Texas Fish & Game January 2019

State of the Nation Special Section

January 2019 | $3.95

Offshore Kayak Fishing Is the Rut Still On Anywhere?

Were the Trout Wars Worth it?

Boat Trends for www.FishGame.com the Coming Year 1901-January-CoverDIG.indd 1

Blow Up Boats: a Look at Inflatables 12/19/18 1:03 PM

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

by ROY and ARDIA NEVES TF&G Owners

ROY NEVES

Resolve to Get a Grip

PUBLISHER

CHESTER MOORE EDITOR IN CHIEF

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KAY. THAT DIDN’T TAKE VERY LONG. THE YEAR 2018 CAME, DROPPED OFF its heavy load of shocks, awes, and a few meager pickings of pleasant surprises, and then was out of here like a late-season buck at the sound of an errant twig snap.

In other words, where did the year go? 2018 seemed noticeably shorter than 2017, and 2017 shorter than its predessecor (and not just because 2016 was a leap year). What the heck is going on? Should we be freaking out? Are we spiralling toward the sun so that the seasons, the months, and the days are spinning by us ever faster?

Nah. If anything, the expanding universe theory says the opposite is happening.

So, it’s all in our imagination then. Or more specifically, in our perceptions.

As we get older, each year definitely seems to speed up. One theory attributes this to our relative perception—the longer we live, we have more comparative time to relate to; a day to a sixty year old is a tiny fraction of the percentage represented by the same day to a five year old. Another says that how we perceive time is based on our ability to catalog new experiences. When we’re younger, new experiences are all over the place. Our shiny new brains are constantly bombarded by external stimuli as they are being filled with memories that are unique and more likely to leave a mark on the days when we experienced them. The older we get, we start glossing over all the routine business that we pass through, day after day, focusing only on those special events that make new impressions. It’s kind of like driving the same road to work every day so that we could do it while sleeping (don’t try this). We only take note of the route when we see that something is new or has changed, like an interesting new restaurant or, more likely, when some idiot in the Highway Dept. orders a work crew to stop traffic during the peak rush. When there are fewer new experiences that stand out, each day filled with repetitious experiences tends to blur into the hundreds (then the thousands and the tens of thousands) of days just like it.

This all makes a certain amount of sense, but it can’t be all there is to this time-jump sensation.

Technology very likely also plays a part. Our seven-year-old grandson, who knew more about the features of an iPhone at age two than we do even now, made the remark recently that, “Wow. Today sure went by fast.”

We can’t imagine making such a comment at age seven, even during summer vacation, which never seemed to have enough days assigned to it. But the way today’s world works, even kids seem to be caught up in the grind of repetition and run-on days. Much of their time is spent glued to the screens on which they play video games over, and over, and over, and (short bathroom break) over. We’re sure there are many layers of complexity to at least some of these games but to us they seem like a repetitive exercise of bouncing orbs and irritating bleeps. Over and over and over (okay, three bites of lunch) and over again. This has had to lead to some short-circuiting of the normal development of time-perception.

If seven-year-olds wonder where their days went, what are they going to feel like when they are forty?

As the world spins at perceptably faster and faster RPMs, we’re all going to need solid hand-holds to keep from flying off into the deep space of chaos and mental stress fractures—and so are our kids.

One of the best hand-holds we can think of is the handle of a fishing rod, or the stock of a hunting rifle, or the grip of a bow. Technology has certainly invaded the worlds of fishing and hunting, but even with all the high-tech gadgets that can be applied to the sports, if you’re going to experience them, you still have to get out there and do it.

And if you’ve caught a thousand largemouth bass, or speckled trout, or bagged that many dove or tagged limits of whitetails season after season, those experiences never seem to blur. There is a thrill in every experience, each one worth savoring. And, they all add up to a lifetime of cherished memories.

This New Year will pass even faster than 2018. Make a resolution to grab on to one of those safety grips and hang on tight.

Then make sure to wrap the small fingers of your kids and grandkids around them, too.

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

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SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDITOR AT LARGE HUNTING EDITOR FRESHWATER EDITOR SALTWATER EDITOR BOATING EDITOR FIREARMS EDITOR SHOOTING EDITOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR HUMOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR

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Contents January 2019 | Vol. 35 • No. 9

FEATURE ARTICLES

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TROUT TANTRUM Were the so-called “Trout Wars” of the early 2000s worth it?

by Chester Moore

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COVER STORY

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IS THERE STILL A RUT ANYWHERE?

It’s been 27 years since the Texas bass record was last broken. Will that record stand forever?

The timing of the rut may have as much to do with buck/doe ratios as seasons and regions.

story and photo by Matt Williams

by Chester Moore

COLUMNS

5 6 7 16 18 26 27

by CHESTER MOORE

TEXAS OUTDOOR NATION

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Doggett at Large

by JOE DOGGETT

Nugent in the Wild

by Ted Nugent

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Coastal Focus Columns

by Lenny Rudow

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Texas Hotspots

News of the Nation + Texas HotShots

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Sportsman’s Daybook

WHAT’S NEW IN BOATS IN 2019?

Power, tech & comfort. Plus: Inflatables, Trend or Triumph?

Texas Saltwater

by MATT WILLIAMS

Texas Whitetails

by LARRY WEISHUHN

Texas Guns

by STEVE LAMASCUS

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Tides & Prime Fishing Times

DEPARTMENTS

by CALIXTO GONZALES

Texas Freshwater

Paddling out to to blue water to find Texas offshore fishing action.

by Lenny Rudow

THE TEXAS BASS RECORD

Editor’s Notes

KAYAKS BEYOND THE BREAKERS

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Letters

by TFG Readers

Special Section

by TFG Staff

Outdoor Directory Fish & Game Photos

by TFG Readers

Texas Tasted

by Bryan Slaven

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LETTERS to the Editor Mottled Duck I READ THE “DON’T SHOOT THE Mottled Duck” article at fishgame.com and appreciate someone getting the word out on a sort of at-risk species. Thanks.

catch your radio program Fridays from 6-7 on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI. Love the show.

I caught part of a monologue where you were talking about the real reason you have stayed with Texas Fish & Game for so long. I sure would have loved to have heard all of it.

Taylor Benchley

MALLARD OR MOTTLED?

Making Sure You Don’t Pull the Trigger on the Wrong ‘Mallard’

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’VE ALWAYS HAD A SOFT spot in my heart for the mottled duck. But before I ever heard the name “mottled duck,” hunters talked about “black mallards.”

The mottled duck is a native of the Gulf Coast, and it has always symbolized the brackish-intermediate wetland I love so much. As I grew up in Southeast Texas, they were a common sight. Then sometime in my twenties they started to dwindle.

Mottled ducks can be difficult to

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distinguish from hen mallards and other species, so there are special harvest rules for these ducks and their hybrids.

The state and federal officials call them “dusky ducks” because of their similar appearance but most of these provisions are to protect the mottled duck.

According to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officials, “Duck hunters in Texas will have to keep an eye peeled for dusky ducks and fingers off the trigger during the first

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HIGH PLAINS MALLARD MANAGEMENT AREA DUSKY DUCK: Nov. 5, 2018 - Jan. 27, 2019

five days of the season again this year, as concern about the mottled duck populations have forced a delay in the harvest. A dusky duck is defined as a mottled duck, Mexican-like duck, black duck and their hybrids.”

The waterfowl conservation community has spent much time studying mottled ducks over the last 10 to 15 years. While I looked over various studies, one particular tidbit caught my attention.

The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge began outfitting mottled ducks with transmitters to track their move-

NORTH ZONE DUSKY DUCK: Nov. 15 - 25, 2018 & Dec. 1, 2018 - Jan. 27, 2019 SOUTH ZONE DUSKY DUCK: Nov. 8 - 25, 2018 & Dec. 8, 2018 - Jan. 27, 2019

PHOTOS: CANSTOCK

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ments in the mid 2000s. According to refuge officials, there have been some surprising results.

“The results indicate that mottled ducks, which normally avoid open water, have begun spending extended time offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

Scientists suspect habitat loss and saltwater intrusion, both a result of coastal development, may be forcing the ducks out of their wetland habitats. Coastal research in other regions shows similar trends, indicating the problem may be more than just local.”

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Marullo Fan

The idea of a puddle duck such as the mottled duck in the open waters of the Gulf seems strange indeed.

However, there is still much to learn about this species. This study goes to show why it is important to learn about wildlife habitat and movements.

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“Mallard Matters” Feature from the October Issue.

I JUST READ THE ARTICLE ON MOTtled ducks in Texas and was wondering if you ever hear of anyone shooting a legitimate black duck in Texas.

Is there any way you can give me the long and short of it?

Ross Snyder

Andy Jay

Editor: When I get on a rant on the radio anything can happen so it’s hard to duplicate in print, but here we go.

I am a wildlife journalist and have been doing this since I was 19. At this point that is 26 years. I have written for hundreds of publications and did work in newspaper, magazine, on the web, television, radio and on the stage.

Besides being the means by which I provide for my family, Texas Fish & Game represents the heart and soul of the great outdoors in Texas. It is modern in thinking, but has the old school true love of the resource that is embedded deep within me.

Just the fact they give so many copies of the

Editor: I have not heard of that before but there could have been some killed, and they got lumped in with mottled ducks or Mexican mallards. That is why we have the “dusky duck” category mentioned in the article. I do however know there have been Pacific brants killed near Winnie, TX. I saw the mounts of the birds and interviewed the taxidermist who did the work myself.

Deep Question DEAR CHESTER, I ALWAYS TRY TO 4

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magazine to high school wildlife classes and have been doing it for 25 years is enough to show the owners care, but there is much more.

Other than conservation-specific publications, at least since I have been involved, there is no other publication that has printed more in-depth, investigation and pro-conservation pieces than this one.

Everyone from the owners to the editor care about all outdoor lovers, not just rich guys who can gallivant around the world. We love them too, but we show just as much love to the little old lady sitting on a white bucket on the side of the road catching catfish. It is about a true celebration of the great outdoors, and that to me is a beautiful thing.

Make no mistake, we are in the outdoor business, and this has a lot to do with making a living, but in this industry, I don’t think there is any other place I would be as happy, for the reasons listed above.

JUST WANTED TO SAY I AM A BIG fan of Lou Marullo’s fun-loving and informative writing style. He’s a fun read every month and I have learned a lot about deer behavior by reading his column.

Holly Jenkins Editor: We love Lou too and he is as good a guy as he is a writer. Be on the lookout for lots from Marullo this year.

« Send Your Comments to: Texas Fish & Game 247 Airtex Drive Houston, TX 77090 editor@fishgame.com

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12/11/18 5:43 PM

EDITOR’S Notes

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

No Purple Hearts For Paintball

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WNING A GUN DOES NOT make anyone a patriot.

For most of us that statement is obvious, but a growing subculture of people think owning a firearm qualifies them for hero worship.

Most people own guns for self-defense.

For law-abiding, average citizens, a gun is a security measure. For hunters and avid shooters, they are a tool in addition to their aforementioned purpose.

Guns are necessary for freedom in this country or their ownership would not have been the subject of the Second Amendment of the Constitution. But many criminals own guns.

Are they patriots too?

Far too many not only think owning a gun makes them the equivalent of Audie Murphey, but look and talk more military than real veterans.

My late uncle Jackie Moore served in the Marines in Vietnam in ’68 and ’-69, the highest year for casualties in that brutal war. He once told me, “If you hear someone talking about all of the confirmed kills they made they are probably a cook.”

In other words, veterans did their job to defend our country. Yes it might have meant killing people, but they don’t run around glorifying that part of it.

I remember that quote when I’m at the gun range or an event and see people who I know were not in the military dressing and talking the part and dripping with arrogance.

I was not in the military either, but I don’t create an image that says I did. Respecting our country is not just standing for the national anthem, but giving true veterans their due

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a hunter.

Are they conservationists too?

Last year on these pages, I addressed the very concerning trend of youth poaching of threatened and endangered species. I said the reason the hunting industry does not want to address youth poaching is the all of the kids I have investigated come from hunting families.

I stand by that statement.

To honor real conservationists, we need to lift up those who work tirelessly for conservation organizations, put in sweat equity in the field on projects such as wetlands enhancement and stand for resource protection.

To move forward, the hunting industry needs to be honest with itself and the public and admit there are bad guys in the ranks. Pests that are swept under the rug typically come back and bring friends with them. Evil only retreats when light is shined on it.

Hopefully this column does a bit of that.

Honesty in a world of Internet-age news and utter hatred for anything tied in with traditional America is tough. Gun ownership and hunting certainly fall into that category.

Ignoring teens shooting bald eagles might seem like good strategy but the animal rightists are already exploiting these issues. If we come with an honest response and start policing our own ranks, then maybe in a decade we can be a better position of strength.

I’m not talking about hammering on a guy who accidentally shot a buck with a 12-inch spread, instead of the legal 13 or like a colleague who got in trouble in Alaska for hunting bear beneath some nearly impossible to gauge elevation line in a state with the strictest hunting regulations on the planet. Those are mistakes.

I’m talking about poachers who kill for the sake of poaching and who sell animal parts to feed their addiction.

And I’m talking about truly honoring those who paid the price for a nation that allows to speak about such issues freely.

place and not filling it with wannabes.

You can’t get a purple heart for paintball, and that’s the only action a lot of these people have ever seen.

Why am I on this rant?

Well, this phenomenon has bugged me for a number of years, but in general I am sick of wannabes.

People who “wannabe” typically project themselves bigger than the real thing and overshadow great people. In the case of veterans this dishonors real sacrifice.

Someone may have a buzz cut, protomilitary clothes and tons of pro Second Amendment bumper stickers, but do they have the PTSD that many of our veterans came home with due to what they experienced on the field of battle? Have they paid the price for the image they want to project?

Again, you can’t get a purple heart for paintball.

Also, the act of hunting does not make you a conservationist.

You can send your complaint emails on this statement to cmoore@fishgame.com, but I stand by it.

Hunters through license purchases and hunting-based conservation organizations have spent billions on wildlife conservation.

America has plenty of problems in the wildlife realm, but we are the world’s shining example of conservation and much of it has to do with the hunting industry.

But just being a hunter does not make someone a conservationist.

I have seen this written and experienced the attitude at deer camps, duck blinds and banquets when I broached the subject of conserving our wildlife resources.

Organizations in particular like to send out press releases and act like every hunter is a modern-day Aldo Leopold. However, many only contribute to conservation by default.

In other words, their hunting license fees and excise taxes on the sporting goods they purchased aid the cause, not them.

Virtually every poacher in America was raised as a hunter. Most have hunting licenses, even deer leases and certainly look the part of F I S H

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DOGGETT at Large

by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&G Contributing Editor

Rising Quail, Falling Ego

pattern to cover these quick chances.

Most flushed quail take flight from a dead stop. Even a quail running ahead of a dog has a slow launch compared to, say, a windswept dove in full flight.

Take a gander at the typical quail. You are correct to conclude that any ground-loving bird with a profile like a Royal Riviera pear is not noted for blinding speed. I believe scientific tests have pegged the bobwhite at approximately 30 miles per hour—maybe 35.

That’s at max revolutions.

Remember, the flushing bird needs time to fully accelerate. Compare this to a passing dove or duck at maybe 50 miles per hour.

Once flushed, the quail tends to lob away in a fairly predictable arc. Granted, the occasional quail might sweep back with the wind, or abruptly dip low to pitch around brush, but these are not the typical flight patterns.

The normal angling-away trajectory lends itself to a smooth shotgun swing. A corkscrewing dove or a flaring teal can be much harder to center.

Add these facts together, and the poor bobwhite seems woefully overmatched. A cool South Texas gunslinger can, in fact, run up an impressive scorecard. A limit of 15 birds inside a single 25-shell box certainly is possible; in fact, such tallies are fairly common among skilled hunters over classic points.

But so, too, is the flaming miss.

Put another way, rare is the veteran bird hunter who will not own up to the occasional red-faced “ham press.” Over the decades, I’ve hunted with a number of excellent quail hunters, and I’ve seen them all miss on rises.

The commotion and drama of the explosion of whirring wings is most likely the culprit.

You know the covey is right there, ahead of the staunch point, but each rise excites a jump of emotion.

It’s easy to rush things—a poor gun mount or a too-quick shot without selecting a specific bird. But, in truth, despite the roar of confusion, you have more time than you think.

The great outdoor writer and shotgunner, Nash Buckingham, called it “repression,” a programmed pause to take the few moments

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SOUTH TEXAS POINTER named Cowboy whirled to a stop and faced upwind. The object of his stiff attention was a scraggly clump of grass and prickly pear about five yards ahead. A trailing dog froze, honoring the point in grand style.

Two of us paced forward. I held the 20-gauge Parker side-by-side up and away, ready to thumb the safety as the gun reached my shoulder.

“Keep stepping,” a voice from behind urged. “Just walk past the dog. Whoa, Cowboy.

Steady, Belle!”

We pressed forward, eyes ahead but seeing nothing—then the covey of 12 or 15 bobwhite quail erupted like a whirring, blurring fragmentation grenade. I saw four or five on my side of the rise and tried to kill them all with one shot—the classic rookie mistake that produced absolutely squat.

The frantic second shot was no better.

Probably worse, since I was in a state of outraged panic. The other shooter grassed a bold cock and I dejectedly broke open the empty shotgun.

I’d like to say that poor showing occurred 30 or 40 years ago, but it happened last season.

On paper, the bobwhite quail under a dog’s nose should be perhaps the easiest of all wingshooting opportunities.

Look at the situation: The bird huddled on the ground is close, probably flushing at five to 10 yards from the ready gun. You know the rise is imminent— no surprise, there. Most first shots (coveys or singles) are well inside 25 or 30 yards. The serious bird hunter almost certainly wields an open-choked gun to throw a wide, but dense 6

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necessary to confirm proper footing while selecting a safe bird before smoothly mounting the gun and throwing the safety.

Buckingham wrote: “Repression counteracts an element of surprise present at practically all game-bird flushes, wild or over a point.”

I suspect that most misses on a creampuff rise is that hurried shot, Remember, you have more time than you think to get it right.

Worth note, and despite the lobbing trajectory, South Texas bobwhites tend to fly low, tight to brushy cover whenever possible.

This probably is an instinctive defense against accipiter hawks in the relatively flat terrain. A foggy or misty morning with heavy air tends to encourage low traffic.

Most important, a low bird stresses the need for vigilant shooting safety. During the classic rise, two or three guns walk abreast past the dog. When the covey flushes, each shooter selects an open bird on his side (left, right, or middle). Swinging through another shooter’s airspace is at best a flagrant breach of etiquette.

At worst, it could trigger a terrible tragedy.

Also a thought: a far-ranging dog might be well beyond a low bird but in line with the shot, perhaps bounding back to the sounds of action. Nearby ranch cattle could be hovering in a screen of mesquite. If any doubt exists, far better to abort the swing than to send a swarm of 7 1/2s into potential harm’s way. Even at 100 yards, a field load can pack a wallop and ruin an eye.

This is a reminder to pay attention with low birds in low terrain—and to always wear protective shooting glasses and bright orange. I remain astounded to see quail hunters in camo shirts and caps.

I remain utterly dumbfounded at how easy it can be to miss a fluttering quail at 25 yards!

Maybe that’s what makes quail hunting so special.

« Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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NUGENT in the Wild

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

Things Are Not Always As They Seem

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F ANY HUNTER ALIVE OR DEAD would ever expect to have a reasonable handle on the critter numbers on their own private hunting lands it would be me. I’ve been hard at it my entire life, never missed a season in 70 years and diligently explore, farm, hunt, fish, trap, survey and study my sacred hunting grounds nonstop throughout the year, all year long, every year.

When we were hit hard across the Midwest by the deadly EHD plague a few years back, we counted nearly 100 dead deer carcasses in our woods, fields, swamps, marshes and fen in a short few months period. It was heartbreaking to say the least.

Over the following five years we backed way back on doe harvests, and within just a few short years we celebrated God’s miraculous whitetail deer productivity creation as the numbers rebounded to nearly the good old days.

The hunting has been wonderful.

My deer expert son Toby reported herds of 50 to 60 animals wintering on our place this past year and we were excitedly looking forward to an action packed backstrap boogie come the October 2018 opener.

But alas, it was not to be!

I’ve hunted every day for 18 days, and with nasty hot temperatures I knew deer sightings would not be good, and they were indeed uninspiring and downright dismal to say the least.

