July 12, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

July 12, 2013

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Blue seas, big fish Offshore bite going strong for grouper, tuna.

Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

July 12, 2013

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Volume 9, Issue 22

Quail counts up

Inside

After last several years, hunters cautiously optimistic ❘❚ HUNTING

Sick puppy Dog, owner cope with coonhound paralysis, which attacks the animal’s nerves and spinal cord.

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Sunflowers galore Central Texas full of flowers; do whitewings follow?

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❘❚ FISHING

PULLING THEM FROM DEEP: Texas- and Carolina-rigged worms are catching a lot of bass on Lake Fork, with guides and anglers focusing on deep lake points. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Summertime fun Bluegills, other panfish great way to spend a day.

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Going for a ride Texas man gets hauled to sea by a tarpon.

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❘❚ CONTENTS

Classifieds . . . . . . . .

Crossword . . . . . . . .

Freshwater Fishing Report For the Table. . . . . . .

Game Warden Blotter . . .

Heroes. . . . . . . . . .

Outdoor Datebook . . . .

Products . . . . . . . . .

Saltwater Fishing Report .

Sun, Moon and Tide data .

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210

❘❚ LSONews.com

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Go deep on Fork When bite slows, look for deep drop-offs

When a rare north wind blew across Texas for several days in early July, fishing guides on Lake Fork had to quickly adjust tactics to find fish.

“The fishing had been really good until the wind blew out of the north and for seven or eight days, it was tough,” said Lake Fork guide Andrew Grills. “I think we are back to normal now. It sure was pleasant weather to fish in, but it changed the bite.

“We had to go to finesse baits there for a while.”

See DEEP, Page 15

TRENDING UPWARD: Quail hunters across the state are seeing more birds this year, although they are avoiding getting too excited until the fall. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS

A familiar sound is returning to some areas of Texas, albeit in limited doses.

The whistle of the bobwhite quail is again being heard dur-

ing the summer months in places where quail haven’t been heard from in several years. After years of drought, timely rains across much of the state have made for better range conditions, and the quail are

responding, according to some landowners.

“The hatch started much later this year than last year,” said Ronnie Howard in South Texas. “First rains were on

Trout bite steady, bigger fish along lower coast

By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS

Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP

See QUAIL, Page 16

The speckled trout bite along the Texas coast is going strong this summer, with good numbers reported along the upper coast and some nice-sized trout coming from the lower coast.

WADING IS WORKING: Trout are being caught along the coast, and wade fishermen, like this one last month, are having good success in the mornings before the water heats up. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Boerne angler Nick Kohleffel spent the holiday weekend fishing out of Port Mansfield, and said his group experienced a good morning trout bite.

“We fished mainly with croaker,” he said.

“All of the croaker were good-sized — 4 to 6 inches — and we were catching trout early in about 2 feet of water.

After the sun came up and the water would heat up, the fish moved a little See TROUT, Page 24

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HUNTING

Giant sunflowers blooming in Central Texas Hunters waiting for whitewings to adjust

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News Hill County has noticed, as have those along I-45 in Ellis County.

Fields full of giant sunflowers dot the landscape, a new sight for most in those parts of Texas. During the bloom in June, vehicles stopped along the freeways for a photo opportunity with their children.

Have the white-winged dove, who flock to the big plants near Hondo, Uvalde and in the Rio Grande Valley, found the fields?

Not yet, it appears, but it should be a matter of time.

“I’m sure dove are in there but I haven’t seen them being hunted (last season),” said Hill County Game Warden Doug Volcik. “Most of the dove hunters I checked were hunting in the corn and the milo.

Last year wasn’t a very good year for most of the dove hunting around here, though.”

According to the Ellis County Extension Office, the number of acres of sunflowers planted in Ellis, Hill and Navarro counties has increased from about 2,000 to more than 24,000.

Allen Moorehouse of Heart of Texas Guided Hunts has been watching the change, but said the BUMPER CROP: Sunflowers fields are increasing throughout Ellis, Hill and Navarro counties, catching the eyes of dove hunters. Photo by Katie Harrison, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

See SUNFLOWERS, Page 21

Dog enduring long recovery after winning bout with raccoon Coonhound paralysis not fatal but attacks spinal cord, nerves

SLOW RETURN: After killing a raccoon, Mike and Lori Ford’s dog, Barni, came down with coonhound paralysis, a condition that affects the nerves and spinal cord. A full recovery is expected, but it will take up to two months. Photo by Lori Ford.

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News Lori Ford wasn’t overly shocked when her dog, Barni, killed a rac-

coon at the Rio Rojo Rancho in Red River County owned by Lori and her husband, Mike. Until a few weeks later, that is, when a long and arduous journey began

for the lab/hound/Rottweiler mix.

“Barni killed it on our front porch during the night on June 14,” Lori said. “He has killed many coons and our previous dog, Bambi, killed many as well. I think Bambi taught Barni the fine art.”

Lori was aware of a paralysis “virus” that dogs can contract from coons.

“The first time Bambi killed a raccoon I told my mom about it,” she said. “My mom warned me about it; her college roommate from

Tanzanian official asks USFWS not to list lion as endangered When Dallas Safari Club adopted a new policy for members who hunt lions earlier this year, the response was overwhelmingly favorable.

The policy, meant to limit the killing of young males and pride males, reads “the ideal huntable male lion is at least 6 years of age and is not known to head a pride or be part of a coalition heading a pride with dependant cubs.”

“Hunting only non-pride and non-adolescent male lions should be the goal of every

responsible hunter and organization with a vested interest in conserving lion populations,” said Ben Carter, DSC executive director. “We’re encouraged by the broad outpouring of support that we’ve received since announcing the new DSC position.”

GOOD POLICY: Dallas Safari Club’s lion policy has been endorsed by many countries, and Tanzania is fighting to keep the lion off of the USFWS endangered list.

Photo by Lili Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

See LION, Page 21

Ohio had a dog that contracted it from the saliva of a raccoon bite.

Every time one of our dogs killed a raccoon, she reminded me.”

Barni was bit on his chest, under his chin and had scratches from the encounter.

“The bites got better, but his routine was changing,” Lori said.

“After about nine days, he didn’t sleep with us and I had a hard time getting him off of the couch.

He was reacting slowly. Then he couldn’t jump off of the Polaris and

fell flat on his face. The next day he couldn’t get into the golf cart.”

Mike took Barni to their local veterinarian, Dr. Bert Ellsworth in Clarksville, and Lori called their deer vet and friend, Dr. Scott Bugai in Seguin.

Bugai agreed that Barni had acute canine idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis (ACIP), also known as coonhound paralysis.

“I have seen it three of four times See RECOVERY, Page 6

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

New rules for moving elk, red deer, others The Texas Animal Health Commission has new intrastate movement requirements in place for elk, red deer, Sika deer, moose and their hybrids, all of which are considered susceptible to Chronic Wasting Disease.

White-tailed deer and mule deer are also susceptible species to CWD but remain under the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s movement regulations.

The new TAHC movement rule replaces the previous rule, which applied only to elk and required testing animals based on the number being moved.

When transporting CWD susceptible species, owners are required to apply an official identification device to the animals being moved, complete and submit a CWD Susceptible Species Movement Record, and provide a current estimated inventory of the herd of origin.

In addition, owners are required to provide documentation of negative CWD test results

on 20 percent of all eligible mortalities in the herd on an annual basis to the TAHC. Eligible mortalities are those occurring after June 12, 2013 (the effective date of the new rule) in herd members 16 months of age and older, including hunter harvested animals and animals sent to slaughter. The necessary forms, instructions, complete rule and additional information may be obtained at the TAHC website or by contacting a local TAHC Region Office.

Herd owners are not required to meet the 20 percent mortality-testing requirement when transporting animals to a state or federally inspected slaughter facility. These animals count as eligible mortalities for the herd, however, so owners are encouraged to test these animals as well as those harvested by hunters to ensure the herd meets the 20 percent testing requirement for future movements. Negative CWD results must be obtained on at least one out of five eligible mortalities to qualify a herd to move live animals to another premise.

— TAHC

July 12, 2013

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July 12, 2013

Endowment money paid to Texas shooting teams

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Recovery Continued From Page 4

The Association of College Unions International gave $22,500 in endowment money to college teams that participated at the recent Scholastic Clay Target Texas State Championships.

The Youth Target Foundation organized the championships, June 15-16 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio.

ACUI gave $2,500 each to three college teams that attended and participated in the event, including El Paso Community College and Midwestern State University. These teams were also awarded $5,000 as new collegiate teams competing at their first competition. The Association has supported nearly 30 teams for the 2012-13 shooting year.

“We are excited about cooperating with the Youth Target Foundation to support college shooting in the state of Texas,” said ACUI Shooting Sport Consultant Russ Arnold. “The more that all youth and college shooting organizations work together, the more good we can do and the faster we can grow the respective programs.”

The endowment funds will be deposited into the school’s Scholastic Shooting Trust Account at MidwayUSA Foundation. Grants are awarded from these funds to assist new teams with travel, practice rounds, and other related expenses for competition.

— ACUI

Expanded White-winged Dove Zone official The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the expanded Special White-winged Dove Area.

As previously reported in Lone Star Outdoor News, the SWWDA will now extend eastward along its current boundary and continue south along Interstate 37 from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, effectively doubling its current size.

The season will run Sun., Sept. 1 through Labor Day, Mon., Sept. 2, and then reopen Sat., Sept. 7 and Sun., Sept. 8. The bag limit during the four-day season is 15 doves in the aggregate to include no more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves and hunting is permitted only from noon to sunset.

Dove season in the North and Central zones will run concurrent from Sept. 1-Oct. 20 and Dec. 20-Jan. 8. The South Zone dove season is set for Sept. 20-Oct. 27 and Dec. 20-Jan. 20, with the season in the SWWDA Sept.

20-Oct. 23 and Dec. 20-Jan. 20.

The possession limit for all migratory game birds also is new, at three times the daily bag.

— TPWD

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A HELPING HAND: While Lori Ford attends to Barni nearly full-time, the Ford’s other dog, Abbi Lou, stays with Barni while he recuperates. Photo by Lori Ford.

in my practice,” Bugai said.

Coonhound paralysis is a condition caused by contact with the raccoon’s saliva, but vets aren’t sure whether it is bacterial or viral. It is an autoimmune disorder that affects the spinal cord and attacks the nerves. Most common in dogs, the disease has been recorded in horses and possibly in deer.

Barni went home with antibiotics to prevent secondary infections

and ibuprofen, and Lori with a set of nursing and therapy instructions for the dog.

“It just takes time,” Bugai said. “There’s nothing else you can do, medically. Fortunately, Barni couldn’t ask for a better caregiver — that’s the hard part because you have to do it for two months.”

Bugai said the dog’s condition tends to bottom out for five to seven days and then the dog will begin the upswing of recovery. Most of the time, there is a full recovery, but it takes six to eight weeks.

Barni initially worsened from having some strength to no capabilities in his legs and difficulty lifting his neck.

“He can’t sit even when being held up,” Lori said last week. “His body is completely limp.”

Lori massages Barni’s muscles and moves his legs, moves him to the prone position to keep pneumonia from setting in, turns him to avoid sores developing, hand-feeds him small amounts of food several times per day and brings him water.

“He still has his appetite but after drinking he coughs after swallowing,” she said. “He doesn’t have any control over his faculties, though.”

She is getting a harness to get the 75-pound dog up to move his muscles and has begun taking him on rides through the woods in the Polaris.

“My mom’s friend warned me about depression setting in,” Lori said. “Checking the fence with me is always the highlight of his day — he loves going for rides. And we’re going to try water therapy with a life vest.”

Lori wants more people to know about and look out for the disease.

“Not a lot of people have heard about it,” she said. “You could spend a lot of money trying to reach a diagnosis and some people might contemplate euthanasia — but most dogs have a full recovery.”

Barni is showing subtle signs of recovery — after 13 days his head was up and he was alert, he is barking and able to turn over — and the Fords are looking forward to him getting back to normal.

“Nursing, love and patience will get us through,” Lori said.

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Photo by Allen Findley

Sheep for the ages Eleven-year-old Tyler hunter Cole Findley is already amassing a collection of trophies that would make many hunting veterans jealous.

Big Texas whitetails, two giant British Colombia black bears and many other species have put Cole on the map as a successful big game hunter.

But little could top last year, when Cole became one of the youngest hunters, if not the youngest, to harvest a desert bighorn sheep.

Cole’s dad, Allen, said Cole took his great ram on the fourth day of their hunt on Catalina Island in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico.

“El Coley,” as the guides called him, made a great shot on the ram that scored 162 2/8 inches.

So what is up next for the young hunter?

According to Allen, he is taking both of his sons to Illinois for a white-tailed deer hunt in September, and then it is back to British Colombia for a mountain lion hunt the day after Christmas.

