October 26, 2012 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Page 1

October 26, 2012

They’re coming Large numbers of ducks pushing south.

Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

October 26, 2012

Inside

❘❚ FISHING

He caught what?

Austin angler hooks eel in strange spot.

Page 8

Freshwater crabs Harris mud crab in North Texas lakes.

Page 8

Plenty of good bucks; fewer at feeders Bow/MLDP seasons strong despite ample natural forage

By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS

Chris Scheel has seen his Wildpoint Whitetails ranch green after a good rainy season.

But nothing compares to this year for the property near Saint Jo. “It is the greenest for this time of year than I can ever remember,” he said. “There are so many acorns and natural browse for the deer to eat. I changed the times on my feeders because they weren’t eating anything.

❘❚ HUNTING

Coming back Deer, other game, now thriving in areas hit by wildfires.

Page 4

Rice breast in ducks Disgusting, but edible.

❘❚ CONTENTS

Classifieds . . . . . . . .

Crossword . . . . . . . .

Freshwater Fishing Report For the Table. . . . . . .

Game Warden Blotter . . .

Heroes. . . . . . . . . .

Outdoor Datebook . . . .

Outdoor Business . . . .

Products . . . . . . . . .

Saltwater Fishing Report .

Sun, Moon and Tide data .

“I just turned them off because of all of the corn left on the ground.”

Scheel said his ranch doesn’t cater to bow hunters, but he added that he expects a bunch See GOOD BUCKS, Page 26

BIG BUCKS OUT THERE: Nice deer like the one pictured have been harvested so far this season, but warm weather and available natural forage, like these acorns, have kept a lot of the big deer away from corn feeders. Photos by David J. Sams, LSON.

Page 6

. . . . . . . . . . .

Bionic bride enjoying the outside

Page 22 Page 21 Page 10 Page 21 Page 12 Page 20 Page 24 Page 24 Page 22 Page 14 Page 21

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210

❘❚ LSONews.com

Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP

Page 4

Volume 9, Issue 5

BACK ON THE WATER: After nearly succumbing to a potentially fatal heart condition, Ally Babineaux is grateful to be able to enjoy the outdoors again. She caught these redfish recently near her home in Corpus Christi. Photo by Ally Babineaux.

By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS

Corpus Christi resident Ally Babineaux appreciates being in the outdoors more than most.

After what she’s been through the past several years, just being able to enjoy anything outdoors is a minor miracle.

While attending Texas A&M University in 2007, she was diagnosed with viral car-

diomyopathy, a virus in the heart that often leads to heart failure.

She was dubbed the bionic bride when her boyfriend, Mike, proposed in September 2008 and the pair married in 2009. But it almost didn’t happen.

After battling through her body almost shutting down, multiple surgeries, doctors inserting a pump to give Babineaux’s heart time to heal, comas, more

surgeries and, finally, a heart transplant last February, Babineaux finally gets to enjoy several of her favorite passions — hunting and fishing.

“I’ve been fishing since I was 4 or 5,” she said. “My dad is from Freeport, so we went a lot. I started hunting about eight or nine years ago. I went to a friend’s ranch, and a bunch of the guys told me I couldn’t hit a water bottle on top of a fence post. I could!”

Her husband introduced Babineaux to deer hunting, which she described as “pretty awesome.”

“Now we do a little bit of everything — deer, turkeys, hogs, and Mike started duck hunting last year, so

I’m trying that this year. Everyone down here has a blind. I definitely want to try that.”

Babineaux said the challenge of the hunt is what she most enjoys, along with the benefits of eating healthy wild game.

“I want to get where I can do everything,” she said. “It’s such a challenge and so much fun. You have to be good at it or you don’t eat. We eat everything we shoot — it’s healthier than beef.”

This year, Babineaux went on her first dove hunt, and shot well with her 28-gauge shotgun.

“We went on a morning hunt but the birds were flying really See BIONIC BRIDE, Page 15

SLOW COMEBACK: Even with better rainfalls this year, quail haven’t had enough time to regain their numbers after last year’s drought. Photo

by David J. Sams, LSON.

Expect better quail season — but still not good

By John Keith

Lone Star outdoor newS Rain relief may have been too little too late, as quail hunters are faced with another year of disappointing numbers of birds in most areas.

Mike Pittman, who manages Black Gap and Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Areas in the TransPecos region, has seen the conditions change.

See QUAIL, Page 19

Page 2

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

October 26, 2012

Page 3

Page 4

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

HUNTING

Wildlife in areas hit by fire seeing recovery Game plentiful in burned areas

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

SCORCHED BUT COMING BACK: In areas of Texas hit hard by fire the past several years, an amazing transformation is occurring with a little rain and a return of native plants that help wildlife. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Many Texans watched in horror two summers ago as fire swept across a brittle landscape seared by drought.

Families lost ranches and homes to the devastation.

Despite the personal losses, some good has emerged from the blackened landscape.

According to biologists, wildfire has played an important role in the history of rangeland in Texas.

On average, fires burned the landscape every 10 or 20 years until the 20th century, when man settled the land and did not allow fire to perform its natural duty.

“Because of where (the fire) occurred in the Palo Pinto Mountains, it was pretty well choked with cedar,” said Kevin Mote, Possum Kingdom district leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “In the long run, within three years, it was a definitely a

good thing for the range.

But it depends on your perspective.

“Many of the ranchers lost a whole year of grazing.”

Mote said the area revolved around fires before man inhabited the area, so from a long-term ecological standpoint, it was hugely beneficial.

“We are already seeing incredible recovery,” he said. “Last fall, we put radio collars on hen turkeys and those birds were immediately back in those areas and spent the winter there.

This winter and spring we had good rains and the grass, forbes, and regrowth of woody species was phenomenal.”

Mote said a lot of food that had reached 20 feet in the air on mature trees now is back on the ground where game can take advantage.

“We’ve seen an increase in plant diversity and animal diversity,” he said.

James Edwards, a TPWD biologist in DeLeon, said wildlife was displaced dur-

ing the fire, but have made a remarkable comeback.

“In PK State Park, the fire has been so beneficial up there,” he said. “It was 80 percent juniper before the fire — now we have sumac, live oaks and post oaks. The live oak regrowth is 3 feet tall already.

We don’t have our deer survey numbers back from this year yet, but last year, deer numbers were up from where they had been.”

And that is good news for hunters.

Many ranches practice controlled burning — mostly in winter and spring — to improve range conditions as even beneficial plants can become overgrown.

“Wildlife responds quickly, especially after rains,” said Nathan Rains, a TPWD diversity biologist in Cleburne. “It is rain dependent, but we use controlled burns for habitat restoration and control. For range restoration, even beneficial grasses like bluestem can get too thick.”

Thinking about the hunt — a survey of Texas hunters

By John Keith

Lone Star Outdoor News More than just a hobby, hunting in Texas is a traditionfilled way of life for many, where families celebrate a youth’s first deer kill, and individuals lie awake at night afraid to oversleep the alarm that signals a new season.

Lone Star Outdoor News wanted to know exactly how passionate the average Texan is about their love of the hunt. Is it something that crosses your mind when you drive past a cut cornfield and see dove flying?

Or does the exponential emergence of mesquite as you travel south trigger visions of big bucks just over the next hill? Maybe the smell of salt along the coast brings memories of redheads swooping over a

decoy spread.

Through our E-newsletter, Facebook and online forums, we asked you to cast your vote; and you responded.

First we asked participants to estimate how many times a day they thought about hunting, or an aspect related to the act of hunting.

Thirty-six percent of respondents chose the answer “5-10 times a day.”

An additional 35 percent of survey takers chose “15 or more times a day.” That means that 71 percent of the Texas hunters we surveyed think about hunting a minimum of five times a day, with nearly half having it on their mind over a dozen times!

But here’s where it gets See SURVEY, Page 7

HEADED ON DOWN: After a better-than-average teal season, waterfowl hunters are seeing good numbers of pintail, gadwall and teal. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Making the migration

By John Keith

Lone Star Outdoor News Last year waterfowlers saw unseasonably warm and dry weather, which stalled the ducks and left them with few places to go once they arrived.

But this year, drought in states north of Texas, coupled with ample habitat and cool weather already mov-

ing through, has the ducks responding.

“There’s already big ducks showing up for the fall season, so we’re really looking forward to this season,” said Brandon Reynolds of Duks R Us in Bonham. “I think it’s going to be a real good one and we’re even supposed to get more rain, so it’s shaping up real good.”

Reynolds said a tremen-

dous teal season set the bar high for expectations this November, and pointed to weather conditions as an indicator of what’s to come. He has already seen gadwalls and pintails.

“With the drought last year, if you had any kind of water at all you had a decent duck season, and this year I think everyone is going to have a good season,” he

said. “The water is still not up to where it needs to be, but I think it’s really looking good at this time.”

And with poor conditions in states north of Texas, the habitat in the Lone Star State should only be more attractive to migrating birds.

“I think the drought in the Midwest will push See MIGRATION, Page 16

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

October 26, 2012

Page 5

West Texas dove deaths explained According to lab results from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories, the recent dove mortalities in West Texas were caused by pigeon paramyxovirus-1 (PPMV-1).

PPMV-1 belongs to a larger group of avian paramyxovirus serogroup 1 (APMV-1) viruses.

Though PPMV-1 has never been documented to infect humans, some strains of viruses in the APMV-1 group have been shown to cause mild conjunctivitis in people who directly handled large numbers of infected birds. There are no records of transmission of PPMV-1 to other mammals, such as domestic pets.

Some strains of PPMV-1 have been shown to be virulent in poultry. Minimizing contact between doves and poultry in affected areas of West Texas is advised until the PPMV-1 dove mortality event is over. This is the first time that pigeon paramyxovirus-1 has been identified in white-winged doves, though Eurasian-collared doves were also involved in this outbreak. TPWD will continue to monitor the spread of this virus, though it is not considered a major threat to dove populations in Texas.

— TPWD

Maybe more lesser prairie chickens than thought Through a multi-state collaborative effort, the first statistically valid, range-wide population estimate for the lesser prairie chicken is an estimated 37,170 birds, according to a new report. The survey results could be significant as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepares its proposed rule expected in November on whether to list the species under the federal Endangered Species Act. “After the worst single year drought in recorded history, we still have an estimated 37,000 birds on the ground range-wide, and that tells us that opportunities to recover this species are better than what many people expected,” said Sean Kyle, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife diversity biologist in Lubbock.

Aerial surveys this spring detected several previously unknown breeding areas, known as leks, despite severe drought conditions across the region last year. They also discovered leks in Kansas beyond what was thought to be the northern limit of the historic range of the species.

— TPWD

STRONG, THEN STRUGGLING: The unfortunate timing of a few weather fronts at the beginning of dove season left some fields empty, but others full of good shooting. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Dove hunting headed south Ill-timed weather hurt North season, benefited lower counties

By John Keith

Lone Star Outdoor News Big numbers of birds were being reported across the state as the September opener crept closer for the North and Central zones, but untimely weather fronts scattered dove and left some hunters staring at empty skies, while others enjoyed better shooting with

the changing conditions.

Lee Smith, who offers dove hunts around Coleman, saw hunter success on mourning dove go up and down with the changing patterns.

“The birds showed up well opening weekend,” he said.

“It was one of the better seasons we’ve had. We had folks limiting out in 30 minutes, and then the second weekend

the cold front blew them out, but they came back. Then it rained a couple of weeks ago and scattered them, so it’s been kind of tough hunting.”

The rain could have made the sunflower fields less ideal for the dove, Smith said.

