WHITETAIL BUCK | San Angelo Brett Ferro, age 7, of Sugar Land shot his first buck on opening day of the Youth Season while hunting in San Angelo. Brett took his 10-point trophy with a 7mm .08 rifle.

Alan Gehovak caught a 10-pound and an 8-pound blue catfish on a private pond near New Waverly. He was using spinnerbaits and fishing for crappie (one of which is on the stringer with his two blue cats).

COBIA Port Aransas Don Kirkham caught this 40pound cobia out of Port Aransas. A deckhand is holding the fish because after fighting and landing it, Don didn’t have the strength to lift it.

ALLIGATOR GAR Brazos River SPECKLED TROUT | Port Mansfield Chris Curl of McAllen and his cousin Dave “the Trout Master” caught this nice stringer of specks wadefishing at Port Mansfield.

Pictured left to right, Brian Bownds, Allen Macha, Randy Gauny, and Lawrence Macha show off a 130-pound, 6-foot 6-inch alligator gar they caught on the Brazos River at Booth, Texas.

DRUM Port Lavaca

CRAPPIE

SNAPPER

Lake Lavon

Port Isabel

Christian Pivarnik, 8, of McKinney caught a 2pound, 14-inch and a 1.25pound, 11-inch crappie—his first—at Lake Lavon.

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Javen Limon, age 4, caught his first fish ever, a small snapper, while fishing at Port Isabel with grandparents Rolando and Dolores Velez of Brownsville. Javen was so proud he stopped people all the way back to the car to tell them, “I caught a fish.”

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Marina Armola Flores of Port Lavaca caught this black drum using crab as bait. The fish was released shortly after the picture was taken.

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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.

RAM Daingerfield Matt Mayo shot his first Painted Desert ram, while hunting on the Working Man’s Bow Ranch at Daingerfield in northeast Texas.

BASS & CATFISH Grandview CRAPPIE | Lampasas County Kylie McCord caught her first crappie at a private lake in Lampasas County. Kylie is 6 years old. She is pictured with her “Pop.”

Rafe Kirkpatrick, age 8, caught a 6-pound bass while his six-yearold brother Luke caught a 4.5pound channel catfish, on a private lake near Grandview.

CATFISH | Guadalupe River CATFISH

Luke Tinsley, Kyle Day, Ty Tinsley, Zach Lopez and Matt Hillman had a great spring break fishing on the Guadalupe River at Gonzales.

Stockdale JW and Patricia Rice put on a fishing tournament for their great grandkids at Stockdale. Pictured with a stringer of catfish are Tyler, Jeep, Nate and Dylan.

SPECKLED TROUT | Matagorda Jeffrey David age 9 of Georgetown with a nice 21-inch Speckled Trout he caught over some shell at a rig in Matagorda Bay.

LARGEMOUTH BASS Tyler Robert Quiroga, age 9, caught this 9.5-pound largemouth while fishing at the Howell Lake Club in Tyler.

WHITETAIL BUCK Live Oak County Colton Wheeler, 13, of Beach City shot this 10-point buck in Live Oak County. Colton brought the buck down with one shot, using a .243 Rossi.

LARGEMOUTH BASS | Sam Rayburn Sonja Gregory of Amarillo caught this 6.13-pound largemouth bass on Sam Rayburn. Her son Jarrod caught a 5-pounder the day before.

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BY GREG BERLOCHER THE GREAT OUTDOORS PRESENTS plenty of opportunities to share fellowship, experiences, and celebrate the majesty of woods and water. If your pursuit of happiness regularly takes you beyond the blacktop, there are a few basic items you should keep in your truck at all times. They don’t take up much space, nor do they cost much, but they can lift your spirits when a good situation turns bad and can turn good outdoor experiences into great ones.

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In This Issue HOW-TO SECTION

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PAUL’S TIPS • Catching Anything, Anywhere, Anytime | BY PAUL BRADSHAW

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TEXAS GUNS & GEAR • Varmint Rifles | BY STEVE LAMAS-

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION TEXAS TASTED

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OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | BY TF&G STAFF

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TF&G PHOTOS • Your Action Photos | BY TF&G READERS

CUS

COVER STORY • 10 Things |

BY GREG BERLOCHER

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FISHING FORECAST SECTION SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK • Tides & Prime Times | BY TF&G

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STAFF

TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots |

BY TOM BEHRENS, CALIXTO GONZALES, & BOB HOOD

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Storage is always a big concern when it comes to extra gear. There isn’t any one right answer when it comes to the size and shape of the container used. You may choose to store these outdoor enhancers under your seat, in the glove box, or in the console of your truck. If your kit is constantly getting in the way and becomes a nuisance it is likely to get pitched like yesterday’s burger wrapper.

The list below is uniquely personal and based on a half-century of outdoor pursuits.

I left several items off the list which you may wish to include, such as a compass or first aid kit. Hopefully my list serves as food for thought in developing your own list of items to keep in your vehicle.

Water A bottle or two of drinking water always comes in handy; a gallon jug is even better if you have the room. Besides slaking a terrible thirst, bottled water is handy for washing off an inadvertent cut and/or scrape, plus it can be poured into your radiator should your engine overheat.

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BOWHUNTING TECH • Time to Get Serious | BY LOU MARULLO

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TEXAS BOATING • Green Boating | BY LENNY RUDOW

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TEXAS KAYAKING • Better Kayak Fishing | BY GREG

• Souped Up |

83

BY BRYAN SLAVEN

BERLOCHER

GEARING UP SECTION

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TEXAS TESTED • Biobor, Dura Hub, Survival Straps | BY TF&G STAFF

69 74

INDUSTRY INSIDER TF&G STAFF

• | BY

NEW PRODUCTS • Hot New Outdoor Gear | BY TF&G STAFF

than hunger pains. Instead of focusing on outdoor activities, my brain focuses on the groans coming from my stomach. A tin or two of emergency rations is definitely a welcome site if you are stranded overnight.

Vienna sausages, sardines and crackers are good truck food. Check out the expiration dates on the cans before purchasing and choose items that have several years of shelf life yet to go.

Matches Occasionally trips beyond the blacktop feature extended stays. Electrical and mechanical gremlins have invaded my vehicle at times, and soft gooey mud has enveloped my tires hopelessly trapping my truck in place. A fire will brighten dour spirits, provide warmth, and makes a good signal beacon should you become lost. A pinch of wooden kitchen matches stored inside a plastic pill bottle will stay dry and functional for many years.

Flashlight A flashlight is always a valued ally between dusk and dawn. Hunting and fishing trips usually involve pre-dawn junkets and a dependable flashlight is always welF I S H

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www.FishGame.com come when trying to knot fishing line or fumbling with small parts. Alkaline batteries are the power source of choice and are definitely worth the price. LED flashlights are small, light, and easy to stow in your vehicle.

Garbage Bag Heavy duty, 40-gallon trash bags are a great catch all, literally. They can be pressed into makeshift duty as ice chests to haul fish and game back home, store wet clothes, and they make good floor mats when your hunting boots are caked with mud. Cut a hole big enough to squeeze your head through and two holes for your arms and the same trash bag can also be pressed into emergency duty as a poncho. It won’t win any style awards but it will help keep you dry.

Tool Kit Fishing reels, rifles, and lanterns are just a few of the items that need occasional mechanical adjustments. Sometimes a simple turn of screw can have a profound impact on your whole weekend. Having a set of tools close at hand can remedy most minor situations. There are a multitude of pre-packages tool kits CONTINUED on the market these SEE PAGE 62

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JUNE 2011

Tides and Prime Times

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

1

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 6:31 am 1.59ft.

Low Tide: 10:36 pm -0.23ft.

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 6:17a AM Minor: 5:34a PM Minor: 6:00p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

6 Low Tide: 1:22 am High Tide: 9:51 am

-0.11ft.

1.50ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 11:10a AM Minor: 10:18a PM Minor: 10:43p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

1.58ft.

1.37ft.

1.38ft.

-0.61ft.

1:42 am 9:34 am 3:54 pm 7:34 pm

5:30 — 7:30 PM

Set: 8:41p Set: 4:26a AM Major: 9:58a PM Major: 10:27p None 11:35a

20 0.02ft.

1.27ft.

0.88ft.

0.97ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: None AM Minor: 10:15a PM Minor: 10:37p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Sunrise: 6:35a Moonrise: 3:25a AM Minor: 2:49a PM Minor: 3:13p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

1.33ft.

-0.18ft.

2 0 1 1

Set: 8:38p Set: 12:33a AM Major: 5:01a PM Major: 5:26p 6:45p 6:20a

0.26ft.

1.20ft.

0.71ft.

0.88ft.

6:00 — 8:00 PM

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

11:00A — 1:00P

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

PRIME TIME 1.40ft.

-0.29ft.

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Set: 8:44p Set: 6:34p AM Major: 9:46a PM Major: 10:12p 11:20a 11:47p

F I S H

&

6:38 am 12:17 pm 1:29 pm 10:46 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 8:52p AM Minor: 5:34a PM Minor: 6:04p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

22

6:00 — 8:00 PM

Set: 8:35p Set: 8:45p AM Major: 11:47a PM Major: 12:13p 1:30p 1:04a

PRIME TIME 3:01 am 10:41 am 5:15 pm 10:48 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 1:17p AM Minor: ----PM Minor: 12:06p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

PRIME TIME

Set: 8:43p Set: 12:11p AM Major: 4:52a PM Major: 5:13p 6:09a 6:30p

28

T E X A S

11:00A — 1:00P

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

Set: 8:41p Set: 5:18a AM Major: 10:52a PM Major: 11:22p 12:05a 12:35p

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 12:13a AM Minor: 11:03a PM Minor: 11:23p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Sunrise: 6:35a Moonrise: 4:09a AM Minor: 3:33a PM Minor: 3:59p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

8

1.64ft.

1.41ft.

1.41ft.

-0.67ft.

2:19 am 9:57 am 4:44 pm 9:20 pm

High Tide: 5:21 am Low Tide: 9:03 pm

PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME

5:50 am 11:41 am 12:29 pm 9:57 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 7:53p AM Minor: 4:37a PM Minor: 5:07p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

10:30P — 12:30A

Set: 8:44p Set: 5:38p AM Major: 9:01a PM Major: 9:26p 10:29a 10:55p

J U N E

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

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

4:00 — 6:00 PM

0.07ft.

1.42ft.

0.93ft.

1.00ft.

14

21

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 4:53 am Low Tide: 8:27 pm

2:10 am 10:19 am 4:37 pm 8:19 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 12:14p AM Minor: 11:13a PM Minor: 11:38p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

PRIME TIME

Set: 8:43p Set: 11:17a AM Major: 4:04a PM Major: 4:26p 5:27a 5:48p

27

60 |

10:00P — 12:00A

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

PRIME TIME 4:55 am 10:24 am 12:00 pm 9:09 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 6:49p AM Minor: 3:43a PM Minor: 4:12p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

7

Set: 8:38p Set: None AM Major: 4:05a PM Major: 4:31p 5:55p 5:30a

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

PRIME TIME

THURSDAY

0.31ft.

1.34ft.

0.66ft.

0.98ft.

12:00 — 2:00 PM

Set: 8:38p Set: 1:08a AM Major: 5:53a PM Major: 6:18p 7:34p 7:09a

PRIME TIME 1.64ft.

1.41ft.

1.41ft.

-0.64ft.

