April 22, 2011 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 22, 2011

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Best Bud Dog of the year.

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Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

April 22, 2011

Volume 7, Issue 17

Wildfires wallop habitat

Inside

❘❚ HUNTING

Last call gobblers

By Bill Miller

Season winding down.

■ Stonewall Inferno: Milestones, when they Page 6 happen in West Texas, are proportionate to the vast landscape.

Tony Timmons recalls that Sept. 25, 2010 was the last day that rain fell on his family’s

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Mythical beasts?

A&M taking aim at hog myths.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

INSIDE

Page 4 See WILDFIRES, Page 19

AFTERMATH: Wildlife all over Texas have been able to survive the wildfires. About 1.5 million acres of habitat have been burned. Photo by Albert Cesare, Odessa American, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

❘❚ FISHING

Crappie anglers endure tough winds to reach ‘spring slabs’

Trout days in Port Mansfield

By Nicholas Conklin LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Flat fish fandango Gigs and jigs used for spring flounder.

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How low can it go?

Lake levels affect spawning.

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By Conor Harrison

If you don’t mind battling wind right now, you’ll likely hit the spring crappie bite perfectly, Tex Bonin said.

Bonin, who guides on Lake Conroe in sout heast Texas, has had mixed ■ Crappie trolling: results thus Page 11 far with spring crappie; high winds and low water conditions have kept him from his favorite fishing spots.

But below the bridge for Farm Road 1097 is where Bonin has caught fish. It's located near the northern part of the lake. Bonin said he has been successful fishing there between 24-26 feet deep.

“The wind has been killing time and again,” he said. “But, if you can get a day where it’s calm, you can do some good fishing up near that bridge.

“The fish have been real deep down close to the bottom, and normally this time of year they

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS The fishing around Port Mansfield has been outstanding, according to area guides.

Capt. Clifford Smith of Hot Doggy Charters reported the season has been “great” so far with his clients catching limits of trout and a few redfish.

“We were real concerned about the trout after the freeze, but there are a lot of trout out here right now,” Smith said. “I can’t give you an accurate water temperature at the moment, but it’s warm enough to wade.”

Smith said the topwater bite has been his ticket when he can catch a day that he isn’t getting blown off the water.

“Plastics, live bait, pretty much everything is working well,” he said. “It’s been so good lately, anything you want to use is catching fish.”

Smith also added that flounder have made an appearance in the bay, something he hopes continues.

Capt. Jack Klostermann of Capt. Jack’s Charters echoed Smith when he said the fishing has been solid on the days free of strong winds.

“It’s been pretty good the past

INSIDE

See CRAPPIE ANGLERS, Page 18 NICE SLAB: Whit Gentry admires a nice crappie caught at Lake Bob Sandlin during a spring outing. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

See PORT MANSFIELD, Page 20

‘Cut-n-suck’ no way to treat snakebite

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Don’t rely on Hollywood for the latest information about how to treat a snakebite.

With 41 years

between them, both film versions of True Grit show craggy Rooster Cogburn cutting on the wounds of young, snake-bit Mattie Ross and sucking the venom.

Even in the years following the 1969 John Wayne version, Boy Scouts routinely carried snakebite kits, complete with tiny scalpels, suction cups and restriction bands.

These kits are still sold, and it’s no wonder.

Venomous snakes, according to the Texas Department of State See SNAKEBITE, Page 20

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April 22, 2011

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April 22, 2011

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HUNTING

Late season turkeys proving difficult in the windy conditions

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Wind, heat — and for some, smoke — challenged Texas turkey hunters during the middle portion of the season, especially in the North Zone.

According to several hunters in Taylor County, south of Abilene, they not only battled the birds, but smoke from wildfires and high winds.

“I only saw one big tom,” said Curtis Gutkowski of Tyler.

“And jakes were tied up with the hens we saw.”

The group heard very little gobbling, and the birds weren’t responding to calls.

“We saw several birds Friday evening and Sunday,” said Austin Smedly of Longview.

“But on Saturday they all disappeared.”

In North Texas, National Wild Turkey

Federation representative Shawn Roberts said he’d had several successful turkey hunts for Easterns in Fannin and Franklin counties.

“We called in several birds up in the Caddo National Grasslands,” Roberts said. “We shot a bird with 1.56-inch spurs and a 10-inch beard, so he was a nice bird.

I also had a buddy that missed a bird.”

Roberts said they set up near a roost and had a gobbler fly down right to them, but also had several birds stay quiet and sneak in behind the callers.

“I got busted by a tom,” Roberts said.

“I had a bird gobble really close and I tried slowly turning

See TURKEYS, Page 5

WINDY GOBBLES: Wind has hampered some turkey hunters in the late season, but there still are plenty of toms out there for hunters to chase. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Chocolate lab wins ‘Dog of the Year’ contest

BEST ‘BUD’: The 2011 Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel-Ducks Unlimited “Dog of the Year” is Bud, a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever owned by Roger Randall of Huffman. His likeness will be featured this fall on a gift tin package. Photo by Roger Randall.

By Craig Nyhus LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Bud, a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever owned by Roger Randall of Huffman, has made a name for himself assisting disabled hunters through TAA Sports, an organization that provides duck hunts and aquatic opportunities for disabled children, adults and wounded soldiers.

“Bud just took to hunting,” said Randall, the organization’s founder. “He hasn’t had any formal training — I trained him myself — but we’re together 24/7 so I think that helps us understand each other.”

TAA Sports provides facilities that can sleep up to 26 people.

“We have been taking hunters for five or six years, since Bud was a pup,” Randall said. “Bud is just great with people; he’ll retrieve the duck and put it right in their lap.”

When Randall saw the chance to enter Bud for the 2011 Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel-Ducks Unlimited “Dog of the Year” contest, he sent in a short story about his dog — and won.

Now Bud will be featured in the Single Barrel gift tin package available this fall and Randall, a DU member, will receive an original painting of his dog by famed wildlife artist Jim Killen.

“Now that’s pretty amazing,” Randall said.

Bud, though, just loves being around people, as Randall wrote in his entry: “We also do a water sports program for the disabled in the summer months. We do water skiing, sailing and kayaking; Bud is so smart he has a job in the winter duck hunting and a summer job water skiing…”

Actually, Bud just relaxes and greets the water skiers.

“They all love him,” Randall said. “But in the winter, he goes to work.”

For more on TAA Sports, call Randall at 281-324-4653.

Texas A&M takes aim at busting feral hog myths Until recently, if anyone tried to tell you how many feral hogs there are in Texas, they were just blowing smoke, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife biologist.

“When it comes to feral hogs in Texas, separating fact from fiction is becoming a little easier as research reveals more about the pesky porcines,” said Dr. Billy Higginbotham, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist. “There remains much we don’t know about this exotic that has inhabited our state for the past 450 years.”

Highest ranking among the myths are estimates of the actual number of feral hogs in Texas, Higginbotham said. A common number that has been bantered about for years is 1 million to 4 million. But there was just no data to support this estimate.

That is, there wasn't until Dr. Roel Lopez, associate director of the Texas A&M University Institute for Renewable Natural Resources, recently used geographic infor- HOG GENES: Today’s feral hogs have descended mation system pro- from domestic breeds, Eurasian wild boars and cedures to turn the hybrids of the two, said Billy Higginbotham, guesstimates into reli- AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist. Photo by able estimates, said AgriLife Extension Service.

Higginbotham, who collaborated with Lopez on the study.

The term “geographic information systems,” or GIS, refers to a procedure that involves diverse data gathering means, from onthe-ground GPS referenced data to satellite imagery to historical records, and organizes it geographically.

“A simpler way to put it is that it’s just a electronic map,” Lopez said.

Using GIS techniques, Lopez was able to quantify first the extent of the feral hog habitat in Texas.

He estimated that “approximately 134 million acres, or 79 percent of the state’s 170 million acres, represents feral hog habitat,” said Higginbotham.

By knowing the range of feral hog habitat and the species population density in various types of Texas environments, Lopez also came up with a population estimate that has some meat to it, See HOG MYTHS, Page 16

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

OGT sporting clay event May 6 south of Austin

Texas DU chapters honored

Operation Game Thief, the game and fish Crime Stoppers posse of Texas, will hold its next “Clay Stoppers” shoot May 6 near Austin.

The sporting clay event will be held at the Texas Disposal System’s Exotic Game Ranch and Pavilion, east of Interstate 35, south of the city.

Entry fee for a team of five shooters is $1,000. Individual shooter’s fee is $200.

Twelve- and 20-gauge shells will be provided.

The top three teams will have an opportunity to choose from three bird hunt prizes.

And sponsorships are available from $1,500 to $7,500. This shoot is sponsored in part by McBride’s Guns in Austin.

To reach the event from I-35, take Exit 223 (Farm Road 1327) and go 3.3 miles to the east and turn left on Carl Road, past the main landfill entrance. The ranch entrance is .8 of a mile north on Carl Road and on the left immediately past an old cemetery.

OGT uses a toll-free hotline (1-800792-GAME) to get information leading to convictions of poachers. It also pays reward money to tipsters.

More than $250,000 in rewards has been paid out and fines assessed totaling $1.2 million, according to an OGT news release.

Ducks Unlimited volunteers are known for leading the charge for wetlands conservation, and this year 23 DU chapters in Texas rank among the most successful chapters in the nation.

Six Texas chapters achieved president’s elite status, a designation reserved for chapters that raise $100,000 or more annually for DU’s habitat conservation work.

They are Houston, Galveston, Dallas, Corpus Christi, Mexia and San Antonio.

Also, 17 Texas chapters made DU’s Top-100 list, for their fund-raising efforts.

Included were Big Thicket, Navasota, Matagorda County, Brazos Valley, Frisco, Rice Belt, El Paso, Ellis County, Pearland, MetroCrest, McKinney, Tyler, Waco, Gregg County, Texoma, Denton and Rockport/Fulton.

“Our Texas volunteers continue to step up to the plate and deliver in a big way to help preserve our hunting heritage,” said DU National Director of Grassroots Fundraising David Schuessler. “To land 23 of the top spots in the nation is a feat that should make Texans extremely proud.”

The Texas chapters earned a spot on these lists out of more than 2,700 DU chapters nationwide.

—Staff report

—Staff report

Turkeys Continued From Page 4

around when I got busted by another tom that had snuck in. He started putting and the gig was up.”

Roberts also guided his 13-year-old daughter, Shelbi, to her first bird.

“The first couple of weeks are typically the hardest because the gobblers are henned up,” he said. “Later in the season, the birds usually are more susceptible to calling.”

Reports from West Texas had birds gobbling very well in river bottoms that hold water when the wind died down.

Jefferson County Game Warden Chris Swift reported tough conditions on hunts in Refugio and Falfurrias the past week.

“There was very little gobbling,” Swift said. “We’d hear two or three when they hit the ground and none the rest of the afternoon. We killed one bird and he did not have

any hens with him.”

Swift said when he and fellow Game Warden Derek Spitzer moved to Falfurrias, it was much the same.

“It was windy and the hunting was brutal,” he said.

“It’s the toughest turkey hunting I’ve ever done, and it wasn’t because of a lack of birds. Every time we called we would get ambushed by jakes.

“And the birds weren’t feeder-oriented because there were too many pigs.”

*

April 22, 2011

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April 22, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

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STONEWALL INFERNO

ON A CHARRED LANDSCAPE LIFE REEMERGES: A hunting ranch in Stonewall County was in the path of wildfires that raced across Texas on April 15.

All of the acres of this spread were scorched, except for the houses and barn that were saved by the volunteer fire department.

Two of the owners doused hot spots. A plastic deer blind melted from the heat, while other fiberglass ones were unfazed. Only four deer were found perished in the flames. The young bucks had recently spouted their new antlers.

But there were signs of life.

White-tailed does bolted from the surviving cover.

Bobwhite quail coveys flushed. Toms continued to gobble.

And on the charred ground a hen deposited a single turkey egg.

The devastation to the owners was hard to look at but knowing that the land will spring back soon and improve the range was another positive. The corn feeders went off on time and there had been a burn ban in place for a good while, so the owners celebrated the fire’s destruction of their trash dump.

Photography by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

DU Duck Jam April 29-30 at College Station The city of College Station and Ducks Unlimited are teaming up to present the sixth annual Duck Jam on Friday, April 29, and Saturday, April 30, at Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheatre in College Station.

Performers at this year’s Duck Jam include the Bellamy Brothers Band, Dirty Heads, Cody Canada and The Departed, Rich O’Toole, Hotel California, The Rock-A-Fellas and more.

The Lil Quacks Kids Camp will feature “The Next Best Thing to the Real Thing!” starring tributes to Justin Bieber, Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift.

Ticket prices are $10 per day or $15 for a two-day pass. Proceeds from the show will go toward DU’s conservation mission.

For more information about the event, call (979)778-9101.