— Staff report

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First-timer

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FISHING

Virgin trip for gar results in water body record

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

San Antonio angler Mike Atkins jumped at a recent chance to head to the Nueces River with a few friends to try some alligator gar fishing.

Safe to say Atkins

would call the trip a success.

“It was a two-hour drive fishing trip for the three of us,” said Jason Notestine, Atkins’ friend. “We met early at my house and started talking about fishing and showing each other

our gear. That’s when we realized that we needed to shut up, get in the car BEGINNER’S LUCK: This big gar was caught by angler Mike Atkins, right, on his first trip. Photo by Mike Atkins.

See GAR, Page 19

Offshore bite good, even after snapper season Most offshore captains in Texas had a banner red snapper season, and are just now returning their focus to other bluewater species.

Freeport Capt. Kenneth Doxey of the Paparda Rey said he has been on an excellent grouper bite when bottom fishing and the tuna bite has also been outstanding.

“Snapper season was phenomenal,” Doxey said. “Outside of that, the fishing has been outstanding.

We are catching lots of grouper on our bottom drops and the tuna fishing has also been great.”

Doxey said the yellowfin tuna bite around the rigs has been solid, with many 30- to 40-pound fish

being boated, and the farther out you go, the better the fishing.

“We have caught some really big blackfins around all of the platforms,” he said. “The yellowfin are thick in the 40-pound range, but we’ve also had a good number of 80- to 100-pound yellowfins showing up.”

The wahoo bite has been inconsistent for Doxey, but he said occasionally a boat will get lucky and find a school.

“Some boats have found them, and one boat found a pallet floating around and caught 21 wahoo near it,” he said. “And where you find the wahoo, you’ll usually find

PLENTY OF GROUPER: Offshore anglers have reported good catches of grouper, like this marbled variety, this month. Photo by Conor Harrison, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Big trout day capped with 10-pounder

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

Dan Wyatt has a pretty good idea where to find big trout from his home on Baffin Bay. The angler is usually gone from Loyola Beach by 4 a.m., running south toward Port Mansfield. So it was last month, when Wyatt and his

wife, Stacie, launched from Port Mansfield and headed north to Gladys Hole.

“It was a very good morning of fishing,” Wyatt said.

“My wife had caught an 8.7 (pound trout) the day before and I’d caught several 8s the day before. We went back the next day and I caught a couple of 9s. I didn’t want to overtake her (in the tourna-

ment standings) so I turned them loose. When I caught the 10, she was hollering, ‘How big is it?’ I told her and she yelled ‘You better not turn it loose.’”

The big trout ate a live croaker in knee-deep water about 10:15 a.m.

It was Wyatt’s third personalbest trout of the morning.

Once the big trout was in

the boat, the pair headed to the Port Mansfield to have it weighed on a certified scale.

The fish’s final weight was 10.2 pounds.

FINDING THE RIGHT SPOT: Dan Wyatt took the lead in the Lower Coast division of the CCA Texas STAR Tournament with 10.2-pound trout.

Photo by Dan Wyatt.

See CCA, Page 22

the mahi.”

Doxey said the blue/green water was 18 miles off of Freeport last week, but it changes daily.

Once you are in the cobalt-colored water, the blue marlin bite improves.

See OFFSHORE, Page 24

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Panfish off beds, biting almost anything

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

Light-tackle panfish enthusiasts know more than just the weather heats up in July.

The panfish bite also gets hot, and many anglers are taking advantage of fish that are off the beds and hungry.

San Antonio angler Charles Dewey said now is the prime time to find bluegills, redear sunfish and Rio Grande cichlids in many rivers, ponds and lakes.

“The panfish are get-

SUMMER BITES: Panfish are biting across the state, are easy to catch and make a great meal. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

ting more active,” he said.

“They just had a spawn on the most recent full

Rigs to Reef amended Offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico serve as valuable marine habitat, supporting economically important recreational fishing in the Gulf region.

In the face of increasing efforts to remove these structures, this week the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement released its amended “Rigs to Reefs” policy that will make it easier to turn inactive platforms into new artificial reefs.

Nonproducing oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are generally regarded as the most productive artificial reefs in the world. These structures provide habitat for dozens of fisheries, including many recreationally important species. Since 2006, removal of platforms has exceeded installations and new platforms are typically installed farther from shore, reducing their accessibility to anglers.

Go to LSONews.com to read the entire amended policy.

— Staff report

Reed elected president of PAA Matt Reed has been elected President of the Professional Anglers Association by the PAA Board of Directors.

Reed, 51, of Madisonville, has been a member of PAA since its inception and has previously served as PAA Treasurer (2011-2012).

He currently competes on the PAA Tournament Series and Bassmaster Elite Series. When he is not fishing competitively, Reed stays busy with guiding on Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend and Falcon Lake.

— PAA

TXTT announces 2014 schedule The Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela’s recently unveiled the 2014 event schedule, which includes a couple of new stops along with some familiar favorites.

The regular season will kick off on Feb. 15, 2014 at Sam Rayburn Lake.

The two-day, entry-fee Championship is scheduled for June 7-8 on Toledo Bend Reservoir and will feature higher payout and contingency prize opportunities.

2014 TXTT scheduled events: Feb. 15 ­— Sam Rayburn March 15 — Lake Ray Roberts April 12 — Lake Texoma May 3 — Lake Livingston Championship — June 7-8 — Toledo Bend Reservoir.

— TXTT

moon, and they have been spawning since May. See PANFISH, Page 23

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TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT Top-water frogs SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR — The top-water frog bite has been good the past few weeks, according to Sam Rayburn guide Bill Fondren of Tejas Guide Service.

“Bass have been good and the crappie have been good,” he said.

“For bass, a Stanley top-water frog has been good during the morning and evening. Not much is biting during the heat of midday.”

For crappie, Fondren said to look for brush piles in deeper water.

“We are catching crappie on brush piles in 15 to 25 feet on small spinners,” he said.

Along with crappie and bass, the bream are good on nightcrawlers and the catfish bite has been good on trotlines baited with live bait, cut bait and liver.

To contact guide Bill Fondren, call (409) 381-1397.

Good numbers AMISTAD INTERNATIONAL RESERVOIR — Guide Ray Hanselman is putting his anglers on good numbers of fish targeting shallow lake points.

“We are averaging about 50 to 75 fish per day,” he said. “Now, the majority of those are in the 2- to 2 1/2-pound range. As the day goes on, we’ll get three or four really good bites. A lot

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 72–77 degrees; 12.81’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair to good on buzzbaits early, later switching to Texas rigs, weightless flukes and shaky heads. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 71–78 degrees; 13.62’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on Zara Spooks, Texas rigs and shallowrunning shad-pattern crankbaits.

Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.

ATHENS: Water clear, 79–84 degrees; 2.97’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on weightless Flukes and Senkos.

Crappie are good on minnows.

BASTROP: Water clear; 80–84 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin crankbaits and spinner baits.

BELTON: Water stained; 79–83 degrees; 7.44’ low. Largemouth bass are good on perch-colored lipless crankbaits and spinner baits. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait, doughbait and hot dogs in 8–15 feet.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 79–85 degrees; 5.36’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics in blue fleck and black/ blue football jigs in deeper water.

Crappie are good on minnows.

BONHAM: Water stained, 80–85 degrees; 0.54’ low. Largemouth bass are good in flooded vegetation, cattails, around boat docks and on points. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around bridges and brush piles in 12–15’. Catfish are good on minnows along the bank in the park area.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are good on liver and shad off points near the pier. Redfish are very good on tilapia, shad and silver spoons.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 79–84 degrees; 18.43’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged craws and finesse jigs around shallow cover.

White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Channel catfish are good on trotlines.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 80–84

degrees; 12.81’ low. Largemouth bass to 3 pounds are fair on crankbaits, white flukes and green pumpkin soft plastic worms around docks in 8–10 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs over baited brush piles in 5–15 feet.

BUCHANAN: Water stained; 79–83 degrees; 29.23’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Chug Bugs, flukes and watermelon/candy Whacky Sticks in creeks early. Striped bass are good on watermelon lipless crankbaits and plastic swim baits at daylight. Channel catfish are good on liver, minnows and dipbait.

Yellow and blue catfish are good on goldfish and perch upriver.

CADDO: Water stained; 80–85 degrees; 0.20’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged Baby Brush Hogs in California 420. Catfish are good on trotlines.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on dark soft plastic worms, spinner baits and crankbaits over reed beds. Striped bass are good on chicken livers and shad. Channel catfish are good on cheesebait, shrimp and shad.

CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 78–82 degrees; 9.40’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin flukes and top-waters early. Yellow and blue catfish are good on goldfish and perch upriver.

CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 78–83 degrees; 4.28’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shaky heads around deeper docks and deepdiving crankbaits on deeper brush piles. Some top-water action noted early. Catfish are good on cut shad and trotlines.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 78–82 degrees; 20.56’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse/white spinner baits, crankbaits and green pumpkin Whacky Sticks with chartreuse tails in 5–15 feet early.

Channel catfish are good on live bait. Yellow and blue catfish are good on live bait upriver.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 77–81 degrees; 15.79’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse spinner baits, crankbaits and soft plastic worms.

CONROE: Water lightly stained; 78– 82 degrees; 2.62’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed and watermelon Carolina-rigged

of them are on main lake points in 10 to 12 feet.”

Hanselman said the lake had a good shad spawn this year, which congregated the bass because the lake is still low.

“We are mostly just dragging a Texas rig on the flat gravel points,” he said. “We are also catching some on swimbaits and top-waters, but those are coming more on windblown river ledges.”

To contact guide Ray Hanselman, call (830) 317-9942.

Solid white bass bite PROCTOR LAKE — According to anglers on several fishing message boards, the white bass bite on Proctor Lake has been solid the past few weeks.

The white bass are good on live shad, Roadrunners and other small spoons. Along with white bass, anglers are picking up some crappie on brush piles between 10 and 20 feet using live minnows.

The largemouth bass bite has been slow, as has the striper bite.

For catfish anglers, cut shad on a trotline has been producing channel and blue catfish. Cut bait has also been working for rod and reel anglers.

The lake temperature has been between 78 and 82 degrees.

— Staff report

soft plastics. Catfish are good on stinkbait, nightcrawlers and liver.

on perch. Yellow catfish are good on juglines baited with perch.

good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs.

COOPER: Water clear; 80–84 degrees; 8.91’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shallow crankbaits and shad-pattern wakebaits. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Catfish are good on cut bait and trotlines.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water off-color; 73–78 degrees; 23’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Yellow Magics early, later switching to Texas rigs and Senkos. Crappie are good on live minnows.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 79–85 degrees; 0.01’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on shad-pattern square bills and bladed jigs in baitfish patterns.

Frog bite is improving in areas with lily pads. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows.

FALCON: Water murky; 80–84 degrees; 34.89’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics and brush hogs off points.

Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp and cut bait upriver.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits early and late. Channel and blue catfish are good on minnows and cut shad over baited holes.

FORK: Water clear; 81–85 degrees; 4.87’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina-rigged flukes and DD22s in soddy blue on main lake points – larger square-billed crankbaits are effective early and late along main points. Dock bite is getting better.

Catfish are good on trotlines.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear.

Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon crankbaits and soft plastic worms. Catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and live bait.

GRANBURY: Water stained; 78–82 degrees; 7.49’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs. Catfish are good on stinkbait, chicken livers and frozen shrimp.

GRANGER: Water stained; 77–81 degrees; 0.60’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and blue/black tube jigs in 6–12 feet. Blue catfish are good on juglines baited with cut bait and soap.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 79–83 degrees; 6.48’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged craw baits and finesse jigs near rocky points.

White bass are good on slabs.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 85–89 degrees; 0.74’ low.

Largemouth bass to 5 pounds are good on purple/red tail worms and black/red eye frogs among lily pads early and late. Crappie are very good on live minnows 10 feet deep in 15–20 feet around structure.

Bream are good on live worms in 15 feet. Channel catfish are good

JOE POOL: Water clear; 80–85 degrees; 0.90’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics along brush piles in 10–12’.

Some fish being caught on weightless soft jerkbaits as well. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows.

White bass are good on minnows.

Catfish are good on cut shad.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 80–84 degrees; 1.80’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless Flukes and wackyrigged Senkos. Catfish are good on trotlines and cut shad.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 79–85 degrees; 7.77’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits and crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are good on trotlines and cut shad.

