PREDATOR HUNTING ANNUAL INSIDE
Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
February 25, 2022
predator hunting texas ANNUAL 2022
The thermal
craze,
with good reason
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Volume 18, Issue 13
Switching to exotics Hunters adjust priorities after deer season By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News With deer season ending, hunters are turning their focus to pursuing exotic species across Texas ranches. Many have been presented with new challenges and opportunities to expand their experiences in the field. Outside of Rocksprings, Jeff Sober
connected with an impressive mouflon using a .45 caliber pistol with hunting guide Andrew Olson on the Agua Vida Ranch. Olson said they were able to put the wind in their face as they stalked into a thicket where groups of mouflon typically hang out during the midday hours. “We had seen this particular herd of rams grazing that morning as they headed into this area of brush late in the morning,” he said. “Our plan played out perfectly. We were able to stalk in to
about 20 yards away from the herd and they had no idea we were there because the wind was steadily blowing in our faces.” The hunter and guide used cedar bushes for cover, and Sober was finally presented with about a 25-yard shot on a big ram. “He made an excellent shot and harvested the mouflon just as if it was scripted,” Olson said. West Texas outfitter Roy Hurley, of Sproul Ranch, has been guiding hunters
Rex Gillespie harvested this mature aoudad in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Photo by Roy Hurley.
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Mullet lures key on Laguna Madre By Robert Sloan
For Lone Star Outdoor News Waist deep in clear troutgreen water with nearby pods of baitfish is the key to catching both trout and reds on the middle areas of the Laguna Madre. The water temperature is 65 to 70 degrees, and cold fronts haven’t been a big factor. Guide Jay Watkins and his son, Jay Ray, have been running guided fishing trips for big trout on the middle areas of the Laguna Madre since the first week of January. They will continue fishing this area through February. Watkins is best known for putting anglers on big trout. What’s his secret? “Follow the mullet and use lures that produce trout more Jay Watkins has been finding big speckled trout on mullet-imitation lures like a custom Corky Fat Boy in a pistachio color. Photo from Jay Watkins.
often than not,” he said. He posted good catches of solid trout during the week of the full moon in mid-February. Two of his best lures right now include a Custom Corky in a pistachio color pattern and a Texas Custom DD in a speckled trout color pattern. He especially likes fishing these two lures over submerged grass beds and potholes. Watkins said it’s usually the little things that will catch more trophy trout. “The little things that we do, tackle and rigging wise, will make the difference between getting the bite and landing the fish,” he said. His go-to rod is a 6 1/2-foot custom rod. A 20-pound test monofilament leader is at-
tached to the braid with a double uni knot. The leader is attached to the lure via a loop knot. Guide Josh Garza has been fishing from Port Mansfield to South Padre Island. “We have been catching more fish in post-frontal conditions,” he said. “The trout bite has been better the farther south we go.” The warm days have set up some ideal conditions for catching reds, according to Garza. He’s been wading mostly and catching a lot of reds in 2 to 3 feet of water. Sandy potholes with a little mud, grass and shell have been holding fair numbers of slot reds. But it’s the trout that many fishermen are hunting from Please turn to page 19
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Catfish action increasing by the day By Nate Skinner
Jacob Sinkule, 15, caught this 38-pound blue catfish on Lake Tawakoni with guide James Evans. Photo from James Evans. Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 9 Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News Catfish continue to adjust to the ever-changing weather patterns anglers are experiencing across inland lakes and rivers. The bite seems to be becoming more consistent as springtime slowly approaches. Anglers have reported catching both trophy-sized fish and good numbers of smaller fish, perfect for eating. The larger catfish
seem to be staging along the shallows on most bodies of water. Lacey Wostal was fishing with her husband, Lonnie, on Lake Corpus Christi when she hooked into the largest catfish she’s ever caught. “We were fishing with stink bait in about 2 1/2 feet of water,” she said. “My rod was sitting in a rod holder when I saw it bounce a couple of times like it was getting a bite. When I set the hook, the rod doubled over and Please turn to page 9
HUNTING
FISHING
Magnificent guns (P. 4)
Wahoo wonderland (P. 8)
Benelli set astounds.
Offshore bite good when weather allows.
Sausage from deer (P. 4)
Confused bass (P. 8)
Complete setup in private shop.
Moving deep to shallow.
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February 25, 2022
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February 25, 2022
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HUNTING Goliad hunter and sausage maker
Insurers settle suits against Bushmaster Lone Star Outdoor News The families of nine victims of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School announced a $73 million settlement with the bankrupt Remington Arms. Remington manufactured the Bushmaster AR-15, which the lawsuit claimed was defectively marketed in violation of Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practices Act. The settlement was reached with the families of five children and four adults who were killed in the 2012 shooting, and was made by all four of Remington’s
insurers. No admission of liability was made in the settlement. Media sites incorrectly reported that settlement represented the first time a gun manufacturer was “held liable” or “held accountable” for a mass shooting event, causing the National Shooting Sports Foundation to correct those assertions. “The decision to settle in the Soto v. Bushmaster case was not made by a member of the firearms industry,” the organization said. “The settlement was reached between the plaintiffs and the
various insurance carriers that held policies with Remington Outdoor Company (ROC), which effectively no longer exists. As part of bankruptcy court proceedings, the assets of ROC were sold at auction in September of 2020. Remington Outdoor Company, which owned the Bushmaster brand, effectively ceased to exist as a going concern. The lawsuit, however, continued against the estate of the Remington Outdoor Company, essentially ROC’s insurers and their insurance policies in effect at the time.”
The Magnifico Set of Five
Dennis Brandon uses his own processing equipment and smokehouse to convert his venison into several types of sausage. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
Photo from Beretta
Shotgun set unveiled at Beretta Gallery
By Robert Sloan
By Craig Nyhus
The combination of venison and pork butts made for an impressive sight once they had been cut up, ground, cased and hung in the smokehouse. Dennis Brandon closed the door on his homemade smokehouse where he had just hung about 100 pounds of meat. He doesn’t use wild hog meat for his sausage because he gets more tenderness out of store-bought pork butts that he buys by the case. “It’ll all be ready in about three and a half hours,” he said. “That’s about all the smoke I’ll need. After that we take the rings of sausage off the rack, vacuum seal them and, just like that, we have enough to last us through the opener of the next deer season.” Brandon is an avid deer hunter and, like a lot of other hunters who have tagged bucks and does from this past season, he’s turning a huge amount of his prized venison into some tasty eats. He makes his own pan and link sausage, along with dry sausage for beer sticks and links. The pan and link sausage are smoked, packaged and frozen. It’s lightly smoked for 3 1/2 hours. The dry sausage is smoked for about the same amount of time, then placed in an airconditioned cooler at a controlled temperature with fans for 14 days. After that, it’s ready to eat. And if you vacuum seal and freeze the meat, it will last up to about 2 years. “I’ve been making sausage for about 20 years,” Brandon said while loading the ground meat into the sausage stuffer in his processing shop out in his barn in Goliad. “It’s a lot of fun, and I can make it the way I want the sausage to taste — not too smoky and not to spicy. I learned how to make it from an old-timer who had made his own sausage for over 50 years. Along the way I picked up tips from friends that also made their own sausage.” Inside his processing shop he’s like a mad scientist on the day he’s ready to put it all together. Brandon uses a 60/40 mix, with about 20 percent more pork than deer meat. The meat is diced up, into about 1-inch squares, mixed and seasoned. Then it’s all left in the fridge overnight to absorb the seasoning- salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and light brown sugar. The next day, he takes out the plastic tubs of cubed meat and grinds it all, usually around 100 pounds per run. Finally, the mix is stuffed into casings or made into
On Feb. 10, Benelli Armi S.p.A. unveiled its one-of-a-kind family of semi-automatic shotguns at an intimate gathering at the Beretta Gallery in Dallas. The shotguns were kept in a glass presentation box, covered in red cloth. Conservationist and outdoor television host J. Alain Smith gave a brief presentation to the small but interested crowd, before the silk cloth was pulled back, the glass opened and the shotguns appeared. Bruno Beccaria, Benelli’s vice president, was present for the unveiling, cloaked in a black cowboy hat, with Marketing Director Tim Joseph at his side. The Magnifico Set of Five is a set of shotguns made entirely in Italy by Benelli, the first in its 50 year history, and the only one in the next 100. The set consists of five semiautomatic shotguns — two 12 gauge, two 20 gauge, and one 28 gauge — and it reflects the structure of a family: the 12 gauge represents the father, the 20 the mother, and the smallest, the 28 gauge, the child. The components of the five shotguns in the set are marked with the last two digits of the
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Benelli Vice President Bruno Beccaria describes the features of a special set of shotguns to guests at the Dallas Beretta Gallery. Photo from Carly Ann Cochrum.