—Staff report

Clarification The owner of the 5 P deer-breeding farm near Jacksonville, where state wildlife officials euthanized deer on April 5, contacted Lone Star Outdoor News, stating there was an error in the April 8 article about the incident.

In a note on the newspaper’s Web site, owner Billy Powell wrote: “You have stated that I cannot prove that, ‘...the animals came from a state free of dangerous disease...’ In fact, all the deer came from certified diseasefree ranches. The deer were CWD monitored 5 years or better, which is information listed on

a paper I have previously provided you with.”

Mr. Powell provided that information the day after the article was written.

State and federal wildlife officials have declined to discuss the case until all investigations are completed.

Previously, however, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials have said that they euthanize breeder deer when the owners can’t prove the animals came from states free of illnesses like chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis.

Mr. Powell said he broke the law by transporting the deer without proper permits.

—Bill Miller

April 22, 2011

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April 22, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

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FISHING

Water levels affect spawning

By Conor Harrison

does affect spawning,” said Dave Terre, TPWD’s management and resource chief.

Many reservoirs across Texas “A lot of time it’s not done serve purposes other than just intentionally — it’s usufishing opportunities for the ally related to droughts. state’s anglers.

Depending on the time of Many, like Lake Austin and year, it could be good or bad.

Toledo Bend Reservoir, support “If bass are spawning (at the water needs of cities in their the time of the drawdown), vicinity.

BED MAKER: Males patrol an area and make the beds. it could be bad.”

When these lakes are drawn If conditions remain the same, females will nest in the According to Dan Ashe, down for water usage, it affects same area from year to year. Photo by LSON. TPWD assistant district the spawning of largemouth biologist for East Texas, bass, although Texas Parks and time the drawdowns to minimize Sam Rayburn and Toledo Wildlife Department works with the affect.

Bend reservoirs both are affected local authorities to attempt to “The timing of the drawdown by drawdowns and drought.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

And Toledo Bend, site of a recent Bassmaster Elite Series tournament, was drawn down for repairs to the dam, but drought has kept it from returning to its normal levels.

“It will affect the spawning to a degree,” Ashe said. “It also affects the vegetation, which affects the survival of the fry. That’s where we see the biggest impact.

“Time and again it has been shown that lakes that display drastic water fluctuations — especially in the spring when bass are spawn-

Tilapia numbers growing in Texas

See WATER LEVELS, Page 14

Catfish stocking ongoing in urban lakes

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Urban fishermen hoping to catch catfish will have their chances soon as Texas Parks and Wildlife Department begins its catfish-stocking program this week in neighborhood ponds.

According to Randy Myers, district biologist for TPWD in San Antonio, the stockings will begin soon in Millers Pond and Southside Lions Park.

“There are 1,065 catfish going in the Southside Lions Park and 852 in Millers Pond,” he said.

“The fish will all be 12 to 14 inches and the stockings will occur every two weeks — usually on a Thursday.”

Myers said the most popular baits for catfish are frozen shrimp, chicken livers and worms.

“They get caught out pretty quick, so that’s why they are stocked every two weeks,” he added.

CAT ACTION: Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. has begun its catfish-stocking program in neighborhood ponds around the state. Photo by LSON. In the Dallas-Fort Worth was also very good, with high only getting better,” Brock said. the month of August.

Metroplex, the stockings Meanwhile, Metroplex anglers catch rates of fish over 5 and 10 “Anglers should take advantage were scheduled to begin the week of this good fish population.” of April 18 in several area lakes. can also fish Lake Arlington, pounds.”

Anyone 17 years or older needs The highest catch rates were of Channel catfish will be the main which, according to a recent TPWD survey, has a growing cat- fish 11 to 13 inches long, with the a fishing license to fish at the species stocked. longest fish recorded being 30 Neighborhood Fishing locations, DFW has five Neighborhood fish population.

“Results from Lake Arlington inches. Catfish harvested from and anglers can use no more Fishing sites: South Lakes Park in Denton, City Lake Park in reveal a very good channel cat- Lake Arlington must be at least than two poles while fishing.

Mesquite, Greenbriar Park in fish population,” said Raphael 12 inches long, and there is a The bag limit for channel catfish is five fish per day with no miniFort Worth, Chisholm Park Brock, a TPWD Inland Fisheries 25-fish-per-day bag limit.

“Lake Arlington has always mum length limit. in Hurst and Lakeside Park in biologist. “In fact, the catch rates For a complete list of all Duncanville. Stockings will take observed this spring are the high- had one of the best channel catplace every two weeks until the est recorded for the lake. The size fish populations of any lake in Neighborhood Fishing sites, go end of October, except during range of channel cats captured the DFW area, and it appears it is to www.lsonews.com.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Anglers on the coast aren’t required by law to have a boat anchor, but Capt. Chuck West of Aransas Pass can’t imagine launching without one.

West, president of the Coastal Bend Guides Association, speaks from experience.

He recalled how he once ferried a scientist and a 4-wheeler onto a sandbar to conduct experiments. When the work was done they loaded the vehicle and headed to shore, but the motor was clogged with sand.

“I couldn’t get it to restart and the wind was pushing me right toward a rock wall,” he said. “I got the anchor ready and finally got it to hold me about 15 feet from the rocks.”

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS They are showing up more and more on Texas restaurant menus.

Aquarium owners keep them as pets.

But, depending on whom you talk to, tilapia are either a nuisance in many Texas waters or great food for bass — sometimes both at the same time.

“It’s a prohibited fish in the state but it is pretty widespread across Texas,” said Dave Terre, manageSee TILAPIA, Page 14

Shrimp, jigs, gigs effective on spring flounder

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

West called for the Coast Guard, which sent a boat out to him.

“They pitched me a line,” he said. “But right about then my anchor line broke.”

Fortunately for him, the anchor held him long enough for the rescuers to reach him. Otherwise, he said, “I would have been dashed up on those rocks with a whole lot of explaining to do.”

West said he is surprised at the number of bay fishing boats he sees without anchors.

“I know some older guys who’ve been fishing for years, say ‘Aw, I don’t need an anchor,’” he said. “But that and (at least) 50 feet of line goes a long way keeping people out of trouble.”

And knowing how to properly use an anchor can prevent tragedies.

You can guess there is a lot of flounder in the bays when they can be spotted stacked upon each other.

That was the case the night of April 16 when Capt. Bob “Red” Van went gigging out of Rockport.

“I’ve been doing this for 12 years,” Van said, “and this has never happened before. But I had two flounder on top of each other. There was a 3-pounder and a 2 1/2-pounder right on top of him.

“We got both of them on one stab. That’s what we do; we sneak around in the sand and grass, spot them, stab them, flop them in the boat and keep going.”

Stacked flounder, being rare, may not be an indication of a large population of the flat fish, but consistent sightings are.

From the upper to the lower coast, flounder have made it back to the shallow bay waters after com-

See DROP ANCHOR, Page 14

See FLOUNDER, Page 14

Knowing where to drop anchor can prevent trouble, tragedies

By Bill Miller

PEST, PET OR BAIT? Tilapia are difficult to catch but make great table fare. Photo

by David J. Sams, LSON.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Sandies: the lesserknown Texas trout

By Conor Harrison

anglers to catch them.

“We also found a strong relationship They may be the between sand trout lesser-known saltand water depth,” water trout species McDonald added. along the Texas Gulf “Sand seatrout preCoast, but sand trout fer shallower waters — sometimes called as compared to silver white trout — are seatrout which prefer tasty fish that aren’t deeper waters when targeted by many both species are offanglers. shore.”

Dusty McDonald, Along the upper life history biologist coast, TPWD biologist for Texas Parks and Bill Balboa said many Wildlife Department, fishermen target the completed a study sevsand trout specifically. eral years ago on the “It looks just like the sand trout, speckled trout withHe said sand trout out the spots,” Balboa are popular with pier said. “They are numfishermen. ber 11 on the preferred “These fishermen species list by anglers. were using corks with Up here, there is a parabout 6 inches of line TIME FOR SAND TROUT: Sand trout spawn offshore, ticular type of angler underneath and then and head out of the bays in the fall and winter, making that targets them in a hook baited with spring and summer the prime time for coastal anglers Galveston Bay — the shrimp,” he said. to catch them. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON. ‘fish fry’ anglers.”

“They caught them Josh Harper, a much better at night than they did during TPWD fisheries biologist in Matagorda Bay, the day.” said the sand trout are in the bays at certain Sand trout frequent waters with lower times of year before they head offshore to salinity levels, such as Sabine Lake, spawn.

Galveston and Corpus Christi bays and the Harper said anglers he talks with generally Lower Laguna Madre. don’t target the sand trout specifically, but The average size of the sand trout is catch them while fishing for speckled trout. between 12 and 15 inches, although fish up “They are from the same genus, so they are to 20 inches are caught. very similar,” he said.

“We noticed their flesh is very soft,” TPWD does not have any regulations on McDonald said. “If you keep these to eat, eat sand trout, meaning unlimited bag limthem fresh or freeze them immediately.” its and no minimum or maximum size for The sand trout spawn offshore, and head anglers to keep. out of the bays in the fall and winter, making That spells opportunity for anglers looking spring and summer the prime time for coastal to catch a lot of fish for dinner.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

April 22, 2011

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TEXAS FISHING REPORT Sponsored by

HOT BITES LARGEMOUTH BASS

ALAN HENRY: Good on Rat–L–Traps, Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and jigs.

BASTROP: Good on chartreuse/pink soft plastics and Rat–L–Traps.

CANYON LAKE: Good on white 1/4 oz.

Terminator spinnerbaits, pumpkin Whacky Sticks, jerkbaits and albino soft plastic jerkbaits in 5–12 feet.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Good on green pumpkinseed soft plastic worms in 4 feet.

LBJ: Good on green pumpkin Whacky Sticks, blue/chartreuse Terminator spinnerbaits, and soft plastic jerkbaits in 5–10 feet.

WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER

AMISTAD: Striped bass are good on silver slabs, deep-running crankbaits and jigging spoons. White bass are good on slabs, deep-running crankbaits and jigging spoons.

RAY ROBERTS: White bass are good on slabs under birds in the mouths of the northeast creeks.

TEXOMA: Striped bass are good on live shad and large Road Runners.

CATFISH

BRAUNIG: Channel catfish are good on liver, shrimp, cheesebait and cut bait near the dam.

CALAVERAS: Channel and blue catfish are good on liver, shrimp, and cheesebait.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

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

CRAPPIE BELTON: Good on minnows in 20–30 feet.

FALCON: Good on minnows and chartreuse jigs.

WALTER E. LONG: Good on minnows.

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 59–67 degrees; 3.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Rat–L–Traps, Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and finesse jigs.

Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

Catfish are fair to good on prepared and cut bait.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 65–69 degrees; 0.29’ high. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse crankbaits, jerkbaits, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, swimbaits and jigs. Striped bass are good on silver slabs, deep-running crankbaits and jigging spoons. White bass are good on slabs, deep-running crankbaits and jigging spoons.

ARROWHEAD: Water semi–turbid; 60 degrees; 3.94’ low. Largemouth bass are fair. Crappie are good off the dam, state park piers and at the Henrietta and Deer Creek bridges in 7–12 feet; White bass are improving and starting to school. Blue catfish are still good on cut shad while anchored in deeper water up to 30 feet deep.

Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

Catfish are fair on cheese bait and nightcrawlers.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 66–69 degrees; 6.49’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits and Texasrigged soft plastic worms and lizards.

White bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and fair on white jigs at night under lights. Channel and blue catfish are good on punchbait.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 63–66 degrees; 11.56’ low. Largemouth bass

degrees; 0.01’ high. Largemouth bass to 6 pounds are good on green pumpkinseed soft plastic worms in 4 feet. Crappie are good on live minnows near the dam around piers, especially under lights at night. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with cut shad.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 68–73 degrees; 0.13’ 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

BASTROP: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse/pink soft plastics and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp and chicken livers.

BELTON: Water stained; 64–68 degrees; 3.51’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse Rat–L–Traps and crankbaits. White bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows in 20–30 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on hot dogs, shrimp and stinkbait at night.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits and dark soft plastic worms near the jetty and dam. Striped bass are good on liver and shad at Dead Tree Point, and down-rigging silver and gold spoons and marble spinnerbaits near the jetty and dam. Redfish are fair on perch, shad, tilapia, crawfish, and shrimp near Dead Tree Point, and downrigging silver spoons near the jetty and dam. Channel catfish are good on liver, shrimp, cheesebait and cut bait near the dam.

BRIDGEPORT: Water fairly clear; 67–72 degrees; 4.66’ low; Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits, Texas rigs and Yellow Magics. 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.

BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 10.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon and black/blue Persuader crankbaits, Bass Hogg jigs and GrandeBass Trickster worms over brush piles. Crappie are fair on and minnows over brush piles in 10–20 feet. Channel catfish are fair on cut bait over baited holes.