LBJ: Water stained; 78–82 degrees; 0.56’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on perch-colored crankbaits, white jigs, and green pumpkin tubes in 6–15 feet early. Striped bass are good on 2” Spoiler Shads and Little Fishies at night. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies at night. Crappie are good on chartreuse tube jigs and live minnows over brush piles. Channel catfish are good on nightcrawlers, liver and dipbait.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 79–83 degrees; 5.11’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shaky heads and finesse jigs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfish are good on prepared bait and cut shad.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 79–83 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse lipless crankbaits and soft plastics. White bass are good on minnows, troll tubes, and Li’l Fishies. Crappie are excellent on minnows. Blue catfish are good on shad.

MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 80–86 degrees; 2.46’ low. Largemouth bass are good on swim jigs and hollow-body frogs. Crappie are

NAVARRO MILLS: Water lightly stained; 78–82 degrees; 1.45’ low. Largemouth bass are good on silver lipless crankbaits and shallow-running crankbaits in Liberty Hill Park.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 72–76 degrees; 38.8’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Zara Spooks early and late, midday switching to Texas rigs, Senkos and drop–shot rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 71–77 degrees; 18.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on top-waters early, Texas rigs and shaky heads.

Crappie are good on jigs and live minnows. Catfish are good on chartreuse nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 79–84 degrees; 1.17’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Senkos and trick worms rigged weightless around docks.

Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 72–78 degrees; 11.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early, later switching to Yum Dingers, shallow-running crankbaits, drop–shot rigs and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.

RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 79–85 degrees; 3.22’ low. Largemouth bass are good on football jigs along points. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs and minnows. Catfish are good on cut shad.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 80–84 degrees; 4.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina-rigged soft plastics along main lake points in 8–10’ (large 10–12” worms have been best). Deepdiving crankbaits in shad patterns

SEE MORE

n Saltwater fishing reports: Page 14 are effective as well. White bass are good on slabs and minnows.

Catfish are good on prepared bait.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 79–84 degrees; 7.14’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on medium crankbaits near brush piles in 8–10’.

White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs.

STILLHOUSE: Water lightly stained; 79–83 degrees; 7.85’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits and soft plastics.

Channel and blue catfish are good on hot dogs and nightcrawlers.

SWEETWATER: Water murky; 73–79 degrees; 20.83’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Senkos, Texas rigs and wacky rigs.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 81–86 degrees; 5.99’ low. Largemouth bass are good on flipping jigs and wakebaits around shallow cover.

Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfish are good on cut bait and trotlines.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 78–83 degrees; 0.28’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics and Zara Spooks around docks midway back in creeks and pockets. Smallmouth bass are good on small shad-type swimbaits.

Striped bass are good on slabs.

Catfish are good on trotlines.

TOLEDO BEND: Water lightly stained; 78–82 degrees; 2.15’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on redbug soft plastic worms and Rat–L–Traps.

White bass are good on Charlie slabs. Crappie are good on minnows at night. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with live bait and livers in 20–30 feet.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 77–81 degrees; 9.91’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Catfish are good on shrimp and live bait.

— TPWD

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

Texan goes for ride on kayak with tarpon

THIS WAS IT: After forgetting his camera, Matt Bush only has this photo to remember his trophy tarpon that pulled his kayak four miles offshore. Photo by Chris Butler.

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

Matt Bush just wanted to catch a kingfish.

The 42-year-old angler from Dallas was fishing with his brother-in-law, Chris Butler, on June 20 during a family vacation to Inlet Beach, Fla. “We left the shore at Inlet Beach at around 6:50 a.m.,” Butler said. We paddled straight out into calm water for approximately 14 minutes when Matt’s kayak suddenly leaned and line violently peeled from his line. We were approximately 300 to 400 yards from shore.”

Bush thought he had a nice kingfish on the line.

“We didn’t know it was a tarpon,” he said.

“About 150 yards out, he broke the water and

almost totally spooled the line. I didn’t get a great look when he jumped, so I still didn’t know what it was — I actually thought it might be a shark.

“Then it jumped again and we saw the silver and knew it was a tarpon.”

Bush knew the tarpon was carrying him farther from the beach with each run, but he never thought about cutting the line.

“I got lucky and he started coming toward the boat, which allowed me to get some line back and set the drag,” Bush said. “He was pulling the kayak faster than Chris could paddle alongside.”

Bush fought the fish for nearly two hours.

“I’m no expert kayak fisherman,” he said.

“This was only my second time out for kings.

See TARPON, Page 22

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GAME WARDEN BLOTTER DEER STAND ON COUNTY ROAD GIVES NEW MEANING TO ROAD HUNTING Trinity County Game Warden Sam Shanafelt received a tip from a local constable about a man with a deer stand on a public road. Shanafelt investigated and located the box stand, which was in the middle of the road at a dead end. Shanafelt interviewed the hunter at his house just down the road. The hunter admitted the stand was his and that he had hunted in the stand. A citation for hunting from a public roadway was issued, and the man was instructed to remove the stand before the weekend.

OVER THE LIMIT ON POOR FISHING DAY Freestone County Game Warden John Thorne and Anderson County Game Warden Rob Sadowski checked two men in a boat on Cedar Creek Lake. The subjects were asked how the fish were biting. One of them replied, “Not too good, just a few chicken heads.” Thorne then proceeded to count and measure the catfish that were located in two coolers onboard. One cooler contained 10 undersized catfish and was two fish over the 25-fish bag limit, and the other cooler contained three undersized catfish and was 14 over the bag limit. Each individual was issued a citation for undersized catfish and for exceeding the bag limit. One subject also received a citation for no fishing license. The illegal fish were taken and donated. Cases pending.

NOODLERS NABBED FOR HANDFISHING VIOLATIONS While patrolling Lake Palestine, Cherokee County Game Wardens Brian Bearden and Eric Collins, along with Henderson County Game Warden Chad West, cited two subjects for handfishing violations.

They were using a 6-foot PVC pipe to maneuver and scrape spawning flathead catfish out of holes in the rocks along the shoreline. A few

WARDEN FINALLY LANDS REPEAT OFFENDER Gonzales County Game Warden Dan Waddell was patrolling Lake Wood when he came across several drop lines with tagging violations. Waddell knew the owner and collected the lines to return to him, along with a warning. As he approached the lake cabin owned by the fisherman, Waddell noticed a sunken fish box tied to the dock. Inside, Waddell found two 18-inch channel catfish that had been allowed to die and were decomposing.

Waddell issued a citation for waste of game fish along days later, Henderson County Game Warden Dustin Balfanz received a report of people handfishing with poles and hooks on Lake Palestine.

Balfanz contacted Smith County Game Warden Dustin Dockery, who responded and located the subjects who were handfishing with the aid of sticks and a gaff. Cases pending.

AXIS SHOT FROM PUBLIC ROAD, SHOOTER CAUGHT Edwards County Game Warden Scott Holly was contacted by a ranch manager about a shot being fired from the county road. With a description of the vehicle, Holly started searching the local towns and camps. After a couple hours, Holly found the camp and the illegally taken axis buck. The subject would not admit to shooting the deer that day, but that night guilt led the poacher to call and confess after Holly had seized the gun and deer for forensic evidence. Charges for hunting without landowner consent and shooting from a public roadway pending.

SHOOTING FROM ROADWAY RESULTS IN TRIP TO JAIL Palo Pinto County Game Warden David Pellizzari received a call from the sheriff’s office regarding shots being fired from the roadway.

Pellizzari, Palo Pinto County Game

with a couple warnings for the illegal drop lines. Waddell had received complaints against the man over the last few years, but was never able to catch the man in violation. When confronted, the alleged poacher made the comment that the warden had checked him several times and he thought that he and the warden had established a trusting relationship. Waddell responded by saying that he always does his job without offering preferential treatment, regardless of relationships.

Wardens Matt Waggoner and Jake Mort, along with Cadet Jake Noxon, were nearby at Possum Kingdom Lake. The wardens responded to the area and observed taillights traveling down a dead-end road. The wardens observed several subjects riding in the bed of a pickup holding long guns. The wardens initiated a traffic stop as the suspect’s vehicle approached a gate at the end of the road. Three male subjects and two females were detained and separated for questioning. All three males admitted to driving around shooting small varmints and beer bottles. One subject said he was from the city and did not know the rules out in the country. The wardens advised him that the rules are the same everywhere in the state and arrested all three for hunting from a public road and for discharging a firearm from a public roadway. Cases pending.

RUNNING OVER HOGS JUST THE BEGINNING At 2 a.m., Burnet County Game Warden Braxton Harris drove up on a vehicle that was parked in the middle of the roadway with the two occupants standing outside in the bar ditch. The two people had just run over a few hogs and were in the process of loading the last one into their truck. Both subjects had warrants out of Burnet County and were

also found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. Case pending.

THAT’S A LOT OF BEER On Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Sabine County Game Warden Sam Smith made contact with a subject who did not have his lights on after sunset. A strong odor of alcohol was coming from the operator, and the operator stated that he drank “a case of beer since lunch.” The other subject on board admitted to being intoxicated. Smith towed the boat to the nearby boat ramp. The operator was arrested for BWI. His breath sample was .143. Case pending.

ANONYMOUS CALLER LEADS TO DEER POACHERS NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE Angelina County Game Warden Phillip Wood received a call regarding illegal hunting activity. Wood contacted Game Warden Tim Walker and proceeded to the suspect’s residence. After a lengthy interview, the wardens retrieved a 4-point buck still in velvet, along with some of the venison. Three subjects were cited for hunting from a public roadway and possessing white-tailed deer in a closed season. Then, Wood received another anonymous call informing him that more than one deer had been killed by the poachers. The wardens returned to the residence and it was finally determined that five deer

had been killed. Citations and civil restitution pending.

JETTY FISHERMEN CAUGHT KEEPING TOO MANY, TOO SMALL AND TOO BIG At the Port Mansfield and East Cut jetties, Willacy County Game Warden Dennis Gazaway cited three subjects for being in possession of 39 undersized speckled trout. Later, Gazaway and Game Warden Roy Martinez caught a group with four untagged oversized red drum. Cases pending.

SNAKE SLITHERS UNDER SUMMER INTERN’S VEHICLE After a day of patrolling Canyon Lake with Game Wardens Kathleen Stuman, Coley Leonard, Michael McCall and Brent Satsky, summer intern Courtney Wegner received information from some campers regarding a long black snake that had slithered its way up into the rear undercarriage of her vehicle that was parked in the parking lot near their campsite.

According to the witnesses, the snake was still somewhere underneath the vehicle, as they had been watching to make sure to tell the owner about the snake before he or she drove off.

Stuman, Leonard and Satsky arrived on scene and assisted Wegner with trying to locate the stowaway. After searching the undercarriage for approximately 10 minutes with flashlights, and also banging on the frame to hopefully scare it out, Satsky concluded that the snake was either gone or it was never really there. The wardens then popped the hood of the vehicle only to discover an approximately 3-foot-long, black Texas water snake stretched out between the rear of the engine and the vehicle’s firewall. Satsky was finally able to grab the snake using a catch pole and pulled it out from underneath the engine compartment. The snake was released back into the lake without injury to itself or the warden.

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TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT Consistent trout

LONGBAR — According to Capt. Mike Knox on spadre.com, the trout fishing around South Padre Island has remained consistent north of the causeway.

Knox wrote that “artificial soft plastics rigged on a jig head or under a popping cork are still productive. Top-water plugs are enticing some larger trout to stretch some lines for anglers willing to walk the dog early in the morning. The west side of Longbar has been producing some nice trout later in the evenings.

The deeper water south of Gas Well flats might be a good spot to fish for redfish as the tides fall out. The Intracoastal Waterway still has speckled trout along the edges of the channel.”

To contact Capt. Mike Knox, call (956) 243-0039.

Freelining live croakers ROCKPORT — According to Capt. Ron Moore’s fishing report on fishrockport.com, the fishing has been really good for trout.

“We’re using live croakers freelined and fishing on the shorelines and shell reefs in 2 to 4 feet of water,” Moore wrote. “Some days the trout are 19 to 25 inches and other days they’re

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad on soft plastics. Redfish are good in the cuts and drains leading to the marsh on shrimp and scented plastics.

SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good while drifting the reefs on live shrimp and topwaters. Drifters have been working slicks and pods of shad. Trout and redfish are good at the jetty on live bait and top-waters. Trout are fair to good at the rigs on finger mullet.

all 15 to 17 inches.”

For reds, Moore said the bite has been a little inconsistent.

“Redfishing has been so-so,” he said. “As a result, we are not doing much of it. Fish the flats where you find scattered shell and freeline live piggies.”

To contact Capt. Ron Moore, call (361) 774-3817.

Sponsored by

plum plastics. Most fish have been behind slicks. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp. Trout are good on the Ship Channel on croakers and plastics.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good for drifters on live bait over reefs. Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. Offshore is good for tarpon, kingfish and ling.

