April 08, 2011 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

April 8, 2011

Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

April 8, 2011

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INSIDE: Texas Fishing Spring Annual

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

2011

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Volume 7, Issue 16

Homebodies

Inside

Largemouths will stay in same areas if conditions right

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

❘❚ HUNTING

Muley movements Research offers new ideas on mule deer patterns.

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Gobbler update Turkeys henned up in North Zone.

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13 deer euthanized TPWD kills deer after breeder admits to violations.

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❘❚ FISHING

Boomtime Profits flow on O.H. Ivie — for now.

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Crappie conundrum Boy, 6, loses fish, but wins record.

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❘❚ CONTENTS Classifieds . . . . . . . .

Crossword . . . . . . . .

Fishing Report . . . . . .

For the Table. . . . . . .

Game Warden Blotter . . .

Heroes. . . . . . . . . .

Outdoor Datebook . . . .

Outfitters and Businesses .

Products . . . . . . . . .

Sun, Moon and Tide data .

❘❚ LSONews.com

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BED FISHING: If anglers locate a productive bedding area and conditions stay the same from year to year, it is possible catch the same bass year after year. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Many stories surround mysterious Texas buck

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210

By Bill Miller

Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP

The biggest bass caught so far this year in Texas just happens to be the biggest bass caught in 2010.

The 16.07-pound Caddo Lake monster was reeled in this year by Sean Swank of De Berry, almost a year to the day from the last time, and in the same area.

State wildlife officials know it’s the same lunker because it was scanned for a PIT, or Passive Integrated Transponder tag, which confirmed it was the same fish caught last year by Keith Burns.

Coincidence? Or, do the back-to-back catches point to a territorial nature for largemouth bass?

“Definitely, maybe,” said Carl Kittel, hatchery program director at the A.E. Wood Hatchery in San Marcos. “We don’t have a lot of information on this, but the male bass sets up the bed and they tend to live in a small home range.”

Kittel said bass will stay within a 200-yard section of shoreline if conditions are consistent from year to year.

“If conditions change, they will move on looking for food,” he said. “The males set up the nest and may nest in the same place year after year. It can happen, but it is unlikely the female will go to the exact same nest year after year.”

Kittel said the hatchery spawns bass indoors, and he has been able to watch the process closely in a controlled environment.

“Bass will not spawn unless they are comfortable with their nest,” he said. “The male will chase other males away from his nest, but he does move around.

“Three days after (the spawning), we might see the male on another nest site. It’s more related to a home range rather than a nest.”

Largemouth bass are sequential spawners, meaning females will lay eggs up to four times each year and have different nest sites during a spawning season.

But, like the Caddo Lake fish indicates, females usually will stay in a general area year to year.

According to Larry Hodge, information specialist at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, six fish have been turned into TPWD’s ShareLunker program more than once.

“One fish from Alan Henry was caught and entered three years in a row,” Hodge said.

That fish from Lake Alan Henry was caught on April 18, 2007 when guide Phillip Pool caught a fish that had been entered into the program each of the two years prior and returned to the lake each time. Jimmy McMahon of Big Spring first caught it in April 2005, but it was hooked again a year later by Curtis Norrod of Lubbock.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS It may seem that there are as many names for this trophy Texas whitetail as there are points on his head, and stories too.

Since the 1890s, he has been called the Brady Buck, the McCulloch Buck, the Benson Buck and the 78-Point Buck.

But whichever gets ascribed to him depends on which See MYSTERIOUS, Page 16

LEGEND: Confusion has long surrounded this non-typical white-tailed buck, which surfaced in the late 1800s near Brady in McCulloch County. A full-body replica mount will be displayed at the new Cabela’s store, which opens April 14 in Allen. Photo by Bill Miller, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Stow the waders: Bays warm enough for wet wading

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS The red drum hit hard and the braided line on angler Kyle Tomek’s reel reached the end of its spool.

Tomek joined friends Saturday, April 2 on the south shoreline of San

Antonio Bay south of Port O’Connor.

They were wade fishing for speckled trout, but there were some reds in the mix; the one that bit Tomek’s Corky junior was up for a fight.

Being at the end of his spool, Tomek needed a Plan B. “I had to take off running,” he said

with a laugh. “Fortunately I had a good knot on it and it didn’t pop off.

“It was about 26 inches — a heavy fish. It fought pretty good, and, fortunately, it didn’t take a longer run than it did.”

See BAYS WARM, Page 20

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HUNTING

Turkeys henned up in North Zone

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS More than 50 turkeys, roosting in cottonwood trees, sounded off at first light in the small creek bottom near the Panhandle community of Stinnett.

Ten-year-old Wiley Gillam was crouched at the base of a tree with his dad, Braxton.

It didn’t take long for the action to heat up as the pair had several subdominant toms and a wad of jakes creep up to their decoys.

By noon, both father and son had connected on mature birds.

“The boss toms were henned up pretty bad early in the morning,” Braxton Gillam said. “But we called several birds in early and then hunted groups of toms later in the morning after the hens had broken off to nest.

“There are a lot of turkeys in these creek bottoms.”

Lots of jakes were roaming the bottoms as well, which bodes well for the future.

But, unless the area receives significant rain in the coming weeks, this year’s hatch won’t be good.

The temperatures reached 90 degrees opening day of the North Zone spring turkey season, making hunters and birds lethargic by midafternoon.

A Lone Star Outdoors News staff member hunted with the Gillams opening weekend and connected on a nice bird.

The tom was shot at 11 a.m., after the group of gobblers broke away from hens, making them susceptible to calling.

In parts of the South Zone, the birds have been hunted for a few weeks now and gobblers are showing signs of having to search for hens, giving hunters opportunities on birds that have not yet been pressured.

Jefferson County hunter Chris Swift hunted in the Hill Country around Fredericksburg and reported lots of gobbling in the morning and afternoon.

“We killed birds later in the morning and didn’t shoot any birds that were with hens,” he said. “The birds came in to the strutting decoy and beat it up pretty bad. We killed three birds.”

Swift then moved to San Saba for another hunt and said the area was much drier than the lower Hill Country.

“It was jake city,” he said. “There was some gobbling but no mature birds.”

Dave Deveny hunted a ranch near Hondo and said it was tough sledding.

“It’s extremely dry right now and nothing came easy,” Deveny said.

“We got on a few birds, but they were mostly jakes. They responded to the calls, but wouldn’t come to the calls.

I think it will pick up eventually, but the birds weren’t doing what they normally do this time of year.”

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON: Wiley Gillam, 10, and his dad, Braxton, admire one of the birds Wiley shot opening weekend near Stinnett. The pair connected on three birds during the twoday hunt. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON.

Muleys on the move Research shedding light on mule deer movements in West Texas surface of the data,” Harveson said. “We are seeing some really interesting data on movement patterns.”

Harveson and his team used collars that pinpointed a buck’s location every five HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: Mule deer research has shown some bucks have a home range of up to 50,000 acres, making finding a single buck to hunt hours for several years, giving researchers a extremely difficult. Photo by Dr. Louis Harveson, Sul Ross State University. detailed map of their movements.

By Conor Harrison “We don’t know a lot about these deer,” he LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS said. “These collars mapped 1,800-plus locaSix years ago, a research team led by Dr. tions each year. Some of the data shows some Louis Harveson of Sul Ross State University, bucks’ home ranges are ridiculously large — began collaring mature mule deer bucks in more than 50,000 acres for some deer. the Trans-Pecos region of Texas to study the “The take-home message so far is you have effects of supplemental feeding, movement to have tremendous amounts of property to patterns and horn growth. manage this resource without the help of More than 45 collared bucks later, the data your neighbors.” is starting to roll in, and preliminary results Harveson said ranchers hoping to breed might surprise hunters. mule deer for trophy hunting on small “We are really just starting to scratch the ranches with low fences are probably wast-

ing their time because of the immense home range of mature bucks.

“If you have a small, low-fenced ranch, what is the point?” he said. “We found some of these bucks traveled 10 miles during hunting season from where they were during the other 10 months each year.”

Harveson also studied the effects of supplemental feeding in relation to mule deer movements. He wanted to know if a land owner is feeding deer, would it pull deer from surrounding properties onto the ranch providing supplemental feed?

He said the study group had access to two ranches next door to each other; one ranch provided supplemental feed and the other did not.

“In West Texas, not a lot of ranches provide supplemental feed,” he said. “Just by our observations, the deer were using the supplemental feeding stations, but we haven’t really dug very deeply into that. During the rut, the bucks really weren’t interested in it.”

Harveson said one thing supplemental feeding did seem to help was fawn recruitment.

Ranch owner Dan Allen Hughes Jr. has

Water for wildlife Federal programs help landowners protect resources

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS As drought tightens its grip on Texas — a bad sign for wildlife — property owners can take steps to

enhance water storage.

And the U.S. government can help.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has two programs that can make payments to people who install wild-

life “guzzlers” on their lands.

They are the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

The NRCS, an agency of the U.S.

provided deer on his ranch with supplemental feed for the past eight years, and has seen a higher number of fawns survive.

“The fawn crop has increased dramatically,” Hughes said. “We’ve seen survivability upwards of 80 percent.”

Hughes said the feeding was aimed at helping deer survive and not aimed at growing bigger bucks.

“We aren’t feeding necessarily to see bigger antlers,” he said. “We are feeding to help keep deer alive through times of drought.

That also helps more bucks reach maturity.”

One thing the research team did learn is that West Texas can produce some giant mule deer.

“There are some beautiful deer out there in West Texas,” Harveson said. “What we wanted to do is look at individual bucks each year. Some were junk bucks that stayed junk, and some got really big.

“In whitetails, a buck usually grows his biggest antlers at 6.5 years old. From harvest data with TPWD and our research, we found mule deer produce their biggest set at 7.5 or 8.5 years old.”

One dealer is Outback Wildlife Department of Agriculture, helps landowners conserve and protect Feeders of Gilmer.

Its Wildlife Guzzler Water Station natural resources, especially soil has been upgraded to meet NRCS and water.

WHIP and EQIP have been preferences, said owner Rick Meritt.

“You had to submit your design around for years, but funds for guzto them for approval, but they only zlers are relatively new.

“We have always heard about asked for a couple minor things,” them, but they were kind of like Meritt said. “It had to be able to water all wildlife, not just deer, mythical beings,” said and not just quail, but Mark Habiger of the they didn’t want any NRCS in Temple. “Now hogs to get at it.” we have enough repu■ Drought Expected to table dealers of these “persist or worsen.”

See WATER, Page 7 products.”

See Page 21

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TPWD euthanizes 13 breeder deer State wildlife officials on April 5 killed 13 deer at an East Texas breeding farm because the owner could not prove the animals came from a state free of dangerous disease.

Billy Powell, owner of 5 P Farms near Jacksonville in Cherokee County, confirmed that he brought a lot of deer across state lines — a violation of federal law.

Powell said during a telephone interview that he knew the transporting of the deer was illegal.

He said that state and federal authorities have been investigating him for about a year.

“I done wrong, and I’m paying a big fine to the feds and the state,” Powell said. “But my deer didn’t do anything wrong. There is no reason to kill them.”

Powell said he had 300 deer on the 1,000-acre breeding operation, which he has operated for about 15 years.

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

He said that he expected all the deer will be euthanized in phases, but TPWD spokesman Steve Lightfoot said officials would prefer to avoid that.

Lightfoot explained that only 13 deer would be killed at the outset. The rest of the herd would be checked for identifiers like ear tags, tattoos or hair follicles.

If the herd inventory matches records on file with the state, the deer ought to be OK, unless tests show that the 13 euthanized deer were diseased.

Lightfoot said six game wardens were standing watch while about a dozen biologists were running deer through a working facility with squeeze shoots, similar to a cattle branding operation.

Test results will also determine whether or not deer purchased from Powell should be euthanized.