“Usually I have more birds than I have right now, but we usually don’t have torrential rains like we did, either,” he

said. “They’ve sort of been slim pickings. I know by split season we’ll have a whole lot more forage for them, so I’m holding out hope for them a little bit.”

Jimmy Horton has fields in areas from Denton to Seymour, and said it was a struggle to find birds in most See DOVE HUNTING, Page 16

Page 6

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

Rice breast common in ducks Can be eaten by hunters

By Mark England

Lone Star Outdoor News Its common name may sound like a delicacy, but rice breast is not considered appetizing by many hunters.

It’s a disease (sarcocystis) that strikes ducks, which ingest the eggs of the mature parasite in food or water.

After hatching, the baby parasites migrate to the skeletal muscles and form cysts. DON'T TOSS THEM OUT: Though it looks unappetizing, ducks and geese The cysts resemble grains of stricken with rice breast are safe to eat, and throwing out the meat qualifies as rice and run in parallel lines wanton waste of game. Photo by Rob Robertson. throughout the muscle, usually the breast and thigh. Tim Siegmund, regulatory and see it and go, ‘Ah, that’s disDabbling ducks — such as biologist for the Texas Parks gusting. I’m not going to eat the mallard, gadwall , wigeon and Wildlife Department. this.’ But if cooked properly, it’s and so forth — are most sus- “That could make it more not going to hurt anyone.” ceptible to rice breast. apt to be harvested by a Siegmund added that a “Duck species that feed hunter or to be taken by a bird’s infection “doesn’t in small, shallow waters are predator.” affect the taste.” more likely to pick it up than, In most cases, though, sarPeople handling a duck say, a bluebill that spends cocystis is asymptomatic. infected with sarcocystis need more of its time in big water,” “The birds don’t usually not worry about catching said Scott Yaich, director of act sick from it,” said Dave anything, experts told Lone Conservation Operations at Morrison, TPWD’s Small Star Outdoor News. You probDucks Unlimited.

Game Program leader. “From ably don’t want to toss the Dabblers also take in a lot what I know, it’s not fatal to infected duck to your dog, of water when feeding, sort- birds. It’s a parasite. It occurs though, as it can live within ing through it for the aquatic commonly. The birds with the animal’s digestive tract. plants and the bugs they eat, it are lying there fat, dumb While eating the duck likely increasing the odds of and happy. As far as impact- wouldn’t pose a serious health getting sarcocystis. ing the ability of birds to sur- threat to a dog, it does risk conIn contrast, divers hone in vive, it’s not a problem.” tinuing the parasite’s life cycle on a specific meal, such as Except to appetites. and infecting other animals. clams or mussels.

“If my wife sees it, it’s Yaich said he can “block it A severe parasitic infection, gone,” Morrison said. out” if a duck has only a few though rare, can cause musMorrison, though, has cysts and enjoy a meal. Seeing cle loss in a duck and lead to eaten his share of ducks with a bunch of them, though, weakness or lameness. rice breast. makes him lose his appetite.

“It may reduce a bird’s “And I’m still kicking,” he See RICE BREAST, Page 16 physical condition,” said said. “You may skin the duck

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Mountain lion struck, killed in Bandera County After 20 years in the taxidermy industry, Gary Broach had only seen one mountain lion come into his shop.

That changed this month when another big cat was brought to him. But this mountain lion wasn’t harvested or brought to him by a hunter — it was found dead after apparently being struck by a vehicle in Bandera County.

“It was a 121-pound tom found by a road crew in Bandera County,” said Broach, owner of Rhodes Brothers Taxidermy in Kerrville. “The road crew called the game wardens, and the wardens and biologists brought it here for the time being.”

Broach said he isn’t sure what the officials are going to have him do with the lion.

“I’m hoping I’ll be mounting it for them, because whoever hit him, hit him just right,” he said. “He’s in great shape with no physical damage. That was a very big, healthy tom.”

The uniqueness of the cat being in the shop wasn’t lost on Broach.

“I have a lot of people tell me they see them, but they don’t hardly get killed unless it’s accidental,” he said. “Mostly they will get caught in snares and stuff, very rarely, but this is the second one in 20 years for me.

— Staff report

Survey Continued From Page 4

HUNTER SURVEY RESPONSES How many times a day do you think about hunting?

1-4 times a day:

17%

5-10 times a day:

36%

11-15 times a day:

12%

15+ times a day:

35%

interesting; seven participants chose “other” when asked to answer how many times a day they think about hunting, with the main reason being that “constantly” was not an option.

“I think about it all day every day and then I dream about it all night,” one person commented.

“If it is just before opening of deer hunting season, I think of little else,” another said.

Our second question was left as optional, but over two-thirds of participants chose to answer.

We wanted to know exactly what it was specifically that made hunters start thinking about their sport, and what it was they thought about.

“Every morning sunrise and every evening sunset brings great memories of hunting dove and deer with family and friends,” said P.T.

Schultz. “Dove on high-lines, harvested grain fields, open pastures and stock tanks all bring to mind the good times spent in the woods, as well as the anticipation of more great days of hunting just being one with the beautiful, undisturbed land that God has given us to tenant and enjoy.”

The majority of responses pointed to the same three things: deer and duck hunting was on their mind, and cold weather put it there.

“When that first slightly cool spell comes through, I think my neck swells thinking about those bucks,” one person said.

“Deer hunting brings it up the most often for me,” another said. “Every time I talk to someone I try to bring it up. They’re usually bored with me after three minutes.”

“Nothing, I can tell, triggers thoughts of hunting,” someone else said. “I think about it any time I’m idle.”

One thing is certain after viewing the results of the survey: Texans love their hunting.

October 26, 2012

Page 7

Page 8

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

FISHING

Man reels in unusual eel

By John Keith

Lone Star Outdoor News Joey Eischen was born and raised in Austin, and has fished Lady Bird Lake his whole life.

But while night fishing recently for largemouth bass, Eischen hooked something he had never even heard of.

“It felt like a 10-pound bass,” he said. “First I thought it was a water moccasin when I saw it, because I’ve caught some snakes before. But I shined the light down there and couldn’t really even believe what I was seeing.”

Eischen had caught an American eel, sometimes found in freshwater streams or rivers, but not usually lakes.

“For a while I was scared to touch it, wondering if it was an electric eel,” he said. “I called and woke the game warden up, and he told me to keep it because they didn’t know what it was.”

Eischen was told in the following days that it was a native species, and the eels spawn in saltwater, but can live in freshwater.

“All the fishermen I know have never heard of it, and I’ve put probably 10 or 15 million casts into (Lady Bird Lake) since I was a kid and never seen one,” he said.

The eel hit a 10-inch plastic worm on a brush pile 10-feet deep. The world record American eel weighed in at 9.25 pounds.

“It was 37-inches long and over 5 pounds,” Eischen said.

“You could barely even hold on to it because it was really strong and slimy.

“I manage the fishing department for South Austin Marine and hear all kinds of fish stories, but I have proof for this one.”

REEL AN EEL: Joey Eischen thought he had caught a big water moccasin at first, but soon found out he had hooked a 37-inch, 5-pound American eel. Photo by Joey Eischen.

See video at LSONews.com

Freshwater crabs in Lake Texoma Bass, other species eating them

NUISANCE OR NEW BAIT? The Harris mud crab has been found in several Texas lakes, and is becoming a favorite bass food in Texoma. Photo

by Mike Hughs, LSON.

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

Robert Hargrove has caught a lot of bass, but his thoughts on what largemouth eat changed when he caught a bass with a surprise in its mouth recently on Lake Texoma.

After hauling in the nice bass, Hargrove noticed something hard in the bass’ throat. Upon further evaluation, it turned out to be a hard-shelled crab.

“I didn’t even know they had such a thing,” he said. “I did a little research and found out they might have put them in Texoma to go after the Zebra mussels.

This is the first one I’ve ever seen.”

According to Todd Robinson, Lake Texoma fish and wildlife technician for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the crab is a Harris mud crab and it was

not purposefully brought to Texoma.

“They are originally found in coastal areas,” Robinson said. “Most likely, they were transported to Texoma in bait buckets or something like that. They have been here for several years and their numbers are growing.

“Now, they are all over the lake.”

According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the crab is “slightly larger than a dime and varies from olive green to brown and has white-tipped claws … Like many aquatic nuisance species, the Harris mud crab has negatively affected natural habitat. Food competition with native species is one of the biggest threats.”

Despite the warning, Robinson said no definitive negative benefits have been found to date, and the crab is providing game fish with another forage species.

“We don’t know about long-term issues yet,” he said. “If anything, it might compete with the native crawfish.

It is mostly largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass that are eating them right now. But I’m sure striper would eat one given the chance.

“We know catfish are feeding on them as well.”

Robinson said he spent a little time recently at the water’s edge and noticed the crabs numbers had really gone up, evidenced by the multiple crabs he saw on rocks. And he knows they are in other Texas lakes, as well.

“They are on Lake Nocona and they are probably in some other West Texas lakes,” he said.

LSON could not find any freshwater crab baits currently on the market, but Robinson said it could be a moneymaking idea on Texoma.

But word in the angling community may have to expand for people to buy them.

“I took it to the weigh-in,” Hargrove said, “and nobody there had ever seen one, either.”

A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT: Whiting and croaker seem to be the most common fish currently being caught from piers, although red drum, black drum and kingfish are still being reported. Photo by LSON.

Pier fishing slow, unless you like croaker and whiting Some reds in the catch

By Conor Harrison Lone Star Outdoor News

After speaking with multiple pier managers up and down the Texas coast, one thing is abundantly clear — croaker and whiting are hot.

Other fish? Not so much.

“Whiting, croaker and some sand trout,” said Zeke Garza at Pirate’s Landing Fishing Pier in Port Isabel.

“Nothing big, and no big reds. We are catching the occasional black drum, along with hammerheads and bonnetheads.”

Garza said along with arti-

ficial lures, shrimp had been enticing the most bites.

In Galveston, Nannette Christensen at the Galveston Fishing Pier said croaker and whiting were being caught in good numbers, but also some gafftop and redfish.

“Today we’ve had some anglers catching a few redfish,” she said. “There have been some bull reds and some slot-sized fish.

Shrimp and mullet are what people are mostly using, but the mullet seems to be catching more fish.”

The water temperature has been hovering around 77 degrees, with the water a sandy-green color.

A manager at the Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi said the whiting bite was going strong.

“Lots of whiting, but no big redfish,” she said.

“People are mostly fishing with shrimp, but I’ve started to sell a lot of mullet, as well.”

At the Red Dot Pier in Corpus, Aaron Cristan said the bull reds have arrived.

“We are pulling up some bull reds,” Cristan said.

“Also a couple of flounder and trout. The black drum have begun to come in from the surf.”

Cristan also said on warm days, anglers are catching a few Spanish mackerel and kingfish on artificials.

“Lures and plugs are working, along with cut mullet,” he said. “The flounder are being caught on Gulps in white shrimp color. Some people are also using live skipjacks.”

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Staying skinny for reds Good shallow-water action reported along coast

By John Keith

Lone Star Outdoor News The redfish are staying strong along most of the Texas coast, with anglers reporting plenty of slot fish along with some bigger bulls.

Each cold front that comes down the coast is benefiting the fishing more and more, according to area guides.

“The fishing has been good, not great, but good,” said Bolivar fishing guide Jim West. “The fish are starting to go shallow; they transition from deep to shallow and just haven’t stacked up yet, but there’s a lot of reds shallow if you want to get up in the marsh.”