7:00 — 9:00 PM

Set: 8:41p Set: 6:16a AM Major: 11:49a PM Major: ----1:05a 1:35p

PRIME TIME 2:55 am 10:17 am 5:27 pm 11:15 pm

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 12:42a AM Minor: 11:47a PM Minor: ----Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

29

High Tide: 5:51 am Low Tide: 9:41 pm

Sunrise: 6:36a Moonrise: 4:59a AM Minor: 4:21a PM Minor: 4:48p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

G A M E ®

0.50ft.

1.15ft.

0.54ft.

0.88ft.

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Set: 8:43p Set: 1:04p AM Major: 5:37a PM Major: 5:57p 6:50a 7:11p

PRIME TIME 1.46ft.

-0.37ft.

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Set: 8:44p Set: 7:29p AM Major: 10:34a PM Major: 11:01p 12:14p None

N O R T H

2

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 7:13 am 1.62ft.

Low Tide: 11:14 pm -0.27ft.

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 7:08a AM Minor: 6:27a PM Minor: 6:54p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 8:36p Set: 9:39p AM Major: 12:13a PM Major: 12:40p 2:24p 1:57a

9

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 3:59 am 0.59ft.

High Tide: 11:01 am 1.29ft.

Low Tide: 5:58 pm 0.35ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 2:21p AM Minor: 12:31a PM Minor: 12:55p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

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

6:30 — 8:30 PM

7:21 am 12:45 pm 2:35 pm 11:33 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 9:44p AM Minor: 6:33a PM Minor: 7:02p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

23

Set: 8:39p Set: 1:43a AM Major: 6:43a PM Major: 7:08p 8:23p 7:58a

PRIME TIME 1.60ft.

1.37ft.

1.38ft.

-0.55ft.

30

PRIME TIME

A L M A N A C

12:30 — 2:30 PM

Set: 8:43p Set: 1:57p AM Major: 6:18a PM Major: 6:39p 7:31a 7:52p

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 6:23 am 1.50ft.

Low Tide: 10:20 pm -0.43ft.

Sunrise: 6:36a Moonrise: 5:54a AM Minor: 5:12a PM Minor: 5:39p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

8:00 — 9:00 PM

Set: 8:42p Set: 7:17a AM Major: 12:19a PM Major: 12:48p 2:04a 2:32p

Low Tide: 3:28 am 0.73ft.

High Tide: 10:32 am 1.13ft.

Low Tide: 6:05 pm 0.37ft.

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 1:11a AM Minor: 12:04a PM Minor: 12:28p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

1:00 — 3:00 PM

6:00 — 8:00 PM

Set: 8:44p Set: 8:21p AM Major: 11:25a PM Major: 11:53p 1:09p 12:41a

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Tides and Prime Times

FRIDAY

3

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 7:55 am 1.62ft.

Low Tide: 11:55 pm -0.27ft.

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 8:05a AM Minor: 7:23a PM Minor: 7:50p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

PRIME TIME 12:50 am 5:08 am 11:16 am 6:44 pm

1.09ft.

0.87ft.

1.27ft.

0.04ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 3:26p AM Minor: 1:18a PM Minor: 1:43p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

17

2:00 — 4:00 PM

Set: 8:39p Set: 2:19a AM Major: 7:30a PM Major: 7:56p 9:15p 8:49a

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 8:00 am Low Tide: 1:20 pm High Tide: 3:40 pm

1.52ft.

1.29ft.

1.31ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 10:29p AM Minor: 7:32a PM Minor: 7:59p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

9:00 — 11:00 PM

Set: 8:42p Set: 8:19a AM Major: 1:19a PM Major: 1:46p 3:00a 3:27p

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

7:00 — 9:00 PM

Set: 8:36p Set: 10:28p AM Major: 1:10a PM Major: 1:37p 3:18p 2:51a

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

SATURDAY

PRIME TIME 1:15 am 4:00 am 10:42 am 6:41 pm

0.96ft.

0.93ft.

1.12ft.

0.21ft.

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 1:41a AM Minor: 12:48a PM Minor: 1:09p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

1:30 — 3:30 PM

Set: 8:43p Set: 2:50p AM Major: 6:58a PM Major: 7:19p 8:12a 8:34p

4 High Tide: 8:37 am

1.61ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 9:05a AM Minor: 8:22a PM Minor: 8:48p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

SUNDAY PRIME TIME

5

PRIME TIME

8:00 — 10:00 PM

Low Tide: 12:38 am -0.22ft.

High Tide: 9:17 am 1.57ft.

9:00 — 11:00 PM

Set: 8:37p Set: 11:14p AM Major: 2:08a PM Major: 2:35p 4:12p 3:45a

11

PRIME TIME

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

2:31 am 6:40 am 11:31 am 7:31 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 4:34p AM Minor: 2:04a PM Minor: 2:31p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

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

12:18 am 8:36 am 2:05 pm 4:47 pm

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 11:08p AM Minor: 8:30a PM Minor: 8:55p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

1.27ft.

1.11ft.

1.29ft.

-0.24ft.

3:00 — 5:00 PM

Set: 8:40p Set: 2:57a AM Major: 8:18a PM Major: 8:45p 10:09p 9:41a

-0.40ft.

1.44ft.

1.18ft.

1.21ft.

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

3:13 am 4:49 am 10:42 am 7:16 pm

Sunrise: 6:34a Moonrise: 2:12a AM Minor: 1:27a PM Minor: 1:49p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

1.10ft.

1.09ft.

1.15ft.

0.07ft.

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

Set: 8:44p Set: 3:45p AM Major: 7:38a PM Major: 8:00p 8:55a 9:18p

PRIME TIME 3:51 am 8:35 am 11:44 am 8:20 pm

1.45ft.

1.28ft.

1.33ft.

-0.46ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 5:42p AM Minor: 2:52a PM Minor: 3:20p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

9:30 — 11:30 PM

2:00 — 4:00 PM

PRIME TIME

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

19

PRIME TIME

Set: 8:37p Set: 11:55p AM Major: 3:07a PM Major: 3:34p 5:04p 4:38a

12

PRIME TIME

Set: 8:42p Set: 9:21a AM Major: 2:17a PM Major: 2:42p 3:53a 4:18p

25

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 10:07a AM Minor: 9:20a PM Minor: 9:47p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 8:40p Set: 3:39a AM Major: 9:06a PM Major: 9:35p 11:06p 10:37a

PRIME TIME 1:01 am 9:07 am 2:58 pm 6:03 pm

-0.20ft.

1.35ft.

1.04ft.

1.09ft.

Sunrise: 6:33a Moonrise: 11:42p AM Minor: 9:24a PM Minor: 9:48p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

New Moon

26

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 4:20 am Low Tide: 7:51 pm

1.23ft.

-0.06ft.

Sunrise: 6:35a Moonrise: 2:46a AM Minor: 2:07a PM Minor: 2:30p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

First Quarter

N O R T H

Full Moon

PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME

Last Quarter Good Day

A L M A N A C

3:00 — 5:00 PM

Set: 8:44p Set: 4:41p AM Major: 8:18a PM Major: 8:42p 9:41a 10:05p

PRIME TIME

10:00P — 12:00A

Set: 8:42p Set: 10:20a AM Major: 3:13a PM Major: 3:36p 4:42a 5:05p

SYMBOL KEY

4:00 — 6:00 PM

T E X A S

BEST DAYS

F I S H

&

TIDE STATION CORRECTION TABLE (Adjust High & Low Tide times listed in the Calendar by the amounts below for each keyed location)

NOT FOR NAVIGATION PLACE SABINE BANK LIGHTHOUSE (29.47° N, 93.72° W) SABINE PASS JETTY (29.65° N, 93.83° W) SABINE PASS (29.73° N, 93.87°W) MESQUITE PT, SABINE PASS (29.77° N, 93.9° W) GALV. BAY, SO. JETTY (29.34° N, 94.7° W) PORT BOLIVAR (29.36° N, 94.77° W) TX CITY TURNING BASIN (29.38° N, 94.88° W) EAGLE POINT (29.5° N, 94.91° W) CLEAR LAKE (29.56° N, 95.06° W) MORGANS POINT (29.68° N, 94.98° W) ROUND PT, TRINITY BAY (29.71° N, 94.69° W) PT. BARROW, TRIN. BAY (29.74° N, 94.83° W) GILCHRIST, E. BAY (29.52° N, 94.48° W) JAMAICA BCH., W. BAY (29.2° N, 94.98° W) ALLIGATOR PT., W. BAY (29.17° N, 94.13° W) CHRISTMAS PT, CHR. BAY (29.08° N, 94.17° W) GALV. PLEASURE PIER (29.29° N, 94.79° W) SAN LUIS PASS (29.08° N, 95.12° W) FREEPORT HARBOR (28.95° N, 95.31° W) PASS CAVALLO (28.37° N, 96.4° W) ARANSAS PASS (27.84° N, 97.05° W) PADRE ISL.(SO. END) (26.07° N, 97.16° W) PORT ISABEL (26.06° N, 97.22° W)

G A M E ®

J U N E

HIGH

LOW

-1:46

-1:31

-1:26

-1:31

-1:00

-1:15

-0:04

-0:25

-0:39

-1:05

+0:14

-0:06

+0:33

+0:41

+3:54

+4:15

+6:05

+6:40

+10:21

+5:19

+10:39

+5:15

+5:48

+4:43

+3:16

+4:18

+2:38

+3:31

+2:39

+2:33

+2:32

+2:31

-1:06

-1:06

-0.09

-0.09

-0:44

-1:02

0:00

-1:20

-0:03

-1:31

-0:24

-1:45

+1:02

-0:42

2 0 1 1

|

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PINEY WOODS

White Bass Flock to Buzzards

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Toledo Bend Res. HOTSPOT: Buzzards Bend GPS: N31 38.93694, W93 48.582 (31.648949, -93.809700) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slab spoons, tail-spinners, Rat-L-Traps, shallow-diving crankbaits CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: The white bass will be holding along the old river channel sand bars.

Throw slab spoons or tail-spinners when the fish are on the bottom. Watch for

schooling action along the channel, roadbeds, flats and points and use Rat-LTraps and crankbaits.

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Alligator Bayou GPS: N32 44.20236, W94 6.05778 (32.736706, -94.100963) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas-rigged plastic worms, Flukes, plastic frogs CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide@att.net, 318-455-3437, caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish along the edge of the hydrilla in the bayou with lightly weighed four-inch dark colored Texas-rigged plastic worms, weightless Flukes and frogs. Key on shady areas once the sun is up.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Harmon Creek GPS: N30 45.15198, W95 10.32096 (30.752533, -95.172016) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigging slabs, Pet Spoons CONTACT: Dave Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936291-9602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Key on the old bridge rails and roadbed in 11-15 feet of water. Jig slabs and spoons off the bottom or troll Pet Spoons on a downrigger. Kickapoo Marina off Hwy. 190 in Kickapoo Creek has bank access.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Old Hwy. 190 Roadbed GPS: N30 45.15198, W95 10.32096 (30.752533, -95.172016) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigging slabs, Pet Spoons CONTACT: Dave Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936-

COVER STORY days which include screwdrivers, FROM PG. 58 wrenches, and pliers. The tools come packaged in a plastic clamshell case; the better ones have cases with an O-ring which keeps moisture away from the tools. If you are a minimalist or lack storage space, consider a quality multi-function tool, such as a Leatherman, instead.