The state euthanizes breeder deer when the owners can’t prove they came from states free of ailments like chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis.

Such was the case last December when TPWD biologists killed about 70 deer on the Anderton farm near Quinlan in Hunt County.

That operation drew intense criticism from deer breeders in Texas, who said euthanizing those deer was unnecessary.

Since then, TPWD revised its protocol, with input from the breeders. The new protocol was being used in Cherokee County, Lightfoot said.

For example, biologists shooting small-caliber rifles killed the Anderton deer, but the 5 P deer would be killed with drugs used to euthanize pets.

Powell will be billed for the costs, including the veterinary drugs and travel expenses for the TPWD officials, Lightfoot said.

Lone Star Outdoor News asked to observe the Cherokee County operation, but TPWD officials declined, citing an ongoing federal investigation of the operation.

— Bill Miller

April 8, 2011

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‘Dominant eye’ might surprise even veteran hunters, shooters

By Ralph Winingham Old Deadeye Henry was known far and wide as the man to beat in the hunting fields and on clay target ranges — until he turned 50 and could not seem to hit a target on a bet.

What he learned after a lesson with a shooting instructor was both surprising and informative. Like some veteran shooters who experience a vision shift and many beginners who have never shot before, Henry was trying to shoot right-handed when he was left-eye dominant.

“Determining eye dominance is essential before anyone can try to improve their shooting technique,’’ said Robert Crow, director of the National Sporting Clays Association and a Level II NSCA shooting instructor.

“If you are to maintain your basic hand-to-eye coordination, you must focus your dominant eye on the target and not on the shotgun,’’ he said.

“It is particularly important to determine the dominant eye with beginners so they can practice doing everything right,’’ Crow said. “It is also possible that a person’s vision can change (one eye becoming stronger than the other) as they get older — that can be very disturbing.

“You might do great shooting one year and then go out the next and not be able to hit anything.

Having your vision checked regularly is very important.’’

Because shotgun shooting normally involves a moving target, being able to determine and utilize your dominant eye is essential in putting a charge of pellets in the right place at the right time.

The dominant eye, typically the right eye for right-handed shoot-

“I also recommend trying the thumb method to determine eye dominance,’’ Crow said, explaining that he advises the shooter to place his firearm in a gun rack, step back a few paces and then hold up a thumb to cover up the view of the firearm.

“By closing one eye at a time, you will either cover up the shotgun (with the dominant eye) or you will be able to see the shotgun (with the non-dominant eye).

Either of these methods will give you a good idea of which is your dominant eye,’’ he said.

Crow also pointed out that shooting a shotgun with both eyes open is necessary to provide the shooter with good peripheral vision and depth perception — both vital in determining proper lead on a moving target.

Gary Greenway, chief instructor for the NSCA, said he has encountered cross-eye dominance with more youngsters and women than with experienced shooters, but correcting the target picture problem is necessary for anyone WHICH EYE? Sighting through the gap formed by placing interested in improvyour two hands together and then drawing your hands to your face, as demonstrated by Catherine Cook of San Aning their percentage tonio, is a good way to determine which eye is dominant. of broken targets or Photos by Ralph Winingham, for LSON. downed birds.

“Everything lines up better if you really thumbs, then slowly bring your hands toward your face maintain- see what you are looking at, and it ing the object in the center of the makes it easier for the brain to sort out the information to help you open space between your hands.

As you get closer to your face, make the shot,’’ Greenway said.

“I’m a simple guy and it just your hands will move toward your dominant eye in keeping the works better for me if things are not complicated,’’ he added. object centered. blink his left eye just before pulling the trigger to fire the shotgun.

Blinking forces the right eye aligned with the barrel to maintain a proper target-hitting sight alignment.

The method is just the opposite when a left-handed shooter has a dominant right eye. In both cases, if the shooter is not looking down the barrel when the shot is touched off, the pellets will be to the left or right of where he wants to shoot.

One way to determine eye dominance is to hold your arms straight out in front of you and place your hands together to form a circle or triangle between your fingers and thumbs. Center an object in the space between your fingers and

FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

DOMINANT: With one target smashed and another facing the same fate, this shooter uses his dominant right eye to keep his shotgun in the right place at the right time to break clays.

ers and the left-eye for left-handed shooters, is the individual’s strongest focus mechanism. Successful shotgun shooting requires that the shooter focus on the target, not the bead on the barrel, to determine where to intercept a bird or clay.

Like passing a football to a receiver, you must throw to where the receiver will be, not to where he is at the time you release the ball.

The dominant eye determines this “sight picture.” When the barrel of the shotgun is not aligned with the sighting eye, chances are

the target will be missed.

Correcting cross-eye dominance, such as when a righthanded shooter has a dominant left eye, takes a little time and a lot of practice. Changing a righthanded shooter to a left-handed shooter, or the other way around, is one method used for beginning shooters who have not established their shooting method.

If the shooter is not able or does not want to switch the way the shotgun is held, Crow said he recommends the “blink method” in which a right-handed shooter will

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Craig Boddington recovering after heart attack Well-known outdoor writer and friend of many Texas hunters, Craig Boddington is recovering at his California home after suffering a major heart attack while hunting in Uganda several weeks ago.

Boddington is a life member of the Dallas Safari Club.

He stated on his Facebook page that he was released from the hospital and is getting better by the day, although he won’t be able to travel for at least six weeks.

Craig’s wife, Donna, stated earlier that he suffered a blood clot and heart attack while hunting and was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary infection in a hospital in Kampala. Doctors there told him he wasn’t in any imminent danger.

“In fact, he had a major heart attack,” Donna said.

Still unsure of the true extent of the damage, Craig changed tickets to take an earlier flight out of Uganda through Gracy Travel International in San Antonio, a firm that Donna called “extraordinary.”

He arrived back in the states around 5 p.m. on March 21, when Donna knew something was very wrong and took him to the hospital.

He was immediately taken to an ICU unit, where he remained for more than a week.

“He’s actually doing really well and is expected to make a full recovery,” Donna said several days after he arrived home. “He’s not in any danger now and it’s a miracle he didn’t die because of the blood clot.”

— Staff report

Anthrax case confirmed in Hill County The first case of potentially fatal anthrax in Texas for 2011 has been detected on a ranch in Hill County near Whitney.

Anthrax is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, which is a naturally occurring organism across the globe, including Texas.

Anthrax commonly infects animals that ingest or inhale its spores while grazing. Eating these animals can infect predators.

The disease is almost always fatal in deer and livestock.

Depending on how it’s ingested, anthrax can infect skins (lesions), lungs (respiratory problems) or intestines (vomiting and nausea).

The Texas Animal Health Commission has quarantined property near Whitney after one cow tested positive for the disease.

“It is possible that the dry conditions that much of Texas is enduring may have caused the first case of the year to be found earlier than

normal, and, or, in a somewhat unusual location,” said Dr. Dee Ellis, TAHC executive director.

Anthrax tends to be diagnosed in Texas livestock and wildlife that live in the southwest part of the state.

In recent years, cases have been primarily confined to a triangular area bounded by the towns of Uvalde, Ozona and Eagle Pass.

The spores can be produced in a lab and used as a biological weapon. In humans, anthrax is treatable at early stages with antibiotics, but it can be fatal if it is not treated.

Ellis said TAHC would be watching for other cases across the state.

“In the meantime,” Ellis said, “producers should consult with their veterinary practitioner or local TAHC office about the disease in general, and whether vaccination needs to be considered for their animals,” Dr. Ellis added.

If an animal dies from the disease and isn’t properly disposed of by burning, the bacteria can spill out into the soil and remain dormant for long periods of time.

—TAHC report

Water Continued From Page 4

The result is a 500-gallon metal barrel with an inverted funnel on top that is designed to help collect more rainfall and natural condensation.

“The good thing about these is there is no assembly to them — they’re portable,” Meritt said. “Of course when it doesn’t rain, it doesn’t catch any water, but a rancher can run out there with a water truck and fill it up.”

At 814 pounds, the Outback guzzler can be carried by helicopter to remote areas for desert sheep and pronghorn antelope, Meritt said.

Each unit costs $1,975, but NRCS GUZZLER: This “guzzler” by Outback Wildlife Feeders of Gilmer catches rainwater will pay $840 to peo- for deer, quail and other animals. The Natural Resources Conservation Service ple who buy them if will pay $840 to landowners who install this device through its EQIP and WHIP their lands meet crite- programs. Photo by Outback Wildlife Feeders. ria for WHIP or EQIP, Habiger said. they qualify.

For example, applicants must have control The agents can also help people with a myrof the land. iad of other NRCS programs that provide techIf they don’t own but lease the land, their nical assistance for brush clearing, wildlife corleases must be for at least five years, said Habiger, ridor development, forages and food plots. who administers NRCS programs in Texas.

It’s a competitive process, Habiger said, In addition, the land has to produce at least because NRCS funds in Texas are limited to $1,000 of an agricultural commodity. $64 million for EQIP and $6 million for WHIP. Also, the adjusted gross income of an appliBut, he added, people who aren’t approved cant can’t exceed $1 million unless 67 percent right away should keep applying. of that is derived from “on-farm” sources.

WHIP and EQIP were reauthorized in the “This is strictly an agriculture program,” 2008 Farm Bill, which ends in 2012, but Habiger said, but wildlife operations like Habiger said he expects this commitment to wildlife will be around long after that. hunting leases do qualify.

“I don’t see it going away,” he said. “It’s not Habiger urged anyone interested in the programs to contact the NRCS agents in their an entitlement program. It’s a conservation counties who can help them determine if payment.”

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FISHING

Lunker-fueled profits flow — for now — on O.H. Ivie

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Jerry Hunter understands boom-and-bust business cycles.

But fortunately for him, and everyone else trying to make a living on O.H. Ivie Reservoir, it’s boomtime.

Hunter operates Elm Creek Village on the east side of Ivie, which spans Concho, Coleman and Runnels counties. His business offers a marina, motel, RV spots, a bait shop, convenience store and short-order grill.

“It’s basically a fishing camp,” Hunter said of the business that opened in 1991, one year after the lake was impounded from the Concho and Colorado rivers.

But to fish on Ivie is to fish for trophies.

Five largemouth bass bigger than 13 pounds have been pulled from the lake this year, even while it’s 28 feet below conservation level.

Some count six recent lunkers, including the 14-pounder boated by Bobbie Gayle of Millersview in December.

The year 2010 is the one to beat on Ivie.

It yielded 11 other 13-plus-pound lunkers last year, including one at 16.08 pounds and two more at 14 pounds and change, and seven of those were caught in April.

The lake was stocked with Florida strain largemouths in the early 1990s and again at the end of the decade.

“We had some great spawns,” said Lynn Owens, owner of Big O’s Barbecue Restaurant in Valera, northeast of the lake. “And that’s what we’re seeing now.

“All the guides are staying booked.”

Hunter said, “It definitely has brought a lot of business in. We’re seeing a lot of guys from Tennessee, Kansas, Kentucky — places we normally don’t see people from.”

Owens added that he recently served two anglers from Canada.

“They were some happy campers,” he said, “just tickled to death with the fish they were catching.”

But with every boom there is a bust, and Hunter said that might be next year or 2013 because of low water levels.

On April 1, the lake was only 30 percent full, according to data kept by the Texas Water Development Board.

“I think it’s going to peak this year,” Hunter said.

“I just think that’s the way lakes run.

BOOMTIME: Jerry Hunter of Elm Creek Village slings breakfast for anglers before they launch from his “If we got a big rain and it put 15 to 20 feet of marina on O.H. Ivie Reservoir. Photo by Jason Hook, for Lone Star Outdoor News. water back in and covered our brush, the fish could get up there and spawn and the hatchlings could get Hunter said he had only been on the lake a few times this year, but up there and hide.