West said most of the reds being caught are slots with a few undersized fish being hooked, but even fewer oversized fish brought in.

“I’ll hit the big schools, but when fall rolls around I’m hitting the bays shallow,” he said. “A lot of bulls are at passes and beach fronts in deeper water, so that’s why we’re mostly catching slots.”

The skinny water has been good to West, who is seeing a lot of action from top-waters early.

“We’ve had some good top-water action early, but we’ve had days where they turn off at 9:30,” he said.

“Gold spoons are always a go-to bait, but I don’t throw them much; the redfish will hit the top-waters.”

Down the coast, Port O’ Connor fishing guide Lynn Smith has seen a large influx of reds, and said anglers are enjoying it.

“There’s a lot of redfish right now, and they’re pretty thick at the jetties,” he said.

“They’re tearing them up there. They’re starting to really show up on the flats and starting to school. It’s that time of year.”

Smith said he has seen some oversized reds come in.

“There’s some big ones starting to school up and move around,” he said. “We had a little cool snap that made a big difference, and the next cool snap will make it even better.”

Smith is catching his redfish mostly on plastics and gold spoons in about knee-deep water, looking for tails up on the flats and birds working.

A summer that has seen the Lower Laguna Madre struggle with redfish has only slightly improved in October, according to Janie Petty, who guides anglers around Baffin Bay, Laguna Madre and the Land Cut. “It’s been a pretty good week for redfish, but just a small area,” she said. “We hit some every now and then, and we limited out today.”

Petty said she has seen a few oversized reds, but hasn’t seen any large schools.

“Usually this whole month is good for redfish and it’s been pretty slow,” she said. “We fish back in shallow water up to 2 feet.

It’s just really muddy here right now because of dredge disposal.”

Scented plastics have been working the best, fishing shallow areas away from the passes.

“It’s harder to find them,” she said. “But we’re managing to do well.”

Capt. Jim West, (409) 996-3054 Capt. Lynn Smith, (361) 935-6833 Capt. Janie Petty, (956) 943-2747

October 26, 2012

Page 9

Page 10

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT Fishing for the table GRANGER LAKE — Williamson County anglers have enjoyed good catfish action in recent weeks, but the fishing has somewhat turned off.

“It must be slowing down,” said area catfish angler Mike Malone. “Really it is OK and I cannot complain. Last week we only caught a 13, two 5s, and a 4-pounder.”

Malone said he didn’t think additional cold fronts would make much of a difference to the catfish. Perch cut in half is usually his favorite bait for the lake. Good catfish can also be caught near the dam on shad.

Crappie had been slow in early October, but the bite has turned day-to-day recently as the water temperature fluctuates, with some solid days of catching being reported.

Big bass toying with anglers AMISTAD RESERVOIR — The hard part isn’t finding good numbers of largemouth, it’s finding the big ones, according to area guide JC Gwynne.

“It’s a little frustrating because we’re catching 40 a day, but 38 of them are 2-pounders,” he said. “What most people are experiencing is you go in an area and find one really good fish 6 pounds plus, and then you don’t find any of her sisters to go with her.”

ATHENS: Water clear, 72–76 degrees; 3.26’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics, spinner baits and shallow crankbaits in baitfish patterns. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

BASTROP: Water stained; 78–82 degrees. Largemouth bass are very good on chartreuse spinner baits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Channel and blue catfish are good on frozen shrimp and bloodbait.

BELTON: Water clear; 76–80 degrees; 4.62’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chrome top-waters.

Hybrid striper are good on live shad in coves early and late. White bass are good on minnows and white lightnings. Crappie are good on minnows under lights at night.

Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait and hot dogs. Yellow catfish are good on live perch.

BOB SANDLIN: Water lightly stained; 72–77 degrees; 4.92’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white spinner baits and shallow crankbaits in chartreuse with black back. Crappie are good on jigs over brush piles and mid– to deep–water stickups. White bass are good on slabs.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are good on liver and shad near the pier and at Dead Tree Point.

Redfish are good downrigging spoons near the jetty and dam.

Channel catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, cut bait, and cheesebait near the dam. Blue catfish are good on cut bait.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 71–76 degrees; 13.41’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged plastics fished around any shallow wood cover. Shallow-running crankbaits and top-waters in shad patterns are good early in the day.

Crappie are good on minnows.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 73–77 degrees; 9.68’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on Junebug worms, frogs, and crankbaits around rocks, and over brush piles in 10–15 feet.

BUCHANAN: Water murky; 78–82 degrees; 26.70’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon topwaters, pumpkinseed soft plastics, and chartreuse crankbaits in 8–15 feet at first light. Channel catfish are good on live bait upriver. Yellow and blue catfish are good on perch upriver.

CADDO: Water stained; 73–77 degrees; 1.16’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics in green pumpkin. Catfish are good on cut bait and trotlines.

CALAVERAS: Water clear.

Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse lipless crankbaits, spinner baits and crankbaits near the dam. Channel and blue catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, cheesebait, and shad.

CANYON LAKE: Water stained; 75–79 degrees; 7.34’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits, chartreuse soft plastics on jigheads, and small spinner baits off points and ledges in 12–24 feet. Channel catfish are good on liver and nightcrawlers.

CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 73–78 degrees; 2.88’ low. Largemouth bass are fair top-waters. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 80–84 degrees; 15.43’ low.

Largemouth bass are very good on watermelon soft plastic worms with chartreuse tails, and on watermelon spinner baits in 15–30 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on liver and live bait.

COLEMAN: Water lightly stained; 76–80 degrees; 12.42’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse spinner baits, crankbaits and soft plastic worms. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and liver.

CONROE: Water clear; 77–81 degrees; 2.98’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastics, spinner baits and crankbaits.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 72–77 degrees; 4.99’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics and

shallow-running crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows.

FALCON: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 34.62’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits in creeks. Channel and blue catfish are very good on cut bait and frozen shrimp.

FAYETTE: Water stained.

Largemouth bass are good on shad-patterned poppers and lipless crankbaits early. Red ear perch are good on worms in 3–10 feet.

FORK: Water clear; 72–76 degrees; 3.88’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits and small swimbaits shallow around stumps. Yellow bass are good on smaller spoons along creek channel bends in deeper water.

Crappie are good on minnows and jigs over brush piles and around bridge columns. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

GRANBURY: Water stained; 74–78 degrees; 4.52’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse spinner baits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits off points. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and liver.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 72–77 degrees; 5.72’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shaky heads around main lake points in 6–10 feet. Crappie are good on minnows.

White bass are good on slabs.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 73–77 degrees; 0.54’ high.

Largemouth bass to 2 pounds are fair on perch-colored crankbaits and black soft plastic worms in the mouths of creek channels.

HUBBARD CREEK: 72–77 degrees; 18.45’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters early, later switching to Texas rigs, shallow-running crankbaits and jigs. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 72–76 degrees; 1.94’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on small crankbaits around shallow cover. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs and jigs. Catfish are good on prepared baits.

LAKE O' THE PINES: Water lightly

The reservoir is 34 feet below full pool, but Gwynne said that isn’t the problem.

“If you take half the water out of the bathtub, it’s easier to find the toys,” he said. “I call it pinch fishing. Full pool is the toughest you’ll ever see it because the fish scatter.”

Gwynne said the water temperature is still hovering around 76 or 77 degrees in the morning, which isn’t cool enough for the bass to completely transition to their fall biting behavior.

“A bad day here is still better than a bad day elsewhere,” he said.

To contact JC Gwynne, call (830) 719-9006.

Motoring spot to spot LAKE RAY HUBBARD — The hybrid and white bass may take some running around the lake to find, but they’re biting, according to area guide Paul Rogers.

“It’s pretty good,” he said. “For us, we’ve been catching them shallow. You kind of get a 45-minute window to catch the hybrids; they’re just kind of running around and not ganged up yet.”

Rogers said Sassy Shad plastics have worked the best for him.

“The sand bass have been a little better in the afternoon than the morning, but they’re getting pretty consistent,” he said. “It’s kind of the same as the hybrids; catch a few here and a few there, and come in with a good number of fish, but you’re still having to work at it a little bit.”

Rogers said shallow points are holding the most fish.

To contact Paul Rogers, call (214) 668-8467.

— John Keith

stained; 71–76 degrees; 3.71’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue jigs and Texas-rigged soft plastics around shallow cover.

Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad.

bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics near shallow cover and around docks.

Crappie are good on minnows.

Catfish are good on prepared bait and cut shad.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 72– 77 degrees; 7.73’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged craws around shallow cover. Crappie are good on minnows.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 72–77 degrees; 8.06’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, jigs, Carolina rigs and medium-running shad-pattern crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows.

LBJ: Water clear; 78–82 degrees; 0.47’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastic worms with chartreuse tails and watermelon lipless crankbaits in 10–20 feet at daylight. Crappie are good on live minnows and white tube jigs over brush piles in 10–16 feet. Channel catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 71–75 degrees; 5.06’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas rigs and shaky heads. Hybrid striper are good on slabs.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 77–81 degrees; 0.35’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse spinner baits and crankbaits.

MACKENZIE: Water stained; 72–78 degrees; 90.88’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs and live minnows.

MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 74–79 degrees; 4.84’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits and swimjigs around shallow cover. Catfish are good on prepared bait and minnows.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 82–88 degrees; 0.85’ low.

Largemouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged soft plastics around stumps and other shallow cover.

Crappie are good on minnows.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 71–78 degrees; 16.48’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on buzzbaits early and late, midmorning switching to Texas rigs, lipless crankbaits, Carolina rigs and shaky heads. Crappie are good on jigs and live minnows over brush piles. Catfish are good on chartreuse nightcrawlers.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 71–76 degrees; 1.49’ low. Largemouth

PROCTOR: Water lightly stained; 74–78 degrees; 4.32’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on watermelon/black soft plastic worms. Striped bass are good on silver striper jigs. White bass are good on watermelon spinner baits. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and shad. Yellow catfish are good on live bait.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 71–75 degrees; 2.92’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged craw baits along creek channels. Crappie are good on minnows.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 72–77 degrees; 3.46’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on black and blue jigs and shaky heads around docks. White bass are good on slabs and live shad.

Catfish are good on prepared bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 76–80 degrees; 3.34’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon red soft plastic worms, crankbaits, spinner baits and on top-waters early and late.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 77–83 degrees; 1.85’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on perch-colored crankbaits and lipless crankbaits.

STILLHOUSE: Water stained; 76–80 degrees; 3.36’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms and chartreuse crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 72–76 degrees; 3.52’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged black/blue soft plastics and flipping jigs around docks. Crappie are good on minnows around

SEE MORE

n Saltwater fishing reports: Page 14 bridge pilings. White bass are good on slabs.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 73–77 degrees; 3.68’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on medium-diving crankbaits and top-waters.

Striped bass are good on slabs.

Catfish are good on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

TOLEDO BEND: Water lightly stained; 73–77 degrees; 3.81’ low. Largemouth bass are good on redbug soft plastic worms, and on chartreuse lipless crankbaits and spinner baits off points. Bream are good on nightcrawlers. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait and nightcrawlers.

TRAVIS: Water clear; 80–84 degrees; 46.56’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse top-waters, pumpkinseed soft plastic worms, and white crankbaits in 10–20 feet.

White bass are good on slabs, pet spoons and minnows.

WALTER E. LONG: Water lightly stained. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse/black lipless crankbaits and shad-colored crankbaits. Hybrid striper are good on silver striper jigs. Crappie are good on minnows near the dam.