I hunt the edges and leave the impenetrable sanctuaries off limits, but I can still see into them pretty good which gives me a bird’s eye view of deer numbers no matter what.

Or so I thought.

Now, I’m no newcomer to this right place right time deer hunting game, but just a few days ago I texted a very frustrating text to Toby exclaiming serious concern about our

herd condition and population.

On many hunts in prime locations I was skunked day after day with either no sightings at all or a rare glimpse of a deer here or maybe there.

I’m not saying I was giving up my any means, but it was very frustrating day in day out.

Then BANG! The temperatures took a major drop overnight and everything changed.

That first day with temperatures bordering freezing, there were deer everywhere!

And I liked it!

Same ground, same stands, same everything except weather.

The important lesson I was reminded of is to believe in your scouting and spoor reading, and that, as always, patience and perseverance are the most critical tools in our hunting lifestyle.

Another lesson in hunting frustration 101 happened last night on a big swamp donkey doe kill I made.

Two nights ago I drilled the pumper of a huge old matriarch she-deer with the most wonderful, short, ultra-easy walking bloodtrail a bowhunter could ever hope for.

But last night’s kill, though for all apparent indicators was technically an exact same hit with the same broadhead, same angle and same everything, we nonetheless struggled on hands and knees with our best flashlights for over 100 yards with nothing but the occasional pin-prick of a crimson spot across a green field.

When we finally found the old girl, we could not believe our eyes at the gaping gash of a broadhead wound that actually didn’t bleed for diddlysquat!

How can that be? How could blood not pour out of a heartshot hole that huge?

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Well, all’s well that ends well but the spooky frustration factor tests a bowhunters soul to say the least.

The key lesson I take away is to always take a deep breath, slow down, envision the shot scenario (review the video footage in my case) and remain confident even when Ma Nature throws you a science defying curveball.

If you hunt long enough, you will surely experience various frustrating scenarios that make no sense whatsoever. Stick with it. Never give up and celebrate those hard earned memories and backstraps like you mean it.

If you truly love this incredible handson conservation, great outdoors lifestyle, be sure to check out HunterNation.org to help the most dedicated amongst us fight the out of control bureaucracies that have created a punitive and arbitrary landmine field of ridiculous rules and regulations for sporters across America that unnecessarily impede the enjoyment and recruitment into our beloved sport.

This sacred experiment in self-government takes fulltime participation by we the people who care the most.

Freedom ain’t free and is always worth fighting for.

Happy pre-rut across the hinterland my backstrap BloodBrothers! Get out there every chance you get. Aim small, miss small and celebrate the world’s greatest sport with family and friends at every opportunity!

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12/11/18 6:07 PM

HEY SAY RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN, but plenty of folks are beginning to wonder whether anyone will ever crack the mark Barry St. Clair put on Texas bass fishing way back in 1992.

More than a quarter-century has passed since that fateful January day when the Athens angler dunked a live shiner in 42 feet of water, reportedly somewhere in the mouth of Little Caney Creek. He was hoping to catch another crappie for the skillet. He reeled in a whale of a largemouth bass instead.

St. Clair’s catch was so enormous it dethroned the former state record—a 17.67 pounder—caught on a Stanley jig more than six years earlier by Lake Fork guide Mark Stevenson.

Weighing a whopping 18.18 pounds, the fish didn’t come as much of a surprise, either. St. Clair’s giant bass came as the cherry on top during a magical stretch of time when Lake Fork was spitting out bug-eyed behemoths like a gum ball machine that refused to run out of goodies.

The 27,000-acre reservoir was truly phenomenal during its heyday. In addition to producing seven of the state’s 10 biggest bass on record—including five 17 pounders—Fork became a virtual blood bank for Toyota ShareLunkers cracking the 13-pound benchmark.

To date, the popular reservoir is responsible for 30 of the 50 heaviest bass reported statewide. It’s interesting that all but six of the 30 bass were caught between 1986 and 1999.

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All Eyes on Naconiche

Only one other Top 10 bass has been reported in Texas since Bryan Turner’s 16.89 from Fork in February 1993, which holds the No. 8 spot. That fish, a 16.8 pounder, was caught from Sam Rayburn in May 1997. It ranks No. 9.

January 24 will mark the 27th anniversary of St. Clair’s bass taking over the top spot on Texas’s Top 50 list. Though hundreds of heavyweight bass have been reeled in from dozens of lakes in the meantime, none have seriously challenged the title.

The 16.89 pounder probably had the most potential of all. It may have gotten there had it gobbled up a 1 1/4-pound crappie or a couple of big fish prior to eating Turner’s soft plastic lizard.

Texas’s mega bass cycle has slowed to a crawl over the last decade. Though 11 fish from seven different lakes have cracked the Top 50 list since 2009, there hasn’t been a Texas bass heavier than 16.17 pounds reported since March 2010.

The most recent Top 50 entry was John LaBove’s 15.48 pounder from Lake Fork last March. LaBove’s bass was the first Top 50 fish reported from Fork since 2013. It ranks No. 48.

Thus the foundation for a question Texas bass junkies have been pondering for years: Will Texas ever see another state record largemouth bass?

It’s impossible for anyone to answer the question with any certainty, no matter how many times or ways the fat gets sliced. The only reliable reflection of the future is the passage of time itself.

Someone could break the record tomorrow, a week down the road, or maybe 20 years from now.

Of course, it’s also entirely possible that an inquiring mind not yet born could still be visiting the same fish, and the same topic, at the turn of the next century.

I’ll go out on a limb and say the latter isn’t going to happen. My guess is St. Clair’s record will eventually take a tumble. It might be wishful thinking, but I believe it will happen much sooner than later, too. Quite possibly within the next 5 to10 years.

Which lake will serve as the stage for the magical cast is anybody’s guess. Odds are it will come from a special body of water with an unusual environment and a very unique set of circumstances in play. Lake Naconiche fits that bill.

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If there is any one lake that might have the upper hand as far as state record potential goes, it would have be 700-acre Lake Naconiche. Located in northeastern Nacodoches County, the lake was impounded in 2009 and has been managed for trophy bass from the very start.

TPWD has stocked the lake with Florida bass from the get-go, including hundreds of adult ShareLunker offspring and retired hatchery brood fish weighing three to seven pounds.

The fishery is protected by a 16-inch maximum length limit. The rule prohibits anglers from retaining bass longer than 16 inches, unless the fish is a potential candidate for the ShareLunker program. The regulation also is in effect at lakes Bellwood, Davy Crockett, Kurth and Nacogdoches.

Good genetics and restrictive limits aren’t the only things Naconiche has going for it.

The constant level reservoir is fueled by several spring-fed creeks. The water is extremely high in nutrients, and the lake’s forage base of threadfin shad and bluegill is thriving as a result.

Those factors, coupled with great habitat comprised of hydrilla and jungles of timber and dense brush left intact prior to filling, have set the stage for a perfect storm that already appears to be brewing.

Naconiche produced a 14.12-pound lake record in July 2016 and a 13.06-pound Toyota ShareLunker in Feb. 2017. That’s impressive considering it opened for fishing just seven years ago.

TPWD fisheries biologist Todd Driscoll of Brookeland has been riding shotgun over Naconiche from the start. He says it is almost scary to think about what might be swimming around in the little lake in another few years. More year classes of fish from banner spawns dating back to 2010-11 and beyond will begin reaching their full trophy potential. The magical age is 10.

“I think it’s just now coming into the infancy stages as far as its true trophy potential goes,” Driscoll said. “It’s going to be like a mini Lake Fork. We’re going to have all those big year classes since 2010-11 coming on like a production line, year after year. There’s no telling how long it will last, either. My guess is it’ll be a long time before the productivity of the lake starts to decline. There are a lot |

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of chicken farms along the watershed, so it’s pretty heavily fertilized.”

As earlier mentioned, abundant habitat is another plus the fishery has going for it.

In addition to hydrilla and other vegetation that grows as deep as eight feet in places, the lake’s bottom in the Naconiche and Teleco creek arms resembles an underwater jungle. In fact, it is so thick with lay downs, logs, stumps and brush that Driscoll thinks it could actually be a detriment to the catchability of the fish. He knows this from multiple hours spent mapping the lake’s bottom with his electronics.

“It’s solid wood from 10 feet to the bottom and extremely difficult to fish effectively,” Driscoll said. “There is so much brush that I honestly believe there could be numerous giant bass that die of old age in that lake without ever being caught. With so much food available they could just lay up in a big ol’ logjam and never move around. That’s just how thick it is.”

Other Lakes Most Likely Only a fool would nix Lake Fork from the list of other possibilities. Although it’s not the big bass factory it once was, there is way too much big bass history to rule it out as a candidate to produce the next state record.

Just when you think Fork is dead, it roars back to life with a flurry of huge fish. It’s happened more than once.

Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Falcon and Amistad have to rank high the hit list, as well. All are massive water bodies with lake records in excess of 15 pounds, good water quality and tons of forage.

Of the four, Rayburn may be the best bet for kicking out a record-class lunker in the near future. That’s largely because it tends to maintain consistently good habitat such as hydrilla, torpedo grass, terrestrial willows and buck brush from one year to the next.

The habitat serves as a nursery for little fish and a playground for big ones.

The 114,000-reservoir east of Lufkin has been fishing extremely strong the past few years and was completely off the charts in 2018. This was reflected by numerous fivefish tournament limits topping the 30-pound mark and a couple over 40 pounds.

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12/11/18 5:37 PM

Fishing Pressure a Deterrent?

If there is one thing the Sam Rayburn and other other three fisheries have working against them, it’s fishing pressure. That’s the word from Dave Terre, chief of inland fisheries management and research with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“These are all great fisheries and produce giant bass, but those lakes (Sam Rayburn, Fork, Toledo Bend and Falcon) also receive high fishing pressure and a good amount of weigh-in type bass tournaments,” Terre said.

“Keep in mind that big bass need to live long to get to the size of a state record. We know, based on our studies, that large bass are more susceptible to delayed mortality in tournaments. If one of every two eight pounders dies following a tournament weigh-in, this lessens the chance that some will survive to be of staterecord size.”

Terre cited a TPWD delayed mortality research study centered on 16- to 24-inch bass that were held in live wells and taken to tournament weigh-ins. The biologist said 46 percent of the bass used in the study died within six days.

“By comparison, those same size fish had a zero percent mortality if just caught and immediately released,” Terre said. “If there are a lot of tournaments on a lake, it’s easy to see how this might lessen the opportunities for a state-record class fish. This is not to say that tournaments are hurting these fisheries, but they definitely could be limiting their trophy potential.”

Some anglers may contend the same argument could be made for taking 13- to 16-pounders out of our lakes and transporting them ShareLunker headquarters for spawning.

I’ve spoken to some fishermen who had rather take a quick photo of such a fish and slip it right back into the water rather than donate it to the program.

Terre said comparing tournament-caught bass to ShareLunkers would an “apples to oranges comparison.”

“Fish donated to us through the ShareLunker program are not exposed to the stress of a weigh-in, so that would make it different from a typical fishing tournament handling process,” he said. “We know that live well containment can also add to stress on bass depending on how well fish are cared for in that environment. In the case of ShareLunker, fish are generally held in live wells but once they are turned over to us they receive the

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multiple times by anglers and our selective breeding program has recently been shown to be producing new generations of ShareLunkers resulting in new entries into the program,” he said. “I’d say the program is making strides to improve big bass fishing in Texas.”

Like many anglers who take their bass fishing seriously, I am way past ready to see a change at the top of the Top 50 list. It makes no difference whether the fish weighs an ounce more or a pound, it is high time for somebody to pummel the 18.18.

When it will happen is anybody’s guess.

Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later.

benefits of our equipment and abundant care by our fisheries biologists.

“Once the fish gets to Athens they receive 24/7 attention by staff in our purpose-built fish care facilities. If a fish is injured in some way, we believe that a fish has a better chance of survival with us because we have the capacity to act quickly to lower stress levels and speed healing of wounds.”

The biologist said 16 percent of 324 ShareLunkers have died since the program relocated to its state-of-the-art facility in Athens. He doesn’t believe the minimal losses have been a factor in the long dry spell between state records.

“Some ShareLunkers have been caught

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12/11/18 5:36 PM

HERE IS NO SPECIES more controversial than Cynoscion nebulosis, the speckled trout, at least along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Well, it’s not really the species that is so controversial, but the means of harvest, catch-and-release versus throwing in the grease and bag limit changes.

In my 26 years as a wildlife journalist, no issue in Texas has come close to stirring controversy like any mention of changes to speckled trout regulations or simply means of pursuing these important sportfish.

The early 2000s saw what I call the “Trout Wars” centered in Lower Laguna Madre with friendships lost, legislation introduced that would have effectively banned croakers as bait (by making them a gamefish) and just straight up ugliness on all sides of the issue.

The last major move on trout came five years ago as part of the 2014-15 Statewide Recreational and Commercial Fishing Proclamation.

That is when the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission adopted rules to extend a five-fish bag limit already in effect in the Lower Laguna Madre up the coast through the Highway 457 bridge near Sargent. The Commission modified the original proposal to set the POSSESSION limit on spotted seatrout for the area from the Lower Laguna Madre to the Highway 457 bridge

at twice the daily bag limit (10 fish in possession).

That passed. With it came a five-year sunset provision. That means TPWD must examine the rule this year to see whether it’s still effective and viable.

Will the rules need to be rescinded and go back to 10 trout? (doubtful). Or within a few years, will we see a five fish limit proposed for the Upper Coast? (more likely).

The following are some observations of the speckled trout fishery in Texas, fallout of the “trout wars” and a pondering of the future.

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Habitat Left Out Although reducing the bag limit was controversial to some extent, no issue upset people more than the use of live croakers as baitfish. A variety of people wanted to ban croaker as a baitfish and in fact influenced someone in the state legislature to introduce a bill that would have made croaker a gamefish, thus being illegal to use for trout or anything else as bait.

This is not to argue one side or the other, but to say feelings were and still are to some extent super-heated on this issue.

However, much bigger issues got left out of the trout discussion.

When is the last time you saw a thread on social media or fishing forums about problems with trout habitat?

How about loss of seagrass on the Middle and Lower Coast?

What about the huge loss of nursery areas that grow baby trout on the Upper Coast due to erosion? I will probably get dozens of emails on this article, but they will likely all be centered on the word “croaker,” none on habitat.

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Speckled trout populations are steady in Texas but annually bay systems fluctuate with conditions.

Department has done an amazing job of enhancing the speckled trout fishery through Sea Center Texas and other facilities on the coast.

How much grassroots support have they gotten from the fishing public to raise funds, catch broodstock and move the fishery forward?

Hatcheries need to be more of a focus for those claiming to be trout conservationists because we are only one major freeze event away from setting back 25 years of all trout efforts. Hatcheries can and will be an important part of restoration, but during the early 2000s debacle they were rarely mentioned.

Trout Tournaments: For the most part speckled trout tournaments have failed to grow beyond isolated events. They are of course nowhere near the level of bass tournaments and don’t even reach the popularity of redfish circuits.

The reason is the mortality of trout at such events.

However, is it possible the type of catch and release format popularized by Major League Fishing could come into play and revive trout tournaments?

If we want to look at the real future of speckled trout and all marine life along the Gulf Coast, habitat must be at the epicenter, but for some reason the majority of anglers tune out on this issue. The “trout wars” did nothing to help put habitat in the spotlight.

Pollution: The fact that speckled trout in large areas of the Upper Coast have a consumption warning because of dioxin contamination should be highly alarming.

We have published three articles on the issue in a span of five years and gotten zero response. Did the “trout wars” coach us only to care about whether we are killing off big trout, or whether fewer trophy fish are caught?

Seems to me that potential cancer-causing agents in a sportfish might be a little more important than how many guys are catching 30-inchers or whether the state deems it necessary to reduce the bag limit from 10 to 5.

All of these measures are, after all, about the quality of the fishery, not its existence.

Speckled trout are nowhere near threatened, endangered or even in any kind of major decline.

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If someone could come along with the funding to pull something like this off and contribute a good portion to hatcheries or seagrass habitat restoration, it would be a major win for trout.

It would also be a major win for the sportfishing industry.

All of us who wrote on the “trout wars” and certainly who participated at a deeper level missed the boat at some level. The good news is Texas’s trout population is not going anywhere and we can move forward with better ideas for the future.

Croaker is not the devil. Neither are people who do not want it legal for bait.

The devil in this issue is in the details.

After careful study, this reveals that the emotionally-charged topics of bait preference and fighting like crazy over bag limit reductions takes the really important issues of the table.

Let’s put them back for closer examination for the sake of trout and Texas trout fishermen.

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Texas SALTWATER

by CALIXTO GONZALES :: TF&G Saltwater Editor

Fishing as a Service Industry

in the busy season. They dare not take time off unless absolutely necessary because there is no telling when feast becomes famine and business will drop off.

Owning a lodge compounds the effort.

Now, a captain has the boarding of his clients to consider. The days of Rudy Grigar putting up his clients in a driftwood shack or army tents for three days while feeding them over a camp stove are long gone.

Guests expect four-star accommodations for their money. Hot water and soft beds are the bare minimum requirements. A fully stocked pantry, satellite television, and central air are expected. Oh, and we shouldn’t forget about the fishing and hunting, which have to be top notch, whether or not the fish and fowl are willing to cooperate.

The Blacks, McBride, and all the other outfitters work hard to supply their guests with all the features needed for their comfort.

It takes a huge effort and planning to set up for a client or party’s visit. Even then, there is no guarantee that the fish will bite, or ducks will fly. Sometimes the quarry has its own agenda. You can’t help that.

The problem is that four-star treatment sometimes leads to one-star behavior among these clients. Late cancellations for good or bad reasons are the bane of the industry.

Black recounted a recent dove hunt booking where the clientcancelled the day before check-in because of the threat of rain. Black tried to encourage the party to come on in, and if the weather did pot out they’d find a workaround, whether it was a re-scheduling or a Plan B, or any other option.

Instead, the customer opted to outright cancel, and the ripple effects were more profound than simply losing the date that another client could’ve booked. By the way, the “heavy rain” never materialized, and the bookings that did show up had a great day in the field and on the water.

Captains and hunting guides that were reserved for the days of the Cast and Blast still had to be paid their fees. Fresh food purchased for the days’ meals had to be frozen or consumed before it went to waste. Lodge staff

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HEN I WAS A RECENT guest at Captains Sally and Aubrey Blacks’ lodge, Baffin Bay Rod and Gun (BBR&G), I was struck by a myriad of impressions. I was astounded by how the Blacks thoroughly and successfully combined comfort, modernity, and aesthetics in the facilities.

Guests enjoyed the peace and comfort of the lodge and the surrounding community of Rivera as well as the welcoming atmosphere, top flight food prepared by a four star chef and served by an efficient and professional staff.

This and the world class fishing and hunting made them want to return again and again for future bookings.

More important is the sheer effort that the Blacks and their staff exert in making their guests’ stay at BBR&G the trip of a lifetime.

This impressed upon me how exhausting the job catering to their clientele can be. Without any hyperbole, I’ll call their collective efforts “Herculean.”

I have long known—and discussed in these pages—just how tough being a fishing guide or an outfitter actually is. I’ve watched Captains Black; Gilbert Vela; the Neu brothers, Jeff and Danny; Daniel Land; Chad Kinney, and countless others I’d love to mention (but for lack of space) work very hard to accommodate clients.

Finding fish, accounting for clients’ safety (even when they seem to lack any common sense), ensuring their comfort, providing tackle, food and beverages, helping and teaching children and neophyte anglers, spot-repairing tackle and rods…

Tired yet? Even if they were, these men and women plug forth daily, sometimes twice or three times per day, five to seven days a week 16

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still had to be paid, even though clients aren’t coming. Though the Blacks kept the deposit, they lost money due to the cancelation I remember once being asked by a friend to help set up an offshore charter with a party boat out of South Padre Island. Thanks to my relationship with the captain of a particular boat, I was able to arrange an excellent rate for the group.

We met as a group a couple of times, and I explained to the members about all the ins and outs, including the need to be generous with our gratuities, because that was how the deckhands made money.

The day of the charter arrived, and everyone had a great time and caught a lot of nice fish. As the boat headed back to port, the deckhands started passing the tip jar around the group.

When it got to me, there was about 30 dollars in the jar. Over and over, the members of the group said, almost verbatim, “We paid to be on the charter. They can get it out of that.”

