May 10, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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May 10, 2013

Eye parasites Trout, other game fish hosts for lots of parasites.

Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

May 10, 2013

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Volume 9, Issue 18

Double time

Inside

Angler catches 19 pounds of bass on one cast with A-rig

By Jacob Longoria Lone Star outdoor newS

❘❚ HUNTING

Every angler’s dream when throwing an Alabama rig is to get “the double strike.”

For Pflugerville angler Donnie O’Neal, this occurrence has happened before, but on April 29, the strike had some force behind it — more than 19 pounds of force.

On that day, O’Neal and a buddy fished Lake Austin with the goal of catching a big large-

Grazing together Deer and cattle can mix if you follow several steps.

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Tough year Drought keeps South Zone turkeys from breeding.

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mouth bass. He planned to hit all his favorite spots hoping for that double-digit bass that had eluded him for so long.

O’Neal likes to fish swimbaits on a modified umbrella rig. The rig had been modified because the 20-pound snap locks on the rig weren’t strong enough, so he changed them to 40 pounds.

It’s a good thing he did.

As the day started, he caught a 2 1/2-pound bass but he wanted See A-RIG, Page 13

❘❚ FISHING

Matagorda picking up Redfish, trout, drum all being caught.

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Choke Canyon choking Low water hurting once-great lake.

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Page 24 Page 21 Page 10 Page 21 Page 12 Page 24 Page 26 Page 22 Page 22 Page 16 Page 21

TWICE THE FISH: Donnie O’Neal was in search of a double-digit bass all year long. After catching small bass in the morning, he returned to a familiar spot where a big bass finally bit simultaneously with his 8-pound friend. Photos by Donnie O’Neal.

20-something years later Son shoots first turkey within 50 yards of where dad killed his first

By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS

The ranch on the Milam/Lee county border holds a special significance for the Seifert family.

Multiple generations have farmed or run cattle on the property, and it

is where Nathan Seifert learned to turkey hunt. It is also where his son Nolan, 10, shot his first tom this season.

“About the time I was Nolan’s age, my grandparents were running cattle on the property,” Seifert said.

“About 20 years

ago, I’d seen a gobbler walk across the field.

I called him up and the turkey was strutting behind a tree. It was perfect. I was a big bowhunter at the time and I wished I had a bow, but I shot

A FAMILY TRADITION: Nolan Seifert poses with his first turkey, in the same place his dad, Nathan (back left), harvestSee TURKEY, Page 19 ed his bird more than 20 years before. Cousin Derek Spillar (back right) filmed the hunt. Photo by Nathan Seifert.

Spider crabs: Bait or just ugly?

TAKING A WALK: Spider crabs appear when the tide is low, sometimes blending in with the sand.

Photo by LSON.

By Jacob Longoria Lone Star outdoor newS

Spider crabs are usually seen in Texas as the bumpy and unattractive relative of the blue crab.

But some anglers are using the odd-looking crab as their bait of choice to attract and catch big fish.

Spider crabs can be found from Cape Cod, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and all the way to Central America. There are See CRABS, Page 15

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May 10, 2013

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May 10, 2013

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HUNTING

More than they bargained for Dad calls bobcat instead of turkey with his two kids

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

Brian Daniells was hoping for some excitement when he took his children Katie, 10, and Cole, 6, on their first turkey hunt near Throckmorton.

He got a little more excitement than he originally planned for when he called a big bobcat to within 10 feet of where the group was hidden patiently waiting on a tom.

It was a scary experience, but one the family will always remember.

“It was our first turkey hunt and we had been calling for about an hour and a half,” Daniells said. “Nothing was responding until Katie whispered, ‘Dad, is that a bobcat?’ I told her I didn’t think it was. But after I looked at it for a while, I realized it was a big bobcat and it had snuck within about 10 feet of where Katie was sitting.

“It gave me chills to think about what that bobcat could have done.”

Katie said she did not realize that it was a bobcat, and she thinks the bobcat came so close because the family was hidden so well.

“At first, I thought it was a log because we were sitting in a pile of logs,” she said. “Then I looked closer and saw eyes. I asked my dad if that is a bobcat. My brother and I were a little scared because I just happened to look and see it.

“My heart was pounding.”

Daniells shot the bobcat with his shotgun, and the cat was indeed a large female.

“It was a huge cat,” he said. “I don’t know what it weighed, but it was big.”

Daniells said the family was a little SNEAKY KITTY: This big bobcat got within 10 feet of where the Daniells family was sitting. Photo by Brian Daniells. shaken up, but Katie didn’t let it affect her hunting the rest of the weekend.

However, the younger Cole had second thoughts The group ended up calling to some toms, but a shot never materialized.

“I really wanted to get a turkey,” about heading out the next morning.

“The next morning, Cole wasn’t going to get out “We didn’t connect on a turkey, but (the kids) Katie said. “But I never thought about of bed,” Daniells said. were thrilled with the hunt,” Daniells said. not going hunting again.”

TOO HOT TO BREED: Hunters were frustrated in the South Zone this year thanks to gobblers being bunched up in flocks and not breeding because of the drought. Photos by David J. Sams, LSON.

Wads of toms Big gobblers bunched up throughout season down south, drought blamed

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

Almost every hunter who hunted the South Zone spring turkey season came away with one thought — what a weird season.

Silent toms, big flocks of gobblers that looked more like they were in their winter pattern than getting ready to breed and hens that weren’t nesting.

According to Jason Hardin, TPWD Upland Game Bird

specialist, the reason was simple — a lack of rain.

“The drought had birds out of breeding mode and into surviving,” Hardin said. “There have been birds shot and birds that acted normally, but the farther

south you get, the worse it becomes. We are still seeing hens in groups and not on nests.

“The birds just aren’t reproductively active.”

Hardin said breeding, and the spring rituals that accompany it like strutting, fighting and responding to calls, is very much tied to rainfall.

After a very poor nesting year in 2011, the birds rebounded with a strong 2012 spring, as evidenced by the large number of jakes running around South Texas this spring.

See TOMS, Page 14

Vernon Bevill killed in car accident Retired TPWD stalwart Vernon Bevill was killed in an automobile accident near his home in Kyle on April 30.

According to TPWD’S Executive Director Carter Smith, Bevill was a native of Louisiana who shared his ample southern homespun wit, wisdom and colloquialisms with all around him. He was a graduate of Louisiana Tech, where he studied wildlife biology and conducted his master’s work on waterfowl. Before coming to Texas, Vernon worked as a turkey biologist in South Carolina.

Bevill arrived at TPWD in 1993 as the director of the Small Game Program, which included Texas’ Resident and Migratory Game Bird programs.

Later, the Habitat Assessment Program was added to his program oversight responsibilities. Bevill remained director until his retirement in March 2010. During his tenure at TPWD, Bevill served as Texas’ representative on the Central Flyway Council for his entire career. He was also the Central Flyway Consultant to the USFWS Service Regulations Committee from 1994-1999 and 2006-2008, where he worked diligently to promote additional hunter opportunity in Texas. He was the author of the agency’s strategic plans for upland and migratory game birds and was a significant force behind the creation of the department’s Quail Council.

Upon his retirement from TPWD, Bevill joined his friend, and former Louisiana Tech classmate, Jim Willis, to work for the Wildlife Habitat Federation, a nonprofit organization focused on enhancing quail and upland bird habitat on private lands.

— Staff report

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Hunting accidents continue downward trend

ROTATION IS KEY: Grasses and plants beneficial to deer can thrive with limited grazing, but an overgrazed pasture, as seen on the right, is bad for both deer and cattle. Photo

by Ricky Linex, NRCS.

Mixing cattle and deer Grazing tips for landowners

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News Nothing looks worse to a deer hunter than an overgrazed, barren pasture. But cattle and deer mix, as long as stocking rates and grazing are well-managed.

Ricky Linex, a Natural Resources Conservation Service wildlife biologist from Weatherford, presented tips on stocking rates and grazing to landowners and managers attending the Texas Deer Study Group.

“Some grazing is desirable” he said. “If the pasture is not grazed, the grasses get tall and can suppress germination and growth of the forbs.”

When managing for deer, it comes down to the amount of and timing of the grazing.

“From a plant health stand point, the best time to graze is when the plants are dormant,” Linex said. “In April, May and June, the plants are growing and grazing can be the most harmful.

See MIXING, Page 6

Hunting accidents and fatalities in Texas continued their long-term decline in 2012, still below three accidents per 100,000 hunters in recent years.

Last year, there were 25 reported hunting-related accidents, five of which were fatalities. Although any fatality is tragic, Texas accident numbers are small compared to the number of hunters with 1,155,542 hunting licenses issued in 2012.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, has compiled data on accident rates among 28 recreational pursuits that shows hunting ranks third in safety behind only camping and billiards.

“The statistics show hunting is safe and getting safer in Texas,” said Robert Ramirez, hunter education program manager for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “And we do believe that is directly related to hunter education.”

The state’s worst year on record for hunting accidents was 1968, when 105 accidents were reported, including 37 fatalities. That equates to about 12 accidents per 100,000 hunters.

Prior to mandatory hunter education requirements in the fall of 1988, Texas reported 7.5 hunting accidents per 100,000 hunting licenses issued.

Since then, Texas has averaged 2.95 accidents per 100,000 licenses issued.

“We’re still on a trend that is taking us downward,” Ramirez said.

“Mandatory hunter education is really having an impact.”

The five hunting fatalities of 2012 included two incidents involving careless handling of a firearm near a vehicle, and three where the shooters did not follow basic rules of firearms safety.

— TPWD

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International council adopts lion policy from DSC An international assembly of conservationists representing 84 countries has adopted an African lion-hunting policy modeled after one advanced earlier this year by the Dallas Safari Club.

At a conference concluding April 30 in Budapest, Hungary, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation credited DSC for early and ongoing leadership in urging lion hunters to self-impose harvest restrictions.

In January, DSC announced its new definition of the ideal huntable male lion. More than 70 major safari operators, hunting industry leaders and top conservationists pledged support. The definition reads: “The ideal huntable male lion is at least six years of age and is not known to head a pride or be part of a coalition heading a pride with dependent cubs.”

Overharvest of young male lions could reduce lion populations overall, posing a concern to conservation and scientific management of this iconic species. Furthermore, such reductions in numbers would lead wildlife authorities to reduce quotas.

However, research shows that hunting older male lions has no negative effect on populations.

“The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation is joining us in encouraging lion hunters from around the world to be more selective. We’re gratified that the concepts within our policy have become a standard for conservationists worldwide,” said DSC Executive Director Ben Carter. “Hunting only non-pride and non-adolescent male lions should be the goal of every hunter and every organization with a vested interest in conserving lion populations.”

— DSC

Mixing Continued From Page 5

“From a rancher’s viewpoint, the plants are most palatable during the April through June period, which can lead to disagreements between wildlife and grazing managers over when to graze.”

In the summer and fall, limited grazing may continue.

“From April through July, plants use energy,” Linex said. “From August through November, they store energy. When grazing in the summer and fall, be sure to leave enough top growth to keep the plants healthy.”

Maintaining plant cover helps avoid another costly problem: soil erosion.

“Erosion is one of the most costly economic factors in America,” Linex said.

“Plant cover is the answer.”

Managing stocking rates and sometimes a reduction in deer numbers can help increase the diversity of plant life as well, Linex said.

“And avoid nonnative grasses,” he said.

“Bermuda is just a desert for deer.”

Linex quoted an old range management

saying regarding grazing, “Take half, leave half.”

“A cow drops or stomps on 50 percent of the grass and consumes 50 percent,” he said.

“So if you are aiming to leave half of the plant cover, the cattle need to consume only 25 percent of the total amount.”

But deer eat mostly forbs and browse, don’t they?

A common question, Linex said, since many deer enthusiasts believe cattle eat only grasses.

But don’t ignore the effect of grazing on forbs and browse.

“Cows eat 15 to 30 percent browse and forbs,” he said, “so if you have a 1,150-pound cow, that’s 4 1/2 pounds per day at 15 percent — equal to what one deer eats. If you have one cow per 20 acres and one deer per 20 acres, the cows will eat and/or destroy more forbs and browse than the deer. At 30 percent, a cow will eat more like 2 1/2 deer.”

Avoiding overgrazing is especially important during drought years, often when keeping cattle fed is most difficult, Linex said.