BOLIVAR: Trout are good on the south shoreline on soft plastics and top-waters. Black drum, sand trout and redfish are good at Rollover Pass. Trout are fair to good in the surf on live shrimp.

TEXAS CITY: Trout are fair to good on the reefs on live shrimp and croakers. Solid trout have come from the edge of the Ship Channel on croakers and shrimp. Flounder are fair at night for giggers.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working wells and shell pads on shrimp, croakers, soft plastics, Tidal Surges, scented plastics and Sand Eels. Redfish are good on live bait around the reefs, in the marsh and at the spillway.

FREEPORT: Trout are good at San Luis Pass on shrimp and MirrOlures. Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay. Trout, Spanish mackerel and sand trout are good at the jetties on soft plastics and shrimp.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good for drifters working deep shell on limetreuse and

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scattered

Live bait key SABINE LAKE — The holiday weekend was a good one on Sabine Lake, according to Capt.

Robby Trahan.

“During the long Fourth of July weekend, I was able to put my clients on some amazing stringers of trout,” he said. “Finally after deciding to switch to live bait, the numbers of trout have improved dramatically. We are finding fish from the surf to midlake.”

Trahan said with the stable weather pattern holding, catching limits of trout should be a breeze in the next few weeks.

Along with the trout, redfish are good in the cuts leading from the marsh on scented plastics and shrimp.

To contact Capt. Robby Trahan, call (337) 309 7881.

— Staff report

shell. Redfish are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and topwaters. Redfish are fair on live shrimp on the edges of the back lakes on the outgoing tide.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfish are fair on top-waters and live bait over sand, grass and shell in San Antonio Bay. Trout are fair to good in the surf and at the jetty on croakers and soft plastics.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in the channels on free–lined shrimp. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp. Redfish are good on mullet on the Estes Flats and around Mud Island.

PORT ARANSAS: Trout, redfish and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp and croakers. Trout are fair to good in the surf on top-waters, piggies and croakers. Offshore is good for kingfish and ling.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on scented plastics and live

shrimp. Redfish are good in the potholes on shrimp. Trout are fair to good in the deeper holes on croakers and piggy perch.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair on top-waters and croakers around rocks and grass. Trout are fair to good on the King Ranch shoreline on croakers, top-waters and plum plastics. Trout are good at night on live shrimp in the Land Cut. PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are good on top-waters around sand and grass. Redfish are fair to good while drifting potholes and on live bait around East Cut. SOUTH PADRE: Redfish and trout are good in the shallows of South Bay and adjacent flats on shrimp and scented plastics under rattling corks.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair to good on the flats on live shrimp and scented plastics. Redfish are fair to good on live shrimp and mullet around spoils. Trout are fair to good at Laguna Vista on small top-waters.

— TPWD

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Deep Continued From Page 1

Grills said when it gets tough like that, a drop-shot rig can save the day.

“A drop-shot rig with a 4-inch worm will catch a lot of fish on Fork,” he said. “They were shying away from the crankbaits and Carolina rigs.”

With the bite going back to a normal summer pattern, Grills said he is finding almost all of his fish on deep drop-offs on main lake points.

“The fish are grouped together in schools,” he said. “Early in the day, they are scattered and suspended, but about 9:30; those deeper fish start to bite. The best pattern has been main lake points in 15 to 25 feet with a good drop.

“On the south end of the lake, the drop-offs in 18 feet on points are holding a lot of fish.”

At lakeforkguides.info, guide Jason Hoffman also reported a good bite after the front.

“We have had a couple of slow days after this cold front where we had a hard time locating a school of fish that wanted to bite, but that’s not totally unusual for this time of year,” he wrote. “This year, I’m not finding as many schools of fish, but the schools of fish I am finding seem to be bigger than ever.

Tuesday, we caught 22 out of one school, and yesterday we caught 16 in each of two different schools.”

Hoffman has been switching presentations to entice the deep fish to bite.

“For the most part, I am catching all of my fish relating to the bottom in 20 to 22 feet and also in 28 to 30 feet of water,” he wrote. “This time of year, you will always find a Carolina rig with LFT Hyperstick, 1-ounce Santone football jig in Pinto Beans or Mexican Heather, Strike King 10XD or 6XD crankbait in Sexy Shad, Santone Slamma rig (umbrella rig) and a flutter spoon (in my boat).

“Depending on the day, one bait/presentation will outperform all others.”

Another Fork guide, Marc Mitchell, said everyone on the lake is fishing a similar pattern.

“I’m catching them in 28 to 30 feet on a Carolina rig and a football jig,” Mitchell said.

Photo by Andrew Grills.

“There is also a decent crankbait bite in the middle of the day. It’s all in deeper water, and early in the morning or late in the evening has been the best for me, although that could be due to the weather.

“It’s hard to stay focused with sweat dripping into your eyes.”

Mitchell said a 10-inch, blue fleck Power Worm is tough to beat, when you can find them.

“Somebody must also be using them, because I can’t find them anywhere,” he said.

Andrew Grills, (903) 638-1170 Jason Hoffman, (903) 456-3691 Marc Mitchell, (903) 348-3533

— Staff report

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Quail Continued From Page 1

April 24, and I got about 6 inches in the next month; since then — nothing. We have had birds calling since the first of May and they are still calling, although the pasture here at Encino is getting desperately dry again. We are seeing a few coveys of quail ranging from newly hatched ‘bumblebees’ to small flyers, maybe 3 to 4 weeks old.”

Howard said the coveys he has seen appear to be strong.

“Covey size seems pretty large — 10 to 15 chicks per covey,” he said.

“We are still seeing lots of pairs and jumping the occasional nesting hen.”

But he cautioned that more quail doesn’t necessarily mean lots of quail.

“Lots of pairs is a relative term,” he said. “It seems like a lot compared to the last few years, but not

in comparison to ‘excellent’ quail years when we used to carry over a breeding population that was probably five to six times greater than we did this year.”

Howard said summer rains will be key.

“If we could get some life-saving good rains here in July, we could get the rest of these pairs to produce and probably get some second clutching,” he added. “If this summer does what it did last year (stay green from March through June, get a hatch of birds and then stay dry until Thanksgiving) the current chicks we have and any future hatch chicks will probably just go away.”

Jay Stine, director of Shared Services for Quail Coalition, said positive reports are coming in from all over the state.

“We are hearing the same (positive reports) from a lot of the state,” Stine said. “People seem to be hearing more calls, even in places we haven’t heard calls in the past few years.

“Here at Park Cities Quail, we are cautiously optimistic — we’ve heard birds in the summer before, only to be disappointed in the fall.”

Stine said brood reports were also positive.

“Hopefully, the hens will be able to get on the nest a couple of times this year,” he said. “The

LoneOStar Outdoor News

hens are in better reproductive condition, so we’re pretty happy.”

Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch said in its recent newsletter that he is hearing positive reports daily.

“I’ve received numerous emails over the past month to report either novel or numerous calling activity,” he wrote. “Several have remarked about the number of birds calling during midday or late afternoon.”

Rollins wrote on positive reports from Central Texas.

“Each day I receive reports from quailwatchers,” Rollins wrote. “This morning (June 28) was the best to date. It comes from JH in Coleman County — ‘We have been in the pastures fairly often lately and are astonished with the coveys we see every time we are out. We have seen over 12 large coveys (15–20) birds that are flying big and are coming up fast enough to scare a colt.

Last year we only saw birds in the most heavily covered areas, but now we are seeing them in more open country.

“Really looks good for a change, if we can just get a little moisture and the July heat doesn’t get them.’”

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MORE RAIN WOULD HELP: A few more inches of rainfall would help Texas quail produce another clutch or two before the end of nesting season. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

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HEROES SHARE AN ADVENTURE

n Want to share hunting and fishing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers?

Email them with contact and caption information to editor@ lonestaroutdoornews.com. High-resolution original jpegs only.

Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355.

FRANK SILVA caught this 26-inch redfish and 25-inch speckled trout in the Lower Laguna Vista flats on a bone-colored top-water.

BDS Outfitter client GREG QUISNEBERRY from Harlingen with a nilgai bull harvested in Willacy County with a .300.

MARKI NOWLIN bagged her first turkey with a 10 1/2-inch beard on the family ranch near DeLeon.

RYAN WARNER bagged his first spring gobbler during the youth-only weekend in Menard.

RANDY CONOVER from Rockwall fished Lake Ray Hubbard during a Tuesday night tournament on April 16 and caught this 10.37-pound bass.

KEVIN RISCHMANN shot this 10-pointer with a 20inch spread near Maypearl on Dec. 24, 2012.

EDDIE GONZALES caught this nice bass on a recent trip to Canyon Lake.

Deleon hunter CHRIS MORGANSTEAN with a mature bull bison harvested in Comanche County with an opensighted rifle chambered in .45-70 Government.

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

Game wardens have busy holiday weekend Case numbers coming in following the July 4 holiday weekend show concentrated enforcement efforts on the state’s lakes and waterways had a significant safety impact.

Starting with Operation Dry Water the weekend prior to the holiday, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens focused on efforts to reduce the number of boat operators operating under the influence. From June 28 to June 30, game wardens arrested 15 subjects for operating under the influence of alcohol. During the weekend, more than 8,000 vessels were checked and roughly 28,000 boaters were contacted.

“The Operation Dry Water Weekend is a nationwide crackdown on boaters who choose to operate under the influence and it has proven to be a significant eye-opener to the public on the weekend just prior to the nation’s largest boating weekend,” said Asst. Comm. Cody Jones, TPWD boating law administrator.

Texas boaters enjoying fireworks shows on area lakes saw large crowds and a high presence of game wardens patrolling to keep the area safe. Tragically one person did drown on Lake Possum Kingdom, prompting the cancellation of the scheduled fireworks display so that recovery operations could take place. Game wardens also responded to several stranded boaters during a fireworks show on Lake Waco when high winds carried several houseboats downstream; more than two dozen children and adults were transported to shore with no reported injuries.

In Houston, game wardens working with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office conducted a saturation patrol on Clear Lake that netted four BWI cases. Present during the operation were an assistant district attorney, a Houston Police Department drug recognition expert and a certified nurse to draw blood.

— TPWD

Gar Continued From Page 8

and go. We had our lines in the water at about 9:30 a.m.”

The group headed to the Nueces River above Lake Corpus Christi.

Atkins said the group rigged up a shark-fishing pole with tilapia and tossed the bait out, hoping to entice a big gar.

“About one-and-a-half hours later, he hit,” Atkins said. “We thought it was a turtle at first because it moved real slow into the shallows. I reeled up the slack, set the hook and he

ran for a little bit.”

The big gar made several runs before getting close enough to the bank for Notestine to put a rope around the big fish and subdue it.

“When he jumped the first time we knew he was big,” Atkins said. “Once he got to shore, the bank was so muddy it made standing up tough. We finally got a rope on him and took pictures and measurements.

“He was the biggest we have ever seen in person.”

The big fish measured 6

feet 4 inches long and had a 33 1/4-inch girth. Atkins estimated the fish weighed 120 pounds. After measurements and pictures, the gar was released back into the Nueces.

Although that was the biggest fish landed that day, the group still caught a few more gar — several in the 4-foot range.

Atkins was approved for the catch and release water body record and a Big Fish Award with TPWD for his catch.

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

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NATIONAL Texas man catches tagged Louisiana redfish, misses prize The fourth STAR tagged redfish was recently caught on Lake Ponchartrain, according to Coastal Conservation Association Louisiana.

But Dr. David Nelson, of Rockwall, was not registered for the tournament and forfeited the brand new 21-foot Nautic Star boat, 150-horsepower four-stroke Mercury and the Mike Gerald’s trailer he would have collected.

“I couldn’t believe the mistake I had made when I saw the fish. I was actually a card-carrying member when it was GCCA and I lived in New Orleans,” Nelson said. “I just asked for a CCA and STAR lifetime membership just so it doesn’t happen again.”

— CCA

New bowfishing record carp in Ohio A new Ohio record carp taken by bowfishing has been certified by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio State Record Fish Committee.

The new state record carp, weighing 53.65 pounds, was caught by Patrick Johnson of Toledo, Ohio in the Sandusky County portion of Lake Erie’s waters. Johnson arrowed the carp June 9 using a fish point tethered with 200-pound test Fast Flight line. Johnson’s record carp is 45 inches long and 32 1/4 inches in girth.

His catch replaces the previous state bowfishing record carp that was arrowed in Sandusky Bay by Rich Cady on May 28, 2008, weighing 47.65 pounds and measuring 38 inches long.

— Outdoor Writers of Ohio

EPA says more than half of rivers in trouble The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the results of the first comprehensive survey looking at the health of thousands of stream and river miles across the country, finding that more than half — 55 percent — are in poor condition for aquatic life.

