Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
April 22, 2016
Volume 12, Issue 17
Fishing with hellgrammites
Lake Alan Henry on the mend
Invertebrates make great river bait By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News Tyler Moore grew up in New Braunfels, and as a youngster, a man in the neighborhood took him fishing on the Guadalupe River — and taught him about hellgrammites. “His name is David Meckel, but we called him Opie,” Moore said. “He was kind of like a surrogate grandfather.” On the trip, Meckel explained they would be catching and fishing with hellgrammites. Like most people, Moore had no idea what he was talking about. “We went to the river, and he taught me how to catch them and fish with them,” Moore said. “Catching them is half the fun, as long as you don’t get bitten.” The hellgrammite is actually the larval form of the dobsonfly, is one of only a few carnivorous insects in Texas, and has oversized mandibles at its head that pack a punch. “It hurts, and they’ll draw blood,” Moore said. Catching the 2- to 3-inch invertebrates isn’t a difficult process. “You can turn over rocks and catch them in a screen (Moore uses a swimming pool leaf skimmer) or you can dig with the screen kind of like sifting for gold,” Moore said. Once the hellgrammites are found, they are carefully moved to a plastic water bottle he keeps in his pocket. “You have to grab them right behind the head, there is a tough part there,”
BIG GIRL: Bruce Butler caught this 13.13-pound bass at Alan Henry Reservoir on April 13. According to TPWD, the ShareLunker was returned to the lake, as it had already spawned. Photo by TPWD.
Lone Star Outdoor News When Alan Henry Reservoir started to fill up after years of drought, anglers wondered if fishing on the lake would bounce back. If the last week for Bruce Butler of Amarillo is any indication, the 2,880-acre lake southeast of Lubbock, once known for producing loads of giant bass, is on the road to recovery. At the end of March, he landed a 12.64-pound largemouth on the lake. On April 13, he topped that with a 13.13-pound fish landed at
TURNING OVER ROCKS: Catching bait can be half the fun. Here, Tyler Moore uses a leaf skimmer to catch hellgrammites hiding under rocks in the Guadalupe River. Larger rocks often hold more of the invertebrates, and the skimmer is used to keep them from flowing downstream. Photos by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News.
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Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 16 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 18 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 23 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 24 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 25 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 26
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Eastern turkey season rolling
Tracking sharks
Lone Star Outdoor News
Lone Star Outdoor News
Austin Sewell works at the LBJ National Grasslands in Wise County, but helped out at the Caddo National Grasslands in Fannin County over the opener of the eastern turkey season on April 15. “We had a few people shoot an eastern over the weekend,” Sewell said. “Both birds had 10-inch beards.” Sewell said the bird numbers are good at the grasslands. “Especially since they are easterns on public land,” he said. Another group didn’t fare as well but plans to return. “A few of us came close, but no birds killed due to various reasons,” said Terrance Jackson, a member of the NWTF Harris County Wildlife Group, who helped guide three hunters at the Sabine National Forest in Sabine County. “I stumbled across a roost near an area
Wahoo and mako sharks are Chris Sessions’ targets when he heads offshore each winter. This year, the researchers from OCEARCH donated four satellite tags to his boat. The first tag was put to good use, and the anglers can watch the movement of the shark every day. “On February 24, we went out of Packery Channel and fished about 45 miles out,” Sessions said. “Ricky Torres got a 6-foot mako trolling a skirted ballyhoo, which is odd. We were fishing for wahoo but we caught both on the same lures, Islanders in purple and black and green and yellow. Ricky caught three makos, I missed
By Craig Nyhus
one.” The satellite tracker was placed on the shark’s dorsal fin. “We used a battery-operated drill,” Sessions said. “They (OCEARCH) have a template. You drill four holes in the dorsal fin, then use stainless steel bolts, washers and a nut to tighten.” Since the shark is out of the
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INSIDE
CONTENTS
HUNTING
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Turkeys and cows
Dirt research
Cattle can mess up a good hunt.
Soil type influences deer size. Page 4
Page 4
CHARTING THE PATH: After this mako shark landed by Ricky Torres was equipped with a satellite tracking device, everyone can follow his travels on the Internet at ocearch.org. Photo by Chris Sessions.
FISHING
Reds in the mud
Teacher and guide
Sabine Lake producing after floods. Page 8
Outdoor instructor takes his students fishing. Page 8