BUCHANAN: Water clear; 64–67 degrees; 10.86’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkin/chartreuse tail Whacky Sticks, white/chartreuse Terminator spinnerbaits, and albino/blue soft jerkbaits along drop–offs of points in 5–10 feet. Striped bass are fair to good vertically jigging silver Perk Minnows and pearl 1/4 oz. Blade Runners.

White bass are fair to good on Bleeding Shiner Tiny Traps, 2” Spoiler Shads, and live minnows in the upper end of the lake in 15–20 feet. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows. Channel catfish are good on live bait.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms and crankbaits near the dam.

Striped bass are fair on spoons and jigs near the dam and the crappie wall in 15–20 feet, and fair on cut perch.

Channel and blue catfish are good on liver, shrimp, and cheesebait.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 67–70 degrees; 2.87’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on flukes, Rat–L–Traps and Texas rigs. White bass are good on slabs and Humdingers. Hybrid striper are fair on live bait and slabs.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 61–66 degrees; 9.14’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and jigs. Crappie are good on live minnows in the shallows. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 67–72 degrees; 1.59’ low. Largemouth bass are 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. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and chartreuse nightcrawlers.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water stained; 65–71 degrees; 2.27’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Senkos, Texas rigs and shallow- and medium-running shad pattern crankbaits. Crappie are good on live minnows in the creeks.

White bass are fair to good on Little Georges and slabs. Striped bass are fair on live shad. Catfish are fair to good on cut shad and live bait.

RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 68–73 degrees; 2.65’ 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.

Canyon Lake Water is clear and the bass up to 8 pounds are biting on whacky-rigged worms and green pumpkinseed worms. The bass are in a post-spawn pattern holding along river channels and main lake points in 15 to 30 feet of water. Smallmouth bass are also biting and white bass and stripers are being caught trolling white Bomber Fat Free Shad. Crappie are excellent on minnows around brush piles in 5 to 20 feet of water. are fair on watermelon soft plastics and Rat–L–Traps. Hybrid striper are good on minnows and chartreuse striper jigs. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait and cut bait.

COLETO CREEK: Water fairly clear; 0.77’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastics and spinnerbaits in 5–15 feet. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and blue/white tube jigs in 10–20 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on perch, liver and shrimp in 10–15 feet. Yellow catfish are fair to good on trotlines baited with perch and liver in 10–15 feet.

CONROE: Water fairly clear; 64–68 degrees; 1.67’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastics, crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs.

Catfish are good on stinkbait, liver, and shrimp.

FALCON: Water stained; 69–72 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits and chartreuse soft plastic worms and lizards. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse jigs. Channel and blue catfish are very good on frozen shrimp, stinkbait and cut bait.

FORK: Water fairly clear; 67–72 degrees; 3.28’ 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; 67–73 degrees; 1.07’ 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.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water clear; 67–70

LAVON: Water stained; 68–73 degrees; 5.3’ 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; 64–67 degrees; 0.27’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin Whacky Sticks, blue/chartreuse Terminator spinnerbaits, and soft plastic jerkbaits in 5–10 feet. Striped bass are fair on white bucktails and Spoiler Shads at night. White bass are fair on chrome/ blue Tiny Traps and Spoiler Shads.

Crappie are good on live minnows and pink tube jigs. Channel catfish are good on live bait. Yellow and blue catfish are good on trotlines.

LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 67–73 degrees; 1.33’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits, Rat–L–Traps and Texas-rigged 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 nightcrawlers.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 65–69 degrees; 0.16’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics and Rat–L–Traps. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish are good on shad.

Yellow catfish are slow.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 62–66 degrees; 0.06’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on minnows off points in Liberty Hill Park. White bass are slow. Crappie are excellent on minnows and blue/ chartreuse jigs at the marina. Blue catfish are good on juglines baited with perch and goldfish. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait. Blue catfish are good on trotlines and juglines baited with perch and goldfish. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines baited with perch.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 66–71 degrees; 1.67’ 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.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water off-color; 61–68 degrees; 2.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Senkos, Texas rigs and Rat–L–Traps. White bass are fair on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and live shad.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 65–67 degrees; 7.95’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon red soft plastics and spinnerbaits. White bass are fair on live minnows and chartreuse spoons. Crappie are fair on minnows and blue/white tube jigs.

Bream are fair on worms. Catfish are good on frozen shrimp, live minnows, and stinkbait.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 65–69 degrees; 2.39’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair on shrimp and stinkbait. Yellow catfish are slow.

TAWAKONI: Water fairly clear; 67–72 degrees; 3.24’ low. Largemouth bass are excellent on shallow-running crankbaits and Texas rigs. Crappie are good on 1/16 oz. jigheads and Tiny Assassins in and around docks. 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; 68–73 degrees; 1.31’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on crankbaits, Rat–L– Traps and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Striped bass are good on live shad and large Road Runners.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 66–69 degrees; 19.23’ low. Largemouth bass are good on smoke grubs and Baby Brush Hogs in 10–20 feet. White bass are fair on chartreuse crankbaits and smoke grubs in 10–25 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and blue/white tube jigs.

WALTER E. LONG: Water stained.

Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastics and spinnerbaits. Hybrid striper are fair on minnows. White bass are good on minnows and Li’l Fishies.

Crappie are good on minnows.

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

SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good around Lighthouse Cove on topwaters.

Redfish are good around pods of shad.

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

TRINITY BAY: Trout are fair for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on plastics. Waders have taken better trout on the shell along the east shoreline. Catfish are good in the marsh on shrimp. Redfish are fair to good on shad at the spillway.

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

AY: WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good for drifters working shell on live shrimp. h and black drum are Sheepshead, redfish good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs.

TEXAS CITY: Trout are fair on reefs on live bait. Redfish are good in Moses Lake on shrimp and crabs. Black drum are good in the channel on crabs.

FREEPORT: Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs. Black drum are good at the jetties on cracked blue crabs.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell. Waders have found better water on leeward shorelines. Redfish are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfish are fair to good on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp and crabs. Trout are fair on shell and grass on soft plastics and live shrimp. Black drum are fair to good at the jetty on crabs.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfish are good on topwaters over grass in waist– deep water in San Antonio Bay. Trout and rs working the back redfish are fair for drifters 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. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp.

PORT ARANSAS: Redfish are fair to good at East Flats on shrimp. 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 live shrimp. Black drum are good in the Humble Channel at night on crabs and table shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good in grass and rocks on Corkies and topwaters. Black drum are good in the Land Cut on crabs. Trout are p fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp.

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

SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes on DOA Shrimp under popping corks. Black drum, redfish and jack crevalle have been taken at the jetty.

PORT ISABEL: Trout are fair to good around bars from South Cullen’s to Holly Beach on live shrimp. Trout and redfish are fair to good at Gas Well Flats on live shrimp. Redfish are fair at Three Island on small topwaters and soft plastics under rattling corks.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 22, 2011

Page 11

Spider-rigging stretches its legs to Texas

TROLLING ALONG: Trolling with spider-rigs is becoming more popular in Texas. Photo by LSON.

By Nicholas Conklin LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Paul O’Bier has adopted a crappie trolling technique popular in southeastern states and successfully applied it to his tournament fishing in Texas.

The “spider-rigging” or the “tight-lining” technique is something that has begun to take hold across the state, as more anglers are realizing the advantages of running multiple rods, spread like a spider’s legs, across the bow of a boat.

“It’s a deadly way to fish, especially when the fish are congregated in the deeper water,” O’Bier said.

O’Bier, a tournament angler and fishing guide from Dallas, first started using the technique about eight years ago with fishing partner Jerry Hancock.

Originally developed on a Tennessee lake to commercially target crappie, anglers found that the use of up to eight rods improved their chances to catch fish.

“They figured out if they could put multiple hooks in the water they had a better chance of catching these fish,” O’Bier said.

Rigging for slow trolling Guide and tournament angler Guy Skinner of Irving recommends rods 10-12 feet long to cover a greater area.

Skinner also uses a different kind of reel when fishing this technique.

“You will usually use a level wind reel in lieu of a spinning reel,” Skinner said.

“In this application they are nothing more than a line holder, because you’re not casting and you’re not really reeling.”

Using a two-hook or jig setup allows boats to spread 16 different baits across the water column.

The Capps and Coleman rig is one of the major producers, according to O’Bier, who said the three-way swivel helps keep the double hooks set apart.

O’Bier runs a leader of 10-12 inches off of the swivel where he will attach a No. 2/0 hook.

From the bottom loop of the swivel he will attach a 14-18 inch leader where he will place an egg/barrel sinker.

About 12 inches from that sinker, he will tie the final hook

ing,” Skinner said. “You want to move forward enough that you are actually moving, but you always want your lines to hang absolutely vertical.”

O’Bier compared the line to a pendulum; if it swings too far either way then the boat is not moving at the ideal speed.

Too far forward is too slow; too far back is too fast.

O’Bier said anglers should be open-minded about where they troll, but just about any lake or structure can be trolled.

“We like to fish the drop-offs, timber, grass lines and even around bridge pilings.” O’Bier said.

or jig.

Weight is a major factor in determining a quality presentation, according to both guides. Although O’Bier likes to stick to the half-ounce weight, Skinner said that anglers must adjust their weight according to wind speeds.

Skinner will vary his weights from 1/4 ounce up to 1 ounce.

“You want to put a sinker on there that depends on whether the wind is blowing or not,” Skinner said, adding that heavier weights are for high winds, and lighter weights work well in less wind.

Both guides said that traditional crappie jigs and live bait will be effective, but it’s best to run a variety of styles and colors to increase catch percentages.

Presentation The most popular presentation is to troll into the wind, with the rods angled 1 foot from the water.

The key here is to ensure that the line remains absolutely vertical, which will depend on the speed of the wind, not the speed of the boat.

“Trolling is actually a misnomer, the speed which you troll at is almost imperceptible that you’re mov-

Graphic by Nicholas Conklin

Page 12

April 22, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER CASTNETTER PLAYS HIDE AND SEEK WITH CRAPPIE, BASS Webb County Game Warden Calvin Christian observed an individual who was retaining fish caught with a cast net. When checked, the man said he was only catching tilapia and proudly displayed nine that he had placed in a water cooler in the back of his truck.

However, Christian found expired license plates, a fictitious registration sticker displayed on the window, three largemouth bass hidden under and behind the seats, an open container of beer under the passenger seat, six crappie hidden in a pair of rain boots and an 18-foot cast net that was used to catch the fish. The equipment was seized. Several cases are pending.

TROTLINER FORGOT TO LICENSE MULTIPLE BOATS Titus County Game Warden Jerry Ash interviewed an angler in the middle of Lake Welch checking unmarked jugs and trotlines. The boat was unregistered, the man had no fishing license and also had an unregistered airboat and pontoon boat docked on the lake.

Citations issued.

VIOLATOR CHANGES ADDRESS TO AVOID WARDEN A fisherman that Guadalupe County Game Warden Tracy Large checked had an outstanding “no fishing license” warrant from a previous encounter about two years ago with Large. The individual stated that he had changed apartments because the warden had been looking for him. He was still fishing without a license and was transported to the Guadalupe County Jail.

CATCHING CATFISH WITH CATFISH DeWitt County Game Warden Mike Hoffman and Lavaca County Game Warden Kerry Peterson discovered trotlines baited with small channel catfish on the Guadalupe River. The next day the culprits were found running their lines. The wardens pulled 23 baitfish off the lines. All of the bait was game

NIGHTTIME BOAT ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIFE A 911 call from O.H. Ivie Reservoir advised of a boat crash that was heard but not seen by the caller. Concho County Game Warden Brad Clark, Runnels County Game Warden Lane Pinckney and Coleman County Game Warden William Heath all responded to the lake.

When Clark arrived at the scene, he found a young man who was visibly shaken but not injured claiming that his friend was hurt bad but he couldn't find him.

Clark located the already deceased driver beside the wrecked bass boat. The passenger advised the pair had

fish, including undersized channel and blue catfish and undersize largemouth bass. Cases pending on three subjects for using game fish for bait and taking undersized catfish and bass.

LOTS OF FISH BUT NO RODS OR REELS A caller contacted Harris County Game Warden Bobby Apple regarding individuals catching and putting undersized fish in their car at Clear Lake Park.

The individuals were about to leave the park when Apple arrived. The vehicle contained undersized flounder and black drum, along with many other nongame fish. A 150-foot gill net, which was tucked away in the car, was used to catch all the fish by dragging it between the piers in the park. Several citations were issued. Cases pending.

TRACKING DEVICE LEADS TO BURGLARS Harris County Game Wardens Kevin Creed and Susan Webb, along with Liberty County Game Warden Daniel Diaz and the Liberty County Sheriff's Department, recovered a Honda Rancher 4-wheeler and other items stolen in a burglary. The complainant had lost several 4-wheelers, trailers, copper wire and other items due to thefts on his property, where he conducts hunts for various groups of mobility-impaired people like the Wounded Warrior group. He finally had enough and placed a GPS track-

been fishing all day and were headed to the boat ramp and the driver was following the GPS on the boat at night, without any lights other than the red/ green navigation and white anchor light. The passenger was not sure how fast they were going but did know

ing device on his equipment. When the tracking device alerted him to the theft, he called the game wardens and they met him at the resort, where he showed the group where the 4-wheeler was located. The 4-wheeler was located and the people in possession quickly gave up the names of the relatives from whom they obtained the stolen merchandise. The relatives implicated each other and another cousin. Several cases pending.

