SHOOTING SPORTS ANNUAL Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
June 25, 2021
Shooting Sports texas ANNUAL 2021
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Volume 17, Issue 21
Sabine flounder bite best in years By Robert Sloan
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Jerry Norris has been finding numbers of flounder on Sabine Lake, more than he has seen in a long time. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
Longtime Sabine Lake guide Jerry Norris has changed his tactics this summer, and targeting flounder has become a routine. Sabine Lake is known for its flounder fishing, but over the past few years the numbers of fish have not been what it’s been in the past, accord-
ing to Norris. But during the first week of June, he and a customer were fishing at the mouth of a bayou on the upper end of the lake and ended up with two limits of flounder in the 2- to 2 1/2-pound class. “We were just kind of moving around looking to catch some reds and started hooking up with some really nice flounder,” Norris said. “We came back the next morn-
ing and they were still there. I’ve been fishing here for decades and have noticed over the past several years that the catches of flounder have slowly slacked off. But based on what I’ve seen lately, there is no shortage of flounder now. I don’t know if this is part of the late spring run or just a whole lot of them moving into the lake from the Gulf. What I do know is that they are here now
and the fishing is very good.” During the second week of June, the flounder moved up shallow and were stacked up along the flooded grass in the bayous and on the south end of the lake. “The water has been higher than normal,” Norris said. “What I’m doing is just easing along the flooded grass and pitching soft plastics to pockets along the shoreline Please turn to page 13
Hill Country stripers on the fly By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Kelli Prescott landed this 25-pound striper while fly-fishing on Canyon Lake. Fly anglers have been finding some fish schooling and others suspended. Photo by John Shank.
According to fly-fishing guide John Shank, striped bass are a smart species of fish than can be quite picky or finicky at times. The owner and operator of Lone Star Fly Fishing, based in New Braunfels, argues on certain bodies of water, these fish have seen countless amounts of lures and baits from fishing pressure. For that reason, he prefers pursuing stripers with fly tackle in hopes that the more subtle, finesse-like presentation will draw more strikes. “Stripers are predictably
unpredictable,” Shank said. “We have a year-round fishery for them here in the Hill Country, both on Canyon Lake and in the Guadalupe River, but catching them isn’t just as simple as waking up and planning to chase after them on any given day.” Shank said Canyon Lake stripers have been pretty consistent. “We’ve been catching a lot of fish schooling lately, and then we’ve also found some larger fish suspended down below the surface in deep water,” he said. “Schooling fish are a little bit more straightforward in regards to pursuing them, while suspended Please turn to page 16
Federal challenge expected on supressors By Craig Nyhus
Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1927, the constitutional carry bill, which removes licensing and training requirements for Texans over 21 to carry a pistol. The bill goes into effect Sept. 1.
Explosives before paying a $200 tax. The bill also establishes a class of suppressors (made in Texas) that will be declared exempt from federal regulation. The bill states in part, “A firearm suppressor that is manufactured in this state and remains in this state is not subject to federal law or federal regulation, including registration, under the authority of the United States Congress to
regulate interstate commerce.” However, the exemption is likely headed for a challenge in federal court, and dealers don’t expect they will be selling supressors without the NFA permit anytime soon. Firearms dealers, if they sell to someone without them being registered, could lose their ATF license. For individuals, local law enforcement may not knock on their door,
but the ATF might, leaving the person facing up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. In 2013, Kansas passed a similar measure that was found unconstitutional by federal courts, after two men were sentenced to federal prison for selling and possessing an unregistered supressor. Other gun-related bills signed by Abbott: Senate Bill 19: Prohibits companies contracting Please turn to page 6
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Hunters, though, may be more interested in House Bill 957, which removes prohibitions on suppressors, which are regulated federally, in the Texas Penal Code. The bill exempts Texasmade suppressors from the National Firearms Act which require gun owners to register NFA items, including suppressors and short-barreled rifles, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 11 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 15 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 18
INSIDE
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
Suppressor and concealed carry bills signed
HUNTING
FISHING
Quail in East Texas (P. 4)
Finding reds (P. 8)
Project seeks to bring birds to Pineywoods.
Fish on the move.
The best hog traps (P. 4)
Caring for bass (P. 8)
Different options studied.
Keeping tournament fish alive.