CONTINUED

Fish Hooks You never know when the opportunity to go fishing will turn up. A hook, a few feet of line, and a bit of scavenged bait can turn a normal outing into an adventure. A springy, green sapling makes a dandy substitute for a cane pole. An assortment of hooks and a small spool of line don’t require much space.

62 |

J U N E

2 0 1 1

T E X A S

plate. Aluminum foil is a cheap and effective reflector on a lantern globe.

Toilet Paper Spend enough time outdoors and nature will eventually call. A roll of toilet paper simply makes matters better. Toilet paper can also be used as a fire starter. To keep that roll fresh, dry and grit free, seal it inside a zip-style freezer bag.

Aluminum Foil Aluminum foil is extremely versatile outdoor aid. A square of foil can be folded and molded into a myriad of shapes, such as a drinking cup. No pot and pan to cook a meal in? Simply wrap those freshly caught fish in foil, fold the edges over several times to completely seal the packet, and then lay the foil packet on hot coals. When the food is finished cooking, gently tear open the top and the sealed packet becomes a dinner F I S H

&

G A M E ÂŽ

Seasonings The most memorable outdoor meal I ever enjoyed was on a quail hunt in South Texas.

At the noon hour we were many miles from a paved road. Our host, Lalo Saenz, pulled a weathered tin of black pepper and a worn paper carton of salt from behind his truck seat. Freshly dispatched quail were seasoned and roasted over a dry twig fire. The memory of the succulent quail remains etched in my mind to this day. A dash of pepper and a screw of salt made all the difference. The paper packets of seasoning found in restaurants are just the ticket for outdoor adventures.

N O R T H

A L M A N A C

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291-9602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Key on the old bridge rails and roadbed in 11-15 feet of water. Jig slabs and spoons off the bottom or troll Pet Spoons on a downrigger. Kickapoo Marina off Hwy. 190 in Kickapoo Creek has bank access.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Rip Rap Bass on Cedar Creek

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Dam Ripraps and Points GPS: N32 10.84146, W96 4.27572 (32.180691, -96.071262) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, plastic worms, jigs, crankbaits CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingcreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903-887-7896, kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish topwater lures early and late.

Fish the plastic worms and jigs in deeper water during the day. Slow-rolling crankbaits in 5-20 feet of water also can produce some catches.

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Dam Rocks GPS: N29 54.9021, W96 43.88226 (29.915035, -96.731371) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, worms, punch bait, perch CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: The water is 20 feet deep with rocks on the bottom. Slip cork or tight line for channel cats to prevent hang-ups. Yellow cats frequent these rocks, too, so use large hooks with perch and cut bait for them. Use a No.4 treble hook for channel cats.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. 64 |

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T E X A S

Page 64

HOTSPOT: Plumb Creek Point GPS: N30 38.6943, W96 3.03846 (30.644905, -96.050641) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, stinkbait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3101, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Fish the rocks on the left side of the point with a slip cork or tight line on a Carolina rig with a 3/4-ounce egg sinker and No.4 treble hook for stinkbait and a 2ought Kahle hook for shad. Chum the area under the boat and fish vertically.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Deep Humps GPS: N31 54.72192, W97 12.3543 (31.912032, -97.205905) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, teamredneck.net TIPS: Use a graph to mark the whites on the humps. Position the boat over the schools, drop slabs to the bottom and lift and drop them. The bite will occur on the fall. I tap the side of the boat with a rubber mallet to draw the fish back in if they move.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Main Lake Humps GPS: N33 19.6185, W95 38.65104 (33.326975, -95.644184) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Slabs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifihing@yahoo.com, 903-348-1619, tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: The hybrids will gang up on the main lake humps to feed on gizzard shad.

Locate them with your electronics and fish large spoons and four-inch Sassy Shads.

Watch for shad jumping out of the water to escape the hybrids. White bass will be there, too.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Pump House GPS: N33 2.29866, W96 31.4805 F I S H

&

G A M E 速

(33.038311, -96.524675) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live shad, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: This pump house and the other two on the lake have good structure, as do all main lake points. Use sonar to locate the structure in 12-25 feet deep. Also try trolling spider rigs in 14-25 feet of water off Little Ridge points.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Face of Dam GPS: N33 2.01798, W96 27.62826 (33.033633, -96.460471) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh shrimp CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-232-7847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: Channel cats will be feeding along the face the dam early in the mornings and after dark. Use your trolling motor to move along the face of the dam and cast to the rocks. Use a slow retrieve. The fish should hit hard. Use a No.2 stainless hook.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville HOTSPOT: Main Lake and Secondary Points GPS: N33 5.18538, W96 55.99092 (33.086423, -96.933182) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Secret 7 Dip Bait CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobby-catfishing.com, 817-4552894, bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Anchor your boat and cast to the shallow brush and grass in 1-5 feet of water. Use dip bait on a slip-cork rig with a No.6 treble hook Carolina style. Let wave action carry scent of your bait into the thick brush. Set the hook at the slightest bite.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Saline Bay Coves GPS: N32 10.3578, W95 26.2506 (32.172630, -95.437510) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, BD7

N O R T H

A L M A N A C

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crankbaits CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Largemouth bass will be most active during the early-morning and lateevening hours. Fish the coves and inlets with topwater lures and then switch to crankbaits when the bite slows. The water will be clear in most of these coves.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Henderson Point GPS: N32 11.7438, W95 29.1654 (32.195730, -95.486090) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish Henderson Point during early-morning and late-evening hours. During mid-day, fish the points on the south end of the lake. The best points will be those on the west side all the way to the dam.

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LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Rocky Creek Roadbed GPS: N30 18.417, W96 33.8841 (30.306950, -96.564735) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-Guide Service.com TIPS: Anchor in 12-16 feet of water and chum the area around the boat. Set rods out in various directions. Use a slip cork if the wind is light to fish just above the rocks on the bottom. The bite may be light so set the hook at the slightest thump.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Rocky Creek Roadbed GPS: N30 18.43062, W96 33.49164 (30.307177, -96.558194) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-229-3103, FishTales-Guide Service.com

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TIPS: Locate bottom drop-off, anchor and cast in all directions. If wind is blowing into the point, cast punch bait to the rocks. Use large cut bait for larger fish.

The lake record blue cat was caught here.

Use tight lines due to winds and lake action.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Mouth of Big Rocky Creek GPS: N31 52.95948, W97 23.46306 (31.882658, -97.391051) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: live gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-822-5539, teamredneck.com TIPS: The post spawn patterns are here and the big fish bite is on. Anchor your boat and use live gizzard shad on a Carolina rig, dropping the baits down 24 feet.

Quick limits come early and late. There is bank access at Walling Bend.

LOCATION: Richland-Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: Fisherman’s Point Marina

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GPS: N31 56.42712, W96 7.43808 (31.940452, -96.123968) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Tiny Torpedo CONTACT: Royce Simmons royce@gonefishin.biz., 903-389-4117, gonefishin.biz TIPS: June traditionally kicks off the topwater action on the main lake points. The south shoreline from Fisherman’s Point Marina to Ferguson Point is a good place to start. Use a clear Tiny Torpedo. The topwater action may last several hours.

PANHANDLE

Ivie Largemouths and PK Whites

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N31 33.3999, W99 41.7516 (31.556665, -99.695860) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, large plastic worms CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: With the spawn over, bass will move early on the main lake points chasing shad. Fish the points with topwater lures or dark-colored plastic worms crawled along underwater breaks. The North Island and Colorado River channel also will hold bass.

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N32 51.75888, W98 32.90358 (32.862648, -98.548393) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: live shad, jigs, slabs, RatL-Traps CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: Start at the south end of Broadway in front of Bee Creek early. Live shad 66 |

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is the ticket. Jigs and slabs still are producing but topwaters and trolling Rat-L-Traps

BIG BEND

Amistad Bass on the Deep Points

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

will work, too. Target drop-offs.

LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: Deep Water Points GPS: N29 29.67126, W101 8.2884 (29.494521, -101.138140) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Crank baits, soft plastic worms, topwater lures CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, Amistad Lodge and Adventures, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-789-1645 TIPS: Fish the major points that drop-off into 20 feet of water on both the Texas and Mexico sides of the lake. The bass will be feeding on crawfish so crawfish-colored lures will produce the best catches.

HILL COUNTRY

Deep Water Bass & Granger Crappie

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Triple Peak Cove GPS: N29 54.26184, W98 16.76652 (29.904364, -98.279442) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Berkley Power Worms, Crème Whackey Stixs, Zoom Tick Worms, Creature Baits CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: The bass are on the move to deeper water. Look for them along bluff edges F I S H

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and flooded timber on the left. Best colors are Watermelon-red, motor oil and blue fleck. Fish the entire point to the entrance of Canyon Park.

LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Open Waters GPS: N30 42.20802, W97 21.10962 (30.703467, -97.351827) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: 1/32-ounce Maribou jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Use your sonar to locate brush piles in 6-15 feet of water. Fish red-blackyellow jigs vertically in the brush. When you make contact with the brush, hold the jig still and wait for the thump. If no action in five minutes move to the next brush pile.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Go Long for Falcon Largemouth

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Long Point Brushpiles GPS: N26 40.46598, W99 10.16694 (26.674433, -99.169449) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Fire-tiger crankbaits, Sexy Shad, DD-22, Mans-20 CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the submerged brush piles off Long Point, pausing the bait or ripping it when you come in contact with brush.

Summer bass fishing is at its best so get ready for some big fish.

LOCATION: Lake Calaveras HOTSPOT: Rocky Cove GPS: N29 18.69288, W98 18.27282 (29.311548, -98.304547) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shad, shrimp

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CONTACT: Steve Nixon, fishhook0823@aol.com, 210-573-1230, sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Locate the creek channel and anchor just off the edge of it. Freeline live shad or shrimp off the bottom.

UPPER GULF COAST

Everybody Loves Raymond Specks

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Raymond Shoal GPS: N28 40.449, W95 53.898 (28.674150, -95.898300) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwater lures or Norton Bull Minnows soft plastics using 1/8 or 1/16-ounce; jigheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Drift fish; look for bait and slicks.

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0133 TIPS: Use a treble hook threaded through the eyes of the fish—works great if you are fishing grass; a mullet will swim near the top of the water.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Traylor Island GPS: N27 55.995, W97 4.494 (27.933250, -97.074900) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Hook the croaker right above the anal fin.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Mud Island GPS: N27 56.63502, W97 1.266 (27.943917, -97.021100) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live croaker CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth: 361790-8354 TIPS: Fish the inside of the Island

LOWER GULF COAST

Spoiling for Reds on Baffin

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Spoil Banks of Penascal Point GPS: N 27 15.555, W 97 25.154 (27.25925, -97.419233) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: live bait CONTACT: Capt. Mike Hart, Brush Country Charters, 361-985-6089 or 361449-7441 TIPS: Dawn thru Midday; freeline live bait, work east drop-off, work bait slowly.

LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Ladies Pass GPS: N29 28.76388, W94 44.04504 (29.479398, -94.734084) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/4-ounce jigheads with chartreuse, Pearl or Pumpkinseed colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 2 81788-4041 TIPS: Key on slicks.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Shamrock Lucky for Corpus Specks

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Shamrock Cove GPS: N27 44.95098, W97 10.00002 (27.749183, -97.166667) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live finger mullet CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails, 361-949N O R T H

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Ethanol Buster: Biobor EB YOUR OUTBOARD IS RUNNING ROUGH, your lawn mower won’t start, and your ATV has a clogged carburetor? Bad things seem to happen in threes and all of these problems are connected, but they don’t have anything to do with bad luck—phase separation is probably the culprit. You have ethanol to thank for increasing the likelihood that the fuel in your tanks and cans will separate out.