TRESPASSERS ON DEPUTY’S FAMILY PROPERTY Gonzales County Game Warden Ben Bailey received a call from a deputy concerning a truck parked in front of his father’s property. The deputy said they could hear dogs barking and found two people hunting on their property. When Bailey arrived at the scene, he arrested the two men for hunting without landowner’s consent.

Case is pending.

POSSESSION LIMIT VIOLATIONS AT AMISTAD Val Verde County Game Wardens Roger Nicholas and Bradley Durst filed on a group of four fishermen on Lake Amistad for being over the possession limit on black bass. The out-of-state residents were in possession of 58 bass over the limit. Resources were seized and donated, and criminal charges and civil restitution are pending.

that the boat was on plane and traveling at a high rate of speed when they made contact with the shore. The boat went airborne and struck several trees and rocks before coming to rest on the bank. Both men were ejected from the boat, and neither wore life jackets.

HALF OF SET NET CONFISCATED ON BORDER While on the Rio Grande River, Hudspeth County Game Wardens Ricky May and Cody Pokorney were patrolling when they observed a bucket of gill net, a set net and several people upriver beating the water with sticks. After a brief conversation with the folks from the Mexican side of the river, the two game wardens, with assistance from two Border Patrol agents, pulled approximately half of the set net before cutting the net and letting the commercial fishermen from Mexico (pulling from the other side) keep the rest. They confiscated 250 feet of net.

HUNTER MISTAKEN FOR TURKEY PELLETTED Wise County Game Warden Penny Nixon investigated a hunting accident on the LBJ Grasslands after a Missouri man accidentally shot a Carrollton man whom he mistook for a turkey. The Carrollton man was wearing a maroon hooded sweatshirt and a blue cap and was moving to a different hunting location when he was shot. The victim suffered 13 imbedded # 5 pellets. He was treated at a Wise County hospital ER and released.

LICENSE AND ID DON’T MATCH Grayson County Game Warden Michael Hummert, while checking

fishermen on the Red River below the Lake Texoma Dam, asked to see the fishing license of one subject who confidently presented it. When asked for photo identification, the subject appeared nervous. The subject initially denied having any ID, but finally produced an ID card. The name, date of birth, and address on the ID card did not match the license. The subject admitted to using a friend's license and was cited for fishing under the license of another. Case pending.

PILE OF BULL RED DRUM GETS EXPENSIVE A call reporting three individuals at the South Jetties in Galveston keeping numerous bull redfish was received by Galveston County Game Warden Bobby Kana. Kana requested assistance from Game Wardens Vu Nguyen and Mack Chambers.

While en route, Kana learned that the three individuals had loaded up into a pickup truck and were leaving the area. Nguyen contacted the Galveston police and, shortly thereafter, the vehicle was stopped.

The wardens arrived and found 29 redfish, 28 of which were oversized and one black drum. The three individuals were transported to the local JP where a total of $13,500 in fines was assessed. Cases pending.

WARDEN IN RIGHT PLACE, NABS BURGLARS Numerous burglaries were reported during daylight hours in Medina County. Game Warden Jeff Benson was monitoring radio traffic when a description of a vehicle came across and within five minutes the vehicle crossed Benson's path. Benson followed until the vehicle ran a stop sign and was speeding. When he stopped the vehicle, Benson noticed four flat-screen televisions in the back seat and a large flat-screen propped up against the passenger’s knees. Benson held the two occupants for deputies, who were able to immediately solve two burglaries.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 22, 2011

Page 13

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April 22, 2011

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Water levels Continued From Page 8

ing — display high variability in recruitment. High water levels during the spring exposes more suitable area for spawning and increases cover and foraging habitat for both adult and juvenile fish.”

Ashe said bass move to deeper water to spawn when lake levels are down, but not all low-water years are bad years for bass recruitment.

“In 2009, the water level was really low and we just finished our electric shock survey and found it was a hell of a year for bass recruitment,” he said. “We found a great year class with lots of fish in the 12- to 14-inch range.”

Many guide reports from Toledo Bend said the bass had a great spawn this year, although low water levels made boating a hazard in many areas.

A TPWD biologist in Austin said GETTING LOWER: Biologists say bass spawning is affected by lake drawdowns, either manmade or from drought. But not all low-water they work with the city of Austin years are bad for bass recruitment. Photos by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News. to decrease affects of the annual drawdown on Lake Austin to city) is aware of the potential impact around Austin in March and the year. Lake Austin has produced three remove shoreline vegetation. to fry and eggs, but it’s not having spawn can continue into July. bass more than 13 pounds, includ“It’s usually finished by the first any affect at all, in my opinion.”

The drawdown certainly hasn’t ing a 16-pound giant, and loads of week of February,” he said. “(The Bass usually begin spawning affected the bigger female bass this fish in the 10- to 11-pound range.

Drop anchor

Tilapia

Continued From Page 8

Continued From Page 8 ANCHOR AWAY: Maritime law prevents anglers from anchoring inside ship channels so that commercial traffic can move freely. But it’s also dangerous because a wake from a commercial boat can easily swamp a smaller vessel.

Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

West’s knowledge extends beyond personal experience.

He is commander of Rockport Flotilla 79 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which conducts boat safety checks for the Coast Guard.

He also teaches at a sea academy where fishing guides study for their captain’s licenses. Knowing where to put an anchor is part of the curriculum.

For example, he said it’s illegal to be anchored inside the buoys that mark the Intracoastal Waterway, or any major ship channel, yet it’s common to see people without anchors illegally tied to the markers.

State and federal laws prevent anchoring inside the channel so that commercial traffic is not impeded.

“Any day you can go out and see people not anchored in the right way or place,” West said.

But boats legally anchored outside those areas also face a certain safety risk, West said.

“A commercial boat or large vessel coming through the channel, even at low speeds, can cause a wake to bang a guy up,” West said.

Capt. Randy Best, also out of Aransas Pass, agreed.

“You could die very easily and at the very least get swamped,” he said.

Boaters can avoid the damaging wakes if they drop anchor in a spot shielded by some terrain, like a spoil island, West said.

But in picking terrain, it’s also important know what’s at the bottom.

West said that people fishing near jetties frequently drop onto rocks that help form the structure, but don’t properly hold anchors. He said a good swell can raise a boat and easily dislodge the anchor.

It’s also critical to know water depths so that enough anchor line is dropped.

Texas bays and sand flats are so shallow that 100 feet of anchor line can be enough, West said.

But for dropping in a dredged channel, West recommended a length of about three times the depth of the water.

“That creates an angle of pull that will help them dig in and hold,” he said.

West recalled seeing a boater drifting past him and calling for help.

“He said he was dragging anchor, but he was about to drift into a Navy ship,” West said. “The channel was about 60 feet there, but his anchor line was probably swinging 20 feet off the bottom.

“When I see anchor lines hanging straight down from the boat, I know they don’t have enough line played out.”

Flounder Continued From Page 8

pleting their winter spawns in the deeper gulf waters.

“Populations are strong,” said Van, who operates NightStalker Guide Service out of Rockport and Port Aransas. “We’ve been getting SPRING FLOUNDER: Anglers have been using diverse our limits almost every time methods and baits to catch flounder this spring along the coast. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for LSON. we go out, and quick too.”

Although Van specializes in gigging, he said a flounder with their lures. Such was lot of other anglers going for trout the case on the southern tip of the or redfish regularly hook a couple coast out of Port Mansfield. (See

ment and resource chief at Texas Parks and Wildlife. “They were introduced in power plant reservoirs as baitfish before it was illegal to transport them.”

Terre said that in the warmer lakes in Texas — Falcon and Amistad, and power plant lakes — the tilapia has natural annual recruitment.

“But in the lakes of North and Central Texas, we don’t see a bunch of them,” he said. “There isn’t a whole lot of winter survival and not many adults in the population.

“They can be a problem in the power plant reservoirs.”

Terre said tilapia make good forage for bass, but they can play havoc on some shorelines.

“They create cavities to spawn,” he said. “It disrupts the bottom of the lake and can cause issues for wade fishermen or people walking in the water. They can also impact reproduction of native species.”

Tilapias are filter feeders, eating plankton in the water. That makes them tough for anglers to catch.

Conor Harrison’s cover story in this issue.)

“Mostly they’re using soft plastics,” Van said, “but some guys are pitching shrimp under a popping cork.”

A similar technique was reported out of North Sabine where flounder were said to be decent on jigs tipped with shrimp in the marsh drains.

The strong sightings indicate good spawns recently — an improvement over a few years ago, Van said.

“Three years ago it was incredible,” he recalled. “We had never seen so many of them, and just everywhere. Then there was a freeze and a drought and a lot of young

Anglers are required to kill the fish after catching them because they are considered an invasive species.

In Central Texas, tilapias are attempting to populate some of the lakes and rivers around Austin.

“They are good forage for bass in Fayette Lake,” said Steve Magnelia, TPWD biologist for Austin.

“The bass really eat them and we don’t have a problem with bass numbers.

“I don’t think they are having a negative impact on bass there.”

Magnelia said he has seen tilapia on beds in Lake Travis, although he’s not sure how they are surviving the winters.

“They do succumb to the cold, but I saw them spawning in places last year,” he said. “I don’t know where they came from, but they are there.”

The most common method of catching tilapia is using small hooks baited with bread balls or live worms — much like bream.

The fish makes excellent table fare because the meat is white and flaky.

ones died.

“But now there are a lot of little fish out there, and a lot of 20-21 inchers out there too.”

When flounder return to the bays they usually head for the back areas where the water is shallower and, thus, warmer.

But now, as the rest of the waters are warming up, the flounder are starting to filter all over the bays, Van said.

The action has Van already eager for October when the flounder start making the run back to the spawning areas in the Gulf.

“Fall flounder will be phenomenal because of the size we’re seeing, and this early in the year,” Van said.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 22, 2011

Page 15

Page 16

April 22, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

Hog myths Continued From Page 4

MYTHICAL BEAST NO MORE: When it comes to feral hogs in Texas, separating fact from fiction is becoming easier with technological advances, a researcher said. Photo

by Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Higginbotham said.

Lopez estimated that the actual number could range from a low of 1.9 million to a high of 3.4 million.

Exaggerated claims of feral hog population-growth rates are a related myth.

Many of the population guesstimates are based on a purely arbitrary number of hogs in Texas being set at 1 million in the 1970s.

This number, which also had no research basis, is often extrapolated on using another bit of misinformation: That because of feral hogs’ high birth rates, their population is doubling every year.

So what are the facts?

Based on a 2011 consolidation of past studies done by his graduate student, Janell Mellish, the average litter size in Texas and the Southeast is 5.6 pigs, Lopez said.

It is also known that, on average, a sow is about 13 months old when she has her first litter, and that also, on average, mature sows have 1.5 litters per year. This means there is a significant population growth rate, but a far cry from the doubling-yearly myth, Lopez said.

“We estimated the population growth of feral hogs in Texas averages between 18 percent to 20 percent annually,” Lopez said. “This means that it would take almost five years for a population to double in size if left unchecked.”

Another common myth is that recreational hunting alone can control feral hog populations, Higginbotham said.

“Of the dozen studies conducted across the nation, hunting removes between 8 percent and 50 percent of a population, with an average of 24 percent across all studies,” he said. “In order to hold a population stable with no growth, 60 to 70 percent of a feral hog population would have to be removed annually.”

— Robert Burns, Texas AgriLife Extension Service

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 22, 2011

HEROES RAMON GOMEZ of Edinburg downed his first elk last fall on a ranch near La Gloria in Jim Wells County. His rifle was chambered in .30-06, with a 165-grain bullet.

BIANCA CARROCCIO, 7, of Plano caught this 4-pound largemouth at Lake Lavon.

CRAIG SMITH of GameGuard Camo harvested this axis buck last fall on the Champion Ranch in Mitchell County. He said the West Texas ranch was one of the nicest places he has been.

Honey Grove resident CLINT BARENSPRUNG caught this largemouth on a small lake in Fannin County. It was one of several bass he caught ranging from 4 to 8 pounds.

BLAYNE CUPP of Keller recently took this hefty boar at night on a ranch near Cisco. His .308-caliber AR dropped the hog at 175 yards.