Fortunately, I had brought enough money to make up the slack and make the jar look decent (I had to bum enough from my friend to get a #1 at Whataburger—no cheese), but I never did that sort of favor ever again.

The sense of entitlement displayed by the group is not typical of the vast majority of sportsmen who hire guides or reserve stays at lodges, but there are enough of them to be worth mention.

In spite of the array of difficulties and issues that outfitters and guides have to work through, I have yet to meet a single one who regrets their choice of vocation. All of them truly love their life style and the opportunity to share it with their clients.

Taken in a cost-benefit analysis, they gain much more from their projects than they lose.

They meet a lot—A LOT-of unique and good people. They share the excitement and beauty of their outdoor world with these people, and help create memories that last lifetimes.

Sally Black said it’s a great tradeoff. I believe her.

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Texas FRESHWATER

by MATT WILLIAMS :: TF&G Freshwater Editor

KVD’s Bass Cash

is BASS’s all-time leading money winner by a long shot. In 30 years on tour, VanDam has weighed in nearly 12,000 pounds of bass and reeled in more than $6.4 million in earnings, more than twice that of the circuit’s No. 2 money winner, Skeet Reese.

It’s no wonder they call him “The Great One.” Like many bass junkies, Tom Harkman of Eufaula, Alabama, has been following the BLT transition closely. Hartman is a mechanical engineer with Johnson Outdoors and founded a website called tacklescout.com a few years ago.

“The BASS/MLF pro tour shake-up for 2019 is huge news, and I think we all agree 2019 will be interesting to watch,” he said.

Harkman says an interesting twist that seems to be overlooked is that it will bring to an end an era that saw many of the sport’s biggest names hatched beneath the BASS umbrella.

Among them is 51-year-old VanDam. The veteran Michigan pro is regarded by many as the greatest angler of all time.

Harkman pointed to the March 2019 Bassmaster Classic (a pinnacle event for which many of the BASS defectors had already qualified when word of new tour came down the pike) as potentially the last BASS event that poster boys like VanDam, Reese, Aaron Martens, Gerald Swindle, etc.…. may ever compete in.

“It’s crazy to think about,” he said.

Harkman’s interest in the situation compelled him to dig deeper into VanDam’s storied career and compile a state-by-state breakdown of where the majority of his $6.4 million in

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HERE HAS BEEN PLENTY OF speculation circulating about the future of pro bass fishing since last September. That’s when Major League Fishing announced a significant expansion to its popular, made-for-television platform with the creation of the Bass Pro Tour.

The new circuit, built largely around strong financial support from Bass Pro Shops, Outdoor Sportsman Group and other sponsors, will feature an 80-angler field comprised of some of the top fishing talent the world has ever seen. It is set to debut this spring with the first-ever no entry fee format in pro bass fishing. he BPT will consist of eight regular season events and a championship. Regular season tournaments will last for six days and follow the same “catch, weigh and release” format used by MLF. Organizers believe the new tour will take pro tournament fishing to a new level and hopefully grow a fan base comparable to other big league sports.

The verdict is still out on that one, but there is little doubt that the birth of a new tour rattled some cages within the sport like they haven’t been rattled in a very long time.

Early on, much of the uncertainty centered around the Bassmaster Elite Series and how the Alabama-based tour would cope with the mass exodus of dozens of veteran pros who announced their departure from the circuit to compete on the new-formed BPT in 2019.

There were 68 in all, including four time Bassmaster Classic winner and seven-time Angler of the Year, Kevin VanDam. VanDam has won more big league events (25) than anyone on tour and 18

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KVD has won money in 25 of the 50 states.

More than half of those earnings have come from three states. KVD has won more money in Alabama ($1.6 million) than any other state, followed by Louisiana ($800,000) and New York ($745,000).

KVD has earned $200,000 or more on 10 different lakes, including the Louisiana Delta, Lay Lake, Alabama River, Oneida Lake, Kentucky Lake, Lake Guntersville, Grand Lake, St. Lawrence River, Wheeler Lake and Three Rivers.

VanDam has won more money on the Louisiana Delta ($633,000) than any other single water body. Two of his Classic wins came on the Delta. The first came with a $100,000 payday in 2001. Ten years later he banked $500,000 on the Delta with a win in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

More than $5.3 million of KVD’s lifetime BASS winnings of $6.4 million have come over the last 15 years.

KVD has earned $365,000 on Texas waters. Two of his 25 wins have come on Texas reservoirs and one on Toledo Bend, an 181,000-acre impoundment Texas shares with Louisiana. He won the 1999 Texas Central Division Invitational on Sam Rayburn; the 2005 Elite 50 on Lake Lewisville; and the 2016 Bass-master Elite on Toledo Bend.

To see full details of Harkman’s analysis, check out the website tacklescout.com. tacklescout.com

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winnings have come from. The stats are just as interesting as they are impressive.

“I probably spent four to five hours organizing and formatting the data,” Harkman said. “It was an interesting little project.”

According to Hartman’s findings:

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12/11/18 5:39 PM

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AYAK ANGLERS KNOW THAT IN many cases their small one-man fishing craft are amazingly competent at handling the water. As long as reasonable care and judgement is used, kayaks can even be used for some oceanic angling action. Not all kayaks, however, are created equal. Even a seaworthy ’yak that can handle a trip outside of the surf line needs to be properly equipped.

SOT Versus SIK The first choice any kayaker needs to make is whether to fish from a sit-on-top (SOT) or a sit-in kayak (SIK). While SIKs certainly have their advantages (a lower center of gravity, lower overall weight, and a drier ride) the vast majority of ocean ’yak anglers are going to want to go with a SOT. The self-bailing nature of these boats makes them much safer. Although it’s true that you’ll often be wet, the water that comes into the boat can get right back out. SOTs also give you a safety margin by being easier to right and reboard, if you happen to roll over.

Stability is another major concern. Although SIKs may have better initial stability, remember that for fishing in big waters secondary stability is what really counts. A boat’s initial stability can be simply defined by how stable it is when rocking and rolling from gunwale to gunwale, or edge to edge.

Once that edge hits the water, however, the boat’s secondary stability kicks in. It becomes much harder to rock the boat beyond this point; but if you do so, a rollover becomes possible. Initial stability is a matter of comfort, and secondary stability is a matter of safety.

With obvious safety concerns of entering the ocean on any form of small boat; this secondary stability is what you really need to be concerned with. As a general rule, flatter hulls have the best initial stability. Rounded or V-shaped hulls are likely to offer better secondary stability.

Size Matters For kayaking in the ocean, longer is generally better.

True, maneuverability will take a hit, and you’ll have more difficult transportation to deal with. However, additional length improves tracking, and in the ocean, you’re generally going to be headed in a straight line.

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Foot propulsion models have become popular with offshore kayakers.

Paddle, or Pedal?

This trait helps you counter the forces of wind and currents, as well. Longer kayaks can also go faster. Another common issue when fishing in the ocean is covering lots of ground. For these same reasons, kayaks with a rudder and/or skeg generally perform best in offshore waters.

Most kayak anglers see the benefit of a pedal drive or perhaps even electric propulsion, since it expands your range, increases speed, and also keeps your hands free for the important stuff, such as casting and reeling. All of these factors get multiplied when

you’re fishing outside of the breakers. You’ll have additional winds and currents to fight, which can quickly tire out any paddler. You might see fish busting the surface a half-mile away, and want to make a fast break for the action. Also, when trolling back and forth off the beach is an effective tactic, that additional propulsion system will be worth its weight in gold.

For many people, choosing propulsion beyond a paddle boils down to a matter of cost. The bottom line? If you can afford it, and you’re not worried about your purist buddies giving you grief (out of jealousy, of course), upgrading with a propulsion system is a good move.

Rigging it Right As for accessories and accouterments, some special gear is in order for fishing in open waters—any open waters, but especially in the ocean. A quality life jacket is a given, as well as safety gear ranging from a whistle to a handheld VHF (a waterproof model sealed inside a zip-lock baggie is best).

You also need some basic navigational gear. Even if you carefully choose your days you simply can’t know when weather will cause reduced visibility, or a delay will cause you to be out after dark (hopefully caused by a long fight with a giant fish on the end of the line). Those with chartplotters aboard have a big edge in this regard.

All marine electronics are subject to failure, so a hand-held compass should be considered a must-have. For the same reasons, you should also have a light aboard even if your plans are to be home before night-

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PHOTOS COURTESY HOBIE FISHING

12/11/18 5:39 PM

Kayak stability is critical for anglers fishing outside the breakers.

fall. Adding a satellite messenger with SOS capabilities or a PLB to your safety arsenal is always a great idea.

Beyond safety gear, when you’re going after the big fish that prowl in the brine it’s a very good idea to attach your rods and reels, as well as your paddle, to the kayak with leashes. When you plan to launch and

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retrieve through the surf, everything must be nailed down. Surf landings are prime time for roll-overs. Merely tucking gear under a bungee or shoving it under the seat won’t ensure it will still be around if a wave takes control out of your hands.

Finally, be sure to bring along the items you need to treat your body right. Being in

the oceanic environment is, in and of itself, quite taxing before you even begin paddling or fishing. Sun protection, plenty of fresh water, and high-protein energy bars or snacks are not only in order, they’re musthaves.

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12/11/18 5:39 PM

OST WHITETAILS in Texas experience their major rut period

by January, but there is still hope for hunters to score on hormonally distracted bucks, especially in certain parts of the state.

Understanding how the rut works is important in seeing the possibility of what we often call “late ruts.”

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According to a Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) study, a doe may be attractive to bucks for about five days, but may be willing to breed for a period of only 24 hours. If the doe is not bred during her first cycle, she will generally come into heat again about 28 days later.

“In areas where there are few bucks, a doe may not encounter a buck when she is first receptive and may not be bred until one of her later cycles. A hunter,

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landowner or biologist who sees the late breeding activity may be convinced that there was a late rut. On the other hand, those who see does attended by bucks in the early part of the season believe there was an early rut. This helps explain the wide variety of opinions on the timing of the rut during a particular year.”

TPWD also reported that “hunter chronology” has a lot to do with the perceived timing of the rut. Key parts of the

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state that are still to finish major rutting activity include the following.

These are rut dates as detailed in TPWD’s study.

• SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS: “South Texas had the latest rut in the state.

Breeding dates ranged from November 9 to February 1. In the eastern part of the area the peak breeding date was December 16, while in the west it was December 24.”

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• EDWARDS PLATEAU: “Conception dates for this region ranged from as early as October 9 to a late date of January 30.

The Edwards Plateau, Texas’s highest deer production region was divided into three areas for the study. The eastern part had a peak breeding date of November 7.

Peak breeding for the central portion was November 24, and the western area had a peak date of December 5.”

• TRANS-PECOS: “Conception dates

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in the Trans-Pecos ranged from as early as November 4 to as late as January 4 during the three-year study. The peak date of the breeding season was December 8.”

As you can see some areas still have a lot of rut left, but in reality, most spots in Texas have some does left unbred, and that means excited bucks on the prowl.

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TEXAS WHITETAILS

by LARRY WEISHUHN :: TF&G Contributing Editor

It’s Late

Bucks that are still interested in does will cruise food sources because they know that’s where the does are. And too, bucks once again realize they are hungry.

I have a couple of January whitetail hunts planned that will take place the first days of the month and mid-month immediately before the annual Dallas Safari Club convention.

Early January on a MLDP ranch, I am hunting a buck that for the past three years has not been seen until the first days of the New Year.

The property is low-fenced. Where he lives and hides until January, I have no idea.

For the past three years he has shown up feeding in a long, rather narrow, winding food plot planted with Tecomate’s Monster Mix. This year he should be as prime as a six or seven-year old.

My second hunt in January is to help a couple of friends take the remaining does that annually need to come off of their property.

This is a meat hunt. I will process back straps and part of the high quarters into steaks and cut the rest of the meat to be turned into sausage.

January and February too, are ideal times to do habitat “work,” fertilizing natural browse

V

ENISON IS IN THE FREEZer, antlers and capes dropped off at Double Nickel Taxidermy, and many great memories are made with friends and family.

January is here, and it’s time to start thinking about hunting coyotes and wild hogs… right? Well, maybe so. But do not give up on whitetails just yet.

In Texas we are blessed with rather long hunting seasons. Some extend well into January and February, particularly those properties involved in the Managed Land Deer Permit (MLDP) programs. There is still some truly great deer hunting to be had in January and in some cases February.

During the first month of the New Year some rut activity is still going on in the Brush Country. Throughout much of the rest of the state there may well be a second rut occurring. In the case of the latter, does coming into estrus likely are six-month old fawns, rather than does that for some reason did not “settle” after being bred during their first estrus.

Interestingly, does can come into estrus as many as seven times each fall and winter at 28 day intervals. Doe fawns, especially if they have been on good nutrition, will experience their first estrus in January and even later.

Several years ago doing deer research on properties where deer never went hungry, we found as high as 80 percent of the doe fawns got bred in January and February.

When it comes to hunting late season whitetails, the best place to find them is around food sources: natural, planted food plots, and here in Texas, baited areas.

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and mast producing species. Each winter I select certain oaks, pecan and persimmon trees on my home property to fertilize with Triple 15.

I dig a shallow trench on the tree’s drip-line, which is the reach of the outermost branches.

This is where the tree’s feeder roots are located.

I pour a line of fertilizer, then cover the trench.

This helps the tree-producing acorns, nuts and fruit the following fall. In the case of acorns, fertilizer makes them “sweeter, meaning less tannic acid. Some deer will go to these fertilized trees instead of others, come next fall. I also fertilize native browse species on my property including youpon, Japanese honeysuckle (which I will also plant more of in January and February) and greenbriar. All these respond nicely to fertilizer.

Whitetail hunting for the year is not over yet, but it is also time to start thinking about next hunting season.

« Email Larry Weishuhn at ContactUs@fishgame.com

PHOTO: LARRY WEISHUHN

12/11/18 6:34 PM

Texas GUNS

by STEVE LAMASCUS | TF&G Shooting Editor

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N TEXAS WE CONSIDER ANYthing larger than a .22 caliber to be a big bore, and the .30 calibers are pretty much at the top of the list for deer.

If this is true, then the step up from .308 caliber to .338 is a really big step. It takes the cartridge up into the realm of hard-hitting numbers that are suitable for almost anything in the world except maybe elephant, rhino, hippo, and Cape buffalo.

A .338 Winchester Magnum with a tough 250-grain bullet will shoot completely through the chest of a grizzly bear or moose, and provide more knockdown power than the biggest, fastest .30 caliber. On the downside, the .338 Winchester Magnum, and especially its big brother, the .340 Weatherby, kicks very hard and takes a lot of practice to shoot well.

A .340 with 250-grain bullets is really too much gun for the average shooter to handle.

On the upside, with a 250-grain bullet at 2,900 fps, it will carry significant energy to as much as 500 yards. Craig Boddington is a big fan of the .340 Weatherby Magnum, but even he says it, “kicks like a fiend.”

Also popular is the quasi-wildcat .338-06, simply the .30-06 necked up to .338 caliber.

This one is in the same class as the .35 Whelen, but with bullets that have slightly greater sectional density and ballistic coefficient with equal bullet weights.

Its advantage over the big magnums is that it obviously kicks much less. This is a very fine cartridge for elk and moose at moderate ranges, but does not have the velocity to make shots beyond about 300 yards.

The newest .338 cartridge on the market is the .338 Federal, with which I have no experience. However, it is simply a .308 necked up to .338 and should perform best with bullets of not more than 225-grains. I have been hearing many good things said about this car-

“ Its advantage over the big magnums is that it obviously kicks much less.

“

.338 vs .358

velocity I get with my best .30-06 loads with 180-grain bullets, and with much heavier bullets of greater frontal area. Even the one big hog I gut shot at long range didn’t get far, and it left a blood trail that a six-year-old girl could follow.

Although it will handle bullets up to 275 grains, if I ever take the .35 Whelen for elk (and I intend to), I will probably load it with handloads using the 225-grain AccuBond or the 225-grain North Fork, and limit my shots to not more than 300 yards.

People who have used the .35 Whelen on such game as moose and bears swear that with 250-grain bullets at 2,500 to 2,600 fps, it is just T E X A S

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as effective as a .338 Winchester Magnum and kicks considerably less. I agree.

I really enjoy shooting my Whelen, something I cannot say about shooting a .338 Win. Mag. There are several other .35s on the American market, including the .358 Winchester, and .35 Remington.

The .35 Remington is a very short-range brush cartridge. It has been chambered in bolt-actions, pumps, and lever-actions. It is now popular in the Remington XP-100 and the T/C Contender handguns. With its ability to use 180- and 200-grain spitzer bullets in the handguns, it is everything it is in the tubular magazine lever-actions, maybe more.

The .358 Winchester is nothing more than a .308 necked up to .358 caliber, along the same lines as the .338 Federal. It is a fine little cartridge that should be more popular than it is.

Sadly, it appears to be headed for the trash heap. If you should run across one, however, it is a fine short to mid-range round for hogs, deer, elk, black bear, and moose.

The only current .35 caliber magnum that I am aware of is the .358 Norma Magnum and it cannot be called popular. The .358 Norma is just the .308 Norma/.338 Winchester necked up to .35 caliber and is a real powerhouse.

It will push a 250-grain bullet to 2,800 feet per second. With good, tough bullets, it should make a fine choice even for the biggest bears.

Ballistically it is almost identical to the .338 Win. Mag. If I had to be honest, I would say the .338 Winchester Magnum is the best of the group.

It has both range and power. It kicks, hard, but nothing like the .340 Weatherby. It is a true elk round without the range limitations of the .338-06 or .35 Whelen.

Still, my favorite is the old .35 Whelen. It kicks less, hits just as hard, but has a bit less range. I guess it’s up to you to decide what you need and what you can handle. I made my decision a long time ago.

tridge when paired with the 210-grain Nosler AccuBond.

Okay, I admit that I am a .35 caliber fan.

When I had my first custom rifle built I had it made in .35 Whelen and am still glad I did.

I have used the Whelen on white-tailed deer, axis deer, and hogs. Only one time did I have an animal run after being shot, and that was my fault, not the Whelen’s. Almost every animal I have ever shot with the .35 Whelen has been an instantaneous one-shot kill. This is something I have never accomplished with any other caliber.

In the .35 Whelen I generally use 225-grain bullets loaded to a chronographed 2,720 feet per second (This load is listed in the newest Nosler manual at 2,800). This is the same

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PHOTO: CANSTOCK

12/11/18 5:32 PM

ODERN BOATS ARE NOTHING LIKE those of our parent’s generation – for that matter, they’re far advanced over the boats we saw hitting the market just a decade or so ago. As is true of so many aspects of modern life, a combination of raising consumer expectations and improving available technology has led today’s boats to evolve at a rather break-neck pace. The net result? Today’s boats are quite simply better.

Power Play REPORT: NEWS 32 u TF&G OF THE NATION

The most obvious way today’s boats have changed is visible right on the stern: they carry more power. In many cases, a lot more power. Triple and even quad engine rigs are commonplace today, and at least one new boat (the HCB Center Console Yachts Estrella) has a brace of five outboards sitting on the transom. Even on smaller more common center consoles and bay boats, however, you’ll find larger and larger powerplants. Thanks to the development of several different 300 and 350 horsepower production outboards, a 20-something fishing boat rigged with 350 horses, which has a cruising speed in the mid to upper 40s and a top-end of 60 or more mph, is not unusual.

Along with larger outboards, hull designs have developed to better harness the power that’s available to them.

Many new hulls incorporate steps, notches, and other forms of air-induction or handling-enhancing tweaks and modifications. Jack plates have also become more and more common and today are even seen as standard features on some models.

Another aspect of modern power systems which enhances our use of boats is the integration of electronic controls which go far beyond mere shift and throttle.

Joystick controls are now common on outboard boats, and have been for a few years. But in the recent past they’ve begun adding control features which can greatly enhance your fishing endeavors. You can press a button and hover your boat in place over a wreck or reef; press another to jog the boat 10 feet in one direction or another; press again and allow it to drift but maintain its heading; or press one more and maintain both the heading and the position. And if your boat has an electric trolling motor on the bow this same sort of control can be taken even farther, as you can not only control positioning but even follow bottom contours as the boat moves through the water.