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Is the Administration turning on hunters, anglers? Negotiating deal with animal rights groups By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News The Biden Administration announced it is engaged in private settlement talks with animal rights activist groups. In November 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over previous decisions to expand hunting and fishing opportunities within the National Wildlife Refuge Systems. The 2020 FWS rule opened and expanded more
than 850 hunting and fishing opportunities across more than 2.3 million acres at 147 refuges and national fish hatcheries. The lawsuit contended hunting on the public lands threatened endangered species by increasing the number of people on the landscape, lead poisoning from ammunition or fishing sinkers, and hunters mistakenly shoot endangered species. The Sportsmen’s Alliance said hunters and anglers are being betrayed by the Administration, especially in light of its announcement last May that it would expand the refuges open to hunting to 434
and refuges open to fishing to 378. “A few short months ago, the Biden Administration was touting the largest expansion of hunting and fishing in history on these lands and now they’re negotiating with animal rights activists over hunting opportunities, while excluding sportsmen from having a seat at the table,” Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation President and CEO Evan Heusinkveld said. “It’s no surprise that animal rights and anti-hunting groups want to stop hunting, but sportsmen shouldn’t tolerate being shut out as the Biden Administration negotiates away hunt-
ing opportunities on public lands.” The Sportsman’s Alliance say they were shocked to discover that the Biden Administration and the CBD requested a delay in court proceedings while they discuss conditions of a settlement. The alliance and others were preparing to intervene in the suit but were provided no warning that it might be settled out of court and have no visibility into the discussions occurring now between the plaintiff and defendants. The named parties in the suit are USFWS Acting Director Martha Williams and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Please turn to page 19
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February 25, 2022
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Burris handheld field test Hunting accidents hit all-time low
Thermal sights can be used in daylight as well as at night to locate wild game. Photos by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
By David J. Sams
Lone Star Outdoor News Large red stag were bedding in the middle of the morning in a thick mesquite flat. We eased along, stopping and looking through the handheld thermal trying to find them. Most thermal use is for nighttime, but why not use it for locating animals in the daylight? We didn’t see any heat signatures or find the stag that morning, but we did stumble onto some scimitar-horned oryx. They were on the edge of the field and slowly slipped into the thick brush. We could clearly make out their outline, but the deeper
they got in the brush, and disappeared. So, we learned that you can’t see every animal; however, the thermal works well in full sun. Burris Optics introduced three all-new thermal sights, the Burris Optics Handheld (BTH), Clip-On (BTC) or Riflescope (BTS) Thermal Sights. Each thermal unit is available in 35mm and 50mm options. They offer a variety of color palettes, brightness controls, hot tracking, picture-in-picture and the ability to sync to mobile devices to record the action. The Burris Thermal Handheld unit can hot track tar-
gets past 750 yards. Perfect for pre-dawn scouting or locating blood trails and animals downed at last light, the handheld unit features a 4X zoom to track heat signatures of animals in dead of the night. Realtime Wi-Fito-mobile connection allows others to view, control and record from a mobile phone using the Burris Thermal App. While watching a feeder and scouting for bucks, a few deer were coming out way before daylight, so I pulled out the unit and ran some video and color temperature checks. (See video at LSONews.com.)
The unit worked great, and you could tell the bucks from the doe. The resolution was good unless you zoomed all the way. It was well below freezing and the battery life was holding its own. The intuitive buttons are a bit hard to operate but my fingers were also frozen. And I had to be careful that the unit didn’t roll off the window sill, as our 8-foot tower blind has a bit of a lean to it. The Thermal Handheld retails for $2,462 for the 35mm version and $3,454 for the 50mm version.
In 2021, Texas experienced only one fatality and 11 hunting-related accidents statewide, according to the 2021 Texas Hunting Accident Report. The total was the lowest since hunter education became mandatory in 1988. “In 2021, three quarters of the incidents were what we call ‘swinging on game outside of a safe zone of fire,’” said Steve Hall, the Hunter Education Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “This is the most common mishap in Texas besides careless handling in and around vehicles.” In 1988, Texas had 12 fatalities and 70 hunting-related accidents. Hall offered other hunting safety tips: • Unload all firearms when not in use, especially in the home, in transport and in the field until ready to shoot. • Keep your fingers outside of the trigger guard until ready to shoot. • Waterfowl hunters should wear protective clothing, waders and approved life jackets while in boats or around water, especially in winter months. Drowning ranks as the number one hunting incident for these hunters. • For dove, quail and pheasant hunters, the number one incident is swinging on game outside a safe zone of fire. Be sure of your target, and what is in front of and behind the target, and wear blaze orange to be visible to others. —TPWD
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February 25, 2022
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More than deer Continued from page 1
on aoudad hunts in the Davis Mountains, where he said there are plenty of herds of the Barbary sheep following a late winter/ early spring pattern. “There are just a ton of aoudad to be found in the Davis Mountains right now,” Hurley said. “Most of our hunters have been harvesting sheep pushing 31 inches or more.” Hurley said most of his aoudad hunters have been able to stalk within about 200 yards of their target. “The sheep have been fairly relaxed and are not pressured real hard on the private land where we chase them,” he said. According to Hurley, he’s starting to see more and more herds of sheep begin to graze on the north slopes of the mountain range. “We used to only see sheep on the south facing slopes, but with their numbers increasing, we are beginning to see them in unconventional places looking for food,” he said. “They’re hanging out in thick,
Making links Continued from page 4
north facing slopes because the south slopes are starting look pretty barren.” On the Uno Mas Ranch near Bandera, outfitter Coy Sako said he had a hunter chase a red sheep that turned out to be an exciting hunt. “We had to cover several miles in the hills before we were able to finally get within shooting distance of the ram,” Sako said. “It took us about 10 hours of stalking before we could get into position for him to take the shot.” Sako said the sheep kept retreating into some cedar thickets every time that they made a move to get closer. “We finally posted up down in a flat adjacent to a hillside thicket where we saw him bed down and wait him out,” he explained. “This was pretty much a last-ditch effort and it paid off. The ram came out of the thicket and down the hill, the wind was in our favor, and the hunter made a great shot at 200 yards with a muzzleloader.”
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pan sausage. The entire process takes six to seven hours. “My processing shop is set up with a refrigerator, a grinder and a stuffer that can handle about 30 pounds of meat at a time,” Brandon said. “And there are lots of tables to keep everything organized.” Outside his shop, Brandon has a 6x6-foot smokehouse. Once the sausage rings are placed on wooden racks, they are hung in the smokehouse. The smoke comes from a 5-gallon bucket. There are holes drilled in the bottom of the bucket for air ventilation. Next, a pile of charcoal, about 3 inches high, is poured into the bucket and lit up. Once he has coals, small branches from his pecan trees are broken up and put in the bucket with dried corn cobs and soaked in water. “Once I’ve got the coals going, I pour the water off the soaked corn cobs and limbs and place them in with the coals,” Brandon said. “I soak them for about five minutes. Then a lid is placed over the top of the bucket, and it’s placed on the floor of the smokehouse.” After smoking for about 3 1/2 hours, the sausage is removed from the smokehouse and is ready to be vacuum packed and put in the freezer. It’s not fully cooked but it’s smoked and can be cooked when it’s ready to eat. One of his favorite ways to cook a ring of sausage is to submerge in water and boil for about 20 minutes. Afterward, remove, slice and eat.
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February 25, 2022
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February 25, 2022
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FISHING
Taking advantage of weather windows Offshore anglers landing wahoo, tuna, swordfish By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Carson Deer caught this 60-pound wahoo while trolling about 150 miles offshore in 180 feet of water. Photo from Carson Deer.