Then the ethanol can mix with water in the tank, leading to power loss, poor starting, a drop in efficiency, and in some cases, severe internal engine damage. That’s why Hammonds Fuel Additives formulated Biobor EB, an ethanol-busting gasoline treatment that puts the oomph back in your octane.

Biobor EB prevents phase separation for up to two years, and one ounce treats 15 gallons. That means you get better efficiency, more power, improved lubricity, and over the long haul, reduced maintenance cost as well. This stuff also cleans and disburses sludge.

The biggest phase separation problems come when fuel sits for extended periods of time, so in order to find out how well it worked, I gave it a shot in my lawn mower (which sits for weeks or even months, until my wife yells at me) and the outboard on my duck boat (which sits idle during most of the off-season). In both cases, the engines ran like tops and phase separation was a non-issue.

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EB was the squeeze bottle it comes in, which has a built-in measuring section on top. That made it easy to figure out exactly how much of the additive to add to the tanks; with some competing products, you have to use the pour-and-pray method of guessing how many ounces you’re adding.

The price is another up-side. At $20 for a 16-ounce bottle, it only costs about eight cents a gallon—a worthy expenditure, to keep ethanol issues at bay.

Check this stuff out at www.biobor.com, and while you’re at it, if you also have a diesel or two in the fleet you might also want to have a look-see at Hammond’s microbiocides, microbial detection kit, and lubricity agents for low-sulfur diesel.

—Lenny Rudow

Trailer Tailor AREN’T YOU SICK AND TIRED OF THOSE chintzy bearing protectors that corrode away, bend out of shape, and fall off when you hit the first bump? I know I was, until I found Dura Hub Extreme bearing protectors.

Bearing protectors are your first line of defense, when you dunk a trailer in and out of the water regularly. Unfortunately, cheap

mon failure point on many boat trailers.

But the “dura” in Dura Hub obviously comes from the anodized aluminum body, which is thoroughly rugged—you can bend most bearing protectors with your hands, but not this one.

Dura Hubs have a clear lens on the outside, which makes them great for oil bath hubs as well as grease, because it allows you to check on oil levels at a glance (or check for water intrusion, in the case of grease bearings). There’s also a removable top cap so you can add oil when necessary, and they can be used with 80/90W gear oil or combined 80/90W gear oil and grease lubricants.

Installing the Dura Hubs was relatively easy: First I had to disassemble the hubs and degrease the parts. Next, I had to use Emery tape to sand the axel where the rear seal sits. Then it was just a matter of reassembling and repacking the hub, ringing the Dura Hub with a dose of Loctite 515 Flange sealer, and banging the protector into place with a block of wood and a hammer.

Four different hub cap sizes are available, including 1.781”, 1.980”, 2.441”, and 2.500”. Prices range from $49.95 to $89.95 per pair. Check them out at www.durahub.com.

—LR

Survival Bracelet Extreme protection for trailer bearings.

versions can allow water inside your Dura Hub bearings; when the hot hubs hit cool water a vacuum is formed, sucking water and dirt in. That’s why Dura Hubs have a flexible membrane, which seals the bearing and maintains internal pressure regardless of the outside environment. That flexible membrane also reduced the load on the rear seal, a comF I S H

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TELL ME, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU been in the brush or woods or mountains and needed a piece of rope or cord?

If you are an outdoorsman, I suspect the answer to that question would be, many times. I know that I have wished for a piece of rope, cord, or string many times. The uses for a few feet of strong cord are almost endless.

When I was active duty Border Patrol, I carried a long piece CONTINUED of parachute cord SEE PAGE 70

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‘Service Built our Business’ QUALITY MARINE ON US HWY 190 WEST in Onalaka is a story of a business starting small, probably with no aspirations of growing big, but events and customer needs slowly turned the business into what it is today.

Quality Marine is a Tracker Elite dealership, meaning that Quality has chosen to commit their dealership exclusively to the sale of Tracker Boats in the aluminum fishing boat category, Sun Tracker in the pontoon boat category, and Nitro in the performance fishing boat category.

“We handle the Tracker line of boats for the quality and the fact they have nation-wide no hassle pricing, everyone sells for the same price,” said Steve Loy, owner and president of the dealership. Quality Marine also has a Platinum rating from Mercury and a 5 Star rating from Yamaha.

These two awards identify a dealer who adheres to the highest service standards.

Steve Loy wasn’t even thinking about earning all these rewards when he began Quality Marine in 1986. “I moved to Texas for the warmer weather,” said Loy. My father was in the marine and gun business in Illinois and I grew up in the marine and sporting goods types of businesses. It is all I have ever done.

“We started out as a service only shop with four service technicians. That lasted for about four years. It got to where outboards were too dependable; service work just wasn’t there like it used to be.” Sometimes service customers would from time to time ask if he sold outboard engines.

“The first thing we started handling were new outboard motors,” continued Loy. Then we kind of got into the power sport watercraft. About 1995 Quality Marine started selling Polaris ATVs, Rangers, sport vehicles and Tracker boat line.

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Showroom of the Onalaska-based dealership.

“It wasn’t my intent to get back into the major retail end of the business. I had three stores and 20 people in Illinois. I sold the stores and was ready to get out of that end of it. I wanted to open just a little marine engine service shop. One thing led to another and here I am again.”

Loy opened a new and expanded store June 1, 2010, still at the same location of the original store. “We tore the old store down when the new one was finished.”

The old location was about 3,500 square feet; the new store is 12,500 square feet, almost tripling the space. We pretty much still have the same products.”

“Everything has changed a lot for 2011,” commented Loy. Some of the more noticeable changes include wider Sun Tracker pontoon boats. Polaris has a new diesel Ranger. The dealership is still well known for its quality marine service.

Quality Marine service department works on approximately 1,800 units a year.

“This town only has 1,100 people,” said Loy. “We handle service needs from all over. We have seven fulltime mechanics that are highly trained; service is a big deal with us.”

Bob Downing with over 35 years in the marine service business oversees all service related operations. “Being a Mercury and

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Quality Marine Mercruiser Master Mechanic, he brings a wealth of knowledge to our operations,” says Loy. Downing started at Mercury’s Lake X Proving Grounds and went on to become a technical rep. traveling the roads repairing engines dealers could not figure out. He is one of the founders of Quality Marine.

Bud Loy, Steve Loys younger brother cut his teeth in the marine business. He has been in the Mercruiser and Mercury service business for over 40 years. He is also a Mercury & Mercruiser Master Mechanic. “Both Bud, Bob, along with myself are avid hunters and fishermen spending all the time we can in the outdoors,” said Steve. “Robert Loy, my Father, was also one of the founders of Quality Marine. He retired several years ago but is still very active for being 79 years old.”

Great, reliable service and solid product line has helped Quality Marine weather economic downturn.

“In the boating industry we have lost 1,500 dealers in the United States,” stated Loy. “We at Quality actually had growth this past year which is practically unheard of in this market. I figured I might be off 30 percent, but I am actually up about 10 percent.

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“I think service has a lot to do with it.

It’s like Tracker. You can buy a Tracker boat any place…nationwide, no haggle pricing. It doesn’t matter if you buy it from me, somebody in New York or right at Bass Pro Shop…it’s all the same price wise. The only thing you have to sell is yourself, the dealership.

Quality Marine started in the service business; “We were real service oriented to begin with and we still are.” For more information on Quality Marine service and products please call 936-646-4916 or 877-ATV-POLA. The fax number is 936-646-2744. Their web address is: www.qualitymarineservice.com.

—Tom Behrens

Leupold Scopes Now with Mossy Oak Finishes UTILIZING AN EXCLUSIVE CAMOUFLAGE application technology for superior durability, Leupold now offers the popular Mossy Oak Break-Up and Mossy Oak Treestand hunting patterns on VX-I and UltimateSlam 3-9x40mm scope models.

Leupold’s advanced anodization process bonds the camo pattern directly to the scope body, ensuring an extremely tough and long-lasting finish, without adding thickness to the maintube diameter. The VX-I and UltimateSlam

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scopes are the first to feature this process. cle (SA.B.R.) with an innovative power One of the most versatile camo patselector ring that allows hunters to synchroterns, Mossy Oak Break-Up is effective in nize their gun with their preferred load. various hunting environments, from flooded In addition, VX-I and UltimateSlam timber to deep woods. Mossy Oak Treescopes feature Leupold’s Standard Multistand is designed specifically for whitetail coat lens system for a bright, clear image. deer hunters who shoot from an elevated Like all Golden Ring scopes, they are position, providing concealment among the waterproof and fog proof, and tested under bare limbs of a tree in late fall. extreme conditions to ensure ruggedness “With these field-proven camo patterns, and durability. our VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are a VX-I and UltimateSlam scopes are great choice for deer hunters concerned backed by Leupold’s Full Lifetime Guarwith concealment, whether they use a rifle, antee. For more information, visit a local muzzleloader or shotgun,” commented Pat dealer, go to www.leupold.com or call 1Mundy, communications manager for 800-LEUPOLD. Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “Our unique Leupold also announced that its Varianodization process, combined with the able Scout Scope is now vailable ruggedness typical of all our scopes, will through the Leupold Custom deliver years of reliable performance, seaShop and that additional son after season.”

Custom Shop offerings are The VX-I camo riflescopes planned in 2011. have the time-tested Hunters and shooters can now Duplex reticle, order a VX-II 1.5-4x28mm scout micro-friction dials riflescope through the Leupold Custom marked in ¼Shop.

VX-1 and Ultimate Ideal for scout rifles, lever action MOA increSlam scopes with rifles or any rig that calls for mountments Mossy Oak camo. ing optics in front of the receiver, for the VX-II variable scout scope Leupold easy helps the shooter quickly get on tarwindage and elevation get with 8.75 inches of optimum eye relief adjustments, and on low power (7.75 inches on high Leupold’s classic lockable power). Numerous reticle options are eyepiece for a secure focus. available.

UltimateSlam scopes are designed to The VX-II variable scout scope is enhance accuracy with muzzleloaders and among the first of a series of products that shotguns. Each UltimateSlam pairs will be launched exclusively through the Leupold’s exclusive Sabot Ballistics RetiLeupold Custom Shop. It joins a

TEXAS TESTED in the bag that I carried to work FROM PG. 68 every day. The bag -- we called them by the Spanish “trique bag”, trique meaning thing, as in a bag that held a bunch of things you might need during the day. The old mountain men called their version a possibles bag, a bag that held the things they might possibly need. These days everybody is carrying a backpack or nap sack.

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Anyway, the parachute cord served me well over the years for everything from making emergency repairs to a saddle to tying a piece of camouflage netting between two bushes for a makeshift blind.

There is now a better way to take your parachute cord with you than to ball it up in a knot that requires an hour to unravel when you need it. I'm talking about Survival Straps, www.survivalstraps.com, 800971-3360. These are tasteful bracelets, F I S H

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anklets, belts, watch straps, and more, that are made of parachute cord. They are fashionable, and if you get in a bind, you simply unravel the bracelet into several feet of life saving nylon cord.

If you are an outdoorsman or woman, you really should check out Survival Straps. I think they should be standard issue equipment to every soldier, Border Patrol agent, and police officer.