Reported by TF&G Staff

HOT 32 u TEXAS SHOTS Trophy Photos from TF&G Readers

34 u TEXAS COASTAL FORECAST

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

44 u TEXAS FISHING HOTSPOTS

by Tom Behrens, Dustin Warncke and Dean Heffner

50 u SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK Tides and SoLunar Data

Comfort Zone Another way in which many modern boats have become better is in how they treat you while you’re aboard. Several of the latest bay boats and center consoles have mister systems built right into the hard top, to keep you from frying on a sweltering summer day. Many larger models have actual air conditioning systems which blast a refreshing breeze through the helm-deck and in a few cases, even the open cockpit.

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Seating also has a leg up over what we found on older craft. Designing in better and better ergonomics is a constant challenge for boat builders, and in front of the center console where we once found blocky coolers with cushions snapped on top, today you’ll often discover large, comfortable loungers. Forward seats in the bow have also grown better, thanks to the addition of removable and/or foldaway backrests. Transom bench seats have evolved to fold into narrower compartments, ultimately opening up more deck space for fishermen. And today many boats also feature similar seats that can fold out from the sides of the cockpit, as well.

Regardless of which of these seating arrangements you’re considering, all have benefitted from vastly improved vinyl treatment processes. Today’s upholstery is commonly more UV- and stain-resistant than that of the past as a result. But better yet, the introduction of anti-microbial treatments means that you can go for years without battling the mold and mildew that defaces the seats of so many older boats.

One more comfort-inducing trend: the appearance of head compartments in smaller and smaller dual console boats. While it’s true

that most sportsmen will opt for center consoles, the dual console design enjoys an enduring popularity because it works so well as both a fishing boat and a family boat. And while those ever-important heads could be found on large models in the past, recently they’ve begun showing up in much smaller models.

Fishing for Complements Even fishing features have gotten a leg up, on today’s modern angling machines. Do you remember when virtually all fishing boats had four flush-mounted gunwale rodholders, and that was it? Today a huge number of builders have managed to design in multiple transom rod holders as well. Livewells, meanwhile, just seem to keep getting better and better. A decade ago pressurized wells which seal at the hatch (and eliminate sloshing and spilling) were few and far between, but today they’re commonplace. Same goes for exterior viewing ports, baby-blue interiors (which keep baits calmer than a white interior) and multi-level

Inflatables: Trend or Triumph?

ICAST and showing up at many locations around the country.

The main reason for owning an inflatable boat is portability. They can even be stowed away in the back of an SUV along with a small motor and taken to strategic fishing locations.

The largest growth in these craft is out west where many people fish remote streams and mountain lakes that offer no access for launching a larger powerboat. The ability to add a small motor adds a great deal of mobility. This can take bank fishermen on a much larger adventure than they might currently be relegated to in certain situations.

Inflatable boats of the past were not always reliable and could not withstand much wear and tear. New technology has allowed them to still remain light, but withstand rocks, shells, sticks and other hazards of the shoreline. Most of the medium to highend inflatable boats are made from very durable PVC and come outfitted with rod holders, tackle storage and mounts for motors as well

THE 2018 ICAST SPORTFISHING SHOW HIGHlighted numerous fishing tackle industry trends. Maybe the most surprising for the TF&G staff was inflatable boats.

For starters the only boats we have ever noticed at the show are kayaks. Most motorboat manufacturers debut their products at the Miami or Ft. Lauderdale Boat Shows.

So, when we saw inflatable boats in the new products showcase as well as at several points on the showroom floor we had to examine them closely.

Most people probably think of inflatable boats as something you put in a pool for kids to play on or goof around on at the beach.

This is not the type of boat featured at

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inlets (which eliminate “dead spots” that can form in wells with sub-par circulation). They’re also more numerous on today’s models, and while most older boats had a single livewell, today seeing three on a well-designed boat is not at all unusual.

Finally, if you’ve looked at a number of new boats recently you may have noticed that designers constantly get better and better at planning in stowage for our fishing-related equipment. Not just onboard tackleboxes, but also dedicated compartments with recesses or chocks for securing five-gallon buckets; locking rodboxes for large numbers of rods and reels; and strategically placed tool holders and racks.

What do all of these advancements boil down to? The fact that our original assertion – today’s boats are better than those of yester-year – is demonstrably on-target. Yes, modern boats are expensive. Of course, they aren’t perfect. But when you consider all of the advancements of recent years, there simply can be no arguing the point. And for once, our parent’s generation would agree.

« as trolling motors.

These boats come in various configurations.

There are inflatable kayaks, inflatable pontoon boats, the standard raft-style inflatable boats and even the good old float tubes, which were popularized as far back as the 1980s.

In preparation for this story we found boats that could hold as little as 300 pounds to some that could handle 1,350 pounds, so you’ll find boats for the lone angler and for small families.

Will inflatable boats take over motorboats in Texas? No. Will they usurp kayaks in popularity? No way.

But they might just fill a niche for anglers looking for something different that doesn’t destroy the pocketbook and allows them to fish beyond the bank.

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The NATIONAL

SCI Addresses Animal Rights Lawsuit Over Permits

News of TEXAS

pick on a government agency over otherwise minor legal points as an effort to raise more money for themselves,” said Safari Club International President Paul Babaz.

“Wildlife does not benefit from this latest legal maneuvering of the antis.

“When the antis can’t defeat hunters and hunting, including SCI and its allies, in the greater world, they file lawsuits,” Babaz continued.

“The money they are spending on nuisance lawsuits like this one would be much better spent actually helping wildlife around the world. But the anti-hunting groups are not about helping wildlife. They are about helping themselves.

“There is a total difference between what SCI does and what the antis do when it comes to lawsuits,” Babaz noted.

“When we win a lawsuit, we put

LED BY THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF The United States, several animal rights groups filed a lawsuit in a federal district court in Virginia to order the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to post elephant and lion trophy permit applications routinely, as well as the agency’s permitting decisions and related findings regarding the sustainability of hunting various species.

“The antis are losing ground in the court of public opinion, so they now go to the court of law and

the proceeds toward our mission, which includes wildlife conservation, versus the antis who use the proceeds from their lawsuits to line their own pockets.”

“The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to come clean and let the public know how many elephants and lions are killed to decorate rich Americans’ living rooms,” said Tanya Sanerib, the legal director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s international program, in a press release announcing the lawsuit.

“With huge threats facing Africa’s imperiled wildlife, the unlawful secrecy about these bloody imports is totally unacceptable,” she said.

This recent lawsuit follows a pending court case filed by

BASS

TARPON

Lake Somerville

Port O’Connor

Fourteen-year-old Cody Pfeffer caught this 7.3-pound bass while fishing on Lake Somerville.

Thirteen-year-old Weston Klutt of Boerne caught this 120-pound tarpon while fishing with R.J. Shelly at Port O’Connor. The tarpon was successfully released.

Visit FishGame.com to upload your own TEXAS HOT SHOTS and Vote for our next Winners 32

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the same plaintiffs contesting the merits of the administration’s decision last November to lift an import ban on Zimbabwe elephant trophy imports and to allow imports of lion trophies from Zimbabwe to the U.S., and its March 1 decision to shift to a “case-by-case” process for making trophy import findings.

“SCI will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of hunters and hunting. This includes being involved in meaningful wildlife conservation so that there will be wild things in wild places forever,” Babaz said.

—TF&G Staff Report

• • • Hyacinth Macaw Listed as Threatened THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERvice has made a final determination to list the hyacinth macaw as a threatened species

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under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to population declines resulting from deforestation, hunting and predation.

The hyacinth macaw is the largest bird in the parrot family and has predominately cobalt-blue plumage.

Approximately 6,500 hyacinth macaws remain in the wild, down from historical estimates ranging up to 3 million birds.

At one time, hyacinth macaws were widely distributed, occupying large areas of central Brazil, and smaller parts of Bolivia and Paraguay. Today, the species is limited to the Pará, Gerais and Pantanal regions of Brazil and marginally in Bolivia and Paraguay.

Native forests have been replaced by crops and cattle ranching, creating a shortage in nesting sites, increased competition that results in a reduction in population size. The hyacinth macaw’s specialized diet makes it particularly vulnerable from the reduced availability of food resources resulting from habitat loss.

The Service is also finalizing a speciesspecific 4(d) rule to establish the take prohibitions under the ESA that are appropriate

to apply to this threatened species. The U.S. domestic pet trade is not a threat to the survival of the species in the wild, and imports of parrots into the United States are already tightly controlled by the Wild Bird Conservation Act. Additionally, the species is globally protected in trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Because of the 4(d) rule, the listing of the hyacinth macaw under the ESA will not affect import and export of certain captive-bred hyacinth macaws. Nor will it affect domestic commercial activity across state lines provided that such trade is in compliance with the Wild Bird Conservation Act or Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) procedures.

—TF&G Staff Report

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12/11/18 5:32 PM

Coastal Focus: SABINE :: by Capt.

EDDIE HERNANDEZ

New Adventures for a New Year

winter sows to the net. First of all, these big girls prefer to feed on bigger fish rather than smaller shrimp.

Because of their size and the fact that their metabolism slows with the cool January water, they tend to be slower than normal.

They are also wary and less aggressive. They want a big easy meal with the least amount of effort possible.

Therefore, bigger baits worked slower than normal will typically equal better results.

Speckled trout will eat larger shrimp in the winter months, but they prefer finfish such as mullet, even smaller trout.

For this reason, slow-sinking plugs such as Mir O Lure Catch V, and Catch 2000, as well as Corky Fat Boys and Devils are excellent choices.

These trout will occasionally go for long periods between meals, sometimes even a few days, so it is very important to work your lure slowly and cover the water thoroughly.

Wading is always a good option in January because it allows you to do this with more stealth and precision.

T

HE TIME HAS COME TO close the door on yet another calendar year.

2018 came and went in what seems like record time, and we can now look forward to the great new angling adventures that await us in the coming year. It is January 2019, so let’s start this year off by seeking out big, cold-water trout on the flats of Sabine Lake.

You have a few things to remember if you are going to be successful in bringing solid

There is no doubt you can cover the water more thoroughly wading than if you drift.

The wade fisherman has a better chance of getting the big bite because there is more opportunity for the lure to get close enough to the fat, lazy trout and entice a strike.

Although wading is the preferred method for a lot of anglers seeking wintertime trophy trout, drifting the shallow flats is not a bad second choice at all. Drifting can, at times, be just as effective, if not better, for scoring the big bite and big numbers.

I actually spend more time drift fishing than wade fishing with clients in the winter because a lot of people aren’t willing to spend hours wading and casting repeatedly, waiting for that one big bite. By drifting we cover a lot more water much quicker.

When someone gets a bite, we stick the power pole and work that area over real good before moving on. Even on some of the coldest winter days, we will at times come across schools of very solid trout.

By drifting and covering more water quickly, the chances of that happening are much better. If mullet imitation, slow-sinking plugs and topwaters are not getting the job done, don’t be afraid to throw long, soft plastics such as Assassins or Zoom Super Flukes on 1/4 ounce or 1/8 ounce jig heads. Some of our best adventures in January stem from doing just that.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Fish Pass (Hwy 87 at Keith Lake) SPECIES: Redfish, Black Drum, Croaker, Whiting BAITS/LURES: Fresh Dead Shrimp, Cut Bait BEST TIMES: All day with moving tide

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Coastal Focus: GALVESTON :: by Capt.

MIKE HOLMES

Another New Year Beyond The Breakers

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S 2019 BEGINS, IT’S WINter on the upper Texas coast.

Normally, actual cold weather is not a problem. However, those of us born and raised here usually don’t have really harsh winter weather experience. So forgive us if we gripe about temperatures below 50º F. We, fortunately, are not accustomed to this misery.

Our cold weather, even if actually blessedly “mild” often comes with rain and some wind, which makes it less enjoyable. Cold weather that brings snow with it—especially relatively “dry” snow—is easier to live with and even look forward to, than wet cold.

Still, we do live on the semi-tropical Gulf Coast and should always count our blessings.

Even on the upper coast, a freeze is rather newsworthy—even a “light” freeze.

Normally, we have little worry about water pipes freezing. Even better, fish kills from cold weather are very rare. This means that we can usually continue fishing all through the year—even in winter.

Actually, what cold weather we get seldom kills fish, but it will concentrate them in favored deep-water spots and in any manmade warm water areas.

Fishing deep holes can be productive, but it is different from warm water action. Bites will come deep, seldom on top water lures.

Fish still feed, but they do it more slowly. Lures should be worked deep and slow, although spoons, spinnerbaits, and wobbling plugs will still pay off.

Soft plastic lures will probably work best, and the new scent developed to use with them will definitely be a plus. Jigs tipped with pieces of fresh bait normally produce more hits than those worked “bare”.

Dead bait cut to allow blood and scent to leave a trail in the current work well, and

live bait can be better. Shrimp will be difficult to obtain, but small baitfish such as “mud minnows” and finger mullet work well, also croaker and other small “gamefish”.

In cooler weather, it is best to catch bait “on the grounds” to ensure what you offer is what the fish expect.

Of course, there are exceptions to these rules, as with most others in the fishing world. I used to know a few fellows who hunted for bait stands with live shrimp in the

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winter months, for fishing offshore around oil production platforms.

Although bay shrimp could not have been common around these rigs, the red snappers gobbled them up like candy. A few small groupers often joined the “snaps” in the fish box.

Another aspect of cold weather fishing around rigs maybe 20 to 30 miles from shore is the catches of black drums and sheepsheads the live shrimp attracted. We even saw some hefty flounders boated in what was definitely “offshore” water.

Bluefish can be a happy find in the winter, as they feed actively in colder water, usually fight harder than small snappers—and grow larger and heavier.

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12/11/18 5:33 PM

Coastal Focus: MATAGORDA :: by Contributing Editor MIKE PRICE

Life From the Master

Shoulder reads: “When I go fishing I anticipate catching fish, I don’t go to fail, I go to catch fish and part of that approach is keeping my lure in the water. If you drink, or smoke, or change lures, I’ll beat you every single day, because I’ll have my hook in the water while you are doing those things and that makes a difference.”

At age 85, Eddie is still considered one of the best fishermen on Matagorda’s bays.

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HAND ON YOUR SHOULDER

by Eddie Douglas is a book with stories of hunting, fishing, dogs, and the pursuit of life’s dreams.

If you are a serious Texas bay fisherman or woman, you are probably striving constantly to learn more about bay fishing. This new book is loaded with helpful and entertaining information about fishing in East and West Matagorda Bays and much more.

Eddie was born in Palestine, Texas in 1933.

He was an outdoor child with a never-ending curiosity about nature that quickly grew into a desire to learn about hunting and fishing.

His father and other family members put their “hands on his shoulder” and taught him how to safely handle guns, use a fishing pole, and train dogs. Eddie’s memoir takes us back to what it was like to hunt and fish in East Texas in the 1930s and 40s.

It includes stories about rounding up wild hogs, shooting bull frogs with a .22 from a boat at night, catching appaloosa catfish, going to high school in Palestine and college at Texas A&M and turning down a career with the Army as a shooting instructor, because he wanted to go quail hunting in Texas.

It’s about his career as a businessman who made time for hunting and fishing, his family, coming to Bay City after college and the Army to be the county extension agent, and transitioning from a freshwater fisherman to a saltwater fisherman.

Some of the chapter titles are: “Working Hogs in the Bottom with Tucker,” “Learning to Train Dogs,” “The ED Special,” “Flounder the Size of Halibut,” “Life Threatening Experiences,” and “Dogs from Heaven.”

Eddie has always approached everything with total concentration, enthusiasm, and effort. A passage from A Hand on Your 36

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Eddie Douglas

He uses only one lure to fish with, The E.D. Special, a lure that he researched and developed over five years. Eddie has been making and selling The E.D. Special for more than 20 years, and it is the favorite lure of many anglers from Texas to Florida.

He has won many tournaments including the Poco Bueno in Port O’Connor. Eddie Douglas is a highly respected elder statesman of fishing, hunting, dogs, and the philosophy of life in the Matagorda and Bay City area.

In the book’s introduction Eddie says: “This book is a chronological record of my life, the changes I have lived through, and the philosophy that has enabled me to say, at age 85, that I am happy with what I have done and who I am. I wouldn’t change a lot.

“My mother said, ‘I’ve never seen a kid like you, you live and breathe hunting and fishing.’ |

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Everyone needs incentives to live life to the fullest, and my whole life was planned around the times that I could hunt and fish. Each decision that you make should make your life better, and by better, I mean you are able to pursue the aspects of life that you are most enthused about.

“I was born in 1933, and as an outdoorsman I feel very fortunate to have been born at a time when everything was wide open; a time when land owners didn’t mind if you hunted on their property, a time when there was an abundance of game and fish and almost no limits. I had freedom. Not only the freedom to hunt and fish, but the freedom not to have to go ask the boss for permission to hunt and fish, or do whatever.

“Early in my business career I learned that I had to work for myself, not so that I could make a lot of money, but so that I could hunt and fish when the birds were flying and the fish were biting. I know so many people that have worked hard all of their lives at a job that was just a job, thinking all that time, ‘As soon as I retire I’m going to have a ball.’ Then they retire and get some kind of illness, and they can’t do what they dreamed of doing, and they have a miserable end, saying all along, ‘I wish, I wish, I wish.’

“I made some bad decisions, but I made a lot of good ones too. And along the way people put their hands on my shoulder and helped me, and I did my best to help others as well.”

When you read Eddie’s book you will learn how to find fish and present a lure, by reading Eddie’s engrossing home-spun true tales. In addition to sharing his hunting, fishing, and dog stories, Eddie shares his close relationship with his son, Glenn, by telling about how he and Glenn hunted quail and deer in south Texas.

A few years before this book was written, Eddie lost both his wife, Margaret Ann and his son. Many people would have become despondent after losing two family members, but Eddie held his head up high and charged on, fishing and hunting as always. The book is dedicated to Glenn and Margaret Ann. PHOTO: MIKE PRICE

12/11/18 5:33 PM

Focus: GALVESTON t CONTINUED FROM PAGE

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Blues will also fall for artificial lures.

Although I never caught any trolling in these water conditions, I feel certain it could happen.

Lane snappers, with their prominent yellow stripes, also like winter water. This fishing can be found close enough to the beach for a fairly easy trip when the winter seas lie down a bit and the north wind isn’t biting too bad.

For those who prefer to feel a big fish on the end of their line, winter fishing for large black drum around jetties and near San Luis Pass can be good, and an occasional bull red To get a copy of A Hand on Your Shoulder

by Eddie Douglas, send him an email at edspeciallure@hotmail.com.

THE BANK BITE OLIVIA HATERIUS PARK: About fifteen min-

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will join in the fun.

Oddly, a few of the smaller shark species will also be found in surprisingly cold water.

A bit farther from shore, groupers and good snappers can be found. Farther out still, will be tunas and wahoos.

These species do not come easy, and fishing for them is not for everyone. Yet, for those who can (and will) do it, winter isn’t such a bad season after all!

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Winter bays, “near” offshore, and deep-water runs.

utes west of Palacios on Highway 35 turn left onto Highway 172 and follow it to Olivia Haterius Park.

This park has a bulkhead to fish from, a place to launch boats and kayaks, and a children’s play area.

It is a great place for family members who like to fish as well as those who like other outdoor activities. Buy your bait in Palacios (or use a cast net)

SPECIES: In the bays, reds, some trout and flounders. Offshore are snappesr, groupers, others’ BAIT: Any fresh dead bait can be good, but live bait is better. Shiny or “soft” lures worked slow can pay off well.

BEST TIME: Heat of the day is not a problem this time of year, and surprisingly night fishing is often very good under lights.

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Email Mike Holmes at ContactUs@fishgame.com because there are no bait shops in Olivia.

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Email Mike Price at ContactUs@fishgame.com

12/13/18 3:55 PM

Coastal Focus: MID COAST :: by Capt.

CHRIS MARTIN

Cool Tactics for Trout

that trophy speckled trout season doesn’t end with the first ice on the boat windshield. For those willing to dress warmly and brave the sometimes-harsh elements, there are big trout to be caught all winter long on our mid-portion of the Texas coastline.

January can bring some extreme cold snaps, so air and water temperatures are two things coastal anglers need to pay close attention to when fishing for cold-water trophies. Speckled trout are vulnerable to cold-weather extremes and must evacuate shallows when the air temperatures begin dropping below the 50-degree mark.

Deep-water locations are less impacted by sudden drops in air temperature, so January trout anglers will do well to focus on area drains, sloughs, bayous, and holes comprised of water depths ranging anywhere between 8 to 20 feet deep.