“If you see shadows on the underside of rocks in your pasture, you definitely have a grazing problem.”

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Ruger American Rifle Wins Golden Bullseye Award The Ruger American Rifle has received a “Golden Bullseye Award” from the National Rifle Association’s American Rifleman magazine.

Selected by a seven-member committee consisting of editors, graphic designers and veteran NRA Publications staff, the Ruger American Rifle was named the 2013 American Rifleman “Rifle of the Year.”

The Golden Bullseye Awards recognize recently introduced products that are available to consumers prior to the selection. The products considered for recognition are tested by American Rifleman staff or regular contributors.

Criteria state winning products should be “reliable in the field, meeting or exceeding the evaluator’s expectations; innovative in design and function; readily perceived as a value to the purchaser; and styled in a manner befitting the shooting and hunting industry and, perhaps more importantly, its enthusiasts.”

LoneOStar Outdoor News

“We are extremely pleased to receive this award from American Rifleman magazine,” said Ruger President & CEO, Mike Fifer. “This rifle stresses performance and value, continuing the tradition of Ruger firearms and delivering what consumers have long expected from Ruger.”

The award was presented at the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Houston.

— Ruger

Thompson/Center Arms also wins NRA award The Thompson/Center Arms Dimension BoltAction Platform has received a National Rifle Association Golden Bullseye Award for “Rifle of the Year” from American Hunter magazine.

Voted on by a committee of NRA editors and staff, the Golden Bullseye Awards have come to symbolize the most innovative and reliable products currently available for today’s consumers. Thompson/Center Arms was presented the award during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits held in Houston.

— Blue Heron Communications

May 10, 2013

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FISHING

Spots seem to outnumber largemouths on Alan Henry

By Jacob Longoria Lone Star Outdoor News

A transition is occurring on Lake Alan Henry.

The anglers on the lake are experiencing a pattern of catching 2- to 2 1/2-pound spotted bass over and over again. It would seem the days of the huge largemouths are gone, with few signs pointing to their return.

Many anglers think Lake Alan Henry is stocked with Kentucky spotted bass.

In actuality, the lake was stocked with Alabama spotted bass, a different species.

In 1996, 149 Florida largemouth bass were released into Alan Henry. Three years later, 150 Alabama spotted bass were released. Since then, no Alabama bass have been stocked, but their numbers are at an all-time high, according to local biologists.

Biologists for Alan Henry know the lake’s structure caters to the Alabama bass.

The lake has clear water with deep reservoirs that are perfect for the Alabama bass to survive and spawn.

In the early 2000s, the “boom/bust phase” was in effect on the lake. For years after, the lake was known for its huge largemouth bass with several bass more than 13 pounds being pulled from the lake during the “boom” time.

“During that time, anglers

got very spoiled,” said Spencer Dumont, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist.

However, since that time, the water levels started to decrease. When the water levels dropped, the vegetation that once was used for cover became exposed, providing no protection for young largemouth bass that hide in the shallows. Recently, anglers have caught Alabama bass with their mouth full of eggs. The sight of this caused anglers to believe that the population of largemouth bass has gone down due to predation by the spotted bass.

Dumont said when a largemouth nest with eggs is not being guarded by a male, other fish will take the opportunity to eat the eggs in a nest. Fish usually eat other fish’s eggs when it’s available and no food is around.

“There isn’t enough eggs being eaten to make a big impact,” he said.

Lubbock angler Curtis Norrod has noticed the largemouth bass he has caught are not as big or as common as they used to be. In 2006, he said it seemed the largemouth population was declining and the number of spotted bass started increasing.

According to Norrod, a lack of baitfish is the culprit.

“Panfish, perch and shad

Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Eyesore

This trout was caught recently in Copano Bay, and the anglers noticed many small, milky-colored parasites had infected the eye of the fish.

However, according to area biologists, the parasite is harmless to both the fish and humans.

“It is a digenetic trematode,” said Mark Fisher, TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries science director. “These are internal parasites that require two or more hosts to complete their life cycle. The other host could be a clam, snail, bird or another fish (but not humans). The trout are safe to eat.”

It would probably freak some anglers out to realize just how many of the common species of game fish carry some form of parasites.

“It would be very rare to find a fish that didn’t contain at least one parasite,” he said. “The spaghetti worms are the parasites most commonly seen by anglers in trout and drum.”

— Staff report

Getting on the bite Midcoast anglers finding success in Matagorda bays

See ALAN HENRY, Page 14

THROW LIVE OR FAKE SHRIMP: Anglers are catching good numbers of trout and redfish on shrimp, soft plastics and even flies. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for LSON.

By Jacob Longoria Lone Star Outdoor News

SOMEWHERE IN THERE: Anglers are noticing a shortage of largemouth bass and a surge in spotted bass, but biologists say the largemouths are still in Alan Henry to be caught. Photo by LSON.

Capt. John Ashley knows better days are ahead.

Even so, he is still catching good numbers of trout and redfish.

Ashley said fluctuating water temperatures have made for an inconsistent bite.

“The water temperature went from 74 degrees down to 64 degrees,” he said.

Ashley mainly focuses on redfish in the bay. He is using cut mullet to limit out on redfish on most of his trips. The water clarity has been a little dirty but he still fishes shallow in 2 feet of water.

Capt.

Joe Surovik

fishes Matagorda Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay and the jetties, and said the jetties have been the most consistent. Surovik knows he can always come to jetties to catch fish. In other areas, they get bigger, but the consistency always brings him back.

Most of Surovik’s clients want to catch big redfish and he uses live

or dead shrimp, depending on what the redfish choose to bite.

He knows shrimp follow the tide and the big redfish wait for the shrimp, so he presents the bait in the same way.

But Surovik’s secret bait has been Spanish sardines.

See MATAGORDA, Page 17

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Waiting on the turnaround

By Jacob Longoria Lone Star Outdoor News

Choke Canyon Reservoir has been 20 feet low for three years, and anglers are feeling the pain of catching limited numbers of largemouth bass.

John Findesien, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist, said the lake’s vegetation isn’t currently good enough to sustain a fish’s needs.

“We are not seeing a lot of shoreline activity,” he said.

“But the fish are there.”

During TPWD’s fishing surveys of the lake, the numbers of fish recorded have varied each year.

In 2009, they recorded 144 fish per hour. When the water level went up in 2010, they recorded 421.5 fish per hour. Due to the higher

Choke Canyon anglers hoping for lake’s renaissance water level, the spawn of 2009 was successful enough to get bass numbers back up. When the water level fell again in 2010, TPWD recorded 330.5 fish. That number plummeted to 99.1 fish in 2012.

Findesien knows the surveys don’t give the most accurate idea of the fish population but he believes, due to the successful spawn of 2010, big bass are still in the lake.

“A lot of bass responded well to the high water level

in 2010,” he said. “They should be over 10 pounds today.”

The current problem is the water level. As a result of the low water and lack of forage species, the fish don’t feed as much and take a longer time to get to trophy size.

According to Findesien, it takes 1.7 years for a largemouth bass to become legal size when the water levels are high and 2 1/2 years or more when water levels are low.

Guide Burt Briggs has fished the lake since the 1980s and has seen its ups and downs. He said the water now is so low that it caused the grass to die.

“It is hard to adapt to the fish when the water is falling,” See CHOKE CANYON, Page 17

STILL LOOKING: Anglers keep fishing familiar spots in search of large bass once found in Choke Canyon. Photo

by LSON.

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TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT Hot days CALAVERAS LAKE — Guide T.J. Whitworth is taking advantage of the hot South Texas weather. With many hot days in a row, anglers can stay consistent in their approaches by fishing their favorite spots. Red drum are in 9 to 14 feet of water biting on soft plastics.

Whitworth has been fishing coves and throwing cut bait for catfish. In the coves, he has caught blue catfish from 5 to 20 pounds.

The water temperature is in the high 70s to low 80s. When the water heats up into the 80s, the red drum migrate between 14-20 feet.

“It’s much better in the summer, especially for red drum,” Whitworth said.

To contact guide T.J. Whitworth, call (210) 289-7032.

Postspawn mode LAKE HOUSTON — After a successful spawn, very few bass are still on the beds. Guide Chris Berry said several largemouth bass females are still recovering from the spawn in depths ranging from 6 to 8 feet, but they aren’t as active as they normally are.

He said the best way to get them to bite is to use soft plastics on a Texas rig

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 59–65 degrees; 11.28’ low.

Largemouth bass are slow to fair on spinner baits, jigs and dropshot rigs. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 72–76 degrees; 60.14’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, spinner baits, crankbaits and soft plastics.

Striped bass are good on Red Fins, crankbaits, and top-waters. Catfish are good on cheesebait, shrimp, and nightcrawlers over baited holes.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 58–63 degrees; 12.63’ low.

Largemouth bass are slow to fair on spinner baits and Texas rigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs.

ATHENS: Water clear, 67–72 degrees; 2.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless worms and top-waters. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on cut shad and trotlines.

BASTROP: Water clear; 69–73 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon crankbaits, spinner baits and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows over brush piles in 20–25 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on live bait and stink bait.

BELTON: Water clear; 66–70 degrees; 7.80’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are good on shad and chrome slabs. White bass are good on silver slabs.

Crappie are excellent on minnows and white riversides.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 4.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics fished slowly around points and the first break lines.

Crappie are good on minnows.

Catfish are good on trotlines.

BONHAM: Water stained, 66–70 degrees; 1.82’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless soft plastics, medium crankbaits and Carolinarigged soft plastics in shallower water. Crappie are good along the bank and pier in the park. Catfish is good on live bait and cut bait.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and dark soft plastics in reeds. Redfish are good on perch, shad and silver spoons. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp, cheesebait, cut bait and liver near the dam.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 64–69 degrees; 16.11’ low. Largemouth bass are good on square-billed

crankbaits around shallow cover as well as Texas-rigged craws in Bama Bug. Crappie are good on minnows.

White bass are good on slabs. Channel catfish are good on trotlines.

BROWNWOOD: Water murky; 67–71 degrees; 11.42’ low.

Largemouth bass to 8 pounds are excellent on jigs, green pumpkin soft plastics and white/chartreuse crankbaits around docks. White bass are excellent on minnows and white jigs near Wild Duck Marina under lights at night in 10–20 feet. Crappie are excellent on minnows and white tube jigs over brush piles in 1–8 feet. Yellow catfish to 40 pounds are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 70–74 degrees; 29.04’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, lipless crankbaits, and weightless wacky-rigged pumpkinseed Whacky Sticks in 4–12 feet. Striped bass are good jigging white bucktail jigs from Flag Island to Black Rock in 20–30 feet.

Crappie are good on minnows and watermelon Curb’s crappie jigs.

CADDO: Water stained; 68–72 degrees; 0.55’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits. Catfish are good on cut bait.

CANYON LAKE: Water lightly stained; 70–74 degrees; 9.84’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texasrigged green pumpkin Whacky Sticks, top-waters, and watermelon jigs in 6–12 feet along bluff ledges.

CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 3.28’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless wacky worms and top-waters. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 73– 77 degrees; 19.74’ low. Largemouth bass are good on blue/ white deep-running crankbaits and watermelon red Carolina-rigged soft plastic worms and lizards.

Blue and yellow catfish are good on live bait in 5–10 feet.

COLEMAN: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 14.66’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastic lizards and worms. Channel catfish are good on stink bait and shrimp.

COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 2.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon and green pumpkin soft plastics and spinner baits in

3–12 feet. Crappie are good on minnows in 8–12 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with nightcrawlers, shrimp and liver in 8–10 feet.

Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch in 6–15 feet.

CONROE: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 3.05’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin Carolina-rigged soft plastics, and on white/chartreuse lipless crankbaits.

Crappie are good on minnows and watermelon tube jigs. Catfish are good on stink bait, shrimp and liver.

COOPER: Water clear; 68–72 degrees; 8.08’ low. Largemouth bass are good on wacky-rigged Senkos.

Crappie are good on minnows. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

Catfish are good on cut bait.

FALCON: Water murky; 73–77 degrees; 41.90’ low. Largemouth bass are very good on crankbaits off ledges and points. Crappie are good on watermelon tube jigs.

Channel and blue catfish are excellent on cut bait and frozen shrimp.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon shallow-running crankbaits and soft plastic worms in 4–20 feet.

Channel and blue catfish are good on juglines baited with shrimp and shad in 10–12 feet.