Periods of calm seas during short windows between cold fronts have afforded Gulfbound anglers with opportunities to tangle with some big fish. Wahoo, tuna and swordfish have been hitting the decks of offshore vessels. The staff at Port Aransas’ Fisherman’s Wharf reported their 56-hour tuna trips aboard their 72-foot catamaran, the Scat Cat, have been scoring limits of yellowfin tuna in the 80- to 120-pound range while fishing about 100 to 150 miles out. Plenty of blackfin tuna, vermilion snapper, dogfish snapper and a few grouper have been in the mix. Wild game chef Holly Hearn was cooking in the galley aboard the Wrapped Up, a 72
By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Weather and water temperature are playing a major role where anglers have been successfully catching bass. On many bodies of water, it seems the fish are trying to pull up in the shallows in a pre-spawn pattern; however, they are constantly being pushed out to deeper water depths as cold fronts continue to roll in. Austin area guide Ander Meine said grass and submerged vegetation are the key to finding and catching bass on Decker Lake. “Stretches of water with grass in 4 to 10 feet of water targeted with reaction baits like square-billed crankbaits and lipless crankbaits have been producing plenty of bass,” Meine said. “Drop shot rigs are also drawing strikes in these areas.” Meine said he’s been catching fish from a little over a pound up to 8 pounds over grass on Decker. “The fish seem to be stacked up in certain areas, and you just have
been pretty consistent, especially for larger fish, while trolling anywhere from about 110 to 180 miles out in water depths of 150 to 220 feet,” Deer said. “We’ve basically been targeting humps and structure that jump up as shallow as 100 feet.” Deer said barracuda and other fish species have been hanging out right on top of the humps and structure, but the wahoo have been lurking nearby, out away from them. “It’s been incredible how many fish we have marked that haven’t been willing to bite until specific time windows when they seem to turn on,” Deer explained. “We might have several hours where we are seeing fish on the electronics, but not catching anything, and then all of a sudden they turn on, and we start catching them left and right.” As the fish begin to turn on, Deer has been seeing them climb in the water column on his electronics. “On one pass they might Please turn to page 17
Playing the yo-yo game Bass alternating from deep to shallow
Viking owned by Henry Adams and captained by Robert Nichols, and was able to sneak onto the deck to tangle with some wahoo. “We ran about 100 miles out of Galveston and were trolling in about 140 to 160 feet of water,” Hearn said. “All of a sudden, crew member Ryan Warhola came and got me out of the galley and asked me to come to help fight fish because they had six hook ups all at once. We were even able to land every single one of the wahoo.” Hearn said they were trolling both divers and ballyhoo, and that they caught so many wahoo that she lost count. “We had two that weighed over 60 pounds, and most of them were in the 40-pound range,” she said, adding that they caught a few 20-pound blackfin tuna while they were trolling. Carson Deer has been running offshore out of Tiki Island to chase wahoo and swordfish. “The wahoo fishing has
to cover a lot of water to find them,” he explained. “This may result in a bunch of casts without a bite, but once you get bit, there’s usually a lot of them nearby willing to feed. Where they stack up has been varying from day to day.” Meine has also spent time on Lake LBJ, where Brad Furillo caught this bass off a small tributary of the Guadalupe he said the bass River as it was up shallow, fanning out a bed with its tail. Photo have been stag- from Brad Furillo. ing over shallow temperatures, the bass are staging areas with rocky or hard bottoms up shallow along the bank. in 5 feet of water or less. “I’m starting to see fish over “Crankbaits have been the key beds in a lot of shallow areas on to hooking up with numbers of the Guad right now,” Furillo said. bass on LBJ,” he said. “Banging “A lot of the female largemouths shallow banks with a hard bottom that I’m catching seem to be full will keep your rod bent.” of eggs. The males are healthy too, New Braunfels-area angler, Brad and it’s evident that they’ve been Furillo, has been fishing different gorging on shad.” public access points along the GuaMost of Furillo’s success has dalupe River for bass. He said when come on swimbaits and paddle tail there are two to three days of warm Please turn to page 17
Sheepshead appearing at jetties By Tony Vindell
For Lone Star Outdoor News Although the red and black drum runs are winding down, the time to catch other species, including sheepshead, is now. Unusually high numbers of whiting and sand trout have been caught in the Laguna Madre from South Padre Island to the Port Mansfield area. And lately, the sheepshead are back. The stubborn fighters move in this time of year, but March is Blanca Davila and Mari Alvear landed these typically the month sheepshead during a trip to the Port Mansfield when thousands of jetties. Photo by Tony Vindell. the striped fish that resemble a prisoner’s black and white suit congregate in huge numbers. One of the favorite places to catch sheepshead are along the jetties as they swim back and forth along the man-made structures on a feeding frenzy as they get ready to spawn. Please turn to page 18
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Hanselman has strong Elite event
Page 9
Klein to enter Fishing Hall of Fame
Ray Hanselman Jr., of Del Rio, led the Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes after three days, but fell to third on the final day with a total weight of 71 pounds, 8 ounces. Hanselman committed his week to 3- to 7-foot grass flats. Targeting pre- and post-spawn bass, he caught most of his fish on a rattling crankbait. “I just ran out of fish over there; it got pounded pretty hard this week,” Hanselman said. Hanselman earned $30,000 with his finish. Tennessee pro Buddy Gross brought in more than 22 pounds on the final day to win the event, and $100,000, with 77 pounds, 11 ounces. Gross found his fish on shore breaks near vacant shellcracker beds, and used swimbaits and a craw worm. Drew Benton of Blakely, Georgia, finished second with 75 pounds, 1 ounce. Benton targeted bedding fish with a prop bait and a frog. —B.A.S.S.
Shallow cats Continued from page 1
the drag on my reel started screaming as the fish ripped line off of the spool.” Wostal battled the blue cat for several minutes as it swam under and around their boat. “At one point during the fight, I saw its tail come out of the water and realized just how big it really was,” she elaborated. The hefty catfish ended up weighing 42.5 pounds and measured 44 inches in length. “It was just 4 pounds shy of the state waterbody record for Lake Corpus Christi and will forever be a fishing memory I’ll never forget,” Wostal said. South Texas guide, Raymond “Bones” Esckilsen, has been targeting cats on both Choke Canyon Reservoir and Calaveras Lake. “Choke is loaded with eating-sized catfish in the 16-inch range,” Esckilsen said. “Stretches along river bends with structure in 20 to 28 feet of water have been holding the most fish. Worms, shrimp, and cheese bait fished about 2 feet off of the bottom have been the ticket.” On Calaveras, shrimp has been Esckilsen’s choice of bait. “A lot of the catfish on Calaveras are full of shad right now,” he said. “Most of these fish are channel cats in the 20- to 27-inch range.” Esckilsen said there are some blue cats mixed in on Calaveras as well, and that most of them have been in the 10- to 14-pound range. “Most of the catfish on Calaveras are holding around structure near the warm water discharge in 4 to 6 feet of water,” he explained. “On warm days the fish have been moving to shallow areas with weeds in the middle portion of the lake.” Lake Tawakoni catfish guide, James Evans, said the catfish are scattered throughout the lake in areas anywhere from 3 to 50 feet. “The most consistent bite has been up shallow where the water seems to be a little
February 25, 2022
Professional fisherman and Mingus resident, Gary Klein, will be inducted into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 2022. Klein has been an anchor in professional fishing for 42 years and an innovator on the cutting edge of the sport. Klein officially began his professional fishing career in 1979 at the age of 21, but his first tournament event was in 1973 on California’s Lake Don Pedro at the age of 15. He has competed in 407 Bassmaster events, including eight event victories and 80 top Gary Klein 10 finishes. He qualified and competed in the Bassmaster Classic Championship 30 times, the second most in history. In addition, he is the only angler to qualify for at least one Bassmaster Classic in every decade from 1979 through 2019. Klein garnered Bassmaster Angler of the Year honors in 1989 and 1993. In Klein’s more than 40 years as a professional angler, he boasts 161 top-20 finishes, 95 top-10 finishes and 10 wins. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in cooperation with Klein and others, designed a revolutionary “Catch, Weigh and Immediate release” format for use in tournaments. The new format debuted in the 2007 Toyota Texas Bass Classic at Lake Fork. Klein popularized the “flipping” technique which allows anglers to fish much closer to their targets and silently deliver a bait into the water. He worked directly with manufacturers to produce products for the technique and went on to develop additional baits and innovative fishing strategies. —TPWD
Made i n U SA
Tammy Jackson caught this channel catfish on Calaveras Lake. Photo by Raymond Esckilsen.
bit warmer,” he said. “Stretches in 3 to 8 feet of water with trees have been holding the most fish.” Evans said most of these blue cats are 20 inches or better. “Cut gizzard shad has been my go-to bait choice,” Evans said. “There’s a lot of 5 to 15-pound fish to be caught. Occasionally we are catching them in the 30- to 40-pound range.” On Eagle Mountain Lake, Chad Ferguson said the best and most consistent catfishing he has seen all winter is taking place now. “Blue cats ranging from 20 to 35 pounds have been feeding regularly, along with good numbers of catfish in the 4- to 6-pound range,” Ferguson said. “The fish have been staging in 10 to 20 feet of water depending on the weather. On warm, sunny days they are definitely hanging out in shallower water, and on cold days, they are holding out deeper.” Jessica Rankin caught several catfish on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River while using chicken gizzards for bait in about 6 feet of water. “I landed a 28-inch blue catfish that weighed 12 pounds, along with a few channel cats while fishing out of a canoe,” she said.
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201596_DOA_2.17_Tx Outdoor Journal_CAL ad_5.125x3.75.indd 1
w w w. d o a l u r e s . c o m 2/17/20 3:37 PM
TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT SABINE LAKE: 55 degrees. Speckled trout are fair to good drifting over clam shell and oyster reefs on soft plastics and shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are fair in the Sabine Channel on shrimp. BOLIVAR: 50 degrees. Redfish are fair at the jetty on shrimp. Speckled trout are fair on shrimp and soft plastics. EAST GALVESTON BAY: 54 degrees. Black drum are fair on the reefs on live shrimp. Speckled trout and redfish are fair wading with soft plastics. GALVESTON BAY: 55 degrees. Speckled trout are fair at the reefs on shrimp and soft plastics. WEST GALVESTON BAY: 57 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair over deep shell on dark-colored soft plastics. TEXAS CITY: 55 degrees. Black drum and redfish are good in the Galveston North and South Jetty with fresh-halved crab and dead shad. FREEPORT: 56 degrees. Redfish and black drum are fair on live shrimp. Speckled trout are good drifting over shell and mud on soft plastics. EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 64 degrees. Redfish are slow. Speckled trout are slow to fair wading with soft plastics. WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 64 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are slow in north winds, and fair when wind shifts for wade-fishermen on soft plastics. PORT O’CONNOR: 59 degrees. Redfish are
good at the jetties on dead shrimp and Spanish sardines. Black drum are slow. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and live shrimp. ROCKPORT: 56 degrees. Redfish are good on scented plastics and paddle tails. Speckled trout are fair on suspending lures. Black drum are good on dead shrimp.