Depth is a key ingredient for catching wintertime trout because the deeper layers of the water column tend to remain much warmer than the upper portion of the water column.

This warmer water attracts baitfish, which also attracts the trout due to their need for an ample food source that will help them survive throughout winter.

So, depending on the weather, anglers will generally find the trout in deeper holes in our marsh areas, especially on colder days this month. If we happen to experience an unseasonal warm front in January, which sometimes happens, anglers can often catch some very big trout in water as shallow as two to five feet deep.

Our chunk of the Texas coastline offers a lot of these shallow water areas, which warm quicker during these warm fronts, and therefore invite the fish to move up into the shallows to feed. With a good tidal movement and substantial baitfish near the surface, anglers may find that these bigger trout will routinely hit top water lures.

Baits such as the Skitter Walk and Jr., the Super Spook and Jr., and the She Dog have all been good producers on these big wintertime trout.

If you are able to catch some warmer weather this month, you may be able to locate some

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LTHOUGH THEY ARE PRETty busy places to be most other times of the year, our local San Antonio Bay and Matagorda Bay systems can become very laid-back during the winter.

About the only folks around are the locals and some die-hard coastal anglers who know

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great trout fishing in many of the back lake areas out on Matagorda Island. On warmer January days, anglers can often find trout concentrated in these shallow, marshy lakes and ponds.

They also provide adequate protection from whatever nagging wind you may be dealing with. On a falling tide, you can often find a good bite while fishing the mouths of the bayous.

Also, try any drains emptying water out of the lake and into another body of water. On a rising tide, place your efforts on the opposite side of the mouth of the drain or bayou and look for any bait activity, whatsoever.

Because January is typically cold, and because the trout will be lurking in deeper water as a direct result, many anglers may choose to throw soft-plastic lures rigged on 1/4 or 1/8-ounce jig heads. Hop these baits across the bay floor as you try to imagine the lure leaving a brief trail of mud behind it on each hop.

The trout are going to be fairly lethargic under these colder conditions, so remember to slow your bait retrieval to a snail’s pace. Once you believe you’re reeling slow enough, slow it down some more.

Twelve-pound-test line is sufficient with these plastic baits, and darker colors are most commonly preferred during the colder months.

Some of the high producers are shrimp tails, bull minnows, and sand eels in colors such as Texas Roach, Morning Glory, Plum/ Chartreuse, Motor Oil, and Strawberry/White.

Safety is always top-priority, so remember that running aground is a really easy thing to do in January. You’ll most often be fishing on a winter tide, and the water can drop quickly, leaving you stranded. You might be on the trout in a lake somewhere and suddenly realize there is much less water under your boat than when you first got there.

Typically, there’s also a lot more real estate uncovered during winter months that provide additional hazards while underway in a boat, so please take your time and be careful.

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Coastal Focus: ROCKPORT :: by Capt.

MAC GABLE

Persnickity

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HE MORNING BROKE COLD with a fine drizzle that seemed to chill to the bone. It didn’t matter what you had on, the moisture just got under

your skin.

I was wrapped around my thermos of coffee like a well-worn blanket. Definitely need more clothes I thought.

No worries about my bait today, I said to myself, having fought the heat the previous summer, which often kills good bait.

I was alone at the dock on St. Charles Bay, and I convinced myself it was likely to remain that way. No one except me, was dumb enough to go out in this cold, wet, winter weather.

My clients this day were hard core anglers, and I knew they would show up. Luckily, I had confidence we would find the bite. I prayed the thick-as-soup drizzle would burn off and blue bird weather would prevail. The forecast, though, was not on my side. Wet and cold, it was gonna be for three days.

I was relatively new to guiding having been in it for only three years. I needed the money.

At that young age, I thought I was indestructible, so weather was never going to be an issue.

Now in my sixties, I recognize I was perfectly and absurdly in error.

About the time I had persuaded myself to soak up the dry heat in my truck, a small foreign vehicle carefully backed into the center of the boat ramp. The driver seemed very particular on which side of the ramp where they were choosing to back their boat and trailer.

When I tell you this guy pulled up and back at least five times, I am not exaggerating. Is there a problem with his brakes? Brake lights? Is he practicing backing? Has he been toking on a number or pulling on the bottle to cut the wet cold?

I was getting tired just watching him. After what seemed like the everlasting end of time, it seems the boat, now begging to be put into the water, was ready for launch.

I was now back at my boat. I knew that if he had this much trouble on a vacant double boat

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“and I will dock behind you?”

“I can’t get out then. You will have me ‘dock locked,’” I said, now with a tone that was approaching bewilderment, anger, and panic.

Whoever this bird was he wasn’t flying with both wings, or at the very least his feathers had been severely clipped.

I was cold, wet, and had clients coming. My coffee tasted like it had sour cream in it. “Hold just a second sir,” I said. “I will move over to the far slip,” having decided I was not up for confrontation this a.m.

“Thank you” he simply stated and proceeded to launch his boat. I saw nothing in his mannerisms that suggested he was ailing or limited other than the grey matter between his ears.

Having tied up and meticulously parked his trailer, he made his way over and matter of factly thanked me for moving. “Hate to start my day on the wrong foot” he said. “I take it you’re a guide?”

“Yes,” I mumbled, thinking why else would I be out here?. “Have always wanted to see a guide’s boat and how it is set up.” This guy wasn’t going away, so I tickled my curious side awake and thought, let’s see what makes this conun-

ramp he was more than likely gonna slam into my boat approaching the dock. Instead, he jumped out of his truck, boat, motor, and trailer still on the ramp, and came quickly over to where my boat was tied up.

“Would it be too much of an inconvenience to move your boat?”, he asked???

“Say it again?” I stated.

“Can you move your boat? You are in my preferred spot.”

“Sir, there are six other places you can tie up,” I informed him. “As you can see we are quite assuredly alone and likely to stay that way this morning.”

The look he gave me was not one of anger, but rather angst/confusion. I’m not a boat ramp hog, nor do I believe my frequent use of such assures inalienable rights to same, but I was, by thunder, here first.

My mind raced to understand before the now-stirring of my pee and vinegar took hold.

Seek first to understand then to be understood I told myself (a life lesson we men especially need to embrace).

“Can you move forward a bit then,” he asked,

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Forecast: ROCKPORT There is a God in heaven I thought.

“I pick the days when no one will be here and there is no wind. I don’t mind the rain, it’s cleansing you know.”

And cold and wet? I was thinking.

“I can’t stand crowded boat ramps. It is upsetting to see people dabble through launching their boat, and it’s a sheer waste of time.”

Like the 15 minutes it took you to back your trailer, I thought. He was rapidly replacing the wet and cold that had gotten under my skin.

“Is that your spare anchor?” he snobbishly asked.

“We’re not gonna talk about anchors today” I pointedly said. I had just bought my Super Hooker anchor and was quite proud of it. To this day it’s still on my boat.

Of all days for my clients to be late, I thought.

Time for a diversion.

“Sir, looks like your rear tire is low on your truck.”

“Oh no, no. I let the air out because I get better traction on slick boat ramps. That enables me to negate the inefficiencies of a 4wd truck.”

He then glanced over at the only other truck in the parking lot, my 4wd 3/4-ton Power Stroke Diesel. This was getting painful.

“Where are my clients?” I said out loud.

“That’s inexcusable,” he said. “Timeliness is next to Godliness.”

OFGS I thought. “They are gonna miss the bite if they don’t get here pretty quick.”

“Oh Really?” he almost shouted.

“Yes, it’s been early the last few days” I truthfully stated.

He all but ran back to his boat and said he enjoyed the chat. “You won’t tie up in my spot will you once you are back?”

I shook my head in amazement. “No, I wouldn’t dream of it.”

To this day I still think about this guy.

Although I try to find the positive things in everybody, there was very little, if anything, I found likable in him. I counted myself fortunate to never run across him again and often thought that the bay waters of the Gulf Coast were no place for such an idealist.

You take what life gives you down here and make it work. That’s the allure here. It changes constantly. To me it is no place for such a person.

Then I did an inventory of where I stand today.

I have a GPS. I have better reels and rods. I carry hand sanitizer because of bacteria. My truck is a more efficient 1/2-ton, six cylinder.

drum standing before me tick.

“Which side of the boat do you fish from?”

“All sides,” I said sipping my soured coffee.

“I could never do that,” he said, “I fish from the right side only.”

“You’re a starboard caster” I said, trying to be engaging.

“No, I am a right-side fisherman.”

Hmm, okay I thought. “Nice boat,” I said, “it looks new.”

“No, it’s 10 years old. I wash and wax it after each use and do not allow it to be in the sun.”

Do you hold an umbrella over it while you fish? my smart aleck side thought, but instead “Looks like you keep it in good shape.”

“Why such a big motor?” he asked about my 175 Black Max Mercury.

“Most folks run 200hp or above. I just like the V block of this motor, and it’s got a reliable track record.”

“It’s too loud” he stated.

Excuse me?

“My motor is small, and the decibels are very low even at full throttle. A loud motor disrupts my whole day,” he said.

What do you do if a gull craps on you, I thought, head to emergency care?

His questions came like machine gun fire.

“Where’s your live well?”

“It’s where they built it on this particular boat.”

“Mostly inefficient” he said. “Do you have a way to cleanse your hands?”

“I wash them in the bay water.”

“Can make you sick,” he said.

I was already sick, but not from bay water.

“Is there a wash down here for my trailer? Salt water is so corrosive.”

Not a bad idea I thought. “No, but you’re in luck, the rain will wash it for you.”

“Your rods and reels need to be upgraded. I change my line after every trip. You don’t have a GPS? That’s dangerous.”

“What’s a GPS?” I said.

“Hmmppff “he responded. “Your ship to shore radio is good for only 16 miles, I would think you would have at least a 100-mile unit.

I’ve never heard of a Redfin boat, where are they made?”

“Around Dallas / Fort Worth,” I grunted.

“It’s too big I think, would be bad on a windy day. I never fish on windy days.”

“How often do you fish?” I asked.

“Maybe once or twice a year.”

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My boat has a lower profile, which helps with high winds. My new/old motor is much quieter, and I like that. My live well was custom-built and strategically located pretty much where he recommended.

Now, living on St. Charles Bay and paying for a new boat trailer I, if I have time, hose my trailer off after launching my boat. Laugh if you want, it works.

I get up two hours earlier to avoid crowds at bait shops and boat ramps, and I get antsy when someone piddles when launching their boat. I hate to admit it; but I, too, prefer certain boat slips/docks when mooring. The ropes and ties are all just the right length.

He may have been more of a prophet or visionary; and I, as age progresses, feel these same characteristics. Is it perfectionism or just needing the comfort of the familiar? There are worse things, you know—and leave my anchor out of it.

• • • COPANO BAY: The mouth of Mission Bay is still a go-to spot. Black drum frequent this area, and a peeled shrimp on a light Carolina rig is best here. If you can find live finger mullet this is a good place to fish them as well. Reds frequent this area especially on changing tides. There are some trout off the grass lines around Newcomb Point. Live shrimp is best under a silent cork or freelined.

ST. CHARLES BAY: The dark mud of Cavasso Creek is a good spot for reds and black drum. Use jumbo shrimp on medium Carolina rigs for the reds and peeled shrimp on light Carolina rigs for the black drum. The north shoreline around Salt Creek is a good spot for reds on warmer days. Free-lined cut mullet or menhaden works well here.

ARANSAS BAY: Drifts down Traylor Island using soft plastics in new penny and power baits in holographic gold and black back are good for reds and trout. On warm days, the fish are shallow, and deeper on cold days. The pot holes on the north side of Mud Island are a good place for reds using cut mullet free-lined.

CARLOS BAY: Carlos Trench is still the best place here. Fish the shallow edges of the shell on warmer days with deep running lures CONTINUED ON PAGE

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12/11/18 5:33 PM

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

Searching for Trophy Trout

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OLD/COOLER WATER AND air temps, heavy winds, and possible freshwater run-off are the main items the Texas coastal angler has to contend with in January.

How would you handle these conditions?

Capt. Mark Franklin doesn’t waste any time in saying what he would do.

“I would call my clients and tell them not to come because you are catching zero,” Franklin said. “If a cold front comes through blowing hard out of the north, I like to give it at least a couple of days before I get back out on the water. The high pressure produced after the frontal passage squeezes on the trout, and they are not hungry.”

On the opposite side of frontal passage, the day before the wind changes direction, the fishing can be great. Stay current on the weather predictions as to when the front approaches.

Being out on the water as the front blows in can be dangerous, wind wiping up big waves, and the temperature dropping. It would be impossible to not get wet in a bouncing boat. Hypothermia is a possibility.

“In January it’s not like you can go out there and catch full limits of trout. During the wintertime you are pretty much targeting one trophy fish,” said Franklin. “It can be difficult to slow down and keep grinding away when you are not even getting bites. It’s hard to explain to clients sometimes because they all want to catch fish and catch them fast.

“I tell them wintertime is the best time to get the trophy trout, but you could fish all day and not get a bite. Usually the people who I have during the wintertime want that one chance to catch the monster.”

Franklin’s biggest trout was caught in January, measuring 34¼ inches, weighing about 12 pounds.

Wading is the best way to meet a trophy trout, mainly because if forces the angler to slow down and carefully cover more water.

Target flats and shorelines with access to a river, creeks, bayou channels and backwater lakes. Trout want the deeper water drop-off close by when the temperature drops.

Look for bait activity. Even just one baitfish flipping on the water, merits a few casts.

Back-water lakes are small enough that they are not messed up bad by a hard-blowing front and provide the muddy bottom that fish like. The high banks of a river provide a natural windbreak.

Color Choices Think of what a fish sees as it looks up from its bottom lair. How about a bright color in dingy, off-colored water and a darker color if it’s a bright sunny day?

Franklin goes a little against the dingybright sunny day choice of colors. “Some people use that method to determine bait color. Me personally, I have my favorite colors.”

His number one choice is a bait that has pink as a primary color. Whatever color choice, trout are looking up and can see the dark or colored bait outlined against the sky.

Frontal Passage Lures and Colors

Bottom Makes a Difference

You want a lure that can be effective when fished very slowly, such as the Corky style baits. The Corky, or other similar lures, work because they have a slow descent as they settle to the bottom where the trout are lying; they get a good look at it as it slowly settles.

“Throw it out there, let it sink to the bottom,” advises Franklin. “Leave it lie there on the bottom.”

The fish usually hit when the lure is settling to the bottom. It they don’t take it on the drop, jig/pop it a little bit where it hops off the bottom. Continue the sequence through the complete retrieve back to the boat.

“It’s pretty much real slow fishing,” adds Franklin.

The other lures of choice for January are soft plastics. The technique is the same as using slow-sinking lures, but this bait choice sinks a lot faster because of the jig head used in conjunction with soft plastic.

Franklin uses a ¼ or 5/8 ounce jig head to get the soft plastic on the bottom. Cast it out and let sink to the bottom. Reel slowly, pick the rod tip up and let it sink down, pick the rod tip up, and let the bait settle to the bottom—continue the retrieve.

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“The slower the presentation, the better are your chances of getting that one big trout bite. That’s why I like to use Corkys because it takes a month to sink to the bottom.”

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“Find a muddy/shell bottom, not like nasty with a mud you sink a couple feet on every step,” Franklin advised. “The mud holds the heat; it might be just two to four degrees warmer, but it’s enough that the fish will lie on the mud taking in the extra degree or two.”

Fishing in the wintertime you must tell yourself you’re going to catch fish—persistence, patience, and keep grinding. Do that and you will catch them.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Fish Pass GPS: N 27 42.011, W 97 11.203 SPECIES: Trout, redfish, flounder TIP: Wade the flats; watch for stingrays!.

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Coastal Focus: BAFFIN BAY :: by Capt.

SALLY BLACK

Trout Season

day on the water. Fall brings the huge influx of migratory birds and hunting season. Winter has ducks, sand hill cranes and the one thing that draws so many to Baffin Bay, Trophy Trout!

The chance to catch that once in a lifetime speckled trout is what lured us to Baffin Bay in the first place, and we have been extremely fortunate to be able to put many of our clients in the position to achieve this goal. All of our guides at Baffin Bay Rod and Gun are dedicated “students of the game”. That means they are dedicated to learning every single time they are on the water.

The information we all share and the things we have learned from each other are not insignificant. Having been fortunate enough to attract some really good fishermen as clients has also added to our collective database.

Therefore any clients who do show up on our doorstep will be the beneficiary of all this accrued knowledge.

What is it that makes this time so special?

Why are many lifetime fish caught now? The answer is simple and is tied to Mother Nature’s calling. When it’s time to get ready for the spawn, trout have to build up their energy reserves by eating as much as they can.

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S MOST OF OUR CLIENTS, friends, family and online stalkers are well aware, we are dog people.

Having seven of our own and five more belonging to our employees plus the hunting dogs of each of our guides, it is common around the lodge to see wagging tails and happy pups.

We are asked many times, “Which one is your favorite?” Capt. Black’s response is always the same, “Whichever one I happen to be closest to.”

The second most asked question around here is, “What time of the year is your favorite?”

In the spirit of Capt. Black’s response we would have to say that it’s the season we are living in at the moment.

Each season has things we really love about it. Spring comes with an explosion of life, both in the water and along the shoreline. Summer has our swimming pool at the end of a long

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live shrimp free-lined. Changing tides are best here.

AYERS BAY: Far East shoreline is a good spot for reds using finger mullet on a light Carolina rig or soft plastics like new penny-colored jerk shad. The area just off Rattlesnake Island is good for trout and reds using Berkley Gulp shrimp under a silent or bubble cork.

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such as Rat L Traps in electric chicken and purple colors. Some black drum on Cedar. Peeled shrimp under a silent cork works well here.

MESQUITE BAY: Northeast pocket (on the northeast shoreline) is a good place for sheepshead and black drum using fresh dead shrimp or frozen shrimp.

Free-lined is best or a light Carolina rig.

The shoreline just off Third Chain Islands is a good spot for trout and reds using 42

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It seems that “fish love” must take a lot of energy. Big trout eat big this time of year.

That doesn’t mean every meal is a giant mullet or other hapless denizen that gets too close.

Sometimes they will gorge themselves on smaller baitfish, shrimp, etc.

One key fact to remember is that when the water temps are cold like they are this time of the year, shallow water warms up the quickest during the day. Therefore trout are seeking their prey in shallow water. Over the years, we have learned that many of the biggest fish we catch are in thigh deep water or less.

Bigger plastics such as Saltwater Assassin Die Dappers or big Gambler Flappin’ Shads are effective. But don’t discount the smaller lures such as Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad or DOA’s CAL. We rig each of these lures on our Black’s Magic 1/32 oz. jigheads in order to work them slowly in the shallows along grass lines or around drop-offs or rocks. The slow fall rate makes these lures very enticing to a hungry Big Girl.

Big topwaters worked slowly or with a stop and go retrieve are also a great way to force an explosive reaction strike from a lurking trout.

Of course the suspending twitch baits such as Corkies, X-raps and Barboleta LeLes are solid consistent producers.

Just remember that these big trout we seek are the future of our fishery so land them quickly, handle them sparingly, take a quick pic and release them to finish their job of making sure that there will be plenty of big fish for us to catch for years to come.

So come join us at The Last Best Place on the Texas Coast and fish with the best guides on Baffin Bay. It’s that time of year, and there is no better place to focus your efforts on a true once in a lifetime trout than here with us at Baffin Bay Rod and Gun.

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Contact Capt. Sally Black at 361-205-0624 Email: Sally@CaptainSally.com Web: www.BaffinBayRodandGun.com

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12/11/18 5:33 PM

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

Depth Chart

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ANUARY CAN BE A SQUIRREly time on the Lower Laguna Madre.

Fishing can be surprisingly productive, or surprisingly barren.

Water temperatures are too cold, or just warm enough. The weather is inconsistent.

Tides are too low. There’s no bait. The fish disappear.

You can find plenty of reasons to stay home in a nice warm bed. A fishermen needs only one reason to tiptoe out of that snug house and out into the dark January early morning— speckled trout, and lots of them.

Fishing can be quite good during the first month of the year. In fact, if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can have quite the memorable trip to Lower Laguna Madre.

Speckled trout are poikilothermic, or coldblooded. They rely on environmental factors for thermoregulation. A late winter cold front—the sort that blows in just in time for the weekend—can lower water temperature on the flats and keep them in the mid-50s to low 60s for days. This is slightly below the speck’s comfort zone, and they move off to find more moderate temperatures.