FORK: Water clear; 67–72 degrees; 4.48’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged craws in green pumpkin and square-billed crankbaits on main lake points early in the day. Yellow bass are good on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear.

Largemouth bass are good on watermelon red and plum soft plastics, and on white/chartreuse crankbaits and spinner baits.

Catfish are good on stink bait, nightcrawlers and shrimp.

GRANBURY: Water stained; 70–74 degrees; 6.17’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse/white soft plastics, crankbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs.

Catfish are good on stink bait, liver and frozen shrimp.

GRANGER: Water stained; 69–73 degrees; 0.45’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on watermelon jigs in 4–12 feet.

Blue catfish are good on shad and stink bait. Yellow catfish are very

presented very slowly right in front of them.

“If you fish near the spawning areas, fish where the shad appear in East Fork and West Fork,” he said.

Berry said due to a warm December, the spawn was sped up, so the fish may not be in the same places they were last year at this time. Crappie can be found in 12 to 16 feet on brush piles and homemade structure on jigs with minnows.

To contact guide Chris Berry, call (832) 372-5793.

Lots of cats LAKE SOMERVILLE — On a recent trip, guide Weldon Kirk caught 56 catfish in 1 to 3 feet of water on stink bait. Some of his catfish weighed between 1 to 5 1/2 pounds. Kirk said that crappie fishing on the lake has been very good.

He uses minnows and gray jigs with chartreuse tails to catch fish in brush piles in 12 to 14 feet of water. With the summer months coming up, the bass will be moving from 3 to 6 feet to 8 to 14 feet of cooler water. Kirk uses blue and black soft plastics around structure. The lake hasn’t received any large amounts of rain, so the water is currently very clear.

“Any type of bad weather only knocks the fishing back a day,” Kirk said.

To contact guide Weldon Kirk, call (979) 229-3103.

— Jacob Longoria

good on trotlines baited with live perch in the river.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 5.51’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged Baby Brush Hogs near rocky points. Crappie are good on jigs.

Catfish are good on cut shad.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 70–74 degrees; 0.09’ low. Largemouth bass to 11 pounds are very good on watermelon red/metal flake lizards in 2–6 feet. Crappie are good on live minnows around brush in 10–12 feet. Bream are good on live worms off piers and grassy points. Catfish are good on trotlines in 15–20 feet.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 68–73 degrees; 0.57’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics and top-waters. White bass are good on jigs. Catfish are good on prepared baits.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 2.10’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless flukes — some topwater action noted early in day.

Catfish are good on trotlines.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 67–72 degrees; 7.73’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texasrigged creature baits. White bass are good on slabs.

LBJ: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 0.37’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green pumpkin flukes, watermelon top-waters, and Bleeding Shad lipless crankbaits in 4–10 feet. Channel catfish are good on minnows and dipbait. Yellow and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch and carp.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 4.77’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics and shaky heads. Crappie are good on minnows. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfish are good on prepared bait and cut shad.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 69–73 degrees; 0.24’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, spinner baits, soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs, pet spoons, and troll tubes.

Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish are good on shad.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 67–72 degrees; 0.07 high. Largemouth bass are good on Texasrigged lizards and top-waters around shallow timber. Crappie are good on

jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 0.71’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics and spinner baits. White bass are good on slabs and pet spoons. Channel catfish are good on minnows and nightcrawlers.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 58–63 degrees; 18.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits, Texas rigs and jigs. Crappie are good on jigs and live minnows over brush piles. Catfish are good on chartreuse nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 0.70’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shaky heads and weightless worms around docks.

Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on jigs.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 59–65 degrees; 10.33’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on medium-running crankbaits, drop-shot rigs and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs.

PROCTOR: Water lightly stained; 68– 72 degrees; 3.81’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastics, crankbaits and spinner baits. Striped bass are good on shad. White bass are good on minnows and shad-colored crankbaits.

Crappie are very good on minnows.

Channel and blue catfish are very good on shad and shrimp.

RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 67–72 degrees; 3.50’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow- and medium-diving crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 66–70 degrees; 4.13’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics. White bass are good on slabs.

Catfish are good on prepared bait.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 66–71 degrees; 5.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow crankbaits and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 1.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastic worms and lizards, and fair on lipless crankbaits. Catfish are good on trotlines baited with liver and live bait.

STILLHOUSE: Water lightly stained;

SEE MORE

■ Saltwater fishing reports: Page 16 69–73 degrees; 7.12’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin crankbaits, watermelon trick worms and watermelon super flukes. White bass are very good on minnows in 10–15 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on chicken livers and hot dogs.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 68–73 degrees; 5.35’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on flipping jigs and Texas-rigged craws around shallow stumps in Hickory Creek area. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on slabs.

Catfish are good on cut bait.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 65–69 degrees; 4.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics. Striped bass are good on slabs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

TOLEDO BEND: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 1.56’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and pink jigs over baited holes. Bream are good on crickets and nightcrawlers.

Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

TRAVIS: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 51.74’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chrome topwaters, June bug worms, and grubs in 5–20 feet. White bass are good on chrome top-waters, smoke grubs and white shad raps in 8–20 feet.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 8.93’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. Catfish are good on frozen shrimp and stink bait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 67–71 degrees; 4.33’ high. Largemouth bass are good on hollow body frogs around shallow cover. Midday bite has been best.

Crappie are good on minnows and jigs shallow under a float.

— TPWD

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Hear this Attracting game fish by sound? Maybe

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

Anglers have known for years that lights can attract baitfish, which in turn attract the species anglers target.

But can you attract fish with sound as well as light?

Craig Dennis, owner of Fish Vector, which combines light and sound to attract

fish, sure thinks so.

“Our project started out with no lights,” Dennis said.

“We were working with a marine biologist who pinpointed a frequency that could attract black marlin to the boat. We found a wavelength that will work on any fish with a lateral line running down both sides of their body.

PERFECT SIZE: Bluegills longer than 7 inches are considered perfect eating size. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Bluegills: Where the fishing starts

By Jacob Longoria Lone Star Outdoor News

Bluegills are often associated with small ponds and being the first fish caught by young anglers.

Although they’re small in stature, they are crucial part of the ecosystem and signs of better fishing to come.

John Tibbs, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist, considers bluegill to be just as important as shad to the importance of a well-stocked lake.

“The largemouths love them,” Tibbs said.

Bluegills spawn throughout April and into midsummer, with their peak in early May. However, TPWD Hatchery Manager Jim Matthews said lakes need more than just a good population of bluegill to sustain a healthy bass population. With other varieties of forage, bass will be able to See BLUEGILL, Page 23

LoneOStar Outdoor News

“Different frequencies will stimulate fish, while we found some frequencies will spook fish.”

Dennis said his frequency makes fish “lock on” to the source and follow it toward a boat.

“There is a huge misconception with lights and fishing,” he said. “The reason the fish come to the lights is because they illuminate microscopic organisms in the water that baitfish eat.

They are just starting the food chain that occurs naturally. With sound, we can do in a matter of minutes what could take days with just a light.”

Dennis said his sound devices will call tuna “for miles” and “pull a swordfish See SOUND, Page 25

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GAME WARDEN BLOTTER THIS MIGHT BE AGAINST TOURNAMENT RULES Fayette County Game Warden Calvin Harbaugh apprehended two brothers who were fishing without landowner consent. They had crossed a fence with a small aluminum boat to fish a large private lake, in hopes of catching some large bass for a fishing tournament. Cases pending.

POOR SQUIRREL SHOT TRIES DOVE INSTEAD Travis County Game Warden Christy Vales received a call from a local deputy regarding illegal hunting in the Lakeway area. Vales made contact with a subject who confessed to trying to take a squirrel out in his backyard with no luck, and then taking aim at some white-winged dove instead. The suspect was cited for no hunting license, hunting dove in closed season and civil restitution.

BUYING LICENSE CHEAPER THAN TRIP TO JAIL Burnet County Game Warden Braxton Harris was checking fishing licenses when he observed two men fishing. As he approached, the men seemed to become nervous and placed their rods on the ground. One of the men didn’t have a license, but both men had warrants out of Burnet County. Harris issued one a citation for not having a fishing license and transported both men to jail. Case pending.

NO MLDP, BIG PROBLEM Dimmit County Game Warden Gene Fernandez completed a case that began nearly two years ago.

The case involved an out-of-town hunter leasing a property, which he thought needed to be heavily managed, and taking at least 21 deer in order to reduce the high numbers of “cull bucks” and does. However, the property was not under MLD permit status, and he was well over his limit

ILLEGAL OR NOT, MAN WANTED TO BUY DEER MEAT Runnels County Game Warden Lane Pinckney was in plain clothes observing transactions of a fur buyer who was buying furs in a parking lot of a local business. While there, a man came up and inquired, in the presence of everyone, if anybody had any deer meat for sale. Lane spoke up and said that he didn’t have any at that time but could get him some. The man gave Lane his name and phone number and agreed on a price. After several weeks, Lane called the man and he agreed to meet again to pick up his deer. When they met, Lane advised the man that what they were doing was illegal. He didn’t seem to mind and asked Lane for his phone number in case he ever wanted any more. The sale was made and they parted ways. Coleman County Game Warden Lee Morrison was observing the transaction, made a traffic stop on the man and issued a citation for unlawful purchase of deer meat. of five total white-tailed deer for the season, as well as using other family members’ and friends’ tags in order to “properly tag” all of the extra deer that he took. Charges and civil restitution pending.

AN EARLY START TO DOVE SEASON A caller reported seeing several college students shooting dove off power lines in the middle of a Lubbock residential area, and the group was spotted cleaning the birds in the alley behind the caller’s house.

Hockley/Terry/Yoakum counties Game Warden Aaron Sims responded and observed numerous feathers and wings in the alley directly behind the suspect’s residence. Sims knocked on the door to speak with the residents, and three individuals admitted to shooting the dove off the nearby trees and powers lines. When asked if they had a hunting license, one subject replied surprisingly, “What’s a hunting license?” Multiple citations were issued.

IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL Garza/Lynn counties Game Warden Drew Spencer stopped to assist a motorist and his companion with a blown-out tire. As Spencer was changing the tire, the driver said, “The last time we got saved by a Texas game warden like this, we had just sunk our bass boat down

on Falcon Lake in a terrible wind and rain storm.” Spencer had previously been stationed at Falcon Lake in Starr County. Spencer asked the man when this had occurred and he told Spencer that it had been about three years prior. Spencer asked the men if their boat had been pinned against and sunk near a spot on Falcon Lake called Flame Pad and had been taken by the wardens back to a lodge in Zapata through the driving rain. The men had. Spencer replied, “That was me!”

WARDEN RESCUES STRANDED BOATER Navarro County Game Warden Brian Srba responded to a strandedboater call on Richland Chambers Reservoir. A motorist on Highway 287 had stopped to assist a man walking down the highway wearing a life jacket. The man had walked from his boat that had gotten stuck in the flats approximately 300 yards from shore. His fishing partner was in poor health and still in the boat.

The stranded boater was partially clothed, shivering and unable to walk on his own. He was assisted to the warden’s boat and returned to shore.

LOOKING FOR TURKEY HUNTERS, FINDING STOLEN TRACTOR Red River County Game Warden Daniel Roraback was walking a remote area of woods searching for

turkey hunters and came across a front-end loader with hay forks on the back. After confirming that it didn’t belong to the landowner, Roraback contacted the county sheriff’s office to inquire about any stolen tractors.

It was soon confirmed that the tractor was stolen six months earlier.

The case was turned over to the Red River County Sheriff’s Office.

MAN COULDN’T RESIST HOGS, EVEN OFF THE INTERSTATE A Callahan County man was caught hunting hogs on Interstate 20. He loaded a 12-gauge shotgun with rifle slugs and began shooting hogs. While being interviewed

by Callahan County Game Warden James Brown, the shooter stated he could not resist killing hogs, no matter what the situation. The man also admitted to having shot hogs from the roadway many times prior and that he did not know he was a convicted felon. The man was placed in jail and charges were filed.

HOG HUNTER DROWNS FOLLOWING DOGS ACROSS RIVER Gonzales County Game Warden Dan Waddell assisted the Gonzales County sheriff and EMS in the recovery of a drowning victim from the Guadalupe River. The young man had been hunting wild pigs with two companions when his dogs strayed.