Channel and blue catfish are good on nightcrawlers and shrimp.

WEATHERFORD: Water clear; 72–76 degrees; 5.89’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits in white splatterback.

Finesse baits are also working around docks. Crappie are good on minnows.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water stained; 72–77 degrees; 1.22’ high.

Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

— TPWD

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Not much hype for hybrids Water temps haven’t dipped low enough to kick off good fishing

By John Keith

Lone Star Outdoor News After another hot Texas summer, anglers are hoping October brought enough cool weather to kick off the hybrid bite across the state.

But according to several guides, anglers are going to have to show patience for a little longer.

“They just started in the last week or two,” said Lake Tawakoni guide Dennis States. “They’re kind of off and on. It’s just the weather and the bait has to get right for them to be consistent.”

States said the lake temperature needs to hit the low 70s to start the hybrids, but right now it is closer to 74 or 75.

“It hasn’t been hot in comparison to summer, but the water temperature doesn’t change just overnight,” he said.

“As far as the fish, they’re pretty much ready to go. It is depending on the weather for them to be able to do it.”

Targeting hybrids and avoiding the white bass will mean staying in deeper water, according to States.

“Basically, what I do is stay in a little deeper water and find the bigger fish,” he said. “At times the hybrids are mixed with the whites, and the sandies mixed in with the bigger hybrids are going to be bigger. So a lot of times you don’t know the difference until you get them in the boat.”

See HYBRIDS, Page 15

NOT YET TIME: Guides are reporting slow hybrid action, but said water temperatures are hovering very close to the numbers needed for the fish to start biting. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

October 26, 2012

Page 11

Page 12

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER NO INTERVIEW WAS NECESSARY Travis County Game Warden Theron Oatman was notified of a deer that had been killed. Oatman went to the subject’s house to interview him but found that the subject had been arrested on another matter. While looking around the house, Oatman found blood and hair along with a bloody knife the subject used in the back of his truck. There were .22 bullets in the cupholder along with a spotlight in the seat. The subject had taken half of the deer and put it in the freezer. Case pending.

BAITER MEETS THE WARDENS, FEDS On opening day, District 6 Game Wardens Tim Walker, James Barge, Phillip Wood and USFWS agent Jim Stinebaugh made contact with dove hunters in Angelina County.

After an inspection of the doves in the hunters’ possession, it was found that every bird was full of milo. All admitted to hunting over a baited field. While Stinebaugh was questioning one of the hunters, he named the individual who had put out the milo. More than 100 pounds of milo was put out the week prior to season opening.

He was cited by Stinebaugh; the remaining persons’ violations were ticketed in state court. Cases and restitution pending.

QUARTERED DEER FALLS OUT OF COOLER ONTO ROAD, CASES FOLLOW In July, District 6 Game Warden Phillip Wood received a call in reference to a deer that had fallen into the road from a cooler located on top of a Jeep. The caller stated that it was a quartered deer, and that he would remain with the deer until the warden arrived. The caller had obtained a license plate number and a good description of the suspects. Wood was able to trace

DOUBLE-DIPPERS DUPED BY WARDEN Williamson County Game Wardens Turk Jones and Joel Campos were called to a ranch to investigate neighboring hunters shooting over the property line and not retrieving birds. When the two wardens headed toward the hunters, they split up into two groups. Jones followed two hunters back to their truck. They said they were done for the evening even though the birds were flying, and one

hunter had three birds and the other had nine. They denied hunting there in the morning and said that they had just started their season that afternoon.

Campos and his group arrived, and Jones asked the landowner who had hunted that property that morning, and received some information on the two men. Another man then walked up and Jones walked over to him and got him to turn his back

the plate to a residence, and after a short interview with the driver of the Jeep, Wood contacted fellow District 6 Game Warden Tim Walker to help with the investigation. The wardens spent several days tracking down individuals who also helped with illegally taking the deer. The case was disposed of in county court with the shooter (driver of the Jeep) receiving two years probation, 40 hours of community service and his hunting privileges were suspended for two years. The other four received maximum fines in JP court. The driver also has to pay civil restitution for the deer. The gun used in the commission of the offense was awarded to the department.

MAN FALLS FOR THE BAITED QUESTION Just before sunset, Waller County Game Warden Kevin Glass and Harris County Game Warden Mark Bane heard multiple shots coming from a wooded area. They made their way through the trees and observed three dove hunters having

on the other hunters to keep them out of sight.

The man confirmed that every person that was at the ranch had been there in the morning. Jones went back to the previous hunters and informed them that he knew they were there and asked again how many they had shot that morning. The hunters responded with numbers that added up to less than the daily bag limit. After asking to see

a great hunt. However, they were not retrieving their dove that fell into the woods. After approximately 30 minutes, one of the men announced to his friends, “I am done. I have 23.”

The wardens looked at each other to verify what the man had just yelled to his friend. Then the shooter yelled out again, “I am done. I have 23 dove.” The wardens took his word for it and announced their presence, separated the men, and discovered one with 20 dove, not 23 (the other two individuals were within the daily bag limit). Glass walked the man who was over his limit back to the hunter’s truck to retrieve his license. At the truck, Glass observed dove feathers that appeared to be from the morning. Glass asked the hunter, “This morning’s hunt was good, wasn’t it?” The man promptly agreed that it was really good and then realized what he had done, and said, “Oh, no.” He admitted that he had also shot a limit in the morning.

Citations were issued for exceeding daily bag limit and failure to retrieve game.

the dove from the morning, Jones was able to get a confession from both hunters that they had each shot a bag limit in the morning and were trying to double bag for the day. The wardens went to their residence and confirmed they had a full bag limit already in the freezer. Both hunters were cited for shooting over the daily bag limit for migratory dove. Cases pending.

ANOTHER FATHER OF THE YEAR During the opening of the Special White-winged Zone, Dimmit County Game Warden Gene Fernandez and Zavala County Game Warden Chris Stautzenberger caught a hunter who had been hunting over a baited area.

Not only were the birds hunted over bait, but the man had allowed his two sons to take some of the birds without a license and was over the limit on mourning dove. Civil restitution and cases pending.

BAGS OF DOVE EXCEED LIMIT A report of shooting north of Decatur was provided to Wise County Game Warden Chris Dowdy. At the scene, Dowdy observed several individuals standing behind a house shooting at white-winged dove and two females standing in the field.

The first female was holding a bag containing 12 dove, and the second had a bag with two dove. Two more bags containing dove were found on the property. Three of the four hunters were cited for exceeding the bag limit of dove by 27 birds.

WATCHING BAITED FIELD, WARDENS DISCOVER ANOTHER District 6 Game Wardens Phillip Wood, Tim Walker, and James Barge were working in an area known by the wardens to be baited. However, the shooting began in a different area. Contact was made with the subjects, and milo was found in the field just across the road. The hunters had multiple violations ranging from hunting over bait, unplugged shotguns, no hunting licenses and one of the hunters was a convicted felon. The case was turned over to USFWS agent Jim Stinebaugh for further investigation. Cases and restitution pending.

WARDENS STYMIE DOUBLE DIPPERS Game Wardens in District 1 have been checking large groups of hunters on the morning hunts and writing down names and numbers of birds killed in the morning. It has made a noticeable difference in the number of hunters found back in the fields for the afternoon hunts. In one case, more than 30 hunters were checked in the morning after their hunt and 27 had limits. Where typically many of those hunters would be back in the afternoon, only the three without full limits returned. The day before when these same hunters were not checked, all 30 hunted both morning and afternoon, according to the outfitter.

UNLIKELY AREA FOR DOVE WITHOUT BAIT Burnet County Game Wardens Brent Whitus and Braxton Harris heard an unusual number of shotgun blasts from an area not known for having a lot of dove. After further investigation, the two game wardens filed 22 cases for hunting dove over a baited area and seized 134 dove.

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

October 26, 2012

Page 13

Page 14

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT Sponsored by

Relying on reds

PORT O’ CONNOR — The redfish are continuing to be the top fish on anglers’ stringers because they are much easier to find than the speckled trout, according to Mary Scott of Froggie’s Bait Dock.

“Mostly they’ve been catching redfish on shrimp — redfish are the big thing,” she said. “A few flounder have been popping up. There are a few speckled trout being caught, but not a lot.”

Scott said that in addition to shrimp, anglers are having success with cut mullet or sardines when it becomes available.

“They’re either catching the reds at the big jetties, or some in the back of the lagoons,” she said.

To contact Froggie’s Bait Dock, call (361) 983-4466.

Fishing has been cold NORTH PADRE ISLAND — There hasn’t been any relief from the heat, and that could be affecting the fishing, according to Josh Breland of Marker 37 Marina.

“It’s been super slow,” he said. “I think a few guides went out this weekend and out of three of them they caught eight fish. It’s trout only — I’ve only seen one redfish come through here.”

Breland said anglers who tried piggy perch only caught skipjacks, and others who used

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad on soft plastics.

Redfish and flounder are good in the marsh on shrimp.

SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad. Redfish are good at the jetty on live bait and cracked crabs. Flounder are fair at the mouths of the bayous on a falling tide.

BOLIVAR: Trout, black drum, sand trout and redfish are good at Rollover Pass. A few birds are beginning to work.

Trout are fair to good while drifting shell on plastics.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working slicks on soft plastics. Trout are fair

over deep shell on plastics.

Redfish are good in the marsh on shrimp.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout and sand trout are good for drifters working deep shell on plastics and fresh shrimp.

Redfish and flounder are fair to good in the marsh around drains on shrimp.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Bull redfish and flounder are good at San Luis Pass on shrimp and shad. Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs.

TEXAS CITY: Redfish are fair to good in Moses Lake on crabs and shrimp. Sand trout are good in the channel on fresh shrimp.

shrimp only caught hardheads.

“The trout were all caught off plastics,” he said. “It’s been 95 degrees the past week. I think this weekend is the first really good front we’re going to have come in.”

Temperatures are forecasted to drop into the 70s around North Padre Island this weekend, which could make all the difference for angler success.

To contact Marker 37 Marina, call (361) 949-4750.

West Galveston staying average SAN LEON — Boats aren’t coming in weighed down with fish, but they aren’t empty either, according to Capt. Windy Marshall of Eagle Point Fishing Camp.

“The fishing is basically good, not great, and that’s due to the weather,” he said.

“It’s been windy; out of the last 21 days, it’s blown 18 days.”

Marshall said a lot of half-limits of speckled trout are being brought in, and the fishing for reds is continuing to pick up. Live shrimp, finger mullet and croaker are popular, or shrimp tails and imitation shad for those throwing artificials.

“One thing that has been really thick right now is sand trout,” he said. “The flounder run in this area; I presume has started, but nobody is bringing any in. There are flounder coming from the Seawolf Park area.”

To contact Eagle Point Fishing Camp, call (281) 339-1131.

— John Keith

FREEPORT: Redfish are fair to good on the reefs in Christmas Bay. Bull redfish are good around Surfside and at the Quintana jetty on crabs, shrimp and mullet.

on shrimp and mullet. Bull redfish are good at the jetty on crabs, mullet and shad.

Flounder are fair on the edge of the ICW on scented plastics and shrimp.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell. Trout and flounder are fair to good on the north shoreline on soft and scented plastics.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair in Carlos Bay on top-waters and soft plastics. Redfish are good in Redfish Bay on mullet and crabs. Bull redfish are good in the Shrimpboat Channel on shrimp and crabs.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and top-waters.

Redfish are fair on live shrimp at Shell Island, Diversion Channel and Mad Island.