“If that happens, I think it could just explode. But if that don’t hap- in January he caught a 12.51-pounder on a Lucky Craft Pointer in 10 feet of water that was about 55 degrees. pen, we could be in trouble.”

“If you got one of these places,” he said, “and you got time to go But while business is good, there’s hardly any time for a local busifishing, you got a problem.” nessman to fish.

Hardheads the plague of the bay for some anglers

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Ingleside Capt. Dan Kelly was frustrated.

He was on the water to catch one of the big black drum he knew were on the bottom.

The problem was he couldn’t keep the cracked-crab bait on the bottom long enough to entice a drum.

The hardhead catfish and other “trash” fish were picking the crabs clean before the drum could find them.

A change of tactics was called for, and Kelly quickly adjusted how he was baiting the hooks.

Instead of taking the top of the crab’s shell off, he left it intact — just breaking off the pointed ends to make it more enticing for a drum.

The simple change worked. Ten minutes later, his client had hooked into a 50-pound drum. Thirty minutes later the two were admiring the fish in the boat before releasing it back into the deep.

Hardheads, grunts and other small fish have annoyed live- and dead-bait fishermen for years by being masters See HARDHEADS, Page 14

Huge crappie lost Record prevails after mishap on trip home

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS It’s a father’s nightmare.

A son catches a record-sized fish and, on the way home, the ice chest containing it falls out of the back of the truck, never to be seen again.

Cue the devastated son.

This story is true, but it actually didn’t end badly.

Trey Loftin, a state district judge in Parker County, was fishing with his 6-year-old son, Jurrian, on a friend’s private 40-acre lake in Montague County.

“We finished the week early and went fishing,” Loftin said.

Loftin was having a good day on the water, even catching a personal best largemouth bass, before a sheriff’s deputy called to ask for the judge’s signature on a warrant.

“We were practicing casting from the bank and Jurrian caught two or three small bass,” he said. “I caught the largest bass I’ve ever caught and I was excited. About that time, the (deputy) called and said he needed a warrant signed.”

Loftin told his son to make a few more casts, then Jurrian’s pole nearly bent in half with a huge crappie.

“He was using a crappy old Zebco reel and the cast he caught the big crappie on probably went 30 feet,” he said. “It was a pretty white crappie, but it was still smaller than my bass.”

Having to meet the deputy somewhere to sign the warrant, Loftin headed for a local sporting goods store to have his bass weighed, since he thought it might be over 10 pounds.

“We put it on the scale and it weighed 6 pounds,” he said. “It had a giant head but no belly on it. I opened the cooler to put the bass back in it and the store owner about had a heart attack when he saw my son’s crappie.

“He said he’d never seen a crappie that big in his life.”

The crappie tipped the scales at 2 pounds, 14 ounces. “(The store owner) told us we might have a new state record,” Loftin said. “I was excited and Jurrian was on cloud nine. I started calling people telling them my son might have caught

a record crappie.”

Instead of one deputy meeting them, four or five showed up to see the fish.

“When we got home, the tailgate was down and the cooler, tackle and fish were gone,” Loftin said. “My son started to cry and I drove back down Highway 51 looking for the cooler, but everything was gone.

Loftin was doing research on the Internet later that evening when he learned his son’s crappie fell short of the state record.

It did, however, qualify for the private water body state junior record — eclipsing the RECORD FISH LOST: Jurrian Loftin shows the nearly 3-pound crappie old record of 2.02 pounds by (far right) he caught while fishing with his dad. The big fish was lost more than half a pound.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife when the cooler fell out of the back of the truck. Photo by Trey Loftin.

Department official has said that research was worth the effort for his son. the crappie will be confirmed with “I was heartbroken,” the judge said. “I was a picture, the weight reading from a certified looking for an award for my son and some scale and a witness.

Loftin said he was relieved that his extra way to save my butt.”

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High school fishing programs grow What began as a fishing club at Smithson Valley High School in Spring Branch has become a federation of more than 2,000 middle and high school anglers across the state, fishing in monthly tournaments.

The Federation of Student Anglers will begin its 2011 season this month in South Texas and next month in North Texas, according to Director Brad Newman of Bulverde.

“We try and keep our tournaments small to give the kids a better chance of winning,” he said. “Most high school tournaments will have between 60 and FISHING CLASS: Lane Imken, 12, member of the 80 kids, and the middle school tournaments will Pflugerville Middle School “Panther Pfishing have a few more than that.”

Team” of the Heart of Texas Chapter of the New chapters are forming across the state — the Federation of Student Anglers, caught these most recent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Lake white bass in March at Lake Georgetown. Photo Ray Hubbard.

“We are in most of the big cities in Texas and now we by Brenda Imken. are just trying to fill in the gaps,” Newman said. “We also have online tournaments each month.”

Newman said members receive a hand signal each month, so when they catch a fish, they take a picture with the new hand signal and post it online to be eligible in the tournaments.

For more information, contact Newman at info@fishingstudents.com.

—Staff report

CCA Texas announces new artificial reef off Port Mansfield An artificial reef made of 4,000 concrete culverts is slated for construction this summer off Port Mansfield, CCA Texas announced.

CCA’s Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow announced plans on April 4 to build the reef in a designated 160-acre site off Port Mansfield this summer.

The project, set to begin in June 2011, has been funded with $50,000 from the CCA Texas Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow program and is being done in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Artificial Reef Program and Alamo Concrete.

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

—Staff report

Crab Trap Removal Marks 10th Anniversary It’s hard to imagine a pile of crusty old derelict crab traps stretching over 29,000 traps high, but that is where the tally stands after this past February marked the 10th anniversary of the Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program.

After 10 years, the annual cleanup still has an enthusiastic set of volunteers who are not afraid to get wet and muddy removing what they see as a form of marine debris that doubles as both an eye sore and dangerous killer of aquatic life.

Each February since 2002, a small army of volunteers has descended on the coast to remove derelict crab traps. In year one, more than 8,000 traps were removed, but in subsequent years, less and less traps were located. This year yielded 1,491 traps removed, the second fewest since the program began.

Nevertheless, the same old stories continue to filter in about the “ghost fishing” effect of these traps. One volunteer removing traps near the mouth of the Guadalupe River reported 25 live sheepshead in a single trap. Another Galveston Bay volunteer documented the remains of a diamond-backed terrapin.

—Staff report

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TEXAS FISHING REPORT Sponsored by

HOT BITES LARGEMOUTH BASS

AMISTAD: Good on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft plastics and jerkbaits.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Good on watermelon and pumpkinseed soft plastic worms, centipedes, lizards and topwaters.

RAY ROBERTS: Excellent on white spinnerbaits and wacky-rigged Senkos around shallow cover in spawning coves.

TAWAKONI: Excellent on shallow-running crankbaits and Baby Brush Hogs.

TOLEDO BEND: Excellent on 1/8 oz.

Texas-rigged watermelon red and green pumpkin flukes, and blue/ chrome/orange Rogues.

WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER

BRAUNIG: Striped bass are good on liver and shad at Dead Tree Point and near the pier. Redfish are slow.

BUCHANAN: Striped bass are good trolling striper jigs and crankbaits, and drifting live bait near Paradise Point in 20–30 feet.

COLEMAN: Hybrid striper are good on chartreuse striper jigs.

LIVINGSTON: White bass are good on slabs, pet spoons and troll tubes.

CATFISH

BELTON: Channel and blue catfish are good on hot dogs and summer sausage. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch and shad.

FALCON: Channel and blue catfish are excellent on shrimp and shad.

TAWAKONI: Excellent in 3–6 feet on cut bait and fresh shad.

CRAPPIE ATHENS: Good on jigs and minnows — moving shallow.

SOMERVILLE: Excellent on minnows and on blue tube jigs.

TOLEDO BEND: Excellent on shiners and 1/16 oz. blue/white and black/ chartreuse Roadrunners in 2–8 feet.

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 59–67 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, drop-shot rigs and shallow-running crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair to good on prepared and cut bait.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 59–64 degrees; 0.29’ high. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft plastics and jerkbaits. Striped bass are fair on crankbaits, jigging spoons, live minnows and Red Fins. White bass are fair on crankbaits, jigging spoons and live minnows. Crappie are fair on minnows in Devil’s River around big trees. Catfish are good on cheesebait, shrimp, and nightcrawlers over baited holes in 30–60 feet. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines, throwlines and droplines baited with live perch.

ATHENS: Water lightly stained, 62–69 degrees; 0.8’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, jigs and Bandit 100 crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows — moving shallow. Catfish are good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.

white striper jigs and jigging Pirk Minnows and Spoiler Shads. White bass are fair jigging Pirk Minnows and Blade Baits along the main river channel in 30 feet.

Smallmouth bass are good on smoke/ red flake tubes and watermelon curl tail grubs over rock piles in 12–25 feet.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water clear; 68–71 degrees; 0.11’ high. Largemouth bass to 10 pounds are good on watermelon and pumpkinseed soft plastic worms, centipedes, lizards and topwaters. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with perch and cut shad.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 62–69 degrees; 2.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on medium-running shad pattern crankbaits, Texas rigs and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 61–68 degrees; 0.27’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, Lateral Perch and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

Bream are fair to good on red wigglers.

HOT SPOT

BOB SANDLIN: Water stained; 63–69 degrees; 2.7’ low Largemouth bass are fair to good on flukes, Texas rigs, jigs and spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on live minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs and Little Georges. Catfish are fair to good on trotlines or juglines with Redneck’s Catfish Bait Soap.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits and dark soft plastic worms in the reeds and near the jetty and dam. Striped bass are good on liver and shad at Dead Tree Point and near the pier. Redfish are slow. Channel catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, cheesebait, and cut bait near the dam and the discharge. Blue catfish are good on cut bait in 15–20 feet.

BRIDGEPORT: Water fairly clear; 62–68 degrees; 4.24’ low; Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits, Texas rigs and red Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are fair to good on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on live bait. Channel catfish are good on cut and prepared bait on shallow flats.

BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 10.15’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on dark red and black/blue spinnerbaits and jigs, and on perch-colored crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps along the shorelines. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and shad crankbaits. Crappie are fair on Li’l Fishies and green tube jigs over brush piles.

BUCHANAN: Water clear; 64–66 degrees; 10.81’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on JDC RocKraw trailers, hard jerkbaits, pumpkin JDC Craws, and chartreuse Whacky Sticks on jigheads along ledges in 10–20 feet. Striped bass are good trolling striper jigs and crankbaits, and drifting live bait near Paradise Point in 20–30 feet.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on dark soft plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits in reed beds and near the dam. Striped bass are good on spoons and jigs near the dam and the crappie wall in 15–20 feet. Channel and blue catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, and cheesebait near the railroad trestle.

CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 63–66 degrees; 2.21’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on drop-shot worms, jerkbaits, brown Curb’s hair jigs, and Scoundrel worms on shaky jigheads along ledges in 12–20 feet. Striped bass are fair to good trolling

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water stained; 62–69 degrees; 1.51’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, split–shotrigged flukes and jerkbaits. Crappie are good on live minnows, jigs and Road Runners fished shallow. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Striped bass are fair on live shad and striper jigs. Catfish are fair to good on cut shad and live bait.

RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 62–69 degrees; 2.87’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, jigs and red Rat–L–Traps.

Crappie are fair on minnows and Road Runners with movement towards the creeks. White bass are fair on slabs.

Catfish are good under cormorant roosts on prepared baits.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 60–66 degrees; 1.52’ low. Largemouth bass are excellent on white spinnerbaits and wacky-rigged Senkos around shallow cover in spawning coves. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around timber in 2–5 feet. White bass are good on slabs under birds in the mouths of the northeast creeks. Catfish are good over baited holes.

BASTROP: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastics, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows over brush piles.

Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp and minnows.

BELTON: Water stained; 64–68 degrees; 3.24’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green topwaters. Hybrid striper are slow.