PORT ARANSAS: 61 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on free-lined live shrimp. Bull redfish are fair on live shrimp. CORPUS CHRISTI: 63 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are slow. BAFFIN BAY: 65 degrees. Speckled trout are good later in the day for wade-fishermen using soft plastics. PORT MANSFIELD: 65-75 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are fair to good on warmer days on top-waters and soft plastics. SOUTH PADRE: 67 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are fair on warmer afternoons on soft plastics. PORT ISABEL: 61 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair near the causeway on warmer afternoons on soft plastics. —TPWD
Photo by Nate Skinner
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TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT ALAN HENRY: Water clear; 46 degrees; 4.44’ low. Largemouth bass are good on football head jigs and spoons. Crappie are good on jigs tipped with minnows. AMISTAD: Water clear; 52 degrees; 48.08’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Catfish are fair on punch bait. ARLINGTON: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 4.44’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are slow to fair on small slabs and spoons. Crappie are slow. ATHENS: Water clear; 51-54 degrees; 0.48’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. AUSTIN: Water clear; 43 degrees; 0.75 feet low. Largemouth bass and crappie are slow. B.A. STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 49 degrees; 0.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are good on cut and prepared baits. BASTROP: Water clear; 50 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged finesse worms and flukes. BELTON: Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 2.85’ low. White bass are fair on slabs in deep water. Blue catfish are good on fresh cut bait. Channel catfish are good on prepared baits. BENBROOK: Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 6.40’ low. Largemouth bass and crappie are slow. Blue catfish are fair on cut shad. BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 45 degrees; 1.36’ low. Crappie are good on minnows in deep water. Catfish are good on cut bait. BRAUNIG: Water stained; 65 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits and soft plastics. Red drum are fair on shrimp, cut shad and silver spoons. Channel catfish are good around discharges and park shorelines on worms and cheese bait. BROWNWOOD: Water lightly stained; 44 degrees; 1.90’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on perch crankbaits, brown or green Texas-rigged plastic worms and shaky-head jigs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass and hybrids are fair on slabs, swimbaits and live bait along the main lake channels, humps, and ridges. Catfish are good on chicken livers and live bait. BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 4.87’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs and Texas-rigged craws. Crappie are good over brush piles on jigs and minnows. White bass are fair on the north end of the lake on spoons. CADDO: Water lightly stained; 46 degrees; 1.06’ high. Largemouth bass are slow.
CALAVERAS: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees. Largemouth bass are slow. Red drum are fair on cut shad, shrimp and worms. Channel and blue catfish are good on cut bait and cheese bait. CANYON LAKE: Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 0.70’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Alabama-rigs, drop shots and shaky heads. Striped bass are good on top-waters and swimbaits. White bass are fair on slab spoons. CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 48-52 degrees; 1.58’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigs and shaky heads. Crappie are good on jigs. Hybrids and white bass are good on slabs and jigging spoons. Catfish are good on frozen or live shad. CHOKE CANYON: Water clear stained; 54-60 degrees; 18.96’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on squarebilled crankbaits and frogs. White bass are fair to good in the river on lipless crankbaits and jigs. Blue catfish are good on cheese bait, liver and cut bait. CONROE: Water slightly stained; 52 degrees; 0.51’ low. Hybrid striped bass are good trolling with a hellbender and a pet spoon. Catfish are good on liver and shrimp. COOPER: Water lightly stained; 47 degrees. Blue catfish are good on cut shad. CORPUS CHRISTI: Water lightly stained; 58 degrees; 3.45’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair to good on minnows. Catfish are good on worms, soap baits and punch bait. FALCON: Water stained; 55-60 degrees; 41.68’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair in deeper water on soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cubed tilapia, cut carp and gizzard shad. FAYETTE: Water lightly stained; 58 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged finesse worms and flukes. Catfish are fair on cut bait. FORK: Water stained; 46-47 degrees; 6.22’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on jigs, chatterbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on minnows. FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water stained; 39 degrees; 1.40’ low. Hybrid bass and white bass are fair on flukes. Crappie are fair to good on jigs. Blue catfish are good in and around creek channels on cut bait. GRANBURY: Water lightly stained; 41 degrees; 0.34’
low. Striped bass are slow. Blue catfish are good on small pieces of cut bait or whole shad. GRANGER: Water lightly stained; 44 degrees; 1.46’ high. Crappie are slow. White bass are slow. Catfish are fair on live bait. GRAPEVINE: Water lightly stained; 42 degrees; 1.38’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on crawfish imitations. Crappie are fair in the creeks on a slip cork with a jig and minnows. White bass are fair to good on jigging spoons with a stinger hook and scented plastic. HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 45 degrees; 0.24’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. Crappie are fair on small minnows. Catfish are fair drifting with cut bait. HUBBARD CREEK: Water stained; 47 degrees; 2.91’ low. No report on largemouth bass or catfish. White bass are good in 30-35 feet of water on small swimbaits and slabs. JACKSONVILLE: Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 0.17’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on shaky-head jigs and Texas-rigged plastic worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good drifting with cut bait. JOE POOL: Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 1.67’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on deep-diving crankbaits and deadsticking. Crappie are fair on small minnows. LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 47 degrees; 0.63’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good drifting by the dam with minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on cheese bait. LAVON: Water lightly stained; 48 degrees; 4.05’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on crankbaits and soft plastics. Crappie are fair but suspended on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs and swimbaits. Blue catfish are good drifting with cut gizzard shad. LBJ: Water lightly stained; 48 degrees; 0.69’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good crankbaits, Carolina or Texas-rigged plastics and jigs. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are fair to good on spoons. LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 48 degrees; 1.92’ low. White bass are fair to good in deep water on jigs or live shad. Hybrid stripers are slow. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good drifting with cut shad or chicken breasts. LIMESTONE: Water clear; 43 degrees; 0.66’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on
finesse jigs, wacky worms and jerk baits. Crappie are good on minnows around standing timber and brush piles. White bass are good on silver jigging spoons. LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.09’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on red lipless crankbaits. White bass are good on small swimbaits and roadrunners, starting to gather in creeks. Catfish are good on cut bait. MARTIN CREEK: Water lightly stained; 50-55 degrees; 2.31’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on lipless crankbaits and Texas rigs in creek channels. MEDINA: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 47.57’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. White bass are fair on spoons. Catfish are good drifting with cut bait. MEREDITH: Water stained; 38-41 degrees; 52.11’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows. Walleye are fair to good on minnows and nightcrawlers. Catfish are fair on minnows. MILLERS CREEK: Water stained; 40 degrees; 1.96’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Alabama rigs and deadsticking. Crappie are good in the timber on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are fair in deep water on cut bait. NACONICHE: Water clear to stained; 49 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on Alabama rigs and jerkbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are slow. NASWORTHY: Water murky; 40 degrees. 0.57’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on deep-diving crankbaits and swimbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on cheese bait and cut bait. NAVARRO MILLS: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 1.34’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on 2-inch shad plastics. O.H. IVIE: Water clear; 43 degrees; 16.44’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Alabama rigs, jerkbaits and swimbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 5.96’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair in brush piles on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait. PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 50-54 degrees; 0.23’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on swim jigs. Crappie are slow to fair on jigs with crappie nibbles. White bass are slow. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers and cut bait.
POSSUM KINGDOM: Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 1.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on swim jigs, with some large fish being caught. Crappie are slow. Striped bass are good on white/chartreuse swimbaits and live bait. Catfish are good on fresh cut shad and live shad. PROCTOR: Water clear; 42 degrees; 1.70’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are slow. Catfish are fair drifting cut bait. RAVEN: Water stained; 50 degrees. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow to fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are slow. RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 46-48 degrees; 1.83’ low. White bass are good on slabs with multiple jigs tied 12 inches apart. RAY ROBERTS: Water lightly stained; 49 degrees; 1.07’ low. White bass are fair on silver spoons. Crappie are slow. RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 47 degrees; 2.04’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are slow to fair on slabs. Crappie are slow. Blue and channel catfish are good on punch bait. SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 50 degrees; 3.49’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and Carolina rigs. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on cut bait. SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 49 degrees; 1.46’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass and hybrid bass are slow. Crappie are very good on minnows or pink/chartreuse artificials. Catfish are good on punch bait. STILLHOUSE HOLLOW: Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 2.82’ low. White bass are fair on slabs and dead-sticking jigs. SULPHUR SPRINGS: Water lightly stained; 54 degrees; 5.18’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and finesse jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are good drifting with cut bait. TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 49 degrees; 2.31’ low. Largemouth bass are fair slow-rolling square-billed crankbaits and on brush hogs. White bass and hybrids are fair on swimbaits. Blue catfish are good on cut gizzard shad and cut bluegill. Channel catfish are fair on prepared baits. TEXANA: Water stained; 52 degrees; 0.02’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits, jigs and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on small jigs and live minnows.