“The health of our nation’s rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters depends on the vast network of streams where they begin, and this new science shows that America’s streams and rivers are under significant pressure,” said Office of

Water Acting Assistant Administrator Nancy Stoner. “We must continue to invest in protecting and restoring our nation’s streams and rivers as they are vital sources of our drinking water, provide many recreational opportunities, and play a critical role in the economy.”

— EPA

Hawaii bans spearfishing with scuba gear The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources has decided in a 4-2 vote to ban scuba spearfishing off West Hawaii after hearing more than six hours of testimonials. This type of fishing, assisted by scuba gear, is common by local fishermen who vocalized their opposition to the ban.

The AP reported the rules were developed over 10 years of discussion and hearings by the West Hawaii Fisheries Council community advisory group.

Tony Costa, of Hawaii Nearshore Fishermen, said banning scuba spearfishing would compromise the community’s ability to gather food, as well as making it unsafe and difficult to gather food. He said the abundant fish catch of fishermen confirms stocks are healthy, the AP reported.

— Staff report

Possible world-record tarpon caught, released in Florida On June 24, Capt. Justin Moore took four anglers off Anna Maria Island in Florida for a day of sunshine and good fishing.

According to the Bradenton Herald, the group consisted of two of Moore’s long time clients, Drew Denrick and Ron Joyce, and two Wisconsin anglers, Jeremy and Jan Tombl. The group was close to calling it a day when Jan Tombl’s bait was hit by something massive.

Moore was determined to land the fish and for 90 minutes the anglers took turns fighting to wear the tarpon down.

“When it got up to the boat we couldn’t believe the size of it. I’ve seen 200-pound fish before, and this was significantly bigger,” Moore recalled. “Everything was bigger, including the scales, eyeball, and anal fin.”

The captain used a 9-foot custom fishing rod to measure the fish’s length and a line with a bobber to gauge the tarpon’s dorsal girth. The monster catch came in at 8 feet long and 53 inches in girth, easily the largest anyone on the boat had ever seen.

Experts believe that based on the video and Moore’s measurements, the tarpon could have weighed anywhere between 300 and 340 pounds. If confirmed, the catch would be both a state and world record.

— Staff report

ConvExx named new SHOT Show producer After a national search, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has selected ConvExx as its new SHOT Show management partner. ConvExx replaces Reed Exhibitions.

Based in Las Vegas, ConvExx is privately held and has produced more than 200 shows and events, working with more than a million exhibitors and attendees. ConvExx produces the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association Show, the fourth largest trade show in America.

Reed Expositions, the previous management partner for more than three decades, was terminated after it restricted the sale or exhibition of certain types of firearms at the 2013 Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show, which eventually was postponed.

— Staff report

Smith & Wesson named patriotic brand Smith & Wesson was listed by a recent survey that listed the firearms manufacturer as one of the country’s most patriotic brands.

The survey of 4,500 consumers was conducted by a New York-based brand research firm, Brand Keys, and published in the July 3 issue of USA Today. The survey results indicated that the Smith & Wesson brand is one of the 25 most patriotic brands in America, a result the company credits to its 161-year commitment to consumers, law enforcement and military customers, as well as its support of Second Amendment freedoms. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson is the third-oldest brand on the list and the only firearms manufacturer to be named. The list also included a host of other industry-leading brands and top market performers across multiple product categories.

— Smith & Wesson

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

July 12, 2013

Page 21

Lion

Sunflowers

Continued From Page 4

Continued From Page 4

For several years, the group has been funding scientific research on African lions. DSC adopted the position as a way to urge hunters to self-impose harvest restrictions.

According to DSC, “overharvest of young male lions could reduce lion populations overall, posing a real concern to the conservation and scientific management of this species. Furthermore, such reductions in numbers would lead wildlife authorities to reduce quotas. However, research shows that hunting older male lions has no negative effect on populations.”

The lion policy has been adopted by 84 countries.

Recently, Alexander N. Songorwa, director of wildlife for the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, and said “odd as it may sound, American trophy hunters play a critical role in protecting wildlife in Tanzania. The millions of dollars that hunters spend to go on safari here each year help finance the game reserves, wildlife management areas and conservation efforts in our rapidly growing country.”

Songorwa was alarmed that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing the African lion as endangered.

“Doing so would make it illegal for American hunters to bring their trophies home. Those hunters constitute 60 percent of our trophy-hunting market, and losing them would be disastrous to our conservation efforts.”

In 2011, five animal rights groups petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the African lion as endangered, arguing that the population had fallen dangerously low because of habitat loss, poaching, commercial hunting and new diseases associated with human encroachment.

“While that is true, the lion population in Tanzania is not endangered,” Songorwa wrote. “We have an estimated 16,800 lions, perhaps 40 percent of all lions on the continent, the biggest population in the world. Their numbers are stable here,

whitewings that favor the giant sunflowers haven’t made the adjustment — yet.

“I know that in the Valley and other areas, the whitewings devour them, but they haven’t figured it out around here,” he said. “I think what we need is more time for imprinting in our area.”

The crops are a new phenomenon, said Hill County Extension agent Ryan Collett.

“They have only been here a decade,” Collett said. “And now we’re up to 4 to 5 thousand acres (in Hill County). The farmers are getting good results.”

The time of harvest may be a factor in Central Texas.

“They’ll be coming off pretty soon,” Moorehouse said. “They harvest the flowers before the corn, so I expect the harvest to start in the next two to three weeks.”

Texas AgriLife Extension Wildlife Specialist Dr. James Cathey said there will still be some seeds left on the ground.

“Some seeds will shatter during harvest,” he said. “But the methods of sowing for the crops have become very efficient. Whitewings like to stand and pick the seeds from the heads while mourning dove pick the seed off the ground.”

Cathey said the Central Texas flowers are planted for agricultural purposes, and the harvest occurs prior to the dove opener, whereas in other portions of the state, the flowers are planted for hunting purposes and the harvest comes later.

But you can have both.

“If they left every fifth row standing, leaving some stocks, there would be a benefit for leasing the land to hunters,” he said.

Moorehouse said he’s keeping his eyes open for a change in the birds’ behavior.

“I keep waiting for something great to happen, and I think the whitewings will find them,” he said. “I’m glad people finally figured out that the sunflowers grow great in Central Texas.”

PLENTY OF CATS: Even though antihunting groups disagree, lion populations are stable and healthy in Tanzanian, according to wildlife officials. Photo by Lili Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

and while our hunting system is not perfect, we have taken aggressive efforts to protect our lions … We recently made it illegal to hunt male lions younger than 6 years old to ensure that reproductively active animals remained with their prides.

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“And proposed amendments to our wildlife law would further crack down on the export of lions taken illegally, penalize hunting companies that violated our rules and reward those that complied.”

— Staff report

IV Webb (7 years old) took his first whitetail — this great Hill Country buck — in Comfort. It was an incredible hunt enjoyed by three generations — Nathan D. Webb, Jr. (Buddy), III (Trey) and IV. “I am a blessed man and can’t thank my dad enough for the times we have shared together in the field,” said Trey. “Now I am getting to do the same with my boys and my father.”

Page 22

July 12, 2013

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Tarpon Continued From Page 11

I just kept the rod on him and reeled when I could.

I think the kayak acted as a natural drag during the nearly two-hour fight.”

Butler watched the whole thing from his kayak.

“Matt fought the fish for 1 hour and 45 minutes before finally bringing him to the side of the boat where he was measured using the stern of the boat and the location of one of the handles on the kayak’s side,” Butler said.

With no gloves and no way to handle the big fish once it got to the side of the boat, the two anglers measured

the fish at approximately 6 feet in length and 15 inches wide, and estimated his weight at 145 pounds.

Then came another problem — Bush had left his camera on the beach, and Butler had used his last four pictures while Bush was fighting the fish.

“We both touched the fish and called him landed,” Bush said. “It hurt not having any pictures, but that fish is seared into my memory. It’s definitely the biggest fish I have ever caught.”

Bush was using a mediumweight rod with 25-pound test line set up for kingfish with a frozen cigar minnow.

The trip in was a long paddle.

“The trip back to shore took

CCA Continued From Page 8

“I probably caught seven trout over 7 pounds this spring,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt said the early summer has been a great time to catch big trout this year.

“It’s been very good for big fish, but we’ve caught them from Baffin to Port Mansfield,” he said. “They just aren’t in one spot.”

And it pays to go fishing with Wyatt.

“I took a high school kid out the other morning and he caught an 8.8-pound trout,” he said. “He is currently leading the Teen STAR Division.”

Below are the current standings for the CCA Texas STAR Tournament as of June 30.

Starkids Scholarship Division (ages 6-10): Flounder: Lilly Ann Kaspar; 3 pounds, 12 ounces Sheepshead: Nicholas Jackson; 5 pounds, 5 ounces Gafftop: Kayleigh Ritchey; 6 pounds, 6 ounces

the better part of two hours,” Butler said. “At the shoreline, I was greeted by a man who lived in a house on the beach.

He stated that he watched the whole episode through some high-powered binoculars. He claimed that he had never seen kayaks that far out and he estimated that, based on the strength of his binoculars, we were at least four miles out.”

When Bush got back to his family, they were less than impressed, according to Butler.

“Upon return to the beach house two and half hours later than expected, Matt was not lavished with praise as the heroic sportsman he had proven to be,” he said.

“He was only asked to put sun block on the kids.”

Scholarship Trout Division (ages 11-17): Upper Coast trout: None Middle Coast trout: None Lower Coast trout: Cole McGrew; 8 pounds, 8 ounces Scholarship Inshore Division: Flounder: Zachary Wigginton; 4 pounds, 6 ounces Sheepshead: Hunter Wagenschein; 6 pounds, 14 ounces Gafftop: Jarren Mahon; 6 pounds Main Divisions: Upper Coast trout: Jeremy Bane; 8 pounds, 13 ounces Middle Coast trout: Raymond Gann; 8 pounds, 5 ounces Lower Coast trout: Dan Wyatt; 10 pounds, 2 ounces Kingfish: Joesph Messina III; 55 pounds, 14 ounces Dorado: Marlin Johnson; 46 pounds, 7 ounces Ling: Alan Parker; 71 pounds, 13 ounces Flounder: Paul C. Gaylord; 7 pounds, 10 ounces Sheepshead: Jamie Ybarra; 10 pounds, 4 ounces Gafftop: Jill Yarbrough; 7 pounds, 1 ounce Tagged Redfish: L.D. Whitehead, Caleb Morales, Bret Coggins.

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July 12, 2013

Page 23

Two killed in boating accident on Lake Fork Game Wardens have identified the victims involved in a double fatality boating accident on Lake Fork as Justin Douglas Wilcox, 34, of Oglesby, and Walter Edward Serbon Jr., 69, Yantis.

The incident involved two vessels and occurred July 1 at about 8:45 p.m. Both vessel operators were killed. A child passenger in one of the vessels was severely injured and transported by helicopter from the scene to a Dallas area hospital.

One of the vessels involved sank at the scene and will be raised with specialized lift bags and then towed to shore for further investigation.

— Staff report

Coast Guard searches for man lost in Sabine RELAXING DAYS: When it gets hot, grab a cold drink, stand on the bank or get in a jonboat and enjoy some panfish action. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Panfish Continued From Page 9

There are a few still on the nests in some creeks, but they are starting to roam and search for food.

“The bluegill are super active and the redbreasted (sunfish) are also active.”

Dewey said he has been catching all six species of panfish this month — bluegills, green sunfish, longear sunfish, redbreasted sunfish, redear sunfish and warmouth — along with good numbers of Rios.

“We’ve been catching fish in

the creeks between 2 and 3 feet — really shallow,” he said. “In the lakes, we are finding them in the 4- to 8-foot range. If you have sunken brush piles, the bluegills are all over those, as well.

“It depends on where you fish, but most of the panfish are in 5 to 10 feet of water.”

Dewey, who holds almost a dozen panfish state records, including the pending catch and release record Rio Grande cichlid at 11 1/2 inches, said nightcrawl-

ers are the best bait.

“Worms are the best bet, but artificials like the small, curltailed grubs also do fine,” he said.

Dewey said some Rios are still on the nest, and the time to catch the trophy-sized fish is August and September. He said most Hill Country rivers hold good numbers of panfish.

In North Texas, angler Richard Daniels said the bluegill bite was going strong on Dallas Metroplex lakes.

“We have been catching some big bluegills on worms and minnows,” he said. “Brush piles have been key, as well as fishing artificials underneath overhanging branches on brushy shorelines.

They are really biting right now, especially in the cooler mornings and evenings.”

Good panfish reports have also emerged from Lake Ray Roberts, Lake Lavon and Richland Chambers. Many urban ponds are also producing fish.