The key is deeper water, which retains warmer temperatures. Trout seek out these depths as a haven against chill. Fishermen don’t have to venture too far from Port Isabel or Padre Island to find these deep holes, either.

A good starting point is the Port Isabel Turning Basin, which is at the back of the Port Isabel Navigation channel. This large, man-made basin provides ideal cold-weather habitat for speckled trout. The greater depths (up to 30 feet deep) afford both cover and warmth for specks. The narrow band of shallows that belts the basin from the industrial docks around to the channel point offers an area for fish to forage within easy distance of

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water seem to be any of the glow patterns. It makes sense. The relative opacity of the bait best mimics a white shrimp, which is the most common species in LLM during the winter).

If you are fishing on the tail end of a cold front, an effective strategy for fishing the Turning Basin is also one of my favorites. I fish in the deeper water with a Texas-rigged Strike King Zero or Senko in Pearl or Ivory with a ¼ ounce split shot 12 inches in front of it.

I cast parallel to the shoreline in deep water and simply let the bait fall slowly to the bottom. Both the Zero and Senko have a natural wiggle to them that can get the most negative minded trout to strike.

Pay attention! The strikes are very subtle, but a mouse-like tap once turned into a fat 24-incher.

The last few Januaries have included a major cold front that drops temperatures below freezing. Speckled trout can be vulnerable to getting hammered when they’re concentrating in deeper water.

In response to this reality, Texas Parks and Wildlife has imposed emergency regulations that go into effect when temperatures reach below freezing for more than two days. Even if the cold weather is short term, it wouldn’t hurt to practice some moderation and move off these fish after a while.

Remember, a nice warm bed and hot meal are waiting for you at home.

the drop-off. Shrimp and baitfish prefer the security and warmth of deeper water, too, so they provide the needed protein that keeps trout fat and happy.

Fishermen will want to ease toward shore until they can mark the depth break from the deep water to the flat’ Electronics prove their worth in this strategy. When you locate the drop-off, anchor up on the shallow side and start working both the shallows and the edge.

If you have company in the boat, one angler can fish the shallows with a popping cork rig while another can fish the edge without the float. Usually, trout will hold deeper on cooler days, but they will move up on the shallow flats as the weather starts to warm.

“Shallow” is a relative term here. The fish will usually be cruising around in three to four feet of water.

Live shrimp may be hard to find after a cold snap, but some bait shops will have a few quarts on hand. A regular popping cork rig with a 24-inch leader will work well.

White Sands Marina, (956) 943-6161, sells pre-rigged popping corks that come with #4 treble hooks. I usually snip them off and tie on a #1/0 VMC or Owner Flounder hook.

The short shank seems to enable the hook to mostly stick in the corner of a fish’s mouth.

A free-line rig with an 1/8-ounce split shot is ideal when fishing the drop off. You can toss to the edge of the drop-off and let the bait fall back toward you. Or you can cast onto the shallows and ease the bait off the edge.

If bait is difficult to find, artificials will work as well. The three-inch Gulp! Shrimp has carved a permanent—and smelly—niche in coastal tackle boxes. What recommends this lure is not just its scented composition, but also its versatility.

The same popping cork rig that works so well with live bait will also work with a Gulp! rigged on an 1/8th ounce jig head. Take the cork off, and you can fish the same jig in deeper water.

Some anglers will fish a Gulp! on the same free-line rig with a splitshot in “Do Nothing” fashion. The most popular colors in deeper F I S H

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THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Coast Guard Station GPS: N26 4.360, W97 10.031 SPECIES: Sheepshead TIP: Fish shrimp/popping cork rigs along the channel edge.

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FISHING HOTSPOTS Saltwater: n Upper Coast n Mid Coast n Lower Coast Freshwater: n Piney Woods

Freshwater: n Prairies & Lakes n Panhandle n Big Bend n Hill Country n South Texas

SALTWATER

Some Hot Chocolate for Chilly Days

GPS COORDINATES are provided in two formats: “Decimal Degrees” (degrees.degrees) and “Degrees and Minutes” sometimes called “GPS Format” (degrees minutes.minutes).

Examples (for Downtown Austin): Decimal Degrees: N30.2777, W97.7379; Degrees and Minutes: N30 16.6662, W97 44.2739. Consult your manual for information specific to your GPS device.

by Tom Behrens

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Adam Jaynes 409-533-2058 amjaynes@gmail.com www.justfishsabine.com TIPS: “If you are looking to catch a lot of fish, switch to soft plastic bait,” said Capt. Jaynes. His favorite colors are Texas Roach or Glow/Chartreuse. Color choice depends on water quality.

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Mike Williams 713-256-9260 www.galvestonfishingguides.com TIPS: “The fish are going to go deep. Best days are bright sunny days when the sun has had a chance to warm the bottoms. Fish gravitate to a combination muddy/shell bottoms.” Capt. Williams LOCATION: Matagorda HOTSPOT: Colorado River GPS: N 28 40.542, W 95 58.08 (28.6757, -95.9680)

LOCATION: Surfside/Freeport HOTSPOT: Dow Plant GPS: N 28 56.438, W 95 19.825 (28.9406, -95.3304)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Mike Williams 713-256-9260 www.galvestonfishingguides.com TIPS: “Rivers, creeks and bayous will produce the most fish.” Capt. Williams |

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LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Offatts Bayou GPS: N 29 16.819, W 94 51.507 (29.2803, -94.8585)

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Coffee Ground Cove GPS: N 29 58.1, W 93 46.09 (29.9683, -93.7682)

LOCATION: Chocolate Bay HOTSPOT: Chocolate Bayou GPS: N 29 11.622, W 95 9.948 (29.1937, -95.1658)

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Freeport, around the Dowell Chemical Plant is a “wellkept secret”. “A lot of trout come from the river in the colder months.” Capt. Williams

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LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Redfish Cove GPS: N 29 6.101, W 95 6.569 (29.1016, -95.1094)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Mike Williams 713-256-9260 www.galvestonfishingguides.com TIPS: “In January the fish will exit the flats to find the deeper, warmer water. But that’s not to say you can’t catch a big trout in January on the flats.” Capt.

Williams

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Mike Williams 713-256-9260 www.galvestonfishingguides.com TIPS: Capt. Williams says the Brazos River in |

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Mike Williams 713-256-9260 www.galvestonfishingguides.com TIPS: In January catches of numbers of fish probably will not happen, so concentrate on catching bigger fish.

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FISHING HOTSPOTS Rock Some Specks at Rockport

HOTSPOT: Long Lake GPS: N 28 16.912, W 96 35.776 (28.2819, -96.5963)

by Tom Behrens

LOCATION: Rockport-Fulton HOTSPOT: Long Reef GPS: N 28 3.618, W 96 57.679 (28.0603, -96.9613)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Cut crab, Carolina Rigged CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: Ray Ortega is not a licensed guide, but extensive knowledge on how to fish the Port O’Connor area.

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Cut crab, Carolina Rigged CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: Carolina rigging: “a fixed weight, swivel, about a 12 inch leader and number 5 hook.”

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Pats Bay GPS: N 28 15.787, W 96 37.382 (28.2631, -96.6230) SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Down South & Kelley Wiggler soft plastics CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: Whatever soft plastic you choose, make sure to fish slow across the bottom.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Nueces Bay GPS: N 27 51.894, W 97 21.132 (27.8649, -97.3522)

LOCATION: Mesquite Bay HOTSPOT: Cedar Bayou GPS: N 28 6.708, W 96 49.812 (28.1118, -96.8302)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Cut crab, Carolina Rigged CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: “In January, if I’m fishing from my boat, I will be fishing the back lakes for redfish over mud and shell.” Ray Ortega

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Down South & Kelley Wiggler soft plastics CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: Ortega likes the round body of Down South soft plastics, the new willow tail of Kelley Wigglers that’s dipped in Garlic

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Long Lake GPS: N 28 16.772, W 96 36.698 (28.2795, -96.6116) SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Randy Best 361-533-2058 captrandyb@yahoo.com www.lagunamadresightcasters.com TIPS: Gulp New Penney and any other soft plastic in purple are Capt. Best’s favorite colors.

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Contee Lake GPS: N 28 17.779, W 96 33.157 (28.2963, -96.5526)

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Cedar Point GPS: N 28 14.184, W 96 39.659 (28.2364, -96.6610)

SPECIES: Redfish & Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Cut crab, Carolina Rigged CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: If weather permits, he likes to fish the same type of spots along the south shoreline of Espiritu Santo Bay.

SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp under a popping Cork CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: Live shrimp under a popping cork is another of

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay T E X A S

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FISHING HOTSPOTS Ortega’s favorite ways of fishing back lakes.

Slow Sinkers for Baffin Specks

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Guadalupe Bay East Shore GPS: N 28 24.803, W 96 45.342 (28.4134, -96.7557)

by Tom Behrens

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Cat Head, North Shore GPS: N 27 18.382, W 97 26.263 (27.3064, -97.4377) SPECIES: Speckled Trout & Redfish BEST BAITS: Live Shrimp under a popping Cork CONTACT: Ray Ortega 361-571-1030 rayortega@quailtools.com TIPS: If he’s wading, he will be concentrating his efforts around Panther, south of Panther and Cedar Bayou

LOCATION: Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Nine Mile Hole GPS: N 27 5.159, W 97 24.621 (27.0860, -97.4104) SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Slow Sinking Artificial Baits CONTACT: Capt. Mark Franklin 361-720-4003 captmarkbb@gmail.com baffinbayhuntingandfishing.com TIPS: Favorite slow sinking artificials: Fat Boys and Corky lures

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: King Ranch Shoreline GPS: N 27 29.134, W 97 21.108 (27.4856, -97.3518)

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Tide Gauge Bar GPS: N 27 18.248, W 97 26.263 (27.3041, -97.4377) SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Slow Sinking Artificial Baits CONTACT: Capt. Mark Franklin 361-720-4003 captmarkbb@gmail.com baffinbayhuntingandfishing.com TIPS: “The color of the lure I use depends on whether it’s sunny or cloudy. Early in the morning I like to use a brighter color. Pink is one my favorite colors.” Capt.

Franklin

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Slow Sinking Artificial Baits CONTACT: Capt. Mark Franklin 361-720-4003 captmarkbb@gmail.com baffinbayhuntingandfishing.com TIPS: “Throw it out there and let it sink to the bottom, leave it there for a while. Jig or pop it a little bit to cause the bait to move off the bottom.” Capt. Franklin

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Slow Sinking Artificial Baits CONTACT: Capt. Mark Franklin 361-720-4003 captmarkbb@gmail.com baffinbayhuntingandfishing.com TIPS: “If you use a real light color in the morning.

The fish are looking up and the light color is sticking out.” Capt. Franklin

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LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Tide Gauge Bar GPS: N 27 18.388, W 97 27.54 (27.3065, -97.4590)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Slow Sinking Artificial Baits CONTACT: Capt. Mark Franklin 361-720-4003 captmarkbb@gmail.com baffinbayhuntingandfishing.com TIPS: “The fish usually hit the lure as it sinks back down to the bottom.” Capt. Franklin

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FRESHWATER Play Chicken on Toledo Bend

by Dustin Warncke

LOCATION: Toledo Bend Lake HOTSPOT: “Chicken Coop” Area GPS: N 31 31.512, W 93 46.746

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12/19/18 9:49 AM

FISHING HOTSPOTS (31.5252, -93.7791)

SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Crappie jigs CONTACT: Mike Knight 936-635-2427 notechmike@hotmail.com www.easttxfishingguide.com TIPS: Graph for man-made brush piles on top of the ledges. Best baits should be heavy jig/plastic combos.

If water temps drop into the 40’s, crappie should pile up on the legendary “chicken coop” area about 4 miles north of Pendleton Bridge.

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Big Cypress River GPS: N 32 43.9559, W 94 8.682 (32.7326, -94.1447)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Crankbaits and umbrella rigs in shad or white color, 1/2 oz. chrome jigging spoons CONTACT: Caddo Lake Guide Service/Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net www.caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Concentrate on the bends and cuts in this main channel. When the bass are active, throw the shad or white colored crankbaits and umbrella rigs. When they are not feeding well, drop a 1/2 oz. chrome jigging spoon in these same areas and vertically jig off them off the bottom. Watch visibly and on your electronics for balls of shad to increase your odds of finding these wintertime schools of bass.

SPECIES: Hybrid Stripers BEST BAITS: Live shad, Storm Swim shad CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-661-7920 admin@fishdudetx.com www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: The hybrid stripers are schooling around ledges along the river channel. Find the schools of shad and you will find the hybrids. This time of year they will run shad up on these ridges during the day they will move deeper around the area. Find the depth the bait are in and you will find the fish. As the water temperatures drop, they will be in the 30 to 40 foot depths.

Live shad will be the bait of choice in deeper water, but the swim shad will work as long as you can control your retrieve to keep the bait in the depth the fish are going to be in. The depths will vary from one day to the next. Today they may be in 20 foot of water and tomorrow they may be in 40 foot. It all depends on the schools of shad. Good luck and good fishing! Bank Access: Stowaway Marina

LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: White Oak Branch GPS: N 32 55.608, W 95 40.824 (32.9268, -95.6804)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Lipless rattle baits, spinnerbaits, Finch Nasty Thumpers, GrandeBass Air Pro, Texas rigged 6.5 Mag Rattlesnake CONTACT: Lance Vick 903-312-0609 lance@lakeforkbass.com www.guideonlakefork.com TIPS: “Happy New Year! On Lake Fork the bass are moving into pre-spawn stage. Rattle baits, spinnerbaits and Finch Nasty Thumpers work well on the windy days. On sunny days weightless soft plastics like the GrandeBass Air Pro, a salt heavy stick bait with the airtail chamber so you can put scent or rattles in it, or a light Texas rig with a 6.5”” Mag Rattlesnake. Work secondary points and creek channel swings on flats.

Lay down logs and any vegetation are great cover this time of year. Its big fish season!”

LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Woodpecker Island or Dam Area GPS: N 32 49.2839, W 95 32.934 (32.8214, -95.5489)

SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Crappie jigs: 1/8 oz. jig head, pink in color with a chartreuse/pink jig body CONTACT: Doug Shampine 940-902-3855 doug@lakeforktrophybass.com www.lakeforktrophybass.com TIPS: January is the month we look deep for the schools of crappie located on deep humps and creek channels on Lake Fork. It’s also one of the months you are required to keep the first 25 per person you catch.

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to fish are around the damn area or the flats in the mouth of Little Caney. I also fish the deeper flats off of Woodpecker Island or point. I look for the crappie in 30-45 foot of water and you will see the bait fish and the crappie will be around them. This is the time of year you will need good electronics and calmer winds to hold in the open water. Once you locate the crappie, throw out a marker buoy and get out your favorite jig or crappie poles and go to work. If the jig bite is working, I like to put 2 jigs on the pole about 18 inches apart, using a 1/8 oz. head, pink in color and use a chartreuse/pink jig body. This will catch you a good mess in no time. If you are interested in a crappie trip call or text me for open dates or check out our website for booking details. I have been guiding on Lake Fork for 18 years.

LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 22.3499, W 95 33.342 (30.3725, -95.5557)

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FISHING HOTSPOTS LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Bedias Creek GPS: N 30 54.858, W 95 36.9059 (30.9143, -95.6151)

BEST BAITS: 6” - 7” suspending jerk baits, red Rat-L-Traps, bass jigs, Carolina rigs, deep diving crankbaits CONTACT: Mike Knight 936-635-2427 notechmike@hotmail.com www.easttxfishingguide.com TIPS: January is one of the three best months of the year to catch a bass over 10 pounds on this lake. If the winter is mild, look for big pre-spawn females to move into big bays and stage in drains and ditches that are 8 to 15 feet deep. Best baits will be 6” - 7” suspending jerk baits and the Rayburn standby, red Rat-L-Traps. If the winter is cold/bitter, try ledges and channel swings in 15 to 25 feet with jigs, Carolina rigs and deep cranks.

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad, Blue Fox, Rat-L-Traps, Tsunami Cocktail spinners, road runners CONTACT: David S. Cox, Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: January brings in the start of the incredible white bass spawn on Lake Livingston. Spring white bass fishing is met with a fanatical following here.

Whites will move into upper Lake Livingston creeks in huge numbers to spawn. Bedias Creek is famous for white bass fishing in January. However, many factors need to come together to get in on the great fishing here in January. Current conditions can dictate the fishing as one day can be feast and the next day, famine. Water conditions, temperature and fluctuating levels can dictate success or failure. Typically the best time to go is with a warming trend bringing a southeast wind following a recent local rain. The moving water from run off will pull the fish up stream and stack them up in deep holes far up Bedias Creek. The “shoals” is a well-known area here where the whites stack up under the right conditions. Launch at the county ramp on Bedias Creek and go far up stream looking for clearing or “tea” colored water. Key in on the downstream side of sandbars in deep holes. Make a long cast and work the baits slowly. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is fishing the baits too fast. With lower water temperatures in January the whites’ metabolism is lowered making for a less aggressive bite. BANK ACCESS: County ramp on Bedias Creek off Highway 247 north of Huntsville.

Granbury Stripers Go Out on the Ledge

by Dustin Warncke & Dean Heffner

LOCATION: Lake Granbury HOTSPOT: Deep water ledge on the lower ends GPS: N 32 23.014, W 97 42.55 (32.3836, -97.7092)

LOCATION: Toledo Bend North HOTSPOT: Brown’s Bend GPS: N 31 42.324, W 93 47.8199 (31.7054, -93.7970)

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Slab spoons, Rat-L-Traps, tail spinners CONTACT: Greg Crafts, Toledo Bend Guide Service and Lake Cottages 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com www.toledobendguide.com TIPS: In January, the White Bass will be feeding heavy, bulking up before making their annual run up the river to spawn. The whites will be holding on the north end river channel sandbars. If we receive a lot of rain and have a strong river current, you will start seeing some action in the river proper. Otherwise, work the main lake sandbars with slab spoons, Rat-L- Traps and tail spinners. Use your electronics to locate the bait fish and you’ll locate the whites. Your daily limit is 25 fish per person.

LOCATION: Lake Sam Rayburn HOTSPOT: Five Fingers GPS: N 31 7.92, W 94 7.71 (31.1320, -94.1285)

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SPECIES: Striped bass BEST BAITS: ¾- to 1-oz. jig heads with 5 inch swimbaits/jerkbaits in blue/chartreuse CONTACT: Michael W. Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters 817-578-0023 TIPS: Work over structure slowly and work deeper until you locate the best depth. Granbury water temperatures continue to be in the upper 40s and low 50’s.

Winter patterns are in full force with an early spring just around the corner. Stripers are active and are moving back and forth from the river to deeper water on the main lake. The warmest water on the really cold days is near the bottom of the channel. Find the bait, find the fish. Wintering Birds are in place and are pointing anglers to active feeding fish from the dam to the river above Granbury. Passing cool fronts continue to dominate the weather pattern. White bass and stripers are hovering around deep baitfish. Small jigs with soft plastics are putting sandbass in the boat. 5 inch swimbaits and jerkbaits worked slowly is the best pattern for striped bass. Crappie action is good near deeper structure like bridge pilings. Catfish action is great on cut shad and hotdogs fished under docks near deeper water. Some good catfish are being taken in the river on the deeper bends. Black bass action is good to 6lbs on Carolina rigs worked on drop offs near lake points.

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

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FISHING HOTSPOTS LOCATION: Bachman Lake HOTSPOT: Bridge or Dam Areas GPS: N 32 51.5699, W 96 51.3839 (32.8595, -96.8564)

LOCATION: Eagle Mountain Lake HOTSPOT: South of Pelican Island GPS: N 32 54.304, W 97 30.237 (32.9051, -97.5040)

SPECIES: Catfish

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass and Crappie BEST BAITS: Bass: spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps | Crappie: minnows and jigs CONTACT: Carey Thorn 469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: For bass, throw spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps along the weed lines. Bass fishing is especially good at the dam, by the banks and near the timber under the bridge. Crappie are under the bridge at night this time of year. Minnows and jigs are your best bet right now.

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Lower Main Lake GPS: N 32 13.8899, W 96 5.0219 (32.2315, -96.0837)

SPECIES: Hybrid Striper & White Bass BEST BAITS: Swimbaits, buck tail jigs, flukes on jig heads CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: This month we are “dead sticking” for hybrids and whites. Fish the lower main lake in 30’-50’ of water with shad imitations such as swimbaits, buck tails, flukes on jig heads, etc. Present your bait vertically to fish relating to suspended schools of shad.