—Steve LaMascus

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3x20mm fixed-power riflescope that was introduced earlier this year.

“We have already seen a lot of interest in the variable scout scope, even though it is not in our regular line,” said Pat Mundy, communications manager for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “Those who want more information on this and other new offerings should contact our custom shop directly.”

Other key features of the VX-II variable scout scope include Leupold’s proprietary Multicoat 4 lens system for a bright, clear image, and ¼-MOA field click adjustments for windage and elevation.

The scope has a one-inch maintube, measures nearly 11 inches in length and weighs only 8.8 ounces. Field of view at 100 yards on the lowest magnification is 41.7 feet (16.5 feet on the highest magnification).

Like all Golden Ring optics, the VX-II 1.5-4x28mm scout scope is waterproof and fog proof, and is backed by Leupold’s Full Lifetime Guarantee. For more information, call 1-800-LEUPOLD. Additional information on the Leupold Custom Shop is available at www.leupold.com.

—Staff Report

Sea Fox XT Series Engineered for Texas Saltwater SEA FOX’S “XT SERIES” BAY BOATS ARE designed and CAD Drawn by an industry leading nautical engineer. Each XT is designed using a combination of extensive engineering experience, a team of avid Texas fishermen, and the finest CAD designing tools available today.

WHAT A RIDE: The XT Series bay boats start with a wave busting deep V entry for that soft ride which transitions to a 15degree dead rise with a step at the stern for shallow water performance. The extreme flare at the bow will definitely keep you and your team dry in even the roughest of conditions. For extra skinny water, a tunnel hull option is available.

A UNIQUE HULL FEATURE: VIPER (Vented Integral Plane Extended Running surface) offers multiple enhancements over conventional hull designs. At rest, N O R T H

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Texas fishermen helped design the new XT Series

Sea Fox VIPER increases the displacement (floatation) of the hull improving stability and support for the additional weight of today’s 4 stroke engines. Coming on plane, VIPER serves as two large fixed planing tabs that virtually eliminates bow rise, reduces planning time, and improves shallow water performance. Up and running, VIPER’s vented step design reduces drag by shortening the running surface providing you with better performance and increased fuel efficiency.

THE CONSOLE: It’s tall and wide enough for two to tuck behind on a cold or rainy day. There’s room to flush mount up to a 12” screen GPS/Depth Finder right in front of you where it belongs. It includes full instrumentation, lighted rocker switches and dash mounted circuit breakers. Six vertical rod holders provide lots of space to store rods when not in use. Aft, there is protected storage area for your keys, wallet, etc. A protected stereo or VHF mounting area has a 12-volt receptacle for charging your IPod or cell phone. Cranking and trolling motor batteries are stored in an isolated storage area with cross ventilation. A locking tackle box storage compartment is accessible from the front.

COMFORTABLE SEATING: At the helm you will find an elevated stainless steel flip back seat with a backrest that locks in to five different positions. A large removable cooler or an optional leaning post comes standard with a removable backrest, a flip down footrest, rocket launchers and a large removable cooler. Integrated into the rear deck are two oversized flip up jump seats with drink holders that disappear into the deck when not in use. Additional seating is available with backrest forward on the console. Fore and aft removable pedestal fishing chairs are an available option.

FOR FISHING: Vast fore and aft casting decks have large oval aerated livewells with high speed pickups. Dedicated storage in the floor has room for a five-gallon bucket

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and cast net. Locking rod boxes hold up to 10 rods. Walk around gunwales have a non-skid finish. The trolling motor installation features a dedicated reinforced landing for the trolling motor and a 12/24/36 volt heavy duty trolling motor harness and receptacle.

THE ANCHOR LOCKER: Due to the extreme high winds we often experience and the diverse bottom conditions found along the Gulf Coast, it seems like you can never have too much anchor. These XT Series bay boats have an extremely large and impressive anchor locker with enough room for a 13lb Danforth style anchor, 6 feet of chain and 100 feet of 3/8” rope.

BUILT FOR A LIFETIME OF SERVICE: Every Sea Fox boat is built to the highest standards. All composite construction means “NO WOOD = NO ROT” Premium Cook isothalic gelcoats featuring a high flex rate and extreme UV protection keep boats looking like new. Transoms are made of 2 ¼” Penske composite board and have an aluminum plate glassed in for added strength needed to support high horsepower and heavier 4 stroke engines. Stringer system is CAD designed and precision cut by an automated router then totally encapsulated in fiberglass when installed in the hull. All thru hull fittings are stainless steel, not plastic, and below waterline thru hulls have safety seacock valves. Wiring harnesses are custom made, color-coded to NMMA specs. All connections are waterproof and are made by way of Deutsch connectors or heat shrink protected connectors. Fiberglass hatches, not plastic, are gasketed, have a drain channeling system, and compression latches to keep stored items dry and eliminate rattling when running through the chop. Seven pull up cleats retract for safety.

THEY’VE GOT YOU COVERED: Sea Fox boats are USCG and NMMA certified and backed by a “Limited Lifetime Hull Warranty.”

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Go to www.seafoxboats.com or better yet, go see one in person at a Sea Fox dealer near you.

—Tom Behrens

It’s important to help a client find exactly what he will be happy with because he’ll use it for so long.” Krieger went on, “Most optics manufacturers are coming out with sizes and features that are rarely needed, to one-up their competition. Who really needs a scope to shoot 1000 yards?

Rather than concentrate on gimmicks, we focus on quality optics that will do a great job and hold up for a long time.”

Helping their clients find the right tool for the job is what put Trophy Tools on the map and they are not about to change that driving principle anytime soon. Lon Krieger can be reached at Trophy Tools lon@trophytools.com or 512-618-8880.

—Staff Report

Shimano Helps Quake Victims SHIMANO INC, LOCATED NEAR OSAKA, Japan, has made a donation to victims of the massive Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. Shimano has committed to 100 million yen (approximately $1.2 mil USD) in monetary contributions and donations of 30 million yen (~$362K USD) in Shimano winter clothes and undergarments to support the disaster victims.

Shimano’s staff worldwide wishes to express our heartfelt sympathy to the many thousands of people affected by the devastating earthquake and sincerely hope for a safe and swift recovery.

Texas-Made Trophy Tools NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENtion. We’ve all heard the old saying, but Trophy Tools owner, Lon Krieger, took it far beyond invention to a thriving business catering mainly to hunters in Texas and throughout North America. The invention was the Scope Clamp, which is basically a camera tripod without legs, allowing the user to put a video camera or spotting scope in action in a matter of seconds where a tripod is impractical, like in most hunting situations.

“I ran a hunting operation in Webb County and part of our management plan dictated using a spotting scope before allowing a hunter to take a buck. Tripods didn’t work so I came up with the Scope Clamp for all my guides, which I thought was the end of my problem, but then our hunting clients started asking me to make one for them, too. Finally, I figured I’d make one for everyone.” Krieger explained.

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This quick-action clamp replaces the tripod.

Trophy Tool Tools has refined the Scope Clamp through five versions and produces the Sportsman model for most hunters and the premium grade Professional model for guides and others wanting greater strength and durability. “For a while, we had them manufactured overseas, but now we make them right here in Texas and the quality really went up.” said Krieger.

Along the way, Trophy Tools added Vortex Optics and Alpen Optics to their product line. Krieger feels both companies represent outstanding quality at very good price levels and compliments the Scope Clamp by offering several spotting scopes as well as binoculars and rifle scopes.

Krieger tries to work with every optics buyer to help them find the right tool for their needs. “I try to use every item I carry so I can tell my clients about them first hand, then apply that experience to help them get the best glass for their needs and budget. Sometimes a buyer will have some features in mind based on advertising or what he’s seen, but would be a hindrance to what he wants to accomplish. I prefer to show him all the alternatives and help him decide what he really needs and have him come back to me happy the next time he needs optics.”

Personal service, expertise, and great products have been the keys to the success of Trophy Tools and Krieger has no intentions of changing that mix. “A good scope or binocular should last 20 years or more.

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Wiley X Supports Paralyzed Vets VETERAN-OWNED WILEY X EYEWEAR has announced its 2011 sponsorship of two important programs that allow paralyzed veterans to compete against each other and other outdoor sportsmen in exciting shooting and bass fishing events around the country.

Wiley X will be providing thousands of dollars worth of its performance protective sunglasses to both the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) National Trapshoot Circuit and the PVA National Bass Tour.

Wiley X glasses will be featured prizes at prominent PVA shooting and bass fishing events throughout the 2011 season.

In PVA National Trapshoot Circuit events, shooters with disabilities and ablebodied shooters compete as equals in the fun and competitive sport of trapshooting—shooting at clay targets hurled upwards to simulate the flight of a game bird. This year’s schedule of events around the country marks the 15th annual circuit for this exciting and tightly competitive event. Among the other notable sponsors for this unique series of shooting competitions are Cabela’s, Winchester Ammo, SKB Shotguns and Leupold Optics.

Wiley X will be providing winners, staff, directors and volunteers for the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit with its new

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Wiley X Guard and Wiley X Saber Advanced tactical eyewear. Wiley X will also be part of the prize package recognition for the season’s high-scoring overall shooter, high-scoring wheelchair shooter, and the winner of the Chad Crowley Award, for the highest overall PVA Voting member who is a veteran.

Both the Wiley X Guard and Wiley X Saber Advanced combine unparalleled protection with the ability to quickly change lenses to match shooting conditions. This advanced eyewear meets stringent MILPRF-31013 military ballistic standards (U.S. Military Combat Eye Protection) as well as ANSI Z87.1-2003 high impact certification (OSHA Occupational Eye Protection). In addition to advanced impact protection, Wiley X’s lenses also provide 100% UVA and UVB protection.

This level of performance and protection has made Wiley X a leading supplier of eyewear to elite military units around the globe. Because Wiley X is the only premium sunglass brand that certifies its entire line to exceed ANSI Z87 standards for safety, every pair of Wiley X glasses provides the same high standard of protection.

Wiley X will also be joining organizations like B.A.S.S., Bass Pro Shops, Minn Kota, Tracker Boats and Humminbird in its sponsorship of the PVA National Bass Tour. Wiley X will provide its polarized protective eyewear for tournament staff, directors and volunteers, as well as tournament winning anglers and the overall Angler of the Year. The PVA Tour consists of seven tournaments, each consisting of an Open/Team competition for anglers who wish to compete from a boat and a Bank Competition for anglers who prefer to fish from shore.

Wiley X polarized sunglasses provide the same level of protection found in its tactical eyewear, protecting anglers against everything from airborne debris and lowhanging limbs to flying lures. The advanced fish-spotting performance of these glasses have made Wiley X the choice of many top professional anglers, including Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese and 2010 Angler of the Year runner-up Edwin Evers.

“As a veteran owned company, we’re very proud to support Paralyzed Veterans of America and all of its efforts,” said Wiley X President of Sales Myles FreeN O R T H

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man, Jr. “Shooting and fishing are two great American pastimes and an excellent way for people to enjoy the great outdoors.

These events put on by PVA provide disabled veterans and others with a chance to share and enjoy these life-affirming activities, all in the spirit of healthy competition.

We’re honored to present these brave sportsmen and event organizers with our products,” added Freeman.

To learn more about the PVA Bass

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Tour and the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit, visit www.pva.org/sports.

For more information about Wiley X’s full line of high performance eyewear for work and play — visit Wiley X Eyewear at 7800 Patterson Pass Road, Livermore, CA 94550 • Telephone: (800) 7767842, or visit online at www.wileyx.com.

