GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Man Falls Overboard Offshore

After receiving a call that a man had fallen overboard 12 miles off the Bob Hall Pier, the Coast Guard rescued a man from the water near Corpus Christi. A helicopter and crew, along with a response boat, was launched. After several hours, the response boat located the man and pulled him from the water. The man was located clinging to an ice chest; the two other adults aboard the craft had lost sight of him. The man was uninjured, so the boat crew returned him to his friends.

Wardens Join Perryton Tornado Efforts

After a deadly tornado hit Perryton, in Ochiltree County, Texas, game wardens assisted law enforcement officials from the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Oklahoma with recovery and law enforcement efforts. The tornado killed three people and damaged or destroyed at least 30 trailers in a mobile home park. Approximately 100 people were treated with injuries ranging from head trauma to abrasions. Perryton, located northeast of Amarillo, has a population of more than 8,000 people. The tornado

Wardens Assist With Flood Rescues

During historic flooding along the Canadian River, the Potter County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance with swift-water search and rescue needs from Texas game wardens. Along with local game wardens, members of the game warden search and rescue team responded with swift-water boats and additional resources. Within hours, wardens arrived on the scene and initiated coordination efforts to deploy search-and-rescue boats and teams to the northern Panhandle area. Potter County officials initiated an incident command structure to streamline the response to the flooding. Under that process, the team facilitated multiple vehicle-related rescues at low-level water crossings. Potter and Randall County Fire and Rescue, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Department of Public Safety and others assisted with the response.

was rated an EF3 that packed estimated peak winds of 140 mph, according to preliminary findings from the National Weather Service. It touched down for about 11 minutes and traveled for a length of more than 6 miles. The tornado damaged homes and businesses, including the local fire department and EMS. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for communities impacted by the severe storms and tornadoes in Ochiltree and Cass counties. On the northeast side of town, about 300 people were sheltered inside Perryton High School.

DRONE FINDS MISSING MAN

A Texas game warden requested assistance from drone operator Michael Hummert and K9 handler Derek Nalls regarding a missing person report out of Callahan County. It was reported the indi- vidual suffered from multiple health issues and because night had set in, a quick response was necessary. While Nalls and his K9, Skye, tracked on the ground, Hummert launched his heat-seeking drone. During his second sweep of the area, Hummert observed a heat signature. He directed fellow wardens and local law enforcement to the location where they found the subject, thirsty but in good health.

SPONSORED BY:

After an EMS evaluation, the individual was able to return home.

RESCUE AFTER RISKY RIVER CROSSING

The Coast Guard rescued seven people suspected of entering the country illegally on the Rio Grande near McAllen. A 29-foot Response Boat was patrolling the Rio Grande at approximately 7 a.m. when they received a report from U.S. Border Patrol of individuals attempting to cross the river nearby. The crew encountered a raft with one suspected smuggler and seven individuals aboard, including six children ranging in age from 5 to 16. When the Coast Guard crew approached, the smuggler jumped overboard, swam back to the Mexican riverbank, and the raft began to sink. The crew rescued the woman and six children from the sinking raft, brought the survivors safely ashore, and transferred them to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for processing.

REPORT ILLEGAL HUNTING AND FISHING ACTIVITY FOR A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000. CALL OPERATION GAME THIEF AT (800) 792-4263

An American Legend

the wind was gusting, making the northbound current even stronger, but also posing a threat to the saltwater battle of a lifetime.

“We knew time was of the essence,” Kamel said. “So I ended up driving north, about 1,200 yards or so down the beach, while Thorburn kept the line tight and applied steady pressure on the shark with the rod and reel from up on the rack of the truck.” fisherman, he’s mostly stuck to MirrOlure plugs in the surf.

Once they caught up to the hammerhead, it was swimming in the second gut. Kamel made his way out to the first sandbar and grabbed the leader before realizing the shark ran aground on the first sandbar.

Without wasting any time, they quickly took photos and helped it swim safely to deeper water.

They had hooked, fought, landed and released the 13-foot, 4-inch hammerhead — the largest Kamel has ever caught — in just under an hour.

“The feeling we got while standing in the water next to a hammerhead of that size was indescribable,” he said.

“A top-water is the most fun in the surf,” he said. “Having a trout blow up on a top-water never gets old. Some of my favorites include a Topdog or a Heddon Super Spook Jr. The best colors are bone, pink/silver or chartreuse. Both lures can cast a long way, allowing you to cover lots of water. Another good option is a silver spoon with a pink teaser on the treble hook.”

Paradoski argues slow-sinking lures have often worked best in the surf, especially when trout are holding out past the second gut. He’s partial to a MirrOlure Soft Dine in the pearl color offering with a chartreuse or black back.

When fishing the surf, looking for birds is paramount, whether they’re in the water or on the beach. A group of pelicans or gulls can quickly spot light a vulnerable school of trout.

Greg Gamble, who has been fishing the surf along the Texas Gulf Coast since the 1970s, has been regularly exploiting birds south of the POC jetties this year to snatch up angler recently fished a wreck several miles past the POC lighthouse where he spotted a flock of pelicans feeding.

“I like to fish anything in the surf that will hold trout,” he said. “The water was green, mullet were all over the place and the trout were hungry.” use heavy enough line so that the fish don’t cut you off on the rocks when you bring them in to land them.”

Molina has been using heavyduty spinning setups with 30to 40-pound braid as his main line, paired with a 200-pound monofilament leader that’s tied to his lure. This allows him to pull the jackfish up over the rocks and onto the jetty.

When the jacks aren’t schooling along the surface, the angler will start working magnum topwater plugs aggressively across the surface to entice a response. If he can’t get a bite up top, he’ll switch to a spoon and let it sink to the bottom before retrieving it through the water column.

“Blind-casting top-waters has worked pretty well,” he said. “Spoons have been drawing strikes later in the day when the schooling action has slowed down.”

Molina said the jacks have been stacked up in the first, second and third guts of the surf near the beach during the early morning hours.

“The later it gets, the farther out they seem to go, and that’s when I’ve been catching more jacks out toward the end of the jetty,” he explained.

Fellow angler Dat Van also has been catching jacks from the Surfside Jetty. He said most of the jackfish he has been catching are hanging out near the end of the jetty.

“One of the most difficult aspects of chasing jackfish from the jetty has been trying to keep a fish that you’re hooked up with from getting tangled in other anglers’ lines,” Van said. “When a big school swims within casting distance, just about everybody that’s fishing from the jetty seems to hook up. Then, all of a sudden, there are jacks swimming in every direction. It can get pretty chaotic at times.”

Van has been casting 3-ounce spoons and large, popper-style top-water lures at the jacks.

“The action has been pretty steady,” he said. “Chasing these jacks is a whole lot of fun.”

Former Mowdy Boats owner dies

Frank Ray Crapitto, the former owner of Mowdy Boats of Texas, died June 12 at the age of 80.

Crapitto graduated from Lamar High School in Houston and Texas A&M University with a degree in Agricultural Science. He also owned and operated AdCorp Sign Company, Crapitto’s Cucina Italiana and Frank’s Chop House.

A member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for more than 50 years, Crapitto was also a lifetime member of the HLSR Board of Directors. He spent weekends at his Port O’Connor house and summers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with his wife Doreen, where they fly-fished the Snake River. —Staff report