SPECIES: Blue catfish BEST BAITS: Whole or cut shad CONTACT: Johnny Stevens 817-597-6598 johnnystevens@1scom.net johnnysguideservice.com TIPS: This area is surrounded by two channels, Walnut creek on the west and Trinity river on the east.

This area is 4- to 10 feet deep. The water warms up during the day. The shad go up in the shallow water and the blue cats follow them. I like to anchor the front and the back of the boat to eliminate sway. I use a Carolina rig with circle hooks. If you don’t find them in a few minutes move until you find them. They tend to stack up in one area.

LOCATION: Fayette County Reservoir HOTSPOT: Hog Pond Trees GPS: N 29 55.2779, W 96 43.23 (29.9213, -96.7205)

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, CJ’s punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Stumps in the area. North winds are blocked here by the trees. Fishing a tight line due to winds this time of year helps keep bait in the prime area. There is lots of brush in this area to get hung up on so get your fish to your boat as soon as possible.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Reservoir HOTSPOT: North Eagle Point GPS: N 30 38.118, W 96 3.0779 (30.6353, -96.0513)

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FISHING HOTSPOTS BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch bait, shad CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: This lake is full right now. Gibbons Creek comes close to shore here. Tight line this area for blues and channels. Use kahle hooks with shad or treble hooks with punch bait.

LOCATION: Granger Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 42.402, W 97 20.91 (30.7067, -97.3485)

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait, Zote Soap CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Not much except catfishing is going on right now at Granger. The blues are still biting good on various baits. Cold fronts seem to turn them on and blow the shad to the windy banks. Fish those areas and you will have the best luck. Jug lines work well this time of year. I like to use Zote Soap, but shad are preferred by many. The larger blues are better on shad or large pieces of cut bait. Drift fishing with the wind is a good technique to put some of the good tasting blues in the boat. Good luck and good fishing.

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LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Flat Creek GPS: N 32 12.522, W 95 31.782 (32.2087, -95.5297)

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Lake HOTSPOT: Crab Creek GPS: N 31 57.348, W 96 19.914 (31.9558, -96.3319)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Big Eye jigs, Texas Spinnerbaits CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: This time of year there are a few locations that I will focus on, all in the Flat Creek area. There is standing timber so fish your lure around all your trees and any tree you find up near the creek bends. Take extra time fishing this area and cast to the tree several times.

Lures I will use will be my Big Eye jigs and the Texas Spinnerbaits. The best Jig colors will be black/brown amber, black/blue and blue candy. These colors will work in clear, stained and muddy water. Spinnerbaits in chartreuse/white and black neon will work well too.

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Danny King’s Punch Bait CONTACT: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com www.gonefishin.biz TIPS: Bundle up, take a thermos of coffee and get ready to catch some really nice blue cats on Richland Chambers. While we fish all winter for catfish, January and February are the best months to catch some of the bigger blues. Our target is “eater size” blues and channel cats but almost every trip someone will hook into a really big blue. We’re fishing in the heavy timber in Crab Creek and along the Richland Creek channel in 25’-35’ using Danny Kings Punch Bait on a # 4 treble hook. If you want to stock up on catfish filets, the winter is the time to do it on Richland Chambers!

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LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Big Creek Park Shoreline GPS: N 30 19.2419, W 96 34.908 (30.3207, -96.5818)

SPECIES: Crappie, white bass BEST BAITS: Minnows, ¾ to1oz. slabs CONTACT: Justin Wilson 214-538-2780 TIPS: Start of the year is here along with cold temperatures but the fishing is still great. White bass bite has been consistent. Look for big schools of fish stacking up on points and humps close to creek channels in 20-30 feet of water. Slabs off the bottom have been

SPECIES: White Bass & Crappie BEST BAITS: Live minnows, flukes in white or chartreuse CONTACT: Carey Thorn 469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: Crappie will be suspended next to the dam in |

the best with bucktail teasers tied on as well. Light boat traffic has made it easier to stay on fish once you find them. Keep an eye out for diving gulls making easy meals off bait fish being pushed up from schooling fish. The crappie bite has been good. Crappie have been on brush piles in 20-30 foot of water. Jigs are working well but the quality of fish seem to be better on minnows.

LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Johnson Branch GPS: N 33 23.753, W 97 0.801 (33.3959, -97.0134)

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Island and Dam Area GPS: N 33 3.0119, W 96 28.416 (33.0502, -96.4736)

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18-25 feet of water. Spider rigging minnows is your best bet. White bass will be near the island and out towards the dam. Concentrate your fishing efforts in 20-30 feet of water. Dead sticking Berkley Gulp Minnows, dead sticking live minnows, or dead sticking a 3” to 4” fluke in white or chartreuse just one foot above the school when you find them usually produces the best catches.

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SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Good area to drift fish. Drift at speed of 1/2 mph. Use 4/0 hook, three foot leader and a 1 oz. “no

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FISHING HOTSPOTS roll” weight. This is also a good area for jug lines this time of year if you are going after big cats.

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Paw Paw Creek and Willis Bridge GPS: N 33 53.9879, W 96 53.796 (33.8998, -96.8966)

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Live shad, Road Runners and Sassy Shad jigs CONTACT: Bill Carey 903-786-4477 bigfishlaketexoma@gmail.com www.striperexpress.com TIPS: “January is a big fish month at Lake Texoma.

The cool water winter fishing is legendary. Large stripers up to 20 pounds will hold on structure. A 7-foot medium heavy fishing rod with 20-pound test is recommended. The 1 oz. Road Runner jig with a white 9-inch worm will produce fish located on main lake points and the mouths of creeks and humps with deep water nearby. The cooler the weather the better the fishing holds true for these fighting fish. Bait fishing with live shad is also an excellent way to catch stripers.

Pay attention to the weather forecast and dress warm.

Our charters depart at 10:30 a.m. in the winter. The fish will bite all day and the solar heat can help keep you warm. Keep your eyes on the seagulls as they can be your best fish locator. Bank Access: The Oil Wells and Texas Flats (Using the same baits mentioned, shad will work best on the banks, tie on jigs if the seagulls are working near you.)”

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: State Park and Brazos River at the mouth of Nolan Rive GPS: N 31 55.074, W 97 21.8219 (31.9179, -97.3637)

SPECIES: Striped Bass & White Bass BEST BAITS: 3” chartreuse swim baits from RSR lures and chartreuse Bass Assassins CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539

teamredneck01@hotmail.com www.teamredneck.net TIPS: SLOW IS THE NAME OF THE GAME! The water temp has dropped. The shad have been pushed from the creeks, ganging up in a “safety in numbers” type of pattern in the open water. The stripers and whites are following and gorging on them. The water is cold, the bait fish are lethargic and not moving as fast as normal so when you think your fishing slow enough, slow down even more. Two patterns are putting stripers and whites in the boat right now. Wild Eyed chartreuse swim baits cast out behind the boat slow trolled with the trolling motor covers a lot of water and presents your baits to more fish. Again SLOW is the name of the game. Watch your graph and when you do come up on a school of bait and fish, mark the fish, stop the boat and switch over to 5 to 6” Bass Assassins with 3/4 oz. lead heads. Drop them down to just above the fish then “DO NOTHING!” Hold the bait dead still (dead sticking). Every so often raise your rod tip slowly then drop it back down slowly and get ready for a quick hook set.

The bite will more often than not feel like the tap of a small fish. Be quick on the trigger, set the hook, and hang on to the rod!

••

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Carter Island GPS: N 32 57.677, W 98 25.122 (32.9613, -98.4187)

SPECIES: Striped & white bass, hybrids BEST BAITS: Live shad, cut bait, slabs, crankbaits CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav774@aceweb.com TIPS: We had a lot of floodwaters come in October and November, so a lot of fish are already staged at the mouths of the major creeks and rivers that feed the lake. But this month’s hotspot will still be close to the mouth of the mighty Brazos River. Live shad is best, but cut bait will work. If you can find clearer water, then you can clean up with slabs. Mixed species will be staged waiting for any water flow to start the spring migration up the river. Chartreuse and white are the color palettes this month. You can also catch fish trolling RatLTraps and cranks.

•••

Catting Around with Henry Bass

by Dustin Warncke & Dean Heffner

LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry HOTSPOT: Cat Hollow GPS: N 33 2.868, W 101 5.9039 (33.0478, -101.0984)

••

•••

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Deep diving crankbaits, bass jigs, spoons CONTACT: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220 nclayton42@sbcglobal.net www.lakealanhenry.com/fishing-guides.html TIPS: “January will find the bass following the shad

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and perch into deep water. Everything will depend on the weather and the cold fronts that roll through. Some bass will remain shallow if the water temps stay in the 50’s. If the water drops below 50, the bass will move into the deep water, chasing the shad.

Use your electronics to find the balls of shad and you will find the bass. I can’t tell you where the bass will be because the shad can be anywhere. You just have to search until you find the shad. Fish fun and fish safe!”

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FISHING HOTSPOTS Wrap Up Some Arapahoe Bass

BEST BAITS: 1 oz. red jigging spoon CONTACT: Capt. Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230 capt.steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com www.sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: “Fish from the point back to the swim beach casting out the spoon and try to maintain a depth of 20 to 40 feet, the Striped Bass and White Bass like to school in this area this time of year. Tight lines and Fish On!”

by Dustin Warncke

LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Arapahoe Ledges GPS: N29 36.36912, W100 57.6816 (29.606152, -100.961360)

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Paradise Point and Rocky Point Areas GPS: N 30 50.022, W 98 24.2879 (30.8337, -98.4048)

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad jigs, plastic worms CONTACT: Stan Gerzsenyl 830-768-3648 stan@amistadbass.com amistadbass.com TIPS: There are several rock ledges near the channels with stumps here. Fish small jigs or finesse worms on light line on the ledges in 18-25 feet of water and set the hook at the slightest tap. Fish slowly and gradually work deeper as the sun rises.

••

Canyon Stripers & White Bass

SPECIES: Striped Bass & White Bass BEST BAITS: Live shad, slabs CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasfishing@gmail.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: “January should be the ending month of the transition for all species moving from fall and winter patterns to early spring patterns. Striper and white bass fishing should be good in the upper half of lake from Rocky Point to Paradise Point.

Focus your efforts on early and late in the day using live bait and jigging slabs in 20 to 40 feet of water near ridges and humps close to the river channel.”

•••

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Shaw and Garret Island GPS: N 30 50.85, W 98 24.8424 (30.8475, -98.4140) by Dustin Warncke

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Potters Creek Park GPS: N 29 54.1799, W 98 16.14 (29.9030, -98.2690)

SPECIES: Stripers, Hybrid Bass & White Bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, slabs, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Ken Milam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: Stripers are going to around the Shaw and Garrett Island area of the lake. The upper end of the lake seems to be the best area this time of year. Watch

SPECIES: Striped Bass & White Bass

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for seagulls. White bass will be on the upper end of Lake Buchanan as well, getting ready for the white bass run! Troll along the river channel in the Paradise and Silver Creek area. Just try something different if what you start with doesn’t work!

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Zoom In for Coleto Creek Bass

by Dustin Warncke

LOCATION: Coleto Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 28 45.906, W 97 11.1959 (28.7651, -97.1866)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Zoom pearl white or watermelon Fluke using a 4/0 worm hook, rigged weedless CONTACT: Rocky’s Guide Service 361-960-0566 TIPS: Starting the new year out right has always been important to me. I like to go to bed at a decent hour get up rested and spend the first day of the new year on the water. I figure I have a better chance of the rest of the year going right compared to getting off on the wrong foot (hungover)! January is kinda a relaxing month to fish. Fishing is a little slower as a rule along with presentation. If you watch the water, usually, most everything is moving slower. So to look natural, slow your baits down and enjoy. I hope everyone has a great new year! May your bites be big and your fish be healthy!

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Sportsman’s DAYBOOK JANUARY 2019

Tides and Prime Times

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

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

T12

T4

T11

T10 T9

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

T8 T17

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

T15 T16

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

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

T13 T6

T7

T3 T2 T1

T5

T14

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

T18

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

T19

T20

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month.

PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.

T21

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

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

KEY T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

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

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

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

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

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

KEY T12 T13 T14 T15 T16 T17

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

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

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

KEY T18 T19 T20 T21 T22 T23

PLACE HIGH San Luis Pass -0.09 Freeport Harbor -0:44 Pass Cavallo 0:00 Aransas Pass -0:03 Padre Island (So. End) -0:24 Port Isabel +1:02

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

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

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

READING THE GRAPH

Moon Overhead

Fishing Score Graph

Moon Underfoot

Day’s Best Day’s 2nd Score Best Score

n

Best Day Overall

MOON PHASES

l = New Moon l = Full Moon = First Quarter º » = Last Quarter «= Good Day by Moon Phase 54

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JANUARY 2019

Tides and Prime Times MONDAY

31 FEET

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

6:25 AM 1:39 PM 6:14 PM 11:20 PM

TUESDAY

Jan 1

-0.21 ft.

0.84 ft.

0.66 ft.

0.90 ft.

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

7:08 AM 3:04 PM 8:06 PM 11:41 PM

-0.42 ft.

0.97 ft.

0.80 ft.

0.91 ft.

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

2

3

Low Tide: 7:47 AM -0.57 ft.

High Tide: 4:05 PM 1.06 ft.

Low Tide: 9:22 PM 0.88 ft.

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

12:01 AM 8:25 AM 4:53 PM 10:20 PM

FRIDAY

4«

0.92 ft.

-0.66 ft.

1.11 ft.

0.93 ft.

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

12:24 AM 9:02 AM 5:34 PM 10:55 PM

SATURDAY

5«

0.94 ft.

-0.70 ft.

1.11 ft.

0.95 ft.

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

12:52 AM 9:38 AM 6:09 PM 11:06 PM

SUNDAY

6l

0.96 ft.

-0.69 ft.

1.09 ft.

0.95 ft.

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

1:26 AM 10:13 AM 6:42 PM 11:06 PM

0.97 ft.

-0.66 ft.

1.05 ft.

0.92 ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

7:30 — 9:30 PM Sunrise: 7:12a Sunset: 5:29p Moonrise: 2:12a Moon Set: 1:52p

AM Minor: 12:33a AM Major: 6:45a PM Minor: 12:57p PM Major: 7:09p Moon Overhead: 8:04a Moon Underfoot: 8:28p

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6a

12p

6p

BEST TIME

8:30 — 10:30 AM Sunrise: 7:12a Sunset: 5:30p Moonrise: 3:10a Moon Set: 2:29p

AM Minor: 1:15a AM Major: 7:27a PM Minor: 1:39p PM Major: 7:51p

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

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

9:00 — 11:00 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:31p Moonrise: 4:07a Moon Set: 3:09p

AM Minor: 1:58a AM Major: 8:10a PM Minor: 2:22p PM Major: 8:34p

Moon Overhead: 9:40a Moon Underfoot: 10:04p

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

9:30 — 11:30 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:32p Moonrise: 5:03a Moon Set: 3:52p

AM Minor: 2:41a AM Major: 8:53a PM Minor: 3:06p PM Major: 9:18p

Moon Overhead: 10:29a Moon Underfoot: 10:54p

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

4:30 — 6:30 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:32p Moonrise: 5:58a Moon Set: 4:39p

AM Minor: 3:26a AM Major: 9:39a PM Minor: 3:51p PM Major: 10:04p Moon Overhead: 11:19a Moon Underfoot: 11:44p

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

5:00 — 7:00 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:33p Moonrise: 6:50a Moon Set: 5:28p

AM Minor: 4:14a AM Major: 10:27a PM Minor: 4:39p PM Major: 10:52p Moon Overhead: 12:09p Moon Underfoot: None

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

5:30 — 7:30 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:34p Moonrise: 7:38a Moon Set: 6:19p

AM Minor: 5:04a AM Major: 10:48a PM Minor: 5:28p PM Major: ----Moon Overhead: 12:58p Moon Underfoot: 12:34a

12/19/18 9:50 AM

Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MONDAY

7 FEET

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

2:02a 10:48a 7:13p 11:21p

TUESDAY

8

0.95ft.

-0.60ft.

1.01ft.

0.88ft.

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

2:38a 11:21a 7:44p 11:56p

0.92ft.

-0.52ft.

0.97ft.

0.82ft.

WEDNESDAY

9

High Tide: 3:11a Low Tide: 11:54a High Tide: 8:13p

0.86ft.

-0.41ft.

0.93ft.

THURSDAY

10

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

12:48a 3:46a 12:26p 8:40p

0.74ft.

0.77ft.

-0.27ft.

0.89ft.

FRIDAY

11

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

1:52a 4:40a 12:59p 9:04p

SATURDAY

12

0.64ft.

0.66ft.

-0.12ft.

0.84ft.

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

3:00a 6:51a 1:32p 9:24p

SUNDAY

13

0.51ft.

0.54ft.

0.05ft.

0.80ft.

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

3:50a 9:18a 2:10p 9:38p

0.34ft.

0.49ft.

0.24ft.

0.77ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

5:30 — 7:30 AM

AM Minor: 6:46a AM Major: 12:34a PM Minor: 7:09p PM Major: 12:58p

Moon Overhead: 1:47p Moon Underfoot: 1:23a

12p

6p

7:00 — 9:00 AM

AM Minor: 7:37a AM Major: 1:25a PM Minor: 7:59p PM Major: 1:48p

15

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

5:11a 1:03p 4:07p 9:49p

6a

-0.07ft.

0.69ft.

0.63ft.

0.79ft.

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

5:54a 2:19p 5:45p 9:52p

6p

12a

6a

-0.31ft.

0.86ft.

0.79ft.

0.84ft.

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

8:00 — 10:00 AM

AM Minor: 8:26a AM Major: 2:15a PM Minor: 8:48p PM Major: 2:37p

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

8:30 — 10:30 AM

12a

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:39p Moonrise: 11:55a Moon Set: None

AM Minor: 10:00a AM Major: 3:50a PM Minor: 10:21p PM Major: 4:11p

Moon Overhead: 4:45p Moon Underfoot: 4:24a

6p

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:38p Moonrise: 11:23a Moon Set: 11:36p

AM Minor: 9:14a AM Major: 3:04a PM Minor: 9:35p PM Major: 3:25p

12p

BEST TIME

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:38p Moonrise: 10:51a Moon Set: 10:44p

Moon Overhead: 4:02p Moon Underfoot: 3:41a

AM Minor: 10:45a AM Major: 4:35a PM Minor: 11:07p PM Major: 4:56p

Moon Overhead: 5:27p Moon Underfoot: 5:06a

Moon Overhead: 6:10p Moon Underfoot: 5:48a

MOON PHASES

Day’s Best Score

WEDNESDAY

16

12p

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:37p Moonrise: 10:18a Moon Set: 9:51p

Moon Overhead: 3:19p Moon Underfoot: 2:56a

TUESDAY

0.15ft.

0.55ft.

0.44ft.

0.76ft.

12a

BEST TIME

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

MONDAY

FEET

6a

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:36p Moonrise: 9:43a Moon Set: 8:59p

Moon Overhead: 2:34p Moon Underfoot: 2:10a

READING THE GRAPH

4:31a 11:22a 2:59p 9:46p

12a

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:35p Moonrise: 9:05a Moon Set: 8:05p

AM Minor: 5:55a AM Major: 11:39a PM Minor: 6:19p PM Major: 12:07p

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

6p

6:30 — 8:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:34p Moonrise: 8:24a Moon Set: 7:12p

14

12p

BEST TIME

Day’s 2nd Best Score

THURSDAY

17

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

n

6:40a 3:15p 7:30p 10:14p

-0.55ft.

1.02ft.

0.89ft.

0.91ft.

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

Best Day Overall

FRIDAY

18

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

7:27a 4:04p 8:38p 11:09p

SATURDAY

19

-0.78ft.

1.13ft.

0.96ft.

0.98ft.

Low Tide: 8:17a High Tide: 4:49p Low Tide: 9:20p

SUNDAY

20

-0.95ft.

1.20ft.

0.98ft.

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

12:19a 9:07a 5:32p 9:58p

1.03ft.

-1.06ft.

1.21ft.