White bass are fair on light blue jigs.

Crappie are good on minnows under lights at night. Channel and blue catfish are good on hot dogs and summer sausage. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch and shad.

fair on Rat–L–Traps, Texas rigs and tubes.

Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs, Sassy Shad and live shad. White bass are fair to good on slabs and minnows.

Matagorda Bay Drifters and wade anglers are hauling in impressive numbers of trout and redfish in Matagorda Bay. As the weather becomes warmer, the fishing should only improve. Several 26-plus-inch trout have been caught in the bay during the past week. For anglers who don’t mind a walk or who have a shallow-running boat, the deeper holes in the back bays have been producing great catches of redfish.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 65–68 degrees; 6.28’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits and heavy jigs along banks. White bass are good on minnows and jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 63–65 degrees; 11.30’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastics, spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

Hybrid striper are good on chartreuse striper jigs. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and cut bait.

COLETO CREEK: Water fairly clear; 0.55’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics, spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with nightcrawlers, liver and shrimp in 10–20 feet.

CONROE: Water fairly clear; 1.54’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics, spinnerbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Striped bass are fair on minnows and chartreuse striper jigs. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs. Catfish are good on stinkbait, cut bait and frozen shrimp.

FALCON: Water stained; 71–73 degrees.

Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastics. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are excellent on minnows, jigs, and small spoons with grubs. Channel and blue catfish are excellent on shrimp and shad. Yellow catfish are fair on live perch.

FORK: Water fairly clear; 62–68 degrees; 3.16’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on square bill crankbaits, Texas rigs, chatterbaits and drop-shot rigs.

Females are on beds or cruising in a post-spawn pattern, so target anywhere from 1–15 feet. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad over shallow mud flats.

GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 61–69 degrees; 1.16’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, jigs, drop-shot rigs and flukes. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs and Little Georges. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

LAVON: Water stained; 62–69 degrees; 4.88’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and shallow slow–running crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns. Catfish are fair to good on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

LBJ: Water fairly clear; 63–66 degrees; 0.10’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on tequila sunrise jigs and watermelon tubes.

Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on silver Pirk Minnows and Li’l Fishies near the power plant. Crappie are fair on minnows over brush piles. Channel catfish are fair on minnows and shrimp.

LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 62–68 degrees; 0.97’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits, Rat–L–Traps and Texasrigged Ultra Vibe Speed Craws. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and Sassy Shad. Catfish are good on prepared bait and chartreuse (use Worm–Glo) nightcrawlers.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 64–67 degrees. Largemouth bass are very good on crankbaits and soft plastics. Striped bass are fair on pet spoons and troll tubes.

White bass are good on slabs, pet spoons and troll tubes. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish are good on shad.

MEREDITH: Water fairly clear; 57–66 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, Rat–L–Traps and cotton candy tubes. Smallmouth bass are fair on Texas rigs and Suspending Rouges. Crappie are fair to good on Road Runners and minnows. Walleye are fair on live bait. Catfish are fair to good on cut and prepared bait.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 61–68 degrees; 27.16’ low. Largemouth bass are good on flukes, shaky head jigs with a 7” worm, Texas rigs and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows and jigs fished shallow. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and cut shad.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 61–68 degrees; 1.3’ low. Largemouth bass are

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water off-color; 61–68 degrees; 2.03’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs, Rat–L–Traps and spinnerbaits. White bass are fair on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and live shad. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 64–66 degrees; 7.63’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged pumpkinseed soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and Rat–L–Traps. White bass are good on live minnows. Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs. Bream are fair on worms. Catfish are good on frozen shrimp, liver and cut bait.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 64 – 68 degrees; 2.18’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are excellent on minnows and on blue tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair on stinkbait and liver.

TAWAKONI: Water fairly clear; 61–69 degrees; 2.97’ low. Largemouth bass are excellent on shallow-running crankbaits and Baby Brush Hogs. Crappie are good on 1/16 oz. jigheads and Tiny Assassins in and around docks. White bass are fair in the upper end of the lake on chartreuse grubs on a 1/4 oz. jighead (spawn has begun). Striped bass and hybrid striper are good in 8–15 feet on slow-rolled 4” Sassy Shad on a 3/4 oz. jighead and Moe’s Shanghai Shad. Catfish are excellent in 3–6 feet on cut bait and fresh shad.

TEXOMA: Water off-color; 60–68 degrees; 0.85’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Striped bass are good on live shad and large Road Runners. Catfish are fair on cut and live shad.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 62–66 degrees; 7.48’ low. Largemouth bass are excellent on 1/8 oz. Texas-rigged watermelon red and green pumpkin flukes, and blue/ chrome/orange Rogues. White bass are good on Rinky Dinks and 1/4 oz. Rat–L– Traps in the north end of the lake. Crappie are excellent on shiners and 1/16 oz. blue/ white and black/chartreuse Roadrunners in 2–8 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on liver in shallow flats and the back of creeks in 6–12 feet.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 65 – 68 degrees; 15.96’ low. Largemouth bass to 3 pounds are good on watermelon Senkos and crawfish crankbaits in 5–20 feet.

White bass are good on silver crankbaits, white grubs and minnows in 10–20 feet.

Crappie are good on minnows and green tube jigs in 10–25 feet.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water off-color; 61–68 degrees; 4.45’ high. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, shad pattern crankbaits and spinnerbaits.

Catfish are fair to good on cut shad and prepared bait.

SALTWATER SCENE NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Louisiana shoreline on topwaters and Corkies. Flounder are fair on jigs tipped with shrimp around marsh drains.

SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good around Garrison Ridge on topwaters and Corkies. Redfish are good around shad.

BOLIVAR: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on d plugs soft plastics and plugs. Black drum and redfish are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels. Catfish are good in the marsh on shrimp. Redfish are fair to good for waders on the north shoreline.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good on the south shoreline on Catch 5s, MirrOlures and Catch 2000s. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on are fresh shrimp. Black drum fair to good in the Ship Channel on crabs.

WEST GALVESTON d ffor d ift working ki BAY: Trout are fair to good drifters shell on live shrimp. Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. Redfish are good in the back lakes on shrimp and Gulps. Trout are good for waders on the south shoreline.

TEXAS CITY: Black drum are good in are channel on crabs. Trout are fair on the reefs on live shrimp on the incoming tide. ut FREEPORT: Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs ack in Christmas Bay. Black drum are good at the jetties on cracked blue crabs.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfish are fair on soft plastics over soft mud. Trout and redfish are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in Morris–Cummings Cut on free–lined shrimp. Black drum are good in the Lydia Ann Channel on crabs.

Redfish are good in the back of Allyn’s Bight on Gulps.

PORT ARANSAS: Black drum are good in the Shrimpboat Channel on crabs and finger mullet. Redfish and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on scented baits and live shrimp. Black drum and redfish are fair to good in the Packery Channel on crabs.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good on the spoils on topwaters and soft plastics. Black drum are good in the Land Cut on crabs. Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on topwaters around sand and ggrass. Redfish are fair to good while drifting pot holes.

Black drum and redfish are good on crabs at East Cut Cut. SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes on DOA Shrimp in 3–4 feet of water. Black drum, redfish and sheepshead have taken at the jetty.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair to good at Gas Well Flats on live shrimp.

Redfish are fair at Mexiquita Flats and South Bay on DOA Shrimp and live shrimp. Trout are good while drifting sand and grass on plastics under rattling corks.

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GAME WARDEN BLOTTER ACTIVE LANDOWNER HELPS CATCH TRESPASSERS Titus County Game Warden Jerry Ash responded to a trespassing call where a landowner witnessed four ATVs with eight people, dogs, and hog cages come off his property through a gate they had cut. The landowner followed the hunters to a hunting camp in Red River County, but before Ash could arrive, the hunters left the camp in four separate vehicles. The rear vehicle blocked the road, so the front three vehicles could escape.

The landowner followed the rear vehicle until Ash was able to stop it in Bowie County. Citations were issued to the adults for criminal trespass.

CAST NETTERS NET CITATIONS Austin County Game Warden Sonny Alaniz cited two subjects who were using an illegal cast net to catch an array of undersized fish on Lake Somerville. The catch included undersized black bass, channel cat and crappie. Cases pending.

WARDEN’S WATCHFUL EYE HELPS NAB THIEF A landowner in Fannin County discovered that someone was stealing his steel water troughs by pulling them through a fence. He notified Hunt County Game Wardens Dale Waters and Gary Miller. Waters had observed a pickup carrying a large trough near a scrap yard. Waters advised the rancher, who then went to the scrap yard and found his stolen trough. A theft case is pending.

LEFT LICENSE AT HOME THREE YEARS AGO While patrolling Lake Texana, Wharton County Game Warden Chris Bird checked two men who were fishing. The two men said that they had purchased fishing licenses but had left them at home. After checking current licenses with the TPWD

WINDY FISHING SWAMPS BOAT, WARDENS TO THE RESCUE Zapata County Game Wardens Roy Martinez, Jerry Norris, Shane Bailey and Starr County Game Warden Brandon West responded to a search and rescue call on Falcon Lake. Fishermen had reported that their boat had stalled and was taking on water. The caller also reported that another boater was attempting to help when his boat also began taking on water. At the loca-

Communications department, Bird advised both that neither of them had purchased a fishing license in the past two years. Citations issued; cases pending.

SMELL FROM DEAD DRUM BRINGS TICKET Wharton County Game Warden Chris Bird responded to a complaint of a large dead fish that had been hanging in a neighbor’s tree for a week. Upon Bird’s arrival, a man was standing under a tree cutting down the rope, but no fish was found. The man denied having any fish even though the smell of dead fish was extraordinary. After a brief search of the surrounding yard, two black drum, both more than 40 inches long, were located. The man received citations for possession of oversized black drum and failure to keep fish in edible condition. Cases pending.

FISHING WAS GOOD FOR TRESPASSERS ON POWER PLANT LAKE Game Warden Jerry Ash caught two men trespassing at Lake Monticello at the hot water discharge on the power plant property.

The men had already caught 35 catfish before their fishing trip was interrupted. While Ash was issuing citations for criminal trespass, a boat came around the corner and entered the restricted area. A citation was issued to the operator of the boat for boating in a restricted area.

tion, the wardens decided it would be best to leave the boats behind and return the fishermen to safety on the wardens’ boat. The fishermen said their boat began to take on water due to hard waves and windy conditions.

They were safely returned to the boat ramp and advised by wardens to take wind conditions into consideration before their next fishing trip.

BAD TIME TO REACH INTO POCKET Victoria County Game Wardens Travis Haug and Jon Kocian checked three adults and one juvenile while patrolling the Victoria Barge Canal.

Although several fishing poles were present, the adults said only the juvenile was fishing. At that time, one of the adults asked another for his car keys, and when the other reached into his pocket, a plastic bag dropped in front of the wardens.

The subject was arrested and taken to the Victoria County Jail for possession of cocaine.

GROUP OF OUT-OF-STATERS LEARN LIMITS Acting on a tip, Val Verde County Game Warden Isaac Ruiz made contact with a group of people from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri who were fishing on Lake Amistad.

Cases for exceeding the possession limit and civil restitution for 45 black bass were filed.

KNOW YOUR HOGS, JAVELINAS Ector County Game Warden Chris Lasiter received a call from a landowner saying his son had found a javelina missing its head and front feet that someone had shot. Lasiter and Midland County Game Warden Brooks Yeates found the javelina and noticed a house a short distance away and decided to inquire if anyone there had seen anything. Two

individuals at the residence confessed to shooting the javelina. They told the wardens they thought it was a feral hog. Cases are pending.