PORT ARANSAS: Redfish are fair at Shamrock Cove and Pelican Island on top-waters and scented plastics. Bull redfish are good at the jetty and on the beachfront on natural baits. Trout are fair to good on the East Flats on

PORT O'CONNOR: Redfish are best in the back lakes

top-waters.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Bull redfish are good in the surf on mullet and shrimp. Trout are fair for waders working mud and grass on small top-waters. Kayakers have taken good trout and redfish on topwaters in Oso Bay. BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good on top-waters and plum plastics around rocks and grass on the King Ranch shoreline. Redfish are fair to good in the Land Cut and at Yarborough Flats on shrimp, crabs and scented plastics.

PORT MANSFIELD: Redfish are fair to good while drifting potholes on top-waters and soft plastics under a popping cork. Trout and redfish are fair

to good on the spoils on topwaters and soft plastics under rattling corks.

SOUTH PADRE: Redfish are good in South Bay and on the Gas Well Flats on soft and scented plastics under rattling corks. Trout are fair to good while drifting potholes on live shrimp and small top-waters.

Bull redfish are good at the jetty on crabs and mullet.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are good at Laguna Vista and along spoil banks on small top-waters and scented plastics. Redfish are fair to good at Airport Cove and Holly Beach on shrimp and scented plastics under popping corks.

— TPWD

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Hybrids Continued From Page 11

States said he uses up to a 6-inch spoon or top-water to catch his hybrids.

On Amistad International Reservoir, Raul Cordero said the hybrids have been almost nonexistent.

“I haven’t been seeing any hybrids, but I’ve been looking for them,” he said.

One fish Cordero has seen is striper.

“They’re a bit early this year,” he said.

“They’re usually popping up in November and December, but lately they’ve been breaking the surface a lot. Then once the sun comes up in the morning, they’re gone.”

Cordero said the weather needs to continue to cool down for him to start seeing hybrids, but the stripers have been going up the creeks, which could be a clue to finding them.

On Lake Conroe, Richard Tatsch is also seeing hybrids right on the edge of becom-

Bionic bride Continued From Page 1

high,” she said. “I switched to a 20-gauge for the evening hunt and got 11. The only part I didn’t like was when they were hit but you still had to catch them. Our group had a great hunt, though.

We shot 200 total.”

Last December was the first time in years Babineaux was healthy enough to go afield.

“I enjoy things so much more; the wildlife; to be out in the country is where my heart is,” she said. “It’s very nice to watch the sun come up and go down. I enjoy the views. I also enjoy preparing for the hunt even if it isn’t the season — filling feeders, seeing deer. It’s nice not to have to worry about killing. I just like to watch sometimes.”

And it isn’t just the field where she feels at ease.

“I couldn’t get close to the water for three years,” she said. “When we recently got on the boat again, I thought, ‘I’m home.’ We have a boat now and Mike and I go a lot.

He caught a 27-inch trout, but I caught a 28-inch redfish. He’s a lure fisherman and I’m a shrimp/ croaker girl. I help him fish, he helps me hunt.”

Babineaux originally was studying for a degree in marine fisheries, but priorities shifted during her ordeal, and now she says she is going to become a nurse.

“I wanted to become a game warden,” she said. “That isn’t an option anymore, so I’m going into nursing.”

It has been 20 months since Babineaux has been in a hospital, and she has big plans for the upcoming hunting seasons.

“I would love to shoot an axis or a mule deer,” she said.

A GREAT PAIR: Ally and her husband, Mike, who stood by her throughout her ordeal, recently spent an afternoon dove hunting together. Photo by Ally Babineaux.

ing active.

“The hybrids are slow,” he said. “We hadn’t been catching any since July; they shut down this year. Once the water temperature hits 72, they’ll fire up and start going pretty hard, and the water temperature yesterday was 74, so this cool weather we had this morning may do it.”

Tatsch said fishing around depths of 18 feet can be effective.

“Jigging spoons can work, and typically we catch them on live shad and just have to follow them at whatever depth they’re in that particular day,” he said. “You can use a chartreuse and silver spoon, and there’s times when we catch them on shiners.”

Dennis States, (903) 473-2039 Raul Cordero, (830) 422-7674 Richard Tatsch, (939) 291-1277

October 26, 2012

Page 15

Page 16

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

“It’s better than last year for sure. We’ve had water, we’ve had some rain after the season started, and there’s been really high populations of birds.”

Hall said the only downfall of the rain was to ruin tankhunting chances, but the early season was good on agriculture crops, with dove now switching to croton.

“Native is better right now,” he said. “Right now the best fields are sandy country that grow a lot of good native croton. All the native sunflower is pretty much gone.”

Hunters have been shooting mourning dove almost exclusively, Hall said.

“Everybody I’m talking to has been having great shoots,” he said. “People haven’t had trouble finding birds.”

Migration

Dove hunting

Continued From Page 4

Continued From Page 5

them on down here; they don’t have anywhere to go up there,” Reynolds said.

Near Lubbock, Scott Curtsinger of Longneck Outfitters is hoping an abundance of food will make the difference this season.

“We’ve got water this year and pretty much all our crops made this year,” Curtsinger said. “We have tons of food — all the corn, milo and peanuts made. All in all, it’s looking like a good season.

“We’ve got ducks and cranes showing up like crazy.”

Curtsinger also sees the drought in the Midwest as beneficial to Texas waterfowlers, as he is seeing teal, mallards, pintails and wigeon.

“I’ve got people coming to hunt with me from Nebraska because they aren’t going to have any water, and as far as food, they didn’t make a food crop at all,” he said. “It’s not going to take very much cold weather to get the ducks down here. I’m expecting one of the best bird populations in years.”

of his North Texas areas.

“It wasn’t bad; we had some decent hunts,” he said. “In Seymour, we got checked by the game warden, and out of all the hunters he had checked before us, we were on the best field, and nobody on our field had a limit; so I’m just saying it wasn’t that great.”

Horton said about four of his hunters took limits on opening day, and he believes two factors are the reason.

“A lot of them are like me and just can’t shoot, but conditions definitely affected the birds,” he said. “There were tons of dove two weeks before season, then we got a little cold snap and it went from birds everywhere to them leaving.”

Lee Smith, (469) 951-5133 A second wave of birds Jimmy Horton, (936) 635-0929 pushed in, but it wasn’t enough Rob Hall (830) 255-3186 to make up for the original number of dove lost.

“There was definitely plenty of food for them; I just think where they were when season opened is just not where we were used to,” he said.

“It was kind of crazy; we drove from Lufkin all the way through the Metroplex to Seymour and saw four dove. I think they were pushed farther south.”

Dimmit and Zavala County outfitter Rob Hall confirmed Horton’s assumption. FIND CROTON: Hunters should look for fields with “It’s actually been a croton to hold birds during the second split. Photo great year,” Hall said. by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Photo by LSON.

Coastal hunters are just as hopeful for a good start to the season.

“We’ve got lots of ducks right now,” said Scott Pierce, who guides in the Port O’Connor and Port Lavaca areas. “It’s unbelievable with the early fronts coming through. We even have redheads right now, which usually don’t show up until mid-November, and we’ve got quite a few right now.”

Pierce hopes to build on last

year, which was his best year ever.

“With the drought and not as many crops as usual, I’m thinking that’s really going to help us,” he said. “I think I’m seeing more ducks this year, including pintail and some gadwall, but not many wigeon yet. There are a lot of teal still.”

Brandon Reynolds, (903) 227-2007 Scott Curtsinger, (806) 789-5531 Scott Pierce, (713) 819-7716

Rice breast Continued From Page 6

He’s not alone.

Many hunters in the field chunk ducks infected with sarcocystis, Morrison said. That can be a problem.

“I would strongly urge people to take the bird home and do what you need to do there,”

Morrison said. “If a game warden sees you, it’s a sure way of going home with a piece of paper.”

Game Warden Jennifer Kemp said the action qualifies as a waste of game.

“The disease is not considered hazardous to humans,” Lt. Kemp said.

“Throwing it out would be considered waste of game. If parts of it are not edible, you may dispose of those. However, whatever part is edible, you have to keep.”

Kemp said shooting a diseased bird also counts against your daily bag

limit.

“Whatever you kill counts against your bag limit, whether the bird is infected or not,” she said. “That has no bearing. You’re taking the bird out of the population, so it counts against your bag limit.”

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

October 26, 2012

Page 17

Page 18

October 26, 2012

Win Nikon 10x42 PROSTAFF 7 binoculars See a full selection of Nikon products at

Glick Twins

419 West U.S. Highway 83 Pharr, TX 78577

(956) 787-4291

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Hidalgo County hunter JERYMIAH HER NANDEZ got to participat e in his first dove hunt this season.

Young Jerymia h accompanied his gran dpa, Rick, to the fields this season and harvested these birds.

Nice job, Jerym iah. Wrap those birds in ba con, find an open ame and enjoy a great meal with grandpa.

LSONews.com

LSONews.com

Quail Continued From Page 1

“Last year was just absolutely a disaster,” he said.

“Conditions are great right now and we started receiving some rains in the spring.

We did have a hatch but we didn’t have much brood stock to work with, so we’re going to have few birds.

“We’re making a slight comeback, but it’s going to take several good years in a row to get back to how we’d like to see it.”

However, Pittman said all hope hasn’t been lost for some good blue quail hunting.

“It’s mixed out here,” he said. “Some places got some timely rains early on and that continued, and those places will probably raise more birds. Other places seemed pretty snakebit until just here recently.”

Pittman said conditions at Black Gap WMA were so dry that even a lot of the prickly pear, cactus and Texas sotol died.

“The bird populations are probably poor to fair,” he said.

Farther north, the Rolling Plains region has not fared much better for bobwhites, according to Matador WMA Area Manager Chip Ruthven.

“On the Matador it’s about as bad as it gets right now,” he said. “We were seeing some birds early, seeing broods and hatchling-sized birds, and we’re probably seeing more birds than we were seeing last year. But since about early August, we haven’t been seeing any birds.”

Ruthven said the roadside counts were extremely poor, correlating with the extremely low fall covey count.

“What’s going on with the birds is hard to say,” he said.

“From the hunting forecast it’s going to be pretty poor.

They possibly could make a good rebound next year if we have a good, wet early summer, which we haven’t had in a couple of years.

“That could turn things around significantly.”

But reports of decent quail numbers are coming from San Angelo, he said.

It’s going to take more than one year of decent rainfall for the bird numbers to bounce back, according to Robert Perez, the Upland Game Bird Program leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“They’re not desert-adapted birds,” Perez said. “There needs to be successive years of average to above-average rainfall to help the birds out, and we haven’t had that. The birds can’t come back in one year from their down numbers.”

Perez said the places with better quail numbers correspond with areas that have had higher rainfall totals.

“The ones holding on and doing well in areas with a little more rain — those areas are going to recover faster,” he said. “It’s a building year. We still have millions of acres of suitable habitat, but our biggest enemy the past two or three years is Mother Nature.”

By letting different parts of the land rest and also letting native grasses grow, landowners can be proactive in their management, Perez said.

“Quail can nest four times (a year), and that’s why they seem to really appear out of nowhere some years,” he said. “Don’t sell your bird dog just yet.”

LoneOStar Outdoor News

ShareLunker in Lake Austin One of the hottest bass lakes in the state the past few years is cranking out big fish again.

Bennett Cowan of San Marcos caught ShareLunker 537 about 2 a.m. Oct. 16 from Lake Austin.