0.96ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

6:00 — 8:00 PM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:40p Moonrise: 12:28p Moon Set: 12:30a

AM Minor: 11:29a AM Major: 5:18a PM Minor: 11:52p PM Major: 5:41p

Moon Overhead: 6:54p Moon Underfoot: 6:32a

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6a

6p

12:00 — 2:00 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:41p Moonrise: 1:04p Moon Set: 1:26a

AM Minor: ----AM Major: 6:02a PM Minor: 12:14p PM Major: 6:26p Moon Overhead: 7:42p Moon Underfoot: 7:17a

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12p

BEST TIME

2 0 1 9

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

AM Minor: 12:34a AM Major: 6:47a PM Minor: 12:59p PM Major: 7:12p

6p

12a

2:00 — 4:00 AM

6p

12a

3:00 — 5:00 AM

AM Minor: 2:09a AM Major: 8:24a PM Minor: 2:39p PM Major: 8:54p

Moon Overhead: 9:29p Moon Underfoot: 9:00a

F I S H

12p

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:43p Moonrise: 3:22p Moon Set: 4:32a

AM Minor: 1:20a AM Major: 7:34a PM Minor: 1:48p PM Major: 8:01p

T E X A S

6a

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:43p Moonrise: 2:30p Moon Set: 3:27a

Moon Overhead: 8:33p Moon Underfoot: 8:07a

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12p

BEST TIME

1:00 — 3:00 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:42p Moonrise: 1:44p Moon Set: 2:25a

6a

&

Moon Overhead: 10:28p Moon Underfoot: 9:58a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

4:00 — 6:00 AM Sunrise: 7:13a Sunset: 5:44p Moonrise: 4:22p Moon Set: 5:36a

AM Minor: 3:03a AM Major: 9:19a PM Minor: 3:34p PM Major: 9:50p

Moon Overhead: 11:31p Moon Underfoot: 10:59a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

5:00 — 7:00 AM Sunrise: 7:12a Sunset: 5:45p Moonrise: 5:28p Moon Set: 6:38a

AM Minor: 4:02a AM Major: 10:18a PM Minor: 4:33p PM Major: 10:49p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 12:02p

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12/19/18 9:50 AM

Sportsman’s DAYBOOK MONDAY

21 FEET

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

1:29a 9:57a 6:12p 10:41p

TUESDAY

22

1.06ft.

-1.09ft.

1.17ft.

0.88ft.

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

2:39a 10:47a 6:49p 11:30p

1.03ft.

-1.01ft.

1.10ft.

0.74ft.

WEDNESDAY

23

High Tide: 3:52a Low Tide: 11:37a High Tide: 7:24p

0.96ft.

-0.83ft.

1.01ft.

THURSDAY

24

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

12:27a 5:12a 12:27p 7:55p

0.56ft.

0.84ft.

-0.57ft.

0.91ft.

FRIDAY

25

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

1:30a 6:43a 1:17p 8:24p

SATURDAY

26

0.35ft.

0.71ft.

-0.26ft.

0.84ft.

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

2:38a 8:28a 2:10p 8:52p

SUNDAY

27

0.12ft.

0.61ft.

0.06ft.

0.78ft.

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

3:46a 10:25a 3:12p 9:17p

-0.11ft.

0.60ft.

0.36ft.

0.75ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

5:00 — 7:00 AM

AM Minor: 6:08a AM Major: ----PM Minor: 6:38p PM Major: 12:23p

Moon Overhead: 12:34a Moon Underfoot: 1:05p

12p

6p

29

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

5:49a 2:23p 7:31p 10:05p

6a

1:00 — 3:00 AM

AM Minor: 7:12a AM Major: 12:58a PM Minor: 7:41p PM Major: 1:26p

-0.47ft.

0.83ft.

0.72ft.

0.76ft.

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

6:42a 3:33p 9:08p 10:34p

6p

12a

6a

-0.59ft.

0.93ft.

0.77ft.

0.78ft.

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

2:00 — 4:00 AM

AM Minor: 8:14a AM Major: 2:01a PM Minor: 8:41p PM Major: 2:28p

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

3:00 — 5:00 AM

12a

Sunrise: 7:10a Sunset: 5:51p Moonrise: 12:05a Moon Set: 11:53a

AM Minor: 10:08a AM Major: 3:56a PM Minor: 10:33p PM Major: 4:20p

Moon Overhead: 4:23a Moon Underfoot: 4:48p

6p

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:10a Sunset: 5:50p Moonrise: None Moon Set: 11:16a

AM Minor: 9:13a AM Major: 3:00a PM Minor: 9:39p PM Major: 3:26p

12p

BEST TIME

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:11a Sunset: 5:49p Moonrise: 11:04p Moon Set: 10:39a

Moon Overhead: 3:31a Moon Underfoot: 3:57p

AM Minor: 10:59a AM Major: 4:47a PM Minor: 11:23p PM Major: 5:11p

Moon Overhead: 5:13a Moon Underfoot: 5:38p

Moon Overhead: 6:02a Moon Underfoot: 6:26p

MOON PHASES

Day’s Best Score

WEDNESDAY

30

12p

Sunrise: 7:11a Sunset: 5:49p Moonrise: 10:01p Moon Set: 10:00a

Moon Overhead: 2:35a Moon Underfoot: 3:04p

TUESDAY

-0.31ft.

0.69ft.

0.60ft.

0.75ft.

12a

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 7:11a Sunset: 5:48p Moonrise: 8:56p Moon Set: 9:17a

Moon Overhead: 1:36a Moon Underfoot: 2:06p

MONDAY

FEET

6a

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

READING THE GRAPH

4:50a 12:31p 4:59p 9:41p

12a

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 7:12a Sunset: 5:47p Moonrise: 7:47p Moon Set: 8:30a

AM Minor: 5:04a AM Major: 11:19a PM Minor: 5:35p PM Major: 11:51p

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

6p

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:12a Sunset: 5:46p Moonrise: 6:37p Moon Set: 7:37a

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12p

BEST TIME

Day’s 2nd Best Score

THURSDAY

31

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

n

7:30a 4:18p 9:56p 11:20p

-0.65ft.

0.98ft.

0.80ft.

0.81ft.

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

Best Day Overall

FRIDAY

Feb 1

Low Tide: 8:13a High Tide: 4:51p Low Tide: 10:13p

SATURDAY

2

-0.68ft.

0.98ft.

0.82ft.

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

12:16a 8:53a 5:16p 10:13p

SUNDAY

3

0.84ft.

-0.68ft.

0.96ft.

0.82ft.

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

1:09a 9:28a 5:38p 10:06p

0.87ft.

-0.65ft.

0.93ft.

0.78ft.

FEET

+3.0

+3.0

+2.0

+2.0

+1.0

+1.0 0

0

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

12:00 — 2:00 AM Sunrise: 7:09a Sunset: 5:52p Moonrise: 1:05a Moon Set: 12:30p

AM Minor: 11:47a AM Major: 5:35a PM Minor: ----PM Major: 5:59p

Moon Overhead: 6:50a Moon Underfoot: 7:14p

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6a

6p

8:30 — 10:30 AM Sunrise: 7:09a Sunset: 5:53p Moonrise: 2:03a Moon Set: 1:09p

AM Minor: 12:09a AM Major: 6:21a PM Minor: 12:33p PM Major: 6:45p Moon Overhead: 7:38a Moon Underfoot: 8:02p

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12p

BEST TIME

2 0 1 9

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

BEST TIME

9:30 — 11:30 AM Sunrise: 7:09a Sunset: 5:54p Moonrise: 2:59a Moon Set: 1:51p

AM Minor: 12:53a AM Major: 7:05a PM Minor: 1:17p PM Major: 7:29p

6p

12a

10:30A — 12:30P

6p

12a

11:30A — 1:30P

AM Minor: 2:21a AM Major: 8:33a PM Minor: 2:45p PM Major: 8:58p

Moon Overhead: 9:16a Moon Underfoot: 9:41p

F I S H

12p

Sunrise: 7:07a Sunset: 5:56p Moonrise: 4:47a Moon Set: 3:24p

AM Minor: 1:37a AM Major: 7:49a PM Minor: 2:01p PM Major: 8:14p

T E X A S

6a

BEST TIME

Sunrise: 7:08a Sunset: 5:55p Moonrise: 3:54a Moon Set: 2:36p

Moon Overhead: 8:27a Moon Underfoot: 8:51p

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12p

BEST TIME

&

Moon Overhead: 10:05a Moon Underfoot: 10:30p

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

12:00 — 2:00 PM Sunrise: 7:07a Sunset: 5:56p Moonrise: 5:36a Moon Set: 4:14p

AM Minor: 3:05a AM Major: 9:18a PM Minor: 3:30p PM Major: 9:42p

Moon Overhead: 10:55a Moon Underfoot: 11:19p

6a

12p

6p

12a

BEST TIME

8:00 — 10:00 AM Sunrise: 7:06a Sunset: 5:57p Moonrise: 6:22a Moon Set: 5:07p

AM Minor: 3:51a AM Major: 10:03a PM Minor: 4:15p PM Major: 10:27p Moon Overhead: 11:43a Moon Underfoot: None

G A M E ®

12/19/18 9:50 AM

L

OOKING AT THE STATE OF our wildlife and fisheries it is obvious a deep conservation ethic is alive and well throughout the Texas Outdoor Nation. Here’s a look at where things stand with major resources.

Specks, Reds and Flounder: The Big Three of the Texas Gulf Coast are faring very well at the moment.

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F I S H

Flounder have rebounded tremendously since strict regulations were put in place 10 years ago.

There are still ebbs and flows in the population due to water temperature conditions that impact spawning, but the future is bright for the southern flounder.

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12/13/18 4:06 PM

Special SECTION Trout are doing great as well.

More than half of the state is now on a five fish daily bag limit with the major concern over the last few years being recruitment of trout on the Middle Coast.

Numbers are steady and while no recent push has been made to take the Upper Coast into a five fish limit, it would not be a surprise for that to come in a few years.

Redfish are in tremendous shape with anglers in some areas having a hard time catching fish that are not over the slot limit. That’s a big change from a few decades ago when catching a legal-sized redfish was an accomplishment.

bass lakes like Fork have been on a decline but that is a natural lake cycle. It will be back to former glories just as lakes in the Hill Country that were dry are now full.

Lakes like Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend and Falcon dominate national bass rankings lists with many other lakes mentioned.

Panfish opportunities remain excellent and interest in catfish is on the rise. Lakes like Grapevine, Lewisville and others are producing some of the best catfish catches in recent history.

Whitetail Deer: Deer numbers are down at around 3.5 million in comparison to 15 years ago when they were over four million, but whitetail numbers are running strong.

We have to keep

Freshwater Fisheries: The freshwater fisheries of Texas have been strong for decades and remain strong.

Some In some areas anglers have a hard time catching redfish that are not OVER the slot limit.

in mind in key deer habitat in the Texas Hill Country much prime habitat is now developed.

Some of the best free-ranging deer are being taken in Northeast Texas and in the Panhandle.

Waterfowl: Goose numbers have been down in Texas for years due to heavy pressure and a lack of agriculture but the last few years have been decent shoots on the Upper Coast and in the Panhandle for snows and specklebellies.

Overall waterfowl habitat is solid in Texas and the success of our seasons has more to do with conditions along the Central Flyway than what is happening in Texas. Native wood duck populations are strong and scientists continue to monitor the mysterious native mottled duck.

Turkey: Texas has the highest turkey population in America with around 500,000 birds, most of those Rio Grandes.

There are some Merriam’s in the Trans Pecos and scattered populations of easterns in the Pineywoods.

The state has put a renewed interested on stocking eastern birds and are working on programs to enhance their habitat along with groups like the National Wild Turkey Federation.

• • • Conservation Calling THE VERY TITLE OF THIS PUBLIcation owes itself to the wild creatures of the Lone Star State. From speckled to whitetail deer and wild turkey to crappie, the entire community of hunting and fishing is based on wildlife resources.

And hunters and fishermen have been 60

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PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

12/13/18 4:06 PM

PHOTO: USFWS

Big bucks are growing all over the state but some of the biggest free-ranging specimens are in the northeast corner of the state and in the Panhandle.

great stewards of these resources, but many are concerned with declining youth participation there may be few to step up to the challenger of conservation in the future.

1901-Spec Section.indd 57

Inspiring Youth Finding a way to get young people to engage in fishing, hunting and other outdoors activities-especially in light of changing demographics and increasing

fixation on electronic media is something we all must contend with at some level.

“Since 1990, we have provided classroom subscription programs to teachers of a very special course taught in agriculture departments in Texas high schools.

The course—Wildlife, Fisheries, and Ecology Management—started with a bang, almost instantly becoming one of the most popular classes in Ag Science history. Thanks in part to the class also including the mandatory hunter safety certification, it also attracted thousands of non-ag students,” said TF&G Publisher Roy Neves “At first, teachers used Texas Fish & Game issues as a primary teaching source because they simply had no text books for the new class. As the program evolved, our issues continued to provide them with supplemental material and as a sure-fire

12/19/18 1:18 PM

Special SECTION method to engage student interest in special projects,” he added.

Neves said now that TF&G digital editions provide a wealth of features not possible in print—such as videos, slide shows and other interactive tools—its issues have become even more useful to teachers.

“An increasing number of schools now provide students with tablets or individual computer access. In the schools that don’t, almost every kid has a smart phone. This technology, and our long-standing partnership with teachers, gives us a powerful connection to tens of thousands of students.

This year, we will reach more than 40,000 students in 750 Texas high schools,” he said.

On top of that the digital platform has allowed the very thing that distracts many young people (electronic devices) to be used to inspire them about all things outdoors.

In addition, for the last five years TF&G has sent out a weekly e-newsletter to teachers in the program.

This newsletter contains links to pertinent wildlife and fisheries-based stories at fishgame.com along with a quiz, essay or class activity suggestion for each of those stories.

Teachers frequently use the material for extra credit and also use as a supplement to already planned lessons in the classroom. This impacts thousands of students weekly and gives free aid to teachers strapped for time and budgets for extra educational materials which tend to be quite costly.

“A big reason we do this is to reach the young people of Texas with a pro wildlife conservation message,” Neves said.

• • • Next Level Conservation Coverage TEXAS FISH & GAME’S CONSERvation coverage will run even deeper going into 2019.

TF&G Editor-In-Chief Chester Moore has won more than 100 awards in his career and many of them have been for conservation efforts-some of which have begun right on these pages.

His latest was the Mossy Oak Outdoors Legacy Award for work with children and wildlife in the field of con62

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12/13/18 4:06 PM

TF&G’s Bear Awareness poster.

servation presented at the Texas Outdoor Writer’s Association banquet.

“Me and my wife Lisa have dedicated our lives to working with hurting children and we believe no one understands hurting and endangered wildlife more than these kids. But to get to the place to understand this we have worked many years in wildlife conservation,” Moore said.

One of his favorite projects that is still ongoing was the bear awareness program he started at TF&G. “I approached Roy and Ardia Neves about the idea of doing an article on bear awareness in Texas since bears are coming back and are a threatened species here.

There is the chance of misidentifying them hogs and someone shooting a bear so they allowed me to do a cover story on bears coupled with multiple small stories that all contained an email address to request a .pdf poster about bear awareness,” Moore said.

“We’ve seen this out hundreds of times and it shows how to tell a bear from a hog and also gives the fine schedule for shooting a bear in Texas as well as bear PHOTO: TF&G

1901-Spec Section.indd 59

safety. That first article was done 10 years and people are still emailing in for the poster.

On top of that I went around to feed stories and gas stations in some of the key areas where bears have been sighted and put up printed versions of the poster and also reached out to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department about getting some brochures. We as a magazine wanted to do something lasting for bears and I think we have accomplished that,” Moore said.

The magazine has also published more articles about different aspects of wildlife and fisheries conservation than any according to Moore.

“Other than conservation specific

T E X A S

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publications like Tide, we have published more on conservation and continue that through fishgame.com. Awareness is key and the ownership at TF&G have shown great vision in getting the word out on wildlife conservation, not just publishing how to and adventure pieces which we all love,” he said.

A program similar to the bear project was done for mottled ducks to raise awareness to turning in bands and the magazine has partnered and donated to CCA’s STAR tournament scholarship program for decades.

“TF&G has really put its money where its mouth is when it comes to getting youth involved and making sure there are stewards for the now and tomorrow of wildlife,” Moore said.

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12/13/18 4:06 PM

Texas TASTED

by BRYAN SLAVEN :: The Texas Gourmet

Jalapeno Kiwi Glazed Ribs

Ingredients One rack of pork ribs, your choice of rib cut Rub- I recommend the Texas Gourmet’s Sweet Chipotle Season-All rub, but your favorite rub will work Baste – ¾ jar Texas Gourmet’s Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly 4 oz. Orange Juice 3 T. Olive Oil 2 T. Soy Sauce 1 Tsp black pepper 2 Cloves fresh garlic—minced Mix ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat at medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

B

ARBEQUE RIBS ARE A favorite in Texas and my award winning Jalapeno Kiwi glazed ribs are a crowd pleaser with a sweet with a bit of heat flavor. BBQ teams from The Houston Rodeo cook-off, and the Memphis in May, and all the way to the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City have used our Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly on their competition ribs. Pork ribs rule in this recipe. Either baby back or St. Louis style are preferred.

refrigerator for two to three hours or overnight to absorb the flavors of the rub.

Place ribs on smoker or grill with indirect heating for approx. 3 hours @ 250 to 275 degrees turning the ribs once every hour, then after the first 2 hours on the grill or pit start basting with the basting sauce every 30 minutes. Then wrap the ribs in pink butcher paper or heavy-duty foil and return to the smoker for 1½ hours more.

Remove from the smoker, and place on a platter, leaving the ribs covered for 15 to 20 minutes to rest the meat. Serve with your favorite sides.

Bon Appetit!

« Email Bryan Slaven at bryan@thetexasgourmet.com

Preparation

Rub down both sides of the rack of ribs with the rub. Cover with foil and place in

Mouth-watering, delicious Jalapeno Kiwi Glazed Ribs

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PHOTO: BRYAN SLAVEN

12/11/18 5:41 PM

Outdoor DIRECTORY Guides & Outfitters

::

::

Lodging

Destinations

::

Real Estate :: Gear

TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

LAKE AMISTAD

LAKE AMISTAD

LOWER TEXAS COAST

HUNTING SOUTH TEXAS

LAKE TEXOMA

TEXAS SALTWATER UPPER TEXAS COAST

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

DFW METROPLEX MID TEXAS COAST

2019 EDITION

LAKE LIVINGSTON

Enjoy the Outdoors!

WWW.FISHANDGAMEGEAR.COM T E X A S

1901 Outdoor Directory2.indd 61

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12/13/18 4:13 PM

WHITE BASS

REDFISH

Lake Livingston

Surfside

Kora Piper caught her first white bass while fishing with her grandfather, John Gastmyer, south of Pine Island on Lake Livingston.

Six-year-old Hunter Hoffman landed his first redfish while at Surfside.

He has fished freshwater, but is now hooked on the salt life and says he’s ready for the “big daddy.”

REDFISH Baffin Bay

SPECKLED TROUT

SPANISH MACKEREL

Sargent

Crystal Beach

Kristal Nunley caught this 24-1/2-inch speckled trout while fishing in the surf at Sargent. It was the biggest trout she’s ever caught.

Gavin Wise caught this Spanish mackerel while kayak fishing with his Papaw off Crystal Beach. It was Gavin’s first saltwater fish.

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Rusty Klasen caught this 42-inch redfish near Riviera on Baffin Bay.

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12/11/18 6:36 PM

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FLOUNDER SPECKLED TROUT

Laguna Madre

Laguna Madre

Rick Helvey caught this 5.9-pound flounder off a friend’s dock in the Land Cut of the Laguna Madre. He caught the flatfish while having coffee, with his cup in one hand and a rod in the other.

Doug Alford, 18, caught this 32-inch speck in a light rain on the Laguna Madre. Doug regrets not being entered in CCA’s S.T.A.R. tournament.

FERAL HOG Undisclosed Gary Lackey took two hogs in one night with a 358 “Yeti from MDWS suppressed with a Bowers Vers 458 and using a Pulsar Thermal Trail scope.

AMBERJACK Padre Island

BASS

Sean Allison speared this 45-inch greater amberjack at an oil platform in the Gulf off Padre Island.

Lake Murvaul Adam King caught this 8.14-pound on Lake Murvaul, using a Strike King 5XD crankbait in 10 feet of water. “She crushed it like it was her last meal.”

T E X A S

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