SNAGGERS SNAGGED BY WARDENS While patrolling for fishing violations, Tarrant County Game Wardens David Vannoy and Patricia O’Neill spotted two men fishing below the dam at Lake Grapevine. The wardens observed a man attempting to snag fish using large treble hooks. At the location, a large flathead catfish was in a landing net with an 8/0 treble hook buried in its side. More snagged channel catfish were recovered from the subjects’ stringer and more large treble hooks were found in their tackle box. Their gear and fish were seized. Cases pending.

FORUM POSTS HELP SOLVE CITY PARK HUNTING MYSTERY Individuals hunting in a public park in Tarrant County were finally caught after park employees found a stand and a feeder in the park.

To cover their tracks, the subjects placed a lock, which was fraudulently inscribed with the city’s information, on the city’s gate. Tarrant County Game Warden David Vannoy made contact with one subject at the property and was able to obtain a confession to hunting pigs and coyotes. The man said that he and his buddy had been hunting there for

years, and he led Vannoy to both stand locations. Wardens Vannoy and Patricia O’Neill interviewed the second subject on the following day, and a written confession was obtained.

The wardens had a hunch that this subject was holding back, so Vannoy checked Internet forums and found an overwhelming cache of illegal hunting activities along with dates, times and pictures of many of the subjects’ hunts and kills over three years along with other subjects who were involved. Cases pending.

CANOE INCIDENT TAKES A YOUNG LIFE Three youths took a canoe onto Lake Ray Hubbard in 25 to 30 mph winds. The canoe flipped and only two of youths were able to make the long swim back to shore. Wardens recovered the third youth the next day. None of the youths were wearing PFDs. CHICKEN HOUSE SELLING MORE THAN POULTRY Harris County Game Wardens Kelly Newman and John Rao along with USDA Agent James Thompson checked a poultry wholesale distributor in Houston. Several crates of blue crabs and tilapia were found in the freezers along with the poultry. Cases are pending.

GROCERY SELLING WILD STRIPED BASS Harris County Game Warden Kevin Malonson received a complaint regarding a grocery store in West Houston offering wild-caught striped bass for retail sale. While investigating this complaint, it was discovered that they had two wild 34-inch striped bass for sale and two cases of farm-raised hybrid striped bass without the required commercially protected finfish shipping invoice.

The fish offered for retail sale had been purchased from an unlicensed out-of-state wholesale fish dealer.

Cases pending.

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Hitching a ride Mako’s leap onto Texas fishing boat sparks worldwide attention

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Any business manager appreciates free publicity, but safety issues abound when it comes via an 8-foot mako shark.

Just ask Jason Kresse, a boat captain and seafood store manager from Freeport.

His phone rang incessantly the last week of March after a 375-pound mako somersaulted onto his boat about 50 miles off shore.

“Makos — they’re known to jump,” said Kresse, who manages Captain Mark’s Seafood in Freeport, “but, I never heard of them jumping into a boat.”

Neither had any one else, hence the weeklong crush of publicity as journalists from around the globe clamored to get the story.

Coastal TV stations and newspapers reported the story first, but soon Kresse was getting calls from The Today Show and the Discovery Channel.

Joining the frenzy were

the Los Angeles Times and reporters from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, to name a few.

The shark hitched a ride with Kresse at about 3:30 a.m. on Monday, March 28, which, until then, was just another day on the job.

Kresse, 29, and his crew had taken their 25-foot boat out for snapper to sell in the store. They caught and cleaned about 2,400 pounds of fish.

They dumped the guts and pulled anchor, and that’s when the excitement started.

“I heard two big splashes about 40 yards out,” Kresse told Lone Star Outdoor News. “Then it caught my eye; something in the air.”

The shark landed on the back of the boat, Kresse said, then flipped a somersault and landed in the front of the craft.

It wildly swung its tail and repeatedly thrust its head upward about 3 to 4 feet, chomping its jaws the whole time.

Kresse speculated that the snapper guts spurred

the shark into a feeding frenzy, resulting in the above-surface acrobatics.

Captain and crew wanted to roll the predator back into the water, but they didn’t want to get near it while it was gnashing its double rows of teeth.

“We made it about 15 miles in and a then a front came through,” Kresse said. “It got kind of choppy we were listing to the right real bad.

“That swell direction was hitting us right on the starboard side, and we were taking water. Every swell was a foot or so of wave coming into the boat.”

Overloaded with seawater, snapper and shark, the crew needed a change of plans to keep from getting swamped.

They turned the boat away from the waves and changed course for Matagorda.

Kresse reported the shark to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

“I don’t have a shark permit on my boat,” he said, “so, I said, ‘Look, I didn’t

SHARK WEEK: Jason Kresse, shown here, recently got a week’s worth of free publicity for the seafood store he manages in Freeport after this 8-foot shark jumped into his fishing boat. Photo by Jason Kresse.

catch this fish. There’s no hook mark in his mouth and no gaff mark on the side.’”

He also showed them the damage to his boat — a Cape Horn.

The officials allowed Kresse to apply online for a special permit, he said.

The shark, which died after about three hours out of the water, was on display the rest of the week at

Captain Mark’s. A steady stream of onlookers came to see it.

A full-size replica from a saltwater taxidermist soon will replace it. Publicity, meanwhile, will no doubt continue to swirl on the Internet.

“One of my buddies in the Woodlands, he had a friend in Iraq who heard about it,” Kresse said.

Deadly day on Texas waters Two men died Friday, March 25 in separate incidents on Texas lakes.

Clarence Verrett, 66, of Louisiana was checking trotlines that morning on Lake Livingston, but other anglers later saw his boat going in circles without him in it.

Game wardens and other public safety officials — some with cadaver dogs — searched nearly a week for the man’s body.

It was finally spotted the morning of Thursday March 30 near the west shore of the lake, according to KTRE Channel 9 in Lufkin.

Officials did not know why Verrett went into the water.

Also on March 25, Derrek Snodgrass, 28, or Ardmore, Okla., died in a boat wreck during a fishing trip on O.H. Ivie.

Game wardens told the Abilene Reporter News and the San Angelo Standard-Times that the 17-foot bass boat had navigation lights.

Snodgrass and another man were navigating with a global position system, but the bass boat crashed into a rocky shoreline, the wardens said.

Snodgrass catapulted out of the boat and hit his head on the rocks.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man survived with minor injuries.

— Staff report

Hardheads Continued From Page 8

bait stealing.

According to Matagorda Capt. Stan Sloan of Fin Tastic Coastal Charters, the best advice he offers clients is to make long casts away from the boat.

“I wish I knew a magic formula,” Sloan said, when asked what he does to keep hardheads off his bait. “(But) a good long cast away from the boat will result in more game fish.

“Once the bait gets within 20 feet of the boat, I tell people to reel it in and cast again.”

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department, “hardheads are notorious bait thieves and since they occur in great numbers, it is often difficult to catch other species — particularly near well-fished piers or bridges.”

Another trick is keeping your bait off the bottom.

While this might not always be feasible based on the game fish you are after, keeping live bait off the bottom will help to avoid hardheads.

Also experiment with a dropper rig — a weight on the bottom and a hook higher up on the line — to keep these bait thieves away.

To contact Capt. Stan Sloan, call (832) 693-4292.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 8, 2011

Page 15

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April 8, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Mysterious Continued From Page 1

set of antlers he grew. A pair of his sheds has scored 286 (Boone and Crockett) points, while the antlers that stayed with his skull got a 284 3/8.

A full-body replica of the smaller version will be on display at Texas’ third Cabela’s store, which opens April 14 in Allen.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories and I don’t know which one is true,” said Mark Dowse, taxidermy manager for Cabela’s, who acquired the mount from a museum in Arkansas. “I can’t give you a clear picture of what happened.”

Jack Reneau, of the Boone and Crockett Club, is also short on details.

But what he can tell you is that the deer ranks 9th in the club’s records for non-typical whitetails — a category that currently holds 4,374 entries.

Fortunately, deer historian John Stein of Bulverde has done some serious detective work on the buck, which was first celebrated by cowboys gathered around fires and chuck wagons during the early 1890s, near the town of Brady, smack in the “Heart of Texas.”

“A lot of people claimed they saw this deer on a hill on the Ford Ranch in McCulloch County,” Stein said. “A cowboy said he shot it and could never find it, and no one believed him because he drank.

“But the ranch foreman, Jeff Benson, went and found the sheds. One day he put them in a store in Brady to display them for sale.”

Enter Albert Friedrich who, a decade earlier, opened the Buckhorn Saloon in San Antonio.

Friedrich was always looking for unusual antlers and, upon hearing about the McCulloch County deer, took a train to Brady to see for himself.

He paid $100 for the sheds. The resulting shoulder mount is still the “signature” of the Buckhorn’s extensive trophy collection, said Nathan Henges, the saloon’s current operations manager.

Meanwhile another shoulder mount with a strikingly similar rack showed up in a saloon operated by Billy Keilman, a competitor of Friedrich.

Stein said Keilman was infamously known for publishing the “blue book” — a directory

LSONews.com

and rating system for San Antonio prostitutes.

Friedrich tried to buy Keilman’s trophy, but he wasn’t successful until his competitor finally needed the money.

There is no question that both sets of antlers came from the same deer, Stein said, because both were said to be from the vicinity of the Ford Ranch.

The chances of two deer having such similar racks are nearly impossible, said Stein, who also is a B&C scorer and curator “emeritus” for the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum.

Friedrich passed away, but the racks received B&C scores in the mid-1950s when Grancel Fritz, who helped develop the club’s scoring system, came to San Antonio to see them.

Friedrich’s original 78-point buck had the score of 286, and the slightly smaller 72-pointer from Keilman was 284 3/8. They ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the world.

Then there were a couple glitches.

In 1957, while the trophies were getting new skins, it was discovered the bigger one was made from sheds, which disqualified it from B&C. But officials mistakenly dropped the 72-point buck from the club’s records.

It wasn’t until 1996 when Stein was examining the trophies that he saw that Friedrich’s original 78-pointer was the one made from sheds. The smaller rack, still attached to the skull, subsequently became the B&C-recognized deer.

The actual slayer of the buck was never recorded, Stein said.

But there’s no denying this was an extraordinary deer, having thrived without modern benefits of predator control, supplemental feeding and high fences.

“He was probably 6 and a half, maybe 7 and a half years old,” Stein said. “He was the product of the right buck getting with the right doe … the right food, age … just a freeranging wild deer.”

Cabela’s coming to Allen ■ Grand opening ceremonies for the new Cabela’s store in Allen start 11:30 a.m. April 14, followed by a full slate of activities. For information, see advertisement on Page 11.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 8, 2011

Page 17

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Its fully waterproof design and the RainGuard HD coating beads up moisture and prevents fogging. The built-in laser rangefinder measures distances from 10-1,600 yards. Its Angle Range Compensating technology calculates the angle to the target and provides the “hold over” range for rifle shooters and the true horizontal distance for bowhunters. The 12x50 mm laser range finding binoculars sell for about $1,000.

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These sunglasses, which wrap around the face, feature a “Motion-Fit” system that keeps the eyewear in place during activity. Also, the frame’s curved stem design allows the sunglasses to fit perfectly under that favorite fishing hat. The Backbay sunglasses sell for about $210.

EXPRESS PROPELLERS: Turning Point Propellers’ newest stainless steel propellers provide aggressive rake and cupping for improved handling and lift of such boats as pontoon boats, skiffs, bay, flats and johnboats. The high-performance propellers are designed for 40-75 hp engines with a 3 1/2inch gear case. They are compatible with Mercury, Evinrude, Johnson, Honda, Force, Nissan, Suzuki and Yamaha engines. The propellers’ tuned progressive pitch angles minimize slip, increase fuel economy and enhance performance. This prop is available in a 9-to17-inch range of pitches. Its MasterGuard Hub System’s one-piece design makes replacement easy and eliminates damaging vibration and chatter. The glass-reinforced polymer construction increases flexibility to prevent cracking and failure. Hub kits are reusable. The propellers start at $400; the MasterGuard Hub System costs about $30.