—Staff Report

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Bob-Cat FROM REQUIRED TO INSPIRED...THE 2011 line of Bob-Cat zero-turn riding mowers not only meet 2011 EPA emission/evaporative requirements, the line offers an advanced operator comfort experience and many performance enhancing features.

Green Sense: A non-permeable tank and fuel cap gasket eliminate vapor release while a patent pending vapor retract feed recycles vapors through the carburetor – a green design that meets 2011 EPA emission/evaporative requirements without inhibiting fueling or unit fuel capacity.

Bob-Cat’s exclusive new ISO-Ride Comfort System isolates the operator from vibration at all touch points. The line’s new lower platform provides a balanced center of gravity for exceptional stability on slopped and undulating terrain. An extra wide discharge deck increases airflow to lift and dry grass blades eliminating clumping under the deck while a new oversized chute discharges clippings in a wide fine pattern.

Visit www.bobcatturf.com or call BobCat toll-free at 866-469-1242.

ValvTect VALVTECT ETHANOL GASOLINE TREATment can help boat owners avoid problems that can be caused by ethanol blended gasoline. Ethanol gasoline can destabilize very quickly, cause corrosion and problems to the fuel delivery systems and engine components.

Many gasoline stabilizers provide improved stabilization, but they don’t provide protection against corrosion and phase separation. To help prevent the damaging effects of ethanol, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment is specially formulated to provide stabilization (for up to two years), prevent corrosion of internal engine components and help prevent phase separation.

In independent laboratory tests, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment improved the stability of E10 gasoline (10% ethanol and 74 |

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90% gasoline) by 186%, received a perfect A rating (the best possible rating) for corrosion prevention and showed the ability to retain moisture and ethanol in E10 fuel that can help prevent phase separation. VT8000 gasoline detergent cleans injectors and intake valves to restore power and fuel efficiency.

Visit www.valvtect.com/ethanol.asp, or call 800-728-8258.

Seeker React Rods AFTER 2 YEARS OF TESTING WITH PRO Anglers, Seeker announces the “React Series” line of ‘Technique Specific’ Freshwater Bass and Bay Rods. There are 11 models in four different actions for all reaction bait fishing.

Seeker Rods are proudly manufactured and assembled in the U.S. FEATURES: Nine models are built on Seeker’s graphite/’S’ glass composite blanks.

These blanks are similar to Seeker’s popular “Inshore” series blanks. Two models are built on 100% ‘S’ glass blanks. All models have Grade A Portuguese cork grips, Fuji reel seats, and Fuji Hardaloy guides. Each rod also features a hook keeper to store baits not in use. All rods are wrapped in elegant black with metallic purple inlays.

Check out Seeker Rods at Titan Tackle, www.titantackle.com.

ZipVac DUST AND RUST ARE TWO OF THE biggest problems outdoor enthusiasts have after cleaning expensive firearms and other gear. ZipVac, the portable vacuum packaging system made in the U.S.A., which offers a variety of vacuum packaging bags can help prevent damage to gear.

For example, the King Fillet bag, which measures 14”x30”, can accommodate an AR-15 sporting rifle when broken down into two sections. Place the two cleaned sections of the rifle in the bag and use the rechargeable or manual evacuation pumps to extract rust-causing air and prevent dust and fuzz F I S H

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from settling on the parts, gumming the works. The same approach applies to compasses, handguns, knives, GPS units, fishing reels and the like.

For more tips on how to get the best use out of the ZipVac system, visit zipvac.net.

EGO Nets RECOGNIZED AS THE INNOVATION LEADER in the sport fishing landing market, EGO sets a new standard with the introduction of an all new landing net and fishing accessories product line.

The revolutionary EGO S2 Slider landing net and fishing accessories product system features the most advanced handle extension technology available. With a simple pull or push of the S2 Slider grip, the savvy angler now has complete control of the handle extension length during the fish capturing process. The innovative modular platform also allows the handle to detach, providing component interchangeability and compact storage. “We have worked hard to bring meaningful innovation to the landing net and fishing accessories market and are extremely pleased with significant value that the EGO S2 Slider product system offers the recreational and professional fisherman”, said Grant Corbett, President of Adventure Products, Inc. As part of the revolutionary S2 product system, savvy anglers have the option of three handle lengths, three hoop sizes and four mesh types. Also available, are the S2 Boat Hook, the S2 Gaff Hook (available in two sizes) and the S2 Slider Knife.

Each accessory product has been carefully designed to provide the best in functionality as stand alone tools or combined with the S2 Slider handle. The S2 landing nets float, incorporate the unique EGO grip for added strength and offer a compact solution for storage, travel and shipping.

Visit www.egos2slider.com.

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ILLUSTRATION BY PAUL BRADSHAW

Catch Anything, Anywhere, Anytime Name the one type of artificial lure you think you can use to catch any fish, anywhere, anytime. I mean any fish (from six ounce bream, to bull red fish, to 300 pound halibut) in any water conditions (a muddy creek in East Texas or 100 feet deep on a reef in the gulf) at any time of year (100 degrees in August or freezing in January).

In my opinion, the only artificial lure that meets the anything/anywhere/anytime criteria is the jig. As a matter of fact, just two days ago I took half the neighborhood kids to the lake and in an hour they caught crappie, bass, and chain pickerel all on jigs.

The jigs effectiveness on bass becomes apparent when you look at the bass entered into the Share-A-Lunker program over the past 20 plus years. Of the over 500 fish donated to the program nearly 1/5th of these 13 pound behemoths were caught on jigs. Heck, two of my top three bass were caught on jigs. One in 25 feet of water on a submerged road bed in August, the other in three feet of water in January (no it doesn’t make sense for a bass to be that shallow in January). Knowing you should be using jigs and actually knowing how to use them are two different things so let’s look at a few ways of rigging the ultimate anything/anywhere/anytime bait.

One of my all time favorite ways to fish a jig is the venerable jig and bobber rig. As a matter of fact, this is the rig the kids were using to catch the fish mentioned earlier and I’ve used it countless times on dozens of N O R T H

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species.

The jig and bobber rig is fairly straightfor ward.

If you’re fishing for smaller fish species (crappie) tie a small jig (1/8th, 1/16th) on the end of the line. Lately my crappie rig of choice has come from a little known tackle supplier based in right here in Texas. I picked up a Pocket Pack from Crazy Angler Tackle (crazyanglertackle.com) and have been using the pink headed jig; yes I said pink, with a Slab Bandit body in their Joker’s Wild color pattern.

About a foot or two above the jig attach a small bobber, small enough to not make a large splash when cast but big enough not to be pulled under by the jig, and that’s it.

This rig is especially deadly on crappie hanging around boat houses in the spring. Throw it near cover in shallow water and let it settle. If a fish doesn’t take it on the initial cast then give the line a little jerk causing the jig to swim before settling again.

You’ll be surprised how many bass you catch on this little rig while crappie fishing and if you want to specifically target bass, red fish, or speckled sea trout you can use

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this same set-up, just upgrade the size of everything and move the bobber a few feet up the line so that the jig will suspend deeper. Drift this rig across a hump or over a brush pile and hang on. On the other end of the spectrum, you can downsize the jig, (1/32nd, 1/64th) and chase bream in lakes or trout in stream.

One of the most popular methods of fishing a jig over the past few years has been to match it with a soft plastic topwater frog and swim it through thick cover. Most of us learned to bass fish with a jig by dragging it along the bottom so swimming one is a foreign concept but is simple to master with a little practice and can often be used in the place of a swim bait.

To swim the jig, cast it out near likely fish holding cover, let it sink for a second or two and start reeling it in slowly. Give the rod tip a twitch to give the jig more erratic movement to entice strikes.

While the first two methods we discussed are for chasing fish in shallow water, the easiest way to rig one is for horizontally probing deep water brush piles. Simply tie a jig on the end of your line, put a split shot on the line, about a foot above it, and you’re done.

Drop this into the brush and you will get bit.

I’ve used this to catch crappie, white bass, catfish, and black bass.

There are thousands of baits on the market for catching every type of fish possible but if you have a box or two full of jigs you will put just as many fish in the boat as just about anyone on the water.

E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

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Varmint Rifles ACK IN THE '60S AND '70S REMINGton didn't produce as many different models as they do now. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the choice was considerably easier. One model they did make, that I always admired, was the Model 700 BDL Varmint. It was just a Model 700 BDL with a heavy barrel.

The only one I ever owned was a 6mm-284.

A friend had it, and I lusted for it. Finally we came to an agreement and I traded a Smith and Wesson Model 41 target pistol for it.

The 6mm-284 had begun life as a standard .243 and a previous owner had reamed it out to the larger caliber. I was in my “faster is always better” stage at the time

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and was trying to push every bullet as near as possible to the speed of light. I had a load in the .22-250, using 45-grain bullets intended for the .22 Hornet, that was so hot that the bullet didn't reach 100 yards; they burned up, leaving a trail of blue smoke for about 50 yards.

The 6mm-284 was somewhat of a disappointment. I found that all that extra powder really didn't push the bullets that much faster, but it did cost more and burn the barrel up faster. I finally traded the 6mm-284 for something else – a Savage Model 99 in .219 Zipper, I think.

It took me about 30 years to realize that pretty much everything that can be done with varmint calibers has already been done.

P.O. Ackley and dozens of inventive gunsmiths, reloaders, and tinkerers of the early to middle 20th Century tried every possible combination of bullet and cartridge case that they could find. They determined that the velocity of a cartridge is controlled by the size of the bore, the volume of the cartridge

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case, the weight of the projectile, and the burn rate of the powder. Pushing beyond the bore capacity of a cartridge runs head on into the Law of Diminishing Returns. At some point, putting more powder behind the bullet doesn't produce much more velocity and increases pressure and barrel wear exponentially.

Way back in 1935, the .220 Swift broke the 4000 feet per second barrier, and we haven't done much better since. In the 1970s and early 1980s the .17 Remington was the darling of the high velocity set, but they soon found out that it only shot bullets and burned rifle powder. It eventually lost much of its allure and is now only popular with a small sector of the shooting fraternity.

Here is a Reader's Digest version of what I have learned over the last 40 years.

I like the .17s (not including the rimfires, which I think are totally useless for anything but plinking at tin cans), but I don't trust them. The bullet is just too small and frangible to be effective on game any larger than about 25 pounds. They are fun and easy to shoot. I would use one on gray foxes or prairie dogs, but prefer larger calibers for anything larger.

The .20 calibers are too new for me to pontificate on to any extent, but that is my job, so here it is. I used the .204 Ruger on one hunt in Wyoming and one hunt in North Texas and it performed wonderfully both times. I shot both prairie dogs and rock chucks with it in a Smith @ Wesson M&P 15 in Wyoming and never had a failure to

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anchor the target. I also shot coyotes and hogs with one in a T/C Encore Pro Hunter in North Texas and, again, it performed well. I was, however, ultra-careful of my shot placement on the hog, and placed the bullet behind its left ear. The result was, ZAP, one dead hog. I have a young friend who uses one almost exclusively on varmints in West Texas, including coyotes and sings its praises.

It should be okay for most uses on animals up to about 60 pounds, but I honestly don't see the need for it. Step up to the .22s and you have more bullet and almost as much velocity.

Any time you trade bullet weight for velocity, you are trading with the devil.

