Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
November 23, 2018
Volume 15, Issue 7
Cove Harbor cleanup Airboats help get metal out of bay Volunteers, including a number of airboat captains, worked to clear metal strewn in Cove Harbor from Hurricane Harvey. Photo from KACB.
By Mark England
Lone Star Outdoor News
HARVEY
In some ways, Harvey never left Rockport. The Category 4 hurricane, which carried winds up to 130
mph when it struck the Texas coast, left its mark on the hunting and fishing hotspot northeast of Corpus Christi. More than a year later, the cleanup continues. Guides, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists, a game warden and supporters of Keep Aransas County Beautiful
gathered at Cove Harbor recently to clean its trashed-out wetlands, just in time before duck season opened. “It looked like someone had just strewn tin everywhere,” said Capt. Brett Phillips. Many people may remember the iconic images of the Cove Harbor Marina and Drystack Please turn to page 14
The rut watch By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News The rubs and scrapes are being seen, but the daylight rut activity reports are low in many parts of the state. While in some places like Kimble and Concho counties, the bucks have been seen chasing does and fighting, other areas have some deer hunters scratching their heads. Most hunters attribute the lack of deer movement to the abundance of green vegetation after the heavy rains of October. “The deer are definitely in the rutting mode,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist Patrick Schutz. “Hunters weren’t seeing a lot of activity at feeders, but we’re starting to see it in the wheat fields and open access areas. The bucks are definitely chasing in known travel Please turn to page 18 This buck was photographed at Kimbrough Ranches in Coryell County making a large rub. Photo by Scott Hohensee.
By Craig Nyhus
Fishermen who fly into Dallas’ Love Field from the north notice the small lake just before landing. They probably don’t know Lake Bachman holds good numbers of bass, and maybe even better numbers of big crappie. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Dallas/Fort Worth Inland Fisheries division personnel have conducted two re-
cent surveys on the 205-acre lake. “We electrofished Lake Bachman on Nov. 6, and it was an awesome night,” the division posted. “We saw a bunch of largemouth bass and the biggest gizzard shad I personally have ever seen.” Then, on Nov. 14, division personnel trapnetted at the lake to check crappie numbers and sizes, as electrofishing is not an effective way to measure crappie. “There a lots of crappie in there, and lots of big ones,” a staff member said. Carey Thorn is a fishing guide, primarily
Biologists captured this largemouth through electrofishing at Lake Gilmer, where a number of large bass were examined and released. Photo from Margaret Stadig, TPWD.
Please turn to page 13
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Lone Star Outdoor News
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10
HUNTING
FISHING
Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12
Ducks start strong (P. 4)
Better fishing at Conroe (P. 8)
North, Central zones underway.
Catfish, crappie action steady.
Deputy shoots self (P. 4)
Galveston getting back on track (P. 8)
Initial reports revised.
Cold fronts put fish in normal spots.
Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 25 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 26
INSIDE
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
Surveys show small reservoirs hold big fish