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TUMBLEWEED CHEST PACK: Fishpond’s minimalist pack has one main storage compartment that can accommodate large fly boxes. It is made from lightweight, waterproof and breathable fabric and has an integrated floatant holder. There are attachment tabs and loops to hold plenty of fishing gear. It sells for about $60.

(970) 468-7883

Page 18

April 8, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides Time Height 12:21 p.m. 2.3 L 9:56 a.m. 2.5 H 11:11 a.m. .5 H 12:01 p.m. 2.5 H 12:29 p.m. 2.5 H 12:48 p.m. 2.3 H 1:06 p.m. 2.3 H 7:23 a.m. 1.1 L 8:25 a.m. 1.4 L 9:25 a.m. 1.8 L 10:23 a.m. 2.1 L 11:21 a.m. .3 L 12:25 p.m. 2.5 L 9:05 a.m.

Time Height 2:54 p.m. 2.5 H 12:57 p.m. 2.3 L 2:08 p.m. 2.3 L 5:57 p.m.

6:05 p.m.

6:42 p.m.

1:23 p.m.

1:41 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

2:21 p.m.

2:43 p.m.

3:03 p.m.

2.0 L 1.8 L 1.3 L 2.3 H 2.3 H 2.3 H 2.5 H 2.5 H 2.7 H

Time

Height

3:07 p.m. 2.5 H 3:18 p.m. 2.5 H 9:18 p.m. 2.1 H 11:36 p.m. 2.3 H 7:23 p.m.

8:06 p.m.

8:52 p.m.

9:39 p.m.

10:28 p.m.

11:20 p.m.

0.7 L 0.2 L -0.4 L -0.5 L -0.7 L -0.5 L

Time 3:41 p.m.

3:54 p.m.

4:05 p.m.

Height 2.0 H 2.0 H 2.0 H

3.0 H

Time Height 9:27 a.m. 2.0 H 10:43 a.m. 2.0 H 11:58 a.m. 2.0 H 12:48 p.m. 2.0 H 1:16 p.m. 2.0 H 1:35 p.m. 1.9 H 6:42 a.m. 0.6 L 7:49 a.m. 0.9 L 8:51 a.m. 1.1 L 9:51 a.m. 1.4 L 10:49 a.m. 1.7 L 11:47 a.m. .9 L 12:51 p.m. 2.0 L 9:52 a.m.

Time Height 12:47 p.m. 1.9 L 1:23 p.m. 1.9 L 2:34 p.m. 1.9 L 6:23 p.m.

6:31 p.m.

1:53 p.m.

2:10 p.m.

2:28 p.m.

2:47 p.m.

3:08 p.m.

3:30 p.m.

3:50 p.m.

1.6 L 1.4 L .9 H 1.9 H 1.9 H 1.9 H 2.0 H 2.0 H 2.1 H

10:05 p.m. 1.7 H 7:08 p.m.

7:49 p.m.

8:32 p.m.

9:18 p.m.

10:05 p.m.

10:54 p.m.

11:46 p.m.

1.0 L 0.6 L 0.1 L -0.3 L -0.4 L -0.6 L -0.4 L

Time 4:11 p.m.

4:24 p.m.

4:35 p.m.

Height 1.2 H 1.2 H 1.2 H

2.4 H

April 29

April 22

Houston Time Height 4:30 p.m. 1.00 H 5:26 p.m. 1.10 H 6:16 p.m. 1.10 H 7:03 p.m. 1.00 H 7:47 p.m. 0.90 H 8:17 p.m. 0.80 H 6:10 p.m. 0.60 H 11:16 a.m. 0.50 L 11:12 p.m. 0.20 L 11:59 p.m. 0.00 L 1:55 p.m.

3:19 p.m.

4:20 p.m.

5:11 p.m.

Time

9:56 p.m.

3:51 p.m.

Height

0.50 L 0.60 H

Time

Height

10:27 p.m. 0.40 L

1.10 H 1.10 H 1.10 H 1.10 H

Date Time Height Apr 08 4:28 a.m. 0.10 L Apr 09 5:26 a.m. 0.11 L Apr 10 6:26 a.m. 0.11 L Apr 11 7:23 a.m. 0.13 L Apr 12 8:17 a.m. 0.15 L Apr 13 9:05 a.m. 0.19 L Apr 14 1:23 a.m. 0.38 H Apr 15 3:58 a.m. 0.36 H Apr 16 2:11 p.m. 0.39 H Apr 17 2:06 p.m. 0.45 H Apr 18 12:40 a.m. 0.15 L Apr 19 1:38 a.m. 0.12 L Apr 20 2:35 a.m. 0.12 L Apr 21 3:33 a.m. 0.13 L Apr 22 4:33 a.m. 0.15 L

Time Height 6:47 p.m. 0.39 H 7:55 p.m. 0.40 H 9:02 p.m. 0.41 H 10:12 p.m. 0.42 H 11:34 p.m. 0.40 H 9:45 a.m.

10:08 a.m.

11:40 p.m.

0.25 L 0.31 L 0.19 L

2:38 p.m.

3:29 p.m.

4:33 p.m.

5:45 p.m.

7:03 p.m.

0.50 H 0.52 H 0.53 H 0.53 H 0.52 H

Time

Height

Time

Height

Time Height 1:43 p.m. 1.1 L 2:19 p.m. 1.1 L 3:30 p.m. 1.1 L

Time Height 8:49 a.m. 1.7 H 10:05 a.m. 1.7 H 11:20 a.m. 1.7 H 12:10 p.m. 1.7 H 12:38 p.m. 1.7 H 12:57 p.m. 1.6 H 1:15 p.m. 1.6 H 7:46 a.m. 0.5 L 8:48 a.m. 0.7 L 9:48 a.m. 0.9 L 10:46 a.m. 1.1 L 11:44 a.m. 1.2 L 12:48 p.m. 1.3 L

Time Height 12:44 p.m. 1.2 L 1:20 p.m. 1.2 L 2:31 p.m. 1.2 L

7:19 p.m.

7:27 p.m.

2:23 p.m.

2:40 p.m.

2:58 p.m.

3:17 p.m.

3:38 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

4:20 p.m.

0.9 L 0.9 L 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.2 H 1.2 H .3 H

Date Time Height Apr 08 9:20 a.m. 1.6 H Apr 09 12:39 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 10 1:35 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 11 2:41 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 12 3:54 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 13 5:10 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 14 12:16 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 15 1:48 a.m. 1.6 H Apr 16 3:06 a.m. 1.8 H Apr 17 4:15 a.m. 2.0 H Apr 18 5:21 a.m. 2.1 H Apr 19 6:24 a.m. 2.2 H Apr 20 7:27 a.m. 2.1 H Apr 21 8:34 a.m. 2.1 H Apr 22 12:21 a.m. -0.2 L

10:35 p.m. 1.0 H 8:04 p.m.

8:45 p.m.

9:28 p.m.

10:14 p.m.

11:01 p.m.

11:50 p.m.

0.6 L 0.3 L 0.1 L -0.2 L -0.3 L -0.3 L

Time Height 12:26 p.m. 1.0 L 10:36 a.m. 1.6 H 11:51 a.m. 1.6 H 12:41 p.m. 1.6 H 1:09 p.m. 1.6 H 1:28 p.m. 1.5 H 6:21 a.m. 0.3 L 7:28 a.m. 0.5 L 8:30 a.m. 0.6 L 9:30 a.m. 0.8 L 10:28 a.m. 0.9 L 11:26 a.m. 1.0 L 12:30 p.m. 1.1 L 9:45 a.m.

4:24 p.m.

3:02 p.m.

0.31 H 0.34 H

8:52 p.m. 0.29 L 10:30 p.m. 0.24 L

Time Height 3:34 p.m. 1.6 H 1:02 p.m. 1.0 L 2:13 p.m. 1.0 L 6:02 p.m.

6:10 p.m.

1:46 p.m.

2:03 p.m.

2:21 p.m.

2:40 p.m.

3:01 p.m.

3:23 p.m.

3:43 p.m.

Time

Height

3:47 p.m. 1.6 H 3:58 p.m. 1.6 H

0.8 L 0.8 L 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.7 H

9:58 p.m. 1.4 H 6:47 p.m.

7:28 p.m.

8:11 p.m.

8:57 p.m.

9:44 p.m.

10:33 p.m.

11:25 p.m.

0.5 L 0.3 L 0.1 L -0.2 L -0.2 L -0.3 L -0.2 L

Time

Height

Time

Height

7:07 p.m.

7:13 p.m.

1:20 p.m.

1:10 p.m.

12:48 p.m.

1.1 L 0.7 L 1.1 H 1.0 H 1.0 H

2.0 H

South Padre Island

9:14 a.m.

6:20 p.m.

6:28 p.m.

7:05 p.m.

1:32 p.m.

1:50 p.m.

2:09 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:52 p.m.

3:12 p.m.

1.0 L 0.9 L 0.6 L 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.7 H 1.7 H .8 H

Time 3:03 p.m.

3:16 p.m.

3:27 p.m.

Height 1.7 H 1.7 H 1.7 H

9:27 p.m. 1.5 H 11:45 p.m. 1.6 H 7:46 p.m.

8:29 p.m.

9:15 p.m.

10:02 p.m.

10:51 p.m.

11:43 p.m.

0.4 L 0.1 L -0.2 L -0.3 L -0.4 L -0.3 L

2.1 H

Date Time Height Apr 08 10:01 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 09 2:38 a.m. -0.2 L Apr 10 1:37 a.m. -0.1 L Apr 11 2:44 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 12 3:57 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 13 5:13 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 14 6:29 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 15 1:16 a.m. 1.3 H Apr 16 2:49 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 17 4:10 a.m. 1.6 H Apr 18 5:26 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 19 6:40 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 20 7:55 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 21 9:11 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 22 12:19 a.m. -0.6 L

Time

Height

11:16 a.m. 1.6 H 12:12 p.m. 1.7 H 12:48 p.m. 1.7 H 1:10 p.m. 1.6 H 1:22 p.m. 1.4 H 1:24 p.m. 1.3 H 7:45 a.m. 0.6 L 9:03 a.m. 0.8 L 10:31 a.m. 0.9 L 9:42 p.m. -0.7 L 10:31 p.m. -0.8 L 11:23 p.m. -0.7 L 10:23 a.m.