n Saltwater reports Page 9 Catfish are good on cut shad. TEXOMA: Water lightly stained; 43-46 degrees; 1.29’ low. Striped bass are excellent on Alabama rigs and flukes. TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 43-49 degrees; 3.00’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Alabama rigs and football jigs. Crappie are slow to fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on shrimp and garlic weenies. TRAVIS: Water stained; 52-57 degrees; 19.95’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged plastics and crankbaits. TYLER: Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 0.18’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on live bait, chatterbaits and finesse worms. Crappie are fair to good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are slow. WACO: Water stained; 49 degrees; 3.93’ low. White bass are fair in the South Bosque River. Crappie are fair to good on hand-tied jigs. Blue catfish are good on fresh cut bait. Channel catfish are good on prepared baits. WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 55 degrees. Largemouth bass and hybrid bass are good on drop shots early in the morning, then switching to swimbaits and Alabama rigs. WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 49 degrees; 2.29’ low. Striped bass are good on swimbaits, jigging spoons and trolling with umbrella rigs. Crappie are good on minnows, and blue soft plastics with a white tail. Catfish are good on fresh cut bait. WORTH: Water stained; 57 degrees; 2.21’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are fair on small chartreuse/white slabs and small silver/chrome slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and cut bait. WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 3.71’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on shad crankbaits and football jigs. White bass are fair on live bait and slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on chicken livers, punch bait and live bait. —TPWD
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February 25, 2022
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GAME WARDEN BLOTTER DOVE BAITERS CAUGHT During dove season, an Atascosa County game warden contacted a group of dove hunters and observed a large amount of milo spread around the area being hunted. The five hunters admitted to hunting over the baited area for the past three days. In total, 126 birds were seized. Citations and restitution are pending for hunting over a baited area, placing bait to attract migratory game birds, and over the daily bag limit. BUCKET OF FISH, BUT NO RODS At a local fishing spot in Burleson County, a game warden spotted a parked truck and noticed the people returning to the truck had no fishing rods and were carrying a bucket. Upon making contact, the men had a bucket of fish and cast net that they admitted to using. A total of 64 illegal fish were taken. Citations were issued and civil restitution is pending. PERSISTENT WARDEN RESULTS IN FELONY CHARGES A Travis County game warden concluded a 2-year investigation into a boating fatality on Lake Travis. The warden took over the case after Travis County Sheriff’s Office Homicide division declined to
were interdicted while engaged in illegal fishing in federal waters. Texas game wardens’ Marine Tactical Operations Group and a boat crew from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island seized the gear and catch from a lancha after the crew discovered three fishermen illegally fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line. The team seized 500 to 600 pounds of red snapper and 5,000 feet of long line gear, then detained and transferred the men to border enforcement agents for processing. Later that evening, another Station South Padre Island crew detected and interdicted a lancha with four Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing. Although there was no catch on board, the lancha was equipped with high flyers, bait, hooks and longline gear. The crew seized the gear and transferred the fishermen to border enforcement agents for processing.
FELONS HOG HUNTING FROM ROAD, 7 YEAR OLD IN BACK SEAT A Jack County landowner reported suspicious gunfire near his property. A game warden responded and canvassed the area with no success. After watching for activity, the warden heard a single shot and responded in the direction of the gunfire. The warden observed a truck parked in the roadway with its lights off and activated the lights on his patrol truck. Two subjects were observed in the front of the truck and one subject in the bed with a rifle. The male in the bed began making movements before sitting on the bedside of the pickup. After detaining all three subjects, five firearms were removed from their persons and vehicle, including three handguns and two semiautomatic rifles equipped with thermal scopes. One firearm was recovered from the front passenger with a live round and the thermal optic on. Another firearm was recovered from the bed of the pickup. The rifle appeared to have been tossed to
pursue the investigation. With the assistance of fellow wardens, local and state agencies, 33 warrants for cell phones and social media were executed. Over 1.5 terabytes of digital evidence were secured and analyzed. A Travis County grand
the side of the truck bed away from the passenger. The thermal optic had become detached from the rifle but was still on. The warden observed that the rifle had malfunctioned and removed a live round jammed in the chamber. A 7-year-old juvenile was found asleep in the rear seat of the vehicle. It was determined that the front seat passenger exited the vehicle and shot at a feral hog from the roadway. All three subjects admitted to shooting feral hogs with the firearms. A criminal records check revealed that two passengers had prior felony convictions and confirmed they were convicted felons, stating they had spent years in prison. Both felons were arrested. The driver was cited for hunting from a public roadway. The juvenile remained with the warden until the mother came to take custody. Both rifles and thermal optics were seized as evidence.
jury issued indictments for two counts of felony perjury, one count of felony tampering with evidence, two counts of misdemeanor false statements to a peace officer, and two counts of misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor. In addition,
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Fine shotguns Continued from page 4
Tim Sharp put on white gloves to get the feel of the Benelli Magifico shotgun. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
serial number of the firearm. The features included are story book in nature, with designs inspired directly from the culture of the Italian Renaissance. The stocks are made with the finest walnut, and the stock is worked by hand, with an oil finish applied by master craftsmen of fine shotguns, who are also responsible for mounting the wood. The receivers are carved by hand in stainless steel with the Benelli Inertia Driven system. The steel mechanics, originated by Benelli, have been modified and finished by hand to guarantee perfect couplings. On the 12 gauge’s left side, against a backdrop of lake vegetation, mallards sweep up towards the sky, flying in the direction of the horizon. All engravings are entirely marked and created by hand, and each gauge has its own dedicated subject, with each shotgun being decorated with hunting scenes, each one beautifully framed by a motif of oak leaves and rose gold-setting acorns.
At the event, one young attendee worked his way to the front to be one of the first to get his hands on the shotguns. It wasn’t direct contact, though, as white gloves were provided and required to touch the firearms. Gun enthusiast and Small Groups Range owner Tim Sharp attended, mainly out of intrigue. “You’ll never get another chance to see craftsmanship like this again,” he said. “Especially with semi-automatics.” The shotgun set was first revealed at Safari Club International’s 2022 International Convention in Las Vegas, and will travel to New York to be displayed at the Beretta Gallery in New York starting Mar. 3. From there, they will return to Europe to be sold for an estimated $1 million euros (about $1.34 million US). Upon the sale, Benelli Armi S.p.A. will donate $200,000 to the SCI Foundation in support of wildlife conservation.
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February 25, 2022
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HEROES
Kevin Lusson got this 10-point Christmas buck at his family ranch in Roby.
Alli Dement, 16, of Boerne, killed her first whitetail in December while hunting with her dad, Dwaine, on their family ranch near Montell.
Carson Hill, 10, of Midlothian harvested his first buck at a deer lease in Junction. He was hunting with his dad, Jeff, and “Poppy,” Darrell.
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.
Jon Nelson III, 7, shot his first deer in Colorado City at 110 yards with a .243.
Jess Foster, 13, took his first buck while hunting with his dad, Dean Foster, and friend, Terry Russell, in South Dakota.
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February 25, 2022
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TEXAS SUN, MOON AND TIDES Moon Phases Houston
New
First
Full
Last
Mar 2
Mar 10
Mar 18
Mar 25
Solunar Sun times Moon times Dallas
2022 Feb/Mar
A.M. Minor Major
P.M. Minor Major
SUN Rises Sets
MOON Rises Sets
2022 Feb/Mar
A.M. P.M. SUN MOON Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets
25 Fri 26 Sat 27 Sun 28 Mon 01 Tue 02 Wed 03 Thu 04 Fri 05 Sat 06 Sun 07 Mon 08 Tue 09 Wed 10 Thu 11 Fri
12:18 6:33 1:15 7:31 2:11 8:26 3:06 9:20 3:58 10:12 4:49 11:02 5:39 11:24 6:29 12:17 7:18 1:07 8:07 1:56 8:57 2:46 9:47 3:36 10:37 4:25 11:26 5:14 ----- 6:02
12:49 7:04 1:46 8:02 2:42 8:57 3:35 9:49 4:25 10:39 5:14 11:27 6:03 ----6:51 12:40 7:40 1:29 8:29 2:18 9:20 3:08 10:10 3:59 11:01 4:49 11:51 5:39 12:15 6:28
06:51 06:50 06:49 06:48 06:46 06:45 06:44 06:43 06:42 06:41 06:40 06:39 06:38 06:36 06:35
2:48a 1:00p 3:52a 2:03p 4:51a 3:10p 5:42a 4:20p 6:25a 5:28p 7:03a 6:33p 7:37a 7:35p 8:08a 8:34p 8:38a 9:32p 9:08a 10:29p 9:40a 11:26p 10:14a NoMoon 10:53a 12:24a 11:35a 1:20a 12:22p 2:14a
25 Fri 26 Sat 27 Sun 28 Mon 01 Tue 02 Wed 03 Thu 04 Fri 05 Sat 06 Sun 07 Mon 08 Tue 09 Wed 10 Thu 11 Fri
12:24 6:39 1:21 7:36 2:17 8:32 3:11 9:26 4:04 10:18 4:55 11:08 5:45 11:29 6:34 12:23 7:24 1:13 8:13 2:02 9:03 2:52 9:53 3:41 10:43 4:31 11:32 5:20 ----- 6:08
06:17 06:17 06:18 06:19 06:20 06:20 06:21 06:22 06:22 06:23 06:24 06:24 06:25 06:26 06:26
12:55 7:10 1:52 8:08 2:47 9:03 3:40 9:55 4:31 10:45 5:20 11:33 6:08 ----6:57 12:46 7:46 1:35 8:35 2:24 9:25 3:14 10:16 4:05 11:07 4:55 11:57 5:45 12:21 6:33
06:59 06:58 06:57 06:56 06:54 06:53 06:52 06:51 06:50 06:48 06:47 06:46 06:45 06:43 06:42
06:20 06:21 06:22 06:22 06:23 06:24 06:25 06:26 06:26 06:27 06:28 06:29 06:29 06:30 06:31
3:02a 12:57p 4:07a 2:00p 5:05a 3:08p 5:55a 4:19p 6:37a 5:29p 7:13a 6:36p 7:44a 7:40p 8:14a 8:41p 8:42a 9:40p 9:11a 10:39p 9:41a 11:38p 10:14a NoMoon 10:51a 12:37a 11:33a 1:34a 12:20p 2:29a
San Antonio 2022 Feb/Mar
A.M. Minor Major
25 Fri 26 Sat 27 Sun 28 Mon 01 Tue 02 Wed 03 Thu 04 Fri 05 Sat 06 Sun 07 Mon 08 Tue 09 Wed 10 Thu 11 Fri
12:30 6:46 1:27 7:43 2:23 8:39 3:18 9:33 5:26 11:08 6:25 12:11 7:21 1:09 8:14 2:03 9:05 2:54 9:53 3:42 10:40 4:29 11:25 5:14 ----- 5:58 12:30 6:42 1:14 7:26
Amarillo
P.M. SUN MOON Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets
2022 Feb/Mar
A.M. Minor Major
P.M. Minor Major
SUN Rises Sets
MOON Rises Sets
1:01 7:17 1:59 8:14 2:54 9:09 3:47 10:02 5:55 ----6:51 12:38 7:45 1:33 8:37 2:26 9:27 3:16 10:15 4:04 11:01 4:50 11:47 5:36 12:09 6:21 12:54 7:06 1:39 7:51
25 Fri 26 Sat 27 Sun 28 Mon 01 Tue 02 Wed 03 Thu 04 Fri 05 Sat 06 Sun 07 Mon 08 Tue 09 Wed 10 Thu 11 Fri
12:44 6:59 1:41 7:56 2:37 8:52 3:32 9:46 4:24 10:38 5:15 11:28 6:05 11:50 6:55 12:43 7:44 1:33 8:33 2:22 9:23 3:12 10:13 4:01 11:03 4:51 11:52 5:40 12:16 6:28
1:15 2:12 3:08 4:01 4:51 5:40 6:29 7:17 8:06 8:55 9:46 10:36 11:27 ----12:41
07:21 07:20 07:19 07:18 07:16 07:15 07:14 07:13 07:11 07:10 07:09 07:07 07:06 07:04 07:03
3:31a 1:10p 4:36a 2:13p 5:33a 3:22p 6:22a 4:35p 7:02a 5:46p 7:36a 6:55p 8:06a 8:00p 8:34a 9:02p 9:01a 10:03p 9:28a 11:04p 9:57a NoMoon 10:29a 12:04a 11:05a 1:04a 11:46a 2:02a 12:33p 2:57a
07:03 07:02 07:01 07:00 07:22 07:22 07:21 07:20 07:20 07:19 07:18 07:18 07:17 07:16 07:15
06:30 06:30 06:31 06:32 06:10 06:11 06:12 06:13 06:14 06:15 06:16 06:16 06:17 06:18 06:19
2:59a 1:14p 4:04a 2:17p 5:02a 3:25p 5:54a 4:34p 8:03a 6:55p 8:44a 8:02p 9:20a 9:05p 9:53a 10:04p 10:23a 11:01p 10:53a NoMoon 11:23a NoMoon 11:56a 12:54a 12:32p 1:50a 1:11p 2:46a 1:56p 3:41a
7:30 8:28 9:23 10:15 11:05 11:53 12:17 1:06 1:55 2:44 3:34 4:25 5:15 6:05 6:54
06:38 06:39 06:40 06:41 06:41 06:42 06:43 06:44 06:45 06:46 06:47 06:48 06:48 06:49 06:50
Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.
