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Lone✯Star Outdoor News
May 13, 2011
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Solar shield Skin cancer dangers for anglers. Page 8
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
May 13, 2011
Volume 7, Issue 18
Go big for big bass
Inside
By Nicholas Conklin LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
❘❚ HUNTING
Dove opener TPWD wants to open South Zone season three days later than usual. Page 4
Early honkers First-time September season suggested for resident geese. Page 4
❘❚ FISHING
Demystifying Corkies Is there some kind of trick to using this legendary lure? Page 8
aggressive, hungry fish. Because of their ability to attract large bass, the big baits can be very productive if fished properly, said Kurt Dove, a guide and tournament angler. Dove, of Del Rio, prefers swimbody baits 5 to 7 inches long. Dove said that because of the nature of fish, the big ones will do what they can to protect themselves and their offspring and will often attack things much larger. “Bass are predators,” Dove said. “They want to rule their territory, so when you throw a big bait into an area with some big fish, they want to make sure that those other species of fish around them know that they’re the boss.”
In Tony Clark’s 23 years of guiding on Lake Fork, his April 30 trip presented him with a truly new experience. A “double hookup of sorts’ was how Clark described his client’s catch of two fish on one cast. Fishing a top-water lure, angler Myron Sims of Quitman was reeling in what he thought was a small 1 1/2pound fish. But things took a bizarre turn when the fish began to take out drag. “All of a sudden that rod doubled over, and it started ripping drag,” Clark said. “We all kind of looked at one another and right about that time it came up to the boat.” They finally saw that another bass weighing an estimated 9 pounds had bitSee BIG BASS, Page 20 ten onto the smaller bass. Because of this strong BIG RESULTS: Mark Watson of predatory reaction of largeFort Worth recently caught this mouth bass, many anglers largemouth on Lake Fork with a big have turned to the larger jig combo lure that he put together swimbody type lures. from two Stanley products: a Baits in excess of 7 inches 3/8-ounce FlipMax jig coupled with a 4-inch Y-Not trailer. Photo by have become common as Mark Watson. anglers are trying to attract
Devils River Clear water and plenty of smallmouths make for a unique angling adventure. Page 8
❘❚ CONTENTS Classifieds . . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . . . Fishing Report . . . . . . For the Table. . . . . . . Game Warden Blotter . . . Heroes. . . . . . . . . . Outdoor Datebook . . . . Outfitters and Businesses . Products . . . . . . . . . Sun, Moon and Tide data .
❘❚ LSONews.com
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By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Fishing along the Texas coast for redfish the past few weeks has been outstanding, according to area guides. Rockport Capt. Ron Coulston said the trout bite has even been better than the redfish bite. “The last two or three trips I’ve focused on trout, because the trout fishing has been the best it’s been in the past four or five years,” Coulston said. “The fish have followed the bait in and there is a lot of bait
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
See REDS, Page 20
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Google Earth pinpoints buck
Reds, trout are on!
By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
TECHY HUNTER: Matt Ramirez helped recover his deer using Google Earth imagery. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON.
Matt Ramirez’s dad, Mario, told his 12-yearold son to take him to the spot he where he thought his deer had died. Thirty minutes later, the pair, along with Matt’s brother, Gabe, all were admiring the biggest buck of Matt’s life. See GOOGLE EARTH, Page 20
Aerial hog hunt for hire By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Helicopter pilot Dustin Johnson of Knox City is tired of hearing about “Billy Bob.” He has heard that name a lot lately while fielding questions about a bill in the Legislature that he favors. If approved, the so-called “Pork Chopper” bill would allow hunters to pay pilots like him to take them hog hunting — from helicopters. Johnson said some people wanted AIR ASSAULT: A bill to know if a bunch of yahoos would in the Legislature, if be doing the shooting. approved, will allow “They liked using that term — Billy hunters to purchase Bob,” he said. “They ask, ‘Is it just aerial hog hunting opportunities. Photo by Dustin Johnson.
See HOG HUNT, Page 29
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May 13, 2011
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May 13, 2011
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May 13, 2011
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HUNTING
South Zone dove season could open 3 days late
Season wrap: Mixed bag for turkey hunters dealing with drought, wildfires By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
By Bill Miller
As another spring melts into summer, turkey season in North Texas wraps up May 15. Despite erratic weather, drought and fire, turkey hunters in the North Zone enjoyed success this year. According to Terry Cook of Straight Line Outfitters in Amarillo, the birds were gobbling strong through the end of the season.
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS South Zone dove hunters mark their calendars for a season opener around Sept. 20, but this year, they might have to mark a date three days later. Dave Morrison, small game program director for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said the season traditionally opened the Friday nearest Sept. 20. He explained that Sept. 20 has also been an important date because mourning dove hatchlings are generally ready to leave their nests by then. But this year, the Friday nearest Sept. 20 is Sept 23. “We misread the calendar,” Morrison said. So Sept. 23 is the date TPWD would like to begin the South Zone season, along with the season for the special white-winged dove area. But, since mourning dove are a migratory bird, it’s up to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to approve a Sept. 23 opener in the South Zone, Morrison said. It might be late June before FWS officials consider the request, Morrison said.
Early blackand-whites Plan would let hunters shoot Canadas during September teal season
By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Say, September waterfowl hunters, would you like a couple Canadas to go with those teal? That might be possible if federal wildlife officials, who decide migratory bird issues, OK a plan to let hunters shoot “resident” Canada geese during the September teal season. Daily bag limit would be three of the black-and-white “honkers.” The plan mirrors similar ones in Kansas and Oklahoma, where Canada geese, migratory by nature, have decided to stay put. They’ve proliferated and formed flocks, but their
excrement is blamed for damage to parks, lawns, cemeteries and golf courses. Dave Morrison, small game program director for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said resident populations evolved from pets that have turned wild. Others simply edged into Texas from neighboring states. Most of these flocks are up along the Red River. Morrison noted, however, that damage caused by geese to Texas landscapes has not been as bad as other states. “Really, we don’t have a significant problem right now,” Morrison said. “States like Kansas have big problems and they’ve
See BLACK-AND-WHITES, Page 27
“The birds have been gobbling like crazy,” he said. “The hens have gone to the nests, and we have a lot of birds searching like crazy for hens.” In the Trans-Pecos region, hunters did have success, although the drought took its toll on the birds and the hunters pursuing them. “It was all about water,” said Ray Hood of the National Wild See SEASON WRAP, Page 14
MODERATE SUCCESS: It has been a tough spring turkey season this year in Texas. Heat, cold, fires and drought all contributed to the challenge, while some birds just wouldn’t respond to calls. But Brian White (right) of Dallas beat the odds to topple this tom on a ranch in Comanche County. Assisting Brian was Adam Greene, ranch manager (left). Photo by Bill Hutchison.
Chemical studied for Trans-Pecos creosote control By John R. Meyer FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS For generations, ranchers on the vast expanses of open flatland in the TransPecos have battled creosote. The plant’s roots are ultra efficient; they suck more groundwater than any other plant around them, robbing acreage of valuable grasses and habitat for livestock and wildlife. But one herbicide can help landowners, if they’re willing to carry its cost of about $40 an acre, and the patience to see the results. This chemical substance, Spike 20P by Dow AgroSciences, has been studied for two years by Jason Wagner at Sul Ross University’s Borderlands Research Institute. It kills creosote CREOSOTE JUNGLE: A javelina weaves in and out of West Texas creosote bushes. The herbicide Spike 20P effectively controls by preventing the the moisture-sucking plants, but results are generally seen two years after an area is sprayed. Photo by John R. Meyer, for absorption of nutri- Lone Star Outdoor News. ents from the soil attention span though, and there are ment,” Wagner said. “Forbs are vital for through the roots. deer and pronghorn browse, and (they) It takes about two years for the plant side effects. “Basically we are finding that Spike produce seeds that are important for to deplete its own reserves before ulti20P can be detrimental to forbs for a year mately dying. See CREOSOTE CONTROL, Page 14 Land restoration is not for a short and a half to two years following treat-
If roosts destroyed, turkeys will take a hit from fires By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Dallas hunter Jack Minter looked out on the burnt and devastated property he hunts in North Texas and wondered how the turkeys were ever going to return without food, nesting cover or a place to roost. Minter wasn’t alone. Many ranch owners across portions of the state devastated by wildfires are asking questions about how to bring turkeys back to their property. Jason Hardin, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s turkey biologist, said the birds would return when the areas green up, unless their traditional roosts were destroyed by flames. “A lot of that country in the rolling
plains was so dry to begin with, I really didn’t expect a lot of nesting success anyway,” Hardin said. “There just wasn’t a high percentage of birds that were going to nest. And the hens that did nest, probably won’t renest.” Most, if not all, turkeys managed to escape the flames by ground or air — many relocating miles from their home ranges, Hardin said. “The birds will be dispersed depending on how big the fires were, and some birds probably had to move a long ways — some 20 miles or more,” Hardin said. “If historical roosts weren’t destroyed, that could be a positive with rainfall (because of improvements to habitat). “Some of those areas that lost roost sites, they are looking at a tougher situa-
tion. It might take 20 years to build those roosts back up.” Some landowners, like Minter, are building artificial roosts to replace the areas that burned. “I’m putting rebar through telephone poles and putting some of those up to help get the birds off the ground,” Minter said. Hardin said if the area receives rainfall, the forage will be great for supporting birds. “Beyond the roost sites, the fire knocked down a bunch of ash juniper,” he said. “When the rains come back, it will provide great forage for turkeys.” One negative side effect of the fire and loss of roosting areas is a higher predation of birds that have no place to get off the ground, Hardin said.
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Lone✯Star Outdoor News
Range fire destroys home of wildlife ‘evangelist’
May 13, 2011
‘Puppy Mill’ bill riles sporting dog breeders By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
By Bill Miller
“There’s no doubt that if you want the land to be productive, you have to Bittersweet is an apt way to work at it,” he said. “Just describe April 2011 for Rolling because you suffered one Plains rancher Rob Hailey. loss doesn’t mean everyTexas Parks and Wildlife thing stops with that.” Department announced April In announcing the 2011 28, that his historic propland stewards awards, erty, 25,000 acres northeast TPWD reported that Hailey of Abilene, is one of a dozen has been described as “the ranches that will receive the hardest working man in 2011 Regional Lone Star Land wildlife management” and Stewards award. “an evangelist for natuThe land is well-known to ral resource conservation, hunters across the state. But hunting ethics, and land on April 17, flames from a wildstewardship in the Rolling fire raced across 100 acres of the Plains.” ranch, which spans Shackelford His efforts for wildlife and Jones counties. have included discing, Flames overtook the 100-yearlivestock deferment, food old ranch house that was built ARSON: Flames that razed the ranch house at Rob plots, water troughs and, by his pioneering grandfather. Hailey's historic ranch northeast of Abilene are yes, prescribed burns. believed to have been deliberately set. Photo by The fire was one the numerous “You can walk nearly fiery calamities that beset Texas Rob Hailey. anywhere on the ranch in recent weeks. and see a hundred different But this blaze may have been and that was it.” intentionally set, Hailey said. Hailey said he is blessed to plant species,” he said. “The Investigators told Hailey that have friends from across Texas ranch hosts numerous field they found evidence of a “firebug.” and from as far away as Georgia days and an annual youth “They see a fire on TV and then and Tennessee who drove out to hunting event for over 50 they want to see their fire,” Hailey his place to help clear away the kids and their parents.” Hailey assured that he will said. “I was working outside and I remains of his home. smelled smoke that Sunday afterIn some ways, however, Hailey rebuild. “We’ll be fine,” he said. noon three weeks ago; then all hasn’t grasped the reality of the fire. “And, hey, there is so much to of a sudden I saw some smoke. I “It was really chilly this past called 911.” Monday morning,” he recalled, be thankful for. Yes, I lost my Hailey rushed back to his house, “and I thought, ‘I need to go in house, but none of my pets but firefighters couldn’t save it. and get a jacket.’ Then I realized were in it.” The Lone Star Land “We have a glass door on the the jackets are gone now.” south side of the house and the But Hailey still has plenty to do Stewards awards ceremony flames were right at the porch, eat- on the land. He was on a tractor will be May 25 at the Austin ing at the door,” he said. “We got when he took a recent telephone Airport Marriott South Hotel out three guns and a computer call from Lone Star Outdoor News. in Austin.
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
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Sporting groups from Texas and beyond are marshaling forces against a bill in the Texas Legislature that they say will unfairly put hunting dog breeders under regulations intended to crack down on abusive “puppy mills.” The bill moved to the Senate in late April after passing the House by a 95-44 vote. The bill, introduced by State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, would tighten regulations on socalled puppy mills by requiring licensing, annual inspections, health standards and fees. The sporting dog supporters have called the bill excessive and claimed it will prevent some breeders from operating. The Ohio-based U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance reported the bill is opposed by a coalition of 30 groups, including the American Kennel Club. Among the eight Texas members as of May 5 were the Texas Dog Hunters Association and the Texas Wildlife Association. “If the state has evidence of abuse and needs to regulate large breeders, we don’t have an issue with that,” said Jeremy Rine, USSA’s associate director of state services. “The problem is that the bill is written in such a way that it will affect sporting dog and hobby breeders by treating them as large operators. The bill would classify breeders of dogs and cats as commercial operations if they have 11 or more “intact” females that aren’t spayed. Rine said most of the legitimate breeders don’t sell enough dogs to cover license fees and kennel upgrades that would be required under the bill.