2011 Apr 08 Fri 09 Sat 10 Sun Q 11 Mon 12 Tue 13 Wed 14 Thu 15 Fri 16 Sat > 17 Sun > 18 Mon F 19 Tue > 20 Wed > 21 Thu 22 Fri 23 Sat 24 Sun 25 Mon Q 26 Tue 27 Wed

A.M. Minor Major 9:44 3:31 10:42 4:29 11:39 5:25 12:10 6:21 1:00 7:13 1:49 8:02 2:35 8:48 3:21 9:34 4:07 10:21 4:58 11:12 5:54 ----6:55 12:40 8:01 1:46 9:07 2:52 10:11 3:57 11:11 4:58 ----- 5:52 12:29 6:40 1:12 7:23 1:51 8:02

P.M. Minor 10:11 11:09 ----12:34 1:26 2:15 3:01 3:47 4:34 5:26 6:23 7:26 8:31 9:37 10:40 11:37 12:04 12:52 1:34 2:12

Major 3:58 4:55 5:52 6:47 7:39 8:28 9:14 10:00 10:48 11:40 12:09 1:11 2:16 3:22 4:25 5:24 6:17 7:03 7:44 8:22

SUN Rises Sets 07:02 07:42 07:01 07:43 07:00 07:44 06:59 07:44 06:58 07:45 06:57 07:45 06:56 07:46 06:55 07:47 06:54 07:47 06:52 07:48 06:51 07:48 06:50 07:49 06:49 07:50 06:48 07:50 06:47 07:51 06:46 07:52 06:45 07:52 06:44 07:53 06:43 07:53 06:42 07:54

MOON Rises Sets 10:10a NoMoon 11:04a 12:35a 12:02p 1:26a 1:04p 2:13a 2:08p 2:57a 3:13p 3:38a 4:19p 4:16a 5:26p 4:54a 6:35p 5:32a 7:45p 6:13a 8:56p 6:57a 10:05p 7:46a 11:09p 8:40a NoMoon 9:37a 12:08a 10:37a 12:59a 11:37a 1:43a 12:36p 2:21a 1:33p 2:55a 2:27p 3:26a 3:20p

Dallas

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier Time Height 9:57 a.m. 1.2 H 11:13 a.m. 1.2 H 12:28 p.m. 1.2 H 1:18 p.m. 1.2 H 1:46 p.m. 1.2 H 2:05 p.m. 1.1 H 7:38 a.m. 0.3 L 8:45 a.m. 0.5 L 9:47 a.m. 0.7 L 10:47 a.m. 0.9 L 11:45 a.m. 1.0 L 12:43 p.m. 1.1 L 1:47 p.m. 1.2 L 9:11 a.m. 1.5 H 10:22 a.m. 1.5 H

Freeport Harbor Date Time Height Apr 08 12:09 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 09 12:57 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 10 1:53 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 11 2:59 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 12 4:12 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 13 5:28 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 14 6:39 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 15 1:17 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 16 2:35 a.m. 2.0 H Apr 17 3:44 a.m. 2.1 H Apr 18 4:50 a.m. 2.2 H Apr 19 5:53 a.m. 2.3 H Apr 20 6:56 a.m. 2.2 H Apr 21 8:03 a.m. 2.2 H Apr 22 12:39 a.m. -0.2 L

Last

April 15

Date Time Height Apr 08 3:03 a.m. 0.00 L Apr 09 3:55 a.m. 0.00 L Apr 10 4:55 a.m. 0.00 L Apr 11 6:04 a.m. 0.10 L Apr 12 7:20 a.m. 0.10 L Apr 13 8:39 a.m. 0.20 L Apr 14 9:57 a.m. 0.40 L Apr 15 4:09 a.m. 0.70 H Apr 16 6:45 a.m. 0.80 H Apr 17 8:41 a.m. 0.90 H Apr 18 10:43 a.m. 1.00 H Apr 19 12:48 a.m. -0.10 L Apr 20 1:39 a.m. -0.20 L Apr 21 2:32 a.m. -0.20 L Apr 22 3:27 a.m. -0.10 L

San Luis Pass Date Time Height Apr 08 1:08 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 09 1:56 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 10 2:52 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 11 3:58 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 12 5:11 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 13 6:27 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 14 12:53 a.m. 1.1 H Apr 15 2:25 a.m. 1.2 H Apr 16 3:43 a.m. .4 H Apr 17 4:52 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 18 5:58 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 19 7:01 a.m. 1.6 H Apr 20 8:04 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 21 12:42 a.m. -0.3 L Apr 22 1:38 a.m. -0.2 L

First

Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. F=Full Moon, N=New Moon, Q=Quarter > = Peak Activity. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.

New

Rockport

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty Date Time Height Apr 08 12:12 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 09 1:00 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 10 1:56 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 11 3:02 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 12 4:15 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 13 5:31 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 14 12:23 a.m. 1.9 H Apr 15 1:55 a.m. 2.0 H Apr 16 3:13 a.m. 2.3 H Apr 17 4:22 a.m. 2.4 H Apr 18 5:28 a.m. 2.6 H Apr 19 6:31 a.m. 2.7 H Apr 20 7:34 a.m. 2.6 H Apr 21 8:41 a.m. 2.6 H Apr 22 12:42 a.m. -0.3 L

Full

Port O’Connor

Sabine Pass, jetty Date Time Height Apr 08 8:40 a.m. 2.5 H Apr 09 12:34 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 10 1:30 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 11 2:36 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 12 3:49 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 13 5:05 a.m. 0.5 L Apr 14 6:16 a.m. 0.7 L Apr 15 1:08 a.m. 2.5 H Apr 16 2:26 a.m. 2.9 H Apr 17 3:35 a.m. 3.0 H Apr 18 4:41 a.m. 3.2 H Apr 19 5:44 a.m. 3.4 H Apr 20 6:47 a.m. 3.2 H Apr 21 7:54 a.m. 3.2 H Apr 22 12:16 a.m. -0.4 L

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases April 8

Texas Coast Tides

LSONews.com

11:13 p.m. 1.2 H 7:39 p.m. 0.3 L 8:15 p.m. -0.1 L 8:57 p.m. -0.4 L

1.7 H

2011 A.M. Apr Minor Major 08 Fri 9:50 3:37 09 Sat 10:47 4:34 10 Sun Q 11:44 5:31 11 Mon 12:15 6:26 12 Tue 1:05 7:18 13 Wed 1:54 8:07 14 Thu 2:41 8:54 15 Fri 3:26 9:39 16 Sat > 4:13 10:26 17 Sun > 5:03 11:17 18 Mon F 5:59 ----19 Tue > 7:01 12:46 20 Wed > 8:06 1:51 21 Thu 9:13 2:58 22 Fri 10:17 4:03 23 Sat 11:16 5:03 24 Sun ----- 5:58 25 Mon Q 12:34 6:46 26 Tue 1:18 7:29 27 Wed 1:57 8:07

P.M. Minor Major 10:16 4:03 11:14 5:01 ----- 5:58 12:39 6:53 1:32 7:45 2:21 8:34 3:07 9:20 3:52 10:05 4:40 10:53 5:31 11:45 6:29 12:14 7:31 1:16 8:37 2:22 9:42 3:28 10:45 4:31 11:43 5:29 12:10 6:22 12:57 7:09 1:39 7:50 2:17 8:28

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 07:06 07:50 10:07a NoMoon 07:05 07:51 11:01a 12:49a 07:03 07:51 12:00p 1:39a 07:02 07:52 1:03p 2:26a 07:01 07:53 2:09p 3:08a 07:00 07:54 3:16p 3:47a 06:58 07:54 4:24p 4:24a 06:57 07:55 5:33p 5:00a 06:56 07:56 6:44p 5:36a 06:55 07:56 7:56p 6:15a 06:54 07:57 9:08p 6:57a 06:53 07:58 10:18p 7:44a 06:51 07:59 11:23p 8:37a 06:50 07:59 NoMoon 9:35a 06:49 08:00 12:21a 10:35a 06:48 08:01 1:12a 11:36a 06:47 08:02 1:55a 12:36p 06:46 08:02 2:32a 1:34p 06:45 08:03 3:04a 2:30p 06:44 08:04 3:34a 3:24p

P.M. Minor Major 10:23 4:10 11:21 5:08 ----- 6:05 12:46 7:00 1:39 7:52 2:28 8:41 3:14 9:27 3:59 10:12 4:47 11:00 5:38 11:52 6:36 12:21 7:38 1:23 8:44 2:29 9:49 3:35 10:52 4:38 11:50 5:36 12:17 6:29 1:04 7:16 1:46 7:57 2:24 8:35

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 07:15 07:55 10:24a NoMoon 07:14 07:55 11:17a 12:47a 07:13 07:56 12:16p 1:38a 07:12 07:56 1:17p 2:25a 07:11 07:57 2:22p 3:09a 07:10 07:58 3:27p 3:50a 07:08 07:58 4:33p 4:29a 07:07 07:59 5:39p 5:07a 07:06 07:59 6:48p 5:45a 07:05 08:00 7:58p 6:26a 07:04 08:01 9:08p 7:10a 07:03 08:01 10:17p 7:59a 07:02 08:02 11:22p 8:53a 07:01 08:02 NoMoon 9:51a 07:00 08:03 12:20a 10:51a 06:59 08:04 1:11a 11:51a 06:58 08:04 1:55a 12:50p 06:57 08:05 2:33a 1:46p 06:56 08:06 3:07a 2:40p 06:55 08:06 3:39a 3:33p

P.M. Minor 10:36 11:34 12:05 1:00 1:52 2:41 3:27 4:13 5:00 5:52 6:49 7:52 8:57 10:03 11:05 ----12:30 1:18 2:00 2:38

SUN Rises 07:25 07:23 07:22 07:21 07:19 07:18 07:17 07:15 07:14 07:13 07:12 07:10 07:09 07:08 07:07 07:05 07:04 07:03 07:02 07:01

San Antonio 2011 A.M. Apr Minor Major 08 Fri 9:57 3:44 09 Sat 10:54 4:41 10 Sun Q 11:51 5:38 11 Mon 12:22 6:33 12 Tue 1:12 7:25 13 Wed 2:01 8:14 14 Thu 2:48 9:01 15 Fri 3:33 9:46 16 Sat > 4:20 10:33 17 Sun > 5:10 11:24 18 Mon F 6:06 ----19 Tue > 7:08 12:53 20 Wed > 8:13 1:58 21 Thu 9:20 3:05 22 Fri 10:24 4:10 23 Sat 11:23 5:10 24 Sun ----- 6:05 25 Mon Q 12:41 6:53 26 Tue 1:25 7:36 27 Wed 2:04 8:14

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OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen

Solution on Page 21

2011 A.M. Apr Minor 08 Fri 10:10 09 Sat 11:08 10 Sun Q ----11 Mon 12:36 12 Tue 1:26 13 Wed 2:15 14 Thu 3:01 15 Fri 3:47 16 Sat > 4:33 17 Sun > 5:24 18 Mon F 6:20 19 Tue > 7:21 20 Wed > 8:27 21 Thu 9:33 22 Fri 10:37 23 Sat 11:37 24 Sun 12:06 25 Mon Q 12:55 26 Tue 1:38 27 Wed 2:17

Major 3:57 4:54 5:51 6:46 7:39 8:28 9:14 10:00 10:47 11:38 12:10 1:06 2:12 3:18 4:23 5:23 6:18 7:06 7:49 8:28

Major 4:23 5:21 6:18 7:13 8:05 8:54 9:40 10:26 11:14 ----12:34 1:36 2:42 3:48 4:51 5:50 6:42 7:29 8:10 8:48

Sets 08:12 08:13 08:14 08:14 08:15 08:16 08:17 08:18 08:18 08:19 08:20 08:21 08:22 08:22 08:23 08:24 08:25 08:26 08:27 08:27

MOON Rises 10:22a 11:16a 12:16p 1:20p 2:27p 3:35p 4:45p 5:55p 7:07p 8:21p 9:34p 10:45p 11:51p NoMoon 12:49a 1:38a 2:21a 2:56a 3:28a 3:56a

Sets 12:23a 1:16a 2:06a 2:52a 3:33a 4:11a 4:46a 5:21a 5:56a 6:33a 7:14a 8:00a 8:52a 9:50a 10:50a 11:52a 12:53p 1:52p 2:49p 3:44p

FOR THE TABLE Pecan crusted red snapper

ACROSS 1. A freshwater fish 4. A species of trout 8. Code for a type bullet 9. A type of cold weather tent 10. To prepare gun for another shot 11. Movement of an arrow in flight 12. The arrow slot 14. Hunting or fishing permit 15. Female bears 17. A game resting place 18. A style of shooting 19. Male turkeys 21. A salmon 23. Camper's nuisance insect 25. Number of game, fish or fowl allowed 26. This controls spread of shot pellets 28. A male bighorn 29. A home of the brookie 32. A source of deer food 35. Species of whitetail of the North 36. A species of duck 37. Parts of the antlers 40. A very popular pan fish 43. A group of like arrows 45. Fly pattern for the steelhead

46. Outdoor activity regulation 47. A species of trout 48. A crack in a bow stave DOWN 1. Panfish classed as a roamer 2. A name for the sea bass 3. Buffer to protect against recoil 4. Best color lure to attract fish 5. Bowman's ammo 6. A method of fishing 7. Birdshooting is ____shooting 8. A bow with backing 9. A good bear scent 13. A major deer food 16. Method of getting closer to a game 18. Camouflage slipons for a bow 20. A silvery minnow bait 21. A male grouse 22. Arrows to a bowman 24. He seeks game for the pelts 27. Hunting and fishing codes or laws 30. A species of duck

6 boned snapper fillets, 6-8 oz. each, approximately 1/2-inch thick 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup flour 1 cup olive or canola oil Pecan Crust Breading 1 cup bread crumbs 2 cups pecan pieces 1 teaspoon each: dried basil, dried oregano, whole leaf thyme, granulated garlic, granulated onion, white pepper Pulse all breading ingredients in a food processor until medium fine.