Sabine Pass, north Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Time 4:31 AM 5:34 AM 6:34 AM 7:30 AM 1:03 AM 2:09 AM 3:12 AM 4:14 AM 5:19 AM 6:30 AM 12:27 AM 1:16 AM 2:11 AM 3:11 AM 4:13 AM
High Island Height -0.61L -0.70L -0.74L -0.71L 1.42H 1.45H 1.43H 1.39H 1.33H 1.27H 0.10L 0.04L 0.01L -0.01L -0.03L
Time 1:24 PM 2:15 PM 2:56 PM 3:29 PM 8:22 AM 9:10 AM 9:56 AM 10:39 AM 11:22 AM 12:05 PM 7:53 AM 9:35 AM 11:36 AM 1:08 PM 1:59 PM
Height 1.45H 1.49H 1.48H 1.44H -0.61L -0.43L -0.19L 0.09L 0.38L 0.67L 1.24H 1.25H 1.31H 1.38H 1.43H
Time 7:04 PM 7:34 PM 8:09 PM 3:59 PM 4:26 PM 4:51 PM 5:13 PM 5:32 PM 5:44 PM 12:52 PM 2:00 PM
Height 1.24L 1.17L 1.05L 1.39H 1.33H 1.27H 1.21H 1.16H 1.12H 0.91L 1.11L
Time
Height
10:11 PM 11:49 PM
1.30H 1.36H
8:47 PM 9:29 PM 10:12 PM 10:55 PM 11:40 PM
0.89L 0.70L 0.51L 0.34L 0.20L
5:36 PM 4:20 PM
1.10H 1.13H
Time
Height
Galveston Bay entrance, north jetty Time 4:24 AM 5:35 AM 6:38 AM 7:37 AM 12:56 AM 2:15 AM 3:25 AM 4:27 AM 5:29 AM 6:46 AM 12:23 AM 1:11 AM 2:04 AM 3:01 AM 4:05 AM
Height -0.76L -0.84L -0.87L -0.82L 1.20H 1.25H 1.28H 1.27H 1.22H 1.17H -0.06L -0.14L -0.19L -0.21L -0.22L
Time 2:00 PM 2:51 PM 3:30 PM 4:00 PM 8:36 AM 9:33 AM 10:23 AM 11:06 AM 11:46 AM 12:31 PM 8:17 AM 9:41 AM 11:31 AM 1:13 PM 2:12 PM
Height 1.47H 1.51H 1.48H 1.39H -0.70L -0.52L -0.29L -0.02L 0.27L 0.55L 1.16H 1.18H 1.24H 1.32H 1.38H
Height -0.69L -0.77L -0.82L -0.80L 1.02H 1.07H 1.10H 1.11H 1.10H 1.09H 1.12H -0.14L -0.18L -0.19L -0.19L
Time 1:17 PM 2:19 PM 3:07 PM 3:42 PM 8:18 AM 9:12 AM 10:03 AM 10:56 AM 11:55 AM 1:06 PM
Height 1.50H 1.54H 1.51H 1.42H -0.70L -0.52L -0.26L 0.03L 0.33L 0.58L
9:49 AM 11:07 AM 12:12 PM 1:11 PM
1.19H 1.27H 1.33H 1.37H
Height -0.13L -0.17L -0.20L -0.20L -0.16L 0.76H 0.67H 0.59H 0.31L 0.18L 0.09L 0.04L 0.02L 0.01L 0.01L
Time 7:38 PM 8:47 PM 9:54 PM 11:21 PM
Height 0.89H 0.91H 0.89H 0.84H
11:51 AM 12:28 PM 1:04 PM 7:38 AM 9:58 AM 3:07 PM 3:45 PM 4:32 PM 5:25 PM 6:21 PM
-0.07L 0.05L 0.21L 0.55H 0.56H 0.63H 0.71H 0.75H 0.77H 0.77H
Height -0.41L -0.40L -0.40L 0.47H 0.45H 0.41H 0.36H 0.31H 0.08L -0.04L -0.13L -0.19L -0.20L -0.18L -0.15L
Time 9:54 PM 11:00 PM
Height 0.50H 0.49H
1:35 PM 2:23 PM 3:04 PM 3:41 PM 4:17 PM 9:57 AM 8:07 PM 5:38 PM 6:28 PM 7:16 PM 8:04 PM 8:54 PM
-0.38L -0.33L -0.25L -0.14L 0.00L 0.27H 0.32H 0.43H 0.52H 0.56H 0.57H 0.56H
Time
9:23 4:26 4:49 5:09 5:26 5:37 5:39 1:42
Height
PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM
1.03L 1.29H 1.18H 1.08H 1.01H 0.96H 0.94H 0.80L
Time
Height
9:59 PM 4:09 PM 4:29 PM 4:45 PM 4:53 PM 4:57 PM 5:02 PM
0.95L 1.29H 1.14H 0.99H 0.88 0.81H 0.78H
Time
Height
9:39 PM 10:03 PM 10:32 PM 11:05 PM 11:41 PM
0.87L 0.66L 0.43L 0.23L 0.07L
5:33 PM
0.94H
Time
Height
Time 3:46 AM 5:02 AM 6:16 AM 7:21 AM 12:11 AM 1:31 AM 2:46 AM 3:57 AM 5:07 AM 6:27 AM 8:09 AM 12:22 AM 1:06 AM 1:57 AM 2:57 AM
9:57 PM 9:56 PM 10:11 PM 10:35 PM 11:06 PM 11:42 PM
0.86L 0.68L 0.47L 0.26L 0.08L -0.06L
Port O’Connor Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Time 6:57 AM 8:13 AM 9:23 AM 10:22 AM 11:10 AM 1:19 AM 3:00 AM 4:47 AM 12:41 AM 1:26 AM 2:12 AM 3:07 AM 4:14 AM 5:30 AM 6:43 AM
Time 10:23 AM 11:35 AM 12:39 PM 12:56 AM 2:50 AM 4:18 AM 5:58 AM 7:48 AM 3:51 AM 4:49 AM 5:38 AM 6:27 AM 7:23 AM 8:33 AM 9:49 AM
Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Time 4:36 AM 5:45 AM 6:54 AM 7:57 AM 12:35 AM 1:56 AM 3:10 AM 4:21 AM 5:37 AM 12:02 AM 12:42 AM 1:23 AM 2:06 AM 2:54 AM 3:51 AM
Time 8:41 PM 9:30 PM 10:22 PM 11:06 PM 4:11 AM 5:15 AM 6:30 AM 7:48 AM 9:02 AM 10:31 AM 12:12 PM 2:56 PM 4:19 PM 5:20 PM 7:51 PM
Height 1.13H 1.15H 1.12H 1.06H 1.01H 1.00H 0.95H 0.90H 0.87H 0.88H 0.94H 1.02H 1.11H 1.13H 1.15H
Height -0.53L -0.57L -0.57L -0.54L 0.89H 0.91H 0.90H 0.86H 0.82H 0.10L -0.01L -0.08L -0.11L -0.11L -0.09L
Time 3:19 PM 4:06 PM 4:43 PM 5:02 PM 8:56 AM 9:51 AM 10:44 AM 11:36 AM 12:32 PM 7:13 AM 9:34 AM 12:10 PM 1:36 PM 2:31 PM 3:17 PM
Height 1.06H 1.07H 1.02H 0.94H -0.46L -0.33L -0.14L 0.09L 0.33L 0.79H 0.82H 0.91H 0.99H 1.03H 1.04H
Height -0.06L -0.07L -0.07 -0.05L 0.45H 0.43H 0.40H 0.25L 0.17L 0.10L 0.06L 0.04L 0.04L 0.05L 0.06L
Time 5:59 PM 7:13 PM 8:31 PM
Height 0.50H 0.49H 0.47H
10:40 AM 11:27 AM 12:07 PM 4:54 AM 7:05 AM 4:34 PM 3:39 PM 3:54 PM 4:24 PM 4:59 PM 5:38 PM
-0.02L 0.04L 0.11L 0.36H 0.33H 0.40H 0.45H 0.48H 0.49H 0.47H 0.45H
Height -0.15L -0.22L -0.25L -0.23L -0.15L 1.09H 1.06H 1.01H 0.95H 0.91H 0.17L 0.09 0.04L 0.03L 0.04L
Time 4:00 PM 4:43 PM 5:30 PM 6:23 PM
Height 1.24H 1.23H 1.17H 1.07H
9:22 AM 10:20 AM 11:15 AM 12:07 PM 12:56 PM 9:16 AM 1:08 PM 2:24 PM :07 PM 3:45 PM
-0.03L 0.14L 0.34L 0.53L 0.72L 0.94H 1.00H 1.08H 1.11H 1.11H
Height -0.48L -0.55L -0.57L -0.52L -0.41L 1.20H 1.16H 1.14H 1.13H 1.13H 1.17H -0.01L -0.06L -0.07L -0.06L
Time 2:58 PM 3:54 PM 4:41 PM 5:13 PM 5:22 PM 8:58 AM 9:53 AM 10:47 AM 11:43 AM 12:48 PM
Height 1.53H 1.57H 1.52H 1.40H 1.23H -0.22L 0.03L 0.30L 0.56L 0.80L
10:46 AM 12:31 PM 1:46 PM 2:42 PM
1.25H 1.33H 1.40H 1.44H
Time
1:10 1:51 2:25 2:56 3:27 4:54
PM PM PM PM PM PM
Time
9:40 5:07 5:10 5:16 5:22 5:28 1:40
Height
-0.52L -0.40L -0.19L 0.07L 0.36L 0.63L
Height
Time
11:28 PM 9:17 PM 9:04 PM 9:04 PM 9:05 PM 8:56 PM
Time
Height
0.95H 0.85H 0.81H 0.79H 0.78H 0.77H
Height
PM PM PM PM PM PM PM
0.80L 0.84H 0.76H 0.69H 0.67H 0.67H 0.54L
Time
Height
Time
Height
0.31H 0.20L 0.30L
5:21 PM 5:14 PM
0.33H 0.36H
Time
Height
Time
Height
8:43 PM
1.04L
11:47 PM
1.09H
4:40 4:20 4:12 4:20 4:24
PM PM PM PM PM
0.81H 0.75H 0.74H 0.77H 0.81H
9:23 PM 10:06 PM 10:51 PM 11:33 PM
0.78L 0.61L 0.45L 0.29L
Time
Height
9:19 PM 5:07 PM 4:48 PM 4:37 PM 4:30 PM 4:16 PM
1.13L 1.06H 0.94H 0.88H 0.87H 0.90H
9:54 PM 10:14 PM 10:43 PM 11:21 PM
0.71L 0.57L 0.40L 0.24L
5:29 PM
0.69H
Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Time 6:49 AM 7:50 AM 8:50 AM 9:47 AM 1:15 AM 2:34 AM 3:41 AM 12:03 AM 12:44 AM 1:27 AM 2:13 AM 3:07 AM 4:14 AM 5:25 AM 6:25 AM
5:24 PM 12:40 PM 12:58 PM
Port Aransas
9:13 7:56 1:40 2:15
PM PM PM PM