“These are not the folks you see on TV getting busted in these huge puppy mills,” he said. “There is no information showing that they act that way.” But filthy kennel conditions have Rep. Thompson determined to see her bill pass. During an interview May 5, she pointed out recent examples of dogs and cats rescued from squalid operations that supply the pet shops in Texas. “That’s what I’m trying to prevent,” she said. “I’m after pet stores that breed them in a large quantity. “These are normally not your hunting dog breeders, but this bill could cover them. But to be covered by it, they would have to have 11 females pregnant at the same time.” If they have fewer than 11, Thompson said, “the bill doesn’t touch them.” She introduced a similar bill in 2009, but the Legislature adjourned before it could get a final vote. The 2011 session is expected to end May 30. “We made a lot of adjustments for people who oppose the bill until we just ran out of spit,” she said. “Now we have a streamlined bill that’s not intended to put anyone out of business.” But if it does pass, there will be nationwide implications, Rine said. “Texas is a pretty darn sportsman-friendly state,” he said, “and, when animal rights people have a victory there, it’s not unreasonable to think that will give them ammo to go after other states.” The Texas Senate had not yet voted on the "Puppy Mill bill" by press time for this issue of Lone Star Outdoor News. Be checking www.lsonews.com for updates.
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ADVENTURE
Merriam’s, by myself By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Once in a while, a hunter needs to get back to his roots. Nothing cleanses the soul and refreshes the spirit like a solo hunt into the mountains, especially after moving to Texas from Montana several years ago. After writing several articles on hunting Merriam’s turkeys in Texas, and discovering you either have to know someone with a ranch in the Davis Mountains, purchase a hunt at auction, or both, I decided it was time to head west to our neighboring state of New Mexico. I would be hunting a private ranch near Raton found while looking through several classified sections on turkey hunting forums. Even if you can’t find a private ranch, New Mexico has fantastic turkey hunting on public lands in the Gila National Forest, Sacramento Mountains and the Zuni Mountains. After a long drive, I pulled into the ranch headquarters and met the ranch manager, Tim. After going over several maps that showed the ranch boundaries, which I had already scouted on Google Earth — a great scouting resource — I headed to the ranch and the start of the hunt. The ranch consisted of stands of ponderosa pines, scrub oak and dramatic elevation changes from valleys to the tops of mesas. I would be sleeping in a tent for this hunt to cut down on costs. After taking an hour to set up camp, I began a long walk to get familiar with the ranch. My long
walk lasted about 200 yards, when a bird gobbled from the top of a ridge behind camp. After working the bird for nearly an hour, it was clear he was with hens and was not coming to me. No problem, I’d find another bird. I drove to another section of the ranch and walked along a road that wound through great turkey country. These birds are mountain birds, preferring the upper benches along ridgelines, especially during the afternoons after they have left their strutting areas. Around 4 p.m., after walking close to a mile and calling every 200 yards, a bird gobbled — close. Hurrying to set up my decoys, the tom circled behind my position and approached from the exact opposite direction I was expecting. After a quick move to reposition myself, and a few purrs on the slate call, the tom was coming. Due to tight cover, I couldn’t see the bird until he was almost to my decoys. Four hours after arriving in New Mexico, I was admiring a fine tom taken at 8 yards. What a way to get back to mountain hunting! Sitting outside my tent cooking a steak on a portable grill, I soaked in the calm evening breezes that blew through the canyons. Interrupted by gobbling, I abandoned my steak long enough to glass more than 30 turkeys moving up the valley below to a stand of ponderosas not more than 250 yards from camp. I ate a satisfying dinner as the birds flew into the pines, gobbling every time I closed the door to my truck. I awoke next morning to gobbles at first light — not a bad way
COMFORTABLE CAMP: A tent, chair, stove and two trophies. A great way to spend a weekend in the turkey woods.
to start a day. After rolling out of bed, I set up below the turkeys still on the roost. Like many previous turkey hunts, the birds did not cooperate off the roost. Instead of coming to my decoys, the dozen or so toms headed the opposite BIGFOOT: Mountain birds leave large way down the valley with tracks. Finding tracks is an important step in finding mountain toms. a large group of hens. I couldn’t get very upset; I still had time, and eventually I was in spectacular country that back, calling her up the SUCCESS: A mature tom is the reward for walking and callheld lots of birds. Around 10 a.m., walking down mountain, putting ing at midmorning. Photos by Conor Harrison, LSON. the same road where I had killed the whole way. mountain. The tom took the first bird, I saw a strutting gobI headed back home, tired and the bait and 30 minutes later, my bler below me. He was with females, so I began New Mexico turkey season was happy. Old Man Mountain had smiled mocking the boss hen. The more over. In two days, I had two toms she called, the more I called right and a wonderful night on the upon this Texas hunter.
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Lone✯Star Outdoor News
Do-it-yourself turkey fan mount makes memento You've killed that big gobbler and want a memento from the hunt of a lifetime. One of the more popular ways to preserve a memorable turkey hunt is with the fan and beard mounted on a plaque. You can take it to a taxidermist, but if you want to save some money, doing it yourself is a fairly simple process. • Remove the beard by cutting it away from the breast. Be sure to leave just enough flesh at the base to keep the bristles intact. Moisten the base and dip it in a mixture of salt and borax (about 50-50). Then set it in a well-ventilated area to dry. • Cut the tail off at its base, again leaving enough flesh and bone so the fan stays intact. When in doubt, err on the side of caution; you can remove more later. • Beginning on the underside, fillet the flesh and smaller feathers away from the tail base by guiding your knife blade along the shafts of the retrices (large tail feathers). You'll soon encounter a bone at the center of the fan base. Leave this intact, for now. • Turn the tail over, and do the same thing on the top, leaving the first layer of tail coverts (smaller feathers) intact. This first layer lacks the dark band at the top.
• Using a pair of diagonal cutters, cut away the bone in the center of the tail base. If you did all the above correctly, there should be enough tissue remaining to keep the large tail retrices connected together as a fully intact fan. • Carefully trim away any remaining flesh and fat, then cover any remaining tissue generously with your salt-borax mix. • Spread the tail out into a half circle and tack to a board or other hard surface to dry. • Go back to the flesh and feathers you filleted off the tail and pluck out some of the shorter tail feathers that originally covered the top side of the fan base — eight or 10 should suffice — and set them aside for later. Most outdoor retailers sell game bird fan mount plaques that come with slots for the fan and beard, or you can make your own. • Once the fan has dried, lay some of the shorter feathers back in place and fasten them with hot glue. • Hot-glue the beard in the bottom slot and the fan in the top slot and hang it on the wall. — Compiled from Yamaha's Tip of the Week
May 13, 2011
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FISHING
Smallmouths on the Devils River in West Texas producing huge smallmouths By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Rick Lehrman was in heaven. Four days on one of Texas’ best-kept secrets will do that. The Fort Worth man and his son, Garrett, recently returned from a four-day fishing and paddling trip on the Devils River in southwest Texas — quickly becoming one of the top destinations in the state for trophy smallmouths. “It was the trip of a lifetime,” Lehrman said. “We kayaked 22 miles up and back, so it’s not a trip for the light of heart. You need to be in good physical condition to kayak that far. The fishing is just unbelievable.” Lehrman said under any of the many piles of buckbrush were fish waiting to be caught. “The water is so clear, you think you’re in the Caribbean,” he said. “It was fantastic smally, largemouth and sand bass Davies starts his trip in largefishing. Along with the mouth country just north of Lake unbelievable fishing, the Amistad and heads upriver into wildlife is phenomenal.” smallmouth territory. Lehrman said he and “The run of 20-inch fish we’ve had Garrett spotted the biggest the past two trips has been phenomenal,” Davies said. “We put a huge mountain lion he’s ever emphasis on catch and release, so seen while on the trip. hopefully, we can catch those fish But Garrett, 14, set the again. We’ve had a pretty good run.” new junior angler state Davies called the river the “last fronrecord for smallmouths tier for Texas anglers and paddlers.” with a 21.5–inch fish “It’s just a fantastic backcountry caught during the trip. paddling trip,” he said. “The fishing is “The fishing was really just gravy on this river. It’s such great,” Garrett said. “We a clear-water fishery, that a lot of what caught a bunch of smallhappens (underwater), you see it.” mouths, and there were Late spring is the best time to the largemouths and sand fish the river before it gets too hot, bass everywhere.” but, according to Davies, the fishing Their guide, and longis good year-round. time Devils River angler, for Top-water baits such as buzzbaits, the trip was Shane Davies. jigs and small spoons all catch fish “Obviously, great water on the Devils River. Anglers should quality is inherent in great DEVILS FUN: Guide Shane Davies, top, and angler Rick Lehrman hold focus on structure and sight-fishing smallmouth fisheries,” two trophy smallmouths caught on a recent trip up the Devils River. to find big fish. Davies said. “The Devils Photos by Shane Davies. Access is severely restricted on River has a consistent much of the Devils River, and havflow, and even though it’s ing an experienced guide can come down, it still is enough to sustain habitat. This river is great in handy when navigating the challenging waters. because it just doesn’t have many people on it. There’s also no To contact Shane Davies, call (214) 418-9786. mixing of Guadalupe and smallmouth bass.”
SLOW RIDE: The popular Corky has helped anglers land lots of big fish over the years for patient anglers. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
Slow down with the Corky By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS If the popular Corky lure has reached legendary status for its ability to mimic injured baitfish, it stands to reason that they shouldn’t be used like speedy swimbaits. See CORKY, Page 31
Skin cancer a danger for all anglers By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS When Kelly Jordon, pro bass angler and good friend of Lone Star Outdoor News, recently announced he was battling skin cancer, many around the fishing community were shocked. Anglers, by nature, spend lots of time outdoors soaking up ultraviolet rays not only directly from the sun, but also bouncing off the water. Dr. Bill Cothern, of the Dermatology and Laser Center of Fort Worth, said the dangers of anglers contracting several types of skin cancers are very real. See SKIN CANCER, Page 16
Even fish get the ‘bends’ By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Outreach is a major focus of just about any college, and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is no exception. For years, students and faculty from the Harte Research
Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies have attended events on the coast, especially tournaments, to share techniques that help fish like speckled trout survive catch-and-release handling. After so many presentations over the years, one professor said anglers are often still surprised
PRERELEASE: A speckled trout can suffer a malady similar to the bends when it’s placed in a livewell that isn’t properly aerated. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.
SUN BLOCK: There are a lot of UV protectant clothes that often work better than sunscreen, said Dr. Bill Cothern, Fort Worth dermatologist. But, he suggested, pro anglers like Kelly Jordon, who recently announced he is battling skin cancer, should get checked out at least once a year. Photo by Cody Bell, Tailwaters Fly Fishing Company.
‘Catch and eat’ of smaller bass gaining acceptance among anglers
to learn that a fish can get the “bends.” “You can over oxygenate fish,” said Dr. Greg Stunz of the Harte Research Institute. “It’s basically giving them the bends, like bringing up a snapper from deep depths.” Formally known as “decompression sickness,” the bends occur in humans, especially deep-sea divers, when they rise too rapidly from a dive. The sudden ascension allows tiny bubbles of gasses to form in the blood and tissues, causing intense joint and chest pain, paralysis and even death. A speckled trout faces the same danger when it’s placed in a livewell that isn’t properly aerated, Stunz said. “Don’t supersaturate the water,”
Whether it’s the economy, developing better fisheries management or just a craving for a tasty dinner, a growing number of bass anglers are steering away from catch and release to try a little catch and eat. While catch and release is meant to leave more big bass in Texas lakes, catch and eat recommends keeping smaller fish for table fare. By doing that, smaller fish are “culled” from the fisheries, which frees up food that could help lunkers to thrive. Think of it like a rancher who culls his smaller “management” bucks to leave habitat for his trophy deer. The catch-and-eat concept has gained the endorsement of Alton Jones, a Bassmaster elite pro angler from Waco. He recently appeared in a catchand-eat promotion video from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In it, Jones says that keeping smaller bass is appropriate for lakes that have slot limits. For example, a lake has a 14- to 21- inch limit means you must release largemouth bass between 14 and 21 inches. (See TPWD’s Web site to review slot limits on various lakes.)
See 'BENDS', Page 16
See CATCH AND EAT, Page 16
By Ralph Winingham FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
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Lone✯Star Outdoor News
Piebald catfish one of nature’s oddities
RARE FISH: Shelley Monych holds the rare trophy she caught on a family farm in Oklahoma. Photo by Shelley Monych.
Dallas resident Shelley Monych hadn’t caught a catfish in more than 15 years. After what she drug up from a southeastern Oklahoma creek on April 30, she might wait another 15 years before wetting a line again. Monych was fishing with her husband on a family farm on Wetumaka Creek when she caught a piebald catfish.
The fish looks more similar to a paint horse than a fish, with its distinctive grey and pink markings. She caught the fish using a punch bait. Once the fish was landed, she became attached to it and was reluctant to eat it, although her husband, Jay, intervened and cleaned the fish without her. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
biologist Richard Ott, he has seen several of these fish and called them a naturally occurring mutation. “We’ve seen them, especially in the aquarium trade,” he said. “It’s a naturally occurring mutation. Typically in the wild, these fish are so different, they get consumed before they have a chance to reproduce.” —Staff report
May 13, 2011
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TEXAS FISHING REPORT Sponsored by
HOT BITES LARGEMOUTH BASS
AMISTAD: Very good on crankbaits, top-waters, spinnerbaits and soft plastics. BASTROP: Good on watermelon crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, and soft plastic worms and lizards. MEREDITH: Good on minnows, watermelon pepper soft plastics, jigs and white/blue spinnerbaits around rocky points with some top-water action along grass lines. TRAVIS: Good on smoke grubs, watermelon soft plastics and jigs in 10–20 feet. WHITNEY: Good on dark red Carolinarigged soft plastics and crankbaits.
WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER
AMISTAD: Striped bass are good on large top-waters and Red Fins. BELTON: Hybrid striper are good on shad and chrome slabs. CEDAR CREEK: White bass are good throughout day on slabs. RAY ROBERTS: White bass are excellent over shallow humps and across windy points on lipless crankbaits — watch for the birds.
CATFISH
BRAUNIG: Channel and blue catfish are excellent on shrimp, cheesebait, cut bait and liver. CALAVERAS: Channel catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, cheesebait and shad. GRANBURY: Good on stinkbait, nightcrawlers and shrimp. TAWAKONI: Excellent in 3–6 feet on cut bait and fresh shad.
