TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

SABINE LAKE: 83 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair to good on live shrimp under a popping cork and glo chartreuse plastics.

BOLIVAR: 81 degrees. Black drum and redfish are fair to good on cut bait and live shrimp. Speckled trout are fair on shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 85 degrees. Redfish are fair on cut mullet. Speckled trout and redfish are fair drifting with live shrimp and artificials.

PORT O’CONNOR: 80 degrees. Black drum are good on dead shrimp. Bull redfish are good from the back of the jetties to Bird Island on Spanish sardines. Speckled trout are fair to good on live croaker.

ROCKPORT: 88 degrees. Redfish are good on paddle tails and top-waters. Speckled trout are on artificials and live bait.

TRINITY BAY: 88 degrees. Redfish and black drum are fair on shrimp under a popping cork.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 88 degrees.

Speckled trout and redfish are slow to fair on shrimp imitation lures under popping corks and shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 89 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair wading and drifting with croaker.

TEXAS CITY: 86 degrees. Redfish at the Texas City Dike are slow. Speckled trout are fair at night on shrimp and soft plastics.

FREEPORT: 86 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair to good drifting with live shrimp under a popping cork.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 85 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair drifting with live shrimp, artificials and wading with croaker.

PORT ARANSAS: 89 degrees. Bull redfish are good at the jetties on live and cut mullet, menhaden and piggy perch. Speckled trout are fair on croaker.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 89 degrees. Speckled trout and black drum are fair on shrimp and croaker. Redfish are fair on cut mullet.

BAFFIN BAY: 91 degrees. Redfish are fair on gold and silver spoons in grass. Speck led trout are fair on light-colored paddle tails and croaker.

PORT MANSFIELD: 88-91 degrees. Speck led trout and redfish are slow to fair on small soft plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: 86 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair to good in the Intracoastal and flats on shrimp.

$150

TENNESSEE Jim Scouten dies

Longtime “Shooting USA” host and outdoor celebrity Jim Scoutten, 77, died in Franklin following a brief illness.

A Newton, Iowa native, Scoutten was a well-known and respected figure in the shooting industry, serving as the longtime host of “Shooting USA.” As managing editor of Tier One Media, LLC, he created two of the most successful cable television shows on Outdoor Channel. In 2018, the 25th year of his shooting sports TV career, Scoutten was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.

His sign-off slogan after each show was, “As always, shoot safely, shoot often, and keep ‘em in the 10 ring.”

—Staff report

LOUISIANA Redfish limit changes may be coming

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a Notice of Intent to change the red drum size limit from a 16-inch minimum size limit and a 27-inch maximum size limit to an 18-inch minimum size limit total length and a 24-inch maximum size limit total length. The red drum’s daily take and possession limit will be reduced from five to three fish per day.

Additionally, the retention of any red drum above the maximum size limit of 24 inches total length and the retention of red drum by captain and crew on charter or head boats will be prohibited. Charter guides and crew will not be allowed to retain red drum toward any limit on the vessel.

The proposed changes result from biological data that indicate the red drum stock is experiencing overfishing resulting in an escapement rate below the 30 percent minimum limit, leading to a declining biomass.

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Escapement is the percentage of red drum passing through the recreational fishery from inshore waters as juveniles and make it into the spawning stock offshore. The established escapement rate limit for management is 30 percent; Louisiana’s escapement rate is currently 20 percent, indicating too few red drum are surviving to make it offshore and eventually to spawn.

—LDFW

MINNESOTA No lead in state areas

Minnesota will require nontoxic ammunition for most special hunts held in state parks and scientific and natural areas starting this fall.

The state park hunt requirement was set to go into effect in 2022 but was delayed due to the Department of Natural Resources’ assessment that supply chain issues had limited nontoxic ammunition options for hunters.

The nontoxic requirements will apply to both rifle bullets and shotgun pellets. Hunting is allowed only on 56 of the state’s 166 scientific and natural areas.

—Staff report

MICHIGAN HS clay shooting championships

Athletes and teams representing 466 high schools from across the nation participated at the 2023 USA High School Clay Target League National Championship July 5-10 held at the Michigan Trapshooting Association in Mason.

In the Team Final, Calhoun High School (Illinois) took home title of National Team Champion. It was Calhoun High School’s third consecutive National Team Championship.

The Sunday Individual Final saw 19 athletes shooting perfect scores at the end of regular competition. Those 19 went on to compete in a shoot-off, which saw recent graduate Landon Sievers, also from Calhoun High School, persevere to claim the Overall National Champion crown.

Audrey Gordon of Southwestern High

School (Illinois) was one of two females who shot perfect scores and went on to compete in the shoot-off. Gorden edged out her competition to take home the title of top female.

—USA Clay Target Shooting OHIO

Company takes fish designated for charity

Lake Fish Company, of Sandusky, illegally took walleye that were supposed to be donated to an area charity in 2021.

After an investigation uncovered that 112 walleye, one steelhead, one yellow perch, and three whitefish were stolen, five defendants pleaded guilty in the case to a total of 13 misdemeanor charges of petty theft, one count of fifth-degree felony theft, two misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, and nine misdemeanor commercial fish violations.

The defendants are scheduled to pay a combined $24,120 in restitution to the charitable organization set to receive the stolen fish, and another $13,000 in restitution to the Division of Wildlife. Additionally, the commercial fish processor will have their wholesale fish license suspended for 30 days.

Many walleye tournaments on Lake Erie donate harvested fish to a local charity organization. A commercial fish processor is paid to clean donated fish and return the ready-tocook fillets to the charity.

FLORIDA ICAST winners

Florida-based American Tackle Company took home the “Best of Show” award with an all-carbon fishing rod handle, the G2 Tsuka 2 Complete Carbon Handle. The innovative custom rod component beat out a field of more than 1,000 other entries in the ICASTNew Product Showcase Awards, coming out on top of 37 other category winners.

Category winners include:

Motorized Boating Accessories

PowerPole Move ZR

Boats and Watercraft

Old Town Sportsman BigWater

Soft and Hard Coolers

Flop Box 10

Electronics

Westin EscapeCam

Cutlery

BUBBA Pro Series Smart Fish Scale

Fishing Accessory

Engel USB Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Live

Bait Aerator Pump

Terminal Tackle

VMC Swingin’ Ned Rig Jig

Fishing Line

Mastiff Fluorocarbon, Shimano

Fly Lines

BUZBE Colony 8T (thin)

Fly Fishing Reel

Cheeky Spray Fly Reel

Fly Fishing Rod

Hardy Marksman Z

Freshwater Soft Lure

Berkley PowerBait Nessie

Saltwater Soft Lure

Mulletron LT Swimbait, Z-Man

Freshwater Hard Lure

ChatterBait Elite EVO

Saltwater Hard Lure

MirrOlure The Duke Dog

Freshwater Rod

St. Croix Mojo Bass

Saltwater Rod

NRX+ Inshore, Shimano

Rod & Reel Combo

Abu Garcia ZATA Baitcast Combo

Freshwater Reel

Stradic FM, Shimano

Saltwater Reel

Seapower 1200, Diawa