The 14.28-pound fish was 20.5 inches in girth and 27.25 inches long. Lake Austin has now produced 18 entries into the ShareLunker program, five of which weighed 14 pounds or more.

Cowan’s catch was also the earliest entry into the ShareLunker program from Lake Austin. The earliest previous entry into the program from the lake came on Jan. 27, 2011. Two entries have come from the lake in January, seven each in February and March, and one in April.

The catch may be a signal that Lake Austin is poised to have a banner year. Lake Austin continues its rise to prominence as one of the top largemouth bass lakes in the state. Only Lakes Fork (249 entries into the ShareLunker program), Alan Henry (25), O.H. Ivie (25), Sam Rayburn (23) and Falcon (19) have produced more 13-pound or bigger bass.

Bennett was fishing a bluff with a handpoured 17-inch worm when the fish bit.

— TPWD

October 26, 2012

Page 19

Page 20

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

HEROES DIJON WILCOX holds a nice trout she caught recently near Port Mansfield.

This was her first speckled trout.

SHARE AN ADVENTURE

n Want to share hunting and fishing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers?

Fort Worth hunter MICHAEL SOWARDS holds three limits of ducks he and friends shot at Lake Ray Roberts last December.

Two-year-old CLAIRE OSTEEN of Houston helps her dad clean teal after the opener.

Email them with contact and caption information to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com. High-resolution original jpegs only. Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355.

Oregon angler MIKE NELSON holds a nice slot redfish he caught while fishing out of Port Bay several weeks ago.

RYAN BROWN of Dallas hunted on the second weekend of teal season on a private farm pond in northeast Denton County.

LIL GUNNER fetched up all these birds for the hunters present in La Villa. It was the first time owner Jaime Quiroga took his lab dove hunting.

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides Texas Coast Tides Sabine Pass, jetty Date Time Oct 26 1:06 AM Oct 27 1:21 AM Oct 28 1:35 AM Oct 29 1:47 AM Oct 30 1:58 AM Oct 31 2:08 AM Nov 01 2:15 AM Nov 02 2:18 AM Nov 03 2:17 AM Nov 04 11:28 AM Nov 05 12:17 PM Nov 06 1:12 PM Nov 07 2:16 PM Nov 08 5:16 AM Nov 09 5:06 AM

Height 2.8H 2.7H 2.7H 2.8H 2.8H 2.8H 2.8H 2.9H 2.8H 0.6L 0.7L 0.9L 1.1L 1.9L 1.5L

Time 7:43 AM 8:10 AM 8:34 AM 8:59 AM 9:26 AM 9:55 AM 10:28 AM 11:04 AM 11:44 AM 8:48 PM 9:35 PM 10:07 PM 10:28 PM 9:36 AM 11:17 AM

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty Date Time Oct 26 1:53 AM Oct 27 2:08 AM Oct 28 2:22 AM Oct 29 2:34 AM Oct 30 2:45 AM Oct 31 2:55 AM Nov 01 3:02 AM Nov 02 3:05 AM Nov 03 3:04 AM Nov 04 11:54 AM Nov 05 12:43 PM Nov 06 1:38 PM Nov 07 2:42 PM Nov 08 5:42 AM Nov 09 5:32 AM

San Luis Pass Date Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Nov 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov 08 Nov 09

Time 2:23 AM 2:38 AM 2:52 AM 3:04 AM 3:15 AM 3:25 AM 3:32 AM 12:15 AM 12:45 AM 12:50 PM 1:39 PM 2:34 PM 3:38 PM 6:38 AM 12:01 AM

Freeport Harbor Date Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Nov 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov 08 Nov 09

Time 1:29 AM 1:43 AM 1:56 AM 2:06 AM 9:53 AM 10:21 AM 10:51 AM 11:24 AM 12:00 PM 11:42 AM 12:30 PM 1:29 PM 2:42 PM 6:05 AM 5:58 AM

Height 2.2H 2.2H 2.2H 2.2H 2.2H 2.3H 2.3H 2.3H 2.3H 0.5L 0.6L 0.7L 0.9L 1.5L 1.2L

Time 8:09 AM 8:36 AM 9:00 AM 9:25 AM 9:52 AM 10:21 AM 10:54 AM 11:30 AM 12:10 PM 9:35 PM 10:22 PM 10:54 PM 11:15 PM 10:23 AM 12:04 PM

Height 1.3L 1.0L 0.8L 0.6L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.5L 2.9H 2.8H 2.8H 2.7H 2.2H 2.4H Height 1.1L 0.8L 0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 0.3L 0.3L 0.3L 0.4L 2.3H 2.3H 2.2H 2.1H 1.7H 1.9H

Time 2:12 PM 3:11 PM 4:00 PM 4:45 PM 5:26 PM 6:09 PM 6:56 PM 7:49 PM 8:48 PM

Height 2.9H 3.0H 3.1H 3.1H 3.1H 3.1H 3.0H 3.0H 2.9H

Time 8:10 PM 8:53 PM 9:29 PM 9:55 PM 10:14 PM 10:32 PM 10:53 PM 11:23 PM

Height 2.0L 2.2L 2.4L 2.6L 2.7L 2.7L 2.8L 2.8L

3:27 PM 4:40 PM

1.4L 1.6L

10:44 PM 10:58 PM

2.6H 2.6H

Time 2:59 PM 3:58 PM 4:47 PM 5:32 PM 6:13 PM 6:56 PM 7:43 PM 8:36 PM 9:35 PM

Height 2.3H 2.4H 2.5H 2.5H 2.5H 2.5H 2.4H 2.4H 2.3H

Time 8:36 PM 9:19 PM 9:55 PM 10:21 PM 10:40 PM 10:58 PM 11:19 PM 11:49 PM

Height 1.6L 1.8L 1.9L 2.0L 2.1L 2.2L 2.2L 2.2L

3:53 PM 5:06 PM

1.1L 1.3L

11:31 PM 11:45 PM

2.1H 2.0H

Height 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.4H 1.4H 1.3L 1.3L 0.3L 0.4L 0.4L 0.5L 0.9L 1.2H

Time 9:05 AM 9:32 AM 9:56 AM 10:21 AM 10:48 AM 11:17 AM 11:50 AM 3:35 AM 3:34 AM 10:05 PM 10:52 PM 11:24 PM 11:45 PM 10:53 AM 6:28 AM

Height 0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 0.3L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.3H 1.3H 1.0H 0.7L

Time 3:29 PM 4:28 PM 5:17 PM 6:02 PM 6:43 PM 7:26 PM 8:13 PM 12:26 PM 1:06 PM

Height 1.4H 1.4H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 0.2L 0.2L

Time 9:32 PM 10:15 PM 10:51 PM 11:17 PM 11:36 PM 11:54 PM

Height 0.9L 1.1L 1.2L 1.2L 1.3L 1.3L

9:06 PM 10:05 PM

1.4H 1.4H

4:49 PM 12:34 PM

0.7L 1.1H

Height 1.6H 1.6H 1.5H 1.5H 0.3L 0.3L 0.3L 0.3L 0.4L 0.4L 0.5L 0.6L 0.8L 1.1L 0.9L

Time 8:09 AM 8:35 AM 9:01 AM 9:27 AM 6:04 PM 6:48 PM 7:35 PM 8:24 PM 9:14 PM 9:02 PM 9:43 PM 10:16 PM 10:44 PM 10:19 AM 11:49 AM

Height 0.8L 0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 2.1H 2.1H 2.1H 2.0H 2.0H 2.0H 2.0H 1.9H 1.8H 1.3H 1.5H

Time 2:45 PM 3:44 PM 4:35 PM 5:21 PM

Height 1.9H 2.0H 2.0H 2.1H

Time 9:09 PM 10:09 PM 11:10 PM

Height 1.2L 1.3L 1.4L

4:10 PM 5:41 PM

0.9L 1.1L

11:08 PM 11:30 PM

1.7H 1.6H

6:02 PM

0.8L

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases Full

Port O’Connor Date Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Nov 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov 08 Nov 09

Time 3:14 AM 2:24 AM 1:11 AM 1:09 AM 1:09 AM 1:10 AM 1:26 AM 1:51 AM 2:20 AM 1:49 AM 2:14 AM 2:35 AM 2:52 AM 2:58 AM 1:29 AM

Rockport Date Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Nov 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov 08 Nov 09

Time 2:45 AM 2:35 AM 2:39 AM 2:54 AM 3:18 AM 3:50 AM 4:30 AM 5:15 AM 6:02 AM 5:46 AM 6:24 AM 6:54 AM 4:02 AM 2:31 AM 1:50 AM

Time 12:58 AM 1:02 AM 12:56 AM 8:55 AM 9:27 AM 10:00 AM 10:35 AM 11:12 AM 11:52 AM 11:35 AM 12:22 PM 1:17 PM 2:23 PM 5:22 AM 5:26 AM

Time 12:41 AM 12:38 AM 12:24 AM 8:59 AM 9:31 AM 10:02 AM 10:35 AM 11:09 AM 11:45 AM 11:26 AM 12:11 PM 1:04 PM 2:08 PM 5:29 AM 5:21 AM

Nov. 20

Houston Height 1.2H 1.2H 1.3H 1.3H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.3H 1.2H 1.1H 1.1H

Time 10:41 AM 11:10 AM 11:37 AM 12:02 PM 12:27 PM 12:56 PM 1:32 PM 2:16 PM 3:05 PM 2:57 PM 3:49 PM 4:38 PM 5:23 PM 6:04 PM 8:38 AM

Height 0.9L 0.8L 0.7L 0.7L 0.6L 0.6L 0.6L 0.6L 0.6L 0.6L 0.6L 0.7L 0.7L 0.8L 0.9L

Time 6:57 PM

Height 1.2H

Time 9:12 PM

Height 1.2L

Height 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.6H 0.6H 0.6H 0.6H

Time 10:18 AM 11:18 AM 12:06 PM 12:49 PM 1:32 PM 2:17 PM 3:03 PM 3:50 PM 4:36 PM 4:18 PM 4:56 PM 5:30 PM 5:57 PM 6:13 PM 9:10 AM

Height 0.6L 0.5L 0.5L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.5L 0.5L

Time

Height

Time

Height

Height 1.8H 1.7H 1.7H 0.6L 0.5L 0.5L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.4L 0.5L 0.6L 0.8L 1.2L 1.0L

South Padre Island Date Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Nov 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov 08 Nov 09

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.