CRAPPIE BRIDGEPORT: Good on jigs and minnows. CHOKE CANYON: Good on minnows and green tube jigs. LBJ: Good on minnows and blue crappie jigs in 10–20 feet.
ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 59–67 degrees; 3.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white spinnerbaits, Texas rigs and shallow-running crankbaits along creek channels and tree lines, and on black/blue soft plastics and jigs worked in trees and brush. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on live bait. AMISTAD: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 0.29’ high. Largemouth bass are very good on crankbaits, top-waters, spinnerbaits and soft plastics. Striped bass are good on large top-waters and Red Fins. White bass are fair on shallow-running crankbaits. Crappie are slow. Catfish are good on cheesebait, shrimp and nightcrawlers in 2–10 feet. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines and droplines baited with live perch. ATHENS: Water lightly stained; 62–70 degrees; 0.99’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, jigs and Strike King KVD 1.5 crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.
Whacky Sticks on jigheads, and grape worms on shaky jigheads along 8–15 foot break lines. White bass are fair vertically jigging. Yellow and blue catfish are good on live bait. CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 66–72 degrees; 3.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs and black and blue jigs. White bass are good throughout day on slabs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows with shallow bite improving. Catfish are fair drifting cut shad.
cut shad over shallow mud flats. GRANBURY: Water clear; 68–71 degrees; 0.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastic worms and lizards and spinnerbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on stinkbait, nightcrawlers and shrimp. JOE POOL: Water off-color; 66–71 degrees; 0.35’ high. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers and prepared baits. LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 64–
HOT SPOT
BOB SANDLIN: Water stained; 64–71 degrees; 3.29’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, jigs and spinnerbaits. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs and Little Georges. Catfish are fair to good on trotlines or juglines with Redneck’s Catfish Bait Soap. BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. Striped bass are excellent on liver and perch near Dead Tree Point, and downrigging spoons near the dam and jetty. Channel and blue catfish are excellent on shrimp, cheesebait, cut bait and liver. BRIDGEPORT: Water lightly stained; 67–73 degrees; 5.03’ low. Largemouth bass are good on square bill crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on live bait. Channel catfish are good on cut and prepared bait on shallow flats. BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 11.09’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shadcolored spinnerbaits and jigs, and on watermelon worms in coves. White bass are good on shad-colored crankbaits. Crappie are very good on tube jigs. Channel catfish are fair on shrimp. BUCHANAN: Water clear; 67–70 degrees; 11.09’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jigs, top-waters in creeks and pockets in 3–6 feet. Striped bass are fair jigging white bucktail jigs around Shaw Island in 10–25 feet. White bass are good vertically jigging Pirk Minnows and Bleeding Shad Tiny Traps near Paradise Point. Yellow and blue catfish are fair on juglines and trotlines near Paradise Point. CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics and spinnerbaits. Striped bass are good on spoons and striper jigs near the dam, and on chicken livers and shad near the dam and power lines. Channel catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, cheesebait and shad. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and liver near 181 Cove and the railroad bridge. CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 68–71 degrees; 2.98’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Grubs, pumpkinseed
PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 66– 70 degrees; 1.50’ low. Largemouth bass are fair. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. POSSUM KINGDOM: Water stained; 65–71 degrees; 2.27’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs and jigs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Striped bass are fair to good on live shad. Catfish are fair to good on cut shad and live bait. RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 66– 71 degrees; 1.97’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, jigs spinnerbaits and swimjigs. Catfish are good under cormorant roosts on prepared baits.
BASTROP: Water clear; 73–75 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon crankbaits, and soft plastic worms and lizards. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on live bait, shrimp and stinkbait. BELTON: Water clear; 65–69 degrees; 4.09’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastic worms and spinnerbaits in coves. Hybrid striper are good on shad and chrome slabs. White bass are good on minnows and light-colored jigs. Crappie are very good on minnows under lights at night. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait.
O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 66–70 degrees; 29.32’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shad pattern crankbaits, chatterbaits and watermelon red soft plastics, with limited early morning top-water action. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on live bait. Channel catfish are good on cut bait.
RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 64–68 degrees; 1.47’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-water early, and on watermelon/red worms flipped tight to shallow cover. Crappie are very good on minnows and pumpkinseed/chartreuse Slabs over brush piles in 20 feet. White bass are excellent over shallow humps and across windy points — watch for the birds. Catfish are good over baited holes in shallow water.
Rockport Captains reported the fishing around Rockport/Aransas Pass has been outstanding the past two weeks. Almost everyone is catching their limits of redfish and trout before 11 a.m., when the weather cooperates. Photo by Capt. Dan Kelly. CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 70–73 degrees; 7.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse/white and chartreuse/blue spinnerbaits and crankbaits. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and green tube jigs. COLEMAN: Water clear; 66–69 degrees; 11.91’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastic lizards, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. Hybrid striper are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel catfish are fair on minnows. COLETO CREEK: Water fairly clear; 1.25’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics and spinnerbaits in 5–10 feet. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows in 10-15 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with perch and liver. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch. CONROE: Water fairly clear; 68–71 degrees; 2.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse/blue spinnerbaits, crankbaits in 5–15 feet. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and Curb’s crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on stinkbait and shrimp. FALCON: Water stained; 78–82 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are good on jigs with grubs. Channel and blue catfish are very good on frozen shrimp and cut bait. FAYETTE: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse shallowrunning crankbaits and watermelon Carolina-rigged soft plastic worms along grass edges. FORK: Water fairly clear; 66–73 degrees; 3.37’ low. Largemouth bass are good on square-bill crankbaits and swimjigs. Females are on beds and/ or cruising with more fish in a post spawn pattern. Catfish are good on
72 degrees; 0.28” high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and swimjigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad. Bream are fair to good on red wigglers. LAVON: Water stained; 66–73 degrees; 4.33’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and shallow crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns. Catfish are fair to good on cut shad and nightcrawlers. LBJ: Water fairly clear; 66–69 degrees; 0.50’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Bleeding Shad crankbaits, chartreuse creature baits, and top-waters in 8–18 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and blue crappie jigs in 10–20 feet. LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 65–72 degrees; 0.05’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged craws. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs but getting better. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and Sassy Shad. Catfish are good on prepared bait and chartreuse nightcrawlers. LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 69–73 degrees; 0.49’ high. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. Striped bass are good but small. White bass are very good on slabs and troll tubes. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish are very good on shad. Yellow catfish are fair on live bait. MACKENZIE: Water stained; 69–71 degrees; 79.58’ low. Largemouth bass are good on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on live bait. Catfish are good on prepared baits and cut liver. MEREDITH: Water fairly clear; 67–71 degrees; 90.01’ low. Largemouth bass are good on minnows, watermelon pepper soft plastics, jigs and white/ blue spinnerbaits around rocky points with some top-water action along grass lines. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on live bait and Little Georges. Channel catfish are good on live bait.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water offcolor; 66–71 degrees; 2.65’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. White bass are fair on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and live shad. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and nightcrawlers. SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 68–71 degrees; 8.36’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastic worms and lizards around shoreline grass in 1–4 feet, and on Carolina-rigged lizards and french fries on main lake flats. Crappie are fair on shiners and shad jigs around willows in 4–8 feet. Catfish are good on juglines baited with prepared bait. SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 70–73 degrees; 3.32’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Hybrid striper are fair on minnows. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp. TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 64–71 degrees; 3.33’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow-running crankbaits and top-waters. Crappie are good on jigheads in and around docks. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good in 8–15 feet. Catfish are excellent in 3–6 feet on cut bait and fresh shad. TEXOMA: Water off-color; 63–71 degrees; 2.63’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and Texas rigs with green pumpkin plastics. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Striped bass are good on live shad and large spinnerbaits.Catfish are good on cut and live shad. TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 67–70 degrees; 7.75’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. White bass are good on spoons in the river. Crappie are fair on chartreuse jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with live bait.
SALTWATER SCENE NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Louisiana shoreline on top-waters and plastics. Flounder are fair on jigs tipped with shrimp around marsh drains. SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good around Lighthouse Cove on top-waters. 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: Trout are fair for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on soft plastics. Waders have taken better trout on the shell along the east shoreline. Winds have been stiff. EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp. WEST GALVESTON BAY: Waders have taken good trout in the mud and shell on top-waters and Corkies in the afternoon. Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. TEXAS CITY: Trout are fair to good on the reefs on live shrimp and croakers. Redfish are fair in Moses Lake on mullet and shrimp. FREEPORT: Trout are fair to good at San Luis Pass on shrimp. Sand trout and sheepshead are fair on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay. Black drum and trout are fair to good at the jetties on cracked blue crabs. EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfish are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal t. on crabs and mullet. Flounder are fair at night. Winds have muddied the bays. AY Redfish WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfish are fair to good in Oyster Lake on shrimp and crabs. Trout are fair on shell and grass on soft plastics. Sheepshead are fair to good on shrimp on reefs. PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfish are good on top-waters over sand and grass in waist– deep water in San Antonio Bay. Trout and redfish are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp. ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in Morris– Cummings Cut on free–lined shrimp. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp. Trout are fair to good in St. Charles Bay on top-waters while working reefs. PORT ARANSAS: Redfish are fair to good at East Flats on shrimp. Redfish and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp. CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils. Redfish are good in the potholes on shrimp. Trout are good while wading sand and grass on top-waters. BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair in the grass on Corkies and top-waters. Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good at Rocky Slough on plum plastics. Winds gusting at over 30 knots have limited areas to fish. PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are good on topwaters around sand and grass and pods of bait. Redfish are fair to good while drifting potholes on plastics and small top-waters.
TRAVIS: Water stained; 68–71 degrees; 24.10’ low. Largemouth bass are good on smoke grubs and watermelon soft plastics in 10–20 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs in 10–20 feet.
SOUTH PADRE: Trout are fair to good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes live shrimp. Redfish are fair to good overr humps humps, guts and grass beds on plastics and shrimp.
WHITNEY: Water stained; 66–69 degrees; 10.08’ low. Largemouth bass are good on dark red Carolina-rigged soft plastics and crankbaits. Catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp.
PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair to good on the flats on live shrimp and DOA Shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are fair at Laguna Vista small top-waters and soft plastics under rattling corks.
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Offshore fishing rough — literally Surfside said the windy weather has had him fishing more nearshore the past month. He hopes that changes in time for the opening of red snapper season June 1. “I’ve done some short-range trips and we’ve caught a lot of bull reds and sharks,” he said. “Friday (before Mother’s Day) JAWS: With many offshore captains focused closer to the coast because of high winds, was a nice day sharks and bull reds have been the main species caught the past few weeks. Photo by and I talked to David J. Sams, LSON. several guys that made it out. They caught a lot of swordfish have been pretty By Conor Harrison grouper and amberjacks, so consistent. Nearshore has LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS been good for bull reds and it was a good day for them. “This wind just comes High winds and rough seas sharks.” have made offshore fishing Schenck said several boats and goes and it’s been along the Texas Gulf Coast made it out during the pretty bad the past month. a challenge during the past Mother’s Day weekend and I’m ready for a change.” Capt. Marc Wilkerson of month. had several good days catchFreeport Offshore Fishing Many online fishing ing tuna and several swords. reports from the past few “The yellowfin are thick, said he has been going after weeks echoed what captains but they aren’t the big them in 900 to 1,000 feet of said — a lot of wind and very ones,” he said. “Both groups water. “It’s been windy but we few fishable days. caught fish this past weekBut Capt. Matt Schenck, end. One boat caught a got out a couple of days ago on the Ambush with Texas really nice swordfish around and caught some Warsaw and Beeliners Offshore Adventures, said 200 pounds, and the other grouper (Vermilion snapper),” he the few days he’s been able caught seven or eight tuna.” to make it out to deep waters The tuna ranged from said. have been successful. between 30 and 50 pounds, To contact Capt. Schenck, “It’s been pretty good Schenck said. call (832) 250-9484. when the weather hasn’t The water temperatures To contact Capt. Potter, call been so windy,” Schenck have been in the mid-70s off(832) 428-3340. said. “We’re just catching shore. To contact Capt. Wilkerson, windows of decent weather. Capt. Leaf Potter of Texas call (979) 236-8368. Offshore, the tuna and the Saltwater Adventures in
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GAME WARDEN BLOTTER SLIGHTLY EXCEEDING WHITE BASS LIMIT On Lewisville Lake, Denton County Game Wardens David Benoit and Glenn Raborn observed a boat being operated near the old dam. The wardens had received calls in the past informing of fishing violations from a similar boat. The boat was stopped for a water safety inspection and a cooler full of fish was discovered. When asked how many fish were in the cooler, the two subjects said 50. On shore, the count totaled 112 white bass, 2 catfish, and 1 hybrid bass. The men were 62 fish over their legal limit of white bass. Both men received 10 citations each and were charged civil restitution. Cases pending. IGNORING FLATHEAD LIMIT COSTLY Houston County Game Warden Eddie Lehr received information about two individuals catching too many flathead catfish on the Trinity River. The informant stated that the two men had caught and kept 20 flathead catfish. Lehr was tending to personal business when he noticed the violators go by with a boat. Lehr called Game Warden Zak Benge, who went to the river and crawled approximately 20 yards to a bluff bank directly over the violators. Benge watched the violators for two hours until Lehr arrived to assist. At that time, the pair had 15 flatheads in the boat. At approximately 7 p.m., the wardens recognized one of the violators’ sons, who pulled into the parking lot at the marina and then slowly drove back across the bridge. At that time, the boat cranked up and left downriver. Five minutes later, the boat returned. Lehr followed the truck, and after contact was made with the driver, it was discovered that his father had called him to come and pick up 10 of the flatheads. As Lehr dealt with the son, Benge continued watching the duo fish. They landed a few more fish before heading to the boat ramp. After contact was made and interviews were complete, it was
BAD LUCK BURGLARS ENCOUNTER WARDENS After patrolling Calaveras Lake, two Bexar County Game Wardens encountered a burglary in progress when taking their patrol boat to the storage unit. As they opened the gate to the facility, they noticed several storage unit doors opened and equipment set outside the units. The bur-
confirmed that over two days, the duo caught 37 flathead catfish ranging from 25 to 39 inches with the majority being between 30 and 39 inches. The wardens issued a total of 18 citations and 18 warnings, and 17 flatheads were confiscated. Cases and civil restitution pending. LONG, WINDY NIGHT IN BROKEN-DOWN PONTOON At approximately 2 a.m., Concho County Game Warden Brad Clark received a call from Coleman County Game Warden William Heath regarding a group of fishermen on Lake O.H. Ivie whose boat had broken down and needed a tow back to the boat ramp. Clark and Heath arrived at the lake and slowly made it to the stranded fishermen, whose starter on their pontoon boat had quit working. The boat owner said it was working when he left, but it was the first time they had taken the boat out this year. The boat was towed back to the boat ramp and they were able to get the boat on the trailer. When Heath asked one of the men if he had checked the weather before they left to go fishing, he said he did and it said the wind was only going to be 15 mph. When Clark and Heath were heading back to the lake patrol boat ramp, the wind was approximately 25–30 mph with 4-foot swells. FLEEING SCENE OF BOAT ACCIDENT CAUGHT ON FILM A boat collision on Caddo Lake
glars apparently noticed the wardens entering the facility and fled on foot across a pasture. Fourteen storage units and some recreational vehicles were broken into. All of the equipment was recovered. Bexar County was notified and is investigating the burglary.