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

at s to get a shot for three season ty. ed un tri Co d o ha gi ia fu or Re Vict oodsboro in ZYNSKI, 13, of bow and a er lease near W ws de he NATHAN KORC ’s at ily M m a fa ed s us buck on hi old. rewarded. He a big 11-point at 7 1/2 years rsistence was which was aged vember his pe , No ck st bu la s as lly cl na Fi e 160d to harvest th Rage broadhea

Page 17

Page 18

April 22, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

Crappie anglers Continued From Page 1

may only be down about 15 feet. But this year they seem to be staging closer to the bottom for some reason.”

Bonin has switched between minnows and artificial baits.

He said the quantity of slabs has tapered off, but good-size fish can still be caught.

Artificial crappie tubes, black and blue, have been effective, as well as dark green tubes with chartreuse tails.

Angler Lucas Loafman has had similar experiences fighting the winds while fishing Lake Belton in Central Texas.

Loafman said that most of the fish he marked were also scattered, and he has caught females in various depths.

Most of his success came at 2-12 feet, and the fish were moving in and out of the shallow water. Minnows have been the most successful recently on Belton, and some anglers have reported crappie holding as deep as 30 feet.

Crappie have been biting well on Navarro Mills Lake, NICE STRINGER: Boat houses are good spots to catch crappie this time east of Hillsboro in North of year. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Central Texas, where a recent state record crappie (4.65 pounds) was caught. Anglers reported successes on blue and chartreuse jigs and live minnows.

High winds have also been an issue on Lake Fork. Guide J.W. Peterson of J&J Outfitters said that fishing will be a challenge, unless you’re tucked into a cove or sheltered area.

“The wind has been the No. 1 culprit,” he said, “but if you can get to them, you can catch them.”

The most effective presentation, according to Peterson, has been on 1/8-ounce feather jigs, in grey and root beer colors, with some variation of blue in the tail.

But, Peterson said that minnows fished shallow are landing some nice-sized crappie. And because of the low water levels most crappie anglers are also landing catfish.

Peterson said that on recent trips he has found fish holding near bridges and brushpiles in 20-25 feet of water. The best time to fish is as early as possible because the winds tend to pick up later in the day.

According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association, winds are expected to dip into the low teens by the end of April across Texas and should be at normal levels (5-10 mph) in May.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Wildfires Continued From Page 1

historic H.E. Sproul Ranch in the Davis Mountains. They got a quarter inch.

April 10 of this year is when wildfires began racing across the Trans-Pecos region, destroying thousands of acres.

Fires still burned a week later across Texas, from Big Bend to Possum Kingdom Lake. But blazes also erupted near Austin and in three East Texas Counties. One firefighter died, 244 homes were destroyed and an estimated 1.5 million acres burned.

Some animals perished.

While scores of deer, pronghorn and other species escaped the flames, state wildlife officials and landowners like Timmons were unsure what the future would hold for the survivors.

“I flew in a helicopter this week, and we saw very little wildlife (dead) in the burned areas,” Timmons said. “So the animals all had to go somewhere.

“I’m sure a lot of them got out of it, and they went to places in the Davis Mountains that can hold them.”

But Timmons said he was worried that those areas will become crowded with big game.

The Sproul Ranch was founded in 1886 by the great-great grandfather of Timmons’ wife, Kerith. Their current hunting operation offers trophy hunts for several species, including elk.

But the family lost three hunting cabins and food for big game on 10,000 acres.

By April 17 they had supple-

mented with 30,000 pounds of hay.

“Nobody has ever seen a fire of this magnitude,” Timmons said. “I know for a fact that nobody has the answers, so we’re all going to learn together.”

Officials for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department were glad to see herds of animals after the flames passed some areas.

“I was driving east of Alpine,” said Ruben Cantu, regional director of West Texas field biologists, “and I saw, in an area that was freshly burned — and I mean scorched earth — a small group of antelope, there in the black, looking for stuff to eat.”

Also surviving the fire were pronghorns that were relocated last winter from the Panhandle to the TransPecos region, said Shawn Gray, TPWD’s mule deer and pronghorn leader.

Officials received the news from signals transmitted by the animals’ radio collars.

The devices, he explained, stop sending if the animals don’t move for eight hours.

“Then they go on a different beat sequence — what we call a mortality signal,” Gray said.

But, he added, the signals stayed strong and “a graduate student went out and put eyes on the animals.”

Other pronghorn were not so fortunate. Flames at a fence corner trapped a half dozen of them, Gray said.

“Deer obviously can jump the fence, but a pronghorn

doesn’t get through that,” Gray said.

TPWD officials also worry that the flames destroyed the cover grasses deer and pronghorn use to conceal their newborns.

And certain grasses provide critical nesting for turkey and quail species. Their numbers were already throttled by the drought that helped cause the wildfires.

But the prognosis is not completely dismal, Cantu said, if Texas gets some good rainfall.

Before settlement, fires routinely burned the landscape, which removed worthless brush and stimulated new plant growth.

That’s what happened in March 2008 at the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area, southwest of San Antonio, where 95 percent of it burned.

The flames burned off excessive brush, which allowed the beneficial plants to spring up and dominate the landscape, said David Synatzske, the WMA’s manager.

“The impact we have seen here on the Chaparral has been very positive,” Synatzske said.

He stressed, however, that the fast turnaround was linked to timely rainfall that followed soon after the fire, and that’s what is needed in West Texas.

But, he added, that region needs the right kind of rain.

A “5-inch gully washer,” he explained, would wash away precious topsoil.

“What they need is a slow rain to penetrate and allow seedlings to come in,” he said.

April 22, 2011

Page 19

Page 20

April 22, 2011

Austin Canoe and Kayak launches Mobile App for iPhone Austin Canoe and Kayak and Phunware have announced the launch of the ACK Kayak Launch Points App for iPhone and iPod Touch for immediate download in the iTunes App Store.

Conceived and developed by paddlers for paddlers, the App is a mobile experience for canoe and kayak enthusiasts globally.

Pre-loaded with more than 14,000 marked kayak and canoe launch points, the App is for paddlers, enabling them to rate launch points, create a favorites list and add and share launch points

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

with friends, family and colleagues via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.

With just a few taps of a finger, users will have access to the launch points nearest to their current location, or they can enter a specific address or zip code to find points. Users can also navigate around the map to see what points are available in the viewable area.

Once a launch point is chosen, App users can then map directions to the launch point and start their trek to the water. ACK Kayak Launch Points is a tool for paddlers either new to an area or interested in exploring new watery destinations.

Users can also share their favorite places to kayak with other App users; just tap the map to mark and submit a new launch point for the rest of the world to see.

—Staff report

LSONews.com

Port Mansfield

Snakebite

Continued From Page 1

Continued From Page 1

couple of weeks when the weather has cooperated,” Klostermann said. “The other day we had 30 or 40 mph winds from the south, and then it switched and we had 30 mph out of the north.

“But there are a lot fish in the bays right now.”

Klostermann said the trout bite has been very good, with clients catching their five-fish limits pretty easily.

He also said the redfish are not as consistent, but anglers can find limits if they do a little searching.

“We normally do a lot of wading this time of year, but with it being so windy, we haven’t done it as much,” he said. “We haven’t had any trouble catching trout, though. We just haven’t had to wade very much.”

Klostermann said he’s been throwing soft plastics for trout.

According to online fishing reports, the go-to baits for many anglers are bone chartreuse on clearer days and darker colors when the wind picks up and stains the water.

Fish are holding in many of the cuts, and when you catch one, work the area over thoroughly; there may be many more fish in the same spot.

To contact Capt. Clifford Smith, call (956) 642-7362.

To contact Capt. Jack Klostermann, call (956) 245-5008.

Health Services, bite about 7,000 people each year in the U.S. About one in 500 of those people die, including at least one, sometimes two Texans, the health agency reported.

These days, however, antivenom treatments in a hospital are recommended, not the “cut-and-suck” method from the Old West.

That remedy, according to one doctor, can be “worse than the snakebite itself.”

“You can wind up doing more damage to some areas where nerves are more superficial, like in the hand,” said Dr. Sam Campbell, professor of surgery at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock.

He noted that making the incisions might be a needless risk, because at least 30 percent of the bites from pit vipers — the cottonmouths, diamondbacks and copperheads — are dry, meaning there’s no venom in those strikes.

But in the majority of bites, the venomous ones, Campbell advised against sucking out the poison because it can enter the body through an open sore in the mouth.

He explained that the fangs on a snake are like syringes; they inject poison into the blood system where it spreads rapidly, so trying to extract it is futile.

That’s why applying ice or restriction bands to control the spread are also ineffective. And keeping venom concentrated in an area is also bad for tissue, Campbell said.

Antivenom is the best treatment, Campbell said, because it neutralizes the poison. But it is usually given only in hospitals where it is stored and reconstituted as needed.

So instead of packing a snakebite kit, Campbell said, make sure your cell phone is well-charged so that you can call for help or call ahead to the nearest hospital so that emergency room personnel can begin preparing the antivenom.

Also, keep a bitten limb elevated at heart level. Raising it higher can speed the flow of venom; lowering it can boost swelling.

Remove jewelry, especially rings which can be painfully hard to take off once swelling is underway.

People react differently to venom, but common symptoms are blurred vision, convulsions, dizziness, nausea, rapid pulse rate and swelling around the bite area.

If swelling is intense, emergency room personnel can make incisions, but not to make portals for sucking the venom.

“When tissues swell, that’s when you should have incisions made to release pressures in muscle compartments,” Campbell said. “But, please, leave that to a professional.”

LSONews.com

New pliers by ForEverlast ‘cut braid like butter’ Like all entrepreneurs, Billy Gerke of Hallettsville had a vision.

He wanted a good pair of fishing pliers, but it had to be able to cut the braided line that is becoming increasingly popular with saltwater anglers.

And they had to be tough enough to resist corrosion.

Gerke saw affordable models on the market, but they weren’t designed to cut braid.

More expensive models came close, but they cost a couple hundred dollars.

“A $200 pair of pliers is not real doable for our fishermen,” Gerke said, “especially with gas inching up the way it is.”

But Gerke isn’t your average armchair bellyacher who questions why someone else hasn’t already made the product he wants.

He operates ForEverlast, a sporting goods wholesaler that has designers and manufacturers standing by to fill product niches.

“I showed them what I liked and didn’t like, and we just prototyped it out,” he said.

The result is the ForEverlast Generation II Pro “Braid Cutter” Aluminum Pliers.

“I used them last spring and summer while I was fishing and they actually went into production in October.”

Gerke brought them to the Houston Fishing Show in

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

March, about the same time they arrived in stores. He said the product oduct has generated a lot of excitement ment in the brief time since. ly CNC Each set is individually mmachined from aluminumth titanium alloy for strength e. and corrosion resistance.

The slender-nosed plierss are ook, long enough to pull a hook, ned but ergonomically designed for better gripping.

But if an angler should d drop them, there’s a long g lanyard for easy retrieval. l.

A black nylon sheath is also made to resist salty environs.

And, as for cutting braid, the pliers are notched with tungstencarbide blades that can bite through braided line e as easily as a nail clipper er snipping monofilament.

The G2 Pro pliers were e tested by staffers at Lone ne Star Outdoor News.

David J. Sams, the publicaublication’s founder and CEO, used them recently while fishing ing with his

about a mile east of Littlefield.

Suspecting an intoxicated driver, the warden briefly followed the car and A Texas game warden assigned ordered the driver to the Panhandle arrested a to stop.

LANCE MAY 71-year-old man wanted in May radioed in Colorado for first-degree murder the plate number of in the shooting death of his wife of the vehicle to get registration infor45 years. mation and soon learned the driver Game Warden Lance May was on was wanted on an assault warrant his way to a meeting with a group of issued in Mecklenburg County, N.C. Bailey County landowners to discuss Several hours later, the warden deer hunting issues about 1:30 p.m. would learn that the man had a secApril 5. ond warrant against him — this one That is when he saw a westbound for the murder in Colorado. late-model car swerving from lane In the meantime, May arrested the to lane on U.S. 84 and Loop 430 man who was identified as Richard

Texas game warden arrests murder suspect

Paul Stewart of Independence, Mo. While talking with Stewart, who seemed to be confused and having difficulty remaining conscious, May became concerned for the man’s health and called for an ambulance.

The man was taken to Lamb County Health Care Center in Littlefield.

About midnight, he was transferred in custody to the intensive care unit at University Medical Center in Lubbock.

About the same time, May received notification that an arrest warrant for first degree murder and domestic violence had been issued for Stewart in connection with the fatal shooting of Norma Stewart, 71, about 7 a.m.

April 4 in Westminster, Colo.

May, originally from Lubbock, has been stationed in Lamb County since

April 22, 2011

Page 21

family at Rockport.

“I dangled them in salt water during my spring break wade fishing trip,” he said. “I never rinsed them off, bu but I took them out of the case two weeks later lat and there was not one speck of corrosion corrosio on them.

“I’d say that gets my sseal of approval.”

LSON Mike Hughs N Operations Manager Man has used them on the bass fishing tournab ment circuit.

“They cut braid like butter,” he l said.