First

Nov. 14

Nov. 7

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier Date Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Nov 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov 08 Nov 09

New

Last

Oct. 30

Height 1.7H 1.7H 1.6H 0.4L 0.3L 0.3L 0.3L 0.4L 0.5L 0.6L 0.7L 0.8L 1.0L 1.4L 1.1L

2012 Oct-Nov 26 Fri 27 Sat 28 Sun > 29 Mon > 30 Tue F 31 Wed > 01 Thu > 02 Fri 03 Sat 04 Sun 05 Mon 06 Tue Q 07 Wed 08 Thu 09 Fri 10 Sat 11 Sun 12 Mon > 13 Tue N 14 Wed >

A.M. Minor Major 3:03 9:14 3:42 9:53 4:22 10:33 5:05 11:17 5:52 ----6:41 12:29 7:33 1:21 8:26 2:14 9:20 3:08 10:12 4:00 10:03 3:51 10:52 4:40 11:38 5:26 ----- 6:11 12:42 6:54 1:25 7:37 2:10 8:23 2:59 9:13 3:54 10:09 4:55 11:11

Dallas

1:40 PM

0.5H Height 2.0H 2.2H 2.3H

5:55 PM Time 8:27 PM 9:42 PM

0.5L

Time 7:27 AM 7:55 AM 8:25 AM 5:26 PM 6:16 PM 7:07 PM 7:59 PM 8:52 PM 9:41 PM 9:21 PM 9:50 PM 10:11 PM 10:27 PM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM

Height 1.0L 0.8L 0.7L 2.4H 2.4H 2.4H 2.3H 2.2H 2.1H 2.0H 2.0H 1.9H 1.8H 1.4H 1.7H

Time 2:33 PM 3:38 PM 4:34 PM

Height 1.5L 1.7L

3:41 PM 5:09 PM

1.1L 1.4L

10:38 PM 10:44 PM

1.8H 1.8H

Time 7:23 AM 7:55 AM 8:28 AM 5:44 PM 6:36 PM 7:29 PM 8:23 PM 9:15 PM 10:01 PM 9:36 PM 9:58 PM 10:13 PM 10:23 PM 9:13 AM 11:38 AM

Height 1.0L 0.7L 0.5L 2.1H 2.1H 2.0H 2.0H 2.1H 2.1H 2.1H 2.1H 2.0H 1.9H 1.5H 1.6H

Time 2:38 PM 3:48 PM 4:49 PM

Height 1.9H 2.0H 2.0H

Time 8:24 PM 9:46 PM

Height 1.5L 1.6L

3:26 PM 4:56 PM

1.1L 1.3L

2012 Oct-Nov 26 Fri 27 Sat 28 Sun > 29 Mon > 30 Tue F 31 Wed > 01 Thu > 02 Fri 03 Sat 04 Sun 05 Mon 06 Tue Q 07 Wed 08 Thu 09 Fri 10 Sat 11 Sun 12 Mon > 13 Tue N 14 Wed >

A.M. Minor Major 3:08 9:19 3:47 9:58 4:28 10:39 5:11 11:22 5:57 ----6:47 12:35 7:39 1:26 8:32 2:20 9:25 3:13 10:18 4:06 10:08 3:57 10:57 4:45 11:43 5:32 12:05 6:16 12:47 6:59 1:30 7:43 2:15 8:29 3:04 9:19 3:59 10:14 5:00 11:16

San Antonio

10:28 PM 10:27 PM

1.8H 1.7H

2012 A.M. Oct-Nov Minor Major 26 Fri 3:15 9:26 27 Sat 3:54 10:05 28 Sun > 4:35 10:46 29 Mon > 5:18 11:29 30 Tue F 6:04 ----31 Wed > 6:54 12:42 01 Thu > 7:46 1:33 02 Fri 8:39 2:27 03 Sat 9:32 3:20 04 Sun 10:25 4:13 05 Mon 10:15 4:04 06 Tue Q 11:04 4:52 07 Wed 11:50 5:39 08 Thu 12:12 6:23 09 Fri 12:54 7:06 10 Sat 1:37 7:50 11 Sun 2:22 8:36 12 Mon > 3:11 9:26 13 Tue N 4:06 10:21 14 Wed > 5:07 11:23

Amarillo

2012 A.M. Oct-Nov Minor 26 Fri 3:29 27 Sat 4:08 28 Sun > 4:48 29 Mon > 5:31 30 Tue F 6:18 31 Wed > 7:07 01 Thu > 7:59 02 Fri 8:52 03 Sat 9:45 04 Sun 10:38 05 Mon 10:29 06 Tue Q 11:17 07 Wed ----08 Thu 12:25 09 Fri 1:08 10 Sat 1:51 11 Sun 2:35 12 Mon > 3:25 13 Tue N 4:20 14 Wed > 5:21

OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen ACROSS 1. The rear end of a gun barrel 6. A nuisance fish to trotline fishermen 9. Hunters give these TLC 10. Seabirds 11. Term for tiring a fish to land it 12. The fishing gear 13. A good trap bait 15. A deer lure, scent ____ 18. Pelt, fur 20. A game’s usual route 21. This has very long arms 25. Old ones at times called a loner 27. A part of a fishline 28. Indian name for deer 29. Brings in a catch 31. Hunter may do this in cold regions 33. A material in fishlines 35. Temporary home for the stream fisherman 37. A predator 38. Reading tracks for freshness 39. Good item to have along, ___ chest 42. To lose an antler

Solution on Page 24

44. Game food found under dead ones 45. Name for brown bear of the North 46. Name for a family of sunfish DOWN 1. The desert ____ 2. The lamprey 3. Anglers have their own method of this 4. He usually has a harem 5. A deer food source 6. Term for scouting the area for game 7. A game bird 8. Moving to new area 14. Code for a type bullet 16. Trapper’s gear 17. Name for some trout 19. Good time to hunt whitetail, ____ morning 22. Act of fish hitting a bait 23. A species of bass 24. A poisonous snake 25. A simple quick-toerect tent

Page 21

October 26, 2012

Major 9:40 10:19 10:59 11:43 12:05 12:55 1:47 2:40 3:33 4:26 4:17 5:06 5:52 6:37 7:20 8:03 8:49 9:39 10:35 11:37

P.M. Minor 3:25 4:04 4:44 5:28 6:15 7:05 7:57 8:50 9:43 10:36 10:26 11:15 ----12:22 1:06 1:50 2:36 3:27 4:24 5:27

Major 9:36 10:15 10:56 11:40 12:04 12:53 1:45 2:38 3:31 4:24 4:15 5:03 5:50 6:34 7:18 8:03 8:50 9:42 10:39 11:42

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 07:29 06:39 4:46p 4:38a 07:30 06:38 5:19p 5:32a 07:31 06:38 5:55p 6:26a 07:31 06:37 6:32p 7:21a 07:32 06:36 7:12p 8:15a 07:33 06:35 7:55p 9:08a 07:34 06:34 8:41p 9:59a 07:34 06:33 9:30p 10:48a 07:35 06:33 10:21p 11:35a 07:36 06:32 11:14p 12:18p 06:37 05:31 11:08p 11:58a 06:38 05:30 NoMoon 12:35p 06:38 05:30 12:04a 1:12p 06:39 05:29 1:01a 1:47p 06:40 05:28 2:00a 2:24p 06:41 05:28 3:01a 3:02p 06:42 05:27 4:05a 3:44p 06:43 05:27 5:12a 4:30p 06:43 05:26 6:22a 5:22p 06:44 05:26 7:31a 6:20p

P.M. Minor Major 3:30 9:41 4:09 10:20 4:50 11:01 5:34 11:45 6:21 12:09 7:11 12:59 8:03 1:51 8:56 2:44 9:49 3:37 10:41 4:29 10:32 4:20 11:20 5:09 ----- 5:55 12:28 6:40 1:11 7:24 1:55 8:08 2:42 8:55 3:33 9:47 4:30 10:45 5:32 11:48

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises 07:38 06:41 4:50p 07:39 06:40 5:22p 07:40 06:39 5:56p 07:41 06:38 6:33p 07:42 06:37 7:12p 07:43 06:36 7:54p 07:44 06:35 8:40p 07:45 06:34 9:29p 07:45 06:33 10:20p 07:46 06:33 11:14p 06:47 05:32 11:09p 06:48 05:31 NoMoon 06:49 05:30 12:06a 06:50 05:29 1:05a 06:51 05:29 2:05a 06:52 05:28 3:08a 06:53 05:27 4:14a 06:54 05:27 5:23a 06:55 05:26 6:33a 06:56 05:25 7:43a

Sets 4:44a 5:40a 6:35a 7:31a 8:26a 9:20a 10:12a 11:01a 11:47a 12:29p 12:09p 12:45p 1:20p 1:54p 2:29p 3:06p 3:46p 4:31p 5:22p 6:19p

P.M. Minor Major 3:37 9:48 4:16 10:27 4:57 11:08 5:41 11:52 6:28 12:16 7:18 1:06 8:10 1:58 9:03 2:51 9:56 3:44 10:48 4:36 10:39 4:27 11:27 5:16 ----- 6:02 12:35 6:47 1:18 7:31 2:02 8:15 2:49 9:02 3:40 9:54 4:37 10:52 5:39 11:55

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises 07:41 06:52 4:59p 07:42 06:51 5:33p 07:43 06:50 6:08p 07:43 06:50 6:45p 07:44 06:49 7:26p 07:45 06:48 8:09p 07:46 06:47 8:55p 07:46 06:46 9:43p 07:47 06:46 10:34p 07:48 06:45 11:27p 06:49 05:44 11:22p 06:50 05:43 NoMoon 06:50 05:43 12:17a 06:51 05:42 1:14a 06:52 05:42 2:13a 06:53 05:41 3:14a 06:54 05:40 4:18a 06:55 05:40 5:25a 06:55 05:39 6:34a 06:56 05:39 7:43a

Sets 4:50a 5:45a 6:39a 7:33a 8:27a 9:20a 10:12a 11:01a 11:47a 12:30p 12:10p 12:48p 1:24p 2:00p 2:37p 3:15p 3:57p 4:44p 5:36p 6:34p

P.M. Minor 3:51 4:29 5:10 5:54 6:41 7:31 8:23 9:16 10:09 11:02 10:52 11:41 12:04 12:48 1:32 2:16 3:02 3:53 4:50 5:52

SUN Rises 08:02 08:03 08:04 08:05 08:05 08:06 08:07 08:08 08:09 08:10 07:11 07:12 07:13 07:14 07:15 07:16 07:17 07:18 07:19 07:20

Major 10:01 10:40 11:22 ----12:29 1:19 2:11 3:04 3:57 4:50 4:40 5:29 6:15 7:00 7:44 8:29 9:16 10:08 11:05 12:08

Sets 06:58 06:57 06:56 06:55 06:54 06:53 06:52 06:51 06:50 06:49 05:48 05:47 05:47 05:46 05:45 05:44 05:43 05:43 05:42 05:41

MOON Rises 5:10p 5:41p 6:14p 6:50p 7:28p 8:10p 8:56p 9:44p 10:36p 11:30p 11:27p NoMoon 12:25a 1:25a 2:26a 3:30a 4:37a 5:47a 6:59a 8:10a

Sets 5:06a 6:03a 6:59a 7:56a 8:52a 9:46a 10:38a 11:28a 12:13p 12:55p 12:33p 1:09p 1:43p 2:16p 2:50p 3:25p 4:04p 4:48p 5:38p 6:35p

FOR THE TABLE Easy catfish Italian 4 catfish fillets 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 2 tbsps. olive oil 1 1/2 tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tsp. oregano 1 can Italian stewed tomatoes Preheat broiler and brush both sides of fillets with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the fillets flat side up on oiled broiler pan. Broil about 4 inches from heat for 8 minutes, then turn. In a small bowl, mix cheese, margarine, mayonnaise and oregano. Spread over catfish. Cover with stewed tomatoes and broil an additional 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

— Easyfishrecipes.com

Honey-glazed red wine goose fillets

26. A perch species 30. A very good walleye bait 31. Term for part of a stag’s rack 32. The spider’s dorsal plate 34. The progress of a hunt

36. Part of the antlers 40. Large on the mule deer 41. Shell that fails to fire 42. The largest bass 43. Member of a buck’s harem

4-6 goose breast fillets 1 apple, chopped 1 medium sweet onion, chopped 2 tbsps. seasoning salt 6 cups water 1/2 bottle red wine Honey Place the water, apple, onion and seasoning salt in a large pan

and bring to a boil. Add the goose fillets and boil for 10 minutes.