was reported to Harrison County Game Warden Darrin Peeples. The caller said another boat had collided with them and left the scene. Using the marina’s surveillance camera, Peeples obtained a video of the entire accident and a still image of the suspect. The suspect was identified in a lineup by the witnesses, and a Class A misdemeanor warrant for failure to exchange information during a boat accident was obtained. A written confession was obtained, and cases are pending. GATOR NOT A GOOD SPORT Five individuals were fishing for more than catfish on the Guadalupe River. After checking their camp, Victoria County Game Warden Travis Haug found the subjects in possession of an alligator approximately 3 feet long. The alligator was tied up in the back of the truck and not in a good mood. The alligator was released, and the subject received a citation. Cases pending. COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN CAUGHT TRYING TO SELL STASHED RED DRUM Matagorda County Game Warden Aaron Koenig received a call from a man who said that he was approached by a pair of commercial fin fishermen who offered to sell him some red drum. The commercial fishermen stated that they would return with the fish shortly. Koenig launched a boat and located the pair of commercial trotline fishermen coming in with all of their lines loaded in their boat. A box contain-
ing redfish was located buried under two boxes of coiled lines and gear. Cases and restitution pending. SLINGSHOT NOT FOR HUNTING PHEASANTS OUT OF SEASON Moore/Sherman County Game Warden Ryan Hunter assisted the Cactus Police Department with a traffic stop. Hunter found the occupants to be in possession of dozens of pheasant tail feathers and homemade slingshots in the vehicle. The suspects admitted to hunting pheasants from a public road with the slingshot. After leaving this stop, Hunter was passed by a van traveling at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was stopped with the assistance of the Sherman County Sherriff’s Department. An investigation revealed that the occupants had been hunting pheasant from a public road prior to the stop. Cases are pending. NOT LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES A jet ski traveling at a high rate of speed in a no wake zone was stopped by Tom Green County Game Wardens Cynde Aguilar and Jason Huebner. The wardens detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage on the operator. Aguilar conducted field sobriety tests and arrested the operator for BWI. When asked for his driver license, the operator told the wardens DPS had confiscated it the night before when he was arrested for a DWI. ABRUPT DECELERATION CAUSES WIFE TO STUMBLE ON THROTTLE Brazoria County Game Warden Scott Jennings responded to a
reported boat accident on Oyster Creek. Based on statements from the boat’s occupants, it was determined that the accident occurred when the operator waited until the last minute to throttle down the vessel as it approached a bridge over the creek. The abrupt deceleration caused the operator’s wife, who was standing behind him, to fall forward on to the throttle controls and accelerate the boat to full power, which then rammed into one of the bridge pylons. Only minor injuries were suffered in the mishap. PRACTICAL JOKE COMES TO QUICK STOP Captain Danny Villalobos was traveling from Braunig Lake to Calaveras Lake when he came upon a 19-year-old female and a 21-yearold male playing a practical joke on motorists. The two individuals were pretending to hold a rope or cable across the road, causing motorists to suddenly slam their brakes. When Villalobos slammed his brakes, the two individuals started to laugh. When Villalobos stopped, the girl ran toward the house and the male subject continued to laugh until Villalobos exited his unmarked vehicle in uniform. The laughing stopped. Villalobos learned another subject was filming the action to post on YouTube. FREAK SHOOTING ACCIDENT CAUSES MINOR INJURIES Two individuals were building a fence when one of them was struck by a bullet that caused an abrasion and bruising. Game Warden William Heath investigated and learned there had been shooting on the property next door. Heath discovered that one of the shooters had been using a 55-gallon barrel and a tree as his backstop. It appears that the bullet had passed through the barrel and ricocheted off a tree and traveled onto the property next door striking one of the fence builders. The victim was treated at the hospital and released.
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Season wrap Continued From Page 4
Turkey Federation, who guided two Texas hunters to a pair of high-country toms in the Davis Mountains. “It is catastrophically dry in the Davis Mountains. I walked for four days and did not see a single green sprout. “The hens are not nesting and that is affecting the gobblers. People are killing birds, but they are silent on the ground and not responding to calls.” The Davis Mountains and parts of the Guadalupe Mountains are the only areas in the state that hold Merriam’s turkeys. “We shot two nice gobblers but they weren’t pure Merriam’s,” Hood said. “They had fans that looked like a Rio. We didn’t see what I consider to be a true Merriam’s, and I think we got a good sample of the birds in the area, because they were so concentrated around water.”
North Texas NWTF representative Rob Davis said hunters he spoke to have had a rough season. “It’s just been a really rough year,” he said. “The drought really affected the birds. Hunters had trouble getting toms to respond to any calls. They would gobble on the roost and not make a sound the rest of the day. “I don’t even think the hens went to nest. It was just one of those years.” Like much of the South Zone, northern hunters saw lots of jakes after an excellent hatch of young birds last spring. Hunters are hoping that hatch carries over to next season, because by all accounts, the nesting season this spring in the north was nearly nonexistent because of drought and habitat loss due to fire.
Creosote control Continued From Page 4
quail and other birds.” In that sense, gratification is delayed, but other aspects of recovery appear sooner. “I was really surprised the seed bank was there on the grasses, as some of the areas (we treated) were pretty much void,” Wagner said. “Then, two years later, there is knee-high grass growing.” Wagner pointed out that some of the new grass was of relatively low grazing value, but that he also expects increased plant diversity with more recovery time. “One way to offset the effects on forbs is not to treat everything at once,” he said. “Instead of treating one
large area, it may be best to treat several smaller blocks one year, then treat more areas in the future.” Not surprisingly, cost of this product is a barrier to some land managers. Aside from the $40-peracre price tag, there are the additional costs for airplane time on larger areas, although backpack blowers are used on 1- to 5-acre plots. “The backpack blower would be ideal for someone that has smaller areas of creosote or wants to Spike around drainages that have become a monoculture of whitebrush or catclaw,” Wagner said. For some landowners, a
careful but tough choice must be made. Mark Brown has plenty of creosote on his land east of Dell City in Culberson County, and he knows the potential of the soil because he is directly across a highway from irrigated farmland. “It is frustrating to have patches of land growing nothing but creosote,” he said. “And there is no question that Spike 20P will control it. “But, a landowner on a limited budget might want to consider whether the money can be better used other ways, such as supplying water to wildlife or controlling predators.”
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HEROES
CHRISTIAN ZANI of Plano, left, a native of Argentina, shot his first buck last season on a ranch near Dalhart. The Panhandle buck’s Boone and Crockett score was 157.
NICOLAS KING, at age 11, shot his first deer last November in San Saba County.
JIM HAMMOND of Rockwall caught this 8-pound largemouth in March while pre-fishing for the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Top 6 State Championship on Lake Sam Rayburn.
WES SHOLDERS, 11, of Austin shot these two ducks last December during a waterfowl trip with his dad and grandfather on Eagle Lake. Wes used his grandfather’s old 20-gauge Remington 1100, which his dad fitted with a youth stock.
Seven-year-old CARSON SCHULTZ of Richmond shot this eight-point white-tailed deer last December near Junction. It was his first buck. He used a .22-250-caliber Winchester. AUSTIN HORAK, of Wylie downed his first buck, an eight-pointer, last season in Archer County. Austin made the shot at 125 yards with a rifle chambered in .22-250.
KENNEDY SCHEXNAYDER, 12, of Katy use a .243-caliber rifle to take this buck last deer season in Austin County. JOSE RIOS JR., 14, of Santa Rosa caught his first speckled trout recently while in the Lower Laguna Madre near “the Saucer.” The 18-inch trout was caught on a Norton purple-with-whitetail “bull minnow.”
“Urban fishing at its finest!” That was the note attached to this photo of PAUL JONES of Irving, who recently landed the 3-pound bass at a pond near his home.
Congratulations, Trey! You can claim your Nikon 10x42 Trailblazer ATB binoculars at the Nikon Sport Optics dealer nearest you: Independence Firearms 6360 Fm 50 Brenham, Texas 77833 979-421-9677
on a ranch ite-tailed doe D III and the wh his BrownAR W on HO ck Y” ba RE parated J.T. “T Hempstead drew se m s fro rd a clean er ya t ch go en ar w fte Fi ar-old true. The arro l Rio. The 9-ye d his shot was an w, d. northeast of De bo pe d op un dr naline compo s before she ing Micro Adre d about 50 yard d the doe trotte an h, ug ro th pass
Page 16
May 13, 2011
Lone✯Star Outdoor News
LSONews.com
Catch and eat Continued From Page 8
Catch and release is “true in most cases,” Jones said. But, he added, “Harvesting bass from slot limit lakes will not harm the resource. It might actually improve fishing quality. If you fish a lake with a slot limit, take some small bass home to eat.” Foard Houston agreed. He is an Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing guide in Devine. “Keeping a few fish is just a good way to increase the quality of a fishery,’’ he said. “Just last week I had a group of about 10 guys fishing several area lakes for a couple of days, and we probably kept about 20 or 30 fish out of all the bass we caught. “The culling process is GOOD EATING: Pro angler Alton Jones of Waco says in a TPWD video that keeping smaller bass for table fare is appropriate for lakes with slot just a good management limits. This practice, he says, will free up food that could help lunkers get even bigger. See the video at www.lsonews.com. Photo by LSON. technique.” Kenter said rivers are different from other he said. “I like to put a few fish in the boat Houston said he relies on the various landowners of the South Texas because most of my people want to take home water bodies because of the limited amount of lakes and tanks he visits to determine how a few fillets, then we just keep catching and fish in certain areas. Keeping a few Guadalupe, largemouth or smallmany fish can be kept by his anglers, but uses releasing them until their arms wear out.’’ Kyle Kenter, who pulls double-duty as a fly- mouth bass found in the deep pockets of the rivan average rule of thumb of about 20 pounds fishing guide on the Guadalupe, San Marcos ers is an acceptable practice as long as anglers use a per acre per year. and Colorado rivers during the fall, winter and little restraint, Kenter said. “People just seem to understand managespring and works the saltwater flats in the sum“You can catch all the fish out of some areas ment better these days than in the past when mer months, said he has observed a change in catch and release was so popular,’’ he said. “If harvest versus non-harvest attitude with some if you keep everything,” he said. “I recommend keeping just a few and releasing the rest.’’ you don’t harvest any fish, you can be sure that of his anglers. Kenter offers similar advice to his saltwater the size of your trophy fish will start shrinking.’’ “A few more are asking to keep some of their Guide Manny Martinez of L&M Guide Service fish, but there are still a lot of purists who are not anglers. “Down in the Lower Laguna of San Antonio has been offering his clients catch- going after meat,’’ Kenter said. “I know it is more and-eat opportunities for more than three decades noticeable in the spring that if the trout anglers Madre, the limit is three reds and at Calaveras and Braunig lakes. keep their fish over 18 inches (the minimum five trout,” he said. “I normally try to “When the redfish are really turned on, espe- length for a keeper trout along a stretch of the get my anglers to keep one red and a See more @ cially in the spring and summer, you can catch Guadalupe River stocked by TPWD) it impacts couple of trout, releasing the rest. LSONews.com a limit of three reds per person pretty quickly,” the number of trophy trout we see by late spring. “That way everyone wins.’’
'Bends' Continued From Page 8
Stunz said. “Too much oxygen does as much damage as not enough.” The Harte Institute has joined with the Coastal Conservation Association and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to devise recommendations for safe holding tanks for tournament fish. They recommend aeration through oxygen or water recirculating systems. Start by providing 1.5-2 gallons of water per pound of fish. Next, monitor the gauge on an
aeration system to ensure it’s producing about 8-10 parts per million of oxygen. But there are other considerations for developing a safe livewell. For example, make sure water temperatures don’t rise above 85 degrees. “Fish can handle a wide range of temperatures, but they can’t handle them rapidly,” Stunz said. Chilling the water can keep it the right temperature, but Stunz urged anglers not to dump loose chunks of ice into the livewell. Ice is typically made from municipal supplies, which is fresh water.
As it melts, the fresh water can dangerously dilute the salinity of the livewell. The city water may also carry chemicals that can stress fish. Instead, chill the tanks with old milk jugs holding frozen water. As they thaw, the water remains in the jug. Also, to ease fluctuations in water temperature, avoid changes of 10 degrees over a half-hour. And while releasing the fish into the bays, try to find waters that are about the same temperature as the livewells. Always use wet hands to handle the fish to avoid damage to its pro-
tective mucous coating, Stunz said. A Boga-Grip tool can hold the fish while measuring and weighing. But while laying it on a surface, make sure it too is wet, also to protect the coating. Stunz said anglers should never handle a fish with a wet towel. “It’s abrasive,” he said, “and it can remove scales and the slime layer.” All these livewell considerations, with the exception of proper salinity levels, are nearly the same for freshwater fish, Stunz said. “Their physiology is basically the same,” he said.