Suggested retail price is about r $35 at Academy stores and Acad many other othe retailers on the coast.

—Bill Miller

his graduation from the TPWD game warden academy four years ago.

—Staff report

Man drowned near Port O'Connor A 53-year-old man was found drowned near Port O’Connor after he reportedly fell out of his boat on Saturday, April 16.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials, local police and the Coast Guard were investigating the death, which occurred in Espiritu Santo Bay. The man was found Sunday morning by another boater, and was pronounced dead by the Coast Guard

later in the morning.

The man’s boat was found approximately 50 feet from the shoreline on dry land.

“Informing others of where you are going, when you will be back, and how many people you take out on your boat will help the Coast Guard in providing assistance should a boating accident occur,” Cmdr.

Ed Gaynor, told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. “We are still unclear as to how this accident happened and an investigation is currently being conducted.”

The man’s name had not been released as of press time, according to TPWD Capt. Rex Mayes of Victoria.

—Staff report

Page 22

April 22, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides Time Height 9:05 a.m. 3.0 H 10:19 a.m. 2.9 H 11:23 a.m. 2.7 H 12:04 p.m. 2.5 H 12:27 p.m. 2.3 H 12:41 p.m. 2.3 H 7:14 a.m. 1.4 L 8:03 a.m. 1.6 L 8:45 a.m. 2.0 L 9:22 a.m. 2.1 L 9:55 a.m. 2.1 L 10:24 a.m. 2.1 L 10:51 a.m. 2.3 L 11:17 a.m. 2.3 L 11:19 p.m. -0.2 L

Time

Height

6:47 p.m.

6:59 p.m.

7:15 p.m.

12:50 p.m.

12:59 p.m.

1:08 p.m.

1:17 p.m.

1:24 p.m.

1:28 p.m.

1:26 p.m.

1:27 p.m.

1.8 L 1.6 L 1.4 L 2.1 H 2.1 H 2.3 H 2.3 H 2.3 H 2.3 H 2.5 H 2.5 H

Time

Height

Time

Height

9:36 p.m. 2.0 H 11:31 p.m. 2.1 H 7:31 p.m.

7:48 p.m.

8:08 p.m.

8:31 p.m.

8:57 p.m.

9:27 p.m.

10:01 p.m.

10:37 p.m.

1.1 L 0.7 L 0.5 L 0.2 L 0.0 L 0.0 L -0.2 L -0.2 L

Time

Height

Time Height 9:52 a.m. 2.4 H 11:06 a.m. 2.3 H 12:10 p.m. 2.1 H 12:51 p.m. 2.0 H 1:14 p.m. 1.9 H 6:42 a.m. 1.0 L 7:40 a.m. 1.1 L 8:29 a.m. 1.3 L 9:11 a.m. 1.6 L 9:48 a.m. 1.7 L 10:21 a.m. 1.7 L 10:50 a.m. 1.7 L 11:17 a.m. 1.9 L 11:43 a.m. 1.9 L 11:45 p.m. -0.1 L

7:13 p.m.

7:25 p.m.

1:28 p.m.

1:37 p.m.

1:46 p.m.

1:55 p.m.

2:04 p.m.

2:11 p.m.

2:15 p.m.

2:13 p.m.

2:14 p.m.

1.4 L 1.3 L 1.9 H 1.7 H 1.7 H 1.9 H 1.9 H 1.9 H 1.9 H 2.0 H 2.0 H

10:23 p.m. 1.6 H 7:41 p.m.

7:57 p.m.

8:14 p.m.

8:34 p.m.

8:57 p.m.

9:23 p.m.

9:53 p.m.

10:27 p.m.

11:03 p.m.

1.1 L 0.9 L 0.6 L 0.4 L 0.1 L 0.0 L 0.0 L -0.1 L -0.1 L

May 13

May 6

Houston Time Height 5:11 p.m. 1.1 H 5:50 p.m. .0 H 6:10 p.m. 1.0 H 6:01 p.m. 0.9 H 5:34 p.m. 0.8 H 5:08 p.m. 0.7 H 10:48 a.m. 0.5 L 12:31 p.m. 0.5 L 11:28 p.m. 0.2 L 11:53 p.m. 0.1 L 10:53 a.m.

12:12 p.m.

1:36 p.m.

2:50 p.m.

Time

Height

10:51 p.m.

4:38 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

0.6 L 0.6 H 0.6 H

Time

Height

Time

Height

10:50 p.m. 0.5 L 11:06 p.m. 0.3 L

1.0 H 1.0 H 1.1 H 1.1 H

Time

Height

Date Time Height Apr 22 4:33 a.m. 0.15 L Apr 23 5:32 a.m. 0.18 L Apr 24 6:27 a.m. 0.21 L Apr 25 7:15 a.m. 0.24 L Apr 26 7:53 a.m. 0.28 L Apr 27 12:25 a.m. 0.43 H Apr 28 2:19 a.m. 0.41 H Apr 29 5:08 a.m. 0.40 H Apr 30 1:53 p.m. 0.46 H May 01 2:01 p.m. 0.49 H May 02 12:04 a.m. 0.23 L May 03 12:48 a.m. 0.21 L May 04 1:33 a.m. 0.20 L May 05 2:21 a.m. 0.20 L May 06 3:12 a.m. 0.20 L

Time Height 7:03 p.m. 0.52 H 8:22 p.m. 0.51 H 9:38 p.m. 0.49 H 10:56 p.m. 0.46 H 8:18 AM 8:25 AM 7:53 AM 11:17 p.m.

0.32 L 0.36 L 0.40 L 0.25 L

2:16 p.m.

2:39 p.m.

3:13 p.m.

3:58 p.m.

4:53 p.m.

0.5 H 0.51 H 0.52 H 0.52 H 0.52 H

Time

Height

Time

8:09 p.m.

8:21 p.m.

1:58 p.m.

2:07 p.m.

2:16 p.m.

2:25 p.m.

2:34 p.m.

2:41 p.m.

2:45 p.m.

2:43 p.m.

2:44 p.m.

Height

0.9 L 0.8 L 1.1 H 1.0 H 1.0 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.2 H 1.2 H

Date Time Height Apr 22 12:21 a.m. -0.2 L Apr 23 1:22 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 24 2:31 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 25 3:50 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 26 5:11 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 27 12:11 a.m. 1.4 H Apr 28 1:38 a.m. 1.4 H Apr 29 2:45 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 30 3:39 a.m. 1.6 H May 01 4:25 a.m. 1.7 H May 02 5:06 a.m. 1.8 H May 03 5:46 a.m. 1.8 H May 04 6:28 a.m. 1.8 H May 05 7:13 a.m. 1.8 H May 06 8:04 a.m. 1.8 H

10:53 p.m. 0.9 H 8:37 p.m.

8:53 p.m.

9:10 p.m.

9:30 p.m.

9:53 p.m.

10:19 p.m.

10:49 p.m.

11:23 p.m.

11:59 p.m.

0.7 L 0.5 L 0.3 L 0.3 L 0.1 L 0.0 L 0.0 L -0.1 L -0.1 L

Time

Height

Time Height 9:45 a.m. 2.0 H 10:59 a.m. 1.8 H 12:03 p.m. 1.7 H 12:44 p.m. 1.6 H 1:07 p.m. 1.5 H 6:21 a.m. 0.5 L 7:19 a.m. 0.6 L 8:08 a.m. 0.7 L 8:50 a.m. 0.8 L 9:27 a.m. 0.9 L 10:00 a.m. 0.9 L 10:29 a.m. 0.9 L 10:56 a.m. 1.0 L 11:22 a.m. 1.0 L 11:24 p.m. -0.1 L

0.38 H 0.40 H 0.43 H

7:37 p.m. 0.35 L 9:15 p.m. 0.32 L 10:24 p.m. 0.28 L

Time

6:52 p.m.

7:04 p.m.

1:21 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

1:39 p.m.

1:48 p.m.

1:57 p.m.

2:04 p.m.

2:08 p.m.

2:06 p.m.

2:07 p.m.

Height

Time

Height

0.8 L 0.7 L 1.5 H 1.4 H 1.4 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.6 H 1.6 H

10:16 p.m. 1.3 H 7:20 p.m.

7:36 p.m.

7:53 p.m.

8:13 p.m.

8:36 p.m.

9:02 p.m.

9:32 p.m.

10:06 p.m.

10:42 p.m.

0.6 L 0.5 L 0.3 L 0.2 L 0.1 L 0.0 L 0.0 L -0.1 L -0.1 L

Time

Height

Time

Height

6:47 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

12:41 p.m.

12:29 p.m.

12:01 p.m.

1.0 L 0.8 L 1.2 H 1.2 H 1.1 H

South Padre Island Time Height 9:14 a.m. 2.1 H 10:28 a.m. 2.0 H 11:32 a.m. 1.8 H 12:13 p.m. 1.7 H 12:36 p.m. 1.6 H 12:50 p.m. 1.6 H 7:37 a.m. 0.7 L 8:26 a.m. 0.8 L 9:08 a.m. 1.0 L 9:45 a.m. 1.1 L 10:18 a.m. 1.1 L 10:47 a.m. 1.1 L 11:14 a.m. 1.2 L 11:40 a.m. 1.2 L 11:42 p.m. -0.1 L

Time

Height

7:10 p.m.

7:22 p.m.

7:38 p.m.

12:59 p.m.

1:08 p.m.

1:17 p.m.

1:26 p.m.

1:33 p.m.

1:37 p.m.

1:35 p.m.

1:36 p.m.

0.9 L 0.8 L 0.7 L 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.7 H 1.7 H

9:45 p.m. 1.4 H 11:40 p.m. 1.5 H 7:54 p.m.

8:11 p.m.

8:31 p.m.

8:54 p.m.

9:20 p.m.

9:50 p.m.

10:24 p.m.

11:00 p.m.

0.5 L 0.4 L 0.3 L 0.1 L 0.0 L 0.0 L -0.1 L -0.1 L

Date Time Apr 22 12:19 a.m.

Apr 23 1:18 a.m.

Apr 24 2:21 a.m.

Apr 25 3:28 a.m.

Apr 26 4:38 a.m.

Apr 27 5:50 a.m.

Apr 28 1:05 a.m.

Apr 29 2:29 a.m.

Apr 30 3:35 a.m.

May 01 4:30 a.m.

May 02 5:19 a.m.

May 03 6:06 a.m.

May 04 6:55 a.m.

May 05 7:48 a.m.

May 06 8:43 a.m.

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Height -0.6 L -0.4 L -0.1 L 0.2 L 0.5 L 0.7 L 1.3 H 1.3 H 1.4 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.7 H

Time 10:23 a.m.

11:23 a.m.

12:03 p.m.

12:27 p.m.

12:40 p.m.

12:44 p.m.

7:01 a.m.

8:13 a.m.

9:33 a.m.

8:34 p.m.

9:01 p.m.

9:31 p.m.

10:04 p.m.

10:42 p.m.

11:25 p.m.

Height 1.7 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.5 H 1.4 H 1.3 H 0.9 L 1.0 L 1.0 L 0.0 L -0.1 L -0.3 L -0.3 L -0.4 L -0.4 L

11:07 p.m. 1.2 H 7:21 p.m. 0.6 L 7:45 p.m. 0.4 L 8:09 p.m. 0.2 L

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Solution on Page 26

P.M. Minor 10:40 11:37 12:04 12:52 1:34 2:12 2:48 3:23 3:59 4:38 5:20 6:08 6:59 7:54 8:52 9:51 10:49 11:45 12:13 1:03

Major 4:25 5:24 6:17 7:03 7:44 8:22 8:58 9:33 10:09 10:49 11:32 12:20 12:46 1:41 2:39 3:38 4:36 5:33 6:26 7:16

SUN Rises Sets 06:47 07:51 06:46 07:52 06:45 07:52 06:44 07:53 06:43 07:53 06:42 07:54 06:41 07:55 06:41 07:55 06:40 07:56 06:39 07:57 06:38 07:57 06:37 07:58 06:36 07:59 06:35 07:59 06:35 08:00 06:34 08:01 06:33 08:01 06:32 08:02 06:32 08:03 06:31 08:03

MOON Rises Sets 12:08a 10:37a 12:59a 11:37a 1:43a 12:36p 2:21a 1:33p 2:55a 2:27p 3:26a 3:20p 3:55a 4:11p 4:24a 5:03p 4:54a 5:56p 5:25a 6:50p 5:59a 7:45p 6:37a 8:42p 7:20a 9:37p 8:08a 10:31p 9:00a 11:23p 9:57a NoMoon 10:57a 12:11a 11:59a 12:55a 1:02p 1:36a 2:05p 2:14a

2011 A.M. Apr-May Minor Major 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 28 Thu 2:33 8:43 29 Fri 3:08 9:18 30 Sat 3:44 9:54 01 Sun > 4:22 10:32 02 Mon N 5:03 11:15 03 Tue > 5:49 ----04 Wed > 6:39 12:27 05 Thu > 7:34 1:21 06 Fri 8:31 2:18 07 Sat 9:30 3:16 08 Sun 10:28 4:15 1 09 Mon 11:25 5:12 10 Tue Q ----- 6:06 11 Wed 12:44 6:56