The man and his hunting buddies trespassed on an adjacent property and followed the dogs to the river.

The dogs swam the river and bayed a sounder of pigs on the opposite side. The young man attempted to follow the dogs across the river without a PFD and was overcome. One of his buddies jumped in the river in an effort to save him, but it was too late. The EMS squad located the body a short time later.

ATTACKING MONKEY DRAWS LAW ENFORCEMENT POSSE A Zapata County sheriff’s deputy called Zapata County Game Warden Colby Hensz over the radio for assistance. When Hensz arrived, a DPS trooper and five sheriff’s deputies were on scene. The sergeant on scene asked Hensz to dispatch a monkey that had attacked someone earlier in the day. This monkey had attacked many people in the past, as well. Hensz put down the monkey per request of the owner and safety of the community.

NIGHT VISION HELPS WARDEN FIND TRESPASSING HOG HUNTERS Atascosa County Game Warden Brian Scott was on patrol in the early morning hours in an area where landowners had reported having poachers trespass before. At around 3 a.m., Scott found some of those trespassers running hog dogs up and down a county road, with several hunters and dogs already in the brush on a bayed hog. Upon a call from the warden, four of the men came out, but one man stayed in the brush. Scott didn’t know that until he spotted the man with his night vision right before daylight. Nine individuals were cited for hunting from a public road, hunting without hunting licenses and trespassing.

Cases pending.

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May 10, 2013

A-rig Continued From Page 1

NOT BAD FOR ONLY HALF: Donnie O’Neal holds the larger of the two fish he landed with one cast. Photo by Donnie O’Neal.

Amistad at all-time low Anglers still show up to Amistad International Reservoir for a shot at one of its famous big bass but with only three boat ramps open, anglers often have to get in line to get on the lake.

Diablo East and Rough Canyon are the only cement ramps that are currently open due to low water. The ramp at Spur 454 can launch small boats but isn’t suited for bigger boats.

The all-time low level water mark surpassed the 1998 level of 58 feet below conservation.

The drop has produced many new islands, causing fish to group up. Largemouth bass are still being caught down to 20 feet on Carolina-rigged soft plastics. White bass are being caught vertically jigging 2 feet from the bottom with a slab and stripers are being caught on top-waters.

one with some more meat. The pair stayed in the same area and O’Neal caught 10 fish; two over 3 pounds and one close to 4 pounds. At 10 a.m., he decided to head south to a familiar spot. O’Neal and his buddy felt the tension of wanting that double-digit fish.

“Time for us to get bit,” O’Neal’s friend said.

O”Neal cast out in water between 18 to 20 feet, and let the rig fall when he got a hit while he was listening to his friend tell a story. Sadly, the fish didn’t hold on long enough to set the hook.

O’Neal asked his friend to repeat the story he interrupted and cast again. Before he knew it, a big thump hit the end of his line.

“The rod just loaded up,” he said.

O’Neal started to reel up, but the fish kept taking diving surges.

He thought it felt like a big striper.

Soon, the fish was taking more small surges, making O’Neal suspect he just might have a really big catfish on the line.

When the fish hit the surface,

Game wardens recommend anglers focus and pay attention as they navigate through the lake and travel from buoy to buoy.

— Jacob Longoria

Recreational angling impact rivals commercial A report released this week by the American Sportfishing Association makes a powerful case that from an economic perspective, recreational fishing is just as important as commercial fishing, despite a much lower overall impact on the resource.

According to the report, anglers landed just two percent of the total saltwater landings compared to 98 percent caught

Page 13

O’Neal realized it wasn’t one fish pulling; it was two. His friend had the net ready and quickly scooped both fish and got them into the boat.

“I let out the biggest howler more than once,” O’Neal said. “I still could not believe my eyes.”

The first largemouth bass weighted 7.8 pounds and was about 23 inches long. The second largemouth was the bass he had been looking for.

The bass weighted 11.8 pounds and measured 24 1/4 inches with a 19-inch girth. Both fish were returned to the water.

O’Neal doesn’t believe the double hookup was luck, but more of how he moved his lure into place.

“It’s how you work it,” he said.

“Just dropping paddle tails and beach shads to the bottom.”

This was the fourth time O’Neal received a double strike in April. He caught a smallmouth and a largemouth at the same time, as well as two spotted bass together. But none of those fish had the size, weight or power of the two big largemouths.

O’Neal looks back on that day and wonders where those big bass were when he fished those spots before.

“It was the right place, at the right time,” he said.

by the commercial fishing industry.

Among the findings are: • Saltwater landings by anglers contributed three times more to the national gross domestic product (GDP, or valueadded) than commercial landings.

• The recreational sector added $152.24 in value-added, or GDP, for a pound of fish landed, compared to the commercial sector’s $1.57 for a single pound of fish.

• Within the jobs market, the recreational sector accounted for fifty-four percent of all jobs, both recreational and commercial. This amounts to 455,000 recreational jobs compared to 381,000 on the commercial side.

For every 100,000 pounds landed there were 210 recreational fishing jobs but only 4.5 jobs in the commercial fishing industry.

— ASA

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Toms Continued From Page 4

Some hunters thought the toms were staying together because the roving bands of jakes were beating them up so bad. Hardin said that probably isn’t the case.

“I don’t think the jakes are beating up on the toms,” he said. “I think they are also in survival mode. Some of that country is in horrible shape. All of the turkeys are just trying to survive in places right now.”

Dr. Bret Collier, a research ecologist at Texas A&M University and an expert on turkeys, said the drought was indeed the reason for the toms not breaking up like normal.

“We are seeing the exact same thing,” Collier said. “We are having a fairly significant drought effect and the hens are not going to nests at all. With the males, we have not seen the normal flock breakout structure

where they normally break off to breed.

“Obviously, this is tied to drought.”

Collier said the GPS-tagged hens in the northern part of the state are sitting on nests right now and breeding has been much more normal above Interstate 10.

“We started seeing hens going to nests around April 5,” he said. “Now, we are seeing lots of hens on the nests.”

Despite the bad news that recruitment will be down this year, Collier said there is a silver lining for hunters.

“Hunters shouldn’t be overly concerned, because if the toms aren’t breeding, they usually don’t die,” he said. “Hunters should see pretty good carryover to next hunting season. Those birds will plop down off the roost and stay there for most of the day. Mortality is not going to skyrocket if they aren’t breeding. It really lessens the impact on the males.

“If you are seeing big groups of 2-year-old birds, you should see lots of 3-year-old birds next year.”

Alan Henry Continued From Page 8

used to be prominent in the clear north portion of the lake,” he said. “As the population of spotted bass increased, those species decreased.”

Charles Munger, TPWD’s Canyon district biologist, believes the lake still has the potential to be a great trophy largemouth lake.

“Over the years, the spotted bass population has gone up, while the largemouths have stayed level,” he said.

When the water levels rise again, the “boom/bust phase” will start again, helping small bass get bigger and having the current bass continue to grow. Currently, the city of Lubbock drains water

from the reservoir to furnish its needs.

Guide Guy Adams has fished the lake for several decades and has seen what he calls a 60/40 ratio for spotted bass to largemouth.

The problem according to Adams is the lack of hydrilla and panfish.

“The best bass lakes in the state of Texas have hydrilla and good forage,” he said.

Shad are the main baitfish in the lake, and he believes it needs to have more species of baitfish. The more baitfish, the healthier the game fish population. Currently, the big schools of shad are an early indication of where the predator fish will be.

“Find the shad and you find the fish,” he said.

Adams sees more anglers wanting to go out and catch only big largemouths, rather than enjoying reeling in whatever bites.

“More anglers want the bite of a 12-pound largemouth rather than just wanting to fish,” he said.

The advice Adams gave for anglers is they can’t just fish out from the bank, they have to go into deeper water to catch both species. Adams recommends anglers go to the deeper parts of the lake or rivers if they want a big bass. He doesn’t promise huge largemouths, but he knows they are there.

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POINTY! The spider crab’s sharp shell protects it from predators. Photo by LSON.

Crabs Continued From Page 1

two types — porty and longnose; both are found up to 50 meters deep in sea grass beds.

The main predators of the spider crabs are pinfish, grouper and toadfish.

A lot of bait shops in the Galveston area don’t sell spider crabs, nor have they ever used them. But Galveston shrimpers are familiar with spider crabs. They appear in their nets as a bycatch when looking for shrimp.

“I used to trap them at the East End with dead catfish and then use them to catch drum,” said one local Galveston angler contacted at the 61st Street Pier.

Leslie Hartman, TPWD’s Matagorda Bay ecosystem leader, is very familiar with spider crabs, but after many years working along the coast, she has never heard of anglers using this type of crab to fish.

“I talk to anglers all the time and none of them use them,” Hartman said.

But they are popular in other parts of the world.

In Australia and off the coast of England, spider crabs can be found for two weeks

when the tide is low. When the tide comes back in, they return to the deep water until the following year.

“During summer, they fish excellent for bass and smoothounds (gummy sharks) in southern England beaches,” said Matt Brook, an English angler.

Anglers who use spider crabs to fish must first invest in a pair of gloves that won’t be punctured by the sharp bodies. If anglers try to grab them barehanded, they will get scratched, according to Brook.

Brook said to remove the legs of the crab, being careful to avoid the sharp points on their legs.

Anglers can then remove the apron of the crab.

Inside, the fisherman will see the meat of the body. Most use a 2/0 or a 3/0 hook to apply the meat on the hook. When a hook is pressed through the meat, a pungent liquid will come out that helps attract fish, according to Brook.

Some anglers use spider crabs for both bait and food. On the Texas coast, to collect enough spider crabs to fish with and eat would take awhile. Some anglers are up for the challenge and hopefully reap the benefits.

“They are great to fish with and just as good to eat,” the Galveston angler said.

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TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT Summer patterns CORPUS CHRISTI CAUSEWAY — With summer fast approaching, the unpredictable spring fishing days are coming to a halt and consistently sunny days await. Capt. Grant Coppin is looking forward to catch big croaker in his area but currently the croaker are not big enough to put a hook through.

“Right now they are 2 inches,” he said. “I want them when they are at least 3 1/2 inches. (The trout and redfish) summer pattern will be the same as last year. All we have to do is fish the same.”

Coppin is drifitng live shrimp under popping corks in 3 to 4 feet of water on the flats to catch trout up to 28 inches. The shallows near the north side of the causeway are holding big black drum in some holes. Coppin adjusts the leader on his popping corks to target the drum. The redfish are not as grouped up as much as he would like, but a few anglers have been finding some schools. If Coppin can find schooling fish, he uses spoons and soft plastics.

“If you want redfish, you are going to have to work for it,” he said.

To contact Capt. Grant Coppin, call (254) 913-8122.

Fishing the reefs SAN ANTONIO BAY — Capt. Lynn Smith doesn’t have a problem finding trout in San Antonio Bay. He just targets the reefs all along the bay.

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Louisiana shoreline on top-waters and Corkies.

Flounder are fair on jigs tipped with shrimp around marsh drains.

SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead, speckled trout, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good over mud and shell on top-waters and live shrimp.

BOLIVAR: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on soft plastics and plugs. Black drum and redfish are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITY BAY: Redfish are fair to good in the marsh on live shrimp and scented plastics.

Trout are fair for waders on the east shoreline on Corkies and top-waters.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good on the south shoreline on twitchbaits. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp. Black drum are fair to good in the Ship Channel on crabs.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good for drifters working shell on live shrimp. Trout, sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and croakers. Redfish are good in the back lakes on shrimp and scented plastics.

TEXAS CITY: Redfish are fair to good in Moses Lake on shrimp. Trout are good on the reefs on live shrimp.

Smith uses soft plastics in and around the reef beds to catch his trout. Smith has been catching redfish up to 27 inches on live shrimp under a popping cork in the sand and grass flats. He is consistently finding black drum in shallow water on dead or live shrimp.

Currently, the water temperature is 67 degrees. When the water heats up to around 72 degrees, the fish get a little deeper and are easier to target.

To contact Capt. Lynn Smith, call (361) 983-4434.

Redfish biting CORPUS CHRISTI GRASS FLATS — Capt. Jack McPartland prefers his croaker to be between 3 to 6 inches to find bigger fish.

“If you think they won’t bite on bigger croaker, you are mistaken,” he said.