The Coast Guard, Port Arthur Fire Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department are searching for a 56-year-old man after a collision occurred between the tug and barge Father Seelos and the missing man’s pleasure craft about 500 feet west of Goat Island in Sabine Lake, July 7.

Missing is John Tran of Bridge City.

The captain of Father Seelos contacted Vessel Traffic Service Port Arthur at approximately 2:30 p.m., notifying them of the collision.

“We’re utilizing all efforts possible to locate the missing person,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Joshua Tidey, an operations specialist at Coast Guard Sector HoustonGalveston. “We currently have two surfaces assets, an air asset, and two partner agencies conducting search and rescue operations.”

— USCG

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July 12, 2013

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Trout Continued From Page 1

STILL BIG ONES: Anglers along the lower coast are still finding big trout in 3 to 5 feet of water. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

deeper and we were catching them in the 3- to 4-foot range.”

Kohleffel said the trout were all between 18 and 27 inches, with a 7 1/2-pounder being the biggest he caught.

“The fish were all good-sized and heavy for this time of year,” he said. “The water was really stained up around Baffin, all the way to the 37 bridge, with a lot of algae in it. I also talked to some guys staying next door to us, and they were having good success on artificials.

“They were catching some nice trout early on top-waters and then switching to soft plastics later in the day.”

Kohleffel said the trout bite dropped off after 10:30 a.m.

Baffin Bay angler Dan Wyatt said salty water and low tides have made fishing tougher around the Land Cut, but good trout can be caught.

“The Land Cut seems to have some thicker fish,” he said. “They are very healthy.”

Along the upper coast, Sabine

Lake has turned on recently for trout.

“The bite has improved over the past few days, especially for the live bait fishermen fishing the Intracoastal Waterway,” said Sabine Lake guide Dickie Colburn on his fishing report at sabinelake. blogs.com. “The bait of choice has been finger mullet and shad, and even the smaller shad are working just fine. We haven’t seen a lot of bird activity in the lake, but the shad are out there, as well, and the gafftop are right behind them, along with the trout.”

Colburn wrote the size of the trout is also improving.

“We are catching very decent trout up to maybe 5 pounds, but the numbers have been good on fish in the 17- to 20-inch class,” he wrote. “There have been, however, some very good trout caught this week. I know of one 27-inch fish caught on a Super Spook and released and two others that were over 7 pounds that were caught on finger mullet.”

Offshore Continued From Page 8

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

National Advertising Mike Nelson Accounts Manager Automotive Advertising Dave Irvine Founder & CEO David J. Sams

Contributors Wilbur Lundeen Erich Schlegel David Sikes

Advertising Call (214) 361-2276 or email mhughs@lone staroutdoornews.com to request a media kit.

Scott Sommerlatte Chuck Uzzle Ralph Winingham

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

Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 21628300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues.

Newsstand copies are $2, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2013 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 email them to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

BILLFISH DAYS: Blue marlin have been more common offshore this summer. Photo by Conor Harrison, Lone Star Outdoor News.

“There are lots of them,” Doxey said. “We are getting a shot or two a day on marlin right now.”

Along the midcoast, Paula Housman at Deep Sea Headquarters said the party boats are catching good numbers of Atlantic sharpnose sharks, ling and dorado.

“They have been using sardines, squid and cut bat,” she said. “The distances offshore have depended on the weather every day. It has been

different for each trip.”

Other captains reported a good summer kingfish bite when the weather halted boats from going too far offshore because of high seas.

On the lower coast, the offshore bite has been pretty slow, according to Capt. Todd Lohry.

“We were targeting kings near the jetties but they have disappeared,” he said. “With the weather we’ve been having and the storms, it

has been pretty slow.”

Lohry said he expects the fishing to pick up when the shrimpers get back to business and the kingfish return.

Paparda Rey, (713) 253-3699 Deep Sea Headquarters, (361) 749-5597 Capt. Todd Lohry, (956) 299-0444

— Staff report

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

Take a trip to Karawala McBeth Johnson just wanted to fish.

Fighting through the jungles of Nicaragua, battling bugs, jaguars and an assortment of interesting characters from ticked-off locals to CIA stooges, Johnson does just that.

The main character of “Finding Karawala,” written by Texas author Pirate Lanford, Johnson finds the fish he seeks. But that isn’t all he finds.

Based on Lanford’s reallife adventures, “Finding Karawala” is a fast-paced novel about the joys of slowing down, getting away from the world and casting to swarms of tarpon and snook, the likes of which may never be seen again.

When Johnson arrives at the small coastal village of Karawala on Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast, he meets people from a culture untouched by the outside world, unencumbered by the normal rigors of life, who just want to be left alone.

Johnson befriends the village and decides to build a fishing lodge to show Americans the finest tarpon and snook fishery in the world. But life isn’t all roses for Johnson.

Jaguars, jealousy among rivals and a civil war in Nicaragua are just a few of the challenges that await Johnson as he builds his

own kingdom at the Karawala Tarpon Camp, and then fights to maintain it.

At its heart, this novel is about finding something in your life that makes sense and fighting to keep it. For some it would be the fishing, for others it is the prospect of leaving all that we know behind for a chance to start over in a place far away from everything.

McBeth Johnson finds those things, and when forces outside of his control threaten to take it all, Johnson finds something else in Byrdie, the woman who gives him an option.

“Finding Karawala” is well-written and insightful. It would be fun to sit down and have a beer with McBeth Johnson (or Pirate Lanford) and talk about the great fishing, the way it used to be and the way it will never be again.

In the end, the reader may not know whether to be happy McBeth got out, or sad that he did. Most will want to experience the kind of fishing that doesn’t exist anymore. But one can dream.

The book is 450 pages and is available at amazon.com.

— Conor Harrison

July 12, 2013

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PRODUCTS

>>

BRAWLER ROD AND REEL: Bass Pro Shops has paired a powerful, flexible rod with a lightweight, tough reel in this allpurpose outfit. The rod is constructed with a carbon core and fiberglass to provide that strength and sensitivity. Its full EVA handles reduce weight and increase comfort for anglers on those hours-long fishing trips. The reel’s features include all-metal gears, a double-anodized aluminum spool with a double-anodized silver lip, a powerful and smooth six-disc front drag system, and a 32-point anti-reverse system. The rod and reel combo costs about $30.

>>

MYTH SHOTGUN MULTI-TOOL: Created for turkey hunters and shotgun enthusiasts, Gerber’s multi-tool has a number of locking components, including a choke tube wrench, a pin punch, a knife blade and a pruning saw. The multi-tool also has an embedded auto rewind measuring tape and a “T” handle for carrying birds back to a hunter’s vehicle.

The stainless steel multi-tool costs about $40.

(855) 544-0150 www.gerbergear.com www.gerberknives.com

>>

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(617) 448-7806 www.velocitip.com

EZEKIEL 3-30X RIFLESCOPE: Sightmark’s newest riflescope, which can be used on larger caliber rifles, employs a 10x optical zoom to provide both long- and short-distance target acquisition. Featuring precision multi-coated optics and a 56mm objective lens, the riflescope offers exceptional clarity for target sighting. It is equipped with a second focal plane Mil-Dot reticle, a Side Parallax adjustment and a 1/4-inch click MOA adjustment for accurate shot zeroing and bullet placement. Its locking turret system maintains a hunter’s adjustments so the scope is ready to go for every shot. The riflescope also offers two bright internally lit reticles (red and green) for multiple target situations. Its MSRP is $479.99.

(817) 225-0310 www.sightmark.com

PREDATOR KAYAK: Old Town Canoes & Kayaks has launched its newest kayak. The customizable kayak has six strategically placed, removable mounting plates that enable anglers to install rod holders, GPS units, fish finders, cameras and other equipment around the boat without drilling into the hull. The Predator’s features include: a seating system that can be lowered for paddling, raised for fishing or even flipped out of the way in stand-up mode for poling, sighting and casting; a slip-resistant deck with drainage; tri-hull construction that provides durability and stability; and a large bow hatch with cover. The kayak also offers a large capacity center console for maximum storage and additional mounting options, while dual rod tip holders at the bow help store fishing rods. Available in two new models, the 13-foot-2-inch-long Predator 13 has an MSRP of $1,299 while the 12-foot-long Predator MX has an MSRP of $1,199.

>>

VELOCITIP SYSTEM: Bowhunters who want to improve their shooting ability have a new high-tech tool at their disposal. This is an electronic instrument that measures aerodynamic performance at the bow and at the target for each shot. A 100-grain field point houses the microelectronic technology that is the heart of the system. The electronic field point fits any arrow shaft using a conventional threaded insert. The electronics, which activate when the arrow leaves the bow and when it strikes the target, measure arrow performance more than 1,000 times while the arrow is in flight. This is a point-and-shoot instrument that allows archers to take up to four shots and plug the field point into the docking station for immediate download and display.

The system provides complete ballistic performance data including trajectory, retained energy, speed, kinetic energy, momentum, timeof-flight and arrow drag. It costs about $1,200.

www.basspro.com

(800) 343-1555 www.predatorkayak.com www.johnsonoutdoors.com

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July 12, 2013

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides Texas Coast Tides Sabine Pass, north Date Time Jul 12 7:30 AM Jul 13 7:55 AM Jul 14 1:34 AM Jul 15 2:26 AM Jul 16 3:32 AM Jul 17 12:51 AM Jul 18 1:53 AM Jul 19 2:44 AM Jul 20 3:29 AM Jul 21 4:10 AM Jul 22 4:50 AM Jul 23 5:28 AM Jul 24 6:05 AM Jul 25 6:42 AM Jul 26 12:29 AM

Height 1.5H 1.4H 0.6L 0.8L 1.0L 1.4H 1.5H 1.7H 1.7H 1.8H 1.8H 1.7H 1.7H 1.6H 0.2L

Time 1:32 PM 2:22 PM 8:17 AM 8:38 AM 9:02 AM 4:53 AM 6:13 AM 7:21 AM 8:14 AM 9:02 AM 9:50 AM 10:40 AM 11:33 AM 12:28 PM 7:19 AM

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty Date Time Jul 12 7:51 AM Jul 13 8:12 AM Jul 14 12:33 AM Jul 15 1:12 AM Jul 16 2:02 AM Jul 17 1:34 AM Jul 18 2:37 AM Jul 19 3:24 AM Jul 20 4:06 AM Jul 21 4:45 AM Jul 22 5:22 AM Jul 23 5:57 AM Jul 24 6:30 AM Jul 25 7:01 AM Jul 26 12:07 AM

San Luis Pass Date Jul 12 Jul 13 Jul 14 Jul 15 Jul 16 Jul 17 Jul 18 Jul 19 Jul 20 Jul 21 Jul 22 Jul 23 Jul 24 Jul 25 Jul 26

Time 12:21 AM 12:54 AM 1:29 AM 2:08 AM 12:27 AM 2:04 AM 3:07 AM 3:54 AM 4:36 AM 5:15 AM 5:52 AM 6:27 AM 7:00 AM 12:15 AM 1:03 AM

Freeport Harbor Date Jul 12 Jul 13 Jul 14 Jul 15 Jul 16 Jul 17 Jul 18 Jul 19 Jul 20 Jul 21 Jul 22 Jul 23 Jul 24 Jul 25 Jul 26

Time 7:33 AM 12:07 AM 12:48 AM 1:39 AM 3:00 AM 12:53 AM 2:05 AM 3:02 AM 3:52 AM 4:38 AM 5:19 AM 5:55 AM 6:26 AM 6:53 AM 12:28 AM

Height 1.7H 1.7H 0.6L 0.9L 1.2L 1.6H 1.8H 2.0H 2.1H 2.1H 2.1H 2.0H 1.9H 1.8H 0.2L

Time 1:18 PM 2:09 PM 8:29 AM 8:41 AM 8:49 AM 3:22 AM 5:20 AM 7:00 AM 7:56 AM 8:40 AM 9:27 AM 10:18 AM 11:14 AM 12:16 PM 7:31 AM

Height 0.8L 0.6L 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.2L 1.3L 1.3L 1.3L 1.3L 1.1L 1.0L 0.8L 0.7L 1.5H

Time 6:07 PM 7:42 PM 3:12 PM 4:03 PM 4:54 PM 9:35 AM 10:23 AM 11:25 AM 12:31 PM 1:37 PM 2:42 PM 3:48 PM 4:57 PM 6:12 PM 1:27 PM

Height 1.1H 1.0H 0.4L 0.2L 0.0L 1.4H 1.4H 1.5H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.5H 1.4H 0.5L

Height 1.1L 0.9L 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.5L 1.7L 1.8L 1.8L 1.8L 1.6L 1.5L 1.2L 1.0L 1.7H

Time 5:35 PM 7:41 PM 2:57 PM 3:44 PM 4:32 PM 9:00 AM 9:29 AM 10:31 AM 11:48 AM 1:02 PM 2:14 PM 3:26 PM 4:41 PM 6:03 PM 1:22 PM