P.M. Minor Major 10:45 4:31 11:43 5:29 12:10 6:22 12:57 7:09 1:39 7:50 2:17 8:28 2:53 9:03 3:28 9:38 4:04 10:15 4:43 10:54 5:26 11:37 6:13 12:25 7:05 12:52 8:00 1:47 8:58 2:44 9:56 3:43 0:55 4:42 11:51 5:38 12:19 6:31 1:09 7:21

SUN Rises Sets 06:49 08:00 06:48 08:01 06:47 08:02 06:46 08:02 06:45 08:03 06:44 08:04 06:43 08:05 06:42 08:05 06:41 08:06 06:40 08:07 06:39 08:08 06:38 08:08 06:37 08:09 06:36 08:10 06:35 08:11 06:34 08:11 06:33 08:12 06:32 08:13 06:32 08:14 06:31 08:14

MOON Rises Sets 12:21a 10:35a 1:12a 11:36a 1:55a 12:36p 2:32a 1:34p 3:04a 2:30p 3:34a 3:24p 4:01a 4:17p 4:29a 5:10p 4:57a 6:05p 5:27a 7:00p 6:00a 7:57p 6:37a 8:54p 7:18a 9:51p 8:05a 10:45p 8:58a 11:37p 9:55a NoMoon 10:56a 12:24a 11:59a 1:07a 1:04p 1:46a 2:09p 2:22a

P.M. Minor Major 10:52 4:38 11:50 5:36 12:17 6:29 1:04 7:16 1:46 7:57 2:24 8:35 3:00 9:10 3:35 9:45 4:11 10:22 4:50 11:01 5:33 11:44 6:20 12:32 7:12 12:59 8:07 1:54 9:05 2:51 10:03 3:50 11:02 4:49 11:58 5:45 12:26 6:38 1:16 7:28

SUN Rises Sets 07:00 08:03 06:59 08:04 06:58 08:04 06:57 08:05 06:56 08:06 06:55 08:06 06:54 08:07 06:54 08:07 06:53 08:08 06:52 08:09 06:51 08:09 06:50 08:10 06:49 08:11 06:48 08:11 06:48 08:12 06:47 08:13 06:46 08:13 06:45 08:14 06:45 08:14 06:44 08:15

MOON Rises 12:20a 1:11a 1:55a 2:33a 3:07a 3:39a 4:08a 4:37a 5:07a 5:38a 6:13a 6:51a 7:34a 8:21a 9:14a 10:11a 11:10a 12:12p 1:15p 2:18p

Sets 10:51a 11:51a 12:50p 1:46p 2:40p 3:33p 4:24p 5:16p 6:08p 7:02p 7:58p 8:54p 9:50p 10:44p 11:35p NoMoon 12:23a 1:08a 1:48a 2:26a

P.M. Minor 11:05 ----12:30 1:18 2:00 2:38 3:14 3:49 4:25 5:04 5:46 6:33 7:25 8:20 9:18 10:17 11:15 ----12:39 1:29

SUN Rises 07:07 07:05 07:04 07:03 07:02 07:01 07:00 06:59 06:58 06:56 06:55 06:54 06:53 06:52 06:51 06:50 06:50 06:49 06:48 06:47

MOON Rises 12:49a 1:38a 2:21a 2:56a 3:28a 3:56a 4:23a 4:49a 5:16a 5:45a 6:17a 6:53a 7:34a 8:20a 9:13a 10:10a 11:12a 12:16p 1:22p 2:29p

Sets 10:50a 11:52a 12:53p 1:52p 2:49p 3:44p 4:38p 5:33p 6:28p 7:25p 8:23p 9:21p 10:18p 11:13p NoMoon 12:04a 12:50a 1:32a 2:10a 2:45a

San Antonio 2011 A.M. Apr-May Minor Major 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 28 Thu 2:40 8:50 29 Fri 3:15 9:25 30 Sat 3:51 10:01 01 Sun > 4:29 10:39 02 Mon N 5:10 11:22 03 Tue > 5:56 ----04 Wed > 6:46 12:34 05 Thu > 7:41 1:28 06 Fri 8:38 2:25 07 Sat 9:37 3:23 08 Sun 10:35 4:22 09 Mon 11:32 5:19 10 Tue Q 12:02 6:13 11 Wed 12:51 7:03

2011 A.M. Apr-May Minor 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 28 Thu 2:53 29 Fri 3:28 30 Sat 4:04 01 Sun > 4:42 02 Mon N 5:23 03 Tue > 6:09 04 Wed > 7:00 05 Thu > 7:54 06 Fri 8:51 07 Sat 9:50 08 Sun 10:49 09 Mon 11:45 10 Tue Q 12:15 11 Wed 1:04

Major 4:23 5:23 6:18 7:06 7:49 8:28 9:04 9:39 10:14 10:53 11:35 ----12:47 1:41 2:38 3:37 4:36 5:32 6:26 7:17

Major 4:51 5:50 6:42 7:29 8:10 8:48 9:24 9:59 10:35 11:15 11:58 12:46 1:12 2:07 3:05 4:04 5:02 5:58 6:52 7:42

Sets 08:23 08:24 08:25 08:26 08:27 08:27 08:28 08:29 08:30 08:31 08:32 08:32 08:33 08:34 08:35 08:36 08:37 08:37 08:38 08:39

FOR THE TABLE Creamy wild turkey enchiladas (serves 6 or more)

ACROSS 1. A plump short-tailed game bird 5. The older ones are classed as loners 9. The bow scope protector 10. A species of moose 11. The hunt and fish permit 12. A valuable gauge for the angler 13. A type of camp fireplace 15. A flock of geese 17. Gun's enlarged rear portion of the bore 18. An aid to icefishing 22. A pronghorn 24. A type of arrow 26. Part of a stag's rack 28. Indian name for deer 29. Charge in a shot shell, _____ charge 31. A top retriever 34. Also called a bowfin 37. A weasel 38. Mammal trapped for the fur 39. A type of hunter's cover 40. To propel the boat DOWN 1. Act of carrying boat overland 2. The ____necked pheasant 3. Rear motion of a fired gun 4. An angler's consideration 6. Food source of the bear 7. The fish pole 8. The material in a clay pigeon 14. Ruffed or sage

A.M. Minor Major 10:11 3:57 11:11 4:58 ----- 5:52 12:29 6:40 1:12 7:23 1:51 8:02 2:28 8:38 3:03 9:13 3:38 9:49 4:16 10:27 4:58 11:09 5:43 11:55 6:34 12:21 7:28 1:15 8:26 2:12 9:24 3:11 10:23 4:10 11:20 5:07 ----- 6:00 12:38 6:51

Amarillo

Mail to Lone Star Outdoor News, PO Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355. For fastest service, call (214) 361-2276 or visit LSONews.com.

OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen

2011 Apr-May 22 Fri 23 Sat 24 Sun 25 Mon Q 26 Tue 27 Wed 28 Thu 29 Fri 30 Sat 01 Sun > 02 Mon N 03 Tue > 04 Wed > 05 Thu > 06 Fri 07 Sat 08 Sun 09 Mon 10 Tue Q 11 Wed

Dallas 2:35 p.m.

2:04 p.m.

1:53 p.m.

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier Time Height 10:22 a.m. 1.5 H 11:36 a.m. 1.4 H 12:40 p.m. 1.3 H 1:21 p.m. 1.2 H 1:44 p.m. 1.1 H 7:38 a.m. 0.6 L 8:36 a.m. 0.7 L 9:25 a.m. 0.8 L 10:07 a.m. 0.9 L 10:44 a.m. 1.0 L 11:17 a.m. 1.0 L 11:46 a.m. 1.0 L 12:13 p.m. 1.1 L 12:39 p.m. 1.1 L

Freeport Harbor Date Time Height Apr 22 12:39 a.m. -0.2 L Apr 23 1:40 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 24 2:49 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 25 4:08 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 26 5:29 a.m. 0.5 L Apr 27 6:39 a.m. 0.6 L Apr 28 1:07 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 29 2:14 a.m. 1.6 H Apr 30 3:08 a.m. 1.7 H May 01 3:54 a.m. 1.8 H May 02 4:35 a.m. 2.0 H May 03 5:15 a.m. 2.0 H May 04 5:57 a.m. 2.0 H May 05 6:42 a.m. 2.0 H May 06 7:33 a.m. 2.0 H

First

April 29

Date Time Height Apr 22 3:27 a.m. -0.1 L Apr 23 4:26 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 24 5:29 a.m. 0.1 L Apr 25 6:39 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 26 7:56 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 27 9:20 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 28 4:11 a.m. 0.7 H Apr 29 6:09 a.m. 0.7 H Apr 30 7:30 a.m. 0.8 H May 01 8:38 a.m. 0.9 H May 02 9:43 a.m. 1.0 H May 03 12:22 a.m. 0.1 L May 04 12:54 a.m. 0.0 L May 05 1:30 a.m. 0.0 L May 06 2:08 a.m. -0.1 L

San Luis Pass Date Time Height Apr 22 1:38 a.m. -0.2 L Apr 23 2:39 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 24 3:48 a.m. 0.2 L Apr 25 5:07 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 26 6:28 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 27 12:48 a.m. 1.0 H Apr 28 2:15 a.m. 1.0 H Apr 29 3:22 a.m. 1.1 H Apr 30 4:16 a.m. 1.2 H May 01 5:02 a.m. 1.3 H May 02 5:43 a.m. 1.4 H May 03 6:23 a.m. 1.4 H May 04 7:05 a.m. 1.4 H May 05 7:50 a.m. 1.4 H May 06 8:41 a.m. 1.4 H

Last

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.

Full

Rockport

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty Date Time Height Apr 22 12:42 a.m. -0.3 L Apr 23 1:43 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 24 2:52 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 25 4:11 a.m. 0.6 L Apr 26 5:32 a.m. 0.7 L Apr 27 12:18 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 28 1:45 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 29 2:52 a.m. 1.9 H Apr 30 3:46 a.m. 2.0 H May 01 4:32 a.m. 2.1 H May 02 5:13 a.m. 2.3 H May 03 5:53 a.m. 2.3 H May 04 6:35 a.m. 2.3 H May 05 7:20 a.m. 2.3 H May 06 8:11 a.m. 2.3 H

New

Port O’Connor

Sabine Pass, jetty Date Time Height Apr 22 12:16 a.m. -0.4 L Apr 23 1:17 a.m. 0.0 L Apr 24 2:26 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 25 3:45 a.m. 0.7 L Apr 26 5:06 a.m. 0.9 L Apr 27 6:16 a.m. 1.3 L Apr 28 12:58 a.m. 2.1 H Apr 29 2:05 a.m. 2.3 H Apr 30 2:59 a.m. 2.5 H May 01 3:45 a.m. 2.7 H May 02 4:26 a.m. 2.9 H May 03 5:06 a.m. 2.9 H May 04 5:48 a.m. 2.9 H May 05 6:33 a.m. 2.9 H May 06 7:24 a.m. 2.9 H

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases April 22

Texas Coast Tides

LSONews.com

2 lbs. boneless wild turkey — cooked 1 package (10-oz. size) frozen chopped spinach 1/2 cup green onions 2 cups sour cream 1 cup plain yogurt 2 tbsps. flour 1/2 tsp. cumin Salt to taste 1/2 cup milk 2 cans (4-oz. size) diced green chili peppers (drained) 12 to 24 flour tortillas (7-inch size) 8 oz. grated cheese Diced tomatoes and/or black olives for garnish

Shred turkey to bite-size pieces — combine with spinach and green onions, set aside. In separate bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, flour, cumin and salt. Stir in milk and chili peppers. Divide sauce in half.

Combine chicken mix and half of sauce. Divide filling among tortillas and roll them up. Place in Dutch oven in layers. Spoon remaining sauce over enchiladas. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and let stand for 5 minutes.

Garnish and serve.

— Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation

Baked flounder with crab meat stuffing

16. Game found in mountainous regions 17. Important kit item for hunters 19. Common name for the strawberry bass 20. Name for the Arizona whitetail 21. A wild game 23. Bow built up in layers, ______ bow 25. A type of gundog

27. A type of bowhunter's weapon 30. Movement of an arrow in flight 32. Shells and arrows 33. Wingshooter's grassland bird 34. 28 across 35. Of the mouth of the bass 36. A type lure

6 fillets of flounder 2 green onions, minced 1 stalk celery, minced 1 can crab meat 1/2 stick butter + 2 tbsps. for garnish 1/2 cup bread crumbs + 2 tbsps. for garnish 1/2 tbsp. snipped parsley (dry parsley can be subbed) Salt, pepper, paprika Slice the fillets in two portions, cutting them lengthwise. Roll the fillets into rounds and set over a

thoroughly buttered glass baking dish. Reserve for later.