While McPartland trolls to catch bait, he has seen some big flounder but he hasn’t starting gigging them yet. In the potholes on grass flats, redfish are biting on cut mullet. The black drum are more scattered and are not schooling as much. In late June, McPartland said they would be schooling up again, making them easier to catch.

Currently, the water temperature is 71 degrees.

To contact Capt. Jack McPartland, call (361) 290-6302.

— Jacob Longoria

good on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp and crabs. Black drum and redfish are fair to good at the jetty on crabs.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in the cuts on free–lined shrimp. Black drum are good in the Lydia Ann Channel on crabs. Redfish are fair to good on the Estes Flats on live shrimp and scented plastics under a popping cork.

FREEPORT: Trout are fair at San Luis Pass on live bait. Sand trout, trout, redfish and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay. The jetty has been holding sheepshead, trout and redfish on live bait.

PORT ARANSAS: Redfish are fair to good at East Flats on gold spoons and small top-waters. Black drum are good in the Shrimpboat Channel on crabs and finger mullet. Redfish, trout and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are good for drifters over deep shell on live shrimp and plastics. Redfish are good on live shrimp on the spoils. Bigger trout have been caught by waders on the south shoreline.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on topwaters in Oso Bay. Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on scented plastics and live shrimp. Black drum and redfish are fair to good in the Packery Channel on crabs.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfish are fair to

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good on the sand

and grass on soft plastics. Black drum are good in the Land Cut on crabs. Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp at night.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on topwaters around sand and grass. Redfish are fair to good while drifting pot holes on live shrimp and scented plastics under popping corks.

Black drum and redfish are good on crabs at East Cut. SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes on DOA Shrimp and live shrimp. Black drum, redfish and jack crevalle are good at the jetty.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair to good at Gas Well Flats on live shrimp. Redfish are fair in South Bay on DOA Shrimp and live shrimp. Trout are good on the flats on live shrimp and plastics under popping corks.

— TPWD

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

Choke Canyon Continued From Page 9

he said.

Briggs said five years ago the lake was at its peak, then the anglers, bass boats and tournaments hit the lake and put a big dent in the fishing.

Guide Sonny Coody remembers when the lake was being filled back in 1988. Coody said the lake was shallow, full of brush and almost impossible to navigate in a boat. Back then, the only appeal to the lake was it was a reasonable drive from San Antonio and Houston.

In 1995, while Coody was out of town on a sales trip, his friend called him to get back to Texas because the fishing was the best it had ever been.

While he was gone, a hurricane had hit and 20 inches of rain had fallen. The storm dropped enough water to fill the lake twice. “ A friend of mine called me and said I better get back down here because they were catching fish near the cow pens,” he said.

His friend reported catching huge bass

near an area of land that before was 2 miles away from the water. When the lake flooded, a lot of fish migrated to the new parts to live and spawn.

After the flood of 1995, the fishing stayed great for the next three years. The water levels were up and fish had many shallow places to spawn. But as years passed, the water levels fell.

“The rain starts to fill the lake and when it stops, the next drought starts,” Coody said.

Coody enjoys the fact the lake is stocked with Florida largemouth bass that were bred to survive the South Texas heat.

“Hot water doesn’t affect the Florida bass in this lake,” he said “They can still be found in the shallows on hot days.”

Currently, Coody said anglers are catching big bass at the mouth of O’Possum Creek in brush piles 7 to 8 feet deep and standing timber.

Sonny Coody, (210) 621-4195 Burt Briggs, (210) 566-1390

Matagorda Continued From Page 8

“On sardines, I caught redfish from 20 to 40 pounds in 6 inches of water,” he said.

Surovik enjoys the fight of fish and prefers to catch lots of fish than one huge fish.

“As long as they’re biting,” he said.

Surovik also uses live shrimp to catch sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, but he has found that black drum are biting harder on dead shrimp this year.

Cool weather and winds have not driven Capt. Lee Warmke off the water this month.

“It doesn’t mean a thing,” said Warmke about weather

affecting his fishing.

Warmke has been using soft plastics and live shrimp to target trout on the shorelines and postspawn trout in deeper water. The redfish and black drum are biting on popping corks with live shrimp.

Capt. Tom Horbey takes a different approach to saltwater fishing.

Horbey uses a sneak tactic with a fly-rod while fish surface feed. He also uses spoon flies to catch black drum and redfish on an outgoing tide.

The spoonfly, even though small in size, has been catch-

ing redfish up to 27 inches.

While the tide is incoming, Horbey throws large white streamers and has been catching 18- to 22-inch jack crevalle and trout.

Horbey said the tarpon have come into the bay. The best way to spot them is to find the rolling fish. Horbey said if anglers want to target tarpon, they should cast in front of the rolling fish.

Capt. John Ashley, (361) 772-5465 Capt. Tom Horbey, (361) 983-2263 Capt. Lee Warmke, (281) 924-3941 Capt. Joe Surovik, (361) 550-8552

May 10, 2013

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May 10, 2013

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

NATIONAL A friend lost Friend of LSON and African Professional Hunter Erwin Kotze died April 23, after being trampled by an elephant in northwestern Namibia.

Kotze, 27, was a professional hunter for Thormahlen & Cochran Safaris.

LSON Founder David J. Sams, along with his daughter, Lili, hunted with Thormahlen & Cochran Safaris in South Africa two years ago. Although Kotze was not their main PH on the trip, the Sams got to know Kotze and had a great time with the young man at a recent Dallas Safari Club Convention.

According to The Hunting Report, Kotze was guiding a client while hunting desert elephant in the Kaokoland concession called Orupupa Conservancy. The hunting party had been tracking a bull since morning. Kotze stalked closer to evaluate the ivory. Something went wrong, and the animal charged him without warning. The elephant trampled Kotze, breaking his pelvis. Another PH in the party carried Kotze to the hunting vehicle and called for a medivac to meet them at a nearest airstrip. Unfortunately, Kotze died of internal injuries before reaching the airstrip.

Kotze was unmarried and is survived by his parents, Werner and Erna Kotze of Bostwana.

— Staff report

Two Louisiana men cited for gator, frog violations A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agent cited two Louisiana men for alleged alligator violations on April 29 in Ascension Parish.

The agent cited Jason T. Causey, 23, of Gonzales, and Shane H. Knapp, 23, of Baton Rouge, for taking alligators during a closed season, hunting alligators at night with a firearm, illegal possession of alligators, taking alligators without a license, unauthorized use of a moveable, violating frog regulations for possessing a firearm, taking a bullfrog during a closed season and fishing without a basic fishing license.

After receiving an anonymous complaint of illegal activity at Alligator Bayou Tours, LDWF Sgt. Dennis Bueche and Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on scene around 12:10 a.m. on April 29. Once on scene, they heard an all-terrain vehicle, gunshots and saw a spotlight inside the Alligator Bayou Tours property.

After a brief search, the deputies and LDWF agent were able to contact Causey and Knapp and found them in possession of an illegally harvested 10-foot alligator that had been shot in the head with a .45 caliber pistol that was also in their possession. After further investigation, it was determined that the ATV belonged to Alligator Bayou Tours and that Knapp and Causey were using the ATV to attempt to drag

the alligator back to their truck.

Knapp and Causey were also found with a dead bullfrog and allegedly admitted to fishing earlier in the evening without basic fishing licenses.

— LDWF

SCI supporting legislation to protect hunting Safari Club International supports the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act introduced by U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek (Mich.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).

H.R. 1825 and S. 170 will require the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to manage their lands for hunting, angling and target-shooting. Members of Safari Club International traveled to Washington, D.C. on May 9 to advocate for H.R. 1825 and S. 170.

“For hunters, it is critical that legislation be passed that will ensure future generations of sportsmen and women have every opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors,” said SCI President John Whipple. “We are extremely thankful for the leadership that Congressman Dan Benishek of Michigan and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have shown with the introduction of this needed legislation.”

The U.S. House of Representatives passed this language with bipartisan support as part of the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012, whereas the Senate never took final action during the 112th Congress.

“We hope to have this common sense legislation move quickly through both the House and Senate,” Whipple said.

Other legislation critical to sportsmen includes: H.R. 1818 (Young-Alaska) and S. 847 (Crapo-Idaho) allowing the importation of a small number of already harvested polar bears; H.R. 1819 reinstating sustainable use importation of polar bears by U.S. citizens; and H.R. 322 (Miller-Fla.) protecting traditional hunting and fishing equipment and other policy issues important to all hunters.

— SCI

Oklahoma to allow aerial hog hunting Oklahoma pigs better learn to look up, much like their Texas cousins.

Oklahoma landowners will now be able to take to the skies to hunt feral hogs and other “depredating animals’’ under a bill signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.

Fallin signed the bill recently that’s intended to help landowners control growing populations of wild hogs that have become a problem in many rural parts of the state. The wild animals are known to tear up cropland, destroy fences and spread diseases.

State law already allows the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture to authorize people with a big-game commercial hunting area license to hunt wild hogs and other depredating animals, like coyotes, from aircraft. The bill signed by Fallin expands the law to include landowners and those hired by landowners.

— Staff report

Orvis to buy Scientific Anglers and Ross Reels The Orvis Company, Inc. of Manchester, Vermont announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Scientific Anglers and Ross Reels businesses from 3M. Upon completion of the transaction, Orvis plans to continue to operate the Midland, Mich.-based business independently under the Scientific Anglers brand. Ross Reels will also continue to operate independently under its brand name from its Montrose, Colo. headquarters. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

— Orvis

Bill Dance to chair National Hunting and Fishing Day National Freshwater Hall of Fame member Bill Dance will serve as the honorary chairman for National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sept. 28, 2013.

Dance understands what it takes to win and the necessity of preserving our hunting and fishing legacy. The fishing icon has three B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year titles, caught the first bass in B.A.S.S. history, earned seven B.A.S.S. titles and is also a member of the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.

But Dance is a workhorse on and off the water and has been recognized for his work with many philanthropic organizations including: American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Arthritis foundation, Make a Wish Foundation, Dreams Come True and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. This year, Dance pursues a different “cause” as he has been named the honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day 2013.

“We are excited to have Bill Dance as honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day. It’s good to have the voice and perspective of one of America’s favorite anglers. His work and dedications shows that hunting, fishing and conservation remain important in all walks of American life today,” said Misty Mitchell, director of Conservation Programs for Wonders of Wildlife.”

— Blue Heron Communications

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

BIGGER THAN DAD’S: Nolan Seifert shows off the nice beard on his first turkey. Photo by Nathan Seifert.

Turkey Continued From Page 1

him with a shotgun.

“I’ve killed several turkeys since then, but that was the biggest bird of my life.”

Nathan said it was a great experience when he got together with his cousin, Derek Spillar, and Nolan after hearing a gobbler sounding off on the property.

“I can’t believe it came together,” he said. “Derek was getting a response every time he called. The tom was coming and he called one more time, but the turkey looked at us and bugged out.

The birds he was looking at (the decoys) weren’t the birds he was hearing.”

Nathan thought the hunt was over, but the wily old

gobbler had made a semicircle behind the blind and was approaching the decoys from another direction.

“We quit calling,” Nathan said.

The bird finally emerged on one side of the blind and walked about 25 yards to the front. It was time for Nolan to make a good shot, which he did with his 20-gauge.

“I’ve hunted turkeys a few times before, so I kind of knew what I was doing,” the fourth-grader at Naumann Elementary in Cedar Park said. “My dad told me when we sat down that this is where he killed his first turkey. When the turkey went behind the blind I thought he was gone.

“When he stepped back out,

I thought he looked huge.”

Both hunters were happy the hunt ended on a positive note.

“We worked hard the whole weekend to make it happen,” Nathan said. “It was a really neat deal when he came through.”

Spillar agreed and even got the hunt on film.

“I videotaped the hunt,” he said. “We were trying to get Nolan his first turkey and I’m glad we did. He’s a real outdoorsman.”

Nolan kept the beard and the fan of his trophy, but the spurs were a different story.

“We hung the spurs up on the front porch, but the coons got them,” he said.

“But it was a really fun hunt.”