Skin cancer Continued From Page 8
The three most common are Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and malignant Melanoma. However, there are several early warning signs outdoorsmen can look for before full-blown cancer. “If an angler sees spots on areas of skin that are exposed to the sun, and these are slow to heal, it might be a precursor to something,” Cothern said. “Other signs are rough bumps or bleeding areas that don’t heal.” Cothern said some basic precautions could go a long ways toward the prevention of skin cancers. “Anglers should be wearing wide-brimmed hats at all times and sunscreen,” Cothern said. “Even if you’re not going in the water, reapplying sunscreen throughout the day is important.” Cothern recommended a minimum SPF 30 for sunscreen, but make sure the brand is effective against UVA and UVB rays. “There is also a lot of UV protectant clothing that often is better than sunscreen,” Cothern added. ■ Wear sunscreen and “A lot of anglers wear lightweight, apply regularly long-sleeved shirts specifically ■ Wear polarized, UV made to be in the outdoors and protecting sunglasses block UV rays. ■ Wear a wide-brimmed “Guides and people who spend hat a lot of time on the water should ■ Stay hydrated go to a dermatologist once a year ■ Avoid sunburns to get checked out.”
Some basic tips to help prevent skin cancers:
LSONews.com
Lone✯Star Outdoor News
May 13, 2011
Page 17
Page 18
May 13, 2011
Lone✯Star Outdoor News
Sun | Moon | Tides
First
Time Height 5:54 a.m. 1.6 L 7:18 a.m. 2.0 L 8:33 a.m. 2.1 L 9:38 a.m. 2.3 L 10:36 a.m. 2.5 L 11:31 a.m. 2.5 L 10:59 p.m. -0.7 L 11:49 p.m. -0.4 L 9:23 a.m. 10:03 a.m. 10:31 a.m. 10:50 a.m. 5:16 a.m. 6:43 a.m.
2.7 H 2.5 H 2.3 H 2.1 H 1.6 L 1.8 L
Time Height 11:40 a.m. 2.3 H 11:58 a.m. 2.3 H 12:19 p.m. 2.5 H 12:43 p.m. 2.5 H 1:09 p.m. 2.7 H 1:38 p.m. 2.7 H
Time 6:25 p.m. 7:07 p.m. 7:51 p.m. 8:36 p.m. 9:22 p.m. 10:10 p.m.
Height 0.4 L -0.2 L -0.5 L -0.9 L -0.9 L -0.9 L
5:56 p.m. 6:12 p.m. 11:04 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
1.4 L 1.1 L 2.1 H 2.1 H
9:58 p.m. 1.8 H
Time 12:27 p.m. 12:45 p.m. 1:06 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 1:56 p.m. 2:25 p.m.
Height 1.9 H 1.9 H 2.0 H 2.0 H 2.1 H 2.1 H
Time 6:51 p.m. 7:33 p.m. 8:17 p.m. 9:02 p.m. 9:48 p.m. 10:36 p.m.
2.3 H 2.1 H 2.0 H 1.9 H 1.7 H 1.3 L 1.4 L
6:22 p.m. 6:38 p.m. 11:51 a.m. 12:02 p.m.
1.1 L 0.9 L 1.7 H 1.7 H
10:45 p.m. 1.4 H
Time Height 7:16 a.m. 0.8 L 8:40 a.m. 0.9 L 9:55 a.m. 1.0 L 11:00 a.m. 1.1 L 11:58 a.m. 1.2 L 12:53 p.m. 1.2 L
Time 12:57 p.m. 1:15 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 2:26 p.m. 2:55 p.m.
Height 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.2 H 1.2 H 1.3 H 1.3 H
Time 7:47 p.m. 8:29 p.m. 9:13 p.m. 9:58 p.m. 10:44 p.m. 11:32 p.m.
6:30 p.m. 0.7 L 6:49 p.m. 0.4 L
Full
May 13
Time Height 6:20 a.m. 1.3 L 7:44 a.m. 1.6 L 8:59 a.m. 1.7 L 10:04 a.m. 1.9 L 11:02 a.m. 2.0 L 11:57 a.m. 2.0 L 11:25 p.m. -0.6 L 9:20 a.m. 10:10 a.m. 10:50 a.m. 11:18 a.m. 11:37 a.m. 5:42 a.m. 7:09 a.m.
Date Time May 13 12:21 p.m. May 14 10:25 a.m. May 15 10:34 a.m. May 16 11:26 a.m. May 17 12:29 p.m. May 18 12:44 a.m. May 19 1:33 a.m. May 20 2:23 a.m. May 21 3:12 a.m. May 22 4:01 a.m. May 23 4:49 a.m. May 24 5:37 a.m. May 25 6:26 a.m. May 26 3:46 a.m. May 27 7:02 a.m.
Height 0.3 L -0.1 L -0.4 L -0.7 L -0.7 L -0.7 L
June 3
Houston Height 0.6 H 0.8 H 0.9 H 1.0 H 1.1 H -0.4 L -0.4 L -0.3 L -0.2 L -0.1 L 0.0 L 0.1 L 0.3 L 0.4 H 0.5 H
6:56 p.m. 0.6 L 7:15 p.m. 0.3 L
Date Time Height May 13 1:10 p.m. 0.45 H May 14 12:48 p.m. 0.49 H May 15 12:59 p.m. 0.53 H May 16 1:32 p.m. 0.56 H May 17 12:37 a.m. 0.12 L May 18 1:30 a.m. 0.11 L May 19 2:24 a.m. 0.12 L May 20 3:19 a.m. 0.14 L May 21 4:11 a.m. 0.16 L May 22 4:57 a.m. 0.19 L May 23 5:34 a.m. 0.22 L May 24 5:59 a.m. 0.25 L May 25 6:08 a.m. 0.28 L May 26 1:20 a.m. 0.33 H May 27 12:33 p.m. 0.41 H
Time Height 9:48 p.m. 0.2 L 10:25 p.m. 0.0 L 11:09 p.m. -0.2 L 11:55 p.m. -0.3 L 1:36 p.m. 2:40 p.m. 3:35 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 4:29 p.m. 4:06 p.m. 3:31 p.m. 2:54 p.m. 7:36 a.m. 10:10 p.m.
1.1 H 1.1 H 1.0 H 0.9 H 0.8 H 0.7 H 0.6 H 0.5 H 0.3 L 0.1 L
Time
Height
10:22 p.m. 2:02 p.m.
0.3 L 0.5 H
Time
Height
Time
Height
9:57 p.m. 0.2 L
Time Height 10:04 p.m. 0.26 L 10:54 p.m. 0.19 L 11:45 p.m. 0.15 L 2:20 p.m. 3:18 p.m. 4:23 p.m. 5:31 p.m. 6:39 p.m. 7:47 p.m. 9:01 p.m. 1:57 p.m. 12:59 p.m. 5:46 a.m. 9:43 p.m.
0.57 H 0.57 H 0.55 H 0.53 H 0.50 H 0.46 H 0.42 H 0.36 H 0.37 H 0.32 L 0.20 L
Time
Height
8:55 a.m. 9:50 a.m. 10:40 a.m. 11:20 a.m. 11:48 a.m. 12:07 p.m. 6:38 a.m. 8:05 a.m.
1.5 H 1.4 H 1.3 H 1.2 H 1.1 H 1.0 H 0.8 L 0.9 L
Date Time Height May 13 1:08 a.m. 1.5 H May 14 2:31 a.m. 1.7 H May 15 3:39 a.m. 2.0 H May 16 4:39 a.m. 2.1 H May 17 5:34 a.m. 2.2 H May 18 6:29 a.m. 2.2 H May 19 7:23 a.m. 2.1 H May 20 8:18 a.m. 2.0 H May 21 9:13 a.m. 1.8 H May 22 12:45 a.m. 0.0 L May 23 1:38 a.m. 0.2 L May 24 2:37 a.m. 0.4 L May 25 3:50 a.m. 0.5 L May 26 2:44 a.m. 1.1 H May 27 2:16 a.m. 1.4 H
Height 0.2 L -0.1 L -0.3 L -0.4 L -0.4 L -0.4 L
7:18 p.m. 7:34 p.m. 12:21 p.m. 12:32 p.m.
0.7 L 0.5 L 1.0 H 1.0 H
11:15 p.m. 0.9 H
Time 11:49 a.m. 12:07 p.m. 12:28 p.m. 12:52 p.m. 1:18 p.m. 1:47 p.m.
Height 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.7 H 1.7 H 1.8 H 1.8 H
Time 6:48 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8:14 p.m. 8:59 p.m. 9:45 p.m. 10:33 p.m.
6:19 p.m. 6:35 p.m. 11:13 a.m. 11:24 a.m.
0.7 L 0.5 L 1.5 H 1.5 H
10:07 p.m. 1.2 H
7:52 p.m. 0.3 L 8:11 p.m. 0.2 L
Time Height 5:59 a.m. 0.7 L 7:23 a.m. 0.8 L 8:38 a.m. 0.9 L 9:43 a.m. 1.0 L 10:41 a.m. 1.1 L 11:36 a.m. 1.1 L 11:04 p.m. -0.3 L 11:54 p.m. -0.2 L 10:03 a.m. 10:43 a.m. 11:11 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 5:21 a.m. 6:48 a.m.
1.7 H 1.6 H 1.5 H 1.4 H 0.7 L 0.8 L
5:36 p.m. 7:41 p.m. 12:38 p.m.
0.35 L 0.30 L 0.39 H
10:41 p.m. 0.37 H 8:51 p.m. 0.25 L
Time 6:13 a.m. 8:03 a.m. 7:55 p.m. 8:41 p.m. 9:28 p.m. 10:18 p.m. 11:08 p.m. 11:58 p.m.
Height 0.8 L 1.0 L -0.7 L -0.9 L -1.0 L -1.0 L -0.8 L -0.6 L
10:17 a.m. 10:36 a.m. 10:46 a.m. 10:46 a.m. 4:40 a.m. 6:17 a.m.
1.5 H 1.4 H 1.3 H 1.2 H 0.9 L 1.0 L
Time Height 12:20 p.m. 1.5 H 12:38 p.m. 1.5 H 12:59 p.m. 1.6 H 1:23 p.m. 1.6 H 1:49 p.m. 1.7 H 2:18 p.m. 1.7 H
Time 6:30 p.m. 7:12 p.m. 7:56 p.m. 8:41 p.m. 9:27 p.m. 10:15 p.m.
Height 0.2 L -0.1 L -0.2 L -0.4 L -0.4 L -0.4 L
6:01 p.m. 6:17 p.m. 11:44 a.m. 11:55 a.m.
0.6 L 0.5 L 1.4 H 1.4 H
10:38 p.m. 1.1 H
Time Height 11:14 a.m. 1.1 H 10:51 a.m. 1.1 H
Time Height 6:37 p.m. 0.1 L 7:13 p.m. -0.3 L
5:46 p.m. 5:54 p.m. 10:38 a.m. 10:15 a.m.
9:14 p.m. 0.9 H
6:35 p.m. 0.3 L 6:54 p.m. 0.2 L
South Padre Island
Freeport Harbor Time Height 6:17 a.m. 0.8 L 7:41 a.m. 1.0 L 8:56 a.m. 1.1 L 10:01 a.m. 1.2 L 10:59 a.m. 1.3 L 11:54 a.m. 1.3 L 11:22 p.m. -0.4 L 8:42 a.m. 9:32 a.m. 10:12 a.m. 10:40 a.m. 10:59 a.m. 5:39 a.m. 7:06 a.m.
2.0 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 0.8 0.9
H H H H H L L
Height 0.2 L -0.1 L -0.3 L -0.5 L -0.5 L -0.5 L
6:53 p.m. 0.4 L 7:12 p.m. 0.2 L
Date Time Height May 13 12:50 a.m. 1.2 H May 14 2:32 a.m. 1.4 H May 15 3:51 a.m. 1.5 H May 16 5:00 a.m. 1.7 H May 17 6:05 a.m. 1.7 H May 18 7:07 a.m. 1.7 H May 19 8:06 a.m. 1.7 H May 20 9:01 a.m. 1.7 H May 21 9:45 a.m. 1.6 H May 22 12:49 a.m. -0.3 L May 23 1:39 a.m. 0.0 L May 24 2:32 a.m. 0.4 L May 25 3:29 a.m. 0.6 L May 26 12:14 a.m. 1.0 H May 27 2:12 a.m. 1.1 H
2011 May-June 13 Fri 14 Sat 15 Sun 16 Mon > 17 Tue > 18 Wed F 19 Thu > 20 Fri > 21 Sat 22 Sun 23 Mon 24 Tue Q 25 Wed Q 26 Thu 27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon > 31 Tue > 01 Tue
A.M. Minor Major 2:10 8:23 2:56 9:09 3:43 9:58 4:36 10:51 5:34 11:49 6:36 12:21 7:40 1:25 8:44 2:30 9:44 3:31 10:39 4:27 11:29 5:18 ----- 6:04 12:35 6:45 1:13 7:23 1:49 7:59 2:25 8:36 3:03 9:14 3:44 9:56 4:28 10:41 9:47 3:36
P.M. Minor 2:36 3:22 4:12 5:06 6:04 7:06 8:10 9:11 10:10 11:03 11:51 12:14 12:55 1:33 2:10 2:47 3:26 4:08 4:54 10:10
Major 8:49 9:36 10:26 11:20 ----12:51 1:55 2:57 3:57 4:51 5:40 6:25 7:05 7:43 8:20 8:57 9:37 10:20 11:06 3:58
SUN Rises Sets 06:30 08:04 06:29 08:05 06:28 08:06 06:28 08:06 06:27 08:07 06:27 08:08 06:26 08:08 06:26 08:09 06:25 08:10 06:25 08:10 06:24 08:11 06:24 08:11 06:23 08:12 06:23 08:13 06:23 08:13 06:22 08:14 06:22 08:14 06:22 08:15 06:21 08:15 06:21 08:16
MOON Rises 4:15p 5:22p 6:32p 7:41p 8:48p 9:51p 10:47p 11:35p NoMoon 12:17a 12:54a 1:26a 1:57a 2:26a 2:55a 3:26a 3:59a 4:35a 5:17a NoMoon
Sets 3:27a 4:05a 4:46a 5:32a 6:23a 7:20a 8:20a 9:22a 10:23a 11:22a 12:18p 1:12p 2:04p 2:56p 3:48p 4:42p 5:37p 6:33p 7:30p 10:28a
Dallas
Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier
San Luis Pass
Date Time Height May 13 12:37 a.m. 1.6 H May 14 2:00 a.m. 1.8 H May 15 3:08 a.m. 2.1 H May 16 4:08 a.m. 2.2 H May 17 5:03 a.m. 2.3 H May 18 5:58 a.m. 2.3 H May 19 6:52 a.m. 2.2 H May 20 7:47 a.m. 2.1 H May 21 12:12 a.m. -0.2 L May 22 1:03 a.m. 0.0 L May 23 1:56 a.m. 0.3 L May 24 2:55 a.m. 0.5 L May 25 4:08 a.m. 0.6 L May 26 2:13 a.m. 1.2 H May 27 1:45 a.m. 1.5 H
New
May 27
May 20
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.