Remove the fillets and place in a baking dish. Pour enough wine to half-submerge the fillets. Spread a heavy coat of honey on each fillet. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve.

— Backwoodsbound.com

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

Page 22

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

PRODUCTS BUTTON BUCK T-SHIRT: These outdoor-themed T-shirts for youngsters are vintage chic and ultra-soft. The best part? The shirts keep hunting and fishing front and center! The line includes the Wily Buck T-Shirt — a stylized take on the classic critter — that comes in olive or fuchsia. Also available is the Original Button Buck T-shirt, which comes in either gray (shown) or pink glitter, and the “Vegetables are for Deer” T-shirt. The tees sell for about $20 and come in sizes 2T to 12.

>>

(877) 263-6141 www.sageflyfish.com

>>

SIGHT-BLOC: Range Systems’ sighting blocks are made of a recycled rubber composite. A welcome alternative to sandbags or metal rests, the Sight-Bloc will not deteriorate, freeze or become waterlogged. This stable sighting block can be repositioned to three heights. It sells for about $50.

(877) 423-1785 www.inrangesupplies.com or www.range-systems.com

www.buttonbuck.com

>> IPAD CASE: SealLine’s cases give anglers access to their iPads while protecting the pricey and information-packed electronic devices from the elements. Ultra-clear and supple urethane windows allow use of all touchscreen, camera and voice functions. The cases, which feature an easy-to-use zip closure that withstands submersion in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes, have die-cut lash points at corners that provide the option of tethering the encased device. The 11.5 inch by 9.3 inch case fits an iPad or iPad 2. It costs about $35. www.seallinegear.com TUNDRA SHOTSHELLS: Fiocchi has introduced its Tundra line of ammunition: two “heavy” types of shot as well as traditional steel shot loads for waterfowl hunters that are lead-free. Offered in a “heavier than steel” (HTS) weight of 9.5 grams per cubic centimeter and a “heavier than lead” (HTL) weight of 12.5 g/cc, the ammo has a deformation that is basically identical to lead. That translates into a shot that is choke-friendly for waterfowling. That deformation also is thought to mimic lead’s more apparent effect on the target than the harder shot, which tends to cut through. The non-toxic shotshells are made from tungsten, stainless steel, a binder, and graphite coating. They are available in 12-, 20- and 28-gauge. They sell for about $25 to $30 per box, which contain either five or 10 rounds, depending on the size of the shotshell.

>>

>>

8000 PRO REELS: Sage Manufacturing’s new reels will allow anglers to go after large saltwater species.

The reels’ stopping power comes via an integrated secondary drag control system.

The primary drag knob adjusts in one revolution with 1-20 numbered settings, while the secondary drag knob fine-tunes drag resistance by 15 percent with each sequential adjustment and prevents over-spooling when pulling line to cast. With settings A through E, there are a total of 195 individual drag combinations with a maximum setting that offers 40 percent more drag than the 6000 series of this reel. Featuring a quick change spool mechanism, a broad concave palming rim, and a grooved frame for securing line when not casting, this reel comes in a 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12 line weights. The reels, which are available in Stealth and Storm colors, sell for about $750 to $850.

(417) 725-4118 www.fiocchiusa.com

CLASSIFIEDS HUNTING PACKAGES AT LAKE FORK Hunt for wild hogs, quail, pheasant, chukar and ducks at one of the top fishing lodges in North America. Lake Fork Lodge (903) 473-7236 TEXASARCHERY.INFO LOOKING FOR DEER? Great Deal Native Whitetail Trophy and Management Hunts near Brady. Meals and lodging at Highpoint Ranch and exotics hunts are also still available. Brand new lodge and some of the best home cooking you will ever have. I’ll send you some game cam photos of our bucks. Like us on Facebook.

Call Sawyer Wright.

(254) 485-7069 DEER LEASE WANTED Lone Star Outdoor News is looking for a hunting and fishing lease with all hunt and fish rights.

Central or Northwest Texas.

Camphouse is needed.

(214) 361-2276

1

$

Classified Order Form

BOW HUNTING ONLY HOG/WHITETAILS $50 primitive, $75 tent or $100 cabin. Two day minimum.

Cash only.

(713) 823-7139

DEER HUNTING IN CALDWELL COUNTY, TX $600 covers Friday evening through Sunday evening. Up to a 130 Boone and Crockett buck included. Primitive camping and fishing available. Call (512) 689-5297

SHIMANO CALAIS FISHING REEL FOR SALE 100A, right handed in box. Excellent condition. $260 or best offer.

(956) 371-8544

SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN Smith & Wesson Elite Gold 20-gauge, 26” BBL, English stock. In box, never fired.

(214) 361-2276 x 201

100 ACRES FOR SALE 100 rugged acres west of Ozona. Excellent hunting, comfortable camp-house.

Remote, very remote.

Wildlife exemption, taxes are $70.00/year. $150,000.

(210) 863-2719

TEXAS DUCK STAMP COLLECTION FOR SALE 1981 thru 2011.

Call Steve Barber at (817) 832-8078

STATE WATERFOWL STAMP/PRINT COLLECTION FOR SALE 32 total signed and numbered state prints and stamps from around the country 12 state first; Louisiana, Vermont, Arizona,Kansas, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Connecticut, Idaho, Virginia, Nebraska, Canada, Australia. 10 from South Carolina. All unframed.

Great art work for any water fowlers office wall or hunting camp. Call and ask for David.

(214) 361-2276

PER WORD

2 issues minimum

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

October 26, 2012

Page 23

Page 24

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

DATEBOOK October 27

November 2

November 8

Ducks Unlimited Uvalde Banquet Uvalde Civic Center (830) 591-8952 ducks.org/texas

Cotulla-LaSalle County Chamber of Commerce Hunter’s Extravaganza AB Alexander Convention Center Cotulla (830) 879-2326 cotulla-chamber.com

Dallas Woods and Waters Club Monthly Meeting and Dinner Sheraton Dallas North Hotel (214) 570-8700 dwwccs.com

October 27-28 Houston Gun Collector’s Association HGCA Gun Show Reliant Center (713) 981-6463 hgca.org

Bandera Chamber of Commerce 50th Annual Hunters BBQ and Outdoor Expo Mansfield Park, Bandera (830) 796-3280 banderatex.com

Bass Champs South Region Championship Falcon Reservoir (817) 439-3274 basschamps.com

November 3 Baytown Nature Center Nurture Nature Festival Baytown (281) 424-9198 baytown.org

October 30 Ducks Unlimited Palestine Dinner Palestine Knights of Columbus Hall (903) 724-4392 ducks.org/texas

November 6 Ducks Unlimited Lubbock Dinner Lubbock Civic Center (806) 790-0709 ducks.org/texas

November 1 Ducks Unlimited Corpus Christi Banquet Solomon Ortiz International Center (361) 992-9700 ducks.org/texas

November 7 Houston Safari Club Monthly Meeting Houston Racquet Club (713) 623-8866 houstonsafariclub.org

Dallas Safari Club YPG Happy Hour Obzeet, Dallas (972) 980-9800 biggame.org

Puzzle solution from Page 21

Ducks Unlimited Dallas Dinner and Banquet NTX Banquet Center, Richardson (972) 437-1949 ducks.org/texas Ducks Unlimited Waco Dinner The Phoenix Ballroom (254) 749-7150 ducks.org/texas Dallas Safari Club Trophy Room Tour DSC Office (972) 980-9800 biggame.org

November 8-10 4th Annual San Antonio International Farm and Ranch Expo Freeman Coliseum (210) 226-1177 farmandranchexpo.com

November 15 Dallas Safari Club Monthly Meeting Royal Oaks Country Club (972) 980-9800 biggame.org Delta Waterfowl Lake Fork/Alba Dinner AJ’s Fishhouse (903) 638-1426 deltawaterfowl.org

November 16 Executive Editor Craig Nyhus Managing Editor Conor Harrison Associate Editor Mark England Graphics Editor Amy Moore Business/Products Editor Mary Helen Aguirre Intern John Keith Operations Manager Mike Hughs Accounting Ginger Hoolan Web site Bruce Soileau

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

Contributors Kyle Carter David Draper Shannon Drawe Wilbur Lundeen Aaron Reed Erich Schlegel David Sikes Scott Sommerlatte Chuck Uzzle Ralph Winingham

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

Newsstand copies are $2, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2012 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.

Mule Deer Foundation Tri-County Chapter Banquet Sunland Racetrack and Casino (817) 565-7121 muledeer.org

November 18 Mule Deer Foundation Cameron County Chapter Banquet Wink’s Saloon, Grill and Roping Arena, Olmito (817) 565-7121 muledeer.org

OUTDOOR BUSINESS

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

October 26, 2012

Page 25

Page 26

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Lake Sweetwater seeing declines

Good bucks Continued From Page 1

of big deer to fall to clients in rifle season after the acorns are gone and the bucks return to the corn.

In South Texas, numerous big bucks have fallen to bow and rifle on MLDP ranches.

“It kind of depends on where you are,” said Daniel Kunz, TPWD biologist in South Texas. “West of I-35, the land is in good condition and the deer are not coming to feeders. But it will be an above-average year for horns.

Anything east of Highway 16, and the drought is still affecting some places. The success is better there, but the horns aren’t as big.”

Kunz said he has already seen lots of good, mature deer har-

LSONews.com

vested this season.

Several of the LSON crew recently returned from hunts across the state.

Operations Manager Mike Hughs hunted five days on the Rafter W Ranch near Sonora and reported deer were stopping briefly at the feeders before continuing on in search of acorns.

“We’d watch deer come down the hill, and they would stop at every oak patch and eat acorns,” he said. “It was warm and windy, but we actually saw more big bucks than anything else. The younger bucks were not moving.”

Hughs said the action was reserved for the first few hours

after daylight and the hour before dark.

“They moved early and late,” he said. “The little cold front that came through had very little affect on deer movement.

“And I only saw one spike that was interested in the does.”

In the central portion of the state near Breckenridge, another LSON member reported warm temperatures and very little action at the feeders on the Three Amigos Ranch.

Although some big deer were taken during the early part of the season, most of those were shot away from feeders. The brush remains thick and natural browse remains the choice for big bucks.

Lake Sweetwater, the small — and shrinking — emerald jewel of West Texas lakes, is loaded with largemouth bass. However, a dropping water level and declining bluegill numbers could signal trouble ahead for Sweetwater’s bass.

Sweetwater, which filled in fall 2007, has since experienced a 17-foot drop in water level, 10 feet of that since 2011.

“And to add insult to injury, all that rain we had a few weeks ago missed Sweetwater’s watershed,” said Spencer Dumont, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries regional director.

Normally, a dropping water level is tough enough on fish populations.

For example, bluegill — a favorite food of largemouth bass — declined

LONE STAR MARKET

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

from more than 1,000 bluegill in one hour of electrofishing in 2009 to just 69 bluegill in one hour this fall. Such a decline could eventually lead to slower growth and a stockpile of smaller bass. Add the possibility of golden alga blooms to a dropping water level and you have a twoheaded monster, the same monster responsible for Sweetwater’s slow and torturous demise from 19982007, when the lake dropped over 40 feet and golden alga killed most of the remaining fish.

A district record 368 largemouth bass were collected in one hour of electrofishing, three times the district average. Although 81 percent of those bass were less than 14 inches long, the number of 14-inch and 18-inch and longer bass has steadily increased since 2009, a result, at least in part, of the 14- to 18-inch slot limit.

— TPWD

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LONE STAR MARKET

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

October 26, 2012

Page 27

Page 28

October 26, 2012

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com