For foxes and bobcats the smaller .22 calibers, such as the .22 Hornet and .218 Bee, are effective up to about 100 yards. They are, in my opinion, just toys and not serious hunting tools. I use a .22 Hornet sometimes when I am hunting gray foxes or bobcats and I am certain the shots will be short.

The hot-shot .22s, beginning with the now sadly obsolescent .222 Remington are effective for somewhat larger game, or somewhat longer ranges. I use the .222, .223,

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and such on coyotes when I am certain the shots will not be far or fast. I never use bullets smaller than 50 grains, and almost never use anything but 55-grain bullets. Why? Because I have learned from sad experience that bullets less than 50 grains tend to detonate on the surface when pushed at high velocity; and that bullets over 55 grains do not have the velocity to kill cleanly at extended ranges in the smaller .22s.

The real fireballs are the .22-250, .220 Swift, .223 WSSM, and a few others, using 55-grain bullets, and in some cases bullets of up to 70 grains. These are effective out to pretty extended ranges on coyotes, and as far as you can hit one on foxes and bobcats, assuming the shot is in a vital area. Still, in many situations, more bullet is called for.

The all-occasion varmint rifles start with the .243 Winchester and go up as far as you care to go. My brother David wore the barrel completely out on a .270 shooting 90grain hollow points for varmints. It was most effective. I did the same shooting 87-grain bullets in a .25-06. I believed in that gun

almost to the point of worship. I was devastated when the original Remington barrel finally gave up the ghost.

The old .257 Roberts or its 6mm counterpart, the 6mm Remington (they use the same 7mm Mauser parent cartridge), may be the best all-around varmint calibers made. I say “may be� for the simple reason that every shooter thinks his pet caliber is the best and I am no different. I have pets. I admit it.

I have tried, here, to be as reasonable and unbiased as I can in evaluating the performance of the various calibers. I have shot, literally, hundred of coyotes, foxes, bobcats, gophers, prairie dogs, and even rock chucks.

The conclusions I have reached, were reached by field experience, not from a book or computer program, and not from someone else's questionable experience or opinion. Take it or leave it. It is your choice.

E-mail Steve LaMascus at guns@fishgame.com

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Time to Get Serious T IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT JUNE IS here already! For some bowhunters, June is the month to get serious about their practice time.

I have written many times before about how important I think practice is. Usually, the bowhunters that are successful every year have already been flinging a few arrows just to keep the muscles they use in tune. It makes it much easier to pull a bowstring back so that it is a more natural thing to do if you practice year round. Whether you are the occasional shooter or a person who shoots most every night, now is the time to

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get very serious about how you practice while trying to make every shot count.

Last year I wrote about changing your gear and getting accustomed to the new gadgets you might want to hunt with. I will simply remind the readers out there to give themselves time to adapt to their new equipment. Give yourself the time needed to know inside and out how your new gear works and how to make adjustments if needed.

As hunting season draws near, remember to practice with the hunting clothes you plan to wear during your actual hunt. I know it can be a little toasty for us here in Texas to be wearing a jacket in June, but if that is the jacket you are wearing during the season, now is the time to make sure your bowstring is not going to catch on your sleeve upon release. I am not asking you to dress up in all of you hunting clothes for any length of time at all…but enough time should be spent to see if you have a potential problem with your release and the arrow flight. If you find that your string occasionJune is the month for bowhunters to get down to serious preparation.

Drawing Near ally hits your jacket sleeve, an arm guard will fix that problem.

You have been shooting with your field tips and have become quite proficient. You also will need to “fine-tune” your arrow groups by shooting with the broadhead you plan to hunt with. Even though some broadhead companies (Muzzy comes to mind) include a practice head in the package with their new broadheads, I still believe you should take one of the real ones and see if it shoots the same. It probably will…but I like to cover my bases. I need to make sure and double check as much as I can before I go out on my actual hunt.

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types of broadheads. You may find one that you never knew existed and is the best thing since sliced bread!

I plan on shooting both mechanical and fixed bladed broadheads this month and will give my report for your next read. I can make suggestions, but you really need to try a few for yourself to see what works best for you and the game you are hunting. Right now, my hunting set-up includes NAP’s 100 grain Thunderheads. I love them…and they do a fantastic job. I have found that they fly true and I am very happy using them…have been for years, but that does not mean I should not try something else.

One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is shooting from 20 yards over and over again. This practice is all right as long as the deer are aware of that and stand right at 20 yards from you, but it probably will not be like that.

Shoot from many unknown distances.

As the season draws closer, I limit myself to one arrow and while I am at full draw, I really am concentrating because I know this is my only shot! I have to try to make it count.

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After all, that is the way it is when you are in the field so why not practice like that. A range finder will certainly help when it comes to judging distance. Leupold offers a fantastic range finder called the “Vendetta”.

I have tried it and I can tell you it works and works well. Still, you need to take time to practice with this addition to your bow. You will not be disappointed.

Another good idea is to get yourself out to a 3 D shoot. Many sporting clubs and different sport facilities sponsor 3 D shoots, especially just before the season. You may be able to find a facility that offers 3 D shooting year round. Believe it or not, shooting at a 3 D animal target is much different than shooting at a foam square with dots on it.

You will get used to shooting at the vitals, and with an arrow, that is what we are aiming for. This is the area with the most blood flow and after all, an arrow works by causing severe hemorrhaging which in turn will cause the deer to expire quickly and humanely.

Some 3 D courses actually take away points if you miss the vital area, which is out-

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lined by 2 or 3 sets of ring indentations in the target. If an arrow strikes anywhere else on the target, it is considered a wound, and your score will tell the tale.

I prefer to practice with a friend. I consider myself a competitive person and by shooting with a friend, I seem to concentrate more. I always let him shoot first…then I aim for his nock! Oh…he gets his turn too.

Another benefit of practicing with a friend is that when (I mean if) you miss the target someone is there to help you find your arrow.

So practice and practice often. Make it fun and make it competitive.

If you practice like this, you will soon find that you will be more proficient and that, in turn, will give you the confidence you need in this sport.

E-mail Lou Marullo at lmarullo@fishgame.com

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Green Boating (It’s Not What You Think It Is) O HECK WITH THE ENVIRONMENT— there’s another kind of “green” we boaters are concerned about, and it usually results in half-digested foods getting sprayed across the deck. Yes that’s right, I’m talking about seasickness. According to the US Navy, a mere one percent of the population is completely immune to seasickness, about 10 percent suffers from it virtually every time they step aboard a boat, and the rest of us fall somewhere in-between these two extremes. One hundred percent of

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the time, however, seasickness has the potential to ruin a perfectly good fishing trip.

This ailment is, of course, nothing new.

In fact, seasickness is where the word “nausea” comes from—in Greek “naus” means “boat”. But there are some new ways to combat it. The affliction is triggered when your brain is unable to coordinate your intentional motions with conflicting sensory inputs. Motion is sensed via the inner ear, and the eyes. But aboard a moving boat, your gray matter can’t put the motion your eyes see together with the motion your inner ear senses and the motion your body is attempting to create on its own. As a result, your scrambled brain is likely to send that scrambled egg breakfast sailing through the air.

Few non-life-threatening sicknesses are as uncomfortable, miserable, and horrid as seasickness. Yet in at least one way, getting seasick is a good thing: the gooey food bits thoroughly enhance your chum slick. Still, you probably don’t want to puke in the pass,

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up-chuck at the upwelling, or barf on the bay.

Some of the old stand-by remedies are effective, for most people, most of the time.

Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) is one of the most common, and was invented by a pair of Baltimore doctors in the late 40’s. It’s usually administered as a pill, but can also be found as a liquid, in chewable tablets, as a patch, or even as a suppository (I’ll take throwing up, thank you very much). It is an antihistamine, and although there’s some disagreement as to why exactly it works, it does prevent seasickness for most people, most of the time, depending on the severity of the conditions. But there’s a down-side: this stuff makes you sleepy, and after choking down a Dramamine or two, you might end up snoozing on the deck for half the day. Non-drowsy formula is available, but still puts many would-be boaters to sleep.

Bonine is another standard-issue cure that enjoys a high success rate, and is also most commonly taken in pill form. Some people find it slightly less effective than Dramamine, but it also seems to make people slightly less drowsy. In the case of both Bonine and Dramamine, however, you must take the pill well before getting on the boat.

At least an hour in advance is advisable, and people who fall into the unlucky 10 percent should take one the night before they plan to go boating as well as one in the morning, to get the medicine into their system well in advance.

Scopolamine is the latest and greatest in preventing motion sickness, and it’s said to be the most effective anti-seasickness drug around. In recent clinical trials it was found to be between 74 and 39 percent effective at eliminating all symptoms of seasickness depending on sea conditions and the duration of exposure, and in a review of multiple studies, was found to be just over 80 percent effective at preventing vomiting. Scopolamine is usually administered via a transdermal patch, and lasts for up to three days.

The down-side? You’ll need a prescription

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to get it, and common side effects include blurred vision, drowsiness, dizziness, and dry mouth.

A more ancient cure is ginger, which was used by the Vikings to quell nervous stomachs, so they wouldn’t puke while preparing to pillage. That’s why Ginger-ale is commonly given to seasickness sufferers, and chewing on ginger root is also rumored to help. In my real-world experience, however, the effects are negligible and it’s most likely a psychosomatic effect as much as anything else.

Dittos for pressure-point wrist bands, another iffy-maybe seasickness cure. Some users claim it helps… right up until they heave-ho. Taking one’s shoes off and going barefoot, odd as it may sound, is another alleged “cure” which has mixed results.

There’s one big common problem associated with all of these seasickness cures: they aren’t really cures at all, they’re methods of prevention. Once that ill feeling hits you, taking any of these measures is more or less useless. There are, however, two ways to go from chunk-blower to fish-battler in a

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matter of moments. The first is to simply get off of the boat, and into the water. This isn’t always preferable to being seasick—if you’re on a small boat in rough seas, the last thing you want to do is go overboard. But in safe conditions, treading water next to the boat for a minute or two is almost always effective at relieving your symptoms. The bad news?

When you climb back aboard, the ailment often returns. The second option is inhaling the mixed aroma of spearmint, peppermint, ginger and lavender oils, combined in a product called “QueaseEase,” which was originally developed as a drug-free alternative to relieve post-operative nausea due to anesthesia. Studies have shown an immediate relief success rate of 83 percent, and my personal experience backs up its usefulness, though I’d guess it’s closer to 50 or 60 percent effective. And there’s one other downside to using QueaseEase: from what I’ve seen the effects are temporary, and on rough days, those who feel ill are likely to end up huffing the stuff every five minutes.

No matter which approach you choose, remember that certain situations are more

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likely than others to perpetuate peptic purging. Rough seas, of course, are number one.

But the sight and smell of one person vomiting often triggers the same response in multiple crewmembers. The smell of chum or fish oil has also been known to trigger many a Technicolor yawn, and the same goes for the scent of diesel fumes and cigarette smoke. Drinking alcohol—especially in mass quantities the night before a boat ride—is another sure way to up the odds of losing your lunch.

Hopefully, if and when that queasy feeling hits you’ll find that one or another of these treatments quells your misery. But in the long run, there’s only one sure cure to eliminating seasickness altogether: sitting in the shade of an oak tree.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

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Tips for Better Kayak Fishing ISHING GUIDES SPEND MORE DAYS ON the water in a single year than casual anglers log over an entire decade.