Rockport
Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty
Date Time Height May 13 1:45 a.m. 1.1 H May 14 3:08 a.m. 1.3 H May 15 4:16 a.m. 1.5 H May 16 5:16 a.m. 1.5 H May 17 6:11 a.m. 1.6 H May 18 7:06 a.m. 1.6 H May 19 8:00 a.m. 1.5 H May 20 12:21 a.m. -0.3 L May 21 1:11 a.m. -0.2 L May 22 2:02 a.m. 0.0 L May 23 2:55 a.m. 0.3 L May 24 3:54 a.m. 0.4 L May 25 5:07 a.m. 0.6 L May 26 1:21 a.m. 0.9 H May 27 2:53 a.m. 1.0 H
Last
Port O’Connor
Sabine Pass, jetty
Date Time Height May 13 1:15 a.m. 1.9 H May 14 2:38 a.m. 2.1 H May 15 3:46 a.m. 2.4 H May 16 4:46 a.m. 2.6 H May 17 5:41 a.m. 2.7 H May 18 6:36 a.m. 2.7 H May 19 7:30 a.m. 2.6 H May 20 8:25 a.m. 2.4 H May 21 12:15 a.m. -0.3 L May 22 1:06 a.m. 0.0 L May 23 1:59 a.m. 0.4 L May 24 2:58 a.m. 0.7 L May 25 4:11 a.m. 1.0 L May 26 12:51 a.m. 1.4 H May 27 2:23 a.m. 1.7 H
Solunar | Sun times | Moon times
Moon Phases
Texas Coast Tides Date Time Height May 13 12:28 a.m. 2.3 H May 14 1:51 a.m. 2.7 H May 15 2:59 a.m. 3.0 H May 16 3:59 a.m. 3.2 H May 17 4:54 a.m. 3.4 H May 18 5:49 a.m. 3.4 H May 19 6:43 a.m. 3.2 H May 20 7:38 a.m. 3.0 H May 21 8:33 a.m. 2.9 H May 22 12:40 a.m. 0.0 L May 23 1:33 a.m. 0.5 L May 24 2:32 a.m. 0.9 L May 25 3:45 a.m. 1.3 L May 26 12:04 a.m. 1.8 H May 27 1:36 a.m. 2.1 H
LSONews.com
0.8 L 0.7 L 1.2 H 1.1 H
6:15 p.m. 0.4 L 6:41 p.m. 0.2 L
2011 May-June 13 Fri 14 Sat 15 Sun 16 Mon > 17 Tue > 18 Wed F 19 Thu > 20 Fri > 21 Sat 22 Sun 23 Mon 24 Tue Q 25 Wed Q 26 Thu 27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon > 31 Tue > 01 Tue
A.M. Minor Major 2:16 8:29 3:01 9:15 3:49 10:03 4:42 10:56 5:39 11:55 6:42 12:26 7:46 1:31 8:49 2:35 9:49 3:36 10:45 4:33 11:35 5:24 ----- 6:09 12:40 6:50 1:18 7:28 1:55 8:05 2:31 8:42 3:09 9:20 3:49 10:01 4:34 10:47 9:52 3:41
P.M. Minor Major 2:42 8:54 3:28 9:41 4:17 10:31 5:11 11:26 6:10 ----7:12 12:57 8:15 2:00 9:17 3:03 10:15 4:02 11:09 4:57 11:57 5:46 12:20 6:30 1:00 7:10 1:38 7:48 2:15 8:25 2:52 9:03 3:31 9:43 4:13 10:25 4:59 11:12 10:15 4:04
SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 06:29 08:16 4:22p 3:32a 06:29 08:17 5:32p 4:08a 06:28 08:17 6:43p 4:47a 06:27 08:18 7:54p 5:32a 06:27 08:19 9:02p 6:22a 06:26 08:19 10:05p 7:18a 06:25 08:20 11:00p 8:18a 06:25 08:21 11:48p 9:20a 06:24 08:22 NoMoon 10:22a 06:24 08:22 12:28a 11:23a 06:23 08:23 1:03a 12:21p 06:23 08:24 1:35a 1:16p 06:22 08:24 2:03a 2:10p 06:22 08:25 2:31a 3:03p 06:21 08:26 2:59a 3:57p 06:21 08:26 3:28a 4:52p 06:20 08:27 4:00a 5:48p 06:20 08:27 4:35a 6:45p 06:20 08:28 5:15a 7:43p 06:19 08:29 NoMoon 10:28a
P.M. Minor Major 2:49 9:01 3:35 9:48 4:24 10:38 5:18 11:33 6:17 12:02 7:19 1:04 8:22 2:07 9:24 3:10 10:22 4:09 11:16 5:04 ----- 5:53 12:27 6:37 1:07 7:17 1:45 7:55 2:22 8:32 2:59 9:10 3:38 9:50 4:20 10:32 5:06 11:19 10:22 4:11
SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 06:43 08:16 4:28p 3:40a 06:42 08:17 5:35p 4:18a 06:41 08:18 6:44p 5:00a 06:41 08:18 7:54p 5:46a 06:40 08:19 9:01p 6:37a 06:40 08:20 10:03p 7:34a 06:39 08:20 10:59p 8:34a 06:39 08:21 11:47p 9:35a 06:38 08:21 NoMoon 10:36a 06:38 08:22 12:30a 11:35a 06:37 08:23 1:06a 12:32p 06:37 08:23 1:39a 1:25p 06:37 08:24 2:09a 2:17p 06:36 08:24 2:38a 3:09p 06:36 08:25 3:08a 4:01p 06:35 08:25 3:39a 4:54p 06:35 08:26 4:12a 5:49p 06:35 08:27 4:49a 6:45p 06:35 08:27 5:30a 7:42p 06:34 08:28 NoMoon 10:42a
P.M. Minor 3:02 3:48 4:38 5:32 6:30 7:32 8:35 9:37 10:36 11:29 ----12:40 1:21 1:59 2:36 3:13 3:52 4:34 5:20 10:36
SUN Rises 06:45 06:44 06:44 06:43 06:42 06:41 06:41 06:40 06:39 06:39 06:38 06:38 06:37 06:37 06:36 06:36 06:35 06:35 06:35 06:34
San Antonio 2011 A.M. May-June Minor Major 13 Fri 2:23 8:36 14 Sat 3:08 9:22 15 Sun 3:56 10:10 16 Mon > 4:49 11:03 17 Tue > 5:46 ----18 Wed F 6:49 12:33 19 Thu > 7:53 1:38 20 Fri > 8:56 2:42 21 Sat 9:56 3:43 22 Sun 10:52 4:40 23 Mon 11:42 5:31 24 Tue Q 12:03 6:16 25 Wed Q 12:47 6:57 26 Thu 1:25 7:35 27 Fri 2:02 8:12 28 Sat 2:38 8:49 29 Sun 3:16 9:27 30 Mon > 3:56 10:08 31 Tue > 4:41 10:54 01 Tue 9:59 3:48
Amarillo
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OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen
Solution on Page 30
2011 A.M. May-June Minor 13 Fri 2:36 14 Sat 3:21 15 Sun 4:09 16 Mon > 5:02 17 Tue > 6:00 18 Wed F 7:02 19 Thu > 8:06 20 Fri > 9:09 21 Sat 10:10 22 Sun 11:05 23 Mon 11:55 24 Tue Q 12:16 25 Wed Q 1:00 26 Thu 1:39 27 Fri 2:15 28 Sat 2:51 29 Sun 3:29 30 Mon > 4:10 31 Tue > 4:54 01 Tue 10:13
Major 8:49 9:35 10:24 11:17 ----12:47 1:51 2:56 3:57 4:53 5:44 6:29 7:11 7:49 8:25 9:02 9:40 10:22 11:07 4:01
Major 9:15 10:02 10:52 11:46 12:15 1:17 2:21 3:23 4:23 5:17 6:06 6:50 7:31 8:09 8:46 9:23 10:03 10:46 11:32 4:24
Sets 08:41 08:41 08:42 08:43 08:44 08:45 08:45 08:46 08:47 08:48 08:48 08:49 08:50 08:51 08:51 08:52 08:53 08:53 08:54 08:55
MOON Rises 4:45p 5:56p 7:09p 8:21p 9:30p 10:32p 11:27p NoMoon 12:14a 12:54a 1:27a 1:57a 2:25a 2:51a 3:18a 3:46a 4:17a 4:51a 5:31a 12:13a
Sets 3:52a 4:27a 5:05a 5:48a 6:37a 7:33a 8:33a 9:35a 10:38a 11:40a 12:39p 1:36p 2:31p 3:25p 4:20p 5:16p 6:13p 7:12p 8:10p 10:45a
FOR THE TABLE Venison in beef marinade
ACROSS 1. A flock of geese 4. A term of casting stroke, _____haul 7. Code for a type bullet 10. This waterproofs wildfowl feathers 11. Hunter will rattle these to attract deer 12. Type fir tree used in arrow shafts 13. Varmint is a hunter’s name for this 14. A unit of weight of a bullet 16. Signifies a type shotgun 17. Code for a type bullet 20. Bowhunter’s ammo 21. Term applies to icefishing 22. A saucer-shaped clay target 24. A term of open sight 26. A species of large catfish 27. Describes the wild turkey’s vision 28. To down a game or wildfowl 29. In grassy fields deer become this 31. A type stand for still hunting 33. Change to smaller caliber ammo 35. To hunt or fish illegally 36. Rings on striper’s tail reveal this 37. A sight nearest the eye
Ingredients: 2 large onions, sliced 2 carrots, sliced 2 stalks celery, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced 2 tsps. salt 1 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. cloves, allspice, and basil 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped 1 quart vinegar
38. A saltwater fish catch 39. A young fox or seal 40. To point weapon at a target 44. Code for a type bullet 45. Term for a line with many hooks 46. Word meaning to be feathered DOWN 1. A species of fish 2. A breed of retriever 3. A brand of deer bleat call 4. The clay pigeon 5. Model shotgun, over and _____ 6. The roe from a fish 8. Homes of many wildfowl 9. A _____ trout 14. A nuisance fish to trotlines 15. Deer,bear,squirrel food source 16. The turkey’s foot 18. A basket used to carry fish 19. An upland game bird 20. Estimating how old game tracks are 21. The point of an arrow 22. A turkey head appendage
1 quart water 1 pint beer 1/2 cup salad oil Sauté onions, carrots and celery in oil for 10 minutes; add remaining ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes, then chill. Place in large earthenware bowl or crock and add 3 to 4 pounds of venison, cut in 2-inch pieces (shoulder,
neck, breast or other tough portions). Let stand in refrigerator for one to two days, turning several times. Place meat and marinade in large kettle; bring slowly to boil. Cover and cook over low heat for two hours. Thicken liquid for gravy if desired. — TPWD
Grilled shrimp tacos with chipotle sauce
23. A name for a saltwater boom 25. Color hunter wears for safety 28. A shotgun sight 30. A large sport fish 31. Area in front of the gun chamber 32. A missed shot 34. An excellent fire wood
35. A fly-fishing nymph, sparkle _____ 38. A wingshooter’s quarry 41. Handy to have in strange areas 42. A big game hideaway 43. Code for energy expelled by a muzzle
(serves 4)
For the shrimp tacos: 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 1 tbsp. olive oil 2 tsps. chili powder 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined (24 count) 8 flour tortillas
For the chipotle sauce: 1/2 cup mayo or sour cream 1 1/2 tsps. minced chipotle chilies in adobo sauce 1 1/2 tsp. honey 1 tsp. fresh lime juice Salt to taste
For the slaw: 4 cups shredded cabbage 1/2 cup sliced scallions 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar Salt to taste
Whisk together 1/2 cup lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and chili powder for the tacos. Add shrimp and chill until ready to skewer. Preheat one side of the grill to mediumhigh and the other side to medium-low. Whisk together mayonnaise, chipotles, honey, and 1 teaspoon lime juice for the sauce. Season with
salt and chill until ready to serve, or up to 2 days. Combine cabbage, scallions, cilantro, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 tablespoon vinegar for the slaw. Season with salt and chill until ready to serve, or up to 1 hour. Wrap flour tortillas in foil. Thread shrimp onto 4 metal or soaked bamboo skewers. Grill foil-wrapped
tortillas, covered, over medium-low heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and grill 3 to 4 minutes more. Grill shrimp skewers, covered, over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove tortillas and skewers from the grill. To serve, divide slaw and shrimp among 8 tortillas; drizzle with sauce. — Fishrecipes.org
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Google Earth
Big bass
Continued From Page 1
Continued From Page 1
Sounds easy. It wasn’t. The story really began several weeks before, when Matt shot the buck and couldn’t locate it after an exhaustive search. “We were hunting on our lease in Henrietta,” Mario Ramirez said. “It was opening weekend and Matt was shooting a .243. A good buck came out and we thought it was 150 yards away. Matt shot and the deer buckled up and ran down into a creek.” After waiting several minutes, the trio got out of the stand, only to see the buck jump up like he wasn’t hit. Mario fired another shot, but it had little effect on the deer. After finding a little blood trail, the group found the general direction the buck was traveling. “We called some friends and searched for about four hours,” Matt Ramirez said. “We had no luck, but came back three more times over the next three weeks.” Added Mario, “Matt was pretty upset. The next weekend we went back and continued the search. Matt said ‘if he’s out there, I’m going to find him.’ “He got on the computer and started searching on Google Earth. He tracked the deer’s direction and really wanted to go out again, but I was tempering expectations.” On their final attempt to locate the deer, Matt took his dad to the area he had pinpointed on Google Earth for the final search. He had an iPodtouch, and led his dad to the exact area he felt the deer had died. “The night before the last time, I got on Google Earth and drew a line from where the deer was hit,” Matt said. “I found a little draw and that’s where we went. We went a little farther than we had in the past.” While his sons took a break from the search, Mario walked 50 yards down the draw, where the creek passed through. “I saw some fur,” he said. “I could see where the buck had been. I followed a drag mark up the bank and saw the rack sticking up out of the grass.” Matt said he didn’t know his dad had found the deer until he was asked a simple question. “My dad said, ‘Matt, do you have your license? Because someone needs to tag this deer.’” “There were some high fives,” Mario said. “It was an awesome moment. The carcass stunk real bad — it had been out there 17 days.” Mario had a European mount made of the 135-class buck because the buck was badly decomposed. Matt offered up a few tips for finding downed deer. “Pinpoint the direction the buck heads after he’s shot,” he said. “If it is towards a creek, check that because deer often head towards water. Give him more time and use a rangefinder before you shoot. I thought the buck was 150 yards away, but he was really about 220 yards.” Mario said he was impressed with his son’s diligence in wanting to recover the buck. “The message I got was never give up,” Mario said. “Work hard for it first and do your best. I’m proud of my son for finding this buck.”