Height 1.2H 1.1H 0.6L 0.3L -0.1L 1.7H 1.8H 1.9H 1.9H 2.0H 2.0H 1.9H 1.7H 1.6H 0.7L

Time 12:51 AM

Height 0.3L

9:37 PM 11:27 PM

1.1H 1.2H

5:46 PM 6:38 PM 7:29 PM 8:21 PM 9:11 PM 10:01 PM 10:51 PM 11:40 PM

-0.3L -0.5L -0.6L -0.7L -0.7L -0.6L -0.4L -0.1L

7:38 PM

1.3H

Time 11:58 PM

Height 0.3L

9:54 PM 11:57 PM

1.1H 1.3H

5:23 PM 6:14 PM 7:06 PM 7:59 PM 8:50 PM 9:41 PM 10:31 PM 11:19 PM

-0.4L -0.7L -0.9L -1.0L -0.9L -0.8L -0.6L -0.2L

7:36 PM

1.4H

Height 0.0L 0.2L 0.3L 0.5L 0.8H 0.9H 1.1H 1.2H 1.2H 1.3H 1.2H 1.2H 1.1H -0.1L 0.1L

Time 8:21 AM 8:42 AM 8:59 AM 9:11 AM 2:58 AM 4:18 AM 6:16 AM 7:56 AM 8:52 AM 9:36 AM 10:23 AM 11:14 AM 12:10 PM 7:31 AM 8:01 AM

Height 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 0.7L 0.9L 1.0L 1.1L 1.1L 1.1L 1.0L 0.9L 0.7L 1.1H 1.0H

Time 2:14 PM 3:05 PM 3:53 PM 4:40 PM 9:19 AM 9:30 AM 9:59 AM 11:01 AM 12:18 PM 1:32 PM 2:44 PM 3:56 PM 5:11 PM 1:12 PM 2:18 PM

Height 0.7L 0.5L 0.3L 0.2L 1.0H 1.0H 1.1H 1.1H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.1H 1.0H 0.6L 0.4L

Time 6:05 PM 8:11 PM 10:24 PM

Height 0.7H 0.6H 0.7H

5:28 PM 6:19 PM 7:10 PM 8:02 PM 8:55 PM 9:46 PM 10:37 PM 11:27 PM

0.0L -0.2L -0.4L -0.5L -0.6L -0.6L -0.5L -0.3L

6:33 PM 8:06 PM

0.9H 0.9H

Height 1.5H 0.3L 0.5L 0.8L 1.0L 1.3H 1.6H 1.8H 1.9H 1.9H 1.9H 1.8H 1.6H 1.5H 0.2L

Time 2:53 PM 7:52 AM 8:11 AM 8:27 AM 8:37 AM 5:20 PM 6:13 PM 7:08 PM 8:03 PM 8:57 PM 9:51 PM 12:03 PM 12:29 PM 1:02 PM 7:16 AM

Height 0.8L 1.4H 1.3H 1.2H 1.2H -0.2L -0.4L -0.6L -0.7L -0.7L -0.6L 1.2L 1.0L 0.8L 1.3H

Time 6:12 PM 2:57 PM 3:16 PM 3:48 PM 4:30 PM

Height 0.9H 0.6L 0.4L 0.2L 0.0L

Time

Height

7:50 PM 9:33 PM 11:19 PM

0.9H 0.9H 1.1H

3:04 PM 4:25 PM 5:47 PM 1:42 PM

1.3H 1.2H 1.2H 0.6L

10:43 PM -0.4L 11:35 PM -0.1L 7:15 PM

1.2H

LSONews.com

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases First

July 16

Time 2:25 AM 2:51 AM 2:58 AM 9:04 AM 8:49 AM 8:40 AM 8:51 AM 9:26 AM 10:12 AM 11:06 AM 12:04 PM 12:26 AM 1:14 AM 1:57 AM 2:31 AM

Rockport Date Jul 12 Jul 13 Jul 14 Jul 15 Jul 16 Jul 17 Jul 18 Jul 19 Jul 20 Jul 21 Jul 22 Jul 23 Jul 24 Jul 25 Jul 26

July 29

July 22

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

New

August 6

Houston

Port O’Connor Date Jul 12 Jul 13 Jul 14 Jul 15 Jul 16 Jul 17 Jul 18 Jul 19 Jul 20 Jul 21 Jul 22 Jul 23 Jul 24 Jul 25 Jul 26

Last

Full

Time 3:15 AM 3:31 AM 3:29 AM 10:45 AM 10:40 AM 10:51 AM 11:20 AM 12:05 PM 12:58 PM 1:57 PM 12:42 AM 1:29 AM 2:08 AM 2:34 AM 2:43 AM

Height -0.1L 0.0L 0.1L 0.3H 0.4H 0.5H 0.6H 0.6H 0.7H 0.7H 0.6H -0.4L -0.3L -0.2L 0.0L

Time 11:41 AM 10:28 AM 9:56 AM 6:27 PM 7:05 PM 7:50 PM 8:42 PM 9:39 PM 10:36 PM 11:33 PM

Height 0.3H 0.3H 0.3H -0.1L -0.2L -0.3L -0.4L -0.4L -0.5L -0.5L

1:09 PM 11:21 AM 10:55 AM 9:52 AM

0.5H 0.4H 0.3H 0.3H

Height 0.0L 0.0L 0.0L 0.1H 0.2H 0.2H 0.2H 0.2H 0.3H 0.3H -0.2L -0.1L -0.1L -0.1L 0.0L

Time 11:49 AM 11:18 AM 10:59 AM 7:39 PM 8:21 PM 9:09 PM 10:00 PM 10:55 PM 11:50 PM

Height 0.1H 0.1H 0.1H -0.1L -0.1L -0.1L -0.2L -0.2L -0.2L

2:58 PM 4:01 PM 5:10 PM 6:40 PM 9:53 AM

0.2H 0.2H 0.2H 0.1H 0.1H

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier Date Time Jul 12 7:31 AM Jul 13 7:38 AM Jul 14 12:36 AM Jul 15 1:19 AM Jul 16 12:22 AM Jul 17 2:02 AM Jul 18 2:55 AM Jul 19 3:41 AM Jul 20 4:24 AM Jul 21 8:43 PM Jul 22 5:37 AM Jul 23 6:05 AM Jul 24 6:27 AM Jul 25 6:44 AM Jul 26 6:57 AM

Height 1.2H 1.2H 0.4L 0.8L 1.2H 1.5H 1.7H 1.9H 1.9H -0.9L 1.8H 1.6H 1.5H 1.3H 1.3H

South Padre Island Date Time Jul 12 7:41 AM Jul 13 7:43 AM Jul 14 12:34 AM Jul 15 1:16 AM Jul 16 2:07 AM Jul 17 2:13 AM Jul 18 3:12 AM Jul 19 4:01 AM Jul 20 4:45 AM Jul 21 5:24 AM Jul 22 5:56 AM Jul 23 6:20 AM Jul 24 6:36 AM Jul 25 6:47 AM Jul 26 6:54 AM

Height 1.1H 1.1H 0.3L 0.5L 0.8L 1.0H 1.2H 1.4H 1.5H 1.5H 1.4H 1.3H 1.2H 1.1H 1.0H

Time 1:50 PM 2:17 PM 7:43 AM 7:45 AM 2:28 AM 5:14 PM 6:06 PM 6:59 PM 7:52 PM

Height 0.7L 0.6L 1.2H 1.2H 1.1L -0.3L -0.5L -0.7L -0.8L

9:33 PM 11:25 AM 11:45 AM 12:18 PM 1:01 PM

-0.8L 1.2L 1.0L 0.8L 0.6L

Time 11:57 PM 2:16 PM 7:43 AM 7:40 AM 7:31 AM 4:21 AM 5:59 PM 6:54 PM 7:48 PM 8:41 PM 9:33 PM 10:50 AM 11:18 AM 12:00 PM 12:49 PM

Height 0.1L 0.6L 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0L -0.7L -0.9L -1.0L -1.0L -0.8L 1.1L 0.9L 0.7L 0.4L

Time

Height

Time

Height

5:38 PM 5:57 PM

0.1L 0.0L

8:36 PM

0.1H

2:54 PM

0.3L

6:02 PM

0.3H

Time

Height

Time

Height

6:27 PM 7:01 PM

0.0L 0.0L

10:06 PM

0.0H

2013 June-July 12 Fri 13 Sat 14 Sun 15 Mon Q 16 Tue 17 Wed 18 Thu 19 Fri 20 Sat 21 Sun > 22 Mon > 23 Tue F 24 Wed > 25 Thu > 26 Fri 27 Sat 28 Sun 29 Mon 30 Tue Q 31 Wed

A.M. Minor Major 9:07 2:56 9:56 3:45 10:46 4:34 11:36 5:24 12:02 6:13 12:50 7:04 1:41 7:56 2:34 8:49 3:29 9:44 4:25 10:41 5:24 11:39 6:23 12:09 7:23 1:09 8:21 2:08 9:18 3:06 10:13 4:01 11:05 4:53 11:55 5:43 12:18 6:30 1:03 7:15

Dallas

3:57 PM

0.0L

9:01 PM

Time 4:50 PM 6:56 PM 2:53 PM 3:35 PM 7:38 AM

Height 0.8H 0.8H 0.4L 0.2L 1.3H

Time 11:59 PM

5:03 AM

1.9H

1:47 PM 3:24 PM 4:57 PM 6:36 PM

1.3H 1.2H 1.1H 1.1H

Time

Height

6:11 PM 2:47 PM 3:27 PM 4:14 PM 6:57 AM

0.7H 0.4L 0.1L -0.2L 1.0H

1:39 PM 3:15 PM 4:49 PM 6:30 PM

1.2H 1.1H 1.0H 0.9H

0.1H Height 0.1L

9:30 PM

0.9H

4:23 PM

0.0L

10:21 PM -0.6L 11:08 PM -0.3L 11:53 PM 0.1L

Time

Height

8:46 PM 11:49 PM

0.7H 0.8H

5:06 PM -0.5L

10:22 PM -0.6L 11:10 PM -0.3L 11:56 PM 0.0L

2013 June-July 12 Fri 13 Sat 14 Sun 15 Mon Q 16 Tue 17 Wed 18 Thu 19 Fri 20 Sat 21 Sun > 22 Mon > 23 Tue F 24 Wed > 25 Thu > 26 Fri 27 Sat 28 Sun 29 Mon 30 Tue Q 31 Wed

A.M. Minor Major 9:13 3:02 10:02 3:51 10:51 4:40 11:41 5:29 12:08 6:19 12:56 7:09 1:47 8:01 2:39 8:55 3:34 9:50 4:31 10:46 5:29 11:44 6:29 12:14 7:28 1:15 8:27 2:14 9:24 3:11 10:19 4:06 11:11 4:59 ----- 5:48 12:23 6:35 1:08 7:20

San Antonio

2013 A.M. June-July Minor Major 12 Fri 9:20 3:09 13 Sat 10:09 3:58 14 Sun 10:58 4:47 15 Mon Q 11:48 5:36 16 Tue 12:15 6:26 17 Wed 1:03 7:16 18 Thu 1:54 8:08 19 Fri 2:46 9:02 20 Sat 3:41 9:57 21 Sun > 4:38 10:53 22 Mon > 5:36 11:51 23 Tue F 6:36 12:21 24 Wed > 7:35 1:22 25 Thu > 8:34 2:21 26 Fri 9:31 3:18 27 Sat 10:26 4:13 28 Sun 11:18 5:06 29 Mon ----- 5:55 30 Tue Q 12:30 6:42 31 Wed 1:15 7:27

Amarillo

2013 A.M. June-July Minor 12 Fri 9:33 13 Sat 10:22 14 Sun 11:12 15 Mon Q ----16 Tue 12:28 17 Wed 1:16 18 Thu 2:07 19 Fri 3:00 20 Sat 3:54 21 Sun > 4:51 22 Mon > 5:50 23 Tue F 6:49 24 Wed > 7:49 25 Thu > 8:47 26 Fri 9:44 27 Sat 10:39 28 Sun 11:31 29 Mon ----30 Tue Q 12:44 31 Wed 1:29

OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen

Solution on Page 30

Major 3:18 4:08 4:57 5:48 6:39 7:31 8:25 9:20 10:15 11:12 ----12:37 1:36 2:34 3:31 4:25 5:17 6:06 6:54 7:39

SUN Rises Sets 06:28 08:23 06:29 08:23 06:29 08:23 06:30 08:22 06:30 08:22 06:31 08:22 06:32 08:21 06:32 08:21 06:33 08:20 06:33 08:20 06:34 08:19 06:34 08:19 06:35 08:18 06:36 08:18 06:36 08:17 06:37 08:17 06:37 08:16 06:38 08:15 06:38 08:15 06:39 08:14