May 10, 2013

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides Texas Coast Tides Sabine Pass, north Date Time May 10 5:43 AM May 11 6:20 AM May 12 6:57 AM May 13 7:38 AM May 14 12:31 AM May 15 1:16 AM May 16 2:05 AM May 17 3:02 AM May 18 4:05 AM May 19 5:14 AM May 20 1:07 AM May 21 2:04 AM May 22 2:54 AM May 23 3:42 AM May 24 4:29 AM

Height 1.9H 1.8H 1.8H 1.7H 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.6L 0.7L 0.8L 1.4H 1.6H 1.8H 2.0H 2.1H

Time 11:10 AM 11:40 AM 12:11 PM 12:49 PM 8:25 AM 9:18 AM 10:10 AM 10:54 AM 11:29 AM 11:56 AM 6:21 AM 7:23 AM 8:17 AM 9:07 AM 9:52 AM

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty Date Time May 10 6:06 AM May 11 6:45 AM May 12 7:25 AM May 13 8:08 AM May 14 8:55 AM May 15 12:29 AM May 16 1:12 AM May 17 2:00 AM May 18 2:56 AM May 19 4:05 AM May 20 1:03 AM May 21 2:16 AM May 22 3:15 AM May 23 4:09 AM May 24 5:00 AM

San Luis Pass

Date Time May 10 6:36 AM May 11 7:15 AM May 12 7:55 AM May 13 12:09 AM May 14 12:46 AM May 15 1:25 AM May 16 2:08 AM May 17 2:56 AM May 18 3:52 AM May 19 5:01 AM May 20 1:33 AM May 21 2:46 AM May 22 3:45 AM May 23 4:39 AM May 24 5:30 AM

Freeport Harbor Date Time May 10 5:57 AM May 11 6:37 AM May 12 7:17 AM May 13 7:58 AM May 14 8:40 AM May 15 12:24 AM May 16 1:06 AM May 17 1:55 AM May 18 2:58 AM May 19 4:23 AM May 20 12:43 AM May 21 1:54 AM May 22 2:55 AM May 23 3:51 AM May 24 4:45 AM

Height 2.3H 2.3H 2.3H 2.2H 2.1H 0.2L 0.4L 0.6L 0.8L 1.0L 1.6H 1.9H 2.1H 2.3H 2.5H

Height 1.4L 1.4L 1.4L 1.4L 1.7H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.5H 1.5H 0.9L 1.0L 1.1L 1.2L 1.3L

Time 11:25 AM 11:50 AM 12:13 PM 11:50 PM

Height 1.9L 1.9L 1.9L 0.1L

9:42 AM 10:27 AM 11:04 AM 11:32 AM 11:54 AM 5:27 AM 6:48 AM 7:59 AM 8:58 AM 9:48 AM

2.1H 2.0H 2.0H 1.9H 1.8H 1.2L 1.4L 1.6L 1.8L 1.9L

Height 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 0.0L 0.1L 0.1L 0.2L 0.4L 0.5L 0.6L 1.0H 1.1H 1.3H 1.4H 1.5H

Time 12:21 PM 12:46 PM 1:09 PM 8:38 AM 9:25 AM 10:12 AM 10:57 AM 11:34 AM 12:02 PM 12:24 PM 6:23 AM 7:44 AM 8:55 AM 9:54 AM 10:44 AM

Height 1.1L 1.1L 1.2L 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.2H 1.2H 1.1H 1.1H 0.7L 0.9L 1.0L 1.1L 1.1L

Height 1.9H 1.9H 1.9H 1.8H 1.8H 0.2L 0.3L 0.5L 0.6L 0.8L 1.3H 1.5H 1.7H 1.9H 2.1H

Time 10:11 PM 10:40 PM 11:12 PM 11:46 PM

Height 0.0L 0.0L 0.1L 0.1L

9:21 AM 9:59 AM 10:33 AM 11:02 AM 11:28 AM 6:08 AM 7:50 AM 9:22 AM 8:29 PM 9:13 PM

1.7H 1.7H 1.6H 1.5H 1.5H 0.9L 1.1L 1.2L -0.3L -0.5L

Time 3:11 PM 3:18 PM 3:25 PM 3:36 PM 1:45 PM

Height 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.4L

Time 10:35 PM 11:11 PM 11:50 PM 3:50 PM

1.4H

5:30 PM 5:52 PM 6:22 PM 12:20 PM 12:43 PM 1:09 PM 1:39 PM 2:13 PM

1.1L 0.9L 0.7L 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.6H 1.7H

9:46 PM 11:54 PM

1.2H 1.3H

Time 2:36 PM 2:43 PM 2:42 PM

Height 1.9H 1.9H 1.9H

Time Height 10:08 PM -0.1L 10:39 PM 0.0L 11:13 PM 0.0L

6:28 PM 6:21 PM 12:10 PM 12:25 PM 12:41 PM 1:02 PM 1:31 PM Time 3:06 PM 3:13 PM 3:12 PM

1.2L 0.9L 1.8H 1.8H 1.9H 1.9H 2.0H Height 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H

Height 0.0L 0.0L 0.1L

6:56 PM 0.4L 7:33 PM 0.1L 8:14 PM -0.1L 8:57 PM -0.4L 9:42 PM -0.5L

11:24 PM

1.4H

6:39 PM 0.6L 7:08 PM 0.2 L 7:45 PM -0.2L 8:26 PM -0.5L 9:11 PM -0.7L Time 11:04 PM 11:35 PM

Height 0.0L 0.0L

7:24 PM 7:17 PM 12:40 PM 12:55 PM 1:11 PM 1:32 PM 2:01 PM

0.7L 0.5L 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.2H 1.2H

11:54 PM

0.8H

Time

Height

Time

Height

6:57 PM 6:38 PM 6:38 PM 11:52 AM 12:12 PM 12:28 PM

0.9L 0.8L 0.6L 1.4H 1.3H 1.3H

9:14 PM 11:14 PM

1.0H 1.1H

7:35 PM 0.3L 8:04 PM 0.1L 8:41 PM -0.1L 9:22 PM -0.3L 10:07 PM -0.4L

6:51 PM 0.4L 7:16 PM 0.2L 7:49 PM -0.1L

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases First

New

Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. F=Full Moon, N=New Moon, Q=Quarter > = Peak Activity. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.

Last

Full

May 18

May 10

May 31

May 25

Houston

Port O’Connor

Date Time May 10 12:06 AM May 11 12:34 AM May 12 1:06 AM May 13 1:43 AM May 14 2:26 AM May 15 3:12 AM May 16 4:01 AM May 17 4:50 AM May 18 5:39 AM May 19 6:26 AM May 20 11:26 AM May 21 7:44 AM May 22 8:37 AM May 23 9:27 AM May 24 10:21 AM

Rockport

Date Time May 10 12:55 AM May 11 1:41 AM May 12 2:28 AM May 13 3:17 AM May 14 4:04 AM May 15 4:48 AM May 16 5:28 AM May 17 6:02 AM May 18 6:30 AM May 19 12:26 AM May 20 3:47 AM May 21 1:08 PM May 22 12:59 PM May 23 1:12 PM May 24 12:07 AM

Height 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.5L 0.7H 0.7H 0.8H 0.9H 1.0H

Time 11:17 AM 11:48 AM 12:20 PM 12:56 PM 1:34 PM 2:09 PM 2:39 PM 3:01 PM 2:56 PM 1:14 PM 9:11 PM 9:35 PM 10:07 PM 10:47 PM 11:34 PM

Height 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.8H 0.8H 0.7H 0.6H 0.3L 0.2L 0.1L 0.0L -0.1L

Height 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.3L 0.3L 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.5H 0.5H 0.1L

Time 3:11 PM 3:56 PM 4:48 PM 5:45 PM 6:41 PM 7:37 PM 8:38 PM 2:41 PM 2:09 PM 6:48 AM 6:28 AM 10:34 PM 11:19 PM

Height 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.3L 0.3L 0.2L 0.2L

1:46 PM

0.5H

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier Date Time May 10 6:08 AM May 11 6:57 AM May 12 7:46 AM May 13 8:35 AM May 14 9:20 AM May 15 12:22 AM May 16 1:05 AM May 17 1:53 AM May 18 2:51 AM May 19 4:05 AM May 20 12:49 AM May 21 2:10 AM May 22 3:14 AM May 23 4:12 AM May 24 5:08 AM

Height 1.9H 1.9H 1.8H 1.7H 1.6H -0.1L 0.0L 0.2L 0.4L 0.6L 1.1H 1.4H 1.7H 2.0H 2.1H

South Padre Island Date Time May 10 6:28 AM May 11 7:20 AM May 12 8:11 AM May 13 8:59 AM May 14 9:41 AM May 15 12:14 AM May 16 12:54 AM May 17 1:39 AM May 18 2:34 AM May 19 3:44 AM May 20 12:26 AM May 21 2:00 AM May 22 3:11 AM May 23 4:14 AM May 24 5:14 AM

Height 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 0.0L 0.2L 0.3L 0.5L 0.7L 1.0H 1.2H 1.3H 1.5H 1.6H

Time 9:53 PM 10:29 PM 11:05 PM 11:42 PM

Height -0.2L -0.2L -0.2L -0.1L

9:57 AM 10:24 AM 10:42 AM 10:57 AM 11:08 AM 5:35 AM 7:10 AM 8:52 AM 8:18 PM 9:02 PM

1.5H 1.4H 1.4H 1.3H 1.3H 0.9L 1.1L 1.3L -0.4L -0.6L

Time 9:56 PM 10:30 PM 11:03 PM 11:38 PM

Height -0.3L -0.3L -0.2L -0.1L

10:12 AM 10:32 AM 10:44 AM 10:53 AM 10:59 AM 5:12 AM 6:53 AM 7:31 PM 8:12 PM 8:57 PM

1.5H 1.5H 1.4H 1.4H 1.3H 0.8L 0.9L -0.4L -0.7L -0.9L

Time

Height

8:59 PM

0.4L

Time

Height

Time

Height

Time

Height

2013 May 10 Fri N 11 Sat > 12 Sun > 13 Mon 14 Tue 15 Wed 16 Thu 17 Fri Q 18 Sat 19 Sun 20 Mon 21 Tue 22 Wed 23 Thu > 24 Fri > 25 Sat F 26 Sun > 27 Mon > 28 Tue 29 Wed

A.M. Minor Major 6:00 ----6:50 12:38 7:43 1:31 8:35 2:24 9:28 3:16 10:19 4:08 11:09 4:57 11:56 5:45 12:17 6:30 1:02 7:13 1:44 7:56 2:26 8:39 3:11 9:25 4:01 10:15 4:55 11:11 5:56 ----7:01 12:45 8:09 1:53 9:15 3:01 10:18 4:05

Dallas 6:52 PM 8:16 PM 1:47 PM 1:27 PM

0.4L 0.4L 0.4H 0.4H

10:06 PM

0.4H

9:08 PM 9:51 PM

0.3L 0.3L

Time

Height

Time

Height

6:02 PM 6:08 PM 11:15 AM 11:19 AM 11:11 AM

0.7L 0.5L 1.3H 1.3H 1.4H

10:45 PM

0.9H

Time

Height

Time

Height

6:21 PM 6:09 PM 11:01 AM 10:58 AM

0.8L 0.6L 1.2H 1.1H

9:51 PM

0.9H

6:31 PM 0.3L 7:01 PM 0.1L 7:38 PM -0.2L

6:27 PM 0.3L 6:56 PM -0.1L

2013 May 10 Fri N 11 Sat > 12 Sun > 13 Mon 14 Tue 15 Wed 16 Thu 17 Fri Q 18 Sat 19 Sun 20 Mon 21 Tue 22 Wed 23 Thu > 24 Fri > 25 Sat F 26 Sun > 27 Mon > 28 Tue 29 Wed

A.M. Minor Major 6:06 ----6:56 12:44 7:48 1:36 8:41 2:29 9:34 3:22 10:25 4:13 11:14 5:03 ----- 5:50 12:22 6:35 1:07 7:19 1:49 8:01 2:32 8:45 3:17 9:30 4:06 10:21 5:01 11:16 6:01 ----7:07 12:51 8:14 1:59 9:21 3:06 10:24 4:10

San Antonio

2013 A.M. May Minor Major 10 Fri N 6:13 ----11 Sat > 7:03 12:51 12 Sun > 7:55 1:43 13 Mon 8:48 2:36 14 Tue 9:41 3:29 15 Wed 10:32 4:20 16 Thu 11:21 5:10 17 Fri Q ----- 5:57 18 Sat 12:29 6:42 19 Sun 1:14 7:26 20 Mon 1:56 8:08 21 Tue 2:39 8:52 22 Wed 3:24 9:37 23 Thu > 4:13 10:28 24 Fri > 5:08 11:23 25 Sat F 6:08 12:00 26 Sun > 7:14 12:58 27 Mon > 8:21 2:06 28 Tue 9:28 3:13 29 Wed 10:31 4:17