Dove said he also likes large creature baits (8.75 inches) such as the Gila monster from El Grande baits. He said the Optimum line of BLT (Baby Line Thru) swimbaits up to 7 inches work well on clear waters, like his home lake of Amistad. Big jigs also get results. Mark Watson of Fort Worth came up with a jig-trailer combo following an informal con-
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versation last year with Lonnie Stanley, owner of Stanley Lures, at the Cabela’s in Fort Worth. “I got to visit with Mr. Stanley for about an hour,” Watson said. “He started explaining his jigs and suggested a combo. “He recommended the jig and trailer, but I figured out the color.” The setup is 3/8-ounce Stanley FlipMax jig in watermelon blue, coupled with a 4-inch Okeechobee Craw Y-Not trailer. Watson and friends recently used it to catch 40 bass on Lake Fork, including a 9-pounder
that he hooked. The combo is effective while flipping around stumps in creek channels, Watson said. “It’s a big jig,” he said with a chuckle. “Everybody who sees me throw it, they just turn their heads and say, ‘What’s that?’” But large baits also have some disadvantages, Dove said. “You’re not going to get as many bites,” he said. “You’re going to bypass some of the fish that aren’t going to attack that lure. “So, there is potential
Reds Continued From Page 1
in the water — minnows, perch and menhadens. “I’ve talked to a lot of friends who have been really catching the redfish. Most have their limits by 9 a.m.” Coulston said one group of anglers he talked to at the dock had their limit by 8:30 a.m. and caught and released another 29 redfish during a half-day trip. “Menhadens have been the best bait for redfish,” he said. “The fresher the bet- REDS ON: Slot redfish, like the one pictured, are ter. Live ones are the best, being caught now on the coast. Photo by Dan but if you can’t find live Kelly. ones, fresh dead ones work well also. Other baits that to pick up in the coming weeks. are working right now are cut The best fishing for reds has perch and cut skipjack.” been on the flats in areas of shell Coulston said the majority of or grass — standard for this time the fish he’s been catching have of year. been slot reds and trout, but he “The fish are here,” Coulston expects the trophy trout fishing added. “It’s really good.”
for fewer bites, but the reward is much greater for some bigger bites.” Confidence in the type of bait and structure are also important while using big lures, Dove said, regardless of depth or structure. “The biggest thing in bass fishing, with any kind of lure, is you have to be committed to learning how to use it and having the mental confidence to believe that every time you throw it out there, you’re going to get bit on it,” Dove said.
One Ingleside guide said he caught 30 trout and nine redfish by 11 a.m. the day before Mother’s Day. Along the southern coast, guides reported catching limits of trout and redfish. “We limited on trout and reds over the weekend,” said Capt. Freddy Petty, who guides on the Lower Laguna Madre. “It’s just windy, but the fish have all been shallow.” Petty said the bays along the southern part of the state don’t have a lot of grass, but the fish have been caught near shell and in the sand. “We have been catching the majority of our fish on root beer-colored Gulps,” Petty added. “The water has been pretty muddy and these are working right now.” To contact Capt. Ron Coulston, call (361) 557-0555. To contact Capt. Freddy Petty, call (956) 943-2747.
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May 13, 2011
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DATEBOOK May 13-15
Arabia Shrine Sportsmen
June 8
Great Outdoors Expo
7th Annual Fishing Tournament Matagorda Harbor (281) 356-6797 www.arabiashrinesportsmen.com
Houston Safari Club
The Horseshoe Center Midland (806) 253-1322 www.goetx.com
May 24
Monthly Meeting (713) 623-8844 www.houstonsafariclub.org
Dallas Safari Club
June 9
7th Annual Bass Tournament Lake Fork (888) 657-5051 or (903) 383-7748 www.legendoflakefork.com
Fort Worth Regional Meeting (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org
Ducks Unlimited
Dallas Safari Club YPG Crawfish boil (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org
May 19 Dallas Safari Club Monthly Meeting (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org
Capital Bass Club Monthly meeting VFW Post 8787 Austin www.capitalbassclub.com
May 21 Texana Outdoor Expo Breckenridge Park Edna (361) 782-7272 www.breckenridgepark.com
May 26
Fort Worth Fun Shoot Alpine Shooting Range (817) 291-6696 www.ducks.org
Texas Deer Association San Antonio Chapter Banquet (210) 767-8300 www.texasdeerassociation.com
May 28 Third Coast Fishing Tournament Bluff’s Landing Marina Corpus Christi www.winthirdcoast.com
CCA Texas Star Angler's Rodeo Texas Gulf Coast (713) 626-4222 www.ccatexas.org
June 3-4 Brush to Bay Invitational Fishing Tournament Bluff’s Landing Marina, Corpus Christi (210) 767-8300 www.brushtobay.com
Ducks Unlimited
June 4- July 10
Beaumont “Fun Shoot” One in One Hundred Gun Club (409) 835-3621 www.ducks.org
All Bass Pro Shops www.basspro/summercamp.com
Bass Pro Shops Family Summer Camp
June 7-10 Texas Boater Education Course
TWA Wildlife Convention
Cabela’s Conference Center Fort Worth (817) 923-3547 americassouthsea@yahoo.com
JW Marriott, San Antonio www.texas-wildlife.org
Editor Bill Miller Associate Editor Conor Harrison
Legends of Lake Fork
May 14
Executive Editor Craig Nyhus
Associate Editor Mark England Graphics Editor Amy Moore Business/Products Editor Mary Helen Aguirre Operations Manager Mike Hughs Accounting Ginger Hoolan Web site Bruce Soileau
June 10-11 Fourth Annual Texas Trio Classic Fishing Tournament Matagorda www.Texastrioclassic.com
June 11 Lone Star Bowhunters Association 37th Annual Awards Banquet and Expo Pedrotti’s North Wind Ranch Helotes www.lonestarbowhunter.com
National Advertising Mike Nelson Accounts Manager Classified/Outfitters Blazing Paths Media Advertising Intern Nicholas Conklin Founder & CEO David J. Sams
Contributors Kyle Carter Alan Clemons David Draper Wilbur Lundeen Aaron Reed Erich Schlegel David Sikes Scott Sommerlatte Chuck Uzzle Ralph Winingham
June 18 Mako Boats Owners Tournament Aransas Pass www.mako-boats.com/owners
June 25 Texas Boater Education Course Cabela’s Conference Center Fort Worth (817) 923-3547 americassouthsea@yahoo.com
July 28-31 37th Annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament (956) 944-2354 www.portmansfieldchamber.org
Advertising Call (214) 361-2276 or e-mail editor@lone staroutdoornews.com to request a media kit.
For home delivery subscriptions www.LSONews.com (214) 361-2276
Lone Star Outdoor News, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2011 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 e-mail them to editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.
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May 13, 2011
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Wounded warrior from Texas joins shooting team WARRIOR: Trevor Baucom, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot from Carrollton, trains for the upcoming NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship. Assisting him is Jeff Carnahan, vice president for Safariland Ltd., Inc. Photo by Shooting USA.
Trevor Baucom is reinventing himself. The Carrollton native served 13 years in the U.S. Army, much of it as a chief warrant officer piloting Black Hawk helicopters. But during a nighttime assault in Afghanistan — it was his fourth deployment — his helicopter crashed, leaving him paralyzed below the waist. Baucom began his rehabilitation in Franklin, Tenn., where a new friend, Jim Scoutten, host of the “Shooting USA” television program, introduced him to competitive shooting sports. Soon, the 31-year-old veteran was training for action pistol competitions. In late April, he joined Team Smith & Wesson as the company’s first disabled veteran shooter. Now he’s training for the 2011 MidwayUSA/ NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship, May 25-28 in Columbia, Mo. “It’s hard to put into words just how phenomenal this whole experience has been,” said Baucom. “The support from the indus-
try has been overwhelming and at times I find myself still trying to grasp it all.” Baucom has been trained by one of the industry’s top competitive shooters, Billy Abbate with Atlanta Arms & Ammo. Safariland Ltd., Inc. has also helped. “I love the fact that this is an individual sport that requires absolute focus,” he said. “If you mess up, you have no one to blame but yourself. I hope that my participation is enough to get more wounded warriors and disabled people into the shooting sports.” Baucom said he is eager to get back to Texas. “I used to spend a lot of summertime at my buddies’ lake house on Lake Tawakoni,” he recalled. “We would spend days on end fishing and playing in the lake. “A friend of mine is setting up a deer hunt for me in Sabinal this fall, the same ranch where he dropped a 191-inch gross B&C last year. “I can’t tell you how excited I am.” —Staff report
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ADVERTISEMENT
Thunderbird Hunting Club For sportsmen looking for the best duck hunting along the Texas coast, look no further than Thunderbird Hunting Club, a membership-based hunting club encompassing more than 20,000 acres of prime waterfowl hunting land in Matagorda and Jackson counties. For the past 30 years, Thunderbird Hunting Club has devoted itself to the finest waterfowl hunting experience a hunter can have in Texas, with an emphasis on duck hunting. No competition with other hunters, nobody running guided hunts when you aren’t there and intensely managed waterfowl habitat makes this a world-class value. “Over-pressured birds leave an area quickly,” said club co-manager Todd Steele. “We are really proud that we control the hunting areas to ensure people have a great chance at a great hunt.” The club hunts ducks on only Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, and strictly limits the members in the club. With an average harvest of slightly under 5 birds per person, per hunt last season, the hunting has never been better. The main species hunters can expect to encounter are bluewing and greenwing teal, gadwalls, shovelers and pintails. With more than 30 blinds to choose from, each with its own set of decoys, hunters have multiple options on where to hunt. Everyone is treated equally, with a draw of the cards the evening before the hunt that determines where everyone will hunt. “This lodge is so convenient,” Steele said. “Members know if they have free time, they can come down here and enjoy an outdoor experience any time of year.” The lodge sleeps up to 24 people, forming a sense of camaraderie with members of the club. “We put the majority of the money (from memberships) into habitat,” Steele said. “We are a duck shooting place, not a bed and breakfast. That is our main focus.” Guides are available for hunters who wish to have an expert in the blind.
Along with outstanding duck hunting, the club also has goose and dove hunting available, which at times is equally outstanding. Every year club members enjoy the unique fisheries at one of the club’s leases. Hit the tide right and the fishing is nothing short of phenomenal for mainly redfish, but also trout, flounder and black drum. “We value our relationship with the landowners,” Steele said. “It is a very important aspect of the club that our guests treat the land accordingly and strive to be the best tenants possible.” “We run the hunting club as you would a business,” said the other co-manager, Paul McDonald. “Communication and organization is of paramount importance to us, as it eliminates most problems. Over the years we have evolved a system of policies that we communicate through newsletters, reservations, maps, safety meetings, field and administrative managers. It allows us to operate very efficiently,” said McDonald. The Lodge is located to the west of Bay City and to the south of El Campo. All hunting properties are approximately 30 minutes from the lodge. Members may utilize the lodge year-round for saltwater fishing trips, company functions, campouts, church outings, Boy Scout meetings, etc. Thunderbird Hunting Club continues to attract conservation-minded clients who treat the land and its owners with respect, and in return receive a “Quality Outdoor Experience” that is hard to match along the Gulf Coast.
For more information, contact Thunderbird Hunting Club at (713) 871-8766 or go to www.thunderbirdhuntingclub.com.
May 13, 2011
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TEXAS BIG BITES
BIG BASS: Aneil Kamath caught this 11.4-pound bass during a Media Bass Tournament on Lake Palestine.