0.48H 0.41H 0.37L 0.51L
Time
Height
Time
Height
11:53 PM
0.46L
5:53 PM 4:43 PM
0.44H 0.52H
Time
Height
Nueces Bay Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
San Luis Pass
Height -0.51L -0.52L -0.55L -0.56L 0.96L 0.88L 0.73L 0.53L 0.32L 0.11L -0.05L -0.15L -0.18L -0.15L -0.10L
East Matagorda
Freeport Harbor Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Time 8:37 AM 9:58 AM 11:13 AM 12:18 PM 2:08 AM 2:15 AM 2:27 AM 2:45 AM 3:12 AM 3:48 AM 4:28 AM 5:09 AM 5:50 AM 6:35 AM 7:35 AM
Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Time 4:02 AM 5:19 AM 6:25 AM 7:25 AM 8:24 AM 1:08 AM 2:21 AM 3:31 AM 4:48 AM 7:23 AM 12:12 AM 12:49 AM 1:29 AM 2:16 AM 3:18 AM
South Padre Island
9:53 PM 4:55 PM
0.18H 0.16L
8:44 PM
0.23H
Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Time 3:29 AM 4:42 AM 5:54 AM 7:00 AM 8:01 AM 12:25 AM 2:08 AM 3:35 AM 4:57 AM 6:29 AM 8:32 AM 12:14 AM 12:58 AM 1:49 AM 2:47 AM
Time
9:25 PM 9:50 PM 10:22 PM 10:58 PM 11:35 PM
Height
0.91L 0.67L 0.43L 0.23L 0.09L
Texas Coast Tides
Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
Date Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11
LSONews.com
LoneOStar Outdoor News
Solution on Page 18
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Korso Outdoors, a kayak accessory brand, retained TBA Outdoors as its marketing agency of record.
Scott Shepherd and Lucas Mashtare joined TETRA Hearing as director of business development and vice president, marketing and communications, respectively.
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Johnson Outdoors Inc. named Terry Troutman as its vice president, global operations and supply chain.
Hires at TETRA
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During its 2022 Spring Semi-Annual Market, NBS (Nation’s Best Sports) presented the Vendor of the Year Award to Vortex Optics.
Agency for Korso Outdoors
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Troutman named VP at Johnson Outdoors
Heckler & Koch named Vincent Pestilli & Associates its 2021 Manufacturer’s Representative Group of the Year.
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Vortex receives Vendor of the Year award
Pestilli honored by H&K
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Page 17
INDUSTRY
LONE STAR OUTDOOR PUZZLER 5
February 25, 2022
41
Pnuma hires PR group Pnuma Outdoors selected Chevalier Advertising & Public Relations as its public relations and advertising agency of record.
Sales job out west Jim Ferry & Associates Inc. is seeking a candidate for an outside sales position for the mountain states territory of Montana, Idaho, Eastern Washington and Alaska.
Sellmark receives innovation award The Sellmark Corporation won the Edison Award from the American Marketing Association, intended to recognize and honor new products and innovation.
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ACROSS 5) One of the cats 8) The young tom 9) The fast cat 11) Good fishing structure 12) Newer rod-building material, ____ fiber 16) Fastest fish in the ocean 17) Good lake for hybrids 18) Both hook remover and medical tool 20) One of the shiners 22) The gobbler’s chest hair 23) Safari destination 25) One of the grouse 30) Group of elephants 34) Grandview’s team name 35) Turkey species only in Florida 36) Rifle brand 37) One of Leopold’s five tools 39) A turkey sound 40) Shotshell brand 42) Fishing line manufacturer 43) Fishing net type 44) Panhandle reservoir 45) Member of the Big Five 46) Mills County’s seat
DOWN 1) Shrimp-stealing fish 2) Bass boat brand 3) Coleman’s mascot 4) The scimitar’s native land 6) Salmon species 7) The smaller Canada goose 10) Exotic hunted in Texas 13) The bass angler’s nemesis 14) Sinker type 15) Turkey call type 19) The bumps on the turkey’s head 20) Back of the boat 21) A hog dog 23) State for sea duck hunting 24) Don’t bring on the fishing boat 26) Wilson County’s seat 27) The fish fin on top 28) Snapper species 29) An African antelope 31) Hill Country river 32) The turkey chick 33) Tail type on soft plastics (two words) 38) Fishing rod brand 40) One-man fishing boat 41) Three-legged shooting rest
Puzzle by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News
Largemouths on the move
Wahoo in winter Continued from page 8
Continued from page 8
soft plastics rigged on a light jig head. East Texas angler Rick Caldwell has been spending the majority of his time on the north end of Sam Rayburn Reservoir, where he said the bass are starting to hold in drains and creek channels. “The fish have been moving back and forth from about 6 to 12 feet of water, depending on the weather,” Caldwell said. “They push out deeper after a cold snap arrives and move up shallow as things begin to warm up.” Caldwell said when you find the right drain, you can catch several solid fish, pretty quick. “Crankbaits fished along channel drains have been producing the most strikes,” he explained. A lot of the fish I’ve been catching have been in the 2to 4-pound range, with a few weighing over 5 pounds.” Tournament angler Chad Marler has been focusing his efforts on the southern portion of Sam Rayburn where he’s
starting to see fish pull into pockets and creeks. “During warming trends, they start to pull up shallow, but then they are pushed back out as water temperatures fall with the passage of a cold front,” Marler said. “You just have to play the yo-yo game with the fish, watch the weather, and then plan accordingly.” Marler said brush piles leading into pockets and drains have been his points of focus. “Not every drain has fish in it,” he explained. “Secondary points leading into these shallower stretches have been the best areas for me.” Marler has caught most of his fish on crankbaits around these areas in 13 to 15 feet of water. “On sunny days during the early to mid afternoon, any type of wood or brush that is in 2 to 4 feet can produce a few bites,” he said.