Amarillo

2013 A.M. May Minor 10 Fri N 6:26 11 Sat > 7:16 12 Sun > 8:09 13 Mon 9:01 14 Tue 9:54 15 Wed 10:45 16 Thu 11:34 17 Fri Q ----18 Sat 12:43 19 Sun 1:27 20 Mon 2:10 21 Tue 2:52 22 Wed 3:37 23 Thu > 4:27 24 Fri > 5:21 25 Sat F 6:22 26 Sun > 7:27 27 Mon > 8:34 28 Tue 9:41 29 Wed 10:44

OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen

Solution on Page 26

ACROSS 1. A tasty way to prepare carp 5. A spring procedure for deer hunters 9. Very large on the muley 10. Parts on a bow 11. A type of tent 12. Cloth used to sharpen hooks 13. A black-and-white pelt 14. A handy item to have in the kit 15. Need to have to pack day’s catch in 17. Letter code for a shotgun model 19. A grouse 20. A duck 23. A group of pheasants 26. Line grommet on a fish rod 27. A long-armed tree dweller 28. Color of the bull’s-eye on a shooting target 30. The fish basket 33. The mourning is one 34. A perch 35. A moray

4. A lake dweller 6. A young quail 7. Term for a 20-gauge rifle 8. A game bird 13. A grouse 16. Bait placed in the water to lure fish 18. Not brought down but only ______ 19. The underside of a bow 21. The shoulder hide on a deer 22. Knot on leader to fly line 24. Duck hunter’s lures 25. A grouse 29. The whitetail 31. Initials for famous Texas Longhorn running back 32. A class of bow 37. The trapper’s interest 38. A shedded antler 39. Deer can turn these to pick up sounds 41. A kangaroo pouch 43. Method to lake fish with this

36. A Hawaiian goose 38. To skin a game afield 40. Letter code for a one shot rifle 42. The scaup is one 43. Angler’s name for a large perch 44. Found in the boathouse 45. A scope protector

46. A large member of the deer family 47. A small game predator DOWN 1. Fish in a can 2. A shellfish 3. A species of the bighorn

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May 10, 2013

Major ----1:04 1:56 2:49 3:42 4:34 5:23 6:10 6:56 7:39 8:22 9:05 9:51 10:41 11:36 12:14 1:11 2:19 3:27 4:31

P.M. Minor 6:24 7:15 8:07 8:59 9:51 10:42 11:31 ----12:41 1:24 2:08 2:52 3:38 4:30 5:26 6:27 7:33 8:39 9:44 10:46

Major 12:36 1:03 1:55 2:47 3:40 4:31 5:20 6:07 6:52 7:36 8:20 9:04 9:52 10:44 11:41 12:12 1:17 2:24 3:30 4:32

SUN Rises Sets 06:31 08:03 06:31 08:04 06:30 08:04 06:29 08:05 06:29 08:05 06:28 08:06 06:27 08:07 06:27 08:07 06:26 08:08 06:26 08:09 06:25 08:09 06:25 08:10 06:24 08:10 06:24 08:11 06:24 08:12 06:23 08:12 06:23 08:13 06:22 08:13 06:22 08:14 06:22 08:15

MOON Rises Sets 6:58a 8:53p 7:42a 9:44p 8:29a 10:32p 9:19a 11:17p 10:09a NoMoon 11:01a NoMoon 11:54a 12:37a 12:48p 1:14a 1:43p 1:49a 2:39p 2:23a 3:38p 2:59a 4:39p 3:37a 5:44p 4:18a 6:51p 5:03a 7:58p 5:55a 9:04p 6:52a 10:06p 7:54a 11:01p 8:59a 11:50p 10:06a NoMoon 11:11a

P.M. Minor Major 6:30 12:42 7:20 1:08 8:12 2:00 9:05 2:53 9:57 3:45 10:48 4:36 11:37 5:25 12:01 6:12 12:46 6:58 1:30 7:41 2:13 8:25 2:57 9:10 3:44 9:58 4:35 10:50 5:31 11:47 6:33 12:17 7:38 1:22 8:45 2:29 9:50 3:35 10:51 4:38

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 06:31 08:14 6:57a 9:05p 06:30 08:15 7:42a 9:56p 06:30 08:15 8:28a 10:44p 06:29 08:16 9:18a 11:29p 06:28 08:17 10:09a NoMoon 06:28 08:18 11:02a 12:10a 06:27 08:18 11:56a 12:47a 06:26 08:19 12:51p 1:23a 06:26 08:20 1:47p 1:56a 06:25 08:21 2:45p 2:30a 06:24 08:21 3:45p 3:04a 06:24 08:22 4:48p 3:40a 06:23 08:23 5:54p 4:20a 06:23 08:23 7:02p 5:04a 06:22 08:24 8:11p 5:54a 06:22 08:25 9:17p 6:51a 06:21 08:25 10:18p 7:53a 06:21 08:26 11:12p 8:58a 06:21 08:26 NoMoon 10:06a 06:20 08:27 NoMoon 11:13a

P.M. Minor Major 6:37 12:49 7:27 1:15 8:19 2:07 9:12 3:00 10:04 3:52 10:55 4:43 11:44 5:32 12:08 6:19 12:53 7:05 1:37 7:48 2:20 8:32 3:04 9:17 3:51 10:05 4:42 10:57 5:38 11:54 6:40 12:24 7:45 1:29 8:52 2:36 9:57 3:42 10:58 4:45

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 06:44 08:15 7:11a 9:05p 06:44 08:15 7:56a 9:56p 06:43 08:16 8:43a 10:44p 06:42 08:17 9:32a 11:29p 06:42 08:17 10:23a NoMoon 06:41 08:18 11:15a 12:11a 06:41 08:19 12:08p 12:50a 06:40 08:19 1:01p 1:26a 06:39 08:20 1:56p 2:01a 06:39 08:20 2:52p 2:36a 06:38 08:21 3:51p 3:12a 06:38 08:22 4:52p 3:50a 06:38 08:22 5:57p 4:31a 06:37 08:23 7:03p 5:17a 06:37 08:23 8:11p 6:08a 06:36 08:24 9:17p 7:05a 06:36 08:25 10:18p 8:07a 06:36 08:25 11:13p 9:13a 06:35 08:26 NoMoon 10:19a 06:35 08:26 12:03a 11:25a

P.M. Minor 6:50 7:41 8:33 9:25 10:17 11:08 11:57 12:22 1:07 1:50 2:34 3:18 4:04 4:55 5:52 6:53 7:58 9:05 10:10 11:12

SUN Rises 06:47 06:46 06:46 06:45 06:44 06:43 06:42 06:42 06:41 06:40 06:40 06:39 06:39 06:38 06:37 06:37 06:36 06:36 06:36 06:35

Major 1:02 1:29 2:21 3:13 4:06 4:57 5:46 6:33 7:18 8:02 8:46 9:30 10:18 11:10 ----12:38 1:43 2:50 3:56 4:58

Sets 08:39 08:39 08:40 08:41 08:42 08:43 08:43 08:44 08:45 08:46 08:47 08:47 08:48 08:49 08:49 08:50 08:51 08:52 08:52 08:53

MOON Rises 7:14a 7:58a 8:44a 9:34a 10:26a 11:19a 12:14p 1:10p 2:07p 3:06p 4:07p 5:11p 6:19p 7:28p 8:37p 9:43p 10:44p 11:38p NoMoon 12:25a

Sets 9:31p 10:22p 11:10p 11:55p NoMoon 12:35a 1:12a 1:46a 2:19a 2:51a 3:24a 4:00a 4:38a 5:22a 6:11a 7:07a 8:09a 9:15a 10:23a 11:31a

FOR THE TABLE Stuffed backstrap 1 whole venison tenderloin/backstrap 1 lb. venison burger or breakfast sausage Salt Pepper Garlic powder Bacon 1 large onion, sliced Cut the tenderloin into 6-inch sections. Cut a hole in the middle but do

not cut in half. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stuff each section with deer burger seasoned with your favorite seasonings or use sausage. Place in a baking dish and add enough water to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with more seasonings if desired. Top with bacon and onion slices. Cover with foil and bake overnight at 250 degrees.

— backwoodsbound.com

Crappie gumbo 1 pound crappie fillets, cut into bite size pieces 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 small green pepper, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 can, 28-oz. tomatoes 1 pound okra 1 cup water 1/4 tsp. thyme 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, amount depends on how spicey you want it Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked rice Tabasco sauce In large soup pot melt the butter.

Sauté the onion, green pepper, garlic and celery until tender. Add the tomatoes, okra, water, thyme, red pepper and salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add the crappie and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the fish starts to flake. Serve over cooked rice in individual bowls. Season to taste.

— backwoodsbound.com

*email LSON your favorite recipe to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Page 22

May 10, 2013

LoneOStar Outdoor News

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PRODUCTS

IMAGEVIEW 8X30 MM DIGITAL CAMERA BINOCULAR: Bushnell Outdoor Products’ camera binoculars combine eight-power magnification optics with an integrated 12 MP camera that delivers high-resolution photos and high-definition video, allowing outdoorsmen to capture clear images with ease. The binoculars, built with a compact roof prism design, feature BK7 prisms and fully-coated lenses. At 13.5 ounces, they are light enough to hold steady when capturing images or video in the field for extended periods of time. Compatible with up to a 32GB SD card, outdoorsmen can capture thousands of images, more than two hours of HD video, or a combination of both.

The tripod-adaptable ImageView sells for about $290.

>>

(800) 423-3537 www.bushnell.com

(801) 876-2711 www.browningcom

CRYSTAL 3D MINNOW JOINTED LURE: Yo-Zuri’s multi-species lure is available in a floating and a floating deep-diving model. Both models have a natural minnow-shaped body that produces a responsive darting action plus a new joint pin strong enough to hold on to the biggest of freshwater or saltwater game fish. And, they are finished in a 3-D prism effect that produces a reflective shine that attracts fish from far distances or in turbid water. The shallow floating version features a triangle lip design, which allows the lure to maintain an enticing rolling action even when it is being fished slowly. The deep dive model is designed to get down to where the big fish lurk.

The 5 1/4-inch lures are available in 12 colors. They sell for about $20.

>>

>>

A-BOLT III: Browning describes its latest A-Bolt as a precision, accurate and value-priced rifle. Its new features include a bolt unlock button that allows users to unload the firearm while leaving the safety on; a removable box magazine; and an inflex recoil pad to reduce felt recoil. The A-Bolt III Composite Stalker model is chambered in .30-06, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag or 7 MM Rem Mag. The composite stock is matte black with textured grip areas while its steel receiver has a matte blue finish and is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Its hand-chambered barrel features a free floating, target crown. The A-Bolt III sells for about $600.

(888) 336-9775 www.yo-zuri.com

WHITETAIL TWO-MAN BLIND: This weather-resistant and bug-resistant blind by Advantage Hunting Blinds is lightweight and virtually maintenance-free. It has a heavy-duty polyethylene shell with a carpeted pressure-treated plywood floor, tinted windows for a 360-degree view, plus a polycarbonate window that flips up and out the way for gun or crossbow hunting. The 5-foot by 5-foot by 6-foot-1-inch tall blind offers a through-bolt design with interlocking corners. It sells for about $700 (platform available separately).

(800) 772-7679 www.advantagehunting.com

>>

OUTDOOR BUSINESS

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LoneOStar Outdoor News

Page 23

May 10, 2013

State fish art winners announced

REALLY GOOD: This lionfish by Erin Werner of Santa Fe won first place in the grades 4-6 category. Photo by Wildlife Forever.

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, headquarters for the Texas division of Wildlife Forever’s State-Fish Art Contest, has announced the Texas division winners for 2013.

In the K-3 category, winners were: First Place, Sofia Elena Di Stefano of Keller; Second Place, Tatyana Panchishna of Flower Mound; Third Place, Gabriella Malapitan of Flower Mound.

In the grades 4-6 category, winners were: First Place, Erin Werner of Santa Fe; Second Place, Amy Liu of Sugar Land; Third Place, Madeleine Alexander of Keller.