Good guides are keen observers of nature and are often the best teachers when it comes to outdoor-related subjects. I spoke recently with a several current and former kayak guides and asked their advice on how kayakers can become better fishermen.

Dean Thomas, owner of Slow Ride Guide Service, is a sharp shooter that specializes in saltwater fishing. Thomas is based in Aransas Pass and this light tackle guides fishermen targeting spots and specks along the Coastal Bend.

When queried about things kayak fishermen can do to improve their craft, the likeable Thomas didn’t pause a beat before saying: “Kayak fishermen in general try to carry too much gear on their boats. They are kayaks, not bass boats. All fishermen tend to be gear freaks and kayakers are no different. We all like ‘fishing stuff ’ and we all like to trick out our boats, but all that extra stuff won’t necessarily make you a better fisherman.”

Thomas’s comments ring true and brought a chuckle from the other end of the phone line. Outdoor writers are the world’s worst gear hogs. I carry all sorts of extra gear, like camera bags and duffels of new equipment to test, on most trips.

Another bit of advice Thomas offered related to proper footwear for coastal fish-

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ing. “If you get out of your kayak for any reason, you need to have good footwear,” said Thomas. “We have oyster shell littering the bottom and you shouldn’t walk barefoot.

Without the right footwear you can cut your feet very badly. Even if you didn’t intend on getting out of the boat, you may inadvertently get separated from your kayak and have to walk a ways.”

Thomas suggests wading booties for kayak duty, dismissing other forms of footwear. “Strap-on shoes and flip flops are OK if you never get out of your kayak but they are a bad choice for flats duty. A mud bottom will suck those shoes off your feet and you are back to wading barefoot.”

Kelly Watson, the former owner of Texas River Bass, has wandered to the other side of the Sabine River and it now the national sales manager for tackle manufacturer Marsh Works. For a decade, Watson plied the Blanco and San Marcos Rivers with clients in tow. Although he currently isn’t guiding, Watson still offered plenty of valuable advice to kayak fishermen who want to elevate their game.

“Always paddle into the wind for as far as you want to go before you start fishing,” said Watson. “Then turn around and start fishing your way back. This let’s you concentrate and put all of your energy into fishing.”

“Conditions can change quickly on the water. Calm days can become windy very quickly. If the wind pick up at the end of your day, you may have to paddle two miles into the teeth of a strong wind with the sun going down. It is always better to paddle into the wind first. If all else fails, you can drift back to your vehicle.”

Watson also likes to use any available cover, such as spoil islands and mangroves, to cheat the wind. “I try to use all available cover to hide from the wind and sneak up on the fish.” he added.

Watson never fishes more than a mile for his launching point. “You typically are running over millions of fish to get to fish,” he F I S H

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Don’t try to carry too much gear... it’s a kayak, not a bass boat.

counseled. “You obviously don’t want to fish bar- Fishing Tips ren water but, within reason, there are lots of places you can paddle to within one mile of the ramp.

One way to become a better fisherman is to spend more time with your lure in the water.”

His self imposed one mile range limit has influenced his choice of hulls – that and his love of sight casting. “I like big wide boats.

I like to stand up while sight casting because it is easier to see the fish. Although they aren’t as efficient in the water as narrow hulls, big, wide hulls make the best fishing platforms. I believe in fishing better and smarter rather than fishing faster and farther.”

Watson suggested that kayaker anglers look to shallow water for greater success.

“Shallow water fish are often undisturbed.

Power boats can’t go in these waters and the fish are less spooky. You can sneak right up on them in a kayak,” Watson concluded.

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

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Souped Up OMETIMES ON THE WEEKEND, WE like to make up some type of a soup, or a gumbo and just kind of graze on it all afternoon with a good cold and relaxing cocktail. This is a recipe I found while searching for something fresh and flavorful that I could prepare at an invitational cookoff on a friends ranch in Schulenburg. Well, it turned out so good, that I felt I had to share it with all of my loyal readers. The margarita recipe is really tasty as well!

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Corn and Crab Bisque THIS RECIPE IS BY CHEF JOHN FOLSE, OF Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and of Chef John Folse Culinary Institute in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It's a gold medal winner in culinary competition. I made it for a soup cookoff on a ranch in Schulenburg, Tx. They all loved it, and I hope all of you guys out there will to. It takes a little time to prepare, but the results are well worth the effort! I added a little zesty flavor with my spice, but otherwise it’s awesome.

3 cups fresh-cut whole kernel corn, plus milk from cobs 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat 1 cup butter 1 cup onions, small dice 1 cup celery, small dice 1 cup red bell pepper, small dice 1/4 cup minced garlic 1 cup flour 5 cups crab or fish stock 4 cups corn cob stock 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup sliced green onions 1/2 cup chopped parsley 2 teaspoons Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice N O R T H

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Salt and white pepper to taste Make a stock with the corn cobs and 56 cups water, reducing until 4 cups remain.

In an 8-quart stockpot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the corn, onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic.

Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add the flour and whisk until a white roux is achieved. Do not brown.

Add the stocks, one ladle full at a time, stirring constantly until all the stock is incorporated. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add heavy cream, green onions and parsley, and cook an additional 3 minutes. Gently fold in the lump crabmeat, being careful not to break up the lumps Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

YIELD: 12 servings

Southern Style Margarita IF YOU LOVE A GOOD FRESH FLAVORED margarita, then you will love this version we make at home. We put it in the shaker and mix it until your hand is almost frozen, then serve it up in a lime/salt rimmed and chilled martini glass. It’s pretty good!

1 to 1 ½ ounces of your favorite silver tequila 2 limes – juiced (approx. 1/3 cup) 1 – shot – Lemoncello Place all ingredients into a shaker, along with about a cup of crushed ice Put the lid on, shake it really good or until your hand is numb from the coldness of the shaker, then strain into a chilled and lime/salt rimmed martini glass. Enjoy with your friends and family, then repeat.

Spicy Snack Crackers THIS IS A GREAT SNACK THAT IS NOT baked, but it is absolutely awesome. Make

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some up for a party or just for snacking with the family.

1 whole box of Premium Saltine (or your favorite brand) crackers Mix the following: 1 Pkg. Ranch dressing Powder mix(not the dip) 1 ¼ cup canola oil 2-4 teaspoons red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it) 1 tablespoon Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice Mix the red pepper flakes, Searing Spice, dry dressing mix and canola oil Place the crackers in a large (gallon) Ziploc bag and pour the mixture over the crackers a small amount at a time, stopping to turn the bag to coat the crackers as you go. Seal up the bag and gently shake until all of the crackers are coated.

Let the bag sit closed up for an hour, gently turning every 20 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at texas-tasted@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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Juaniece Miller Redfish Charters

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SPOTLIGHT: Redfish Charters Redfish Charters in Rockport, TX offers you the ultimate in saltwater fishing on the Texas Gulf Coast. Fishing Aransas Bay, Estes Flats, Redfish Bay, and California Hole in the Rockport area, Capt. Charlie will fish with young and old alike - experienced or first-timers! 26 years of professional guiding experience along the Texas Coastal Bend Bay systems on the Gulf Coast!

Capt. Charlie loves to take kids fishing. By “ruining” them, he figures they will grow up to love fishing instead of getting into trouble. Of course he likes to take adults also. Many consider his good-nature to be one of his best qualities - one that he shares so freely with people from all walks of life!

Although he specialized in catching redfish as the name suggests, don’t be surprised when you catch a speckled trout, black drum or flounder!

With Capt. Charlie Newton you’re in the best of hands! Travel in comfort and style, safely aboard this 24’ DLX Carolina Skiff/115 hp 4-stoke Suzuki.

It’s A Fishing Machine!

Redfish Charters has received two prestigious awards this past year; “Business of the Month” October 2010 from The Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce and “2010 Best of Fulton Award” in Excursion Boat Operators category by the US Commerce Association. The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses through out the country. We were very honored and proud to receive these awards.

For an unforgettable fishing trip in Rockport, TX on the fabulous Texas Gulf Coast call Redfish Charters today at 361-729-8220. Or check out our website www.redfishcharters.com N O R T H

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CATFISH New Waverly

REDFISH | Galveston Arianna Wimberly caught a 27inch redfish and two 25-inch reds on her 10th birthday, fishing with Grandpa Louie Weiss at Galveston.

WHITETAIL BUCK | San Angelo Brett Ferro, age 7, of Sugar Land shot his first buck on opening day of the Youth Season while hunting in San Angelo. Brett took his 10-point trophy with a 7mm .08 rifle.

Alan Gehovak caught a 10-pound and an 8-pound blue catfish on a private pond near New Waverly. He was using spinnerbaits and fishing for crappie (one of which is on the stringer with his two blue cats).

COBIA Port Aransas Don Kirkham caught this 40pound cobia out of Port Aransas. A deckhand is holding the fish because after fighting and landing it, Don didn’t have the strength to lift it.

ALLIGATOR GAR Brazos River SPECKLED TROUT | Port Mansfield Chris Curl of McAllen and his cousin Dave “the Trout Master” caught this nice stringer of specks wadefishing at Port Mansfield.

Pictured left to right, Brian Bownds, Allen Macha, Randy Gauny, and Lawrence Macha show off a 130-pound, 6-foot 6-inch alligator gar they caught on the Brazos River at Booth, Texas.

DRUM Port Lavaca

CRAPPIE

SNAPPER

Lake Lavon

Port Isabel

Christian Pivarnik, 8, of McKinney caught a 2pound, 14-inch and a 1.25pound, 11-inch crappie—his first—at Lake Lavon.

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Javen Limon, age 4, caught his first fish ever, a small snapper, while fishing at Port Isabel with grandparents Rolando and Dolores Velez of Brownsville. Javen was so proud he stopped people all the way back to the car to tell them, “I caught a fish.”

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Marina Armola Flores of Port Lavaca caught this black drum using crab as bait. The fish was released shortly after the picture was taken.

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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.

RAM Daingerfield Matt Mayo shot his first Painted Desert ram, while hunting on the Working Man’s Bow Ranch at Daingerfield in northeast Texas.

BASS & CATFISH Grandview CRAPPIE | Lampasas County Kylie McCord caught her first crappie at a private lake in Lampasas County. Kylie is 6 years old. She is pictured with her “Pop.”

Rafe Kirkpatrick, age 8, caught a 6-pound bass while his six-yearold brother Luke caught a 4.5pound channel catfish, on a private lake near Grandview.

CATFISH | Guadalupe River CATFISH

Luke Tinsley, Kyle Day, Ty Tinsley, Zach Lopez and Matt Hillman had a great spring break fishing on the Guadalupe River at Gonzales.

Stockdale JW and Patricia Rice put on a fishing tournament for their great grandkids at Stockdale. Pictured with a stringer of catfish are Tyler, Jeep, Nate and Dylan.

SPECKLED TROUT | Matagorda Jeffrey David age 9 of Georgetown with a nice 21-inch Speckled Trout he caught over some shell at a rig in Matagorda Bay.

LARGEMOUTH BASS Tyler Robert Quiroga, age 9, caught this 9.5-pound largemouth while fishing at the Howell Lake Club in Tyler.

WHITETAIL BUCK Live Oak County Colton Wheeler, 13, of Beach City shot this 10-point buck in Live Oak County. Colton brought the buck down with one shot, using a .243 Rossi.

LARGEMOUTH BASS | Sam Rayburn Sonja Gregory of Amarillo caught this 6.13-pound largemouth bass on Sam Rayburn. Her son Jarrod caught a 5-pounder the day before.

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