Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
October 23, 2015
Big bass baron Bags 24 over 10 pounds
By Craig Nyhus
Volume 12, Issue 5
Hunters ready for deer movement
Lone Star Outdoor News
By Craig Nyhus
When it comes to catching 10-pound bass, Richard M. “Dick” Hart may have no equal in Texas. The longtime Dallas angler credits lots of time on the water and the quality of the waters fished for his success. “I’ve caught 24 or 25 over 10 pounds,” Hart said, who turned 86 years old on October 16. “I didn’t keep track for a long time.” Hart is known in Texas circles for being a major reason the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens is such an attraction. He led the fundraising efforts for the building that bears his name, along with Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops. Hart also was inducted into TFFC’s Hall of Fame in 2006. Hart’s pursuit of large bass spans decades. His best day, though, came in January of 1993 when he landed a 13 1/2-pound bass, his largest, on a Bass Assassin. “On that day my five best fish totaled 49 1/4 pounds,” he said. “The 13 1/2 pounder was part of that, the rest were 9 or 10 pounds.” While most of the big fish were landed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, his most recent 10-pounder came in June of this year. “I caught him out of lily pads,” Hart said. Hart’s go-to lure? “The majority of the big bass I caught were on a Senko,” he said. “I also caught Please turn to page 21
L one S tar O utdoor N ews
TOPS IN TEXAS: Richard M. Hart fishes nearly every week, and, since he turned 86 earlier in October, that’s a lot of fishing. He has caught and released either 24 or 25 largemouth bass weighing more than 10 pounds, a feat no other Texan may have accomplished. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Nothing excites deer hunters more than cool fronts and the upcoming rut, and many are hoping to see more deer movement as we head toward November and the opener of the general season. David Britt of Carthage helped organize the East Texas Bowhunters Association and is an avid bowhunter in East Texas. “We’re not seeing a lot of activity,” he said. “It’s slow right now. There have been some nice ones killed around here lately, though.” Britt said some persistent archers have done well, and there are some signs of change. “I’m seeing some activity, although not what I would like to see,” he said. “We have lots of acorns on the ground and it’s been very warm. But we do have bucks chasing does already, kind of a prerut thing, and the bucks aren’t in bachelor groups like it was a month ago.” Britt said the rut normally begins in midNovember in the region. “The elements change so often around Please turn to page 5
CONTENTS Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 28
Don’t forget to vote for right to hunt
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 30 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 14 Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 24
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
LSONews.com
Matagorda County to get H2O for waterfowl LCRA releases are first in 3 years
The following conservation groups are urging Texans to vote “Yes” on Proposition 6, the Texas Right to Hunt, Fish and Harvest Amendment, either by early voting (October 21-November 1) or
for waterfowl for the last three years due to drought and low levels in the Highland Lakes. Last year, a partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Ducks Unlimited and private landowners pro-
vided more than 22,300 acres of shallow water for waterfowl and shorebirds across the Gulf Coast. This year, thanks to LCRA and private landowners, fallow fields and moist-soil units were flooded in late summer using downstream run-of-river water that originated below Mansfield Dam. No water from the HighPlease turn to page 7
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INSIDE
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
By Lone Star Outdoor News
Pintail and wigeon heading south this fall will see a welcome sight as the head into the Texas midcoast rice prairie. There will be more available habitat due to collaboration between the Lower Colorado River Authority, private landowners and Ducks Unlimited. LCRA has not provided water
HUNTING
Deer Hunting Unique pronghorn switches to hunter for Texas Annual Guide super-wide buck.
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FISHING
Cookies with a twist
Keeper-size croaker
Ingleside baker makes treats look like fish. Page 8
Fall run appeals to anglers.
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