Melt butter and sauté onion along with celery for about 2 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and parsley. Toss well until properly mixed. Ladle the mixture at the center of the rolled fillets.

Use the bread crumbs and parsley as garnish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley according to taste. Dot with butter before setting it in the oven for half hour of baking at 350 degrees F. — Fishrecipes.org

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

April 22, 2011

Page 23

DATEBOOK April 22-23

April 30 - May 1

May 13-15

First International South Padre Island Tournament Trail 2011

Texas Gun and Knife Association Show

Great Outdoors Expo

Hill Country Exhibition Center Kerrville (830) 285-0575 www.texasgunandknifeshows.com

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

Central Texas Safari Club

April 30 - May 2

May 14

Wild Game Gourmet Dinner Austin (512) 773-5674

2011 Quail Masters

Dallas Safari Club

Roby (325) 653-4576

YPG Crawfish boil (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org

(956) 421-4590 www.apescar.net

April 27

Executive Editor Craig Nyhus Editor Bill Miller Associate Editor Conor Harrison Associate Editor Mark England Graphics Editor Amy Moore Business/Products Editor Mary Helen Aguirre Operations Manager Mike Hughs Accounting Ginger Hoolan

April 28

May 5

San Antonio Ducks Unlimited

Fort Worth CCA Banquet and Auction

May 19

Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant Fort Worth (817) 437-8351

Dallas Safari Club

National Advertising Mike Nelson Accounts Manager

Monthly Meeting (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org

Classified/Outfitters Blazing Paths Media Advertising

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

Coastal Conservation Association — Dallas Chapter Dinner Banquet Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas (214) 243-9435 www.ccatexas.org

April 29-30 Duck Jam Wolf Pen Creek, College Station (512) 944-3828 www.duckjam.org

April 30 Women’s Recreational Shooting Association Annual Ladies Charity Shoot American Shooting Center, Houston www.webupamerica.com/ladyclayshooters

May 6

Intern Nicholas Conklin

Houston Safari Club

Capital Bass Club

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

Monthly meeting VFW Post 8787 Austin www.capitalbassclub.com

Operation Game Thief

Texana Outdoor Expo

“Clay Stoppers” sporting clays shoot, Buda (512) 389-4381 www.ogttx.com

Breckenridge Park Edna (361) 782-7272 www.breckenridgepark.com

May 7

May 24

Dallas Safari Club

Dallas Safari Club

Youth ‘SAFETY” Event Greystone Castle, Mingus (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org

Ft. Worth Regional Meeting (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org

May 7-8

Third Coast Fishing Tournament

Red River Big Bass Extravaganza

Bluff’s Landing Marina Corpus Christi www.winthirdcoast.com

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

Web site Bruce Soileau

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

May 21

May 28

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

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

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.

Page 24

April 22, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Texas big bites

Bass tournament roundup

HELLO AGAIN: Faron McCain of Sweetwater caught this 14.9-pound largemouth, April 14 at O.H. Ivie Reservoir, but this fish already had some history.

An electronic tag showed that It was also caught a year ago when it became Ivie’s lake record. Photo by Larry D. Hodge, TPWD. BIG SMALLEY: Garrett Lehrman, 14, of Fort Worth recently caught this 21.5inch smallmouth bass on plastics during a five-day guided kayak adventure on the Devils River. The fish is a pending Texas junior angler catch-andrelease state record for a smallmouth bass. Shane Davies of River Run Guide Service guided Garrett and his dad. Photo by Rick Lehrman.

HUBBARD CREEK: Spike Stoker of Stephenville threw a Jig X jig to catch this 12.93-pound largemouth last month on Hubbard Creek Reservoir. The fish is a water body record for weight and a catch-and-release water body record.

Joining him were son Brayden and daughter Macyn. Photo by TPWD.

LSONews.com

Fukae takes second at FLW tournament Shinichi Fukae of Palestine was the second-place finisher April 17 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee.

The winner was Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., who caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces on the last day to win $125,000 at the tournament presented by National Guard.

Fukae caught a total of 20 bass weighing 70-8, which earned him $35,000. nt, He topped the leader board on Day 1 of the event, til but then slipped behind Pirch and stayed there until SHINICHI FUKAE the finish.

Fukae said he fished close to banks and targeted brush piles and “junk stuff.” His baits were the shallow-running Lucky Craft RC 2, a Gary Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog and a couple of different soft-plastic creature baits.

Other Texans in the tournament were: Jason Reyes, Huffman, 22nd; Cody Bird, Granbury, 32nd; Sean Hoernke, The Woodlands, 54th; and Nicholas Albus, Trinity, 47th.

BIG CAT: Blake Terry, 12, of Odessa, boated this 52-pound catfish March 25 while practicing for the 2011 Junior Bassmaster Championship on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. He didn’t win the tournament, but the giant cat will be submitted for a youth lake record on rod and reel. The fish provided quite a workout for Blake’s Falcon Bucoo Micro Guide rod and jigging spoon on a 15-pound line. Photo by the Terry family.

Clemons, Cole take Bass Champs event Chris Clemons of Lufkin and Dallas Cole of Leesville, La., combined their catches April 9 to win the Bass Champs East Texas Region tournament at Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

The teammates used numerous baits, but their best success came by casting Carolina-rigged flukes.

Their five fish totaled 24.54 pounds and topped nearly 200 other teams to secure a prize of $20,000.

Also placing in the top five, each with five-fish bags, were the teams of: 2nd place, Chris Russell of Montgomery and Mike Power of Canyon Lake, 22.15, $4,000; 3rd place, Keith White of Grapevine and Brian Branum of Brokeland, 20.72, $2,000; 4th place, Nathan Stroup of Willis and Eric Adams of The Woodlands, 20.36, $1,500; and Rusty Harvey of Nederland and Chris Harvey of Vidor, 20.21, $1,100.

Mabank angler wins ’Cowboy Division’ tournament

GILMER RECORD: Thomas Milam of Pittsburg, Texas claimed a new lake record last month on Gilmer Reservoir with the catch of this 14-pound lunker.

The bass, 25 inches long and 21.75 inches in girth, was caught on a pumpkin seed craw worm. Photo by Shane Carter, TPWD.

Mark Allen of Mabank caught five bass totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces to win $5,296 in the BFL Cowboy Division tournament April 2 on Lake Livingston.

Allen pitched soft plastics in Kickapoo Creek to get his limit.

Other top anglers, each with five fish, were: 2nd place, Eddie Ellisor of Coldspring, 16-8, $1,648; 3rd place, Nathan Stroup, Willis, 15-13, $1,099; and 4th place, Matt Ogrodowicz, Cypress, 14-11, $769.

In the co-angler division, James Dunn of Lecompte, La., caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 12 ounces to win the 1st-place prize of $1,648. Dunn was on Palmetto Creek using watermelon-colored flukes.

East Texas club wins Federation’s Top 6 The East Texas Bass Association took top honors with a three-day total of 188.13 pounds at the 2011 Texas B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Top 6 State Championship March 28-April 4 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

Albert Collins of the Nacagdoches Bass Club won the title “State Champion” with a three-day total weight of 47.63 pounds.

Overall Big Bass honors went to Chris Collier of Tonkawa Bass Club after he brought 9.66 pounds of fish to the scales.

Anglers moving on to divisional competition are: Stephen White, Panhandle; Troy Montgomery, West Region; Bobby Gene Whiteside, South Region; and Albert Collins, Southeast Region.

Jarrett Robertson was the Youth State Champion.

Texans lead Day 1 of college championship, but get 7th A pair of anglers from The University of Texas at Tyler held the lead after the first day of the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championships April 7-9 at Murray, Ky. But the duo of Matthew McClellan and Tyler Fisher could not hold the spot, which was won by the University of Florida — a repeat of last year.

McClellan and Fisher, both of Tyler, held the Day 1 lead with a total catch of 15 pounds, 4 ounces. They ended the tournament in 7th place, the highest of all competing Texans.

The other teams were: 13th place, Paul Manley of Orange and Andrew Shafer of Chadfield, Texas A&M University; 22nd place, Robert Platt of Kennedale and Ryan Watkins of Rockport, Stephen F. Austin University; 24th place, Matt Morrison of Montgomery and Danny Illes of Hemphill, Lamar University.

Hemphill angler tops Texas State event Jim Moroski of Hemphill reeled in 18.74 pounds April 9 and 10 to claim 1st place in the individual division of the 56th annual Texas State Bass Tournament on Toledo Bend Reservoir.

He was followed by Jeff LeBlanc of Magnolia, who won 2nd place with a two-day catch of 16.58 pounds.

The team of John Barns and William Barns, both of Dallas, won the Team Division with their total of 32.11 pounds. The 2nd place team was Dale Rabe of Arlington and Charlie McFarland of Burleson who, together, caught 28.38 pounds.

Earl Golding, a sports writer for the Waco Herald Tribune, founded the tournament in 1955. It has never offered prize money, but more than 200 anglers participated in this year’s event, which was hosted by Fin & Feather Resort. For more results, go to www.texasstatebass.com.

—Staff reports

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April 22, 2011

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PRODUCTS BOLT XR CROSSBOW SCOPE: Nikon’s new lower magnification, compact scope features the BDC 60 Reticle, which is calibrated specifically for crossbow bolts with velocities of approximately 305 fps. To eliminate the guesswork, Spot On (a ballistic reticle matching software program) will compile data from multiple crossbow testing sessions to allow hunters to match the reticle of their Bolt XR more precisely to their choice of bolt. The scope features 3.4 inches of eye relief and its durable 1-inch tube offers hand-turn adjustment and a 20-yard parallax setting. Its super bright exit pupil of 10.7mm and the company’s fully multicoated lens allow users to hunt right up to the end of legal shooting time. The new scope is available in a matte finish and sells for about $150.

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(800) 251-2622 www.wiseseats.com/blast-off seats.com/blast-off

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(800) 645-6687 www.nikonhunting.com

WISE BLAST-OFF SEATS: The Wise Company makes it affordable to upgrade a boat’s original interior seating system. The company’s Blast-Off system consists of 16 seating options (including bucket seats, buddy seats, folding boat seats, pro seats, and bench seats) that are sure to fit virtually any boat platform. The seat styles — and eight tri-color options — will enhance a boat, no matter its age. Seats are handcrafted and feature marine-grade super-high-compression foam, UV and mildew-inhibiting vinyl, no-pinch hinges, and marine-grade seat frames. Several mounting options are available. Prices vary, depending on the seat. We spotted a buddy seat for about $90, with a passenger/driver bucket seat combo running about $380.

Elite-5 DSI

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MAG SHOK HEAVYWEIGHT TURKEY LOAD: Hunters planning to catch the tail end of turkey hunting season may want to give this 20-gauge 2 3/4-inch shell a shot.

It promises 40 percent less recoil than 3-inch loads, but with devastating performance. The Flitecontrol wads deliver the tungsten-based, mega-dense shot to help cleanly drop more birds. The payload of 250 #7 heavyweight pellets equals the energy of No. 5 lead at 40 yards, with a muzzle velocity that is perfect for downrange performance at 1,100 fps. And, says the company, the rear-braking Flitecontrol wad delivers tight patterns for added lethality. A five-round box sells for about $18.

ELITE-5 DSI FISHFINDER/ CHARTPLOTTER: Lowrance’s GPS unit combines DownScan imaging sonar technology with a brilliant color display and easy, intuitive operation. The device Elite-5x DSI was the 2010 ICAST winner in the electronics category. It features a dual-frequency Skimmer DSI transom-mount imaging transducer with built-in temperature sensor that operates at 455 kHz for wider and deeper coverage and at 800 kHz for more concentrated scans in shallower conditions with greater target separation. Its internal memory allows for up to 3,000 waypoints, 100 routes with 100 waypoints per route and 100 retraceable plot trails with up to 10,000 points per trail. Plus, its waterproof memory card slot supports multiple mapcard options. The Elite-5x DSI sells for about $650.

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THE HUNTER’S HARVEST COOKBOOK: This beautifully photographed cookbook contains recipes for delectable wild game dishes from the folks at Joshua Creek Ranch. Packed with recipes for quail, venison, dove, pheasant, chukar, trout and other offerings by hunters or anglers, the 166-page cookbook was written by the hunting resort’s owner, Ann Kercheville, and chef Kay Read. Included are chef Georgia Pellegrini’s recipe for Braised Pheasant Legs with Cabbage and Grapes, plus such dishes as Venison with Green Pepper Sauce, Pheasant Chardonnay, Fried Quail, Pheasant Tamales, and the popular Joshua Creek Ranch Wild Game Gumbo. In addition to wild game recipes, the book also offers other favorites, such as several hearty ranch breakfasts.

Kitchen garden staples such as potatoes, tomatoes, apples, and squash also appear in a number of recipes. The cookbook sells for $29.95.

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April 22, 2011

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