In the grades 7-9 category, winners were: First Place, Casey Nixon of Longview; Second Place, Daniel Heaney of Roanoke; Third Place, Candice Ma of Sugar Land.

In the grades 10-12 category, winners were: First Place, Brady King of Livingston; Second Place, Jessica Hooks of Fred; Third Place, Mary Campbell of Fort Worth.

Texas artists and their families will be recognized at an expo and banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens on June 15.

First-place winners will advance to the national level and compete against winners from other states. National winners will be announced at an expo to be held at the Go Fish Education Center in Perry, Georgia, July 12-13.

Texas winners received $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place and $500 for third place in the grades 10-12 division. Prizes in the K-3, 4-6 and 7-9 grade levels were $100 for first; $75 for second; $50 for third.

— TPWD

Executive Editor Craig Nyhus Managing Editor Conor Harrison Associate Editor Mark England Graphics Editor Amy Moore Business/Products Editor Mary Helen Aguirre Intern Jacob Longoria Operations Manager Mike Hughs Accounting Ginger Hoolan Website Bruce Soileau

National Advertising Mike Nelson Accounts Manager Automotive Advertising Dave Irvine Founder & CEO David J. Sams

Contributors Wilbur Lundeen Erich Schlegel David Sikes

Bluegill Continued From Page 11

grow at a faster rate.

“Young bass need minnows,” he said.

“When they get older, they eat shad and small bluegills. As they get older, they also eat good-sized bluegills.”

A bluegill’s diet mostly consists of small bugs, snails and the feed from local pond feeders.

Tibbs believes any bluegill less than 6 inches is at a “vulnerable stage.” Once they get more than 6 inches, they are not hunted as much and can defend themselves.

At 5 years of age, they can grow up to 8 inches in length. The lifespan of a bluegill is only six or seven years.

On freshwater ponds near the coast, a prime predator to bluegills are pelicans, which can eat several small bluegills at a time, according

to Tibbs. Standing timber on private ponds provide great landing spots for pelicans, especially when near the water.

“Don’t leave standing timber; sink it,” Tibbs said.

Pelican use the timber to sit and dive for bluegills with ease.

When a body of water holds big bluegill measuring more than 6 inches, this is a great sign the largemouth bass will be big as well.

Bluegills are known for the being protective of their nests. When a lure or bait is put in front of them while they are protecting their nest, they will strike hard, making them fun and easy targets for anglers.

Males create nests in less than 4 feet of water and tend to bunch up. Lakes Conroe, Fork, Arlington and Possum Kingdom are amoung Texas lakes with a good population of bluegills.

HOOKED: Male bluegills can be caught while protecting their beds. Photo by LSON.

Nikon will send your 10x42 ProStaff 7 binoculars.

You can check out the entire line at the nearest dealer: See a full selection of Nikon products at:

Victoria All Sports 1902 Houston Hwy Victoria, Texas 77901 victoriaallsports.com (361) 575-0655

LAYNE GERKE was hunting in turkeys on April 20 in Lavaca County when he and his dad found this big boy strutting.

Layne put a sneak on the bird and got within 50 yards, with his mom and older brother keeping the tom occupied with their calling.

One shot from his .17 HMR rifle was all it took.

Advertising Call (214) 361-2276 or email mhughs@lone staroutdoornews.com to request a media kit.

Scott Sommerlatte Chuck Uzzle Ralph Winingham

For home delivery subscriptions www.LSONews.com (214) 361-2276

Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 21628300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues.

Newsstand copies are $2, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2013 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 news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Page 24

May 10, 2013

LoneOStar Outdoor News

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HEROES SHARE AN ADVENTURE ■ 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.

This big tom was taken by Keller resident HUNTER JONES, 12, on his first turkey hunt in Dimmit County.

MAGGIE TYLER was fishing with a friend when she caught this 17-inch, 3.85-pound crappie. The fish was submitted to TPWD for the Texas junior state record crappie for length.

TOWSEND VOGT, 8, was hunting in Jim Hogg County in November when he harvested his first buck, this 13-pointer scoring 140 B&C.

OLIVIA SEKULA took this 11-point buck scoring 143 B&C with one shot from her .270.

ERIC RAMIREZ, from Donna, harvested this beauty of a redfish measuring 26 inches using a pink top-water.

ABE PEREZ was hunting with BDS Outfitters in Willacy County when he took this big nilgai cow.

Spring Branch angler TYLER MCNEEL, right, caught this 43-pound kingfish on a recent trip to Port Aransas.

KACEE CRAWFORD took this big mule deer in the Panhandle shooting a Remington 7 MM-08.

BEVERLY PERRY fished Lake Cooper on March 30 and caught this 10-pound hybrid with boyfriend Billy White of Billy’s Guide Service.

CLASSIFIEDS BIG CUTTING BOARDS 24"x48" Cutting Boards for hunters and fishermen. Made in the U.S.A. BigCuttingBoards.com

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SOUTH PADRE FISHING Reds, Trout, Flounder, Snook. Everything supplied but food and licenses.

Multiple trip discounts. Call Capt. Thomas for details or CDCT12005@aol.com (956) 551-1965

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CORPORATE LEASE 20 to 30 Bucks per year. 150 to 200 B&C. Call (512) 752-3622 or (512) 756-3194

KABA 3D SHOOT KERRVILLE ARCHERY AND BOWHUNTERS ASSOCIATION 3-D Archery Tournaments, 11:00am-2:00pm. March 24, April 14, May 5, May 26, June 9. Center Point, TX 78010. www.kabatexas.org (830) 634-2878

SOLAR GENERATOR ENCLOSED TRAILER MOUNTED 3500 Watt. 6000 Watt surge. Larger sizes available.

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Group lessons available.

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2 issues minimum Call (214) 361-2276 or email LSONacct@gmail.com

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Texas to receive oil-spill funding Five Texas-based projects totaling about $18 million have been proposed to begin to compensate Texas for lost human use of natural resources resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The three artificial reef and two state park projects are part of the latest round of early restoration led by state and federal Natural Resource Damage Assessment trustees.

The five proposed Texas-based projects are listed below. All costs are approximate.

• Galveston Island State Park Beach Re-development. The project would construct multi-use campsites, tent campsites, an equestrian trail head, beach access via dune walk-over boardwalks and other recreational enhancements on the Gulf side of Galveston Island State Park. The purpose is to restore the loss of recreational opportunities by enhancing access to the Gulf. Estimated cost: $10.7 million.

• Sea Rim State Park Amenities. The project would construct facilities to provide

enhanced recreation within Sea Rim State Park, including a fish cleaning station, restroom facility, and two wildlife viewing blinds, in order to enhance fishing experiences, wildlife observation, and educational interpretive opportunities. Estimated cost: $210,000.

• Texas Artificial Reef off the mid or upper coast. This project would place artificial reef structures offshore if the necessary largescale materials are available. Or, it would enhance existing, permitted nearshore reef sites using constructed, stable and clean materials. Artificial reefs are used by fishermen and scuba divers as recreational areas because of the aquatic community that develops in reef habitat. Estimated cost: $1.8 million.

• Brazoria Neashore Artificial Reef Enhancement. This project would enhance a nearshore reef site off Freeport. Estimated cost: $2 million.

• Matagorda Nearshore Artificial Reef. This project would include construction of a new nearshore artificial reef off of Matagorda.

Estimated cost: $3.5 million.

— TPWD

Sound Continued From Page 11

from 1,400 feet off the bottom.”

But he is quick to say his product doesn’t use vibration.

“It is not a vibration, it is a frequency,” he said.

“We take multiple frequencies and create our own. All (game fish) react to the same frequencies, but some react faster. Saltwater fish react the quickest.”

Several studies have been conducted on sound frequencies attracting fish. One study in Australia had fairly dramatic results. Knowing that sound can travel for miles in water, they experi-

mented to see if it attracted returning fish.

“The researchers built 24 artificial reefs off the coast of Australia, leaving some silent and planting speakers in others to broadcast reef noise. In the first test, reefs with sound collected 325 fish, compared with 108 in silent reefs. A second experiment had high-frequency noise, low-frequency noise and silent reefs. Reefs with high-frequency sounds attracted 1,118 fish, the lowfrequency reefs 1,171 and the silent reefs 657.

“The researchers say their finding raises the possibility there may be damaging effects from human-caused noise, such as that from shipping and drilling. The discovery may show fishery managers a new way to attract fish to restock depleted areas.”

But some biologists in Texas aren’t so sure.

“I am a little skeptical,” said Mark Fisher, TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries science director. “But it very well might pull some fish toward a boat that are curious.”

May 10, 2013

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DATEBOOK May 11

Dallas Safari Club YPG Crawfish Boil Barley House (972) 980-9800 biggame.org Coastal Conservation Association Matagorda Bays Lil’ Salties Fishing Tournament (979) 541-9901 ccatexas.org Delta Waterfowl Muddy Water Chapter (Wichita Falls) Trap Shoot Iowa Park Gun Club (940) 781-3129 deltawaterfowl.org

May 16

National Wild Turkey Federation Cottonwood Creek Chapter Banquet Stonebriar Country Club, Frisco (972) 473-9190 nwtf.org/texas

May 17

Texas Deer Association Sportsmen’s Night Out Rustic Gardens San Antonio www.texasdeerassociation.com

May 17-18

Arabia Shrine Sportsmen 9th Annual Calcutta Fishing Tournament Matagorda Harbor (713) 296-9154 arabiashrinesportsmen.com

May 17-19

Dallas Safari Club Monthly Meeting Bent Tree Country Club (972) 980-9800 biggame.org

Legend of Lake Fork 9th Annual Bass Tournament Lake Fork Marina (903) 383-7748 legendoflakefork.com

Ducks Unlimited Comal County Banquet New Braunfels Civic Center (830) 660-2007 ducks.org/texas

May 18

Ducks Unlimited Dripping Springs Banquet The Terrace Club (512) 496-8333 ducks.org/texas

Bass Champs Central #4 Lake Travis (817) 439-3274 basschamps.com

Ducks Unlimited Alvin Banquet Alvin Knights of Columbus Hall (281) 393-1100 ducks.org/texas

National Wild Turkey Federation Bois D’Arc Chapter Banquet Bonham Golf and Country Club (903) 227-1204 nwtf.org/texas

Kayak Angler Tournament Series Canyon Lake (512) 719-4386 fishkats.com

Crappie Anglers of Texas Lake Palestine Tournament (903) 887-0334 crappieanglersoftexas.com

May 18-19

Texas Gun and Knife Show Abilene Civic Center (830) 285-0575 texasgunandknifeshows.com

May 23

Ducks Unlimited Plano Dinner and Banquet Classic BMW, Plano (903) 372-6089 ducks.org/texas

May 24-25

Willacy County Young Farmers Annual Fundraising Fishing Tournament Port Mansfield Community Pavilion (956) 746-6810 wcyf.org

May 25

Third Coast Fishing Tournament Bluff’s Landing Marina and Lodge (361) 992-5152 winthirdcoast.com National Wild Turkey Federation Panola County Banquet Carthage Civic Center (903) 754-4635 nwtf.org/texas

June 1

National Wild Turkey Federation Hopkins County Longbeards Banquet Hopkins County VFW, Sulphur Springs (903) 885-6237 nwtf.org/texas Texas Team Trail Cedar Creek Tournament (210) 788-4143 texasteamtrail.com

LONE STAR MARKET

Puzzle solution from Page 21

To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or email him at mhughs@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

June 7-8

Texas Deer Association Brush to Bay Fishing Tournament Bluff’s Landing Marina and Lodge Corpus Christi www.texasdeerassociation.com

June 8

National Wild Turkey Federation Pease River Chapter Banquet Crowell Activity Center (940) 684-1372 nwtf.org/texas 5th Annual Battle of the Bay Fishing Tournament and BBQ Cook-off Kaufer Hubert Park Docks Baffin Bay (361) 296-3798

June 14-15

Texas Game Warden Association Fishing Tournament and Music Festival Roberts Point Park, Port Aransas texasgamewarden.com

June 15

National Wild Turkey Federation 8th Annual JAKES Day Comfort (210) 422-8783 nwtf.org/texas

June 22

Lone Star Bowhunter Association 2013 Annual Awards Banquet and Expo Brazos County Expo Center, Bryan (214) 282-3697 lonestarbowhunter.com Rudy’s Texas Redfish Series Galveston Tournament redfishseries.com

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May 10, 2013

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