MOON Rises Sets 10:25a 10:59p 11:19a 11:33p 12:15p NoMoon 1:13p 12:09a 2:14p 12:48a 3:17p 1:32a 4:21p 2:20a 5:25p 3:15a 6:26p 4:16a 7:23p 5:21a 8:14p 6:28a 9:00p 7:37a 9:42p 8:43a 10:21p 9:47a 10:59p 10:49a 11:37p 11:49a NoMoon 12:46p 12:16a 1:43p 12:56a 2:37p 1:37a 3:30p

P.M. Minor Major 9:35 3:24 10:24 4:13 11:14 5:03 ----- 5:53 12:32 6:45 1:23 7:37 2:16 8:30 3:10 9:25 4:05 10:21 5:02 11:17 5:59 ----6:57 12:43 7:55 1:42 8:52 2:40 9:49 3:36 10:43 4:31 11:35 5:23 12:00 6:12 12:47 6:59 1:32 7:44

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 06:27 08:36 10:29a 11:05p 06:27 08:35 11:25a 11:38p 06:28 08:35 12:22p NoMoon 06:28 08:35 1:22p 12:13a 06:29 08:34 2:24p 12:50a 06:30 08:34 3:28p 1:33a 06:30 08:33 4:34p 2:20a 06:31 08:33 5:38p 3:14a 06:31 08:32 6:39p 4:15a 06:32 08:32 7:34p 5:20a 06:33 08:31 8:24p 6:29a 06:33 08:31 9:09p 7:38a 06:34 08:30 9:49p 8:46a 06:35 08:30 10:27p 9:52a 06:35 08:29 11:04p 10:55a 06:36 08:28 11:40p 11:56a 06:37 08:28 NoMoon 12:56p 06:37 08:27 12:18a 1:53p 06:38 08:26 12:56a 2:49p 06:39 08:25 1:37a 3:42p

P.M. Minor Major 9:42 3:31 10:31 4:20 11:21 5:10 ----- 6:00 12:39 6:52 1:30 7:44 2:23 8:37 3:17 9:32 4:12 10:28 5:09 11:24 6:06 ----7:04 12:50 8:02 1:49 8:59 2:47 9:56 3:43 10:50 4:38 11:42 5:30 12:07 6:19 12:54 7:06 1:39 7:51

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises 06:42 08:35 10:38a 06:42 08:35 11:32a 06:43 08:34 12:28p 06:43 08:34 1:26p 06:44 08:34 2:27p 06:44 08:33 3:30p 06:45 08:33 4:34p 06:45 08:33 5:38p 06:46 08:32 6:39p 06:46 08:32 7:35p 06:47 08:31 8:26p 06:48 08:31 9:12p 06:48 08:30 9:55p 06:49 08:30 10:34p 06:49 08:29 11:12p 06:50 08:29 11:50p 06:50 08:28 NoMoon 06:51 08:27 12:29a 06:52 08:27 1:09a 06:52 08:26 1:51a

Sets 11:11p 11:46p NoMoon 12:22a 1:02a 1:45a 2:34a 3:29a 4:29a 5:34a 6:42a 7:50a 8:56a 10:00a 11:02a 12:01p 12:59p 1:55p 2:50p 3:42p

P.M. Minor 9:55 10:45 11:35 12:02 12:52 1:44 2:36 3:30 4:26 5:22 6:19 7:17 8:15 9:13 10:09 11:03 11:55 12:20 1:08 1:53

SUN Rises 06:42 06:42 06:43 06:43 06:44 06:45 06:45 06:46 06:47 06:47 06:48 06:49 06:49 06:50 06:51 06:52 06:52 06:53 06:54 06:55

Sets 11:26p NoMoon NoMoon 12:32a 1:09a 1:50a 2:37a 3:30a 4:31a 5:37a 6:46a 7:57a 9:06a 10:13a 11:17a 12:19p 1:19p 2:18p 3:14p 4:08p

Major 3:44 4:33 5:23 6:14 7:05 7:57 8:51 9:45 10:41 11:37 12:05 1:03 2:02 3:00 3:57 4:51 5:43 6:32 7:20 8:05

Sets 09:02 09:01 09:01 09:01 09:00 09:00 08:59 08:59 08:58 08:57 08:57 08:56 08:56 08:55 08:54 08:53 08:53 08:52 08:51 08:50

MOON Rises 10:50a 11:46a 12:45p 1:45p 2:49p 3:54p 5:00p 6:04p 7:05p 8:00p 8:49p 9:32p 10:11p 10:48p 11:24p NoMoon NoMoon 12:35a 1:13a 1:54a

FOR THE TABLE Spanish quail salad

ACROSS 1. Favorite food for deer 4. Used to wash out gundog’s eyes 9. A perch 10. A fish to be 11. Tuna is often eaten out of one 12. A duck 14. Constructing a fly lure 15. The wolf is one 19. A good bluegill bait 20. Act of scanning area for game 21. Good to have in a blind 25. Species of large lake trout 28. Forward of a gun barrel 29. A male elk 30. A large plains game 34. A herd’s move to new area for food 36. A sight on a scope 37. Term for the leader on a flyrod 38. A deer DOWN 1. A group of geese 2. Term for a wounded game 3. To lose an antler 4. A grouse 5. A part of a fishline 6. The grommet on a flyrod 7. Term for tiring a fish to land it 8. Some material in large nests 13. Fish eggs 16. Part of an antler 17. Slang name for a really large bass

Major 3:22 4:11 5:00 5:50 6:39 7:30 8:22 9:15 10:10 11:07 ----12:35 1:35 2:34 3:32 4:27 5:19 6:09 6:56 7:41

P.M. Minor 9:29 10:19 11:09 ----12:26 1:18 2:10 3:04 4:00 4:56 5:54 6:52 7:50 8:47 9:43 10:37 11:29 ----12:42 1:27

3 cups chicken broth Breast meat from 8 quail 1/4 cup high-quality olive oil 3 to 4 preserved roasted red peppers, cut into strips 3 green onions, sliced thin (white parts only) 1/3 cup pine nuts 1 head garlic Parsley, salt and pepper to taste Slice the top of the head of garlic off and set the garlic in a “nest” made of aluminum foil. Drizzle some olive oil into the cut cloves and seal the foil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

Carolina BBQ catfish

18. A wood used in arrow shafts 20. The V flyers 22. Protective aids for bowmen 23. To construct a fly lure 24. Fishing tackle

26. A favored area for game and fowl 27. The wild sheep 31. Part of a fishline 32. A brand of optic 33. To ensnare 35. A deer resting place

Catfish fillets, 1/2”-1” thick Garlic salt Cajun seasoning 1 large onion, sliced and rings separated Melted butter Favorite BBQ sauce Heavy-duty foil Place fillets on a large sheet of foil.

You need a sheet large enough to wrap the fillets in. If using thick fil-

Bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Drop the quail breasts into the broth and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let this sit for 5 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the cloves from the head of garlic. Toast the pine nuts in a dry sauté pan over mediumhigh heat, tossing them frequently to toast all sides. To compose the salad, divide all the ingredients between four plates and drizzle a little of the olive oil from the quail bowl over everything. Garnish with some parsley and grind black pepper over the plates. Serve at room temperature.

— Pheasants Forever lets, cut slashes in them down their lengths. Season liberally with the garlic salt and Cajun seasoning. Cover with onion slices and evenly pour the melted butter over the top. Pour a generous amount of BBQ sauce over the top. Fold and seal the foil around the fish making sure it doesn’t touch the top of the fish. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Let rest for a few minutes.

— Backwoodsbound.com

*email LSON your favorite recipe to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

July 12, 2013

Page 29

Play it safe, buy your dove loads early

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News Representatives of shotgun shell manufacturers have one recommendation for the 200,000-plus dove hunters thinking about the Sept. 1 opener.

Buy your shells now.

Dewey Godfrey works at BlissMurski Sales, Inc., which represents Remington in the area, and he worked for Remington for 32 years before that.

“Hunters shoot more shells in the first 10 days of dove season that in all of the other bird hunting seasons combined,” he said.

“The average hunter shoots seven times to kill a dove.”

Dealers are scrambling to find inventory, Godfrey said.

“They are placing multiple large orders hoping one of them will get filled in time,” he said. “Then they will cancel the orders that aren’t filled.”

It’s a matter of high demand for other ammunition and primers used in many types of ammunition, Godfrey said. And, in some instances, hoarding.

“The Remington plant is running three shifts per day, five days per week,” he said. “The other two days are two shifts per day, with the third used for cleaning.”

David Deveny of Owens Outdoor Sales, who reps Fiocchi Ammunition, said he wouldn’t expect as many opening day bargains.

“Manufacturers are still running 60- to 90-days behind,” he said. “With

BUY THEM NOW: Shotgun ammunition could run low during the rush before the dove season opener, so hunters should stock up now. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

that kind of lapse, they may not be able to catch up by then. I wouldn’t expect the prices to drop much.”

A mass shortage isn’t expected,

but frustration could set in for the last-minute shoppers, and the selection of types and brands could be limited. Sales representa-

tives at Winchester Gallery in Fort Worth said their shotshell supply is good. But running to the store on August 31 and expecting to find

LONE STAR MARKET

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

pallets of shells to choose from may be a gamble not worth taking.

“I would buy my dove loads now,” Deveny said.

Page 30

July 12, 2013

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

DATEBOOK July 13

Bass Champs North Division, Cedar Creek tournament (817) 439-3274 basschamps.com

July 18

Coastal Conservation Association Greater Woodlands Chapter Banquet The Grand Palace, Spring (281) 757-5011 ccatexas.org

July 19-20

Exotic Wildlife Association Trophy Game Records of the World Awards Banquet Embassy Suites, San Marcos (830) 367-7761 myewa.org

July 19-21

Texas Hunters & Sportsman’s Expo McAllen Convention Center texashunterassociation.com

July 20-21

Texas Gun and Knife Show Amarillo Civic Center (830) 285-0575 texasgunandknifeshows.com Premier Gun Show Big Town Event Center, Mesquite (817) 732-1194 premiergunshows.com

July 20

Crappie Anglers of Texas Lake Texoma tournament (903) 887-0334 crappieanglersoftexas.com

Alamo Fly Casters Lydia Ann Fly Masters Tournament Tarpon Shores Marina, Aransas Pass lydiaannflymasters.com

July 25-28

Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament (956) 944-2354 portmansfieldchamber.org

August 3

July 25

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Lee County Bull Busters Big Game Banquet Dime Box (512) 217-3608 rmef.org

July 26-27

Deer Fest MPEC Exhibit Hall, Wichita Falls (940) 704-2984 deerfestwichitafalls.com

Coastal Conservation Association San Gabriel Chapter Banquet United Heritage Conference Center, Round Rock (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org Deer Breeders Corporation 6th Annual Convention and Auction Westin La Cantera, San Antonio (972) 289-3100 dbcdeer.com Rudy’s Texas Redfish Series Freeport tournament redfishseries.com

August 1

August 9-11

Ducks Unlimited Allen Dinner Swingin’ D Ranch, Parker (214) 455-3082 ducks.org/texas

August 2-4

Texas Trophy Hunters Association Houston Hunters Extravaganza Reliant Center (210) 523-8500 ttha.com

August 3-4

Texas Gun and Knife Show Abilene Civic Center (830) 285-0575 texasgunandknifeshows.com

August 17

Crappie Anglers of Texas Lake Lavon Tournament (903) 887-0334 crappieanglersoftexas.com Arabia Shrine Sportsmen 2013 Shriners Shootout American Shooting Center, Houston (936) 672-3103 arabiashrinesportsmen.com

Through Sept. 2

August 8

Dallas Woods and Waters Club Summertime Happy Hour Bass Pro Shops, Garland (214) 570-8700 dwwcc.org

July 27

San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo 2013 Boots ‘N Shoot Sporting Clays Tournament National Shooting Complex (210) 255-5851 sarodeo.com

Coastal Conservation Association Galveston Chapter Annual Banquet Moody Gardens, Galveston (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org

Coastal Conservation Association 2013 STAR Tournament (713) 626-4222

Puzzle solution from Page 28

SPI Chamber Ladies Kingfish Tournament (956) 761-4412 spichamber.com

August 16-18

Texas Trophy Hunters Association Fort Worth Hunters Extravaganza Will Rogers Center (210) 523-8500 ttha.com

August 16

Operation Game Thief Claystoppers Shootout Rio Brazos Hunting Preserve, Simonton (512) 389-4381

LONE STAR MARKET

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

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

July 12, 2013

Page 31

Page 32

July 12, 2013

LoneOStar Outdoor News

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