Then put on a flat dish and set aside.

In a flat dish, combine the eggs and milk. Whisk to create the egg wash.

Put flour in a flat dish. Then, holding the trout fillet by the tail, dredge it in the flour until well dusted. Pat off excess flour.

Pass floured fillet through the egg wash, wetting the entire fillet.

Place fillet in pecan meal breading mixture. Lightly press the mixture onto both sides of the fillet with the palm of your hand. Remove and shake off excess. Set aside on a dry sheet pan or cookie sheet until all the fillets are breaded.

Heat oil in large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

Sauté fillets until golden brown.

Sauté in batches of 2 or 3, so the oil does not cool down.

— TPWD

Jalapeño bird and rice

31. Game hunted for the fur 33. A deer food source 34. Predator to the wild turkey 35. A type of fly lure 38. A type of open sight 39. Female bighorns

40. Name for a brook trout 41. An artificial bait 42. The grommets on a fishing rod 43. Kelp is a name for the ___ bass 44. To construct a fly lure

Game Birds 1 stick oleo 2 cups green onions, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1/4 cup water 2 cups rice, cooked 1/2 cup pimentos 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped

You can use dove, quail, chicken, turkey, etc.

Bone birds and cut into small pieces.

Melt oleo in cast iron skillet and brown birds slowly.

Add onions, celery and water; cook until

tender.

Add rice, pimentos and jalapeños. Cover and bake in oven at 350º for 10-15 minutes.

Serve piping hot.

For more flavor, season rice by cooking in broth or adding seasonings.

— TPWD

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 8, 2011

HEROES MARK SCHATTENBERG, 18, of Austin shot this heavy 11-point buck last season on the Espey Ranch in McMullen County. It scored 168 1/8.

SAMMY STARR of Dallas was 9 years old when he harvested this Rio Grande turkey last fall near Breckenridge.

He used a 20-gauge shotgun to down the 20-pound bird, which had one long beard and three smaller ones.

This 6-pound hybrid bass was boated recently on Lewisville Lake

by LEE HOGUE of Red Oak.

This javelina was downed last deer season

by GRANT TURNER, 11, of San Antonio on the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area near Artesia Wells. He made the shot with a .243-caliber Savage Model 11.

CARL EMERSON-PRICE, 13, of San Antonio caught this 21 1/2-inch rainbow trout on the Guadalupe River in Comal County while competing in the February Federation of Student Anglers online tournament.

Congratulations, Nathan! You can claim your Nikon 10x42 Trailblazer ATB binoculars at the Nikon Sport Optics dealer nearest you: VICTORIA ALL SPORTS 1902 Houston Highway Victoria, TX 77901-5760 (361) 575-0655

shot at asons to get a ed for three se tri County. d o ha gi fu ia Re or ct in NSKI, 13, of Vi ar Woodsboro ZY ne e RC w and as KO bo le AN er ws NATH mily’s de used a Mathe buck on his fa ½ rewarded. He d s an wa 7 e at nc a big 11-point te ed is ag rs , which was vember his pe 160-class buck Finally last No to harvest the d ea dh oa br a Rage years old.

Page 19

Page 20

April 8, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Bays warm Continued From Page 1

Tomek has operated a guide service along the coast, but most recently he has been spending more time in classrooms. He is about to graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in industrial distribution.

His recent weekend trip actually yielded more trout than reds.

The fish he had to chase was one of eight caught by his group, which landed 24 specs.

“We still found a decent bite,” Tomek said. “You could stick with it and grind out some redfish.”

The group threw Corky Junior “Peanuts” and Chrome Super Spook Juniors for redfish and trout.

“It was real pleasant because we had summer-

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time weather,” Tomek said.

“We’re wading wet right now; there’s no need for waders.

“I think it was a good preview for what’s in store this summer.”

Other reports from the Port O’Connor area had reds fair on soft plastics over soft mud, and fair for drifters working back lakes with shrimp.

Farther up the coast, reports indicated redfish were spectacular on full-size Corkies and soft plastics.

Angler Eric Ronning of Nederland has the opposite problem of Tomek.

“Right now, off Sabine Lake, we’re overrun with redfish,” he said. “We’ve been wade fishing, but we’ve been having trouble catching trout because we have so many redfish.”

Ronning said that during a recent three-hour trout quest, his group kept a couple reds, but wound up releasing 56 of them that were between 23 and 38 inches in length.

In East Matagorda Bay, redfish were fair to good on crabs and mullet on the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Farther south at Port Mansfield, redfish were fair to good on crabs while drifting over potholes.

Although Tomek’s group didn’t get a lot of reds, the trip made him eager for summer.

“The bays are alive and well,” he said. “There were lots of mullets.”

Ronning reported similar conditions.

“Grass minnows are starting to hatch and small schools of shad are in place,” he said.

“There’s lots of mullet, too.”

With so much baitfish available, Tomek and Ronning said the freezes in February apparently didn’t harm fisheries.

“Two days after big freeze this year, I was redfishing,” Ronning said, “and we were hammering them.”

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Still dry: Drought expected to ‘persist or worsen’

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Texas landowners and the hunters they lease to know there is trouble when climate experts start comparing current dry conditions to 2009.

The drought two years ago was a killer for wildlife habitat across much of the state, putting a dent in deer populations that will be noticed three to five years from now.

Range conditions improved in September of last year after Tropical Storm Hermine deluged the state’s midsection with habitat-fueling downpours.

But East Texas and a lot of West Texas stayed dry, and that’s the way they were during the first quarter of 2011 — along with the rest of the state.

“The final numbers are not in, but the past six months will be among the five driest on record,” said John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas State Climatologist.

Dan Huckaby, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, reported that for the first time in over two years, “the entire state of Texas is in at least the abnormally dry category.”

But by April 1, the areas that were just “abnormally dry” were very few — basically thin bands in the Panhandle, West Central Texas and the Gulf Coast, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb. The center’s Drought Monitor map showed massive swaths of “extreme drought” in West and East Texas.

The parched landscape has conspired with powerful seasonal winds to ignite wildfires.

As of April 1, the blazes charred more than 520,000 acres in the state, according to the Texas Forest Service. Consequently, 179 of the

state’s 254 counties were reporting burn bans.

Nielsen-Gammon blamed the harshly dry weather on La Niña.

This ocean-atmospheric phenomenon occurs when sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are abnormally cool, which causes dry conditions across the southern U.S., including Texas.

Nielsen-Gammon, during an interview the last week of March, said the latest La Niña was starting to lose strength.

“We had a fairly strong La Niña in winter, and its decreasing right now,” he said. “At least we won’t have that thumb on the scales anymore.”

But Nielsen-Gammon and Huckaby both said that Texas has a lot of catching up to do with rainfall to reverse current drought conditions.

It’s especially critical to put moisture in the ground to sustain plant roots and push back against oppressive summertime heat.

For example, Huckaby said to erase the drought in North Texas alone, April and May would have to see the accumulation of more than 17 inches of rain.

“This has only occurred four times in the 112 years of records,” he said.

However, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center reported that, “below median precipitation is predicted” from Southern California to Florida, which of course, includes Texas.

“As such,” Huckaby said, “the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook expects the drought to persist or worsen into the early summer.”

Nielsen-Gammon, however, held out hope.

“A good squall line, by itself, can deliver an inch of rain,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get a few good ones.”

April 8, 2011

Puzzle solution from Page 18

Page 21

Page 22

April 8, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

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DATEBOOK Executive Editor Craig Nyhus Editor Bill Miller Associate Editor Conor Harrison

April 9

April 16

April 29-30

Austin Smiles 14th Annual “Shoot for a Smile” Tournament Cypress Valley Preserve (512) 451-9300 www.austinsmiles.org

Kimble County Chamber of Commerce Outdoor Women Gone Wild, Junction (325) 446-3190 www.junctiontexas.com

Duck Jam Wolf Pen Creek, College Station (512) 944-3828 www.duckjam.org

Houston Safari Club Crawfish boil (713) 623-8844 www.houstonsafariclub.org

April 30 - May 1

Associate Editor Mark England Graphics Editor Amy Moore Business/Products Editor Mary Helen Aguirre Operations Manager Mike Hughs Accounting Ginger Hoolan Web site Bruce Soileau

National Advertising Mike Nelson Accounts Manager Classified/Outfitters Blazing Paths Media Advertising Intern Nicholas Conklin Founder & CEO David J. Sams

Contributors Kyle Carter Alan Clemons David Draper Wilbur Lundeen Aaron Reed Erich Schlegel David Sikes Scott Sommerlatte Chuck Uzzle Ralph Winingham

Advertising Call (214) 361-2276 or e-mail editor@lone staroutdoornews.com to request a media kit.

Dallas Safari Club 4th Annual Big Bore Shoot Whitewright (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org

April 14 Coastal Conservation Association Fort Bend Chapter Banquet Fort Bend (800) 626-4222 www.ccatexas.org Cabela’s Allen store grand opening www.cabelas.com

Lone Star Outdoor News, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2011 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/or use of any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355 or e-mail them to editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

April 16-17 Greater Northeast Texas Gun Show & Outdoor Expo Winnsboro City Auditorium Winnsboro (903) 346-3666

April 21-23

April 14-17 South West International Boat Show South Shore Harbour Marina, League City (561) 842-8808 www.southwestinternationalboatshow.com

April 15 For home delivery subscriptions www.LSONews.com (214) 361-2276

National Wild Turkey Federation Pease River Chapter, Crowell (940) 684-1372 www.nwtf.org

National Wild Turkey Federation Llano Escato Upland Game Chapter Banquet Muleshoe (806) 787-9217 www.nwtf.org

Professional Anglers Association All-Star fishing tournament Lake Ray Hubbard www.fishppa.com

April 22-23 First International South Padre Island Tournament Trail 2011 (956) 421-4590 www.apescar.net

Texas Gun and Knife Association Show Hill Country Exhibition Center Kerrville (830) 285-0575 www.texasgunandknifeshows.com

April 30 - May 2 2011 Quail Masters Roby (325) 653-4576

May 5 Fort Worth CCA Banquet and Auction Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant Fort Worth (817) 437-8351

May 6 Houston Safari Club Shoot for the Troops Sporting Clays Tournament Greater Houston Gun Club Houston (713) 623-8844

May 7-8

Central Texas Safari Club Wild Game Gourmet Dinner Austin (512) 773-5674

Red River Big Bass Extravaganza Red River South Marina Bossier City, LA (903) 383-7748 www.bigbassextravaganza.com

April 15-16

April 28

May 13-15

Taxidermy Auction Will Rogers Memorial Center, Ft. Worth (512) 451-7633 www.taxidermyking.com

San Antonio Ducks Unlimited Sportsman’s Night Out MacArthur Park Pavilion (210) 396-6282 www.ducks.org

Great Outdoors Expo The Horseshoe Center Midland (806) 253-1322 www.goetx.com

April 27

LONE STAR MARKET

To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or e-mail him at mhughs@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 8, 2011

Page 23

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April 8, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

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