Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
October 23, 2020
Volume 17, Issue 5
Record goldfish Angler lands giant at college pond By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News After eight months, the goal of Finley Miller was finally realized. The avid angler and Irving resident landed a likely state record goldfish
that weighed in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces. “The fish was first caught in February by a good friend of mine,” Miller said. “He thought it was a koi, and got some pictures of it and released it. When I studied the pictures, I told him it was a goldfish, and probably the state record goldfish.” The pair have been chasing the
Finley Miller fish ever since. targeted a big “We hit up that place as much as goldfish after his we could,” Miller said. friend caught That place is a pond on the camthe fish, thinking pus of Richland College (now called it was a koi. The Dallas College Richland Campus). fish weighed “There are two ponds there, and 8 pounds, 12 some pretty good bass too,” Miller ounces and is said. “It’s an interesting place.” likely the state Miller only started fishing a few record. Photo from Finley years ago, and is a carp-fishing Please turn to page 15
Miller.
Big deer early MLD ranches putting out big bucks By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News
Dry conditions in South Texas have made bucks more likely to come to feeders in the month of October. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Scrolling through South Texas’ oldest and largest deer contests’ leaderboards, Muy Grande and Los Cazadores, would seem to suggest there are a lot more big deer being taken early in the Managed Lands Deer Program season, which opened to rifle hunters Oct. 1. They might be right, according to Bailey Dunks of Los Cazadores in Pearsall. “We’re seeing more deer than usual — we’re having a good start to the season,” she said. “Our numbers are up from last year, but not by a crazy amount.” Dunks said she thinks people were ready to get out of the house
and hunt, and added, if people had their eyes on a big deer, they “don’t want it to break anything off.” Daniel Kunz, a technical guidance biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said several reasons could be in play why so many big deer are coming in early. “Rainfall across South Texas was really spotty this summer,” he said. “The big deer I’ve heard about on the eastern side of South Texas, I would attribute that to better habitat conditions. On the western side, it’s pretty parched, so the poor conditions could have the deer coming out in the open to feed.” Kunz said Zavala County is in the third year of a drought, and even areas on the eastern side of South Texas, like George West and Alice, had dried up pretty quickly. Please turn to page 20
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
Shrimp boat sunk for habitat By Tony Vindell
The EMR Captain Berry goes underwater to become habitat for red snapper and other marine species. Photo by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
The Rio Grande Reef off the coast of South Padre Island received a new vessel that will serve as additional habitat for red snapper and other fish and marine species. The boat, the EMR Capt. Berry, was sunk on Wed., Oct. 15, on top of the artificial reef located about 8 miles east of the island.
The 96-foot vessel is the third and largest one now forming the huge underwater bank that is becoming one of the hottest spots for recreational anglers, particularly those going after red snapper. It took about an hour for the old dismantled boat to be submerged after it was filled with water. Bubbles and a white foam were all that remained after the boat went underwater. Please turn to page 16
HUNTING
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Saltwater Fishing Report . . . Page 11 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 18 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 20
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Social media bullying (P. 4) The Hunting Consortium targeted by Facebook, Instagram.
Big buck, small ranch (P. 5) Hunter succeeds on 50-acre pecan farm.
FISHING
Action on Whitney, PK, Bridgeport (P. 8,9) Multiple species biting.
Customized landing nets (P. 8) Austin man finds his niche.