THE MONSTER OF LAKE ZEBCO: This blue catfish, nearly 39 pounds, set a new record at Lake Zebco when Colton Seeton of Athens caught it recently. It was released back into the lake after it was weighed. Photo by Janice Arnsdorff, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. ELITE: Dylan Edwards, 12, of New Braunfels caught this 14.5inch Guadalupe bass last month on Lake McQueeney, earning him a slew of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department awards: adult and junior catch-and-release state records; a water body record; and a big fish award. But it also put him over the top to receive the TPWD’s freshwater “Elite Angler” award. To do that, he had to catch at least five different trophy-class fish from a list of 21 freshwater species. His other notable catches include crappie, largemouth, smallmouth, striped bass and rainbow trout, all on live bait with rod and reel. Photo by TPWD.
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TOURNAMENT BRIEFS
Lone✯Star Outdoor News
Black-and-whites Continued From Page 4
Bass Champs action on Travis, Choke Canyon, Ray Roberts Mid-to-late April and the first weekend in May saw plenty of action on the Bass Champs tournament trail. The latest event was a Central Division tourney May 7 on Lake Travis. The father-son team of Tony and Travis Gergely took first place with five fish weighing 19.59 pounds. The team from Seguin used a Texas-rigged creature baits to take home a $20,000 prize. On April 30, brothers William Tompkins of Kingwood and Joseph Tompkins of Fair Oaks Ranch boated a five-fish total of 26.45 pounds to win a South Division tournament on Choke Canyon Reservoir. Joseph said he used a secret bait made by his wife, but he did share the color: “watermelon warfare.” The brothers split $20,000 in cash and prizes. A team from Mansfield won a North Division tournament April 16 on Lake Ray Roberts. Steve Schmidt and Rick Newton brought five fish to the scales weighing 21.56 pounds. They used chatter baits and trick worms, including a watermelon gold wacky worm. Their prize was $20,000.
Jones only Texan in top 10 at ‘Pride of Georgia’ Bassmaster Elite pro angler Alton Jones was the only Texan to place in the top 10 at the 2011 Elite Series Pride of Georgia tournament, May 5-8 at West Point Lake, LaGrange, Ga. First place went to Stephen Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., who caught 20 fish for a total weight of 64 pounds, 14 ounces. According to B.A.S.S., he threw two swimbaits, including a “no-name model out of production” and the other from Basstrix. Jones, of Waco, managed sixth place on 20 fish with a total weight of 56 pounds, 9 ounces. However, Jones maintained his firstplace lead in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year competition with 1,372 points. Close behind him, as of May 9, were Terry Scroggins of Palatka, Fla., 1,256 points, and Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., 1,254.
Oklahoman takes PAA event on Ray Hubbard Jason Christie of Oklahoma won the inaugural Bass Pro Shops PAA All Star Series title April 21-23 on Lake Ray Hubbard with a total of 61.93 pounds. His prize, worth $45,000, included a Nitro boat and $5,000 cash. For the entire tournament, he threw a green pumpkin Booyah jig with trailers made from a Yum Money Craw or a Craw Papi. Todd Auten of South Carolina was second with 57.95 pounds. The highest placing Texan was Matt Reed of Madisonville who was third with 56.80 pounds.
Team from Graham win couples event Scott and Robin Smiley of Graham won $500 for their first place finish April 23 at the Texas Bass Couples West Region tournament on Hubbard Creek Lake. The Smileys caught 30.65 pounds of fish, including an 8.89 pounder that was the tournament’s big bass. The hefty fish fetched an extra prize of $95.
Clarification: Heitman advanced to Top 6 divisional Mike Heitman is advancing to divisional competition following the 2011 Texas B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Top 6 State Championship March 28-April 4 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Heitman, representing the North Central Region, was omitted from an early report about the Top 6 tournament. —Staff reports
gone to a September season to bring those populations in check.” But a September season in Texas, he explained, would be “just staying ahead of things.” Morrison said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials haven’t yet made any objections to the plan, but TPWD is waiting on final word from them. That might not happen until July, he said. If approved, the September Canada season would only be for the state’s Eastern Hunting Zone, basically the counties east of Interstate 35. That’s because the Eastern Zone is allotted 107 days to hunt geese during the regular season. The state doesn’t use all of those days during the regular season in fall and winter. Therefore, some of the days can be applied to September without taking from the regular season. That’s not the case in the Western Zone, which only gets 96 days, Morrison said. “We use the full complement of days in the West Zone,” he said. “So, the ability to add days in September just is not there.”
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(800) 232-3474 www.flambeauoutdoors.com
AVID FRESHWATER TROUT LINE: Rio’s new fly-line utilizes the company’s “AgentX” technology that results in a higher floating line as well as a superslick coating that helps keep the line clean and increases casting distance. The Avid Trout lines are all-purpose trout lines with easy casting tapers. With a head slightly heavier than the AFTMA standard, casters can load the rod easily, which is especially useful on modern faster action rods. The pale yellow fly lines sell for about $55.
For retailers, visit www.rapala.com
(208) 524-7760 www.rioproducts.com
>>
X-RAP 4: At 1½ inches long, Rapala’s newer and smaller X-Rap lure stays true to family tradition with its hard-cutting, aggressive, slash bait-style action. Like its predecessors, the X-Rap 4 features a translucent body, internal scale pattern, holographic foil and 3-D eyes that combine to display intense action. Ideal for freshwater species, especially crappie, or saltwater species, this 1/16-ounce lure is available in 11 colors. Included are trout patterns Olive Green Muddler, Brook Trout, Brown Trout and Hot Mustard Muddler. It sells for about $9.
WINCHESTER SHORT RIFLE MODEL 94: Winchester Repeating Arms is reintroducing a classic among hunters. This short rifle is described as fast to the shoulder, quick-swinging, lightweight and a pleasure to shoot. It has a compact 20-inch deeply blued round barrel and straight grip walnut stock plus a rifle-style forearm, black grip cap and full-length magazine. Its sights are traditional with a semi-buckhorn rear and Marble Arms gold bead at the muzzle. The rifle is also drilled and tapped for scope mounts. The Short Rifle 94 measures 38 inches in length and weighs 6 ¾ pounds. Available in a .30-30 Winchester, it sells for about $1,200.
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Hog hunt Continued From Page 1
going to be every Billy Bob out there do this?’ I am absolutely tired of it. “I mean, who is this person, this Billy Bob?” Helicopter-borne sharpshooters purge thousands of feral hogs each year from the Texas landscape, but it’s illegal to charge hunters to do that. But the bill, which easily passed the House before moving to the Senate, would change that. A similar bill stalled in the Senate during the last session of Legislature. State Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, sponsored it then and revived for the 82nd Legislature. “Actually, the first time I carried it there was a lot of joking and kidding around,” Miller said. “People were talking about ‘Joe Sixpack.’ It was no joking matter this time. “We have to somehow get our hands around this feral hog problem. It’s no longer just losing crops, quail eggs and fawns. Now it’s urban; they’re into golf courses, cemeteries, people’s lawns ....” While some might view aerial hog hunting as a sporting opportunity, others say it is the most effective way to control feral hog populations. Haskell County Hog Control Inc. was formed in 2008 by farmers and other landowners looking for a quick but effective way to reduce hog damage to their wheat, cotton, sesame and milo. This tax-exempt non-profit group doesn’t own a helicopter, but it does collect money from its members to pay pilots like Johnson to flush hogs from cover. A door gunner opens up on them with either a semiautomatic rifle or a 12-gauge shotgun. Members pay 85 cents an acre. That amounts to $425 for a 500acre farm, which can almost cover about an hour of helicopter time. Farmer Steve Alsabrook, one
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of the organizers, said there has been as much as 28,000 acres enrolled in the program. “Since we started this program, I very seldom see a hog now,” he said. “If we can get this bill passed and we can get these helicopter boys to fly and charge someone to shoot these pigs, I’m all for it.” Helicopter owners, however, say they won’t be letting just anyone do the shooting. “Primarily, it’s a safety issue,” said Mike Morgan, president of Houston-based VERTEX Helicopters. “We’ve actually heard of issues where hunters in the back of aircraft shoot holes through the rotor blade, which immediately grounds the aircraft where it is.” That’s considered an emergency landing, which by law, must be investigated by a federal agency like the National Transportation Safety Board, Morgan said. Morgan, who flew helicopters for the Army, said his company has been offering hog eradication flights for about two years, but his employees are specially trained to do the shooting. The pilots, he added, fly “nap of the earth,” just like military pilots. “You have to anticipate power changes, stop quick and close to the ground, and stay in constant communication with the person doing the shooting,” Morgan said. All these issues will be covered in an “Aerial Hunter Safety Course” to be offered by VERTEX, Morgan said. Johnson also spends time with door gunners, making sure they are trained. “To replace a set of blades — you’re looking at $20,000, and that’s a set of used blades,” he said. “So, these anti people think we’re going to put Billy Bob in helicopter and risk $30,000 to make $500? I don’t think so.” The Texas Senate had not yet voted on the "Pork Chopper bill" by press time for this issue of Lone Star Outdoor News. Be checking www.lsonews.com for updates.
May 13, 2011
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LONE STAR MARKET
Puzzle solution from Page 18
To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or e-mail him at mhughs@lonestaroutdoornews.com.
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BUSINESS BRIEFS
Corky Continued From Page 8
World Fishing Network joining DISH Network World Fishing Network, the 24-hour network dedicated to the fishing lifestyle, has joined DISH Network’s Outdoor Sports Pack. The outdoors package, on DISH Channel 394, costs $3 per month, according to a news release from WFN. “With the addition of WFN to the new Outdoor Sports Pack, we continue to deliver incredible programming options while engaging the 60 million anglers in America,” said Mark Rubinstein, WFN’s president. DISH Network will continue to offer subscribers WFN HD as part of the HD Platinum Package. Included in the package are the Sportsman Channel and the Outdoor Network. —Staff report
Walmart resumes gun sales at 500 stores More than 500 Walmart stores, including 30 in Texas, have resumed gun sales after five years of not having them in showcases. The company in 2006 started pulling rifles and shotguns from the sporting goods departments at most of its stores, which now number about 3,600. About 1,100 stores continued to sell guns, but company officials realized that a lot of customers still wanted them, said Ashley Hardie, Walmart spokeswoman. “That was a business decision,” Hardie said of the 2006 removal of guns from stores. “But we realized the appeal was broader than originally anticipated. “So, we’re bringing them back and generally in smaller or rural markets — communities involved in hunting, fishing and sporting activities.” Rifles and shotguns are available at the Walmart stores, but the giant retailer only sells handguns in Alaska, Hardie said. The spokeswoman did not have a list of the Texas stores approved for gun sales. But, she noted, “Customers should already be seeing them in stores.” —Staff report
Outdoors Channel now available in DFW market The Outdoor Channel has announced the launch of the network on Charter systems in Texas, effective immediately. Outdoor Channel will be available in the Fort Worth, Park Cities, Denton, Duncanville, Rockwall and Spring, Texas systems, giving Charter subscribers access to the sights, sounds and thrills of the network's genre-leading programming. "Outdoor Channel recognizes the importance of expanding in key markets, such as Texas, where there are large, existing communities of hunters, anglers and shooting enthusiasts with a great affinity for the outdoors," said Tom Hornish, chief operating officer, Outdoor Channel. "We're excited to deepen our affiliation with Charter." Outdoor Channel will be available on Channel 293 as part of Charter Communications' Sports View Plus package. —Staff report
Yet for decades, Corkies, made by Paul Brown of Houston, have continued to frustrate anglers eager to hook speckled trout on the Texas coast. And now, a year after Brown sold his company to MirrOlure, anglers are still asking if there is some sort of trick to throwing Corkies. “I tried them a few years ago and didn’t get them to work for me,” said Bill Graswich, a longtime angler from Dallas. “Yet, over the years, I see articles mentioning how this guide or that fisherman caught monster trout on them. “Great …. How do you fish with them?”
Ken Craven has a pretty good idea. He’s retired at Rockport, but he fished much of his life in the Galveston area. His passion is big trout, and he has caught some on Corkies — but not many. “I know they’re effective with big fish, if you fish them slow,” Craven said. “I know some excellent fishermen have caught monster trout on them over the decades. “I’m just too impatient to use them.” Capt. Brian Holden, guide and manager of Red Fish Lodge on Copano Bay, said he completely understands a client’s frustration over Corkies. “I deal with it every time I use them,” Holden said. “But people move them too fast.” Corkies, he explained,
are not made to swim, but to be suspended and slowly sink in front of a hungry trout. “The idea is to leave bait sitting in front of the fish so long, he has no choice but to strike it,” Holden said. “It’s like the prey is challenging him.” And a Corky is not effective at finding fish. Holden said it’s best used over structure where the angler knows fish are waiting for dinner. Having committed to a Corky, the angler needs to be patient, Holden said. “It takes three minutes for a single cast of a Corky,” he said. On the lure’s retrieve, Capt. Scott Sommerlatte of Lake Jackson advised anglers to “slowww … dowwwn.” “A Corky will rise to the surface when you work it, but that’s not where you
May 13, 2011
want it to be,” he said. “If you’re fishing in 2 to 3 feet of water, and the fish are on the bottom, you want to be midway in the water column.” But once there is a hit, Holden said, “Drop your tip and count to five. Let them eat first.” Both Holden and Sommerlatte favor big Corky “Fat Boys,” now part of MirrOlure’s Paul Brown’s Original Series. “If I want a big fish, I fish a big bait, and that’s what a Fat Boy is,” Holden said. Knowing when to use a Corky is also important, and that generally doesn’t start until late October, Holden said. “Focus on using them in wintertime for trout, when they’re not feeding constantly,” he said. “They’re definitely more effective when the fish
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are slower, more lethargic or looking for a bigger meal.” During summer months, the fish tend to eat more often, Holden said. “Right now we want more of a swimming bait,” he said, “like a Texas Red Killer or a Norton Bull Minnow. We want to stimulate a predator response. “We want them to chase something.” Sommerlatte agreed, but, he added, there is one summertime situation that calls for a Corky. “If you’re throwing a top-water and the fish are just slapping at it, they’re hoping to stun it and come back and eat it,” he said. “So throw something that’s going to lay there motionless. “That is a good time to throw a Corky.”
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