be hanging at 150 to 200 feet, and then when they turn on, you’ll start seeing them climb,” he said. “The next thing you know, you’re marking them at 50 feet and then the lines start going off and the hookups commence. It really makes you wonder if it’s the type of bait or lure and the way that it’s presented that’s making them eat, or if it’s simply just a timing thing.” On average, the wahoo they have been catching have weighed from 40 to 50 pounds. “We’ve also been catching smaller fish in the 30-pound range, and there’s been some heavier ones pushing 50 and 60 pounds,” Deer said. At night, Deer has been targeting swordfish while drifting with eel baits and squid in water depths of 600 to 800 feet to as deep as 2,000 feet. “There’s been several swords caught in the 100- to 150-pound range,” he said. “I recently caught my personal best swordfish that weighed right at 300 pounds. It was a 5-hour fight I’ll never forget.” Kyle Walters has been running out of
Freeport to chase wahoo. “I’ve been running about 125 to 160 miles east,” he said. “The fish have been holding in areas with 160 to 230 feet of water.” Walters said trolling with a mix of skirts and divers has been best. “A lot of these wahoo have been in the 40- to 55-pound range, and the biggest one we’ve caught recently weighed 69 pounds,” Walters said. “There’s a lot of fish to be caught, and we are catching at least 10 wahoo a trip.” Capt. Greg Verm Jr. has been running out of Galveston about 110 to 140 miles offshore in 150 to 200 feet of water and focusing on 68- to 72-degree water. “Trolling at about 8 to 9 knots with divers and rigged ballyhoo has been bringing a steady wahoo bite,” he said. “Marking bait on the electronics has been the key to finding success. You’ve got to be where the schools of bait are to catch them.” Verm said drifting rigged eel baits and squid 250 to 500 feet down at night has produced a few swordfish as well.
Page 18
February 25, 2022
LoneOStar Outdoor News
LSONews.com
DATEBOOK FEBRUARY 26-27
TEXAS FLY FISHING & BREW FESTIVAL Mesquite Convention Center txflyfishingfestival.com
FEBRUARY 26
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION Texas Hill Country Banquet Georgetown Community Center (512) 914-4007 rmef.org
MARCH 3
SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL Alamo Annual Gala Morris Convention Center alamosci.org
MARCH 4
COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION Brazos Valley Banquet Brazos Center, Bryan (979) 220-1738 ccatexas.org
MARCH 5
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION South Texas Banquet Pedrotti’s Ranch, Helotes (832) 655-3180 rmef.org DUCKS UNLIMITED Kerrville Banquet Hill Country Youth Event Center ducks.org
MARCH 6
NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION Washington County Banquet Fireman’s Training Center, Brenham (979) 530-7011 nwtf.org
MARCH 11
DUCKS UNLIMITED Conroe Dinner Montgomery County Fairgrounds (936) 537-1561 ducks.org
MARCH 12
TARRANT REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT TRWD Flyfest Fort Worth trwdflyfest.com DELTA WATERFOWL North Texas Banquet Embassy Suites Frisco (469) 363-1622 deltawaterfowl.org ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION Texas Hill Country Banquet Fredericksburg (832) 655-3180 rmef.org TEXAS BRIGADES 30 Year Celebration Vista Oaks Event Center, Fredericksburg texasbrigades.org
MARCH 18
COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION Hooked on Clays Shoot National Shooting Complex San Antonio (210) 313-4860 ccatexas.org
MARCH 19
LANDMARK RETRIEVERS Snake Avoidance Training Ennis (972) 878-2600 landmarkretrievers.com
Jetty sheepies
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Continued from page 8
Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $35 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are $3, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2022 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 editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.
Several guides have been reporting and posting photos of a few catches of sheepshead since early January while fishing there with their clients. Other anglers said catching sheepshead have been sporadic. They said one day they have been catching one or two, or sometimes their limit. But when they go back a couple of days later, they leave empty handed. Some anglers who fish off the jetties have been catching their five fish limit. Among them are Johnny Loya and Agapito Alvear. The two Brownsville anglers went to the south jetty in Port Mansfield and left with five sheepshead each. Loya’s brother, Geno, said he has been trying to catch the fish lately but said the weather has not been that good. “We use live shrimp on popping corks,” he said. “As soon as this weather changes, I will go back to the jetties.” Sheepshead are excellent table fare and among the favorite fish to catch, but some anglers would rather not mess with them because of their long dorsal fins. South of the border, they are called goatfish because of their protruding bottom lips and long teeth. In Texas, the daily limit is five fish a day, measuring a minimum of 15 inches in length.
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Puzzle solution from Page 17
LSONews.com
LoneOStar Outdoor News
February 25, 2022
Laguna Madre trout, reds
NATIONAL
Continued from page 1
now until spring. Mullet-imitation plugs and soft plastics are the go-to lures. “Top-water lures have been taking some reds, but the soft plastics have been best,” Garza said. “We’ve been doing really well on most days with a KWigglers ball tail shad rigged on a 1/16 -or 1/8-ounce jig head. The best colors have been electric grape and lagunaflauge. We’ve also been using Heddon One Knockers and Super Spook Juniors. The best color on most days is white.” If the reds are not feeding aggressively, Garza recommends using various speeds with the topwater plugs. The best catches have been with jigs worked around pods of reds feeding on baitfish like mullet. Garza said the reds have been feeding on smaller mullet. The Heddon Spook top-water plugs are a perfect imitation of the smaller mullet. Garza has been fishing both the soft plastics and top-water lures with a 6-foot, 6-inch fast action rod. His reels are spooled with 20-pound braided line, and a 20-pound test fluorocarbon leader. One other thing he does is keep up with the
CALIFORNIA
Judge zaps wolf seasons again
Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News
major and minor fishing times. “It’s important to be in an area that’s been holding fish when a major or minor fishing time starts,” Garza said.
Cutting deals Continued from page 4
The court-ordered stay in proceedings will expire on April 8. In a letter to members, CBD Executive Director Kieran Suckling said, in part,“America’s national wildlife refuges have been turned into trophy hunter playgrounds...We’re not going to stand for increased killing of wildlife on even more national refuges.” MeatEater founder Steven Rinella chimed in, saying, “Again and again, we see animal rights organizations such as Center for Biological Diversity use disinformation and dishonesty as part of their propaganda campaigns. Their alleged concerns about lead ammunition and increased traffic on
Page 19
wildlife refuges that were opened up to hunting and fishing by the Trump Administration are both insincere and ridiculous. What they’re really after is an end to regulated hunting in all its forms, and they’ll take that battle anywhere they can win.” Time will tell what the outcomes of negotiations might be. Some fishing groups speculate a ban on lead ammo and fishing tackle could follow. The negotiations are being led by Haaland and Williams. Haaland has written in favor of wolf protections and co-authored the Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Protection Act.
A ruling by federal U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White restored federal protections to gray wolf populations in 44 of 48 states. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by anti-hunting groups including the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Humane Society of the United States and the Sierra Club. The science community under both the Obama and Trump administrations previously determined wolves to be a recovered species and removed populations from Endangered Species Act protections in 2011 and 2020. In both occasions, rulings from federal judges in cases brought by these groups stymied the process. According to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, wolf population estimates are well above state management plan levels in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin while topping all-time modern-day levels in Oregon and Washington. “Scientists, biologists and professional wildlife managers agree that wolf populations are stable and growing,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “As such, they should remain under the umbrella of state management since state wildlife agencies successfully manage all other wildlife in line with the North American Wildlife Conservation Model through regulated hunting and trapping.” The environmental groups also
called for the restoration of ESA protections in the northern Rockies where estimated wolf populations are 900 percent above minimum recovery levels in Idaho, 700 percent above in Montana and more than 200 percent in Wyoming. The ruling, however, does not apply in those states. —Staff report
MICHIGAN
Loss of hunting privileges for life A Decatur, Michigan, man’s unethical hunting activity has resulted in prison time, financial restitution and lifetime loss of hunting privileges in the state. Justin Ernst, 33, pleaded guilty in Van Buren County’s 36th Circuit Court after illegally taking nine trophy bucks last year. On Oct. 17, Michigan State Police troopers were investigating Ernst’s involvement in a domestic violence complaint. State police contacted conservation officers when they noticed several deer in a nearby barn. Conservation officers investigated and seized eight illegal bucks in the barn — five 10-pointers and three with eight points each. Two days later, an anonymous tip to the DNR’s Report All Poaching hotline stated that Ernst had taken another deer. Conservation officers confirmed that Ernst had taken another trophy buck — increasing his total to nine illegally taken deer. —MDNR
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Page 20
February 25, 2022
LoneOStar Outdoor News
LSONews.com
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